Lonia's Birthday

Things happen so fast that Lonia's first birthday slipped up without any warning. We had to have a party of course. Grandma, my sister and her family and Charlie and Teresa Bowen, Brandy and Haven were all present. We grilled hamburgers and hot dogs. Lonia loves hot dogs. We had cake and ice cream of course. She still isn't too sure about ice cream but she keeps tasting it anyway. She had her own special little cake. What did she grab and try to eat? The candle!!! Don't worry Dr. Gates, we didn't let her swallow it. We don't want any more obstruction, eruptions or emergency hospital runs. She really got into opening her presents. Haven just turned four and he showed her how to open the presents. She caught on quick and in no time was tearing them open. I am really sorry my pictures won't post because you need to see this happy little girl and all the progress she has made.

Every time I think of it, I am overwhelmed by the fact that this little girl has lived to see her first birthday by the grace of God only. She should have been just another statistic of infant mortality in Haiti, but she's not. It is humbling to think how God has used each of us to accomplish His will for this little girl's life. He definitely has something special in store for her. We ask for your continued prayers as she continues to gain strength each day.

Dee

On the move...

We're not sure whether we are coming are going but it is so good to be with family and friends. We appreciate our Christian family, all over the world, so much. Frankly we don't know how people handle life without the Lord in it. We rely on Him so much and it will be so amazing to one day, sit at His feet, and ask Him the many questions we have which I am sure will be totally irrelevant at that time. Wow, don't you long to see Jesus?

Lonia is doing great! It has been a quick entry and we've been on the go although I am not sure where we have gone. She had a great visit with the folks at Countryside Christian Church in Maryville, Missouri. We are anxious to see many more of you. I will be calling some of you to see if you could come to us or if we could stop and see some of you even if it isn't Sunday. We ask you to continue to pray for healing in Lonia's little body and preparation for the surgery she will have August 29th in Sacramento, CA.

Charlie and Teresa Bowen came up and took Lonia out for the evening. It was a nice break. I get a little weary at times but so did Jesus, right? Hey we sure appreciate all of their help and support.

Thursday and Friday we had Dave and Tammy Wood who came from Joplin and Kansas City to see us. They brought many of the things our Christian friends had gathered for Lonia. Diapers, clothes, wipes and much more. Thank you all so much for your kindness and generosity.

We thank God for Lonia's cheery disposition, most of the time. She has been getting some teeth in and that never makes for a happy camper. Ashley has been a blessing and such a help with her already. This makes it a lot easier for me.

I am still working on getting pictures on my blog. Hopefully that will happen soon. I haven't had easy access to the internet since I got to Iowa but still long for all your prayers.

Love you all,
Dee

In the Midwest

Thanks for your prayers. We made it to Iowa after changing planes in Phoenix. We enjoyed flying with Southwest Airlines. No fee for your luggage!!! What a praise! Sounds like it will be more and more costly to carry suitcases to Haiti. I guess we better just start packing a container and get ready to ship it. Wilckly has been praying for the day when he can travel with just his briefcase! Looks like that day has arrived.

We arrived in Omaha about 6:30p.m. on Friday evening. We were met by Charlie and Teresa Bowen of Maryville, MO. It was sure good to see some familiar faces before I reached baggage claim. Kelsey and Lonia are a handful even if I have a stroller. They both traveled really well. They were starving so we got a bite to eat.

We hit the road but about midway in our two hour drive, Lonia decided she had had enough. It took awhile to get her changed a settled so we could travel on. We arrived in Bedford at midnight relieved to be home at last. I was met at the door by Ashley who almost knocked me over and broke my neck with a super, nine year old, wow, I really missed you a lot, and don't ever do that to me again kind of hug!!! It was worth the wait. We were thrilled to see her and grandma.

Lonia is doing amazingly well. Dr. Gates took her staples out the morning we left. It looks like is slowly starting to really heal well. I am getting better about how well I can change a colostomy bag and Lonia even seems a little more relaxed as I am not so nervous.

Sunday morning she went to church in Maryville, Missouri at Countryside Christian Church while I drove to Kansas City to pick my sister up from the airport. We have already met with so many of you who ask is this the one we've been praying for. It is great to see so many of you and have you tell us in person how much you have been praying for the whole situation. Keep it up.

