2009 Grand Rapids Ride Video

I couldn't figure out how to get this on my previous post, so if you'd like to see last year's ride slide show, here it is.

And don't forget, it isn't too late to sign up for this year's Ride, which is taking place this Saturday, October 2 at Byron Center Christian Middle School. You can sign up or sponsor a rider at www.rideforrefuge.org.

Ride for Refuge

Most of you are aware that Glen and I are the organizers of the Grand Rapids area Ride for Refuge. This Saturday, October 2, our months of planning will culminate with the actual bike ride taking place. We're anticipating more riders than last year (we had over 500 last year on a rainy Saturday), and hoping to raise $100,000 for ministries that serve the most vulnerable, exploited, and displaced people's of the world. The we have more than 60 ride teams signed up, and more than 20 different organizations participating----the funds for the ride will help disaster relief and world hunger around the globe, orphanages and refugees in several african countries, and homeless people right here in Grand Rapids, just to give you a sense of the scope of impact this year's ride could have.

It is not too late to sign up to ride, and it is certainly not too late to sponsor a rider if you haven't already done so. Go to http://www.rideforrefuge.org/ to sign up (you can join my team, or Rebecca, Micah, or Caleb's teams), or to give.

Please, keep the whole event in your prayers---that it will be more than a bike ride, that it will be meaningful for all those who participate, and that the funds raised will make a lasting impact across the globe for the sake of Jesus Christ.

Glasses!

(The kids think Afeefa looks like a rock star with her new glasses; I think she's just precious.)

Afeefa and I made the trek to Detroit once again today, this time for therapy and.... glasses!!! I'm so thankful that Grandma Lois could come with us today---she did a great job of entertaining Afeefa while I drove. Thanks, Grandma Lois! Afeefa continues to progress---some days more than others----and it is exciting to see how far she has come. She reached for a ball today, and also for a green and a blue M & M on her tray. Keep praying for complete healing, for patience and time for me to do the therapy with her each day, and for her family who must miss her so much. Yesterday in church it seemed like every song was about how God gives sight to the blind----I'll never hear those songs the same again after having spent these months with Afeefa. Our God is a God who heals!

A couple more pictures:

Afeefa is sitting and playing very well now, and she is getting very close to crawling!

Amazing Progress

There have been a lot of changes for Afeefa since I last posted. We are all VERY happy that she no longer has to sleep in the carseat and can now enjoy sleeping in the crib again. She is allowed to lay and roll around on the floor, and also does not have to wear patches anymore! Wonderful steps in the right directions!

On Monday of this week, Afeefa had an appointment in Detroit with a new eye doctor and two therapists. She was tested and fitted for glasses, which we will be getting next week. It was quite an amazing day for a lot of reasons. First, I couldn't find anyone to ride with me, so I decided to let Rebecca miss a day of school to come along. It was such a blessing to spend the day with her, and I know we both learned a lot about the miracle of sight---how intricately God has created the human eye, and also, that without the nerves to the brain, rods and cones all working, they eye can't do anything. We watched in amazement as Afeefa was tested; she responds to red and yellow lights, she is able to see black and white lines, and reached for lights and a light-up ball. Through the testing they did, the doctor was able to make a sort-of map of Afeefa's field of vision for each eye. They were all amazed, given her age and the fact that her retinopathy was stage 5, at how large her field of vision is. Dr. Ferens was very excited about her visual responses during the exam, and also about her potential for sight. We learned that the vision therapy is absolutely crucial to Afeefa's being able to really see. She will need to spend 2 hours a day for the next couple of years at least, to do therapy which will stimulate the brain in such a way that it learns to process all of the new visual input she is receiving. I left there feeling very overwhelmed by all of the information that was shared, the books that they gave me to read, and at the thought of how I will fit 2 more hours into my days. As I was praying about it yesterday, though, God reassured me that He doesn't call us to do things that He doesn't intend to equip us to do---so I'm trusting Him to enable me to do this. And, I'm trusting that He'll provide the best possible way for Afeefa's mom to learn all of the techniques she will need to continue this when Afeefa goes home. Today as I worked with Afeefa, I was just amazed that she is actually able to see at all---what a gift, and what a miracle! She very excitedly reached for the red lights I was using with her today, which is so cool to see! Her left eye is definitely her stronger eye, and she would really prefer to not have to do the exercises with the right one. But, hopefully, as she gets used to it, her right eye will get stronger and she'll not fight so much when I work with that eye.

A friend of ours was over yesterday who hadn't seen Afeefa since she first came here. He could hardly believe that she was the same child who had her eyes closed all the time and her head down. She is now sitting up and playing a lot, with her head up and her eyes wide opened and looking around the room. When she's not sitting, she's either rolling around the room or trying to crawl---I think she'll be crawling very soon. She laughs a lot, babbles a lot, and occassionally, she says "All done" after her eye drops. In one of the books I was reading from the doctor about children with retinopathy of prematurity, it described the developmental stages of these children in comparison to sighted children (did you know that babies learn 80% of what they learn through their sense of sight?). Typically, children like Afeefa experience a lot of prolonged delays. Afeefa, too, is somewhat delayed in some areas, but the therapist told me that she honestly couldn't believe how minimal her delays are compared to other children she has worked with over the course of her 30-year career. She was so hopeful and encouraging about all of the things that Afeefa will one day be able to do if she gets the proper care and therapy now and when she goes home. So, we will do our best while she's here, to hopefully give her a good start on this journey of seeing.

(Here are some pictures of Afeefa so you can see her wonderful progress. She's trying to crawl in the last one, and enjoying the ability to sit alone in the others).

Afeefa's Follow-Up With the Surgeon

(Afeefa's new look without patches!)

Thanks to all of you who prayed for a safe, good visit with Dr. Trese yesterday, and a HUGE thanks to Mary for coming along for the ride!

