More Spring Break Fun

I know I'm the Princess' mom, but can I just say this child is absolutely amazing. Six short months ago she could barely walk. She was 15 pounds (yes, 15 pounds at the age of 2 and a half). She was shutdown, she didn't talk, couldn't hear, could barely eat anything besides yogurt. She has never seen a pool (she was scared of the bathtub just 6 months ago), she's never seen sand, never seen the ocean. And just look at her now! Amazing!

Spring Break

Princess has never seen a beach or a pool. I think she likes it.

Lucy's Day of Hope

Thank you, thank you, thank you for standing by Lucy and calling out her name before our Heavenly Father. Thank you for caring for this child who most of us will never meet. Thank you for loving the precious orphans of China.

Lucy is already a miracle. That she has survived and is stable with her complex heart condition is only by the hand of God. That instead of letting her perish in an orphanage someone somewhere in China decided to get her paper ready for adoption. God is working. He will continue to work in her life.

We may never know how Lucy's life turns out. We may never see an answer to our day of prayer. But we can take comfort that God does hear our prayers. He loves Lucy more than we can imagine.

Like all of you, I pray for a family to step forward in faith. I pray that whatever Lucy's medical outcome is that this extraordinary family will find strength through Christ to love her, care for her, and be blessed by the joy of parenting this precious child.

Yes, today is a hopeful day! Thank you for praying!

Lucy's Day of Prayer

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. –Psalms 139:13-14

The outcry for Lucy has been awesome. But ASIA is still looking for a family who already has their paperwork done to step forward and claim Lucy has their forever daughter.

Lucy’s best chance to survive is to come home and have lifesaving open-heart surgery with a mommy and daddy to support and care for her. Lucy has a long road ahead of her. She may even need a heart transplant.

Lucy needs a miracle.

I cannot stand by and do nothing for this child. Like so many others, though, we are not in a position to adopt again right now. But I can pray for her. I can pray for a family to step forward.

Wouldn’t it be amazing if we as a community could come together and cover Lucy with prayer for 24 hours? Wouldn’t it be amazing to see what God can do through this child?

Honestly, I don’t know how God will answer our prayers. I don’t know how Lucy’s life will end up. But what I do know is God will not turn his back on Lucy. She is not alone. While we may not understand it, her life has a purpose.

Will you join me on your knees in prayer for Lucy? Will you pray:

That a family will step forward and claim her as their daughter? Will you pray that once the family submits their letter of intent that China and the United States will expedite all their paperwork and they can hold Lucy in record time?

Will you pray for peace for this extraordinary family? Will you pray that even though Lucy has significant medical challenges ahead of her that they will find strength and support they never imagined.

Will you pray for Lucy? Pray she remains strong. Pray she can hold on for just a little while longer until her mommy and daddy find her.

The 24 hour prayer chain for Lucy will be on Thursday, March 18 starting at 6:00 am and will end on Friday at 6:00 am. If you can commit just one hour of your time, please list it in the comment section of the blog. Please list the hour you’ll be praying and where you’re from. I hope people all around the world will pray for Lucy.

Please help to get the word out by reposting this on your blog, yahoo groups, and facebook pages. Please have people link back to my blog (www.1001tears.blogspot.com) to comment, so we can see just how many people love and care for Lucy.

I think God has amazing things in store for this child. Please be a part of it.

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.--John 14:18

Help Lucy

Meet Lucy. She is 2.5 years old and has a very serious congenital heart disease. She needs medical care, or her life will be cut short. This little girl is waiting for a forever family AND lifesaving medical care. She is listed with ASIA, a wonderful agency in Portland, Oregon. ASIA is looking for a paperwork ready family to come forward to adopt Lucy. Please email Marci at marcisk@asiadopt.org if you are interested in adopting Lucy. You can read more about Lucy on ASIA's blog at asiahope.blogspot.com/. Evie was listed with ASIA and they were wonderful to work with. If you have any questions about the agency, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Fear

This morning I flipped on Sesame Street for the Princess. She started started screaming. It wasn't her usual tantrum, I wish I could tell you what I want scream, but a deep, fearful howl. I've heard this howl before--in China right before she completely shut down.

I immediately thought she was hurt. But she ran to the door in an absolute panic and screamed, "Bye, bye!" When I shook my head she then ran to the stairs and said, "Night, night." I took her back into the family room and she started to shake, her eyes darted back and forth, and she held her hands in tight fists and shook them.

I turned toward the TV. Elmo was singing. I flipped the TV off and Evie relaxed. I turned it back on and she started screaming again. I held her and told her that Elmo wasn't real. That we could turn him on and off. And that he would never, ever hurt her.

She eventually calmed down and we had to leave to pick up the Middle One. On the way, I watched her in the rear view mirror. Her eyes were almost swollen shut. I wondered what her eyes had seen. What had happened to her in the orphanage that made her so scared of Elmo. Was she stuck in a crib with only Elmo as company? Did they play Sesame Street for her while she was in the hospital all alone recovering from open-heart surgery?

I wish she could tell me. I wish I knew her past. I wish I had been there for her.

By the time we got to school, she was happy again. As we walked to the middle one's classroom I noticed a new picture had been added in the Kindergarten hallway. A child had written Psalms 23. I couldn't help but focus on the words: "Yea, though I walk through the valley of shadow of death, I will fear no evil: For thou art with me."

Maybe I wasn't there, but she is a child of God. I have to trust that he protected her in the orphanage and will continue to. And when her old orphanage demons come out, he will help her heal.