Jincy's   Story

I am Jincy, and I live in Folsom, Sacramento. I am blessed to have a beautiful family with a loving husband (Manoj) and 3 boys. (Kevin, Joel & Jason) And one more angel in heaven who we lost at 8th month of pregnancy in 1998.

I am brought up as a traditional catholic and was very closely involved with church and led a sacramental life. My father was our role model of faith and trust in God as he raised our family of 9 children after we lost my mom when I (the youngest of the family) was just 7 years old.  I believe that my faith in God got rooted well from childhood. I had attended charismatic retreats since I was in nursing school and got introduced to Jesus Youth movement in 2002 while my husband and I were in Dubai, by a friend couple Rani and Hector.

I have had complicated pregnancies and traumatic experiences. We lost our first baby at 8 months of pregnancy. I got pregnant 1 year after that with my second child. The pregnancy was mostly smooth but at 31-week, I broke water (while attending Holy Mass) and underwent C section. Baby remained in the NICU for 2 weeks and by the grace of God came home without any complications.

Next pregnancy was after 3-years, and this time the medical team and we were so careful. By then we were so active in JY and we received a lot of spiritual support. I had a cerclage in place, Progesterone injections and almost weekly medical checkups. And here comes again, at 29 weeks, heavy bleeding when we were at a JY prayer. I was rushed to hospital, underwent a c-section and the baby was in NICU for 35 days. He had many complications including Grade IV Intra ventricular bleed (most severe) and doctors warned us with so many possible future issues including neurodevelopmental delays and cerebral palsy . But we just kept our hope and trusted in the Lord. Having a great support system of friends and family helped us to get through these difficult times.  What I felt different this time, was that having friends from the JY movement, who earnestly prayed and accompanied us, helped a lot in the healing process of my mind and soul. I still remember how sincerely we prayed Psalms 91 around the incubator and how well the baby progressed each day. Psalms 147 :3 says “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds”

Though there were multiple rehospitalizations with the baby, I felt very strong and uplifted spiritually. I gave a testimony in our JY (Jesus Youth) prayer group in Sharjah how beautifully the Lord walked with us through the difficult times, reminding us of his constant presence as we read in Psalms 23 “Even though I walk through the valley of Death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me” … The moment i feel any anxiety or any negative circumstances arise with the  baby in NICU, I found much comfort in praying with this Psalm. Psalm 23 became a part of our family prayer too. Now I can gladly share that before the age of 2, our kids memorized Psalm 23. 

When our kids were 6 and 2 years old, we immigrated to the USA. With both preterm babies, and the one intrauterine death, we thought we were done with having children. But we got to know Dr. Sindhu, a JY spiritual leader who again ignited the desire to be open to life in our marriage. But it took years for us to be fully open to the thought of having another child. Both older boys also kept bugging us for a little sibling. Finally, while attending a JY program in Phoenix with Dr. Sindhu, my JY friend Rani & I felt the strong conviction to have another baby and we put our desire in prayer. At the age of 43, after a 12-year gap, my 4th pregnancy happened. I immediately called Rani and said like in Magnificat ‘The Almighty have done great things for me” …I am pregnant, you better test yourself and she said there is no chance at all. After a week, she called back with the same good news and we had a beautiful journey of pregnancy supporting each other spiritually and we planned for a special retreat in Florida with Dr. Sindhu & Sunil Nadarajan. 

God had a different plan for His greater glory.

I got hospitalized at 23 weeks with premature rupture of membranes. That was just a few days before my planned trip to Florida. I attended some sessions of the retreat online while at hospital on bed rest. I gave birth to a micro preemie at 26 weeks who weighed 800 grams.

Rest of our  journey was filled with miracles after miracles. The survival chance for the baby was so minimal and he was on full life support /ventilator and maximum dose of medications. On the evening of the second day, the doctors advised us to be ready to face any adverse outcome. We baptised the baby in the hospital as advised by our spiritual elder Sunil Nadarajan. As he was conducting the retreat, he had a special inspiration to do a session on the grace of Baptism and then reached out to us advising to baptize the baby. My husband  Manoj & my sister went to NICU at night and gave baptism to the baby. To everyone’s surprise, by next morning, the baby was ready for extubation and his vital signs became normal. All Praise be to God. The question from Chief Neonatologist and other medical team members still echoes in my heart… “What kind of prayer did you guys do last night? It is a miracle and we have no other ways to explain this improvement. You must have a special connection to God”.

