SAN ANTONIO — "I whispered her to rest easy," said Pastor Alyssa Maldonado. "Her baptismal dress was going to be her burial dress," she added.
But was not God's plan as it turned out. Alyssa would tell that exact thing.
As a hospital pastor she was asked to pray over a baby girl who had suffered at the hands of abuse and neglect, and was not expected to survive. But did she ever as this story of faith and journey came full circle.
"One day I receive a call that there was this little girl with no brain activity who was not expected to make it," she said. "They were going to do withdrawal of care on Monday," she continued. "On a Friday they asked if I could go in and baptize her. I showed up to the baptism and did the ritual."
Pastor Maldonado told us she remembered saying goodbye to the little girl and telling her that she was sorry that she had suffered at the hands of abuse and neglect. "When I came in the following Monday they said did you hear the news that she's show a sign of life,' she said. 'I thought that was just beautiful."
It was one day toward the end of summer 2022 that Alyssa and her partner Trisha received a phone call from their licensing agency.
"They told us there was little girl that needed a 'Forever Home', and that she was at the same hospital, and I immediately said, who is it," Alyssa said. "I know of all my patients, and it wound up being her."
Alyssa and Trisha's heart's said yes, but they wanted to make sure they were the right family fit given the special needs and attention that the little girl would need.
"After talking with (all parties involved) they said yes," said Alyssa. "She's just gonna need lots of love, and they told us she may not have the prettiest walk, but I told them neither did I," she added. Alyssa's partner was just as overjoyed with the news about fostering to adopt. "She has a spirit that is just amazing," she said. "She's our miracle."
The couple had been praying for some time for the miracle of children, and they said the timing couldn't have been any better. We asked Alyssa if she could hardly believe things worked out the way they did, and her answer was simple, that one word. "No," she said. "I couldn't have asked for anything more beautiful," said Trisha.
And these days baby girl Miss Mila continues to make progress with and every passing day.
"She break barriers," Alyssa said. "She reminds doctors, specialists and those that cared for her to say watch this, and we're watching," she added. "It came full circle," said Trisha. "We had no idea that when she baptized her that she was going to be her daughter one. She baptized her own daughter not knowing it was gonna be her daughter."