When a sweet Facebook friend, Jean, who writes a beautiful blog, decided to share a book review with others in February, I asked her to choose the charity for the month. And her choice? Morning Star Foundation. Since a very important part of our giving, in Daniel's memory, is for charities that care for babies and children with broken hearts like his, there was no question that Morning Star would be a future beneficiary of our proceeds--it was simply a matter of "when," and I was thrilled with Jean's perfect choice for CHD Awareness month. February also happens to be an extra-special month for us because Daniel's birthday was February 2.
I first "met" Meredith, the Director of Morning Star, about two years ago on Facebook. This amazing young woman has made it her mission, along with other loving nannies, to foster some of the sweet orphans in China who need it most. These women pour out every ounce of their energy to these babies. Many times they blossom, sometimes they endure painful struggles, and sometimes, much to our sadness, Meredith watches them go home to Jesus. This young lady's probably seen more in her years than most of us will in our entire lifetime. She puts her heart out there on a daily basis for those babies, and I was honored to include Morning Star as a trusted Resource in the
revised version of With an Open Heart.
When it came time to choose which child would receive the donation (not an easy choice at all), Jean chose a very special baby named Lilah Lu, one of their newest little gems. She arrived at the Morning Star
home as a ten-month old baby, barely weighing seven pounds. Lilah has a
complicated heart condition, and they have been working hard to pack some pounds on her, so she can receive the
heart surgery necessary to heal her broken heart. As of the latest updates, Lilah Lu needs our fervent prayers. She is still on the ventilator in
ICU fighting to breathe as the world waits and prays for her lungs to
recover. She won't be a candidate for surgery until her lungs can heal, and her road ahead will not be easy.
We sold forty books in February and an anonymous Facebook friend with a very large heart stepped forward at the last minute with an unbelievable offer to match triple our donation! We are grateful for your purchases of the book, which raised almost $650 for Lilah Lu. If you feel led to help support the Morning Star babies, you can see them all here to let hope shine. And please keep them, and their amazing caregivers, in your prayers.
