Can Anything Good Come From Nazareth?

This past Sunday, I had the family of little Teresa on my heart -- well actually, Saturday & then into Sunday. She is the little girl, born in China with a heart defect so severe that it is miraculous that she lived past her infancy. She was a survivor, though, & had expressed her desire to be adopted & have a family of her own. At 3 years of age, she was thriving, although, her adoptive parents were told that she might not even survive the plane trip home. She did & she continued to thrive. Because of her lung pressures & the damage that living with only half a heart had done, her parents were told that she would not survive heart/lung transplantation. But, Teresa had other ideas! She lived every day to the fullest -- full of love of life, her parents & Jesus. I have been reading all about her in blog posts & am amazed at how this small child could radiate so much love & joy despite needing to wear oxygen tubing & limit her activities because of her heart defect. Finally, she was deemed healthy enough to have a heart transplant (she had improved enough not to need lung transplant) & she did get one. Her mother wrote in a blog post that for a few hours while the heart was working, Teresa's toes were even pink! That heart began to fail & Teresa was put back on the heart-lung bypass machine, called ECMO, to allow the heart to rest. During her time in the ICU, her mother continued to write about Teresa's life & her will to live. Those posts were shared via social media, & prayers & well-wishes began pouring in from around the world. We learned how much this little princess  & her love for Tiara's & the Disney princesses, touched people. Ultimately, Teresa's body could not withstand the stress, & as her mother wrote, Teresa rode her princess bike into heaven to be with Jesus.

What have I learned? In spite of pain, Teresa persevered. She kept waking up despite huge doses of sedatives. She would sign that she was thirsty & she signed her love for her family. One of the things she would say was "I love you more," & she continued to sign that when she could. She had such a spunky spirit, too. She went into the OR wearing a crown & carrying one for her surgeon to wear. Her mother wrote that Teresa had a smile & a hug for everyone. This little girl embraced life! Remember, this is a child who should not have survived infancy, should not have survived a transcontinental airplane trip & definitely should not have lived until the age of 6. So many people would have seen her as a dying child from the moment she was born, yet she was a living child until the moment she died. She never gave up, even with shortness of breath, pain, insurmountable odds, that child never gave up.

This one child has impacted the lives of people around the world in a way that missionaries never would be able to. This child's life preached the gospel. Her family is carrying on for her & continuing to minister. I read in her mom's blog that Teresa's sister wanted to take a photograph of Teresa & give it to the Disney princesses. Her family went to Disney & did just that -- gave her photographs to the princesses & shared with them about Teresa's life. They touched people who were strangers to them & now those people will touch others by simply sharing how Teresa's story has impacted them.

So, Sunday in church while I was thinking about Teresa's family & listening to the sermon, the question, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" made me think, "Can anything good come out of China?" The answer is a resounding yes! Look at what a 6 year old's life has done... how she has ministered to people, the example she has given, the joie de vivre she had, the legacy she has left & the memories left with her precious family that her mother so graciously shares with us. She was an orphan in China but a precious child of God who found her forever family when she was 3. His plans for her were fulfilled in a heartbreakingly short amount of time but in a way no one could ever have anticipated.

There are many, many orphans in China & around the world who dream of families & a future of hope. They are in God's hands & the apple of His eye. Many of us are called to adopt them, others are called to help in their adoption, others minister to them in other ways & others are called to pray. When we don't respond to our calling, we are not honoring the Lord & we are in some way making the path harder for others. We don't know where a single act of obedience will lead. I doubt Teresa's parents had any idea about the impact she would have after they adopted her.

Yes, Something good came out of Nazareth. Something good is still working miracles today & touching lives. Rest in peace, dear, sweet, precious, princess Teresa, in the arms of our "Something good," the Prince of Peace, Lord of Lords, & King of Kings!

Summertime!

My favorite time of year! Actually, I think it's my kids' favorite time of the year, too, & not because school is out. They like all things summer -- pool, ocean, extended daylight, lighter clothing, pool, ocean ... You get the idea! I could, however, live without the summer bugs with the exception of lightening bugs, lady bugs & butterflies! They can stay. We celebrated 7/11 today with free slurpees! I also picked up my home study today! I thought "so excited" & then the image of Gru in Despicable Me popped into my head. I can picture him saying, "sooooo excited" when he was talking with the orphanage director about adopting his girls. I had to chuckle even though he was saying that with ulterior motives -- I am not adopting so that I can obtain the shrink ray & then steal the moon!

Just think -- this will be Ping's last summer without a family! Now, that's exciting!!!!!