The SFCV Journal

Our dear sweet Stacey-girl, who recently turned 19, is in the hospital for another surgery, due to the extensive burn scars on much of her body.  She’s had expanders on her abdomen & neck, creating new skin for her face and arm, for nearly five months.  Please pray for a special peace to descend.  She’s done this before, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t scary.  For the doctor’s wisdom, especially as they possibly attach her hand to her abdomen.  And for a quick and pure healing.  She is such a delight, and we miss seeing her around the village.

* Ginger is now in hospital.  She will be here for the next couple of weeks to be evaluated for her upcoming surgeries.  She has a hernia, an abdomen deformity, and a heart defect that will all need to be corrected. We still need to raise about US$7500 for her surgery.  We were so excited to see the surgeons in their newly opened wing at Huaxin Hospital; they are good surgeons, and they have been faithful PHF partners!

* Lily-Diana returns from the hospital today.  Doctors inserted a new shunt, and we hope this one takes!  This little one has a glint in her eye that we hope gets her into lots of trouble when she’s older!

* Five-month-old Sam went into hospital. He currently has a colostomy bag, but the surgeons are confident they can do the necessary corrections.  We had to pay US$3000 to get him admitted; we may need to pay more.  Please pray for this little life!  He is new to us, so we are still getting to know him.

* We were so blessed to have a quiet Spring Festival, but I am sad to report that Pattie Fu Yuanle passed away quite suddenly due to an infection related to her megacolon.  We were so grateful to Taxi Wang, who transported her in, missing his own holiday celebrations; for the doctors who found her a bed in the hospital and treated her that night; and the medical team for responding so quickly.  We had another little girl a couple of years ago who had the same problem and the same result.  It’s hard when we are not sure what we could have done differently, but we trust that she is safe and comforted in our Father’s arms.

* Thank you for your continued prayers!  God continues to show us favor, and we continue to serve.

On February 2, fifteen-month-old Ginger will go to the hospital for a two-week evaluation period by the surgeons.  They will determine whether she will need one or two surgeries–she has a chest/heart deformity and an abdominal deformity, both of which need to be corrected.  The surgery may happen in that two week period, or just after the two week period, or “not for quite some time.”  Please cover Ginger in prayer!  Cover the doctors–both the surgeons and our medical team, as they make life-changing decisions.  It’s a miracle that Ginger has survived as long as she has with so little medical intervention.

The surgery costs are about US$15000, and thanks to the efforts of PHF friend, Dawn Choate, we’ve already raised half of the funds needed, and this amount will get her into the hospital.  Other costs will include the nanny who will stay with her, transport to/from the hospital, and post-op care.  If you are interested in helping sponsor Ginger’s surgery and after-care, please go to http://www.chinaorphans.org/donate.htm and mark it “Ginger’s Care,” or go to www.healinghannah.com.

It’s her eyes that catch you first–the sparkle, the curiosity.  And then you notice her thin, turned-in legs and her inability to lay on her back, a result of the spina bifida that first brought her to us.   Usually, the holidays find us with many children in hospital, but in the last month or so, ten-month-old Lily-Diana is the only one to have stayed in hospital.  Doctors are to determine today whether she’ll need another shunt surgery tomorrow to help correct the hydrocephalus (water in the brain) that was discovered after she arrived.  We hope you’ll join us in praying for complete healing for her, that her body would respond to her current shunt and that she would grow in strength.

It was a very tiny one-month-old that arrived back in April 2007.  Luke was a little blue, indicating his heart condition, and the Samaritan’s House nannies quickly swooped in to action for the frail baby.  This smallest of babies was assigned one of the smallest nannies we have on staff, and she was a perfect fit of gentleness and sweetness.

Unfortunately, our boy was not growing.  His heart was so weak, in turn making him unable to move around like the other babies.  When the medical team first took him in, the doctors said, “He’s too small for the surgery.  Bring him when he is six months.”  But he did not get much bigger, and the doctors said again, “He’s too small for surgery. Bring him back when he is twelve months.”

Luke’s nannies were so good to him, and the medical team continued to try to help him, but he did not grow in strength or even much in size.  He would sit, so clearly uncomfortable, in the middle of the nursery, and watch the other babies crawl around and play.

