Monday, May 21, 2012
Declaring Goodness
Lillian is home and healing up but please continue prayers that she puts back on the weight that she lost. 7 pounds were shed while she was hospitalized. Bob and Diane continue to see the goodness of God in the midst of this battle for freedom of the captive.
Speaking of freeing the captive, their friends have come together in some different ways to help raise the funds to get to Lera and bring her home. Will you help by either participating yourselves or by spreading the word?
A Pampered Chef fundraiser by Carmen Druckenmiller will be running from now until June 30th. For details on the event and how to order please go to: http:///www.facebook.com/events/374132972636914/
Thursday, May 17, 2012
PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW!
Update on Lillian & Diane:
This may be the final update from a friend because Diane & Lillian are heading HOME!! Lillian has been doing amazingly well! Yesterday, there was one small dip mid-day when she was getting tired and needing a nap. After the nap, she started cruising with Sats in the 90's and got OFF O2! She then went all night without oxygen and her Sats stayed in the 90's! Diane has been improving as well. She asked Lillian if they should go home to daddy. She squealed so loud, and then gave her a loud "OH YEAH!" She has been signing, "farm," "daddy," and "tractor!"
Please pray for complete healing for Diane & Lillian if there are any issues still unresolved, for safe travel, and also join us in praising and thanking God for His abundant provision and goodness! Diane is very grateful for your love, support, and prayers!
Fundraising Update:
There is a new fundraiser for the Higbies! Amanda Alexander is donating 50% of the profits from a Thirty-One party to the Higbie's Russian adoption fund to help support their travel costs now that their payment to their agency has been made! This party will run through May 30th. Please visit here for the Thirty-One Party. Please participate if you can and pass the word along!
Please look for more fundraisers coming up and some awesome giveaways as well! If you would like to host a fundraiser for the Higbie's, just let them know, and they can post the information! Thanks so much!
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Continued Prayer & Praises to God!
Update on Lillian:
Yesterday, Lillian improved through the day and was transferred to a step down unit next to the PICU. She is now in Francis 3C-155. As for last night, it was wild to say the least. They started epi nebulizer treatments to open her airway at 8 pm, and this went on every other hour until 2 am. Needless to say, she was wired. :-( Diane was finally able to get her to sleep about 4 am only to have her awaken for vitals at 7 am, then rounds. Thankfully, she was able to go back to sleep for a while. Her numbers look good. They are still thinking weekend discharge if all goes according to textbook, and there are no setbacks. They need her sats and heart rate to not dip so low at night before she can be discharged. They are planning to try Wednesday night without the tent to see how she does.
Diane still needs your prayers for healing and strength. We are very thankful for those who have provided care packages or food to help meet her needs! She wants everyone to know how much she appreciates your help and said: "I am feeling overwhelmed with your LOVE!! Thank you all so very much for all you have done for me. Thank you all for storming heaven for my little girls... The one I rock and the one who waits. ♥ We are truly grateful for all your love and support. All glory is yours Lord."
Diane still needs help this week at the hospital, so if anyone is able to help with food or other needs, please contact Rebecca Johnson via email at Rebecca.L.Johnson@hotmail.com
Financial Update:
Praise the LORD that the amount needed for the Higbie's first payment has been met! Thank you to all who helped and participated in the emergency fundraising! When a figure can be nailed down for the travel costs--airfare, lodging, etc., we will announce the next step in fundraising. Thank you so much for being the body of Christ and reaching out to a friend and even an unknown sister and family in need! It has been a blessing to see the love of Jesus being shown through His people!
Monday, May 14, 2012
PRAYER ABOVE ALL ELSE
Diane has asked for PRAYER above all else. She said, "I just want my daughter better, not to hurt, not to struggle to breathe. I can go without food, I have water next to me but I need my daughter better." She asked specifically for prayer covering in the night. Around 4am she was at her worst and her heart rate was at 39/40. Right now Lillian heart rate is at 59/60. SAT's are now in the 80's. Lillian is in great pain and it is so hard for Diane not to be able to comfort her and take this pain away.
The doctors are watching closely and talking about the vent if her numbers begin to go down again.
