Another prayer request...

A kid I know from the streets called me tonight. He was kind of agitated and talking fast, so it was hard to catch everything he was saying. Eventually I figured out that he was worried about his sister. She’s eight months pregnant and had run out of money. It’s cold out, and he didn’t want her sleeping on the streets tonight.

So I went and met with her (my friend didn’t come with us...his sister said he's embarrassed since he’s back on the streets). I got the whole story from her. She’d had a job, but now that she’s in her final month, her boss told her she couldn’t work anymore. She’s sold pretty much everything she’s owned, and is living in a “hotel” that caters to people who don’t have the money to get themselves set up in a room somewhere (you can rent rooms by the month here). They charge per night, and it’s not cheap. She hadn’t eaten supper, and I’m not sure if she’d even had lunch or not.

I talked to her awhile, and paid for her room for the next two nights. I also bought her supper and some bread and orange juice for breakfast tomorrow. I’m going to talk to Maribel tomorrow morning and try to figure out what to do. But it’s a heartbreaking situation. She could have this baby at any moment really, and she doesn’t have the money to buy supper. She’s not ready at all.

I don’t really have the resources to pay her way for the next month. Even if I did, then what? She says she plans to go back to work as soon as the baby is born, but that’s pretty tough too. For sure we’re not going to leave her high and dry...she doesn’t have anyone else. Her mom died when she was little, and her father (who was an alcoholic and abusive) died a few years ago.

Tomorrow the first thing is to try and find her a better place to stay. The area surrounding this hotel is dicey at best. Then we’ll need to get her a bed and then try to figure out what’s next.

All I know is that it makes me really sad. She’s a nice girl with an incredibly difficult future ahead of her.