Little and Big Miracles…

 

What Faith Can Do – Kutless

If you close your eyes when you walk the road of life; you may miss a lot of little miracles, sometimes overshadowed by the big ones!

 

From: HIShomeforchildren@yahoogroups.com [mailto:HIShomeforchildren@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of ******@comcast.net
Sent: Sunday, December 27, 2009 2:52 PM
To: HIShomeforchildren@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [HIShomeforchildren] double praises

I just wanted to share with everyone how GREAT our God is. I am sure as you watch the news you have seen the bomb attack on the airplane in Detriot?  My cousin and his wife were on that plane. They were on their way home from Ethiopa with their new daughter they adopted! So God stopped the bomb and brought a new little girl into our family on CHRISTmas day. What a Blessing.

Praying for great adoption news for all of us this up coming year.

Happy new year,

Natalie

A letter from Santa Claus

This morning, I found this in the mail; I guess I must have missed it back in October.

 

October 15, 2009

From the Offices of:

Santa Claus

The North Pole

Dear Friends,

As you know, the Christmas season is soon upon us. Due to the economic down turn of the global economy, I regret to inform you that this year, I must change our Christmas traditions – only slightly.

Last week the GPS went bad in the sleigh (what, you don’t think Santa knows how to use technology?), and that my friends was awfully expensive; I swear the dealerships are intentionally making things harder to fix on your own sleigh – it’s a racket!

The day after the GPS was fixed I found that moths had eaten through my Santa suit – if dealerships weren’t bad enough, I had to go to the local department store to get a new suit – bleeding hearts of the world unite!

Later on that day the toilet in office #10 backed up. Once the plumber got done giving our pipes the shaft (and our wallets too), he announced that Christmas tree roots had infiltrated them; and we would need to hire a backhoe to come in and dig up and replace the pipes.

Well, as you know, in the North Pole it’s pretty cold – so we had to hire some specialists (i.e. the U.S. Government) to come in and handle it.

While the U.S. government doesn’t actually believe in magic and Christmas and for sure Peace on Earth, what they do believe in is taking money from anyone and everyone they can get their paws on – so needless to say, while over charging us for the work they were doing they also snuck in some tax assessors and slapped us with over a million dollars in back taxes (who knew that we had to pay taxes on all the toys that WE make and give away!).

If that wasn’t bad enough, because of the shortage of the flu shots, Mrs. Claus came down with a variant called the reindeer flu. As you know, we are self-employed, but we do not qualify for Medicare, and between the government and the insurance companies, and now the medical bills we have had to sell a few of the reindeer to make ends meet.

So, in the spirit of Christmas giving, this year, I must ask that you give a small donation in appreciation of the time, money and effort we all put in here at the North Pole. This money will be used to pay off medical bills, legal bills, and repairs, as well as paying our 2010 insurance premiums which have just gone up as the insurance company found out that I am a bit overweight!

Due to the restrictions placed on the North Pole by the United States Government, who has now decided that we are all Americans and under their sovereign rule; I ask that you give donations of monetary value less than 200 dollars at any given time, and more importantly, in cash only.

I appreciate your understanding,

Santa Claus

This is the house that Jed built…

This is the mouse that lived in the house that Jed built… but let me not get ahead of myself.

We built a house out in the country in the middle of a great big field – and needless to say we have been fighting the introduction of field mice into our house since we first moved in.

Our house is a two story ranch; the first floor is exposed on 3 out of the 4 sides, and we have always been able to contain the mice to the first floor (at least neither we nor our cat have found evidences of mice on the second floor).

image

However, over the last couple weeks we have been seeing indications from our cat Zia that there could be mice in the upstairs part of the house now. 

As a quick aside, Zia is another animal all together; we warn all friends and family that come over that she is a little schizophrenic; she can be sweet and loving, and begging to be pet one second; and then the next second she will dig her claws into you and claw & bite.  No one ever believes us; until after they have been hit.  Zia is a royal pain in my rear – even though I’m the only person in the house she doesn’t dare to attack – however; she still has some value as a mouser apparently.

Anyway, yesterday was the first time we actually saw signs of the mice upstairs (mouse poop in a drawer) so the war began.  While we believed there was more than one mouse, we only had one trap – and so we set it.  Here is where the story really begins though.

This morning we were woken up to Braeden saying “Oh that’s cute, Zia has a toy mouse”; and it was then followed up with something to the effect of “Bella throw Zia her mouse” (I couldn’t quite hear, because I sleep with earplugs on mornings that I don’t want to wake up at 6 AM by our children).