PLEASE PRAY PERFECT HEALING over Lilllian's little body. God you are so mighty to save!
For those who are nearby and want to help she is in the Mary Brigh Building on the St. Mary's campus at Mayo in Rochester, Minnesota. They are in PICU Room #3548 if you would like to have something sent to her and Lillian. She is overwhelmed in gratefulness for the prayers of support by all of you who have given even in your own needy place.
She is not receiving food from the cafeteria and has been eating snacks from other parents in the hospital. In addition, when she was in ER she asked for some type of medicine for herself but they would not treat her without payment. She is coughing up "green" stuff and appears to be fighting her own sickness. We are working on putting together food, hygiene, and OTC medicine and seeing about having someone local in Rochester deliver to her right away. If you would like to mail something to Diane directly, address any packages and mail them USPS, FedEx, UPS, etc. to:
Attn: Lillian Higbie
Room # MBG 3548
St. Mary's Hosptial
1216 Second St., SW
Rochester, MN 55905
The most critical thing right now is prayer covering. BLESSING is greater than the curse! Light overcomes darkness!
PLEASE pray that the enemy be silenced in the NAME OF JESUS! Holy is YOUR NAME Jesus, above all others!
Thank you!! Bless you!!
The doctors are watching closely and talking about the vent if her numbers begin to go down again.
PLEASE PRAY PERFECT HEALING over Lilllian's little body. God you are so mighty to save!
For those who are nearby and want to help she is in the Mary Brigh Building on the St. Mary's campus at Mayo in Rochester, Minnesota. They are in PICU Room #3548 if you would like to have something sent to her and Lillian. She is overwhelmed in gratefulness for the prayers of support by all of you who have given even in your own needy place.
She is not receiving food from the cafeteria and has been eating snacks from other parents in the hospital. In addition, when she was in ER she asked for some type of medicine for herself but they would not treat her without payment. She is coughing up "green" stuff and appears to be fighting her own sickness. We are working on putting together food, hygiene, and OTC medicine and seeing about having someone local in Rochester deliver to her right away. If you would like to mail something to Diane directly, address any packages and mail them USPS, FedEx, UPS, etc. to:
Attn: Lillian Higbie
Room # MBG 3548
St. Mary's Hosptial
1216 Second St., SW
Rochester, MN 55905
The most critical thing right now is prayer covering. BLESSING is greater than the curse! Light overcomes darkness!
PLEASE pray that the enemy be silenced in the NAME OF JESUS! Holy is YOUR NAME Jesus, above all others!
Thank you!! Bless you!!
Desperately needing prayer & support!
Update on Lillian & Diane:
Lillian is having issues recovering from yesterday's procedure. Her sats, heart rate, and blood pressure won't stay up. Her heart rate has been in the low to mid 40's, and the A.M. O2 Sat was at 89. When she cries, her sats drop lower. She keeps signing pain, so it seems that her throat is hurting her. They have a new doctor today, and they are talking about putting Lillian on the ventilator, which is concerning because weaning off can be difficult. Diane is asking if there is a way to keep her off the vent and still treat her.
As sick as she is, Lillian wants to be held all day, and Diane is grateful to be able to do that with God's grace and mercy, because she herself is very sick! Unfortunately, her husband, Bob, has had to go back to work at the farm, and so Diane is alone at her daughter's bed side with not even the ability to visit a snack machine. Lillian's condition was so urgent that Diane didn't even have time to grab her purse before rushing Lillian to the hospital. She is depending on the snacks brought to the parents. She is not able to be treated for her own sickness without leaving the facility and Lillian's side. If anyone can go by the hospital and provide anything that would be helpful such as meals, snacks, juice, or even over-the-counter meds, that would be very helpful! Diane has a sore throat, she's coughing, and it's in her lungs. It seems like a long shot, but if there is a family practitioner that could run by and see her, that would be a blessing as she likely needs a prescription but cannot get one without leaving her daughter. If you can go by personally, they are at the St. Mary's Hospital inpatient ward for Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.. (It's the wing dedicated to Mayo Clinic patients only.) Lillian is in the PICU. Rebecca Johnson is coordinating help for Diane, so please email her if you can help in any way! Rebecca.L.Johnson@hotmail.com
Financial Update:
Thank you very much to all who donated to help Diane and her family during the emergency fundraising! Out of the $6,569.44 total needed, $5,236.56 has come in, so they are short $1,332.88 of what they need. Due to the extenuating circumstances, they have been given a short extension to provide the remaining funds, but we do not know how long that extension will be at this point. It may be just for today. If there is anything you can do to help, even $10, it would be a huge blessing to Diane and the family!
