SNOW! Day 20

 

My oldest playing in the "snow"

Shad had some snow on him but you can't see it

 

 

 

 

Sarah and Daddy

 

Sarah and mommy

Selah had a good day.  Jon was with her today.  She was up in her chair and frowned at the nurse as soon as she came in LOL.   She had lots of good head movement today and her cold is a little less:)   she watched Sesame Street on the DVD player too. 

We had a little snow today, we made the best of it....we want more snow:)

Please keep praying for Selah....Monday will be three weeks on the fish oil.....we are seeing some progress we want to see more!

Day 19 Fish Oil Study

 

Yes Selah is watching Sesame Street on her DVD player!!  I bought that DVD player "in faith" the first time she grimaced and we could tell she was "waking up" some!  Now I love to see her watching it!

 

I thought this was a cool picture last night before the Thanksgiving Dinner at the RMH with all the kids at the table...reminds me of that picture I've seen before of the table set in heaven:)

 

 

So today is a quiet day for Selah.  She has lots of mucus that she is getting out.  She is coughing some and just blowing it out of her trach.  She just has a cold nothing serious but you can tell she doesn't feel like  herself.   That picture of her is for real, she is actually watching the video.  She turns her head when she is done.  She watched it through two times then turned to the other side of the bed. 

 

I know alot of folks don't understand how she could be considered to be in a coma now since she looks so normal.  Well think of it this way,  have you ever had drugs for a medical procedure?  I did for a colonschopy earlier this year,  after they were done, I was still "out of it".  But I was talking some....but my brain was altered.   That is not exactly how she is but that is a good comparison.  Comas have different levels to them.  She is in a very light coma right now.  There are times during the day that she is not responsive even with her eyes open.  It's hard to explain and I didn't understand until we lived through it...

 

 

We still don't know if we are leaving on Tuesday or not....we are supposed to find out on Monday.   How's that for keeping it real?  

 

Thanks for all your prayers and please keep praying for Selah! 

 

Spend yourself in behalf of the hungry

This morning I got an email from the director of Life 2 Orphans, the ministry that cared for my girls in the institution.  The heating system in the institution is broken and will cost approximately $1,500 to fix!  This is a desperate need!  Winter is coming & they have HARD winters, often with snow up to the 2nd story of the orphanage.  Can you PLEASE help out with this????  There are 90 bed ridden children like Sarah was and another 150 delayed/physically challenged children like Selah was....plus another 100+ mentally & physically delayed adult women there!  You can give through  http://www.life2orphans.org/cms/  just put on your gift what it is for and they will make sure it gets to Torez as soon as possible!!!!!!  Thank you for considering giving to this!!!!!!  And if you have a spot to mention, that you gave in honor of the girls I would LOVE to hear that!!!!!!  

Another need is this sweet family...    http://reecesrainbow.org/41836/sponsorpatterson-2
they only need about $2000 more to be fully funded and they have a travel date!  http://hiskindness.wordpress.com/  this is their blog!  Their son Igor has physical handicaps and for awhile it was thought that he was at the girls' institution.  Read their blog and see this families heart!!

I want to tell you about the Basas family, thanks to you guys and others they are fully funded!!!!  They have not opened their blog yet but I'm sure they will soon and I'm sure they will have a story to tell!  But thank God and you all who helped in any way, there will be one less orphan.....   http://reecesrainbow.org/?s=Basas+family   if you keep checking back here on their site, when they open their blog it will be shown on there. 

I just have to testify about giving...I hesitate to share this because I don't want someone to think we're so spiritual or that we're trying to get brownie points or something...  BUT I want to tell you how God works.  A few days ago, we felt led to give some money to a family here.  We gave it and today someone gave that same amount back to us!   I'm not trying to say God will always give you back to the penny exactly what you give away BUT God is faithful and He is the one who keeps the books....  I know this is a cliche' but you can NOT out give God.  Especially when you are giving to the needy...