Dr. Gates called and said we would have to do the surgery the 29th of August. We will leave the week before to travel back to California. Please be praying for that surgery and healing already. We have felt God's hand holding us and comforting us and guiding us gently through this whole endeavor. We are so thrilled to have such a mighty and wonderful God who cares individually about each of us. How precious to live each day in His gentle care.

Hope to see you soon!

Dee

Looking Good...

We have had a good week. We are packing up to leave for Iowa tomorrow, Friday, Lord willing. We ask you to be in prayer for continued healing of this little girl's body. We are really trying to get her protein level up as it is very low. All of this will help with her healing process.

We will be returning to Sacramento Aug. 12th, Lord willing. She will have the next surgery that week. This will be to create the rectum that she doesn't have at this point. We are praying all will go well and that in the near future the colostomy can be reversed and she will have full bladder and bowel control. Please keep praying for all of these things to be accomplished in her life.

We hope to see some of you. We will be in Bedford, Iowa, at my mom's house. We would love to see some of you and have you meet Lonia.

I apologize for not adding pictures. I am having problems getting them downloaded for some reason.

Keep serving Him who loves us more than anything!!!

Dee

Tuesday already...

I have fallen behind. Something to do with the business of it all. I finally get everyone to bed but can't see straight to type. Thank goodness I know I'm not getting older, just a little leg weary some days. I am so thankful for a God who promises us rest in Him. What a comfort!

We were able to bring Lonia home from the hospital on Saturday afternoon. We even attended a birthday party where she tried her first ice cream. She wasn't quite sure what to think.

Sunday we went to Sunday school and church where she made the rounds from person to person. Slowly, everyone is learning her amazing story! They were thrilled to see her and one Sunday school class decided to take on the task of getting her a car seat of her own. We have borrowed one in the mean time but she is too little for it and really needs one that is more fitting. We thank those at who have taken on this task.

Sunday afternoon our goal was to keep from going back to the hospital. We managed but all day she had some drainage that got her wet enough we had to keep changing her clothes. She was pretty fussy and didn't sleep the best. Dr. Gates was on call and of course got called in between 11:00 and midnight. He came home around 4:00 when Lonia decided to get up again.

Dr. Gates decided something still wasn't right. Although he had at least three surgeries to perform on Monday morning he took of telling us to be ready to bolt to the hospital if he could create an opening. He found his friend, a pediatric urologist who wasn't supposed to be back until Wed. He agreed to help Dr. Gates go in and look around to see if they could find out why there was so much drainage. They did a cystoscomy and found out some of the urine was backing up and draining out the hole near the colostomy because the area where it needed to exit the body was too small. Always something with this girl. Dr. Gates was relieved to find nothing else and find things looking pretty good inside, considering.

He did find she has two urethra's coming from one kidney and the other kidney is normal with only one. He said usually he would operate and make them come together into one spot and move it up higher. His friend the urologist said he doesn't need to do that with her as they have proved in studies now that there is not that much advantage to it. Praise the Lord! This is one less surgery she has to go through. He also found she only has one uterus which is another plus. Usually with the problem she has they are born with two.

She had to have a catheter put in while they did this procedure. She went to x-ray afterwards so they could get a better look at what was going on inside. He was going to send her home with the catheter in for a few days but decided he didn't need to do that because everything was looking good. I was relieved. I have had enough new things to learn with the colostomy for now.

We had a good rest of the day at home. Surprisingly enough she didn't have any drainage the rest of the day. We hope it just opened and dilated things enough for them to go where they are supposed to.

We encourage you to keep the prayers coming daily. Everything would be a mess without them. We are thankful that even our surgeon is seeking God's will for Lonia and what is best for her. Our God is so awesome to have put everything together so perfectly.

Pray Lonia continues to eat and drink well and raise her protein levels so her body can heal properly. Please pray for us as we are looking at leaving California on Friday and going to Iowa for a month with Lonia. We will return to California on August 12. Lonia will have surgery within days of our return to create her new rectum. Dr. Gates studied under the man who created this procedure. It is absolutely amazing what they are going to do because there is no hole existing at all, not even a little dent.

