The Orange County Register is doing a story on a couple from my church. The couple has adopted a little girl with a heart condition from China. Here is a section from the article and a video will follow:"Melody and Jason Lietzau never considered adoption.
Why would they?
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Hannah, 18 months, the newest member of the Lietzau family, plays on the living room floor. Jason and Melody Lietzau traveled to China to adopt Hannah, who had a serious heart condition.
It was mid-2008 and the La Habra couple already had two healthy boys. Plus, Melody was pregnant.
Still, the Lietzaus, who adhere strongly to Christian faith, believe God sometimes has other plans.
In October, 9 ½ weeks into her pregnancy, Melody visited the doctor for a scheduled checkup. The news was bad. The baby's heart was not beating.
The loss felt crushing.
Four days later, Melody and Jason were at Sunday service at Grace Evangelical Free Church in La Mirada when the pastor delivered the Bible passage James 1:27.
"Religion that God our father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."
Orphans?
Suddenly, adoption wasn't just an option, the couple saw it as an obligation.
"We felt like the Lord just spoke to our hearts," Melody says...On April 10, Melody, Jason and Hannah landed at LAX, ending the couple's trip to China to pick up their daughter.
But a new trip was starting.
First, the boys, Noah and Jonah, got to meet their sister. They'd been driven to the airport for that purpose.
But the first stop after that meeting wasn't home – it was Children's Hospital of Orange County, CHOC, where doctors were waiting to check out Hannah.
After the examination, they decided that Hannah would need surgery in less than a week.
Then, a few days later, Hannah's heart began failing. Her condition was worse than anticipated. The Lietzaus were told Hannah had about 30 percent chance of coming out of surgery alive.
The doctors offered the most horrific question a parent can hear: Should we just make her comfortable, or do you want to go through with the surgery?
Melody says their faith didn't leave room for such a question. And when it came time for the surgery, Melody whispered this into Hannah's ear:
'You are a fighter. And you have a story to tell.'"
The surgery, scheduled for five hours, was done in three. Hannah sailed so easily through the procedure that surgeons skipped one phase of the operation.
"There was never a doubt... God has brought us to this point for a reason," says Jason, 33..."
Powerful.
Cross posted at Blue Collar Philosophy.
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