Donations can be made through Project Hopeful via: http://www.projecthopeful.org/donate or through Grace Haven via: http://www.gracehavenhome.com There is a Donate button on the upper right hand side of this blog for Project Hopeful donations. If there are any issues with the Donate button, please go to the Project Hopeful web site linked to above, and when you make your donation, please reference "Lera" in the comments. For Grace Haven donations, please click on the Donate button and also reference "Lera" when donating.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
UPDATE! Please help if you can before 4 am CST!
Edited to Add: Since the last update, there has been a NEW matching grant offer in addition to the one below for donations up to $500, which will double the amount to $1,000! This matching grant challenge is through Project HOPEFUL. Please see details below on how to donate. Thank you so much to all who participate!
Update on Lillian's condition: Praise God Lillian came through surgery this morning and is recovering. The surgeons are pleased that they were able to remove a lot of gunk out of her lungs and are hopeful that she will make a full recovery. Please pray that she will respond to the meds that she is on and that her O2 Sats remain high and that she will be able to be moved out of the PICU to a regular room and eventually discharged. Please continue to pray for healing for Lillian, rest for Diane and the family, and wisdom for the doctors treating Lillian.
Financial Update: The Higbie's are still short approximately $2,500 of what they need for their next agency payment that is due on Tuesday. For it to arrive on time, all donations must be made no later than 4am Monday morning CST, so they can be processed and in the mail in time to arrive on Tuesday. If you can help with this by sharing of the need with others or making a donation of any amount, it would be greatly appreciated!
There is a giveaway ongoing for the Higbie Family. ALL donors will be put into drawings for: 1.Girl's Hawaiian dresses (from Hawaii) 2. Project HOPEFUL necklaces 3. Project HOPEFUL jerseys. Donations can be made through Project Hopeful via: http://www.projecthopeful.org/
Donations made after Monday morning will be held for the Higbie's travel fund or for their next payment due to the agency in August. More fundraisers will be hosted between now and then, so please stay tuned for more announcements.
In honor of Mother's Day, please prayerfully consider donating to the Higbie Family to help them move forward on their journey to bringing beautiful Lera home.
Donations made after Monday morning will be held for the Higbie's travel fund or for their next payment due to the agency in August. More fundraisers will be hosted between now and then, so please stay tuned for more announcements.
In honor of Mother's Day, please prayerfully consider donating to the Higbie Family to help them move forward on their journey to bringing beautiful Lera home.
Friday, May 11, 2012
URGENT Prayer & Support Needed!
This post is being made by friends of Diane and her family. We are
heartbroken to announce that Diane and her husband are currently at
their daughter's bedside in St. Mary's Hospital in the inpatient ward
for the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Their daughter, Lillian, who has
Down Syndrome is deathly ill and is fighting for her life. Diane herself
is also sick. Lillian is in critical, but stable condition in the PICU.
Doctors are not
sure what has caused the infection in her lungs. Please pray for
healing for both Lillian and Diane, that Lillian's heart will not be
affected, and that doctors will have
wisdom to find out what has caused this infection. We would appreciate if all comments made while this is ongoing would be of a positive and supportive nature. If
anyone is in the Rochester, MN area who could be supportive of the
Higbie family in any way, please post in the comment section below and
share your email address, and a friend of the family will contact you.
During this crisis, the Higbie family desperately needs your prayers, but they also need your support. Diane and her family have an urgent need to raise a minimum of $6,000 by the end of this weekend to cover the agency fee that is due at time of travel. They will also need additional funds to cover their travel costs. Any donations towards their adoption fund would be greatly appreciated. Project Hopeful, Grace Haven Ministries, and Ten for Orphans are coming together in support of this family.
