Make-A-Wish ROCKS!!!

Daddy and Chrissie upon arrival at Texas Roadhouse for Chrissie's Make-A-Wish departure party!  As we pulled into the parking lot, Chrissie said these words to her oldest brother, "Parkey (Parker), this is no your party.  This is only Chrissie party."  As the night wore on, Chrissie announced, "Tomorrow I have party for Parkey and Sawyer and Meribeth and Mattie.  For everbody.  It's fine.  Sure." 

So sweet!  We could just eat this girl up like candy!!!

Our Make-A-Wish Princess!

Make-A-Wish really knows how to make a princess feel special!

They LAVISHED Chrissie with gifts, all fit for a special little princess!!!

All for ME?!?

I've never received so many gifts in my life! 

Thank you for helping me open them, too.  I'm getting better at learning how to tear into all of that pretty gift wrap, but I haven't had very much practice.

Chrissie lovin' on Mommy.  Such a sweetie pie!

Thank you Make-A-Wish, Christine, and Noelle, for making my party so special!!!

How'd you know that chocolate is my FAVORITE?!?

The cake said, "Wishing you a magical wish, Chrissie!"

This is magical, alright.  Balloons, gifts, and CHOCOLATE?!?  WOW!!!

Thank you, Make-A-Wish, for treating my whole family like royalty!!!

And the princess rides home before the clock strikes twelve.

No missing slippers; every jewel, toy and gift accounted for.

Thank you from the depths of our hearts, Make-A-Wish!!!

7 Days, 7 Ways for 7 People to Make a Difference

I need your help.  God planted an idea in my mind that I need to act quickly on.  That's why I need YOUR help!

We have 7 people in our family. 
We'll be on our Make-A-Wish trip for 7 days. 
That's 7 outfits for 7 people for 7 days.
What better way to advertise for God's plan for the orphan?!?  7 Days, 7 Ways!

The publicity:  We'll be updating our blog with photos and stories every day of our Make-A-Wish trip.  We'll have Make-A-Wish royal treatment that is sure to get people's attention.  With 7 people all dressed the same, we'll have 7 days of 7 ways to advocate for orphans!!!

But, I need your help in finding t-shirts!!!

I would ideally like to find 7 different designs of t-shirts that advocate for the orphan (we'll all wear the same design each day, but we'll need 7 different designs so we can wear a new design each day).  So far, I have 2 different shirts already taken care of, so that leaves 5 more to find.  (We'd love to find fundraiser shirts so that we can help out adoptive families with fundraising in the process of fulfilling our shirt orders!)

The problem is that it's really hard to find 7 shirts for the variety of sizes that we need, and now I'm dealing with a time crunch as well since we leave for Disney Feb. 11...next Thursday!!!  EEK!

Here are the sizes of shirts I need for our family:
1 Youth XS
1 Youth M
1 Youth L
1 Adult S
1 Adult M
1 Adult L
1 Adult XL

If you would please spread the word and help us locate 5 different eye-catching designs of orphan-advocating shirts that we can have in our possession by Wed. Feb. 10, that would be AWESOME!

This was all God's idea, so I know He'll get it done.  I just need your help in getting the word out.

7 Shirts, 7 Days, 7 People...7 Ways to Make a Difference.

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."  James 1:27

Help us advocate!!!

The Promise

Overwhelmed with God's goodness!

These are the brochures, pamphlets and drawings that Chrissie's cardiac surgeon gave to us today.

First of all, let me just announce that Chrissie's open-heart surgery will be Monday, February 22.  Second of all, let me announce that we'll be going to Disney World Feb. 11-17, compliments of Make-A-Wish.  Third of all, let me announce that I am SO GRATEFUL that God is my Hero!!!

Without God, none of this would be possible.  His timing is perfect.  His grace is sufficient.  His goodness is abundant.  We are blessed.

Chrissie had her pre-op appointment with her cardiac surgeon, Dr. Kupferschmid, today.  We were told that the homograft they received is a good match, so her surgery has been scheduled for Feb. 22.  This was our first time to meet the cardiac surgeon, and we feel so blessed and quite frankly, flat relieved that God chose him to do the surgery.  (In case you're new to the blog, God led Chrissie's cardiologist, Dr. Porisch, to us, and she works alongside Dr. Kupferschmid, who are both Christians who do medical missions to repair little hearts in a variety of third world countries.)  Dr. K (easier to type) spent over two hours with us today!!!  Let me just say, "WOW!"  That WOW covers a lot of emotion.  Dr. K not only explained everything that will occur with Chrissie's surgery, but he spent over an hour just explaining Chrissie's heart to us (yes, it's that complex)!!!  We are in total awe that this precious girl is alive, and we're in more awe that Dr. K will be able to "fix" her "broken heart".  WOW.  WOW.  WOW.

