Fundraiser Update

According to the ChipIn we have raised $4,507. This is a lot of money.

But guess what? We just received a check, which means that instead of our total so far being $4,507, it's...

$9,507

Yup. You read that right. So what does this mean? It means that we have only have $4,493 to raise in the next 18 days. To meet our goal, we need to raise $250 per day starting tomorrow.

Any suggestions on how to do this?

We could tell you that your car will last another month without that tweaking and polishing, but that Lydia is still in the hospital fighting an infection and until she gets better, surgery for her sick little heart is still far off.

We could tell you that your coffee will only last a few hours before it's either cold or forgotten. Lydia does not deserve to be forgotten.

We could remind you gently that caring for orphans is a command for believers, and that in order to cultivate a just society those who have nothing and are totally incapable of getting anything for themselves should be given too.

We could get down on our knees and tearfully beg you to remember and honor the memories of Paige and Liu Yi, and give Lydia a chance.

Or we could just leave you with this picture. Lydia being LOVED by her nanny.

So how about it? Will you think and pray about what you might do to change the life of this little girl?

And more importantly, will you SHARE this blog, this message and this mission, with those around you? Excite them. Involve them.

Change her life.

 

And the Winners Are...

Is this for me? Why, thank you!

 It looks sort of yummy...

Hey, why won't they let me eat these?

I'm sure that it's delicious...

Finally... oh scrumptious paper!

 Congratulations, Valerie, Jason and Emily! You will be e-mailed about shipping soon!

The Mother (and a reminder)

From March 18, 2012…

________________________________________

There is a woman out there somewhere who is still grieving.

She is grieving because one year ago she gave birth to a tiny, beautiful little girl. A little girl she didn’t keep.

Did this woman give her daughter a name?

Did she trace the delicate, fair skin of her daughter’s face, and does she still dream of her daughter’s round cheeks and button nose?

How many days did it take to sleep through the night without waking up to feed her little one, the one who wasn’t there anymore?

Does she know that her daughter was loved? That her daughter found a home and arms and comfort?

And does she know that her daughter is in heaven?

Read the rest here...

----

Just a reminder to let you all know that our t-shirt raffle will end Tuesday night at 9pm EST. Get your enteriest in before then!

How do you get an entry into the raffle? There are multiple ways!

• Add our button to your blog: 1 Entry.
• Write about us on your blog: 1 Entry
• Post a link to our blog on Facebook/Twitter: 1 Entry
• For every $15 donated: 1 Entry

If you post about us on a social network, please leave a comment on THIS post with a link, so we can add you to the raffle! Then, Tabitha will be picking out three lucky winners!

 

----

 

We've decided, and the money raised above Lydia's surgery costs will go toward medical expenses... like paying for Lydia's most recent hospital stay. She was admitted yesterday with a nasty case of pneumonia and is not doing well. She needs to get strong so that she can have her heart surgery so that she won't keep getting sick... a vicious cycle indeed.

 

Thanks for standing with us in this!

Paige's Bio

 Name: Paige
Birthdate: March 18, 2011
Paige was born on March 18, 2011 and abandoned at the local park one month later. When her parents could not be found, she was taken to the local orphanage. Paige was born with a severe heart disease (single ventricle, single atrium, pulmonary artery artesia, and dextrocardia). When she is being held, Paige loves to look and smile into the face of whoever is holding her. Paige is an active little girl during tummy time and can wiggle her hands and feet. She can recognize her name and turns her head when called. Paige is a lovely and smart little girl and we hope that she will feel loved here. We long for the day when her heart is whole and she is completely healthy.

That was it. Those were the words that the world knew Paige by.

And I had written them.

One of my tasks here is to edit the bios of the new babies, and update the bios of the little ones who have graduated from their initial descriptions. I remember one day having to edit a dozen bios, each beginning with those words, “…when her/his parents could not be found…” Each and every one of the baby’s stories began with the word, “abandoned”. Each and every one of the bios described missing parents, and diagnosis’s. It’s hard.

But I like to end each bio with something bright. With some words of hope. Sometimes, when the child is in desperate need of surgery, their bios end with something like, “we cannot wait to see the transformation that surgery makes in her life…” I try to say something that gives supporters a picture of the hope we have for each child, and the transformation that we anticipate.

Finding the bio I wrote for Paige back then, when I hardly knew her, was a relief. I thought that it was lost, replaced on the website with her memorial card. It was, but I was able to find it again.

I read it, and the last two sentences sent a pang to my heart.

Paige is a lovely and smart little girl and we hope that she will feel loved here. We long for the day when her heart is whole and she is completely healthy.

Nothing about surgery healing her heart. Nothing. 

It says, "we hope that she will feel loved..." and she did! That hope was fulfilled and Paige was so loved.

It says, "we long for the day when her heart is whole and she is completely healthy..." and it is. Paige's heart is whole. Paige, as I type these words, is completely healthy.

{Re-Post} She Was Worth It

This was posted September 14, 2011 on the NDFH blog:
 
She was so loved.

With a physical heart that most had given up on, when Paige arrived all we wanted to do was give her a chance. And even though she never experienced a whole and healthy heart, Paige knew what it was to be loved.

She was a favorite of so many. Her little tuft of hair… those dimples that grew sweeter and sweeter… that grin…

Paige was spunky; she wiggled all of the time. She never contented herself with being a fragile, delicate heart baby. Paige was strong.

Watching her roll over amazed us. Her smile delighted us, and the way she babbled when first beginning to express herself out loud melted our hearts. Paige was not afraid of growing up, even though it must have been tough on her damaged and broken heart.

