Thank you for taking such great care of me!My name is Elena and I love owls! I’m only 2, but I can already read and do math. My purpose in life is to be a World-Changer. I am a strong girl and I am very deeply loved. The words above are a little sign that I made to go over Elena’s bed in the ICU. I wanted the people caring for her to know her as a special little girl, not just another sick kid. And, yes, she really is learning to read and do math! Thought I’d give an update from me, as Noble has kept everybody updated on all the specifics from the medical side of things.Honestly, I have been reeling. I go from being sick to my stomach with anguish for my little girl to moments of calm and faith. I have prayed no fancy prayers, just the groans from a mother’s heart. Often, I have no words and have completely relied on the intercession of friends and family, as well as the Holy Spirit. I never thought I’d see my baby sedated, on a ventilator and fighting for her life. God says interesting things sometimes, and I have to tell y! ou about one of them. Right after they wheeled her into the ICU, we had to leave as they were getting her all hooked up. I went back to our hospital room and fell to my knees sobbing out to God. Here’s what He said, “Well, did you think it was going to be easy raising a World-Changer?” This caught me completely off-guard as it wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. I’ll give you a quick background.Before we had Elena, we prayed and asked God to send us the next World-Changers. Whenever God needs to get something done, He does it though a person – He sends a baby. We know that this world is in desperate need of World-Changers and we specifically asked that they be sent to us and we would raise them as such. And we really meant it. God takes vows seriously, and so have we. Well, our enemy, Satan, takes them seriously, too. He tried early to end her life. In my second month of pregnancy, I hemorrhaged badly and rushed to the ER, fearing we had lost her. Against all odds, when they finally did the ultrasound, there she was, heart beating just as strongly as could be. Not a single night has gone by where I haven’t prayed for wisdom in how to raise her to be exactly who God has for her to be, dedicating her all over again to His purposes, praying that we would find her purpose at a young age and praying for her protection.So, today, as I’m sitting by her bed, I asked her, “Who are you?” I wonder at what God has planned for her. ! I believ e this is an attack directly related to her purpose. God told me that wimpy moms don’t raise World-Changers and I needed to gird up and fight. Well, He doesn’t have to tell me twice. I pulled out my Bible and looked up the verses He had given me about Elena specifically the month before she was conceived. I bawled my eyes out and praised God when I read the first one b/c it’s a promise of LIFE!! Here they are, I’m going to do a slight paraphrase:“I asked you for life, and you gave it to me – length of days, for ever and ever.” Ps. 21:4“I will proclaim His righteousness to a people yet unborn – for He has done it.” Ps. 22:31“Your descendants will be known among the nations and your offspring among the peoples. All who see you will acknowledge that you are a people the Lord has blessed.” Is. 61:9These and so many other promises have been oxygen to my soul. We continue to wait and pray – and can never tell you how much all of you have meant to us. Truly, we have been carried by the prayers of the saints. Thank you doesn’t even begin to say it.Kathy