Scrambling out of bed we found this:

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That was the most lifelike toy mouse we have ever seen.  We didn’t have the heart to tell Bella that she was tossing around a dead mouse though.  🙂

Are animals aware of their own mortality?

If you had asked me this a couple weeks ago, I would have said no.  However, I also realize that most of the pets we have had over the last 10 years, we either did not have until they died, or they were too small to have much interaction with.

Today, our pet rat of two years died.  She had cancerous growths that started earlier this summer; but over the last week we found that she was getting really, really bad; emaciated, loosing some hair, not moving much, not eating much.  We started giving her crackers with peanut butter on it for the last two days, as she would actually eat it – but would eat nothing else.

Today, when I went to give her the food, she took it, put it aside, and then dragged, and pulled her tired body down one cage flight, out onto the door and up against my chest.  She continued to start to climb up onto me, which she had no strength to do.  She hasn’t tried to climb out onto me in a long time.  But today, despite almost no strength she made the unbelievable effort, and she was determined.

I helped her up onto my shoulder which was her final aim; and she tried to climb into my shirt, as she had always done as a baby rat.  I couldn’t let her into my shirt, because she was very sickly and it kind of grossed me out.  However, I stood there for about 15 minutes petting her.  And she started to brux – a sound rats make when they are very happy – they grind their teeth together.  Eventually she stopped bruxing, until Donovan came back over, and started petting her, and she started bruxing again. 

Donovan was upset because she seemed to be crying – he was right – either it was the amount of effort she put into climbing on me, or she was actually crying.  After she got on my shoulder she sat there for a short while, and tears started to come from her eyes – but just a short while later, her eyes were dry again.

It was time for me to go back to work; but I knew she wasn’t going to last the rest of the day; Amanda held her for a while, and then let Donnie hold her.  It was unbelievable to see how calm she was (apart from her very labored breathing) once she got into our arms.

I let Amanda know that she should have the kids say goodbye, and a short while later, stormy died in Donnie’s lap.

The kids of course are devastated; they have never experienced death for something they were very close to.  Amanda told Braeden that we would bury her and she would turn into a flower.  Braeden kept saying to me, “Papa, I don’t want a flower, I want stormy” – a couple times he said “Papa, can’t we pray to God and ask Him to give stormy back to us” – “I know God can bring stormy back, why don’t we just ask”. 

Wow – it was really hard as a father to experience the sorrow of my children from their lost…

But Stormy’s death had a profound impact on me; she knew she was dying and she wanted to spend her last moments with her family – rather than in her cage… profound….

Christmas Irony

There is nothing that brings out my nature as a fallen human more than being dragged out shopping around Christmas time.  If you want to cure a humanist – send them Christmas shopping with me.  It becomes very obvious very quickly that I’m not “inherently good”.

And that’s the most ironic part of Christmas, I think.  The weeks leading up to the celebration of the birth of our Lord, seems to make the most obvious, exactly why I need a savior.  

I think I just heard an amen coming from at least one other person in the crowd… it must have been another Logiodice.

When they passed out the brains…

So this morning I awoke to a sound similar to the sound of someone dumping a bucket of legos down a set of stairs – very loud crashing, followed by very loud crying.

“Braeden, are you ok, are you ok Braeden?”

Well, I’ll save you the drama except to find out that Braeden had taken the whiteboard, put it on the top of the stairs and slid down on top of it (and rumor has it Bella was on it too – because I heard her say “I didn’t get hurt”, to which Braeden replied “that’s because you’re feet didn’t stick out”.. 

Amanda had decided to let them watch Dennis the Menace this morning without parental supervision.

I am so used to our children’s dangerous antics, that I lay in bed thinking:

“Well, if he is crying he is still alive.  If Donnie isn’t screaming, then there is no blood”.

Braeden came wandering into the room crying:

“Donnie said it was safe.  Donnie said I wouldn’t get hurt.”

So, I said to Braeden:

“Braeden, you have to learn to use your common sense.”

To which he replied:

“What is common sense?”

I said:

“Braeden, if Donnie told you it was safe to jump off the roof, would you do it?”

He replied, “No”, between sobs.

“And why  not”, I asked?

“Because I would get hurt” (whimper).

“Well, that’s what common sense is”, I replied.

Braeden went quiet…

A few minutes later he said “But Pappa, how would I get on the roof anyway?”.

OMG! I thought, he sat there the last couple minutes thinking about jumping off the roof, and his only concern was how he would actually get up there.  This boy is scary!