I don't have a lot of experience with heart stuff (other than my mom's open-heart surgery), but I just had no idea what all is involved with our hearts.  Dr. K spent an hour showing us photos from the heart catheterization procedure.  These photos are amazing.  I'm amazed that we have the technology to view with precision and accuracy and amazingly "real" images of our little girl's heart and pulmonary system.  The photos gave us the opportunity to stare a a real-life broken heart.  Shattered.

Oh how my heart aches to see so many things wrong with our precious Chrissie's heart.  There's so much to repair.  I can't even fathom how this is possible.  I cannot believe our daughter is alive.  It's all God.  To Him be ALL of the glory.  She is TRULY a miracle. 

I can't even begin to describe with words all that is wrong wtih Chrissie's heart.  Words cannot do justice compared to the pictures.  We knew she didn't have a pulmonary artery or valves.  We knew she had a large hole in her heart.  We knew she had no blood flow from her heart to her lungs.  We knew her "normal, at-rest" oxygen sats are around 78%.  We knew God had a plan to repair her heart.

What we didn't know was how hard it would be to see the photos, hear the complexities, witness even more things that are wrong with her heart than we ever fathomed, hear many of the possible complications, and conceptualize just what all will need to be done to repair Chrissie's precious heart.

But God is good.  He is faithful.  He is mighty to save. 

God sent us a Christian cardiac surgeon and a Christian cardiologist who will be His hands to heal Chrissie's broken heart.  God put Chrissie in a country that has miraculous technology to not only accurately view all that is wrong, but also provide all of the tools to repair it.  This would be absolutely IMPOSSIBLE in most other countries.  Maybe in ALL other countries, I don't know. 

The entire cardiac team has met THREE times to discuss Chrissie's case and come up with a plan to fix all that's wrong.  It's THAT complicated!!!  There are so many issues and what-if's that they have to plan for in advance.  We were told today with much compassion that after the surgery, "Chrissie will be a very sick, sick girl."  (This is, of course, until her heart heals and then she'll perk up and be a healed girl who can run and play and swim and dance and sing without danger of having a heart attack!)  The most important chamber of our heart, the one that does the pumping, doesn't even pump in Chrissie's heart. Then there's this really big hole between those two lower chambers that should be closed, but since the one chamber has never pumped, it may not know what to do with the blood when it is finally repaired, and then it could fill up with so much blood that the heart would explode.  But, the surgeon has planned to install a "pop-off-patch" over that hole that will literally pop off if the left ventricle fills with too much blood and doesn't pump it out properly.  (See what I mean by how they've planned for everything?!?)  The homograft (cadaver pulmonary artery) will last around 8 years or so, and then she'll have to have another one "installed".  Dr. Porisch will have to fix some other areas at a later date with balloons and stents because they're inaccessible areas to the cardiac surgeon.  They'll have to use the heart cath procedure to try to repair those vessels that are deeper in the lungs than the surgeon can access.  There are so many areas of narrowing and kinks in Chrissie's pulmonary vessels, veins and arteries that it's just overwhelming to imagine.

This is not a routine heart surgery.

This is not a simple fix.

But...

Our God is not a routine and simple god.  He is our Jehovah Rapha Father, the Lord our Healer.

As I was driving home this afternoon from the doctor's visit, I was explaining everything to my amazing friend, Stephanie.  She listened intently and cried on and off as I explained the complexities of this surgery.  It all seems humanly impossible.

Then, as I was driving and talking (in the middle of a dreary, wet, stormy day with total black skies), straight in front of me, right in front of my eyes, the black clouds parted right down the center of my viewing area, and what to my wondering eyes did appear?!?

A RAINBOW! 

"And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth."  Genesis 9:12-13

Stephanie and I cried as God reminded us of His promise.

The sky was totally black.  No sunlight anywhere.  The black clouds parted like the Red Sea as I drove into them.  The rainbow shone brightly, with a divine distinction of every color.  Stephanie and I cried as God gave us His billboard of His faithfulness and His unbroken promise.  And as quickly as the rainbow appeared, it disappeared.  The black clouds pulled back together like a magnet and the rainbow was gone.

But God's face continues to shine brightly in my mind.

And His peace, the peace that surpasses all understanding, continues to fill my heart.

And hope abounds because we have our Jehovah Rapha. 

And He is mighty to save.

Thank you, God, is just not enough.

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."  Psalm 147:3

Here are the surgeon's drawings of a "normal" heart (Left) and Chrissie's heart (Right).

This is just a fraction of what's wrong with Chrissie's heart.

Most of it can't even be shown in a drawing...it's impossible.

Has Your Veil Been Lifted?

