Every Life Counts

Last Thursday evening, I attended a Banquet/Gala for our city's Crisis Pregnancy Centers. There were many, many people there; some in their diamonds and furs, some in their Sunday best, and some in the clothes they most likely wore to work that day. The purpose of the night was this...to raise both awareness and financial support for this wonderful endeavor. After my own battle with a difficult pregnancy, not unplanned or unwanted, though very medically fragile, this is a cause near and dear to my heart. Actually, after seeing the struggle of two 28 week fetus/my babies, my mother went on to train and donate her time to counsel these sometimes abortion minded, sometimes lost, every time needing 'something', women. There is no charge for a pregnancy test; there is always someone to hold your hand as you find out whether you are carrying a child; there are free ultrasounds for all women, especially those women who are abortion minded, before 14 weeks gestation. The sweet faces of volunteers have faced countless teens after an evening that got out of hand. They have held the women who said, "NO" yet are still facing pregnancy alone. And even the young women who want a child with everything in them, yet do not have the resources...the husband...the support they need to raise a child.
Well on this night, Bruce Wilkinson, the author of the best seller "The Prayer of Jabez" was the keynote speaker of the event. He challenged us all to step out of our comfort zone to do God's work through God's will. He challenged everyone to reach deep into their hearts as well as their pockets to save babies in our community.
A very prolific speaker, we were all both mesmerized and deeply uncomfortable during the call to come forward to claim the challenge. Just $1000 will provide the resources needed save one unborn baby from abortion. Sounds like a lot, huh? It is. Until you think of what that child can become in his/her lifetime. Will he grow up to save the world from a terrible disease like cancer? Will she be the only one who can bring that unreached part of the world the Word of the Lord? The possibilities are beyond our wildest dreams.
In wrapping this post up, I will tell you that our evening was a huge success. After issuing the challenge, dozens of the 700 or so people came forward to dedicate their support. All in all, the amount raised was more than we could have hoped for. Thanks to a one time gift from an anonymous benefactor, as well as the others who pledged, over $1.33 million was raised in that small room. Yes, in that room we witnessed miracles happening! draft

Not the Miracle We Hope For

This morning when we returned home from church, we received some very disturbing news from the newspaper. My husband has a best friend from his tennis playing days. Over the years, through distance, families and jobs, they lost touch, but my husband still spoke of him often. When we were just beginning to date and in the first year of our marriage, his name was a staple around our household. After our twins were born, having all of the problems that come with extreme prematurity, a lot of friends could not be found. You'd be amazed how many people are afraid or feel awkward talking during a life changing event, such as the severe illness of a child. Not to mention two children.
But this couple was anxious to see us and meet our boys, as well as to show off their new daughter. She was a few months younger than our boys but we had a lot of fun together. They named this sweet baby girl Elizabeth.
This morning in the newspaper, we read the tragic story of a 15 year old girl who had been hit and killed while crossing the street with a group of teenagers. After thinking back and doing a little research on addresses, we realized that this young girl was the beloved daughter of our old friends. You heart wells up in your throat and emotions threaten to overwhelm as you put yourself in the shoes of another mother. Then you fall on your knees and thank God that this child was not yours and that yours are safe in the comfort of your home. It is a selfish thought, I know. But give me any mother in this world who hasn't thought the same...I don't think you'll find one.
I can only hope and pray that the comfort of our Lord Jesus Christ will find this family during this difficult time. We will pray for them even though we are no longer in each others lives. The prayers that are said for those we know and love are no more or less powerful than for those we don't. I pray this family does have a personal relationship with the Lord to carry them through this time. And if they don't I pray that out of this terrible tragedy will come the renewal of faith, the new found relationship with Jesus and the deep abiding knowledge that God is in control. That even when things that happen beyond our comprehension, God is there to carry us. This may be the only way we, as human beings, can possibly survive something that tears us apart.

Right Place, Right Time

As in the last post, this is about a miracle of God that he allowed me to witness last week.

I work in a preschool in my town. I am a teacher in the toddler room which is a job I LOVE. However, infants are my heart. I love to see the first baby smiles and hear the first coos. See the determination on the face of a six month old as they work so hard to crawl that first time. And even the tears are something I love, because I know that with a hug and a smile I can make things all better. It is a wonderful job to have.

Last week was an eventful one. New babies were in the infant room as well as the older ones that had been coming for a few months. Training was going on to get new teachers ready to take over for a few that were moving on to greener pastures. One such teacher in training is a young woman I'll call Shelley (names have been changed for protection). Shelley started work on Monday, training to work in both the toddler room part-time as well as the infant room. A very sweet lady, she seemed to fit the bill for the rooms perfectly.

