ITS A BIRD.....A PLANE...NO IT'S SUPERMAN!!!!

Well, it may not be Superman but help is on the way. Jerilyn has been in the hospital 10 days now and is already improving significantly. For the first few days she had to be in her own room because the open sores on her head were contagious as was her pneumonia and they didn't want her infecting the other babies in the Malward. (malnutrition ward)

Last Monday we paid the bill (you have to pay first before anything can be done here), packed up all their belongings (which you would be surprised how much they can accumulate in such a short time) and transferred her through the maze of a hospital to the room she will be stayingin for the next month or so. As of right now there are four children including Jerilyn who are being treated. The ward can treat up to six at one time. Praise God they had space for Jerilyn.

Jerilyn has been doing such a wonderful job of eating since she's been in the hospital. Her source of food has been a combination of formula and breast milk that has been donated from a good friend of ours, and also from a pediatric doctor who's heart has been touched by Jerilyn. The doctors have reported that she has gained weight, although they aren't able to determine exactly how much weight. But she is gaining and thats awesome. The doctor who is in charge of the Malward this month (the doctors rotate each month because it is a volunteer ward) wanted to put Jerilyn on a feeding tube so that they can regulate and control how much milk she is getting. So Rosie had to learn to feed her using the feeding tube but is doing such a wonderful job!


We also found out yesterday that Jerilyn is anemic so the doctors have been treating her for that as well. Please continue to pray that Gods will would be to heal her and continue to make her stronger every day. Also pray for Rosie. Her heart is being transformed by the Lord. God is so faithful and so good.


Friday we had our feeding program at Tanza. Once we were done for the day we took a little trip to visit Rosie and Jerilyns family. They knew we were coming and they were so excited. But I have to admit I doubt as excited as I was to see them. We took them some food and just sat and visited for a while. It was neat being able to meet them and to put faces with the family Rosie has talked about. God has really connected my heart to this famiily.

I'm also praying that Acts 16:31 would hold true for Rosie's family. "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household." Although we didn't get to meet all 18 living in the house, the ones we met were more than welcoming. Rosie and her husband Jeri's kids include JonMichael 7, JonIverson 5, JenRose 3, Jesire 2, and Jerilyn 4months.
I praise God for using me to be a part of delivering His love to this family. Almost daily I wonder why He chose me....but I so humbled and thankful that He has.

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We've also started our next session of teaching for pregnant mama's. We had 16 beautiful women show up this past week. Val Manthe, a fellow friend and missionary, is joining us this time around.

It's such a huge blessing and help to have her on board. She's had two children of her own with one on the way, so she is pretty experienced when it comes to the whole pregnancy and motherhood thing. Maybe just a little more than me :-) She is doing such a wonderful job teaching. This week the topic was "Nutrition". Next week will be "3 Trimesters; When to worry, when not to worry". I'm excited to get to be a part of these womens lives!


I can't hardly forget to mention quite possibly my favorite mama (I know I say that about most of them) Claire FINALLY had her baby! She has two of the most handsome boys in the world. I'm often tempted to kidnap them and bring them home with me :-) This is Claire pre-baby with her youngest son Kedrick.


And this is me with the all handsome, all ornery Kenneth.


All during her pregnancy she didn't know what she was having, but secretly I was hoping for a girl. Claire is soooo beautiful and I knew she would have a gorgeous little girl. And guess what......she did!!!! Yay!!!! this is a picture of her when she was only eight hours old. She doesn't have a name yet but of course I suggested Lisa :-) Can my job get any better?

BLOWN AWAY

I can't even begin to explain how blown away I am by God right now. If I were to just sit back and look over the past couple months and all that He has done it brings tears to my eyes and makes my hair stand on end. I can't help but praise God. When I came back from Christmas, my feet moved one in front of the other, but my heart lagged far behind. And the worst part of it was I had no way to explain the reason for the feelings in my heart. But Gods word says the heart is deceitful and beyond cure, who can understand it? Jeremiah 17:9 God didn't give me understanding of my own heart, but He gave me something far better; His peace, the peace that surpasses all understanding. And that, is enough for me. God is daily changing my heart and showing me so many reasons why here is where He has my heart for this time. I'm so glad He knows my heart better than I do.

