by Pastor Kim DSouza | May 25, 2015 | Healing & Freedom
With God, all things are possible! Matthew 19:26. In this post we want to feature an amazing testimony of faith and healing from our friend Damian Fernandes. Based out of Mumbai, Damian is a worshipper at heart. He is self employed and stays with his wife Vijaya, a homemaker, and a teacher of the Word, and they are blessed with three beautiful daughters.
We were a happy family of four – my wife, Vijaya, my daughters, Esther and Ruth and myself. It was in the month of July 2014 that we got to know that we were expecting our third baby.
Damian, his wife Vijaya and Hope Miracle Fernandes.
Initially we were taken by surprise but we thanked God because we know that the Word of God says that children are a blessing from the Lord.
At the first sonography, the doctor noticed that the NL value (Nuchal translucency is a collection of fluid under the skin at the back of your baby’s neck) of the baby was high, and asked us to inform our gynaecologist immediately. The next day when we went to the gynac, he saw through the report and told us that the child would be born with the Down’s Syndrome. He suggested that we terminate the pregnancy and warned us about the consequences. But my wife who is a real woman of faith said, “Doctor, we will go ahead with the pregnancy”. At that point that seemed like the voice of God. There was no further discussion after that.
The first few months were not very easy because Vijaya was just not able to eat anything. She even brought up the water she drank. It seemed like the enemy was trying hard. We called the Andrew Wommack prayer line for prayer. The prayer representative prayed with us and encouraged us to press on.
The Holy Spirit led us on an amazing journey from that point. We started having bread and wine everyday and confessed the work of the cross over our lives and our baby. There were times when the enemy would bring negative thoughts to our mind. Sometimes, I gave in to those thoughts but the Holy Spirit used to quicken me and tell me to rebuke those thoughts.
We hadn’t told anyone else about what was happening. My wife would listen to various teachings on healing for three to four hours a day and everyday when I returned from work, she used to share with me whatever she heard. The testimonies revealed that nothing was too difficult for God.
The doctor’s visit was another stronghold. Every time we went to see him, he kept stating the facts. We knew that the truth was that God had already healed our baby. We were then asked to do a test called karyotyping ( To help identify genetic problems as the cause of a disorder or disease). We told him we didn’t want to do it and were trusting God with our baby’s health. We were confident that we were going to see a miracle and there was absolute peace in our hearts.
At the beginning of the ninth month, our church members organised for a surprise baby shower for Vijaya. What was so amazing about that evening was that every single person was speaking life over our baby according to God’s Word. And these people knew nothing about our situation, and yet all spoke what God wanted the child to be.
The next day was the doctor’s visit. After examining Vijaya, he told us that the baby’s weight was very low and we would need to do another sonography. He also said that we might have to go in for an early delivery. That night Vijaya was unable to sleep so she woke me up at 3:00 am. She felt something unusual happening and after some time her water bag broke.
I rushed her to the hospital and she was taken immediately to the labour room. Within 10 minutes Vijaya had delivered our third princess! She weighed only 1.2kg at birth and so had to be rushed to the NICU. After some time the doctor came and told us that she was very weak and there were too many complications. He said she might survive at the most for a week. When I looked at my baby, she looked so weak and lifeless. The doctor looked at me and said, “I had already told you both what was going to happen”. I looked at him and said that we were trusting God. I’m sure he must have thought that were acting like fools. But God chooses the foolish things of this world to shame the wise. Although in the natural we didn’t see our baby healed, we were by faith thanking God already for her healing.
Our baby was in the hospital for almost 28 days and every single day God showed us His faithfulness. She gradually started putting on weight. While she was in the hospital, they told us that it was mandatory for them to carry out the Karyotyping test now, which we didn’t do earlier. They took her blood sample and told us that the report would come after 15 days. We knew in our hearts that no matter what the report says, we were trusting God. And when we received the report, everything was NORMAL! No Down’s syndrome! Hallelujah! We serve an amazing God! We named our third princess Hope Miracle Fernandes.
If you are reading this testimony and if you have received a medical report that is negative, we would like to encourage you to hold on to His unfailing Word. Remember Jesus paid the price for EVERY sickness on the cross. There is nothing too difficult for Him!
Do share this testimony with your family/friends or let us know how it blessed you here on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
by Pastor Kim DSouza | Apr 16, 2014 | Marriage & Parenting
Recently I happened to talk to Pratibha Kinkar, who co-pastors New life Fellowship, Nerul (Navi Mumbai) alongside her husband Pastor Daniel Kinkar. Our discussion revolved around pregnancy and parenting, and in this post, I thought of sharing excerpts from our conversation, which am sure will edify young couples who are looking forward to childbirth and parenting. A mother of 3 young children who are being used by God powerfully in their area of ministry, Pratibha shared with me testimonies of God’s guidance, provision and direction over her family over the years. (It’s a long post, but worth reading every word!)
