Can I tell you a story? (take 2)

Because stories, they pulse.

What else pulses?
Blood.

Blood flows thru us and it gives life.
And our stories, they pulse.
Because, when we see them in the Light…
They speak one thing
They speak of a Blood spilt.
And when we receive it (the Blood, that is), it makes its way into us.
A transfusion, of sorts.
And His blood, it transfuses and it flows and it gives life.

And when we speak stories, we speak of this life that He gave.

We are warned to be careful 
For our hearts are quick to grow proud and can forget Him who brought us thus far
And then we hear the story of Samuel
We hear of how he took a stone and set it up to remember
Because, he said, “thus far the Lord has helped us”
And it was a stone to REMEMBER what had been done
Because he knew of his ancestors and how they quickly forgot

And I know the finite nature of us, mankind
And I know that I can quickly forget

I know that regarding the $150,000 needed for my boy’s cleft palate
That I could be tempted to get frustrated at systems
I could grow bitter and anxious
I know that it would be easy to lean towards those emotions

But, I read of these men of old
And I know I must call to mind and to heart what He has already done
I know I must remember

So, I have started a little series
Yes, it is a series, of sorts
I started yesterday with a story from 7 years ago
Of a boy, faithful and strong, who believed in Living Water, rather than that of the tap
And he said that EVEN IF those taps never poured forth water again
That it would be ok
Because they had Water, Living

That story reminds me of those men, three
Shadrach and his comrades
How when they were told to bow down to an earthly king
But they disobeyed and spoke of a true King
A King to Whom, one day, all knees will bow down
And those men, three, were threatened with a burning furnace
But they said they still would not bow
In fact, they said they would walk into the fire, instead
And this true King would rescue them

But
“EVEN IF” (just as that boy, faithful and strong said)
EVEN IF they were not rescued, they still would not bow down

And I wonder
EVEN IF this money does not come in…
_________________________

My mind draws a blank

But my heart, it rests
My heart, it bows

Is my love for Him merited on His provision?
Is my trust in Him based on what He does for me?

Or is my love for Him merited on Him?
Him alone?
Alas, it is Him alone.
He has brought me to this place another time before (that is a story for another day)
And He has shown me that He is more precious than anything of this earth
So I know He is more precious even than this money needed

So I remember
I place down another Ebenezer, like Samuel did
Because “thus far the Lord has helped us”

I remember that August 2011 was a hot and humid month in NE India
And it was a month spent packing up boxes and crates
I was finishing up classes in the nursing school

my precious students

We had only been married 6 months and were preparing for a cross country trip
We were preparing for a transfer from one hospital to another
And there was excitement for the change
It was a chance for Raja to focus on Psychiatry
But there were emotions too
For I had just grown to understand this new area of India
And I had just figured out how to teach nursing cross culturally
And Raja, he LOVED this hospital
He had been there 5 years…since before I met him

But, pack we did
And we shipped off all of our belongings
And prepared to move out

But, due to some scheduling changes
And a clear need for Raja to be there, as a doctor, for a few more weeks
We had to stay
And our move was delayed 3 weeks
It was frustrating but He softened our hearts and gave us contentment
Little did we know that those 3 weeks were Adam’s final weeks in the womb
Little did we know that if we had rebelled and gone our own way, we would have missed him
We would have been on the other side of India on September 18, 2011

We would have missed that precious one with eyelids, none
We would have missed that precious one who became our first son
We would have never known the depth of blessing that he has brought into our life

And my heart and mind do not even want to go to THAT place
Of imagining what would have happened to him…

What would have happened to Adam?
To a baby with severe deformities abandoned in a rural hospital in the NE of India?

With no ability to close his eyes?

What would have happened?

 I have heard countless brutal stories of babies (and adults, too) left behind
Abandoned and forgotten

No one speaking on their behalf

And I think of our Adam and I wonder
What if that scheduling problem had not happened?

What if we just took things into our own hands and left as planned?

What if?

But, our Abba Father..
He does not ask such questions

For He takes all things and makes them for good
And He is a grand designer
And He knew all these details

He who fathers the rain and dew drops each day
He who gives birth to morning frost
He who laid the earth’s foundations

He also cares for the orphan and the widow
And He also longs to take the foolish things of the world
To shame the wise

He longs to take ashes
And make beauty

That is the One we serve

That is the One who looked into that overcrowded delivery room
(The same One who fathers the rain of the universe!)
He looked on that little baby, unformed
Whimpering in a cardboard box tucked away in the corner
(Shen the 1 newborn bed was needed for twins)
He looked on that and He said
ENOUGH

Like as the prophet Isaiah said of Him, Holy One
“I looked, but there was no one to help,
I was appalled that no one gave support;
So my Own arm worked salvation for me…”

He would not have it.
He shifted hearts in a great cosmic shift
And He gave Raja and I the heart of a mother and father
Though only 6 months married
Though so many factors would call it foolishness
Though we were SUPPOSED to be on the other side of India at this point

He looked.
And He worked justice
As He always does.

Dear ones, that is an Ebenezer.
He is at work.
He has been
And He always will be.

Then again, as Paul wrote,
“He who began a good work is faithful 
To bring it to completion”
This life, our Adam’s, was
Created by
Sustained by
Redeemed by
Abba Father

So He will finish it.
The finances will come
His cleft palate will be closed

And this little one who continues to be voiceless
Will continue to be a loud voice
Testifying to the Lord Almighty
Who was
And is
And is to come

Join us in this journey, dear ones
Consider sharing this story
Consider giving
Consider praying
Let us let Him look down and not be appalled
We do not want Him to look down and be appalled
That there was no one

He calls us to rest
That He is enough

He calls us to give ourselves
He calls us to lose ourselves
He calls us to take up our cross and follow
He makes us rich when we give ourselves away

He is the God of paradoxes

He takes voiceless babies to be a mouthpiece of His glory
And He calls the widow’s mite “more than all the others”
Dear ones, when we give out of poverty
He has the chance to show Himself Provider

When I am momma to a boy who needs surgery
A surgery to speak, eat, and grow
When I get to this place of knowing there is NOTHING to do
There is nothing I can do
But pray, wait, praise, and REMEMBER

Then I give my widow’s mite
And I trust Him faithful

So here is Ebenezer number two
Because it is in remembering that we have strength to walk on
It is remembering that our faith is strengthened

__________________________________________________________________

Logistics update: We will have an update by Monday of how much money is in the fund
As of now, $4,000 came in this week.
We were at about $10,000 last I heard
So that is about $14,000
We will still need $150,000 total to start surgeries

Thank you each and every one of you