There is a lot to pray about and we are counting on you to help us do that! We know you have done a superb job already. We thank the Countyrside Christian Church in Maryville who stopped their activities immediately to pray for Lonia when they found out her intestines had come out and she was headed for emergency surgery to repair everything on July 6th. Thank you all for embracing Lonia and the whole situation!!!

Dr. Gates, his wife Beverly and their daughter Anna Lynn who is six, we cannot thank them enough for all they have done for us and for Lonia. It is one thing to do surgery for someone. It is a whole new ballgame to take them into your home with all of their baggage and extra surprises, as they have done with us. We have turned their lives upside down and they handle it so graciously. We pray for God to bless them as only He can for all they have done.

Big day ahead...

That's our girl. There is that great smile we've been looking for. Keep praying and praying and pray some more.


We are waiting for Dr. Gates to call and tell us we can bring Lonia home from the hospital today. We are all excited and she has had a good week. We need her to keep eating and drinking well. We have to get her protein level up as it is very low. Lonia is changing the tune and we are very thankful. We are so thankful for your prayers which are so powerful. Please don't stop, keep them coming. We will be watching her at home this week making sure there are no fevers from infection or other complications. Lord willing we will be traveling to Iowa soon. We hope to see many of you all though we will not keep the rigorous schedule that we usually keep. We will be taking it easy and resting. We want to give her body time to heal. We would love to see you and have you meet Lonia. We invite you to come and see us.

We have several things that you can help with at this point. There are colostomy bags and all the things that go with it to care for the colostomy. We are waiting to get an exact price on these. You could help with this expense. We are going to Iowa and we want to make sure she is getting a high protein diet which means some special shopping will need to be done. We need size three diapers and wipes. Her clothes right now are 6-9 months. These are little things you can help with. The Gates family, their Sunday School class, the hospital and other friends have been very gracious and taken care of everything while we are here in California. We are thankful for the large and wonderful new family we have in Christ here in Sacramento. If you would like to give a special gift to help with these immediate needs you may make checks payable to : Northeast Evangelism memo: Lonia and send it to

Fred Green
900 South Clark St.
Moberly, Missouri 65270

I think you will see the big difference in our smiling girl. She has the sparkle back in her eye and she has all the nurse's wrapped around her little finger. They bring her to the nurse's station in the wagon so she can be around people and they hold her and soothe her until she falls asleep. We are thrilled with her progress and praying for more.



How do you keep cool in this California sun which as a rule this week has been 105 degrees or more? Anna Lynn Gates is Dr. Gates six year old daughter. She and Kelsey think one way is to run through this cool sprinkler in the back yard. They've had a ball. If that doesn't cool them off enough, there's always ice skating!!!! It's 105 degrees outside and we are inside at the skating rink. I have a sweater and a jacket on and Beverly just went to get me the blanket out of the car because I am freezing to death! What a country! Kelsey had her first experience on ice skates with Beverly trying to help her. She wasn't sure it was such a good idea but had more fun watching Anna Lynn skate.

We are praying that you are having a great day in the Lord and that you are seeking to serve Him with all that you are and in all you do. We love you all.

Dee

A smiling girl is a sight for sore eyes!

Wednesday, Kelsey and I went to visit Lonia at the hospital. We were thrilled she was out of ICU and holding her own. We arrived but didn't find her in her room. I went to the nurses station and there she was, all propped up in a little red wagon off to the side. They had brought her out because the nurse thought she would enjoy being around people. She didn't need to be held but just needed to be where all the activity was so she would feel more like she was in Haiti. I told the nurse that was great and right where she needed to be.

