This week we hosted our 3rd Annual “Camp
Canaan” with 115 of our big kids (ages 3-7) and the theme was “Created
by God. Built for a purpose” The
supporting bible verse is “For I know the
plans I have for you says the Lord.”
Jeremiah 29:11
The children had a blast learning about all the how God
created us all differently and that was underscored by each station, the
favorite being face painting.
Then I pointed at a sweet girl in the back and reminded reminisced
that we didn’t think she would ever sit, walk or see, but there she was singing
and dancing to one of her favorite songs.
Then there was the little one found as a newborn in a
plastic bag under a tree – burned from the hot plastic against her bare skin.
She knew all the hand movements, dance moves and sang about how God created
her.
Last week I shared with you that we have a little girl named
Dinah and my heart has been very heavy this week because Dinah need heart
surgery urgently. Dinah is 22-months old
and cannot stand, doesn’t crawl, doesn’t smile, doesn’t talk. Her favorite
place is sitting with her head on someone’s chest, and honestly that’s about
all the energy she has because of her heart problem.
God made Dinah, and He made her heart, and it needs to be
fixed. It seems to me that the creator
of the Universe, the one who created the heart in the first place could/should
just fix it? So why isn’t He? That left me perplexed as I watched our
children on stage jumping, singing, clapping and dancing.
Without heart surgery (or divine healing), Dinah will never
be on that stage dancing and singing.
As you may recall, Dinah arrived when she was 18-months old
and only weighed 15 pounds. She was in and out of hospital for much of her
short life, being treated for malnutrition, but sadly, no one noticed that she
had an enlarged heart and a significant heart murmur. Last week we took Dinah to South Africa to
see a pediatric cardiologist and were told that she needs to have surgery as
soon as possible. For the medical people
reading this wanting to know the details she has a large PDA (8mm), enlargement of LV and LA, no VSD or ASD, left to right PDA
shunt gradient of 45mmHg (suggests moderate elevation of PA pressures). I don’t completely understand it all, but I
know some of you want to know that details.
The cost for the heart surgery, including a 10-day hospital
stay (due to her body condition from malnutrition) is $21,000 USD, but the good news is that it can be done at an
excellent Pediatric Cardiology hospital in Johannesburg. This surgery should have been done days or
weeks after her birth, but it was undetected until now, so now is the time.
Maybe you have been reading this blog for a long time and
watching from a distance. Maybe you have cried with us, laughed with us, prayed
with us and celebrated with us, but have never gotten involved. Maybe you have been very involved from the beginning,
but now it’s time to step in again.
I am inviting the thousands of people who will read this
blog to PLEASE consider helping us save Dinah’s life, by providing the funding
for her life-saving surgery.
Will you help us today?
In the US please click here.
In Canada please click here.
Live from Swaziland … I am thankful that God created Dinah for a purpose.
Janine