Baby remained in the NICU for 3 months. The power of intercessory prayers were so strong and that helped us to deal with many challenges during the NICU stay. Being a person at the receiving end, I can certainly say, Manoj and I wouldn’t have managed all the stress, sadness, anxiety and fear we had in those times without our JY family. 

1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you” This verse encouraged us to trust in God and give up worries and cares to Him. And this experience urged me to pray and be available for others who go through similar situations. I want to share about the power of Holy Eucharist I experienced during my hospitalization. When I went to Emergency room with ruptured membranes, all doctors and nurses advised me to end the pregnancy as it was only 23 weeks of gestation. They even referred me to a mental health specialist when I expressed our faith in God and willingness to accept the baby even with any abnormalities. Finally, they admitted me, started on Magnisum sulphate drip and other medications to stop uterine contraction and transferred me to tertiary care hospital. That Ambulance ride and 21 days of bed rest with intense desire for my baby’s life, I could have done only with the daily reception of Holy Communion with the help of Eucharistic ministers from nearby parishes. I experienced the love of Christ so deeply and each day was really like a gift from God. All the sermons, talks, songs and everything I knew about faith was literally coming to my mind like a movie while waiting for Holy Communion every day. This Christ encounter at hospital bed opened my eyes to those who are sick and unable to go to church, but long for Jesus in holy communion. It gave me a deep conviction about my calling for the service to others in need. Right after my discharge from the hospital, when I was able to drive post-surgery, I joined the pastoral care ministry of our English Parish while my baby was still in the NICU and started to bring holy communion to the sick and homebound members of our parish as well as those in Nursing homes, hospital and wherever needed. 

The overwhelming gratitude I see in the eyes of people when I serve, brings the same Christ encounter within me and I am humbled by the love of Jesus. I am blessed to continue with this ministry for the past 9 years with the support from my husband and my supervisors at work.

A healing experience from the ‘made well program’ by Project Little Flower.

I mentioned previously about my first pregnancy. When I got pregnant and I was working  as a nurse in private sector in Dubai, and had clause in the job contract,  that doesn’t allow  maternity leave or pregnancy related leave for the first two years of employment. But we were open to life and didn’t do any artificial family planning. So  I was in a difficult position where if I choose to continue the pregnancy I may lose the job. My husband was very supportive, and we decided to continue the pregnancy.  I went to the CEO of the hospital with a special request. By God’s grace, management didn’t terminate me from my job. At 33weeks of gestation, I developed Pre-Eclampsia and my baby IUGR (intra uterine growth retardation). The doctors deemed my pregnancy nonviable, and they kept me in an antenatal ward for almost 10 days until baby’s heartbeat stopped. 

It was very hard going through those days and through the delivery process knowing your baby won’t make it. Both my husband and I was in  lot of sadness and worries. The medical team especially some doctors, seemed to have no compassion and didn’t value life. Daily sonograms to see if baby’s heartbeat stopped, was a terrible experience. 

Philippians 4:6-7, I am reminded of this particular bible verse my sister told me almost 27 years back “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”.  This verse helped us go through the funeral services of the baby, and those days of sadness. We named him George and used to visit the cemetery as long as we could while in Dubai.

Little did I realized how deep was my wounds from all the sadness, loss, anxiety, stress and helplessness until I attended the MADE WELL healing workshop a few months back. That was a 6 week long beautiful spiritual journey with much sharing and guidance.

In week 2, I heard a testimony by Jesna, then Lord was talking to me, comforting me.  All those difficult conversations I had with doctors, difficult situations of explaining to my in law’s, all my grudges against those doctors and medical team were brought back to memory.  I was

able  to forgive and I felt deep healing in my heart. Also, I was able to pray for healing from all the shame and guilt I had, associated with the loss of my child, especially the guilt about not being able to have a full-term pregnancy.  

Honestly, I felt like that program was meant for me alone even though I was a facilitator. Recollecting and reliving the past events with guided prayer and surrendering to Lord’s feet really helped to heal the wounds which were often neglected and hidden. Setting apart that specific time with a group of women who had undergone similar experiences and helping to let go of all the burdens unto the Lord, was truly a liberating experience. I believe, that’s the reason I am here today ,  able to share these experiences. 

It brings peace and contentment even when the outcomes are not favorable in our point of view, if we can surrender and submit to God’s plan for us. Our God knows us and cares about us personally. We read in Jeremiah 17:14 “Heal me Lord and I will be healed; Save me Lord and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise”. This verse is a great reminder to place our trust in God’s healing power especially in times of anxiety, fear and sadness. One other bible verse that gave me a lot of strength is Jeremiah 32:27 “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?”  and I keep it close to my heart. AMEN.