He Doesn't Mind

PLEASE PLEASE KEEP PRAYING FOR MAIA.... She is still a very very sick little girl.  Go HERE for updates and to know how best to pray!!

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Here's one of the MANY benefits of having a son in Boy Scouts...

The READING MERIT BADGE...

The Boy Scout earning the badge MUST READ for at least FOUR HOURS to a sick, blind, homebound person OR TO A YOUNGER CHILD in a group or individually!!

Aaron doesn't mind that he qualifies as an individual!!

He doesn't mind at all!!

So Long, Farewell

So Long Sound of Music....

It was a blast while it lasted!!

These pictures were taken by Rob's brother...

I'm hoping to get copies of the professional photographers pictures and will post those when I get them!!

40 in May

40 in May.

   

FORTY.

  

Forty hearts stirred for little desperate treasures across the ocean..

  

Forty Mamas and Papas HEARING the whispering of the Holy Spirit.

   

Forty Mamas and Papas ANSWERING that call.

  

Forty families making room at their tables.

    

FORTY

    

I CRIED last night when I realized how many children were FOUND THIS WEEK.

     

Just this week alone...

  

THE TREASURES ON THIS PAGE...

  

TWENTY OF THE FORTY!!!

HALF THE BABES FOUND THIS MONTH WERE FOUND THIS WEEK!!

CRY WITH ME. 

PRAISE GOD WITH ME.

FORTY BABES AND MAY IS NOT OVER YET!!

God is moving people.  He is moving.  Hearts are stirring.  Precious treasures across the ocean are coming home.

PRAISE GOD!!  PRAISE GOD!!  PRAISE GOD!!

Prayers and Pleas

Update on Maia - Surgery went well and he was pleased with how Maia's brain looked ("not angry"). The fluid pockets drained yellow fluid, still not sure exactly what it contains, but there was no frank pus. I'll post a more detailed update on the blog, but short story... PRAISE GOD and thank you to all of those who have been storming heaven for our sweet girl!! 
She will be going to CT and is intubated right now, but hopefully we will be seeing her precious face before too long!


Update on Katie - Katie is now back in her room. Her defibrillator is installed, and she won't suffer this kind of cardiac arrest again. She is sleeping now, and the hospital plans to get her up and moving this afternoon. If all goes well, she could be discharged tomorrow.






Dear friends, I'm asking for prayer again.  I'm begging. Pray for a sweet little girl who is having surgery today due to a horrible infection that has traveled through her shunt and into her brain.  Rob and I met the Hansens when we were adopting Aaron.  We were leaving the country and they had just arrived to adopt their sweet Maia.  This last year they went back to get Matthew.

Please please pray for this sweet little Reece's Rainbow angel. She has brought such joy to her Mama and Papa!!

Pray for the Hansens.  Pray for Maia.  Pray for Matthew.  And please go over to their blog and leave them a comment so that they know you are storming heaven on their behalf.  Their is nothing so scary as having to entrust your wee one into the hands of surgeon.  

THANK YOU TO ALL THOSE WHO PRAYED FOR KATIE JOHN THIS WEEK.

She was on Facebook last night letting us know that she is alive and well.  In her words:  "God must have more for me to do on this earth. And as soon as I get done with these stupid IVs, I'm gonna find out what I'm still on this earth for and go do it!!"

We are Praising God for bringing her back from the brink of death.  She too is having surgery this morning so PLEASE PRAY FOR KATIE as they insert a defibrillator to prevent her Long QT Syndrome from ever sending her heart into arrest again.

FATHERLESS FRIDAY...  I have TWO PLEAS...

Jane George is a British mom of three kids who went a few months ago to a remote orphanage in Aaron's former country and had her heart broken into pieces.  She came back with a fierce determination to do whatever she could to help those kids in that orphanage.  If you want to see some intense pictures and read some heart-breaking tales... GO TO JANE'S BLOG!!  But before you do.... JANE HAS COMMITTED TO LOSING 50 POUNDS to raise money for the kids in that orphanage and to raise money for a very precious Reece's Rainbow treasure... BOBBY!

WOULD YOU PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE GO OVER TO JANE'S BLOG AND SUPPORT HER CAUSE?  So far she has had little support and what she is supporting IS WORTHY OF OUR ATTENTION!!  If I could give the Lost Boys we left behind what is being done for those kids in that institute I would be screaming from the rooftops!!

By the way.....WOULD SOMEONE ON HERE PLEASE ADOPT BOBBY??

When you read how she met Bobby HERE.... PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A KLEENEX OR TWO because you are not going to make it through the story without shedding buckets of tears!!

So go read... but...

BEFORE YOU GO TO JANE'S BLOG...

There are some precious young kids who definitely have their hearts in the right place.  They work hard to raise money for various orphans by making crafts and selling them.  The orphans they are currently raising money for are Bernadette and Mason!  WOULD YOU PLEASE GO OVER TO THEIR BLOG AND BUY SOMETHING FROM THEM?  Please support their desire to help the least of these.  I never want young ones to become discouraged in doing what is right.  Please!! 

  

Our Little Horse

As a family we are participating in THE SOUND OF MUSIC but Aaron was also in his own drama production a few weeks ago.