Last week we had a group of doctors and dentists from a church in Seattle, Washington that came to Tanza to pull teeth, check rashes, do minor surgeries, hand out antibiotics, and so many other things. And one of the best parts of the whole thing was I got to do it with one of my best friends Chelle. It was so awesome to see how God orchestrated all of it. In two days time nearly 500 people were seen for aches and pains ranging from a cough, to a rotten tooth, to a 5 year cyst that needed removed. In one day alone, one of the dentists pulled 36 teeth. One of the doctors commented that Tanza was one of the poorest most diseased areas they had been to.
I'm so thankful God allowed so many people to get medical attention, I only wish we could have seen them all. While the people were waiting the gospel was shared and invitations to accept Christ were given. Only in heaven one day will we know the number of hearts and lives transformed from those two days. But God was glorified!


One of the greatest miracles of the two days was in the life of a little girl named Jerilyn. Her mom Rosie came walking onto the basketball court holding a little bundle wrapped in a blanket. At first glance I have to admit three things that happened: I realized the bundle was a little tiny baby, my heart dropped to my stomach, and I thought the little girl had died in the mothers arms on the walk over. Jerilyn was grey in color, had sunken cheeks, only skin hanging from her arms and legs, little hair falling out, open sores on her head, and a little chest that was barely rising and falling. Rosie informed us that Jerilyn was 3 1/2 months old and weighing only 4 lbs. She was 6 lbs when we was born, and has had pneumonia since she was about two weeks old. I couldn't stop the lump in my throat and the tears in my eyest. One of our Dr's examined her and decided she needed to be admitted to a hospital asap. They said her heart was strong but her lungs were failing.


A couple of us missionaries took her to a hospital where they have a special ward for the rehabilitation of severely malnourished babies and children. The doctor who first treated her said she was in critical condition. It has been so awesome to see God take care of this little girl since then. She was admitted last Thursday, and from formula we've provided and breastmilk from a good friend of ours, Jerilyn is showing signs of improvement. She is smiling at us, has better color, is crying (its a good thing), and the sores on her head have healed.

Jerilyn's dad Jeri works six days a week, ten hours a day, and is making 250 pesos per week; which is roughly 7 US dollars. Jeri and Rosie have four kids older than Jerilyn. There are three families living in their home consisting of 11 children and 7 adults. Please pray for the health and salvation of all of them.

Because Gods word commands us to help the poor and to have compassion for one another, we've committed to helping Jerilyn's family by paying the medical bills for whatever care she needs. And when you look at this beautiful little girl you can't help but want to do whatever you can to help her. Another example of God is that most of the doctors that have attended to Jerilyn have waved their medical fees because they are thankful for our help. It's such a huge testimony for us to share why we are doing this.....it's all about God, and He gets all the glory. I just can't believe He has allowed me to be a part of it.


Since the second I laid eyes on Jerilyn, I haven't gone hardly an hour without praying for her and her family. Not only for the health of Jerilyn and for God to spare her life, but for her salvation and the salvation of her entire family. God has already starting answering those prayers. The first night in the hospital, Jerilyn's mother Rosie accepted Jesus as her Savior... I have tears just thinking about it and how amazing God is. Had it not been for the medical mission and Gods perfect timing, we probably wouldn't have ever found Jerilyn. And I wouldn't have gotten the chance to see her beautiful little smile. God is so good. His grace still amazes me.

Needless to say by the end of the week with driving, directing foot traffic, me having walking pneumonia andsinus infection, Chelle with bronchitus, broken down vehicles, getting stuck in traffic, getting lost, early mornings, late nights, etc....Chelle and I were wiped out....but would do it again tomorrow in a heartbeat.

NEW BABIES AND MORE FOOD!

One of my favorite mama's Anamie gave birth to her third child. Rea Mae was born Jan 12, 2008.
They are such a beautiful family. I just love visiting and spending time with all of our moms in their homes.


Justin Ray was our New Years baby born Jan 1 to Janet. Can you believe all that hair?


This is Justin with his family. His mom wasn't home during this picture but all of them are doing extremely well.


Our feeing program has moved to two days a week and soon to be three. Along with the feeding program we are incorporating classes/lessons for the kids who's parents can't afford to send them to school. They need to complete lessons and homework as a requirement to be a part of the feeding program. It's our way of keeping them accountable while giving them tools for life.

One of the women we've gotten really close to in Tanza is extremely sick. She is in the advanced stages of TB. TB is extremely common and contagious in the Philippines with a 70% infection rate. Jalynn is in her mid-thirties and weighing roughly 65 lbs.
She's struggling to take care of herself while trying to raise her son Edgard and pay for him to go to school. We've been providing her with food and medicine. The meds cose roughly $80/month and schooling is about $50/year not including transportation. We would greatly appreciate it if you were able to help us fund either of these. Jalynn is such a sweet sweet woman who has become so dear to my heart. It's hard to watch her get weaker with each passing week. Please pray for her health and funding for her and her son.