On the trend of ‘delayed’ pregnancy
I got married at a young age of 25 and within a year of my marriage I conceived. We were going through a tough phase financially but as a couple we never thought of delaying pregnancy due to our finances. We knew that the Word of God calls children as a blessing and we had faith that God would take care of us. And He did!
I feel sad to see young couples delaying pregnancy for years. They first want to ‘settle down’, buy a house or own a car before they can think of starting a family.
I would say if you have got married in your early twenties it may seem ok to wait for some time, otherwise you should not delay pregnancy. Gynecologists suggest that the 6 month period post marriage is an ideal time frame to ‘adjust’ to each other. Also medically as a woman’s age progresses, conception becomes difficult.
As couples, don’t depend on your self-efforts, rather depend on God’s grace for your children. Set an example before the world rather than following the world’s footsteps. In our time we didn’t have the knowledge and revelation of the Word of God as much as the younger generation now with media access has. How much more should you then be depending on God’s Word to sustain you?
On God’s provision
Post marriage we lived off a miniscule monthly income of Rs.1200. The house rent would wipe off half of it, plus the routine expenses were so much that by the end of the month we had no money left. We could not afford to go the doctors and so all my three deliveries were done by my mother at home. But we never depended on our salary to sustain us; our dependence was on our God. We were new believers that time and we didn’t have the knowledge of His Word like we have now, but we knew that the God we served was a living God and as His children we were His responsibility.
We also took a stand to never compromise on God’s principles. We never failed to tithe even once and we also learned to be good givers. There were times when we had little money and we would sense the Holy Spirit asking us to bless someone else with it and we would instantly obey. And this is my testimony – my Jesus took care of every SINGLE need of ours.
I remember one day we didn’t have money to buy milk for our youngest son who was a few months old at that time and he was used to having milk early in the morning when he got up. The previous night me and my husband prayed and believed God for His provision and early in the morning the doorbell rang and we had one brother handover money to us saying that God had told him to do so. I want to encourage you dear reader instead of worrying about your problems, give God a chance to show His faithfulness and you will be amazed at how He works.
We didn’t have the money to buy vitamin supplements, Cerelac boxes or ready-made diapers, but not once we grumbled or complained. Sometimes pregnant women panic so much about taking their dose of calcium and vitamins that they worry if they don’t take it something will happen to the baby. Am not against supplements, but remember your baby in the womb is sustained by the hand of God and not supplements.
When people would bless us with second hand clothes for our children, we would joyfully accept it and bless them. I have seen how first time mothers are so finicky about her children that they feel offended with this. But these are simple things in life that we learned- to be thankful in all things and be good receivers.
Also me and my husband took a stand to never ask people for money. Our trust was not in man but in our heavenly Father and God took care of us beautifully.
Pastor Daniel Kinkar with wife Pratibha Kinkar and children Sharon, Anugrah and Arpit twenty years ago and now.
On enjoying pregnancy
Pregnancy is NOT a sickness and every woman should know this well. Yes, you have to take care of yourself and your baby but don’t make pregnancy as an excuse to gain unnecessary sympathy. ‘Sickness-mentality’ can become a doorway for the devil to attack your mind and body. Remember you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you! Husbands, provide full support to your wives pre and post pregnancy and at the same time do not let your children take your focus off your ministerial calling.
On parents making children their ‘God’
Increasingly I have seen in churches when youngsters get married, they start coming late to the church, and if they get children, then that becomes an additional excuse. I remember when my children were small even though we slept late at night, I used to get up at 5:00 am on Sundays, keep all their things ready and be at church early. Throughout the service when my husband would be busy ministering, I would single-handedly manage my children, with equal focus on the Word that was being taught. We never gave children as an excuse to be late to church or to miss the service. When you lay priority on the Word of God, He takes care of everything else. And when your children see you loving your God like that, they learn to do the same.
On God’s protection over our children
I remember when my daughter was very small, we went to attend the funeral of a girl who was of my daughter’s age. In the coffin, the dress that the dead girl was wearing was similar to what my daughter had. At that moment tremendous fear entered my heart. I would see my daughter in the coffin all the time. When my husband and I would go out for ministry leaving our children alone and I would weep for hours worrying about my daughter’s safety. Then one day God spoke to me. We were on a two wheeler traveling on a deserted and dangerous road, when God opened my spiritual eyes and I could see a huge angel keeping guard over us. God reminded me that He is the one who has brought my children into this world and He will take care of them. And in an instant that fear was gone!
I want to tell you parents, you can in your human efforts safeguard your children only to an extent, but beyond that point you got to entrust them into the hands of your Heavenly Father. As good stewards we need to sow into their lives the principles of the Word of God and the Word of God will never let them fall.
What are your views about this post? Anything you want to add or get clarified? Do drop in your views in the comment section below.