He was one of the horses in THE LITTLE RED HEN.

He was of course, in our most humble opinion, the CUTEST horse of them all!

He didn't exactly say his lines (he knew the lines but struggles to get the words out quickly), but he smiled and bopped to the music and entertained the audience with his total cuteness!  

 

He has absolutely NO stage fright AT ALL!!

 

Proud Papa of our little horse!!

Notice Elijah in the background??

Boys will be boys!!

Update on Jack's Mom

UPDATE: She is risen! Folks, I have been with Katie for over an hour. When I got here, she already had her eyes open, squeezed my hand, and knew who I was. They just now removed the breathing tubes, and she is her sweet old self! GLORY BE TO GOD! Hallowed be thy GREAT and MIGHTY name!!!

Here is this morning's update on Katie Cloutier John as posted by her Dad, Leo Cloutier.

Please continue to pray with my family for Katie.
Wednesday Morning Update: At 9:00 PM Tuesday night, medical staff began to warm Katie's internal core temperature from the 92 degrees she had been at for the previous 24 hours back to her normal 98.6. This was done over a span of 8 hours. At about 10:30 PM, sh...e began to spontaneously move her feet and arms. Later she had reactions to being removed from some of her other drugs that resulted in her throwing up and becoming even more active. This is all good. It was clear she was becoming more alert and aware. A few hours ago she was positively responding to commands to squeeze a hand and move her feet, and although she couldn't focus on much, she was able to open her eyes on command.

These are all incredibly positive signs. At approximately 7:30 AM they will begin the 12 hour process of weaning her off the Propofol, her pain and sedative medication, and hopefully bring her to full consciousness. This happens very slowly as they dial back the dosage in small steps over time. As the process progresses, the hope is that Katie becomes more alert and aware. Because she is still on a ventilator, she will likely thrash and flail against the tube, but again, that would be excellent news. At some point if all goes well, they will remove her from the vent and they can begin normative treatment.

At the crux of all this is the question of what caused her to collapse on Monday evening. When she was first admitted to the ER, they ran tests that seemed to indicate a blood clot was present in her lungs. However, after a scan later that night, no clots were found. Her cardiologist, Dr. Jackson, read her EKG and developed a working theory that Katie suffers from a condition known as Long QT Syndrome. According to the Mayo Clinic website, Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a heart rhythm disorder that can potentially cause fast, chaotic heartbeats. These rapid heartbeats may trigger a sudden fainting spell or seizure. In some cases, the heart may beat erratically for so long that it can cause sudden death.

A person can be born with a genetic mutation that puts them at risk of long QT syndrome. In addition, certain medications and medical conditions may cause long QT syndrome. Long QT syndrome is treatable. A person may need to take medications to prevent a chaotic heart rhythm. Some people with long QT syndrome require surgery or an implantable device.

Based on a conversation yesterday with Dr. Jackson, if the diagnosis proves to be correct, it's likely that the last option will be pursued. They would use a catheterization procedure to insert and implant a tiny defibrillator device in or near Katie's heart that would fire anytime her heart entered a fibrillation phase. She would never feel it and the electrical burst would maintain an even rhythm, avoiding another crisis.

Please continue to pray hard through the morning and early afternoon hours as she comes down off her medications. Brett and the rest of her family are all gathering today for what we hope to be Katie's homecoming from the brink. The early signs from her 'warm-up' are extremely encouraging, but none of us will be satisfied until Katie is awake and either publicly extolling the divine attributes of coffee, using at least 6 exclamation points after every occurrence of the word "WOOHOOO", or providing new photos of Kronk, her beloved stuffed Alpaca, to the "citizens" of the "interwebs".

To the thousands of people who have been praying so hard for the past 36 hours, our heartfelt and sincerest of thanks. And to the Most High God, He who sustains us and gives Katie and all of us our very next breath, all our praise and worship. — with Brett John.

Call to Prayer

PLEASE PLEASE PRAY!

The Mama who committed to Jack and who is also a Mama to two other children had a heart attack.  Her husband came home yesterday and found her on the floor without a pulse and not breathing.    They were able to revive her but she is in a coma.  They do not know how long she was not breathing.

PLEASE PRAY.

Pray for Katie.  Pray for Brett.

These next 24 hours are critical. 

Please cover this family in your prayers.

UPDATE FROM Brett...

My wife Katie is in the ICU and will be sedated until sometime Wednesday morning, at which point she will be further diagnosed. We simply won't know more until then. Please remember my dear, sweet Katie - a woman who does so much for everyone - in all of your prayers over the next 36 hours. "For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory." ~Psalm 149:4 NIV"

UPDATE AGAIN...

Katie Cloutier John will be warmed back to normal body temps overnight, and then slowly weaned off the sedatives tomorrow morning in order to gauge her awareness and brain function. Prayers over the next 16-18 hours are CRUCIAL, and I thank each and every one of you around the globe for your outpouring of support and petitions. Hopefully we will know more tomorrow.

Prom

I was away the weekend that Ben took a special friend to the prom.  I didn't get to take pictures but these were shared with me for your viewing pleasure....