 

As my mother always used to say to me; “When they passed out the brains, Braeden thought they said drains and said ‘Give me a little one with a lot of holes in it’”!

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The Christmas Gift…

In Haiti, a little girl died today, it happens every day, all around the world, and it leaves a feeling of sadness and emptiness and hurt, and pain, and often even anger.  Why should children die, why should anyone die?  This isn’t the way God began his creation, so why?

Rom 8:20-21 NIV
(20)  For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope
(21)  that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

But Jesus overcame death, and with His final triumph on the cross that began with a journey some 2000 years ago, with the incarnation of our God, comes the hope of victory.

1Co 15:55-57 NIV
(55)  "Where, O death, is your victory?
    Where, O death, is your sting?"
(56)  The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
(57)  But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

So let my weeping heart be comforted, let me find rejoicing in the Lord, let me celebrate his great love, celebrate his birth. 

For while this little girl has been separated from God’s creation, from her body, from those who love her, yet only for a little while, and with Jesus, she now has the hope and expectation that she shall come again to be reunited to all the things she was intended to enjoy from the beginning of creation.

The day in which she returns in the company of her Lord, she will be made new – all things will be made new, and this was all made possible by the gift from God that we celebrate every December 25th.

Isn’t that the greatest Christmas gift of all… Thank you Lord Jesus!

 

Gaelle

 

 

“Today was her second birthday, so I am sure that she is celebrating that as well! Just so you know, Schella’s real name is also Gaelle, and Baby Gaelle was her assigned little sister. Schella loved her SO much and spent a lot of her time rocking her on the balcony, helping her eat, and spoiling her. Baby Gaelle loved her! Baby Gaelle woke me up at 2AM, and I sat up with her. As sick as she was, I couldn’t understand why she would not give up, until Schella came up to say goodbye this morning. With Schella stroking her hands and tears running down Schella’s cheeks, Baby Gaelle finally was ready to go. What a touching scene! Such compassion and love! Please be praying for Schella, as she will miss Gaelle…

Gaelle went to Heaven to spend CHRISTmas with Jesus this morning around 7 A.M.”

HIS Home December 2009 Newsletter

 

 

 

 

Newsletter for December, 2009

 

We have lots of exciting things to share this month in follow-up to the many prayer requests of our last newsletter. What an awesome God we serve who meets our every need! A major concern that we shared was the need for funds to pay the past-due rent of our boy’s home. The day after I sent the last newsletter the landlord showed up. He asked Hal for a check for $8500, which could be post-dated for 2 weeks to allow us time to collect the money. That weekend I was at a women’s retreat where I was challenged with the question, “Do you really believe what you really believe?” Having just written that God is our provider, when I returned from the retreat and Hal told me that he had written the check, I realized that God was allowing my faith in Him to be tested. It was with a spirit of excited anticipation that Hal and I watched the hand of God move, as over the next 10 days the rent funds arrived. During the following four days, enough extra came in to catch up the wages of our staff and to pay the overdue electricity bill. There was also enough to cover the $4000 quarterly rent payment on the girl’s house which was due Dec. 1. What a blessing to be able to watch God provide!!! We are still living week to week for food and other expenses, but are blessed to have our rent paid!

 

