His eye is on the Sparrow

         I love this photo of Riley because all you can see is his eyes. They are what make Riley the resident charmer in our Hyderabad home. He raises and lowers his eyebrows when he wants something. He furrows his brow when he is trying to figure out how to get into the food of his brothers and sisters.
     They say that eyes are the windows to the soul. If this is true then Riley's eyes tell of a deep wisdom, trust and hope that is alive in him. They show no fear, only peace. Almost as if at 11 months old he has figured out what it takes most of us a lifetime to understand. When we have our complete and total trust in the One who holds us there is no place for fear, or sadness or any doubt that His plans are good and perfect.
     I have wanted to write about blog about Riley for awhile because he has a story of miracles. Riley has overcome so much in a short time. Riley was born with a congenital heart abnormality. Before coming to SCH some wonderful friends sponsored Riley to have an emergency Glenn Shunt placement which saved his life. While recovering from the surgery he contracted the chicken pox! Despite all of this today he is recovering remarkably well. He is able to maintain a healthy oxygen level and is very alert, curious almost one year old.
     With the surgery behind him we started to work on physical therapy. At nearly a year old Riley was not able to sit up on his own. In this process we started to realize some other developmental milestones that had not been met. When held, Riley is very "floppy". When picked up he has absolutely no trunk support and does not wrap his legs and arms around you. SCH sent him to a neurologist and after several tests our worst fears were confirmed. Riley has been diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type I.
     SMA is a genetic disorder that affects spinal motor neurons which coordinate things like sitting, eating and breathing. This sweet charming baby boy will over the next year loose his ability to sit with the help of pillows, feed himself, wiggle his eyebrows and maintain his oxygen level.  I have wanted to write Riley's story for awhile but not like this. Not with this ending.
     Having a child diagnosed with a progressive neurological disease is every parent's worst nightmare. It is one of those situations that tempts us to question God's plans. How can this little boy who has already beat the odds in so many ways by the age of one, not be able to live a long life? We all want fair and this certainly isn't fair. It can cause us to be angry because there is no way God's plan for Riley is "good". A good God wouldn't abandon His children to such a disease.
     But I am praying that those of us here at SCH and those of you who love Riley from all around the world (bless you) will choose to accept and move forward with this news by watching our little boy. I pray that we will praise God that he saw fit for us to be blessed with Riley even for a small amount of time. May we whole heartily be able to give Riley back to God saying "thy will be done, Lord". I pray come to know with an unwavering faith that God is all knowing and all powerful. That we come to believe Riley was created for "such a time as this". For God does not make mistakes and he does not abandon His children. I pray that we reflect the complete peace and trust in Christ that shines in Riley's eyes.
     As a Christian I have seen God work miracles and I know for certain he could heal Riley totally and completely. As nurse I tend to be more of a realist and the facts show that Riley is going to need good medical care over this next year. Here at SCH we strive to love and treat each child as if they were our own. Riley is a child of The King, he is loved and valued and we are going to do everything possible to give him the quality of life every child deserves for as long as he is ours. We have started to notice some decline in him already and have made the decision to have a feeding tube placed to avoid having any problems with aspiration and to keep him well nourished. The hospitalization and surgery total cost comes to about $1500 USD. Will you join us in fighting for life for Riley? You can do so here: http://www.schindia.com/Special-Projects/urgent-surgery-fund/

~Pray for wisdom for Riley's caretakers. The decisions that will need to be made for Riley over the next year carry a heavy weight.
~Pray for Riley's upcoming surgery. May it be quick, painless with an uncomplicated recovery.
~Pray for Riley that over this next year he will know no pain, no fear but only total complete peace and love.
~Pray for those of us who have held and cared for Riley that we won't question why but simply praise God for this life we have been blessed to know.

Where He leads me I will follow

Some of you may remember, when a few months ago I asked you to pray for me as I had a decision to make about a job change (of sorts) here in India. The decision was between staying in Ongole and moving 8 hours away to Hyderabad to work at SCH's newest home for critically ill children that come from the government orphanage. After lots of prayer and weighing the pros and cons I told Sarah that I would like to join her in opening the new home. As long as my conditions were met. At that point we didn't have a license or a house and this is India so I didn't expect anything to happen anytime soon.
Fast forward to a month ago. My boss asked me to come to Hyderabad to care for our now four new babies for the week before my visa trip. I balked. None of my conditions were even close to being met. We didn't have a house. And we had less then ideal nursing staff for our children here in Ongole. In that scenario two nurses for four babies seemed a bit excessive. But in the end I didn't have a choice as one of our little boys here needed the attention of doctors in the big city. During the long tedious drive I stewed with a bad attitude full of worry. Who will take so and so to the doctor? Will all the medications be given? I wanted so badly to hand this little boy over to the care of my colleague and head back home. Then when I arrived to the place where the babies are staying I was struck with the thought of "What in the world did I say yes to?" These are by far the sickest most malnourished children I had ever seen. I have no paediatric hospital experience that these kids need. Let alone I was afraid of touching them because I was afraid I might hurt them. It was more like fear at first sight then love.
It took a few days but God showed me that saying yes to His will is never a mistake. After spending hours in hospitals and doctor's offices with these kids I felt the confidence and joy returning to the way I nurse, something that had been missing. I love the hospital environment I am comfortable there and these kids require lots of doctors and hospital visits. (They truly do need a 1:2 ratio. I am sorry I ever doubted you akka.) I got to go to an English speaking church for the first time in six months and there was a quenching of my spiritual thirst that was desperately needed. And in about 2 days I fell in love with these children who are truly the "least of these."
The other day one the ayahs here said to me, "Amma, you truly believe in these children". And I realized that's why God is sending me to Hyderabad. Because those babies have had no advocate in their entire life. And now they have SCH and God has equipped with my hospital experience and in the time I have spent here in Ongole to give them the fighting chance they deserve. It won't be easy. I am leaving most of my foreign sister family here and working at new branch of this organization with new people from almost scratch  I have had to lay my pride, my Ongole children, and my conditions at the feet of Jesus. He had been taking care of His children long before I came on the scene and has not needed an once of my help in doing so. He has put wonderful staff and house parents in Ongole that do an amazing job caring for these children. And He gave me this quote...

