DAY 2 - A NEW ADVENTURE EVERYDAY

Luke 12:6-7 6 "Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows."

Think of all the times you have had a nightmare that you wake up from and think "It was only a dream." When my wife and I woke up on day 2, the harsh truth of reality set in and we realized that it wasn't a dream. I don't remember who it was, but somebody was giving us encouragement that everything was going to be OK and that every day is a new adventure. That was certainy true for this day.

We went to see Logan and Leila first thing. We talked to Nurses Jenna and Nancy and it turns out Jenna was on the transport team and was one of the people who brought them in to see us at the hospital in Winchester. The nurses showed us how to take their temperature then handed me the thermometer. I was about to take my daughters temperature for the first time which consisted of lifting her little arm up and placing the thermometer in her armpit. I was scared to move her because it seemed that I would break her, but it turns out that they are pretty tough little people. After the temperature reading I got to hold my daughters little hand for the first time while my wife held the other hand. I could tell that Leila knew who we were because she grabbed my finger and held on tight. When it was time to go take Logan's temperature I began to pull away but she gripped tighter and wouldn't let go. My wife Amie took Logan's temperature. He was having a rough morning with his blood pressure and we could tell that the slightest touch was uncomfortable to him.

We talked to them and prayed over them before we left to talk to Perl the social worker. Afterwards, we left the hospital and walked across the street to the Ronald McDonald House (RMH). I had no idea that such places existed and praise God for people, companies and groups who donate their time to such places. The RMH is a 3 story building where parents can stay while their children are in the hospital. There are kitchens full of food, places for kids to play, and clean rooms to sleep and shower. Inside there are many places where the inscription "The House that Love Built" is appropriately displayed. Every evening a group of volunteers come to cook dinner for the residents. I was nearly speechless when I saw the care all the volunteers provide to people in need. It's funny, I always thought I would be on the giving end of the charity, not on the receiving end.

The common kitchen in the Ronald McDonald House

After lunch, we went back to see the babies. My mom managed to acquire one of the pre-mature baby diapers. They are tiny. We also got the little ink footprints. Their little feet are about an inch and a half long. Our minds were still in a flurry and we forgot to take the footprints back with us, but remembered to get them later.

 This is one of their diapers. It's too big and the nurses have had to fold them down at the top.

Ladies First. Leila's little footprints. The thing on the left is where she had an IV in her foot.

Logan's footprints. His feet are a little bigger than sister's.

The remainder of the day was filled with phone calls, rest and visiting the babies. Our pastor and his wife came to visit us that evening which really lifted our spirits in spite of being physically exhausted. The pastor told us how many people prayed for us on Sunday and gave us plenty of encouragement. After the pastor left, we went dinner with Amie's parents and went back to the RMH to unpack our car and get settled in.

What an adventure today was. For the past few weeks leading up to this week, I kept telling God that I didn't really understand how to have Faith with these children and asked if that just meant being positive or something more. Day 2 was the day I started learning something about faith. Faith is not something that you can learn from somebody else at church. It is not something that a preacher or Sunday School teacher can teach you. It was even dificult for me to grasp the concept of how to use and apply faith to my own life just by reading the Bible. Faith is an everyday reliance on God to take care of the things you have absolutely no control over. Faith is not just a positive attitude but knowing that the one and true God and Creator of the universe cares so much about Leila and Logan that He is constantly watching over them.