We have always tithed, we have to, my husband is a minister and it is required in our denomination.  God forbid if you don't...and I have NEVER liked it.  I will just be completely honest...I still don't but I love to freely give.  I don't mean I don't like tithing but I don't like being required to give to our headquarters, I'd rather give to my local church.  I believe in tithing and giving above that.  I feel it is a great discipline to have in our lives.  But this has always been a sore point to me!   We've never been "well off" even when I worked full time but I will tell you a paradox, we now live on less than we ever have before and have FIVE kids  and yet we have more....isn't that funny?   We have to depend on God and we try and listen to Him and be "opened handed" and God has blessed us more than ever in our lives.    Our "joke" is forget the "name it claim it" forget sending in money to big ministries, forget all that and give to orphans or better yet, adopt a few and God will blow you away!   We don't really understand it and we certainly don't try to make a doctrine about it but it's been true in our life.  There are many scriptures that talk about giving to the needy like this one:

" If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourself in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, Then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like noonday.
The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail."
Isaiah 58:9-11

I don't know about you but I want to "spend myself on the behalf of the hungry"  That is my heart's cry.  I'm so over the fluff of this life....I want to live real and to spend myself, my life for others.  I have a dream of doing that full time, I don't know if that will ever happen given the circumstances we are in right now but I pray that one day we will be able to do that....  I have a dream....

So I just want to encourage you to give to good things, good works...both of the needs above are good things to give to.  If you give to the orphanage, then you will be a part of keeping orphans and disabled adults warm through a bitter bitter Ukraine winter.  If you give to my friends  the Pattersons, you will a part of bringing home Igor, a child who is disabled, who has no future where he is now....those are good works!!!!  Between the two needs we only have to give $3,500.....that's nothing in the scheme of things here in the USA.  We are still the richest nation on earth.  Our poor in America are richer than about 90% of the world....  we are a blessed nation but we need to be a blessing!!!!

Thank you for all you do....

Happy Thanksgiving! Day 18 fish Oil study

 

Selah with daddy!!

 

Mommy with Selah.  There are her animals that we heat in the microwave to bring heat to her knees

 

 

Well last Thanksgiving we had just committed to Sarah.  I had cooked a big dinner (with the help of Publix) and we had some family & our closest friends over to eat.  All we talked about was the adoption and Ukraine.....I certainly had no idea what the next year would bring.  We were giddy about Sarah but awfully worried about her too as we had learned alot of her situation and condition prior to Thanksgiving.  I remember crying, wondering if she was hungry....

 

Fast forward a year.....what a year it has been for our family.  We have seen the faithfulness of God as we have walked through unknown territory.  But God has been faithful!

 

I only remember a few Thanksgivings that have stood out to me...I can not really remember one specific one growing up.  I do  remember one Thanksgiving where Jon & I were staying in a mission's house in Honea Path SC doing fund raising for Brooklyn Teen Challenge and we ate frozen mini chicken tacos....we were young, newly married and quite happy:)  I remember Steve's first Thanksgiving in New York City and the one after that having just lost the twins.  The last two Thanksgivings stand out to me because I did what I wanted and cooked by myself and had folks over.  THIS one will probably be one I never forget! 

 

I've learned Thankfulness in a whole new way this past year....I've learned to give thanks "in any circumstance" whether I was in another  country or whether I was in a hospital room.   I've learned that tragedy doesn't change who God is, I've learned that our family is the most important thing I could ever have.   God has taught me to be content, not just with what I have but in my circumstances. 

 

We had brunch this morning (thank you couponsaremycash.com )  And a church is bringing in a dinner tonight.  Right now Jon & I are up at the hospital.  Our friends Diego & Sandi came by and now Selah and Jon are both asleep LOL  The kids are over at the RMH....  This is not the way I had planned on spending Thanksgiving.  I'm not a huge holiday person....I'll tell you a secret, we haven't had a Christmas tree in YEARS because we were afraid Sam would pull it down on his head.   BUT this year I had planned on a BIG celebration for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  We were even going to do a tree (at the church) for our family.  I was going to get all the ornaments out and everything....    So now I'm thinking that isn't going to happen....but that is ok!   We don't even know where we will celebrate it...but just like today, it may look different than the one I had wanted but that's ok:)  We have each other...

 

While it's been hard, it's been sweet....God's presence has gone before us, He has been our Shield, He has been the lifter of our heads. 

 

Honestly I do not understand HOW anyone can get through life without God, without that hope of eternity.....

 

So this Thanksgiving, sitting by my daughter's hospital bed, not knowing what the future holds, but knowing "it's ok" , I'm thankful. 

 

 

NBC news story on Thankfulness

http://www.whec.com/news/stories/S2842861.shtml?cat=566


Hope you enjoy this.  We always enjoy talking with Ms Adams.

