It's early Sunday morning. Victoria just woke up and is streeeeeetching next to me and grinning. Promise is curled up next to her asleep. Sugnanam's up and has prayed and called someone to bring us all a shot of coffee. Noah and his aunty, Dayamani, are snuggling together, and Sukanya's still covered head-to-toe in a blanket. It's a chilly morning, but we need to get up and going soon--lots to do today.
Today we hope go to church, but first we have to discharge Justin. The brain swelling is subsiding, and he's more alert now. They're calling it an idiopathic stroke, because the 2-D heart echo, scan of the blood vessels in his neck, and blood tests revealed no cause for the stroke. It was a major one, though, and a part of the left side of his brain was destroyed. Lord, help!
His total bill is just over 50,000 rupees ($1075), of which about 25,000 ($537) has come in. To pay the balance today, we're using money that we needed for some of the mattresses, but the business trusts us that we'll repay it next week, so things are getting ready. Since the kids who are coming are little, we may be able to make do with 15 beds for awhile, but we need more baby cribs. Please do pray about helping with the bed/crib fund and also with Justin's hospitalization.
Someone prayed that our finances would be like loaves and fishes, and they really have been. We got one $1000 gift; other than that we've been getting just a very few little donations like $15 and $25, and $100 three times, but it seems like just when we get down to the last 100 rupees, we get a deposit that gets us through the next day. Roland and Heidi Baker wrote a book called "There is Always Enough," and I've found that that really is true. Whenever we step out in faith according to the will of God, he supplies every need that we have, sometimes with last-second miracles.
I do believe that there's biblical precedent for asking people to contribute generously to work that the Lord commanded be done. And in the particular scripture passage He gave me for this season, the people responded overwhelmingly, and there was more than enough--not to throw up a basic shelter, but to create a beautiful tabernacle with ornate goldwork.
Jesus came to the world as a Jewish baby 2000 years ago, and He's coming to us now as 40 malnourished, bald Indian children with special needs. There was no bed for Him when he arrived on that first Christmas, but this Christmas, I want to give Him a beautiful welcome--real beds like these children have never had in their lives, warm clothing, diapers, nourishing food, Pediasure, a teddy bear to snuggle with... I want nothing less for these children than I'd want for a child born to me or adopted by me.
So I'm asking everyone to give sacrificially to relieve these children's suffering. When you see photos of them you'll understand what I'm saying. Believe me when I say that some of these kids are really hurting, and, although we're not perfect, we have a whole lot of love to give and will fight as hard as we can to relieve their pain and make them happy.
If everyone who loves our kiddos would take one collection somewhere--a paypal one among relatives, a church offering, a coffee-break collection at work, etc. we would have plenty. Also, this is the time of year people look for charities to make end-of-the-year donations to. Please do whatever you can!!
Although SCH is one of the hardest things I've ever done, it's also the most deeply fulfilling, rewarding, and exciting. When I cuddle with this cherub Victoria beside me, and remember how pitiful she was when she came, I'm just overwhelmed. I feel like we've discovered a diamond mine, and that no one in this entire world could be richer.
It's not cinched in this picture, but she's supposed to wear it a bit tighter each week until she gets accustomed to it.
Thanks so much, Chinook Alliance!
