Don't Panic Now

After many months of waiting and some "impossible" hurdles to overcome, we received Kaichen's file.  Oh, my!  Forty-eight pages of details.  Some I understood.  Some I had no clue about.  In places the translator had written "illegible," leaving some conspicuous gaps.

One thing I understood clearly.  This child had spent nearly half of her life in a hospital.  There is no medical explanation for the fact that she is alive.

To see a video clip of Claire, click here. Her story starts about 4 minutes in.

What I partly understood was serious medical issues related to the lungs.  Possibly serious heart problems as well.  Plus, serious delays in development. 

Okay.  We are doing this on faith.  She needs a family.  The more serious her needs, the more she needs us.  God has got this.

Anticipating Claire's homecoming in a couple of months, I decided I needed to make sure we had a pediatrician ready and waiting in case we need help quickly after we get home.  Dr. Penny reviewed Kaichen's file.  Then she called me to discuss the things she saw.

Somehow, hearing the things I'd already read in the file stated to me in a soft, Mississippi drawl made them seem so much more REAL. 

We will need

A pulmonary specialist,

            A pediatric cardiologist,

            A GI specialist,

            A dermatologist,

           

And possibly

            Someone specializing in kidney issues,

                        And liver problems,

And probably

            A speech therapist,

            An occupational therapist,

            A neurodevelopmentalist.

After hanging up the phone with Dr. Penny, I had an incredible urge to panic.

What have I gotten myself into?  I can't do this?  This is crazy.  What makes me think I know how to take care of a child with so many needs? 

Stop.  God has got this.  He asked.  You  (eventually) said yes.  He will provide the wisdom and strength to do whatever it takes.  Pray.  Now.  Don't Stop.

I can do this because it is what God has prepared for me to do!

 Edith Schaeffer wrote:

God's fighting for us does not exclude the responsibility to be prepared for battle both in the area of strategy and in equipment.  Trusting God completely in prayer, believing that He is able to do all things, does not remove the need to pray for His strength to accomplish what He has prepared us to do!  We are to do what He is unfolding for us to do, fulfilling what God is giving us strength to do, acknowledging that it is His strength and not ours.  It is truly active passive, not a false whining humbleness that says, 'I can't do anything; I'm to weak' (The Life of Prayer).

Now to get busy learning and lining up whatever will be needed.  This isn't too big.  This is obedience and the path to joy.