Heart Heroes...

Every day feels like a miracle!  One after another... Rachel astounds us, amazes us, and proves that it is absolutely possible to love a 7 year old little girl you just met 6 weeks ago SO MUCH that you are certain your heart might explode!  


Last night my husband somehow convinced me to watch the movie "Captain America"!  I didn't have a clue what I was in for and kept thinking that if I watched it for another few minutes I might figure out the "gist" of it all... I finally discovered at the end of 2 grueling hours (with a little help from my incredulous husband), that what I lacked was a simple understanding of the comic book heroes he'd grown up with!  I'd have appreciated this info 2 hours earlier and would have spent my time reading a biography on Hudson Taylor or some other "hero" of mine instead!  Geezy Wheezy!  Are little boys really THAT desperate for heroes???  


I met Jesus as a young girl, so I guess he satisfied my need of any other "hero" and apart from the "fairy-tale" kind, I just wasn't interested!  In the past few months alone, I've personally met some "real" heroes that would put Captain America to shame!  They weren't bigger than life and bulging at the seams... they didn't wear weird costumes and they didn't sling some shield around like a weapon!  In fact, to the human eye, there was nothing extraodinary about them at all.  They were just ordinary people, given the opportunity to make an extraordinary difference in a precious 7 year old girl's life and in the lives of the people that love her so much!  All HEROES of the greatest kind!  How I thank God for letting me be a witness to the many heroes that have touched Rachel's life and given our precious treasure HOPE!


I wish that I could somehow post a photo here of every single "hero" that helped us get Rachel home!  From the incredible women at Great Wall China Adoption to the officials at Homeland Security and the Chinese Center of Adoption Affairs that did everything humanly possible to get her home in time for life-saving surgery.  And the many that gave financially to make it all possible... Your reward will be an eternal one and it will be great!  Your sacrificial giving on behalf of our family and a little girl half a world away has been awe-inspiring and humbling!  I'm certain that the human language could not possibly express how grateful I am!


There have been heroes from the body of Christ that have been available 24 hours a day to comfort and encourage Rachel in ways Doug and I could not.  And heroes in the form of nurses and therapists, Xray techs and administrative "angels", and the incredible University of Florida Congenital Heart Center led by Dr. Fricker!  Far too many to list here or show in photo form.  Here's to a few that I can highlight...



Dr Fricker leads an incredible team at UF Congenital Heart Center!




If I lacked for a hero in human form before... I don't now!!!  Dr Bleiweis called us personally from home while Rachel still waited in China and was ready to help immediately upon her arrival in Florida!  He offered hope when no one else did and then the Lord graciously used his incredibly skilled hands to begin mending Rachel's very broken heart.  If I'm going to spend another 2 hours watching a movie about anyone... I'd like to watch one about the difference Rachel's "heart hero" is making in the lives of so many dying children!  Thank you, Dr Bleiweis!  Words fail us...


 I can't end this post without mentioning my two favorite heroes of all!  After all... they are the "main characters" in this beautiful story I have been blessed to be a part of....


Rachel~  You give new meaning to the word "hero"!  The world would be immeasurably blessed with more precious souls like yours!  I am astounded that you find so much to be so incredibly happy about!  For 7 years, you have been forgotten, given no hope for a future, lived as one of so many orphans, put yourself to sleep at night, struggled with a failing heart that you could not begin to understand, longed for a mommy and daddy of your own, and only dreamed of a place called home... And yet, you glow with happiness!  There is a sparkle in your eyes that expresses such deep joy!  Your smile lights up a room and your sweet giggle lightens any load.  Your absolute pleasure in simple things that we all take for granted reminds us what is really important! You've sweetened our home in ways you will never know!  You, precious girl, are my new HERO!
There is only one explanation for such happiness in a little girl you'd least expect it from...  "Someone" has held her hands while she waited... and whispered hope in her ears... and hummed sweet lullabies as she fell asleep at night... and gave her a joyous song to sing when "home" was only a dream.   I believe that "someone" was Jesus!... the maker... the keeper... the healer of her heart!  Her ultimate "heart hero"!!


Thank you Jesus!

6 comments:

  1. Thank you Jesus for Rachel's precious life! I love reading the miracles God is performing daily(:

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  2. Tears are flowing as I read this post. You are right...absolutely amazing that she could have such a zest for life and joy considering what her life has been. I feel the same way about Gracie...it is so humbling and awe inspiring. I love the image of Jesus wispering in their ears and holding their hands...so many hands to hold....

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  3. I am crying as I read this. Oh my goodness. I am in awe of our Lord and Rachel. We cannot wait to meet her this summer!!!

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  4. My oldest son was 6 when we adopted him from Detroit and it astounded me that no one had ever talked to him about Jesus, yet, he KNEW who he was. As if his entire life he'd known Jesus personally in his life without one human being ever taking the time to explain WHO that man was.

    I still am astonished at my sons relationship with Jesus. There is a trust there that I cannot even come close to having with him and I am so grateful to the Lord for taking such wonderful care of my son before I ever could!

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  5. What a beautiful post!! I check in on your blog every day. I am thrilled and thankful to God and all these amazing true to life heroes for all they have done for your Rachel!
    Kathie in NY

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