Crying, laughter and peace

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27

How I miss to hold my little girl... to squeeze, to kiss, to feel her soft and perfumed hair, her cuddly cheeks and to see her naughty face of happiness to be loved!
But what a joy to know that she's okay, she has no more pain, she is free and I gave her freely into Jesus´ hands, with all my love, because I knew that, from now on, he would take care of her better than me... I knew a more fully love, a love that lets go the one you love, so that he can get well. If there is anything that can be worse than the pain of loss is the pain of seeing who we love suffer. I thank God so much because He was merciful with us and with my beloved child, because until the day before she left us she was well and happy. And when the suffering came, He picked her up and saved her.
How many beautiful memories, how much joy we lived! We were madly happy, irresponsibly crazy in love and caring for her. We surrendered ourselves without fear in this dive of no return  that is being mother and father of a precious pearl of great value. This no one, ever, can take away from us, not even death. Just as nothing can separate us from the love of Christ, in Christ nothing can separate us from our beloved daughter.

It was only a long journey in which she could not take anything but her own soul and all the love she received from us. What a great party should have been made ​​in Heaven to receive her. As in her birth, crying and laughter go together now, sadness and joy become the same thing.

It is life for who stays, and eternal life for who goes.

look at our princess...

We love you so much little princess, I hope you're running and jumping and has a super powerful skate out there, where Jesus has taken you into his arms... lol

The last sunset

 For I am even now being offered, and my end is near. I have made a good fight, I have come to the end of my journey, I have kept the faith: From now on, the crown of righteousness is made ready for me, which the Lord, the upright judge, Will give to me at that day: and not only to me, but to all those who have had love for his revelation. 2 Timothy 4:6-8

The righteous perish,  and no one takes it to heart;  the devout are taken away,  and no one understands  that the righteous are taken away  to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly  enter into peace;  they find rest as they lie in death. Isaiah 57:1-2

The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.  He guides me along the right paths  for his name's sake.
Even though I walkthrough the darkest valley,  I will fear no evil,  for you are with me;  your rod and your staff,  they comfort me. You prepare a table before me  in the presence of my enemies.  You anoint my head with oil;  my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me  all the days of my life,  and I will dwell in the house of the LORD  forever. Psalms 23

F or everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 1 John 5:4

  
I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed — in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 1 Corinthians 15:50-52

For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." "Where, O death, is your victory?  Where, O death, is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:53-57

For this cause, my dear brothers, be strong in purpose and unmoved, ever giving yourselves to the work of the Lord, because you are certain that your work is not without effect in the Lord. I Corinthians 15:5-58

Jesus replied,  "Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. "You heard me say, 'I am going away and I am coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. John 14:23, 27-29

These are some pictures of the last three days we spent with our little princess, before the day she passed. On Saturday, we walked in tan, on Sunday we played in the living room floor and I did a pretty braid in her hair. On Monday it was very cold, she was sleeping peaceful. I spent a long time in the afternoon with her in my lap, she was hugged to me while I warmed her next to my body. At night she slept in the lap of dad and Grandma Cida. I put her to sleep tummy down, and left the heater on because she was cold, with 35.2 ° C. Until 1:30 am I watched her in the crib, she slept quiet, had even dropped the pacifier.

Quarter to six in the morning the Lord woke her up saying her time with us had finished, that she should go... but He let she tell us she was leaving and say goodbye to us. She had high fever, 40 C, and we took her to the hospital where she arrived already going into shock. But there was not a focus of infection, her lungs were clear, the urine unchanged, the abdomen was normal, around all her little body it was not found the focus of infection. But she was having a devastating septic shock, an overwhelming infection, perhaps in the blood, perhaps due to many recurrent infections and prolonged use of antibiotics.

For an intraosseous access she received much serum. She was intubated, a central catheter was passed and doctors started drugs to raise her pressure and strengthen her heart, and antibiotics. But there were no answers, instead of rising her pressure dropped and the kidneys stopped working. Unlike other times, when she struggled, fought, resisted and reacted, this time she remained quiet and with no answers. She seemed to be saying that now she would rest from all her fight and her mission. Once the doctor told us at the end of the day, the immense gravity of her condition, we prayed that everything could be reversed and she could be healed and be fine again. However she remained the same. Then we cried to the Lord that she did not suffer more, if it was time to take her, that she could go in peace and without pain. I begged God that if she was to suffer, that was me, not her. So in a few minutes her heart rate began to decline.

Like a sunset, her heart was sinking softly as she was hugged and kissed. As the last notes of a symphony, the most beautiful song I've ever had the privilege of hearing all my life, this silent music that she delivered during every second of her life with us. Even intubated she gave her last two breaths and flew to Jesus, in peace... And let us lulling for this sweet song that was have loved her deeply, with all our hearts, with all our physical, spiritual, emotional and intellectual strengths, in joy and in sorrow, in good and bad days, for all her life, from conception to birth, from birth to death. This strong love, that I learned and realized I could feel just accepting and receiving her in my life, will forever be with me and guide me in all my days. A love that took me closer to God´s heart.