For those of us who understand the situation, privately Diane and her family have been told that even with a referral for Lera, they will not receive the money that was previously raised through the other non-profit organization they were working with. Diane and her family were accused of forging their home study, and then this organization began harassing their home study provider. Their home study provider is a highly respected professional who is known for his volunteer work and support of military families in assisting them to adopt. As Diane was previously in the military, he was able to provide their home study. The Higbies have provided all of the required documentation needed, but to no avail. Even if this were not the case, the organization will not provide funds for their first trip regardless of paperwork because a submitted dossier and travel date are required, but in this particular situation, their dossier must be submitted in person to be accepted. For now, the family needs to move forward because they have no expectation of receiving the funds that were previously donated for Lera.
As mentioned, they have an urgent deadline to raise at least $6,000 by the end of this weekend, but as they are currently facing a crisis with their daughter, they are unable to focus on anything else. If you can do anything to help alleviate this additional stress and burden by contributing towards their financial need, it would be a tremendous blessing.
All future funds raised will be dispersed from non-profit organizations to the appropriate agencies with no funds given directly to the family. Currently, there are two funds set up to receive donations for the Higbies. You can donate through Project Hopeful by clicking on the Donate button located on the upper right hand side of this blog. You can also donate towards a matching grant through Grace Haven Ministries. A family has offered a $500 matching grant (to double to $1,000) for the Higbie's adoption of Lera. Go to http://www.gracehavenhome.com and click on Donate. Please specify "Lera" when you make your donation.
Thank you for ministering to this family in their time of need! Messages of support and encouragement that are posted on this blog will be printed off and shared with the family. Above all, please keep this family in your prayers!
During this crisis, the Higbie family desperately needs your prayers, but they also need your support. Diane and her family have an urgent need to raise a minimum of $6,000 by the end of this weekend to cover the agency fee that is due at time of travel. They will also need additional funds to cover their travel costs. Any donations towards their adoption fund would be greatly appreciated. Project Hopeful, Grace Haven Ministries, and Ten for Orphans are coming together in support of this family.
For those of us who understand the situation, privately Diane and her family have been told that even with a referral for Lera, they will not receive the money that was previously raised through the other non-profit organization they were working with. Diane and her family were accused of forging their home study, and then this organization began harassing their home study provider. Their home study provider is a highly respected professional who is known for his volunteer work and support of military families in assisting them to adopt. As Diane was previously in the military, he was able to provide their home study. The Higbies have provided all of the required documentation needed, but to no avail. Even if this were not the case, the organization will not provide funds for their first trip regardless of paperwork because a submitted dossier and travel date are required, but in this particular situation, their dossier must be submitted in person to be accepted. For now, the family needs to move forward because they have no expectation of receiving the funds that were previously donated for Lera.
As mentioned, they have an urgent deadline to raise at least $6,000 by the end of this weekend, but as they are currently facing a crisis with their daughter, they are unable to focus on anything else. If you can do anything to help alleviate this additional stress and burden by contributing towards their financial need, it would be a tremendous blessing.
All future funds raised will be dispersed from non-profit organizations to the appropriate agencies with no funds given directly to the family. Currently, there are two funds set up to receive donations for the Higbies. You can donate through Project Hopeful by clicking on the Donate button located on the upper right hand side of this blog. You can also donate towards a matching grant through Grace Haven Ministries. A family has offered a $500 matching grant (to double to $1,000) for the Higbie's adoption of Lera. Go to http://www.gracehavenhome.com and click on Donate. Please specify "Lera" when you make your donation.
Thank you for ministering to this family in their time of need! Messages of support and encouragement that are posted on this blog will be printed off and shared with the family. Above all, please keep this family in your prayers!
Monday, May 7, 2012
FOREVER OUR DAUGHTER...
As most of you know I have been away for a season. Our family has continued in our quest to bring our daughter from the darkness of a mental institution where she lingers, into the light and love of Jesus through our love as her forever family. This journey has be arduous to say the least. But what ever struggles we have faced as her adoptive family, they pale in comparison to what our sweet girl knows as daily life. I do not know if I personally could survive 21 months in a EE mental institution. I do not think I am that strong and would give up and succumb to my death. But not our girl. She is a fighter. She clings to life determined to make it out into whatever it is that awaits her, even though I am quite certain, she cannot know what that life will be like. I can only give all the glory to our Heavenly Father for sustaining her until she is completely ours. Completely home. Completely free.