The turn around in this little fighter is unbelievable. After the first surgery we couldn't get her to eat for a week and she didn't want anything to drink at all. It seems whatever she would eat or drink must have put pressure on or irritated this abscess that she had. It even made her nauseated and when she finally took something in it came right back up. This is not the story now. She is sitting up, grabbing food and stuffing it in. She is drinking liquids like they are going out of style. Before she would turn her head and cry and push them away. Needless to say I came away yesterday feeling very good about the road we are on now. This is not to say that there won't be problems ahead but to see the resilience in this little girl plainly gives me the courage and strength to do whatever is necessary for her. She still has a long road ahead. Dr. Gates is pumping the nourishment into her because all of her levels were so low and she was so dehydrated. He gave her the blood transfusion to help beef up her immunities to keep fighting off anything that could give her trouble. He is carefully studying every possibility before he takes action. There will be a second surgery in August to actually do repairs that are necessary and to actually create a rectum. He studied under the man who created this procedure. He has already called on him for his advice on the situation. We are in good hands. The Lord knew exactly where we needed to be and when. His timing is perfect. We are humbled by so many who have put things together and made this all possible. We rest assured even when things seem to be going wrong that we are in His will and He will continue to cover us with His grace and He will daily provide the strength to go on. What a mighty God we serve! Angels bow before Him! Heaven and earth adore Him! WHAT A MIGHTY GOD WE SERVE!

Dee

Making Progress

Tuesday they took Lonia out of ICU! Praise the Lord! She has a main line which is wonderful. It is in her chest. It means if they need to give her blood they just have to hook the line with blood to the little gadget. they take that off and the IV hooks into it. They can also hook the feeding tube into it, which is what they did last night. They will beef up her nourishment until Friday since she is low in everything.

She woke up while we were there. She even played and smiled a little. She seemed much more comfortable and peaceful. What relief it must have been to get that horrible infected abscess cleaned up and out of there. We kept her company. We gave her water on little sponge sticks until she decided to rip the sponge off with her teeth. I almost panicked thinking we would have to do emergency surgery to get green sponge out of her system. So needless to say, we don't give her those anymore.

All in all it was a great day. We were thrilled she was out of ICU and doing so well. I held her until she fell asleep and then Kelsey and I went home. Pray for us as the days at the hospital are long especially for a 3 year old who is trying to be so good. Pray for strength and stamina for all of us. Pray for special blessings for Dr. Gates and his family and Joe Tebo and his family. The two men who put this all together to make things happen. Joe Tebo is a pilot with American Airlines. He is a get things done kind of guy. We praise God for all of his efforts to get us here. We are anxious to meet him and his wife. Dr. Gates and Sutter Memorial Hospital have given so much already to make things happen for Lonia. They are not backing off in spite of all the unexpected things that have come up along the way that weren't in the package. God has put us right where He wants us and we are thrilled to know that He is in charge and not us for we would surely make a total mess of His perfect plan.

We love you and thank you for all your prayers.
Dee

Holding Steady

Yesterday, I went to see Lonia in ICU. Kelsey can't go in there so she tearfully stayed with Miss Beverly and Miss Anna Lynn. There wasn't a whole lot I could do for her but stroke her head and cheek and pray for her to continue to heal and gain strength. I sang to her in Creole and spoke to her in Creole even though she was sleeping. There are so many wires all over her little body but truly comforting to know she is being monitored so closely. While I was there they started a blood transfusion. It's not because she is losing blood but to beef up the immunities that she needs to be able to continue to fight this thing.

We thank all of you for your continued prayers. They are very sustaining and we are relying totally on them and on the Lord's strength to get through all of this victoriously.

I will go and check on her today and see how she is doing. They may leave her in ICU but not as critical as she was yesterday so that they can still keep a close eye on her. Everybody have a great day with the Lord and I will fill you in later on how she is doing.
Dee

A new turn of events!