Day 17 fish Oil study

This morning Jon planned on taking Sam to the park for awhile since we didn't think Selah had therapy.  Then when he got back, the NBC channel here in Rochester had called and asked if we'd do a segment on Thanksgiving.  It will be on the NBC station tonight at 11 pm.  After they left some friends who are adopting stopped by and then our van wouldn't start again....so it ended up he didn't go over to the hospital till after 5 pm.  I don't think that has ever happened before.  BUT when he came in the room, Selah lifted her head and shoulders off the bed and moved towards him!!!!  She was ready to see her daddy!!!!!!  He called me on cloud 9 that she responded like that to him!!!  She has had a good day and did end up with OT and Speech with some other therapists so that was great too!   Isn't that great how she responded to Jon????  Everything going good, she  just has  a little bit more gunk as this cold works it way out of her system.  I'm so proud of our little fighter!!!

Today was a very sad day at the RMH, a family who is here with another child, lost their toddler to an accident at a relative's home.  Please pray for this sweet sweet family. Their other child had heart surgery today.  Please Please pray for them!!!!  Our hearts are broken for them. 

Another mom that we met here years ago just got the news that her son, who has fought leukemia two times before has had a reaction to the chemo and he is fighting for his life.  This young man has endured so much and was facing a bone marrow transplant.  Please pray for this family that has gone through so much.  The outlook is not good for him and I know they would appreciate your prayers!

Our hearts are heavy for these families that we know, that we have laughed with, ate with, and talked with.  Please pray that the God of all comfort will be with them tonight and give them comfort!  Tonight I am thankful for the comfort of God....sometimes that is all you have.

Day 16 Fish Oil Study~ Good day!

So a really good day:)

Selah has a cold, just a cold not pneumonia and the great thing is I picked up on Saturday that something was off.  It's not bad, she has never even had a fever but they are watching her.  Her lungs are clear, no issues.  I'm just happy that I picked up on it and so did her therapist as soon as she saw her yesterday.  That was what had her "off" and it a relief to be honest that that was all that was going on!!!

Selah did lots of good stuff today, she coughed some and the nurse thinks.....she may have gagged some when she was suctioned out!!!   We are going to look for that more.  She did all her usual things and did them well.  Her therapist actually stood her up for the first time and her feet flexed some.  She probably will need surgery & botex in order for her ankles to be normal again but they all feel it is doable.  I don't want to quote the doctor but.....there is hope that she will get to the point she will walk!  There are so many good things that happened today, it's hard to remember all the little points...today felt like Christmas to me:) 

I was able to talk to the doctor some today about her blood work.  She had very high levels of inflammation which is what the fish oil targets.  She was at 15 and needs to be at 5.  Selah had her blood drawn yesterday and we hope to hear by Monday if the level is down.   The doctor feels that she is waking up more.  There are alot of small signs that point to that!  I also asked her how we will know when she is out of the coma since she will probably come out of it with some issues still.  She said for us to look for "purposeful" movement.  We are getting some and today we got quite a bit!  She will have the after affects of the accident, for awhile, even if she recovers completely. 

A VERY big thing is she has had NO storms now for TWO weeks.  I can not tell you what a blessing that is.  If you have never seen "storming" I can promise you it is awful to watch.  I get the impression that people are amazed that they are gone.  As I've said before we were advised that the meds would eventually stop working and she would storm over them.  What a blessing that that has not happened and that they are gone!  This reaction to the fish oil alone maybe a huge thing for other people with neurological injuries.  All I can say is to watch someone you love have a storm is an awful awful experience.  I am so thankful they are gone!!!

Selah is accepted into the Brooks Rehab in Jax Fl.  Our plan is to leave next Tuesday.  But who knows with the weather and this cold if we will leave then.  All the plans have to come together just perfect for this to happen.  I'd be fine being here longer to give Selah more of a chance to improve before we leave.  But I've learned to say "whatever the Lord wills"!

We still are looking for housing for our family in the Jax area, if you can help, let me know.  We are too large of a family for the RMH there.

Thank you all for your prayers!  We have just really struggled the last few days with our emotions.  It was hard because she had been doing so good and then things stopped sorta, and she seemed far away again.  I'm glad that there was a reason, her being sick, that makes sense in the whole feeling of her being "off" and that she seems to be better today.   We were both really struggling with our emotions and some real worries about the future.  Today was like a breath of fresh air in our souls to see her more responsive and to have others point out somethings....it was great!  Please keep praying!!!

Thanks to all who have nominated us for Extreme Home Make Over!!!  I just sent mine in today.  I was not able to download any pictures or videos!  Hopefully they will look on here!!  We are keeping our fingers crossed:)  It would be fun and it would be great to have everything done so our house was ready for Selah and more handicapped accessible for all of the children.