Fight the Power

                                                 Elliott "fighting the power."

Fight the Power is the name of a popular song and theme of a movie from my younger days...in the movie and the song, people were fighting the power of racism and injustice.  Today this phrase has various meanings for me.

Elliott often has his arms and/or legs raised for various lengths of time. Sometimes it's a minute, sometimes it's hours. Lately it has been hours and he sometimes has one arm up with his little fist pumping as it flails... The other night, "That's right baby, fight the power of this disease," came out of my mouth as he was flailing... just a random thought but later as I was changing his diaper his hand again went up and I said to my friend... Fight the Power! She immediately laughed because she knew
exactly what I was talking about... 

The past 6 weeks, I have watched this child suffer through so much. Many times it feels as if we make headway with one issue and then another a few more decide to show up. It's frustrating at best. As I walk up and down the room speaking life into Elliott's ears and praying over him as he sleeps, there are always a lingering questions in the back of my mind. Is this enough? Are we missing something? Have I done everything right? Did he have his medication? Should I be giving him all of this medication? The list goes on and on. Sadly, I won't have the answers to most of these questions. The only definitive answer I have to anything is that God is in control. He is a good God and he loves Elliott and he loves me. Why He has placed him in my life at this time is still a mystery to me. I don't have to have the answers, but I know the person who does and fortunately for me, I trust HIM a lot more than I trust myself.

The past few days have been up and down. Elliott has been running a fever, AGAIN and has been waking up from a dead sleep screaming and/or crying with a cry I don't recognize. For 2 days now, he hasn't eaten well taking in only 2 oz. or so at a time and this is after several hours of not eating. He has developed a yeast infection  and is losing his hair due to a side effect of one of his medications. He is definitely not himself and I don't understand why. I treat the symptoms that I can, I sing, I pray.

Lately my prayers have included the phrase, we WILL fight the power. We will fight the power of this disease in Elliott's life by prayer. We will fight the power of death by speaking life and healing scriptures. We will fight the power of depression by choosing joy and we will fight the power of injustice to children by being a voice for them. There is a line in the song "Fight the Power," that says, "What we need is awareness, we can't get careless." In the coming months, I will do my best to raise my awareness of this disease of "Infantile Spasms," help others understand the horrors of healthcare in Third World Countries as well as help raise awareness of the plight of orphaned and abandoned children around the world. Elliott is one of hundreds of thousands around the world who suffer because no one knows that they exist. Most people would say that he is one of the "lucky" ones.  For every Elliott who has been helped, there are thousands who die and their deaths go unnoticed. This has to stop. Change starts with you and me.

This will be my last regular email update about Elliott via email. There are so many people following Elliott's story who are not on my distribution list but are following our blog because many of you have helped spread the word. I will update the blog once a week (http://hisbodyministries.blogspot.com/) and Facebook (His Body Ministry page) every few days. If you would like to continue following his story (and other ministry things) please subscribe to the blog and/or like our His Body Ministry Facebook page.

Thank you for your help in Fighting the power of the enemy on a daily basis. I'm sure that he is much angrier today because his plans continue to be frustrated by the prayers and actions of the people of God.

I'm grateful to all of my Cameroon family that I have here on the ground who help on a daily basis and who try their best to get me to rest... :-) I'm so grateful to all of you who are praying, giving financially and sending encouraging emails. 

Thank you to my church who has been praying. collecting money and allowing people to send "stuff" for baby Elliott and are organizing it and getting it to us here in Africa. Rozetta, I got nothing but love for you!

Very special thanks to the Yon family that threw a fundraiser this weekend to help with all of Baby Elliott's expenses. I love you guys!

There are so many of you that I don't know personally who are praying and who have given. You are loved much more than you know. Even though we don't know you by name, we are praying for you and your families.

Blessings!