While I'm certain that any new job can be overwhelming, working with children is all the more stressful. Learning names and personalities, routines and timetables all can add up to a VERY stressful time. Shelley flew through Monday without complaint, even easily, if you could term it that way.

Tuesday arrived and Shelley came in to do what she had to do. Everything was basically the same as the day before. However, at 1:45 p.m. all of that changed. It was then that after the other teacher in the infant room had gotten a 6 month old baby up from nap that it happened. One minute this child was laughing and playing on the floor the next she was having a major seizure. Her eyes rolled back and she trembled violently. The lead teacher ran from the room to get help, while Shelley moved the child to a comfortable position. EMS was called immediately and First Responders gathered around. The tiny child was turning blue due to lack of oxygen. Shelley adjusted her to allow for breath as the first responders took over.

The child was taken to the Children's Hospital where she was given countless tests to determine the cause of this event. She was kept overnight for observation, yet all tests were inconclusive as to a definitive cause, except that perhaps it was caused by a virus.

The next morning in group prayer, the teachers of the classroom were praised for their cool headed thinking and response to what could have been much worse. Everyone was still shaken up, but knowing that this child was safe and healthy took a lot of worry off of all of our minds.

Thursday morning, I asked Shelley what her prior training was and how she knew to do the exact thing that was needed by this child when she had only been working for the school for 2 days. She told me that she was trained in medical assisting and transcription and had been looking for a job in that field. When nothing opened up, she took the job offered by the school. She also stated that it was her plan to continue on to her nursing degree. We were all amazed how this sweet lady was brought into our presence at a time that meant she could help with this incident. We were very proud of her and grateful that God had placed her in the exact spot she needed to be to help the sweet baby in the infant room.

On Friday, Shelley announced that she had been offered a job in the medical field in a local clinic that specializes in emergency medicine...the job she had been waiting for for so long. It was then that it occurred to me that God was so faithful to allow her to be with us for that ONE week, possibly only for the express purpose of helping save the life of a 6 month old baby who had barely begun to live. It is something I will never forget...as I'm sure those I work with as well as the child's parents won't forget either. Miracle #2!!!

Miracles

Wikipedia describes the word MIRACLE as this: A miracle is an unexpected event attributed to divine intervention. The past week or so I have seen my share of honest actual miracles; God ordained, God intervened, God-given miracles. At this point in my life, I already believe in God. I believe in His word as well as His works. However, in the course of everyday hectic life, sometimes it is easy to forget the things that are truly works of our divine creator. Things that give those little chills up our spine or bring tears to our eyes. This blog will hopefully mostly center on bringing these things to mind.

Yesterday, I received a telephone call from my mother. She had just spoken to a very dear friend who was in tears after hearing from her son that her newly one year old grand-daughter had taken a nasty spill. As details emerged throughout the evening, the scene became more and more dire. The baby had been in the attic with her maternal grandmother, a gate covering the opening to the steep staircase. Yet before her eyes, this grandma had been unable to prevent her tiny granddaughter from slipping between the bars and falling headfirst down the entire flight of steps.

When the grandmother reached her at the bottom of the stairs, the child had no outward signs of damage except for a few goose eggs on her head. Until they realized that blood was coming from her ears. The child never lost consciousness, however they knew that the bleeding was a bad sign so they raced her to the hospital. After arriving she faced MRI and CT scans. Unfortunately, the news was not good at all. She had sustained several skull fractures as well as a large subdural hematoma on her brain. She had a concussion and bleeding on her brain. The outcome was only to be guessed.

The baby was transferred to our local Children's Hospital shortly after dinnertime. She had a calm night, resting comfortably. More tests were run to see if the damage to her brain had improved or gotten worse over the nighttime hours. The neurologist following her case stated that there was a chance that the damage could be far reaching...maybe learning disabilities, maybe other problems. However, he also assured them he would be there for the family for the duration, as long as that might be.

When my Mom's friend got to the hospital to see her grand baby on the morning of February 27th, the day after the accident, she found her sleeping peacefully. The family was gathered around for support when the new test results came in. THERE WAS NO LONGER A SUBDURAL HEMATOMA TO BE FOUND! THE BLEEDING ON THE CHILD'S BRAIN COULD NOT BE DETECTED! PRAISE GOD!!

No one knows what kind of long term prognosis this child will have. However, the immediate concern over the bleeding on her brain has been replaced by awe and wonder at the glory of God's healing works. A plan was in place within minutes to begin a prayer chain for this child. People all over the United States who had never even heard of the family were praying for the healing and life of this baby. Through God's merciful healing a family is going to bed tonight with hope and thanksgiving instead of fear and dread. To me, that is the greatest miracle of all!