Lonia had a rough night after she came home Saturday so that meant so did the rest of us! We were up early and went to church and Sunday school with Dr. Gates and his wife and daughter. Lonia was fine during church. She ate before we went, while we were there and when we came home. She was just fussy after that. We thought she needed a nap as much as we all did. We put her in her bed and after a few minutes the crying stopped. We thought she had finally fallen asleep. Beverly went to check on her and found her slumped forward in a weird position. She was going to ask Bob if she should leave her like this. Then she saw that she had spit up. She went to lift her to clean up and found that she had thrown up and was laying in it. She called for Bob to come help clean her up. Removing her clothes, to her great shock, she found that her incision had split open and her intestines were on the outside of her body. In a matter of seconds we were all flying into action. I was on the computer when Bob came to tell me we have an emergency with Lonia, her bowels are all outside her body and we have to get to the hospital now!!! We placed a warm wet wash cloth over them and flew to the car with me holding her in the back seat. The doctor was calling his team of doctors and nurses all along the way. I just kept watching to make sure she was still breathing. We arrived and all those he had called were there to meet him. Relieved that we had made it and she was in good hands I had a short melt down as they rushed her into surgery. I called my mom and told her to start calling people so they could be praying for her. I also called Charlie Bowen and told him to tell everyone to beef up the prayers on this critical situation. Those were the only two numbers I could remember in my state of mind. She came out of surgery after an hour and a half. They found a huge abcess that had broken forcing everything out of it's original postition. Dr. Gates said that this was caused from all those months of back up of nasty stuff inside her body that she had never been able to get rid of. It may sound bizarre but we are so glad that God allowed this to happen now where we can get all of the care needed. The only clue we had that something was wrong was that she didn't want to eat or drink anything. She had no fever.
There was just no way to know. We are so thankful for God's PERFECT timing and watchcare over us. He is and always has been amazing. What a mighty God we serve!!! Lonia is in ICU now. The doctor is hoping to move her out of ICU this afternoon if all goes well. She will then be in the hospital for the rest of the week on heavy antibiotics. Pray for us to have the stamina we need to spend each day with her at the hospital. Kelsey has been such a trooper. It has been such a blessing that she is able to be with me at the hospital each day. She is a big encouragement to Lonia and I. Lonia has been through so much but as you can see she is a real fighter. Keep the prayers coming.
Dee

Daily Battles with progress

Kelsey is only 3 1/2 years old but she has been my faithful companion in caring for little Lonia at the hospital. The hospital is very kid friendly. She goes right to the room with me. They bring her toys, videos to watch and even ice cream. She keeps me company while I sit with Lonia, feeding her, holding her comforting her, changing her and constantly praying for her. I am so glad she is able to be with me. Wilckly is still in Haiti, holding the fort there. Ashley is in Iowa with Grandma Reta and can hardly wait for us to get there. We are very anxious to see her too. We miss her a lot. She is keeping busy though. She's riding bikes, camping and fishing at the Lake of Three Fires, swimming when the summer Iowa winds and temperatures aren't below zero for a little Haiti girl with thin blood and playing with her cousins. We hope God will have us back together soon.
Thursday was very tiring. We were praying for Lonia to come home from the hospital on Thursday of Friday. All day Thursday she would not eat or take any liquids by mouth. I tried hard to coax her to eat. She finally downed some red jello and a little water. In a matter of moments though it all came back up. What great nurses we have. They take splendid care of us and were there in seconds to help me clean it all up clear down to her IV. We were really careful as the evening before the IV came out and it was a terrible battle to get it back in. Dr. Gates came about four. I had been there with Kelsey since 9 a.m. He told me to go on home and he would personally sit with Lonia, which he did for the next four hours. He finally had them put the feeding tube in for her which she had not had. I personally think he sent Kelsey and I home so we wouldn't have to witness that. We were all a little down when he got home. He also had them x-ray her stomach to make sure there were no other blockages causing her to throw up everything. He found nothing thank goodness.

4th of July in Sacramento, California found us at the hospital with Lonia. She has so many hook ups it's not funny but Kelsey is not scared of her. She hugs and kisses her and sings songs to her in Creole which makes Lonia smile. It was a big celebration for us as Lonia took food with her own hand and put it into her mouth to eat. Kelsey and I were so happy. We sang in Creole and everyone thought we were nuts, those who know us well know that this is so true. We sang, "Mesi Bondye, Lonia manje, Mesi Bondye, Lonia manje. Lonia manje, lakay nou prale." This means, Thank you God, Lonia is eating, Thank you God, Lonia is eating. She is eating, We are going HOME!!!!" End of song. I tried to think of foods she would like or be used too. I told them to bring a banana, some plain white rice, and some plain spaghetti noodles. She loved the banana. She wouldn't even let me cut it up smaller. She wanted the whole thing. It was such a precious sight and such a great relief to see her finally eating. She dug into the spaghetti with both hands full. We pray she had a good night. Everyone is exhausted, so exhausted that Kelsey slept through the loud fireworks that we went to see. It was a good ending to a great day. Everyone is resting this morning. The specialist is coming in to size the colostomy bags for us and order the right size. She will be giving me more lessons on cleaning it, putting it in place and emptying it. I have paid close attention to the nurses and doctor as they have done it so hopefully I will get the hang of it. Keep praying and thank you all so much for your concerns, emails and calls. They are very much appreciated. Please continue to keep Wilckly and all of our Haitian staff in your prayers as they continue the work and development there and prepare for another school year to begin.
Dee

