Wednesday, July 28, 2010

He will never leave us or forsake us






I got new pictures of Varney in the mail today. Maybe it is just me but he looks
incredibly beautiful. Even with his really large head he looks good and all the
sores he had on his head are gone. How could those sores, pressure sores from
laying on that huge head all the time be gone.....Jesus. The minute I opened
the pictures I cried and in my heart and my spirit I could see the face of God
illuminating through that little boy.
Once again we might of found hope for Varney and his mom. I joined a yahoo
group with a passionate group of women for Christ and met someone who wanted
to help me find help for him. Another someone who doesn't believe that he is
a hopeless cause, yep she knows the same Jesus I know. You know the guy who
laid hands on the lepers, blind, crippled and demon possessed? Even dead
people were not in the hopeless stage, a few of them were raised up also.

13:8 it states Jesus is the same today, yesterday, and forever!

So we have a hospital and Doctor in Ghana willing to see him and do the treatment necessary but we are waiting on the full cost. Then we will have to obtain a birth
certificate and a passport and a ticket for his mom and him. And none of this is easy but WITH CHRIST all things are possible.

I am so thankful I don't have to do this by myself. I find myself constantly going to the faith station for a fill up. Getting down on my knees, locking the bathroom (even with kids pounding on the door)and saying "It's me again God I so need your help,
direction and I need that faith you promised." And you know that enemy God, he is
being a real pain in the butt!! Send a couple of real strong angels to kick his butt! Because every ounce of Glory is going straight to you when Varney is well.

So PLEASE PRAY if you read this blog that we can get all of the things this little
boy needs lined up for him to go to Ghana to get medical help. And then Pray we can raise the money he need also.

Thank you Lord....

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Another Amazing Person


The Professor giving a speech thanking Global for starting a fund to build wheel
chair ramps.

Professor Flomo teaching people about the Caustic Program.

During my trip to Africa in April we visited an amazing man and his family. I was told
that Global was raising money for a college in Liberia that needed wheel chair ramps, but being my focus is mainly on Forget-Me-Not children, I wasn't prepared for what blessings would come from that donation.

We had to drive three hours to a college campus. Once we arrived we were driven to several on campus homes to see if any would accommodate myself and my four other companions. After we settled in we were invited to Professor Flomos home for dinner.
I felt like honored royalty at his home. All of his family, wife and children, served us something to drink and carried all of their living room furniture outdoors
so we could sit in the open air. No one in Liberia has air conditioning and the only electricity is generators which, few can afford.

A goat was slaughtered for our dinner earlier, meat being a rare treat in Liberia and we were served a delicious meal with rice.

Shortly after the meal the Professor started telling us his life story and we all stayed on the end of seats in anticipation of everything he was telling us.
At age ten he was taken to the Dr. for a boil on his head. They gave him a shot
in the hip and from that time on he could not walk. The shot paralyzed his legs.

Now in America this would be a tragedy, in Liberia it was devastation.

But the Professor, with an amazingly determined spirit insisted he still needed to
go to school. So after bugging his father over and over he allowed him to go.
There were no wheelchairs or cars to drive him so he had to crawl. He would have
to take an extra pair of pants with him because he would be covered in dirt when
he got there.

Now when he told us this I just had to breath a huge breath of air out and ponder
how ANYONE could have that kind of drive. He wasn't just driven to go through
high school but continued on to college.

Oh and that is just his scholastic story. The one that touched my heart to tears was
his falling in love with the woman he was determined to marry. He told us from
the minute he layed eyes on his wife he knew he would marry her... but things
were just not that easy for a man in a wheel chair.

You see Liberians see a disability as a curse. The father of this woman also believed
that he could never take care of his daughter and he refused the request of marriage.
No way was Professor taking that for an final answer. Now come on, the man had crawled to school.... he could get her dad to change his mind. So he continued
to ask and God opened up the perfect circumstance for the Dad to finally agree.

And as he finished telling us this story he called his wife over, sat her in front of
him, leaned over to her and said "and I still love this woman today." Ok, I am crying now and so sure I had just heard one of the most beautiful love stories ever
told.

That wasn't the only person he was absolutely and totally in love with. He proceeded to tell us about his love for Christ. How he had walked with him all his life and that he believed, with all his heart, if he followed his commands he would be blessed.. and you know what, he is.

And those blessing fall over to us and our program. The professor is on Global Orphan's board of directors in Liberia. Also the little brother he raised, who loves Christ with that same passion is our nurse for our program. Now who else could bring
us a CHRISTIAN nurse, raised by a handicapped brother, who was driven and still
is to overcome his disability and help others overcome theres, but Jesus?

This year the college opened there doors to 11 special needs students... unheard of
in Liberia Africa. Without special equipment, special teachers or even knowing how they would afford it, but stepping out in faith with the professors help.

So this loving, humble, amazing man's car breaks down, his only means of transportation. And he has asked for our help. The car will take 2000
dollars to fix, a million dollars in Liberia.

So again I cry out to God to send people willing to donate to someone they don't
even know.... in faith. Because it doesn't matter that he is in Africa, France
or China, he is our brother in Christ and he needs help.

My god promises to supply all our needs.

So I wait in faith......


My Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10) and the earth is His and the fullness thereof (Psalm 50:12).


But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19 KJV)

Friday, July 9, 2010

MIRACLES ARE STILL HAPPENING


Korpu laughing and playing.

Korpu when she came into our program with failure to thrive.

Abigail 2 1/2 months later. Notice those chubby cheeks!



Abigail when she started in our outreach program



Kenneth now standing against the wall.


Kenneth when he came into the forget me not program

I have to be so careful to notice EVERY little miracle that God sends my way.
Some are huge and obvious like Kenneth and Abigail and others are slow... miracles
that happen one step at a time.

Abigail had gained 4 lbs and is crawling! Now for a four year old that might not seem like a miracle... but when I held her in Liberia last April, she could barley
hold up her head, seemed unaware of where she was and didn't care who held her.

Kenneth, small adorable Kenneth is standing against the wall. How is that even possible? Tiny and fragile he just seemed like a small infant in my arms just a few months ago.

Luke 4:18 (New International Version)

18"The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,


And let's not forget Korpu. She came to us with failure to thrive... dying slowly, and now she not only lives but is HAPPY.

Personal miracles abound also....

My son Joe was stung by a bee and we found out he was allergic. I gave him benadryl right away but the swelling continued and he broke out in an awful rash and had numbness and pain. Being a nurse I knew full well what COULD happen if I couldn't get him to a hospital fast enough. So I jumped in the van and headed to the nearest hospital twenty minutes away. Now I would like to say I was in full control but when it comes to my kids I am one lousy nurse. So I drove and prayed..... knowing that everything that happens is in the hands of my God. And as I have read this week in Luke.. the spirit of God was on me. His presence filled my heart and my soul with his peace and Joe continued to breath.

Was this a miracle? I would say so. How many times has God intervened and I didnt' even know it? I am not sure, but I will Praise him for the mircles I can see and the ones I can't.

Our pastor has given us a challenge to read the bible in a year and handed out an outline on how to accomplish this. At first I was hesitant. I read my bible most days, feel I am pretty familiar with the word do I really want to take this on? Well I did and I was terribly wrong. Already I am amazed at what Jesus is teaching me.


Luke 9:23 (New International Version)

23Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me


So Lord, I am going to look for miracles every day and even if I don't SEE one I will
know that they are still there, both in Liberia and here at home.

And if I forget to tell you Lord.... Thanks for all you do.