When I contemplate the fact of her continuing existence, it always brings me back to the same place...why wouldn't He. She belongs completely to Him. He created her exactly as she is. He placed a mighty purpose within her, and He has never turned from her. When she was discarded, abandon, alone, and waiting, He placed an open door before us and He invited our family to "MOVE".
He offered an invitation wrapped in the most breathtakingly beautiful, awe-inspiring, miraculous little girl. He then placed that little girl within my womb to grow as a part of me. He brought that invitation to fruition through our sweet baby daughter, Lillian Grace. He then filled us with a love so overwhelming and consuming that it removed ALL fear. Our intense love for her took us on a journey that changed us forever and prepared us to willingly, joyfully, and without hesitation accept His invitation to "MOVE"...and step through the open door that to this day stands before us.
But we do not go alone, unprepared or unequipped for this journey. He has taken every step with us. He is in every conversation, meeting, appointment and written word we share. We have at times needed Him to carry us when we, because of our humanness, felt unable to keep walking. He has breathed life into us when we felt crushed and to weary to continue. He has filled us with the knowledge through revelation,and His written word, of who we are in Him. What we have in Him. Who and what we are called to in Him. And we are grateful. The love and joy we experience daily in our family home is all from Him. All for Him. Regardless of circumstance in the natural, we dance, we sing, we praise, and most importantly, we know the day is coming very soon, when we will sing and dance with our sweet girl. This victory is already won in Christ Jesus. She is our daughter. She is Katrina, Abby, April, and Lillian's sister. Together as her family we rejoice in the journey knowing that every step glorifies our Father in Heaven and He delights in our obedience and dances over us...and still there is an open door before us.
Along our journey there have been issues we have faced that has brought us to our current decision to cancel the contract we had with our agency and revoke their power of attorney to act on our behalf.
Our personal opinion is our sweet girl should have come home over a year ago. That is what we were told when we started this journey. Two years later she is still waiting. This is completely unacceptable to us. Therefore, we have followed God and stepped out where we are completely trusting Him and His promise that she is ours and His ways are not our ways. It is completely impossible for us as humans to grasp the wisdom or workings in the mind of God. It is beyond our understanding. It is exactly where He now calls us to walk.
We have contracted with an organization that has the ability to help us move forward right now. We have completed a new home study with a new, highly qualified provider, world renowned in his field, who is very familiar with what is required to petition for adoption in the country we have decided to adopt from. We have approval from USCIS. We have an opportunity to travel for an appointment with the MOE to complete the required interview and accept her referral.
Although we have been blessed by so many of you through our fundraising effort, we now find ourselves in a bit of a quandary. Because we have made the choice to cancel our prior agency and move our adoption process to our current representation, those funds are not available to us at this point. All funding required for our first trip will have to come from another source.
We are not deterred or shaken. God is not surprised we have this in front of us. But I do believe he is saddened by it. We cling to His promise to us in Isaiah 45. We declare it daily, sometimes several times a day. He has promised she is forever OUR DAUGHTER and we will not stop until she is home. Not until she is completely FREE...and still, this open door before us.
Thank you for lifting our family, our adoption process and all involved, and our sweet girl who waits in prayer. They are precious and what sustains us.
We are hopeful are 2 final trips will be a different story. We have partnered with Project Hopeful to make this happen and we are extremely grateful for their Christ like love, their example, and their integrity. I encourage you all, if you are unaware of their organization, to check them out. You too will see they are what God desires orphan care and adoption to look like. They are the real deal. I also encourage you to take 30 seconds out of your online time and cast your vote for Project Hopeful daily until the end of June to help them achieve success acquiring a $50k grant to expand their program. Funding that can make a difference for so many children who wait for a chance, for love, for a family that will take the road less traveled. A road that leads to a life so overflowing with abundant love, those who walk here cannot imagine why anyone would NOT want this.
We have a Project Hopeful button available for your tax deductible donation. We welcome you to share this post on social media and to share our need for support both financially and in prayer with others.