And we were not afraid of falling head over heels in love with her, even though, right now, it hurts like crazy. When we said “Yes” to Paige, we knew that we were putting our hearts at risk. But if we had not put our hearts at risk, Paige would have missed out on three months of unconditional, nurturing love. And it was worth it. Those three months of getting to love on Paige and watch her blossom was more than worth it.

It’s easy to ask “why her?” because we miss her so much. It’s hard to say goodbye to little Paige, precious Ping Ping, but we know that she now knows no limits to her strength and ability, no bounds to her love. The love that she is experiencing right now, at this very moment, is far greater than we can ever imagine. And we take comfort that her heart is now whole, and overflowing.

The Best Kind of Problem

Today I am still praising God, because Tabitha is healed. (And sitting up by herself!) He is so good.

And because of His incredible healing power, we have a problem. The absolute best kind of problem. Since Tabitha no longer needs surgery, we now have to figure out what the goal amount of our fundraiser should be. We have two options.

Sweet Lydia still needs her life-saving surgery.

So we can either change the goal amount to the cost of Lydia's surgery, or we can keep the goal amount at $14,000, and use it for the many medical expenses and hospital stays for the other precious children.

We want to know what you think. Leave a comment on the blog and tell us your thoughts!

Also, check back this weekend for the winners of the raffle!

Of Healing, Of Life

 The sanctity of a little girl breathing,

The preciousness of her little beating heart...

Held in His arms,

Healed by His touch.

Working miracles. Giving Life.

Something has changed. In an amazing, beautiful, miraculous way.

Tabitha is no longer on the "surgeries needed" page. Because she will very likely NOT need surgery.

From the baby who scared us, she is now the little girl who amazes us.

We didn't think that she would make it, she was so sick, but HE knew the truth. He knew her and loved her and created the perfect plan for her. Liu Yi and Paige didn't get a chance to experience a full and healthy life on earth, but Tabitha will.

I believe that God had a plan for all four of these little girls. He knew that Liu Yi and Paige needed to go to be with him sooner than Lindsay and I would have liked. He took the opportunity of welcoming His precious children into His arms to teach us some valuable lessons about love. He also knew that Tabitha would be a very sick little baby, and that through prayer His healing power would be manifested. In order to show us that He is in control.

So, today, Easter Sunday, we rejoice that which life is. A miracle.

Starbucks: Carmel Frappuccino

I'll admit it. I really like Starbuck's Carmel Frappuccinos. Okay... I might even love them.

Every so often on Sunday after church I would treat myself to one. I mean really, they are just so good. Just looking at that picture makes my mouth water! I think everyone has their "thing". Maybe it's a sonic drink, or donuts after church, or going to a movie with the family.

But this Sunday after church, I am skipping my Starbucks Carmel Frappuccino. Because as much as I just love it , I love this little girl even more.....

....and I want her to have that heart surgery she so desperately needs. So I'm donating money to Tabitha's heart surgery that I would have spent on one afternoon treat, so that Tabitha can have a million more afternoons of running, laughing, and playing, full of life.

And I started thinking, what if we all did that? What if we all took our "thing" this Sunday, and gave it up so that Tabitha can one day have her very own treat she loves? Every little bit adds up.... and if we all pitched in a little, it could lead to something big.

So here's my challenge to you: This week, take the money you would have spent on your favorite "thing" and donate it to Tabitha's heart surgery. I can't wait to see what God does!

{Guest Post} The Name Paige

As a new intern at New Day, I was taken back a bit and honored when Karen approached me and asked me to name the newest arrival at New Day.

This was something I had not even considered before, and I felt the weight of the responsibility on me as I anticipated seeing this little one for the first time. Any names I had considered before as possibilities for my own children did not seem to fit or were already given to children at New Day. My mind went blank like when you take a test and forget all the answers and by the time it came for me to meet her for the first time, I had not made much progress.

Then the moment that I was waiting for, and I was brought to see her for the first time. The name Paige, one that I had thought of before, just seemed to suit her sweet little face.

When I looked into her eyes, I had great hope for her in the future to be a wonderful servant of God who loved the Lord as much as He has first loved her. I praised God for bringing this beautiful child of God to the Foster Home, and I was still in awe that God had chosen me to give her a new name. This name change to me was a symbol of her new identity as a member of the New Day family where she was loved and cherished.

And from that moment that I first met Paige, I started praying for her and looking for how God would work in her life. We knew that hers was a difficult case, but seeing so many miracles at New Day, I wasn’t too concerned. I knew that she was in God’s hands, and so I watched her grow and develop at New Day. As I watched her, I wondered how her life would affect those around her. The thing is, she was already touching everyone around her.

And from that first encounter with beautiful little Paige, I felt a connection to her that I had never felt before. Through the process of naming her, I felt almost as though I had been granted godmother status in her life. And what a blessing this was to me! I daily prayed for Paige and checked up on her, always asking the nannies for updates on her progress. Through Paige, God was opening my heart up more than I knew.

And then that morning came; I was in utter disbelief and shock when I was informed of her passing. Even though I was well aware of the seriousness of her heart condition, her passing had never crossed my mind before. In fact, I know that it took me several days before the weight of her passing was fully realized.

I read her memorial over and over, and God spoke to me tenderly. He told me that he loved Paige more than any of us could. He told me that she was safe, secure and at rest in his arms. He told me that her life had a purpose. And he showed me the other children at the Foster Home in need of the same loving attention that I had given to Paige.

Paige’s life spurred me toward deeper love and compassion for the rest of God’s precious children. It is my prayer that Paige’s life will be an inspiration to you as well.

--Faith

Wordless Wednesday: So Real

p.s. don't forget about the raffle going on! It's SO easy to get involved. Don't be shy, we know that you're out there and want to help!