Staff Blog

Central Baptist Church of Saint Paul, Minnesota, the home church of Paul and Marlys Healy and Mitch and Ruth Ohlendorf, has sent a team of 11 members to CSC to visit the ministry, fellowship with the children, staff and workers, and run a three day camp for the older children at the Shelter. This has become an every other year tradition at CSC, and hundreds of kids have enjoyed being a part of these camps over the years. The camp will be held in a Christian camp on the beach in Santander in southern Cebu. The kids will have time in the ocean, hiking, playing games, sleeping in tents, eating good food, doing crafts and learning more about God. Chuck Sorley, the youth pastor at Central, will head up the camp once again. Pastor Joel Lawrence is also with the team. He has been busy speaking to various groups, from CSC staff and workers, to the students of the Baptist Theological College.

Thanks to the team for their willingness to come and serve, and for those who are supporting them through prayer and financial gifts.

I can't help but feel closer to God after visiting Thomas at the hospital.  Thomas was sleeping; he had had his dressing changed earlier and had cried a bit, so he might have tired himself out.  I chatted with the Auntie, getting a quick update on how he was doing.  There has been some drainage from the surgical site over the last couple of days, so there is a potential for infection! :(

I prayed over him and held his hand, but thought I should let him rest, so soon left.  As I was leaving the hospital, I could not help but think on how Thomas is such a testament to God's provision.  We have had several meetings, even since before admitting him, about Thomas, his needs and our ideas about how we could meet them.  We prayed a lot about these concerns and sought guidance, but inevitably, just had to surrender them to God.  And we have seen God provide time and time again.  The financial assistance has come through, but even more than that, our plans for how to respond to the problems or possibilities we feared would occur were not even necessary.  

God is good.

Sleepy at the moment, but still such a trooper!

His toys, the books he likes to "read," tissue and a Bible---the essentials!

Here he is, receiving excellent care from his Auntie.  We are blessed at CSC to have such caring childcare workers!

All the time, God is good.  And we have seen His goodness in Thomas' life so many times already and countless times over the life of CSC. 

MONDAY UPDATE: Thomas leaves ICU. No more fever. He loves books and the aunties love reading to him.

SATURDAY UPDATE: Thomas had his dressing changed today. He has staples from ear to ear. The doctor checked the surgical site and said that it looks good, with no sign of infection. Thomas was very alert and responsive today, and he made lots of eye contact with his caregivers. Matt Buley, CSC President, who is in Cebu at this time, had a chance to visit Thomas in the ICU and see his progress in recovery. Matt and Marlys brought along a radio and cd player so he could listen to music which he loves.

FRIDAY: Little Thomas continues his fight,making good progress after his serious surgery on Tuesday. He is still in the Intensive Care Unit at Cebu Doctors' hospital. Yesterday his face was very puffy and he was more uncomfortable than he had been on Wednesday. But today his swelling has subsided. He still has a low grade fever (100.7) which is normal after his kind of surgery. The doctors told us that they will be taking the dressing off tomorrow. As of today, our child care worker who is with him in the ICU is allowed to hold him, which he very much appreciates. It is possible that Thomas will be able to go out of ICU tomorrow to a regular room.

Thanks for your prayers for our darling boy! A couple weeks ago, as the surgery was being discussed among specialists in Cebu, his doctor mentioned that he is a little battler, so we all need to battle for him to. Thanks for helping the battle through prayer.

We are so excited and thankful that some CSC friends who have followed Thomas on-line, have responded with financial gifts.

Praise God that, of the estimated costs of $25,000 for the surgery and recovery, $8,000 has already been provided!

Thomas has come through his major cranial surgery well and is in the Intensive Care at Cebu Doctors Hospital. Although we have not had a chance to talk with the doctor yet, his vital signs are good and one of the attending physicians reported that the surgery was "a success." For the staff, it is comforting to know that in the ICU he is surrounded by skilled nurses, the best medical technology available in Cebu, loving CSC caregivers and the prayers of so many faithful CSC friends.

We will add updates as we get more information. Thanks for praying for little Thomas during this process and for your continued prayers as he recovers from this operation. We are so thankful for all who have taken Thomas into their hearts. One family reported that they pray for him together a couple times a day. Keep those prayers coming, dear friends!

The story of Thomas has been widely publicized on our website, he is mentioned in multiple blogs (including this one!), he has been named in countless e-mails and he is the subject of thousands of prayers around the world.

And well he should be.

As one doctor stated, this little one has been struggling each day of his life.  He struggled to breathe before his nasal surgery in December and though that has improved, now he is experiencing immense pressure on his brain and he needs major cranial surgery!

All of that is very scary.  However, when I look at him and I see his big, beautiful, soulful eyes, I can't help but feel hopeful.  He is amazingly alert, attentive (his caregivers are quite positive he is practically reading books already!) and he smiles readily.  

His story is a story of strength---his body has gone through tremendous stress and yet he is growing and is healthy, determination---our nursing staff have continuously fought for Thomas to receive the best care, love---his caregivers love him so thoroughly and God's protection---God has brought him through so much already!

Tomorrow Thomas will undergo surgery; 6 hours of taking apart his prematurely fused skull and putting it back together so that his brain can grow without constant constriction.  Since so much of this is out of our control, we met today to do the only thing within our power: pray.

After lunch, the staff, house parents, Aunties, nurses and the children all met in the Duterte Home, where Thomas lives, to pray for tomorrow's big event.

We prayed for wisdom for the doctors, that the Lord would guide their hands, renew their strength as the procedure goes on, that Thomas' body would be strong enough to endure the surgery, that he would be strong enough for the recovery, that the medicine, the facilities and the nurses at the hospital would meet his needs perfectly, completely.  We prayed thanksgiving for God's provision thus far in Thomas' life and we acknowledged that Thomas is indeed in the palm of His hand.

We will continue to pray for Thomas----for these things and more.

Will you join with us?