Praise the Lord! We made it through yet another surgery! Lindy is doing great, and everything went extremely well. We felt the prayers of God's saints today, and we are so thankful for His protection over our girl. Our surgeon was able to repair the lasting traces of spina bifida, and Lindy's back is now flat. He teamed up with a plastic surgeon who helped to rotate and pull her back muscles over the area to provide the needed padding for her spinal cord. Since the muscle was thick enough to protect the cord, no rib bone was needed which is very good news. Lindy does have a longer incision along her spine, but it looks so much better than it did before. She will be pretty sore for the next few weeks and will need to lay low. But, we are so thankful to have the surgery behind us! She handled everything like a trooper, and her pain seems to be managed. We are prayerful that she will get to go home tomorrow. Here is a before and after picture of our sweet girl . . . so happy before, and even cracking a small smile after. :)
We were in such good hands all day! We got to give hugs to some of our nurse friends who helped us with Joy's surgeries. Each time we visit the hospital, God gives us opportunities to tell our adoption story which points to His wonderful love and goodness in our lives. Our nurse for Lindy in the pre-op has adopted a little girl herself, and we were able to be an encouragement to each other. Another nurse who we had met with Joy told us today that he was inspired to adopt because of our family. Wow! God is so amazing!
Lindy is resting well, and we pray that she will recover quickly. Christmas is coming, and it will be her first one home! She is so precious, and our hearts just swelled with compassion for her today. In the recovery room I was deeply struck with the reality that she went through three surgeries in China without us. I saw the fear in her eyes when she was waking up and then the relief and trust as she realized that Mommy and Daddy were right there by her side. I whispered in her ear, "Mommy's here; Daddy's here." She knew that we were, and she was comforted. Yet, as she was being wheeled away to surgery I whispered in her ear, "Jesus is with you." I know that He was even when we were not. And now He has set her in our family, and joined us together through the love in our hearts. We are so thankful for this precious daughter!