The following status update on Facebook has affected me like no other status update I've ever read.  Here are the words being posted by some Facebook users (I'm ashamed to post the following words on my blog):

"Shame on you America: the only country where we have homeless without shelter, children going to bed without eating, elderly going without needed meds, and mentally ill without treatment - yet we have a benefit for the people of Haiti on 12 TV stations. 99% of people won't have the guts to copy and repost this. I'm NOT afraid !!!!!"

Wanna see homeless without shelter?

Thousands of Haitians (elderly and infants included) are sleeping outside on the ground. 

They've made "tent cities" as they have no homes or steady structures to take shelter in. 

Haven't seen a tent city in America (unless it was a campout to buy front row seats to a concert)!!!

Wanna see children going to bed without eating?

This is a child brought to a rescue center on 1/28/10 in Haiti who is severely malnourished.

Unfortunately, there are thousands more just like him in Haiti.
Not the typical look of a "hungry" American.

Wanna see elderly without needed meds?

I think this elderly Haitian woman has gone without needed meds far too long.

Visit The Livesay Blog for many more photos of Haitians undergoing amputations without anesthesia, maggots eating the flesh of living people, children being sewn up without "needed" meds.

Don't see that happening in the US.  Nope.

Wanna see mentally ill without treatment?

Haitian boy (from Buckner gallery) thrilled to be alive, flies and all, without treatment.

Probably the same as in America though.

What does Jesus say about all of this?

Jesus is our Rock.  Our Foundation.  All other ground is sinking sand.

Statue of Jesus on the cross in Haiti remains strong and steady while everything around it crumbles. (Photo from Buckner Gallery.)

Matthew 25:34-36, "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

Matthew 25:40, "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."

Praying God will remove the veil from ALL of our eyes.

"Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due when it is within the power of your hand to do so."  Proverbs 3:27

Praising God for all the veils He's already lifted.

"Sometimes I would like to ask God why He allows poverty, famine and injustice in the world when He could so something about it...but I'm afraid He might ask me the same question." ~Anonymous

Thanking all those who have responded to the Haitian tragedy with joyful, selfless obedience, serving the least of these with your love, your prayers, your time, talent and treasure.

"Do unto others as you would have them do to you." Luke 6:31

Asking what YOU are doing to help those in need...both in America and around the world?!?

"A friend loves at all times."  Proverbs 17:17

Port-au-Prince, Haiti (CNN) — Two weeks after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake devastated Haiti, the numbers have mounted. The numbers tell stories of death and destruction, as well as a global outpouring of aid.

CNN has compiled the latest, most reliable figures available as the devastation continues to unfold:

THE TOLL
150,000: Latest estimate of the death toll, from the Haitian Health Ministry. The European Union and the Pan American Health Organization, which are coordinating the health-sector response, have estimated the quake killed 200,000 people.
194,000: Number of injured
134: Estimated number of people rescued by international search teams since the quake

THE EFFECT
9 million: Population of Haiti
3 million: Estimated number of people affected by the quake
1 million: Estimated number of displaced people
800,000 to 1 million: People who need temporary shelter
235,000: People who have left Port-au-Prince using free transportation provided by the government. The number who left by private means is undetermined.
At least 50: Aftershocks of magnitude 4.5 or higher that have hit Haiti since the January 12 quake

THE CHILDREN
300,000: Children younger than 2 who need nutritional support
90: Percentage of schools in Port-au-Prince that have been destroyed
363: Haitian orphans who have been evacuated

THE RESPONSE IN DOLLARS
$1.12 billion: International aid pledges
$783 million: Funds received as of Tuesday
$317 million: U.S. assistance as of Monday

THE RESPONSE IN MANPOWER
17,000: U.S. military personnel in and around Haiti
8 million: Meals the World Food Programme has delivered to nearly 400,000 people
300: Aid distribution sites that are up and running
130 to 150: Flights arriving every day at the single-runway Port-au-Prince airport with aid

EFFECT ON FOREIGNERS
12,000: U.N. workers in the country at the time of the quake
53: U.N. workers still missing
At least 82: U.N. workers dead
27: U.N. workers injured or hospitalized
11,500: Americans and family members who have been evacuated
4,800: Americans unaccounted for

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/01/26/haiti.by.the.numbers/index.html?hpt=T2

Happy Birthday, Beautiful!

Happy 12th Birthday, Madelaine Grace

"Do not let anyone look down on your because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity."