"God never said life would be easy. The purpose in living isn't about our personal happiness...it's about serving God. When it comes to our relationship with the Creator, we should always...always have our yes on the table. If God asks us to do something, we do it . Our yes is a given." (Leaving  Karen Kingsbury)

So I am starting a new year with a new adventure and I am so excited. The Lord has provided a wonderful house and amazing new staff. The babies (there are now 7 and growing) have stolen my heart and I cannot wait to love on them and see them flourish. So without further adieu let me introduce you to our new children...Ivy, Zahra, Rosemary, Riley, Kenneth, Alicia, and Dahlia

 



Chaos, Curry, and Children

Before visiting India I had many preconceived notions based on books, pictures, and stories from others.  But India cannot be captured by words or pictures, it must be experienced.  I cannot adequately describe here the sights, sounds, scents or tastes of India on our recent visit to our daughter who is serving as a nurse at Sarah’s Covenant Homes (SCH) an orphanage for over 100 special needs children.  But there are a few experiences worth sharing.

The sights and sounds of India include:  lots of people, cattle in the street, and women in beautiful saris and kurtas, as well as the crazy chaos of all kinds of vehicles in the streets (I cannot believe I would ever drive there) constantly honking their horns.  The smells and tastes include burning incense, as well as wonderful foods (Dal, Naan, Biryani) spiced with curry (and lots of other spices which can be overpowering if you do not tell your waiter to keep it to “medium spice”). 

 Like everything else in India SCH cannot be described but must be experienced.  The “ayas” (house mothers) and nurses provide a home in each of the apartments for a family of 8-9 children.  The “volunteers” (several young women including my daughter) have come to sacrifice 6 months or a year to live with, give love, and care for these children, “wanting” those who were “unwanted” and “touching” those who were “untouchable” being the hands and feet of the Savior.  Receiving the satisfaction of following Him.  Of course, the children cannot be explained, but meeting them was a great experience.    They were warm, friendly, inquisitive, each a unique personality.  I will always think about Aaron a young boy of 10 years old who has cerebral palsy who does not talk but was not shy and wanted to play with my backpack and even to be held.  I am saddened to think that he has no constant male figures in his life.  Despite the shortcomings of living in the orphanage  all of the children appear to be thriving on the love and care given to them and they love in return.  At each apartment they warmly welcomed us. 

I am still pondering our visit to India, the sacrifice of my daughter and the other volunteers, as well as the experiences with the children, and expect that there will be significant impact to my view of life in the future.  

We came to India

We came to India.  Our friend, Tim, an experienced traveler, said “The thing about India is that it is so ‘in your face’”.  That proved to be our experience as well.  The smells (spices, incense, and opened sewage), the traffic, the poverty ( 60% of the people live below poverty level, 20% unemployment rate), the ancient history, and the sites of random cows, dogs, garbage everywhere.  It would be easy for an American girl to get overwhelmed.  I was, indeed overwhelmed.  So much so, that I almost missed the important stuff.

Maybe you have heard of the “Starfish Story.”  It goes something like, a man was walking on the beach after a storm had passed in the area.  There were hundreds of star fish washed ashore on the beach.  He noticed a little boy picking up  one at a time and throwing it back into the sea.  The man approached the boy and said, “Why bother doing this?  There are too many star fish.  What difference will it make?”  The boy responds, as he throws back another star fish into the sea, “It makes a difference to that one.”

I looked at the work of SCH and ….all of India (there are over 1 billion people) and thought “this is too big, what difference will it make?”  But I saw children that were once malnourished, positively plump!  I saw children learning to walk for the first time at 4 and 5 years of age.  I saw children who have received life altering surgery for a birth defect.  I saw my daughter totally loving and engaging with each of the 106 children, and she knows them by name.  These were the important sights to see in India.

It reminds me of the verse in 1Thess 1:11-12,  “..That by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith.  We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in him..”  I am glad I got to see the good work at SCH and Anna’s participation in that.  I will cherish it always.  Keep on helping those “star fish” that come your way, it makes a difference to them, and to God.

* Anna here! Incidentally one of my foreign sisters and housemothers here at SCH writes a blog called "One Tiny Starfish". She is an excellent writer and mama check it out here: http://onetinystarfish.blogspot.com/