At twelve months, the medical team was told once again to return in six months.  Finally, two months ago, they felt he was as ready as he’d ever be.

What a magnificant change it has been to see in Luke’s coloring, his movement, and his comfort.  It was just the first of a series of surgeries, but he is already so much improved!  He’s playing more with the other children, enjoying outdoor walks (before today!), and growing in size & strength!

We thank all of you who helped sponsor Luke’s surgery, and those of you who have committed to sponsoring and praying for him.  Big things are in store for this little guy.  We can’t wait to see!

Even one week post-surgery, Hayden is already smiling and silly, begging to pose for pictures (see above) & pulling guests right down next to her so she can chat.   Hayden has been recovering at home this week after a surgery in which Dr. Lisa Buckmiller removed part of the tumor growing in the left half of her face.  It is a terrifically detailed surgery, as all the nerves in the face must be taken into account in the removal.  And while they were not able to remove all of it, a significant portion is gone, alleviating the pressure around her mouth, making eating easier for her now.  Please pray for continued healing, both in body and heart.  We just want to pour gentle and tender mercies over her, and she soaks every bit of it up!

We expect Hayden to return in the next few days; her chaperones are just waiting on tickets to get back to Beijing.  We haven’t heard much on how the surgery went, but we do know they weren’t able to remove the entire mass from Hayden’s face.  She is well enough to travel, but they’ll need to do some follow-up.

Continue to pray!

To bear. Persist. To carry on.

We are amazed at how our Stacey has endured.  Doctors have pinched, pushed, and pricked.  They’ve filled her body with fluid, stuck in metal pins, and told her “just a little longer” for months beyond original surgery dates.  And yet, she has endured.

She walks around Shepherd’s Field and to the village store “to keep fit.”  She returns to our offices to visit everyday, curious to know what is going on and asking if she can help.  She allows visitors to love on her and strangers to stare, and she struggles through daily lessons and conversations in English.  And yet, she does it all with the sweetest smile.

I cannot even imagine the hurt in Stacey’s heart or the pain of these expanders & surgeries, but we are all encouraged by the constancy of her hope.  When asked if things hurt or if she’s tired, she just shrugs and smiles a bit less, and then moves on.  She is in the middle of her second series of expanders, this time inserted into her face and neck.  Yet despite the masses that are growing new skin, Stacey’s face remains as beautiful as it was when she arrived eighteen months ago.  She is gaining a little more function in her recently separated fingers, and the spring in her step since they fixed the back of her legs last summer is unmistakable.

Please join us in continuing to pray for Stacey.  She has to make decisions about her future–where she will stay & be and who she will rely on–that only she can make.  Her story has been far different than most eighteen year olds, and we want to continue to give her something good, and be a place where she can see hope in her future.  We want her to Know in her deepest places that she is Loved.

You may have seen in a recent newsletter that we are working to raise money for nearly ten children who are in need of various surgeries.  One-year-old Ginger’s heart surgery will be taking place later this month as soon as we raise all the funds, and I am so pleased to announce that we have raised half the amount of US$15,000 that we need!  She came to us a few months ago from Inner Mongolia, the first child from her orphanage to come into

our care.  They were worried by the complexity of her case: she has a diaphragm deformity, and her heart rests in a mass outside her lower abdomen.  We love seeing her scoot-scoot everywhere–outside, she heads for the big gate; inside, the light streaming in open windows holds the most interest for her.  If you are interested in helping fund Ginger’s surgery, or any of the other children in need, please contact us at info @ chinaorphans.org (minus spaces!).

Six-year-old Hayden Sun Yuanyuan is always quick to pull guests down to sit next to her and chat, and it’s usually more sweet command than gentle request.  Though here just a short time–she moved to House of Love in July–she’s quickly captured our hearts.  Hayden has a large tumor on her cheek, which has grown significantly in the last few months, and tomorrow she heads to a surgery team in Hefei with Dr. Moody.  U.S. Surgeon Dr. Lisa Buckmiller will meet them there to help remove the tumor from Hayden’s face.  This is a very delicate surgery, as the mass is attached to the nerves in her cheek, and we ask for your prayers in guiding the surgeons & giving Hayden peace.  We know she has a long healing journey ahead of her, and we can’t wait to see her back home. We lift her up to Jehovah Rapha–our God who Heals.