Babies

About 6 months ago, one of our IGSL student couples from Myanmar announced they were expecting a baby in March.  We hadn't had any new babies recently, so everyone was happy.  A few weeks later, one of our Filipino couples announced that they were expecting a baby in April.  More happiness!  And a few weeks after that, a third couple, also from the Philippines, announced the news that they were expecting in May -- and after they had their ultrasound, their delight doubled, because the doctor said they would have twins! Wow, four babies!  As the weeks went by we found out that all four of them were boys.

To our surprise and dismay, in the past three weeks, all four of the babies were born.  The twins came first, born at only 27 weeks. Collin and Calvin were so tiny and weak, but they fought hard, and we prayed earnestly.  Just a week later, baby Jonathan arrived, also premature.  He was born at 30 weeks, also very tiny, but with better chances of survival than the twins. Another week went by, and baby Joshua came.  He was 36 weeks, a little early, in breech position, and needing a cesarean delivery, but he was in very good condition.  He was actually the one who was due first, but arrived last.

The past week has drawn our community together.  The hospital bills for these babies and their moms have been staggering and we have seen awesome sacrificial giving.  We've seen everyone give and love and pray.

One day would bring news that Collin and Calvin were improving, then the next day we would hear that Collin's life was hanging in the balance.  Then he would fight his way back again, and we would all breathe a sigh of relief. 

Meanwhile, Jonathan was improving slowly. His mom came home from the hospital, reluctantly leaving him behind in the incubator, but the doctors said his prognosis is good.

Joshua has been the healthiest, and is already home in our IGSL community with his parents and big sister.  Happy news!

And then Tuesday evening we heard that Collin was in very critical condition again.  That night, after 18 days of life, God took him home.  And to our shock, seven hours later, He took Calvin home too. Thursday night our community held a memorial service for the twins. We were all just overwhelmed, and there were so many unanswered "why" questions. We know that God is good.  But our hearts are aching.

Meanwhile, we are still praying and giving and hoping, counting the days till Jonathan can come home.  The doctor said it should be in about 3 more weeks.  It's not cheap, and they don't have insurance. But he is alive, and we are grateful!  Here is Jonathan with his dad in the hospital.  He only weighs three pounds!

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And, all at the same time, we are visiting and rejoicing and playing with Joshua and his family.  What a blessing he is, born on his dad's birthday!  His big sister Abigail, age 4, is SO proud of him.
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God tells us to rejoice with those who rejoice, and to weep with those who weep, and to bear one another's burdens.  But I've never had to do it all at the same time like this!

Let's See How Inventive We Can Be!

This story started when I read Hebrews 10:24, which says, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” It got me thinking . . . how do we do that? King James says “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works.” Loving and doing good works is one thing, but provoking each other to do it? Hmmmm… My favorite version was The Message, which says, “Let's see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out!”

I brought it up at our next ISG meeting (our small discipleship group at IGSL). We brainstormed about how to create an environment that would help others show love and do good deeds, and we came up with several possible ideas. In the end, the idea that won was this: We wanted to encourage and bless the teachers in our children’s school. We wanted them to feel loved and appreciated. But we wanted to encourage others to join us in this good deed, as the passage said. Whom should we “spur on”? We decided to create an event in which the moms who are about to graduate and leave IGSL would show their love and appreciation to their kids’ teachers. And the event would be a ladies’ tea party, complete with fancy hats and shawls and beautiful teacups and fancy cakes.  You have to understand that I have a very creative and talented discipleship group.  If it were up to me, I would have baked the teachers a batch of brownies.  But my group thinks big when it comes to having fun!

We talked to the graduating moms, and they thought it was great idea. Who wouldn’t want to come to a tea party?!? So each mom chose one teacher to invite, and bring to the party. We created a little program, and came up with several ways to say “Thanks!” to the teachers.

The teachers loved it! They felt so special . . . lots of tears were shed, lots of hugs were shared. And lots of photos were taken . . . Now my ISG members are considering more inventive ways to get love and good deeds flowing in our community. And I am glad!



Danny Grows Up

Sigh . . . It has been more than a year since we have seen our children and grandchildren.  But we are planning a visit to the U.S. and Canada this summer.  We will probably arrive in the U.S. in June, and then move on to Canada in July.  I am soooooooo excited for James to finally meet Danny Boy!  He is really growing up, as you can see from the latest batch of photos.  Ok, I'll admit it.  I'm not just excited for James.  I am sooooooooooooo excited for myself to see Danny again!

Cutting the Cake -- Part of the Job Description

It seems that in many parts of Asia, special visitors at a party are asked to help the celebrants cut the cake. I remember several years ago, James and I attended a wedding in Myanmar. The groom was very dear to us, and so the couple honored us by asking us to help them cut the wedding cake. We stood beside them, and put our hands on their hands as they made the first cut. We even helped them feed each other! In our culture, this is a romantic moment between the bride and groom, but in their culture they wanted their respected elders to be part of that moment.

Since I am the International Student Coordinator of IGSL, many students from other countries see me as their mother while they are in the Philippines. Because of this I get invited to a lot of kids' birthday parties -- there are a few each month.

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And almost always, they ask me to help the child cut the cake.

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And then I pray for the child's life and future. It has become a precious time of connection with the families.

I am in the process of updating my job description. I've thought about including this unique role!