Dr. Trese was very pleased with Afeefa's progress, and he definitely confirmed that the changes we see in Afeefa's behavior are because she is able to see something. He said that the folds in the retinas are gradually opening up, and as they do, she has greater possibility for vision. He still believes that the best they can expect for her is ambulatory vision, which is FAR better than not seeing anything. But, I'm still trusting in the same Jesus who healed the blind over 2000 years ago to give her more healing than the doctors even expect. Dr. Trese said that if things look as good at her next appointment on October 5, she should be able to go home to her parents within 2-3 weeks after that.

A couple of nice changes for Afeefa: she only has to wear her patches when she sleeps, and the arm restraints as needed to avoid hitting her eyes when playing or while sleeping. She now only needs two different medicines for her eyes 4 times a day, as opposed to 3 different ones 4 times. So, we're definitely taking some little steps toward getting Afeefa home with her parents who love and miss her dearly.

Please, continue to pray with us for miraculous healing for Afeefa, for strength for our family as we care for her, and peace and patience for her family as they wait.

Afeefa Hope

It has been quite a while since I last posted anything, and several of you have been e-mailing me "complaining." Needless to say, life with 5 kids 10 and under has been busy, very challenging at times, exhausting, but GOOD. A friend asked me the other day if we had any regrets about hosting Afeefa, and without hesitation every member of our family would give a resounding "No Way!" We are so blessed to care for this precious little child of God. We love her as our own, and it has been such an honor to care for her.

Last night (when I should have been sleeping) I was thinking a lot about the last month and a half with Afeefa. I was amazed when I thought again about how many people are praying for her, her family and for us. I was also remembering with a smile on my face a conversation we had at the dinner table a couple of weeks ago. The kids were all wondering whether Afeefa has a middle name (we now know she does; Amatulla, which means servant of God in Arabic), then they proceeded to come up with middle names that they thought would be fitting. In the end, Joseph said that her middle name should be Hope because God has given her and her family new hope and because we Hope she will love Jesus and see not just with her eyes, but with her heart. We love her given name, but I can't help but think about Hope now every time I look at her. Then, last Sunday night we went to an outdoor worship service that our church's praise team was leading. Afeefa clapped and danced with all of the songs. One of the songs that has never touched me so deeply was one called "I Have a Hope." One of the lines in the song says, "He (Jesus) takes my darkness and He turns it into light." Those words hit me because we now know with certainty that Afeefa is AT LEAST seeing light----her world of darkness has been given the gift of light. What an amazing thing! And we are placing our hope in Christ to touch her eyes and allow her to see all of the beauties that this world has for her to behold. Please, join us in this prayer for her.

Today, some new signs of hope for Afeefa's vision: Caleb and Micah were sitting on the couch next to me while I held Afeefa. I looked at Afeefa and said, "Afeefa, look at me. Touch my face." She turned toward me and touched my face. I repeated this with her several times to make sure it wasn't my imagination, and she did it each time. Then, Micah said, "Afeefa, look at me! Touch my face!" She turned toward Micah and touched his face! Then, Caleb did it, and she did it again. I don't know about you, but this gives me hope for Afeefa's eyes---hope that perhaps she is already seeing more than just light. It was such a blessing to see her engage in this little game---something I know she wouldn't have done when she first came here.

Tuesday I take Afeefa to Detroit for another follow-up visit with Dr. Trese. Pray for safe travel and for a good appointment. Pray that he will be able to confirm what we see as good progress.

"Put your HOPE in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Saviour and my God." ~Psalm 42:5

Update on Afeefa's Latest Surgery

(Afeefa's new look as of her surgery yesterday. The kids think she's cool!)

Thanks to all of you who have been praying for Afeefa, her family and for us as we care for her. Yesterday Dr. Trese did surgery on her left eye. He felt that the surgery went well and he was able to do the best he could given the circumstances. He noted to us that her left eye was in worse shape than the first one they did; the retina had more folds in it, there was more accumulated cholesterol (pooled blood), and it was more deteriorated, in general. However, he was also surprised that there was better circulation in the left than the right eye, which bodes well for the healing process and overall eye health. I want to thank those of you who specifically prayed that Afeefa would be peaceful before and after her surgery. Considering that she had not eaten since 7PM the night before, I was amazed that she really wasn't fussy as we awaited her surgery----even when it was delayed by an hour. She slept for most of the ride to Detroit, then played, babbled and passed the time cheerfully until the anesthesiologist came to take her for surgery ( I have to thank Kathleen, who came with me, though, because she did a GREAT job of entertaining Afeefa when she was at the point of wanting to fuss & cry). After her surgery, she was very upset in the recovery room, but other than that, she had a peaceful evening, a good night's sleep, and a good day today. So, again, God has been so faithful in answering prayers.

I want to also share with you all that God has been teaching me through all of these long trips to Detroit that while this whole experience is centered on Afeefa, He has some other pretty amazing plans, too. Yesterday in the waiting room we met a mom from Alabama whose daughter, Sara, has already had 10 surgeries. Later, when we were waiting in our triage room, she and Sara came to visit us. She shared more of her story and the journey they have been on with their daughter, we were able to share how God has been at work in Afeefa's life, and then we were able to pray together. It was just a real blessing to be there, to be able to pray, not just for Afeefa, but for her sweet little Sara, too.

Well, I guess I better post this for now. Please, keep Afeefa in your prayers---and pray for Sara and her family, too, as they have a long journey ahead of them, as well.

A friend painted Afeefa's toe nails---all dolled up for her big day in Detroit, and the nurses and doctors thought it was precious. Hot pink is definitely her color!

The boys and Afeefa love buzzing their lips at each other!

You can see that she takes this game very seriously!