I am sorry I am a little behind. We headed to the hospital Monday morning getting there just in time to take her to x-ray. We were looking at the afternoon for surgery. Things opened up and everything was in place much quicker than we expected. We took her from x-ray straight to prep for surgery. The doctor's wife, Beverly and I and Kelsey were with Lonia. It seemed pretty silly to both of us when they started asking the routine questions. Have you spoken to the doctor? We both started laughing. It is always good to have some humor on hand.

Dr. Gates expected the surgery to last for about two and a half hours. Instead it lasted about four. The goal was the colostomy and looking at the bladder to see what he might find. The colostomy was successful. Praise the Lord!!! However to colon was so packed it was 5 times the size it should have been. It had of course been backing up from her birth. He said he cleaned and cleaned but still couldn't get it all. Topping it all off he found a kernel of corn stuck in her vagina that hadn't been able to pass and was blocking the path even further. It took him an hour just to get that out. What a relief that must have been. We are so thankful God put Dr. Gates in our path. He is very thorough and we feel very secure in all that he is doing. He explains everything to it.

We are praying Lonia will get to come home today, Thursday or tomorrow. In the mean time we have been sitting at the hospital with her all day. Kelsey has been a real trooper. The hospital is not too exciting for a three year old. They make it bearable. They are very kid friendly. They bring her all kinds of different toys to play with. They also have lots of DVD's and videos to choose from. We take our little sack lunch and picnic at the hospital.

Lonia has been very sore and uncomfortable in spite of all the pain medication. Mainly she just want to be held so that is my job to hold and comfort her while Kelsey plays at my feet. We can't thank Sutter Medical Center and Dr. Gates enough for what they have done already and there is more to come. What a gift of life to little Lonia!!!

We will continue to keep you updated. Don't forget Wilckly in your prayers and all the gang we left behind in Haiti. Somebody has to stay in the trenches. Keep praying for healing, strength and no infections for Lonia. Pray she will soon gain her appetite and want to eat. Here are some pictures from the hospital and an up close on her new colostomy.

Dee

Hello Prayer Warriors, I've finally been able to get some pictures downloaded. This is Dr. Robert Gates with Lonia relaxed and sleeping on his lap in his home where we are staying in Sacramento. We know the Lord led us here just in time. Arriving late in the evening on Friday we were all exhausted. We rested on Saturday preparing for the big week ahead. The doctor noticed she seemed pretty lethargic and said if she didn't take some fluids we would have to take her to the hospital earlier than Monday. She did take some water and slept through the night. She awoke early, around 4a.m. She drank some water and some formula. I didn't even get the bottle out of her mouth before she covered me, the bed, the floor and everything in it's path with a powerful spewing of formula everywhere.
The doctor said that is our cue to get to the hospital now, she can't wait any longer.The doctor tried starting the IV but she was so dehydrated he couldn't find a vein. The next crew came in and they put hot packs all over her arms and legs to try to get the veins to puff up enough to get one. After about thirty minutes, several sticks and a lot of trauma for all of us they finally stopped with no success. They then called in a nurse from the neo-natal unit. Again, hot packs everywhere. She searched and searched and finally succeeded on the first try to get a vein in her foot. They put it on a foot board and eventually put a sock on it so she wouldn't pull it off. She was so relieved and exhausted that she finally fell asleep.
Just in time for the next lady to come in and do an echocardiogram which as I soon learned is just an ultrasound of the heart. Praise the Lord she was so exhausted she didn't even know anything was being done which was a blessing to all of us.