The Christmas story begins with a calling.
God stepped into the world in the most humble way. Born among animals. Laid in a manger. Not to impress, but to redeem. From the beginning, He has worked through willing hearts who simply say yes.
A Cry in the Garden
Maria was working in her vegetable garden when she heard it.
A baby crying.
She asked her husband if he heard it too. He shrugged. Probably a neighbor’s child. They went back to work.
But two nights later, the crying returned. Her husband thought it might be a stray cat. Then he heard it clearly. Unmistakable. A baby’s cry.
They followed the sound to a trash heap near their house. The crying grew louder. Maria’s husband called his neighbors to help search.
That’s when they found the hole in the ground. Covered with garbage. Broken glass.
Maria’s husband dropped to his knees and began digging. His hands touched something wrapped in a black plastic trash bag.
A newborn baby boy.
His umbilical cord still attached. Maggots, ants, and worms crawling across his tiny body.
Someone had thrown him away.
Fighting to Survive
They rushed him to the hospital. For two weeks, he fought to live.
When doctors finally discharged him, he was placed in the care of New Life Hope Homes, a children’s home in Mozambique that Streams of Mercy has supported for years. Caregivers fed him. Held him. Prayed over him. Watched him grow stronger.
Maria and her husband visited often. They couldn’t stop thinking about this little boy. The more they held him, the more certain they became.
This baby was a gift from God.
After a long process of paperwork and waiting, the adoption was complete.
Friends and family gathered. Food covered the tables. Champagne was poured. Prayers were spoken. And a son came home.
They named him Tomás.
Two Births. One Story.
Over two thousand years ago, another baby was born in an unlikely place.
No hospital. No midwife. No clean sheets. Just a cave. Animals. A manger for a bed.
The God of the universe entered His own creation not in a palace, but in poverty. Not in power, but in vulnerability. A tiny, helpless infant born to an unwed teenage mother in an occupied land.
The world didn’t recognize Him. Many didn’t want Him.
But He came anyway.
Tomás was born into even darker circumstances. Discarded. Hidden in garbage. Left to die among maggots and broken glass.
The world didn’t want him either.
But God had other plans.
Just as heaven announced the birth of Jesus to shepherds in a field, a baby’s cry pierced through the night to reach Maria’s ears. Just as God entered the garbage and filth of a fallen world to rescue humanity, a husband dug through trash to pull a newborn from a grave meant to erase him.
And just as we are adopted into God’s family through grace, Tomás was welcomed into a home where he is loved, cherished, and called son.
This is the Gospel in its simplest, most beautiful form.
We were lost. Discarded. Without hope.
And through Jesus, by grace, we are found. We are chosen. We are adopted.
Why Streams of Mercy Exists
Tomás is alive today because someone heard his cry. Because caregivers fought for his survival. Because a family said yes.
But there are more babies like Tomás. More children abandoned. More little ones crying out in the darkness, waiting for someone to find them.
This is why Streams of Mercy exists.
For over 22 years, we have partnered with ministries like New Life Hope Homes to rescue the forgotten, restore the broken, and bring hope to the hopeless. We care for orphans. We feed the hungry. We provide medical care to those who would otherwise go without. We educate children trapped in poverty.
We do this because we believe every life matters. Every child is created in the image of God. Every baby crying in the darkness deserves to be found.
This Christmas
As you gather with family this season, as you exchange gifts and share meals, we invite you to remember Tomás.
Remember the baby in the manger who came to rescue a broken world.
Remember the baby in the garbage who was rescued by love.
And ask yourself: What cry is God asking me to hear?
There are still children waiting. Still futures hanging in the balance. Still lives that can be transformed by a single act of obedience.
Will you say yes?