We still have an open door here...and we fully intend to walk through it.
God bless you all,
The Higbie's
When I contemplate the fact of her continuing existence, it always brings me back to the same place...why wouldn't He. She belongs completely to Him. He created her exactly as she is. He placed a mighty purpose within her, and He has never turned from her. When she was discarded, abandon, alone, and waiting, He placed an open door before us and He invited our family to "MOVE".
He offered an invitation wrapped in the most breathtakingly beautiful, awe-inspiring, miraculous little girl. He then placed that little girl within my womb to grow as a part of me. He brought that invitation to fruition through our sweet baby daughter, Lillian Grace. He then filled us with a love so overwhelming and consuming that it removed ALL fear. Our intense love for her took us on a journey that changed us forever and prepared us to willingly, joyfully, and without hesitation accept His invitation to "MOVE"...and step through the open door that to this day stands before us.
But we do not go alone, unprepared or unequipped for this journey. He has taken every step with us. He is in every conversation, meeting, appointment and written word we share. We have at times needed Him to carry us when we, because of our humanness, felt unable to keep walking. He has breathed life into us when we felt crushed and to weary to continue. He has filled us with the knowledge through revelation,and His written word, of who we are in Him. What we have in Him. Who and what we are called to in Him. And we are grateful. The love and joy we experience daily in our family home is all from Him. All for Him. Regardless of circumstance in the natural, we dance, we sing, we praise, and most importantly, we know the day is coming very soon, when we will sing and dance with our sweet girl. This victory is already won in Christ Jesus. She is our daughter. She is Katrina, Abby, April, and Lillian's sister. Together as her family we rejoice in the journey knowing that every step glorifies our Father in Heaven and He delights in our obedience and dances over us...and still there is an open door before us.
Along our journey there have been issues we have faced that has brought us to our current decision to cancel the contract we had with our agency and revoke their power of attorney to act on our behalf.
Our personal opinion is our sweet girl should have come home over a year ago. That is what we were told when we started this journey. Two years later she is still waiting. This is completely unacceptable to us. Therefore, we have followed God and stepped out where we are completely trusting Him and His promise that she is ours and His ways are not our ways. It is completely impossible for us as humans to grasp the wisdom or workings in the mind of God. It is beyond our understanding. It is exactly where He now calls us to walk.
We have contracted with an organization that has the ability to help us move forward right now. We have completed a new home study with a new, highly qualified provider, world renowned in his field, who is very familiar with what is required to petition for adoption in the country we have decided to adopt from. We have approval from USCIS. We have an opportunity to travel for an appointment with the MOE to complete the required interview and accept her referral.
Although we have been blessed by so many of you through our fundraising effort, we now find ourselves in a bit of a quandary. Because we have made the choice to cancel our prior agency and move our adoption process to our current representation, those funds are not available to us at this point. All funding required for our first trip will have to come from another source.
We are not deterred or shaken. God is not surprised we have this in front of us. But I do believe he is saddened by it. We cling to His promise to us in Isaiah 45. We declare it daily, sometimes several times a day. He has promised she is forever OUR DAUGHTER and we will not stop until she is home. Not until she is completely FREE...and still, this open door before us.
Thank you for lifting our family, our adoption process and all involved, and our sweet girl who waits in prayer. They are precious and what sustains us.
We are hopeful are 2 final trips will be a different story. We have partnered with Project Hopeful to make this happen and we are extremely grateful for their Christ like love, their example, and their integrity. I encourage you all, if you are unaware of their organization, to check them out. You too will see they are what God desires orphan care and adoption to look like. They are the real deal. I also encourage you to take 30 seconds out of your online time and cast your vote for Project Hopeful daily until the end of June to help them achieve success acquiring a $50k grant to expand their program. Funding that can make a difference for so many children who wait for a chance, for love, for a family that will take the road less traveled. A road that leads to a life so overflowing with abundant love, those who walk here cannot imagine why anyone would NOT want this.
We have a Project Hopeful button available for your tax deductible donation. We welcome you to share this post on social media and to share our need for support both financially and in prayer with others.
We still have an open door here...and we fully intend to walk through it.
God bless you all,
The Higbie's
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