1 Timothy 4:12

Jan. 28, National Day of Prayer and Fasting for Orphans of Haiti

An Open Letter from Kim Harmon, President - For His Glory Outreach

A call for national prayer and fasting on January 28th for the orphans of Haiti

(Kingsland, Texas) We are deeply grateful to God for all of the Haitian children who have been united with their adoptive parents. We sincerely thank all of the governors, senators, congressmen and government departments who have joined in the effort to secure the safety and well being of these defenseless Haitian orphans. Unfortunately, there now seems to be a mountain standing between the orphans who remain in Haiti and the safe and loving homes of their adoptive families. That mountain is the Haitian Government's new, and still undefined, exit process for children with foreign adoptive parents. With limited resources available to Haitian orphanages, this process has stopped the departure of orphans with humanitarian parole status and directly affects our ability to care for those children orphaned since the earthquake.

I call on all adoptive families, relatives, friends, churches, Christian ministries and all those who care for Haiti's orphans to set aside Thursday, January 28th, as a day of fasting and prayer. We are asking God to intervene, not only for the children in our Port-au-Prince orphanage, Maison des Enfants de Dieu, but also for all the surviving orphanages in Haiti. In addition, we want to include those children who now have no one and no place to go because of the limitations of Haitian orphanages. We would like you to specifically pray:

• For the immediate safety and security of the orphanages, the staff and children. In recent days, we have received verified reports of Haitian criminal gangs targeting orphanages as locations with potential stocks of food and water.

• That God will provide the water, formula, food, shelter and supplies needed by the surviving orphanages of Haiti to care for the swelling number new orphans. Our orphanage alone accepted 40 new orphans on Tuesday, January 26th, but many more have no place to go. The needs of these newly orphaned Haitians are immediate.

• That God will comfort and strengthen orphanage staffs in Haiti. Most have lost their homes and many have lost loved ones. Yet they have continued to selflessly serve the orphans in their care.

• That the ongoing discussions between the U.S. and Haitian governments will quickly produce a workable process to allow orphans to be united with their foreign adoptive parents where they will be safe and loved. And that the cries of the orphans will be heard in the hearts of the negotiators. Each child who departs Haiti opens up much needed space for those children who now have nothing and no one.

When You Wish Upon a Star

We still don't know anything about the homograft and whether or not it will be a good match for Chrissie.  Apparently the supplier of the homograft thought it would be fun to make us wait even longer by not answering the cardiac surgeon's question.  (Just Kidding!)  The cardiac surgeon's office manager has been trying to obtain the answer to the surgeon's question from the homograft supplier, but the answer has not been given yet.  (I don't know what the question is, but whatever the answer is will give the final determination of whether or not this homograft is a match for Chrissie.)
I'm feeling a bit like Ferris Bueller's teacher:

Bueller? 

Bueller? 

Still no answer!  AAGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

But God is good all the time, and all the time, God is good. 

Even ESPECIALLY as we wait.

"He heals the brokenhearted

and binds up their wounds.

He determines the number of stars

and calls them each by name.

Great is our Lord

and mighty in power;

his understanding has no limit."

Psalm 147:3-5

If you're wishing upon stars, try asking our God instead; He is MIGHTY IN POWER.  He heals broken hearts.  He binds up wounds.  It is He who placed that falling star in the sky, and it is He who can tell you the name of the one that just disappeared before your very eyes.

His understanding has no limit.

But mine does.

Oh how very limited my understanding is.

While I'm focused on His healing of a broken heart (literally broken), He is busy lavishing us with good, surprising, perfect AMAZING gifts!

The phone rang this afternoon, and with an unrecognized number appearing on my screen, I anxiously answered it in hopes of hearing something about the homograft.

But it wasn't what I was hoping for.

It was what I was WISHING for!!!

We submitted a Make-A-Wish for Chrissie, and it was the Make-A-Wish Foundation notifying me that Chrissie was granted her wish, and Dr. Porisch (Chrissie's cardiologist) apparently asked the Make-A-Wish Foundation if they could grant Chrissie's wish BEFORE her surgery!!!  What normally takes 6-8 months, took a matter of minutes!  Chrissie has been moved to the top of the Make-A-Wish list, and their team will be coming to our home next week to finalize details!!!

Can you guess Chrissie's Make-A-Wish?!?

Princess Chrissie

Better watch out Cinderella (and Aurora, Belle, Snow White, and every other Disney Princess in history)...

Princess Chrissie is comin' to town!

Thanks Make-A-Wish for making this precious princess' wish come true!  (And for sending our ENTIRE family along to experience Chrissie's wish-come-true!!!)  Disney World has never seen a princess quite like this beautiful-brokenhearted-oh-so-treasured one.  Cinderella doesn't stand a chance with our Precious Princess (who actually looks at pictures of Cinderella and says, "Chrissie!"), LOL!

And all of this was made possible by our Ultimate Party Planner.  You know, the One who heals the brokenhearted, who is mighty in power, whose understanding has no limit.  Sure wish I planned half as good as He does!!! :-)

Happily Ever After!

PS  No, I don't have our Disney World travel date and, no, I still don't have Chrissie's surgery date.  But I can assure you that God does!