What am I going to do now? What will I make of my days, from waking up to lie down, if in the last three years I devoted every day of my life for this princess who I had the privilege of being mother?

I don´t know, I just know that I want to be a respondent to the daughter I had. There is so much to do. She rested from her mission, but we are still fulfilling our, which will always be closely linked to her, to her memory, to the priceless gift of life, to the inviolable right that is to live as long as one has to live with love and dignity.

Our ever loved Vitoria de Cristo

This is a another beautiful video, that our dear friend Claudia has done to our beloved Vivi ...
Claudia is a reader of Vitoria's blog in Portuguese, she lives in João Pessoa, Paraíba, in northeastern Brazil (we live in the southeast). Last year she came to São Paulo and came to visit us and meet her personally. At the end of the video there are two pictures of her with our beloved daughter. We are very grateful that she had prepared this lovely keepsake.

Our beloved Fabinho also left us...

Dear friends,

I received sad news that our beloved Fabio Gabriel also left us and returned to God. (Fabio was born in Barbacena, Minas Gerais, Brazil, in April 2011 with the diagnosis of acrania and anencephaly).

He fell ill on Tuesday night, around 8 pm (when our little princess was preparing to leave), and was taken to the ICU with pneumonia. He did not respond to antibiotics and his condition was very serious, progressing to sepsis and septic shock.
 
Tonight at around 9 pm his parents and grandparents said goodbye and returned him to the Lord, who so graciously let him stay for 1 year and 3 months of a very special and happy life, full of overcomings. Fernanda told me that her heart was filled with a great peace when Fabio rested.
 
Please be with us in prayer for them, may God continue giving them strength, comfort and much peace, knowing that they have fulfilled a wonderful mission of love and respect for life.
 
Now Heaven is celebrating, because the Lord has gathered another of His precious miracles. I can wonder how these two kids must be happy running, jumping, singing and waiting for us with Jesus. We miss them and thank God, they were always perfect and deeply loved!

Vitória de Cristo - beautiful memories

A reader of Vitoria's brazilian blog made this beautiful video with some amazing memories with our princess. I am so thankful for every single moment we had with her.

Prayers for a special little friend

Dear friends, please join us in praying for Fabio Gabriel's life, who is hospitalized in serious condition in ICU with pneumonia.

Fabio was born with acrania and anencephaly, like Vitoria, and is one year and three months old. May God sustain him and strengthen his parents Fernanda and Fabio' hearts, at this difficult time. May doctors be enlightened to do the best for this precious life. Father, please bring healing and recovery to Fabio, may he get well and return home with his parents who love him so much. In the name of Jesus we let his life in your powerful and mercy hands, amen.

Our beloved Vitoria is now with Christ

Dear friends,

With sadness in our hearts, but also with peace and gratitude to God, yesterday (July 17th) at 9:30 pm we returned our beloved Princess Victoria de Cristo to our Father, who with so much love and mercy let her stay with us beyond the wonderful 9 months of her pregnancy, for the most amazing two and half years of great happiness.

As she came into our lives with so much courage and sweetness, she also left us. Early at 6 am she woke up and was moaning with 40.5 C degrees of fever. We realized that something very serious was happening and after a bath we took her to hospital. She was rescued but quickly went into a highly severe septic shock. She was taken into intensive care and everything was done to save her. But unfortunately she did not respond to medications and we realized she was telling us that the time had come to rest, that her mission was fulfilled and God was calling her. Just as we respected her life for love to her and for trust and obedience to God, also by love, trust and obedience it was time to respect her death. She went quietly while we kissed her, hugged her, and we told her how precious she was, we would always love her and that she could leave in peace with God. And so she peacefully passed away.

Today was her funeral at 9 am and at 2 am her burial, when her beautiful little body returned to earth, because her soul is alive and radiant with Christ.

We are very grateful to many friends and family who came with us to thank God for her so fantastic and honored life that our beloved daughter Vitoria had and to glorify his name for this beautiful story he wrote. History which, humbly, we had the great honor to be part of. We just have to thank for having been able to love and take care of this little princess of heaven that lit up our lives and so many around us, taking us closer to our Creator.

We greatly appreciate the great affection of everybody, for all the prayers for her life and the messages of support. Many, many thanks for having lived this beautiful journey of love and life with us!

Our princess is an angel in heaven

It is with the greatest sadness that I inform our friends that our dearest Vitoria has left us. This is Vitoria's aunt writing. My sister, Vitoria's mother, is still in the hospital. Please remember us in your prayers. Vitoria was actually doing well yesterday. She had an inflamed throat, but no sign of infection in the beginning of this week. Unfortunately today she was not feeling well and was taken to the ER. Her heartbeat decreased, until it stopped completely. She died peacefully. I do not have all the details. My sister will write more when she is able to. Our dear Vitoria was a blessing in our lives and we will cherish her memory forever.