In November, more prayers were answered… The week of Nov. 16-23 our adoptive parents arrived to visit their children. They were very gracious to entertain themselves, as we were otherwise occupied… That week God sent lots of medical help for HIS kids. Baby Sender was admitted to the Italian sponsored pediatric hospital here in Haiti to receive surgery for his spina bifida and hydrocephalus. A pediatric neurosurgeon specializing in spina bifida cases spent 7 hours operating to correct Sender’s birth defects. The 3 ½ month old baby is still hospitalized, recovering from this complicated surgery. He is doing very well, and should be home in a week. The amazing thing is that this surgery and hospitalization were provided at no cost to us. Our only expense is the $600. cost of providing a nanny to stay with the baby full-time. This baby’s whole life has been filled with miracles! A couple days after Sender was admitted to the hosp., Baby Joey was admitted to another hospital to receive shunt surgery for his hydrocephalus. Neurosurgeons from Miami Children’s Hospital arrived with their medical team to donate surgeries for children with hydrocephalus. Joey did extremely well with his surgery! He has been feeling so much better with the pressure relieved from his brain! The day Joey was discharged, his bed was immediately filled with our little 4 year old Sendy. Sendy received a less invasive type of surgery for her hydrocephalus because of her medical complications. Unfortunately, that surgery was unsuccessful and we are now trying to locate services to bring her to the US for shunt placement. Please pray for Sendy, as she suffers from severe headaches and other complications. During the same week that these 3 children were receiving surgeries, we hospitalized another child, 2 year old Gaelle, in another hospital for dehydration and renal failure. Gaelle’s condition continues to decline, and we expect that she will spend Christmas celebrating with Jesus in heaven. As we care for her at home now, the children have displayed great compassion in helping meet her needs. Although she has suffered greatly, she is very peaceful! Please keep Gaelle in your prayers, as well as those of us who love and care for her. Just as we expected, in the midst of the hospitalizations and surgeries, Kevena began having labor pains. Kevena is a 21 year old Down’s Syndrome girl who came to stay with us during her pregnancy. After two unsuccessful trips to the hospital, she finally delivered a healthy baby boy by C-section. She and the baby are back with her family. Another recent arrival is Baby Marcos. A tiny preemie, he was abandoned in General Hospital with a cleft lip and a colostomy surgery performed when he was 2 days old. Baby Marcos is still very small for his age, but eating well and up to 7 pounds at age 2 ½ months. During the week of surgeries and family visits, the social services office made a special delivery to us. Justin was found abandoned on a sidewalk downtown, and brought by the police to the social services office. They were unable to locate anyone to care for him, so they dropped him off at HIS Home. At an estimated age of 5 years, he weighed in at 18 pounds! Justin has Cerebral Palsy, was extremely malnourished, and desperately needed a bath. However, under the layers of dirt was a young boy with the most beautiful smile! Justin is unable to do anything for himself, but rewards everyone around him with bright eyes and a dynamic smile! He has settled into the home, sharing the boy’s Spiderman room. When I go in to check on him during the night, I find 4 little boys sleeping on the floor next to Justin’s bed to make sure that he doesn’t get scared. How God reveals His love for and through HIS children!

 

After celebrating a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, the kids immediately began asking when we would put up the Christmas trees. Some things are the same around the world! However, of the children living at HIS Home, I don’t think that any of them ever had a Christmas tree in their home before arriving at HIS Home. Many traditions have been established in their lives since joining HIS family! The trees in both houses are up, lights decorate balcony railings, and we have been busy preparing the Christmas gifts for the children. A great big thanks to everyone who sponsored children, and especially to those who sent extra gifts for those who were not sponsored! Hal and I will be visiting family and friends in Ohio over the holidays, then completing some business in Pennsylvania before returning to Haiti Jan. 10th. While flying to Ohio, we will be escorting 2 little ones coming to the States for surgery. Three year old Ritchy will be having orthopedic surgery in Ohio and Medjina (7 years old) will be going on to St. Louis for heart surgery. They are both children from our community in Haiti, and after surgeries are completed, they will return to their Haitian families. What wonderful opportunities for children to receive medical care, but also scary for the children to leave families and everything familiar to travel to unknown places to be cared for by unknown people. Please keep these little ones in your prayers.

 

As I began typing this newsletter with Gaelle laying across my lap, I was listening to the Christmas song, Mary, Did You Know? As Mary gazed in to the face of Jesus, I am sure that she pondered many things. As I looked into the face of this sleeping, dying baby, I was thinking about what I would like to have Gaelle tell Jesus for me when she meets him face to face. Many things crossed my mind, but the most significant thought is that we don’t have to send messages to our Savior. We have direct access to Him 24/7 through prayer. As we celebrate His birth, may we all spend time developing a closer relationship with Him!

 

All of the children join Hal and I, as well as the HIS Home Board of Directors, in wishing you a Very Merry and Blessed Christmas!

The new Rubik cube…

My wife pointed me to a new Rubik cube that was recently released call the Rubik touch cube:

I have to admit that there is some “wow” factor in the having the technology (although the technology integrated into the iTouch devices is old, this is certainly a new use for it), however, how many people would say that they would be fulfilled by sliding their finger across the top of a device to move different colors into place?

For me the entire urge to play with a Rubik cube is the shifting, twisting, turning, spinning and strategizing that comes with touching a square box that has little interlocked pieces that slide around and making a “clicking sound”. 

Additionally, part of the fun of the Rubik cube is to see how fast you can turn and spin and sift and twist, as it shows motor skill and hand eye coordination and the ability to think at so many different levels; it seems this new cube has completely lost that tactile experience.

And what about the cheats of taking it apart and the challenge of putting it back together right – that’s just completely gone.

So, while there is something kind of cool in this new use for this old technology, I would still have to say that I prefer the old fashion Rubik cube, do you?