At the end of August, So Loved was relaunched to an amazing response. (Y’all are so crazy wonderful.) In just four months, over $2200 was raised, all from the sales of So Loved.
My plan had always been to make the So Loved donation once a year – on July 31, Esther’s birthday. But then came Meredith. And her babies.
Meredith and I met online about 5 years ago, when we worked together for An Orphan’s Wish. Several years later we got a chance to meet in person and last fall were able to get together again. This time for dinner. At my house.
Brave girl.
Despite the chaos and constant question-asking from the peanut gallery, we managed a few minutes of grown-up conversation and she shared what was going on in her life, including her involvement with Morning Star Foster Home. And about MSFH’s mission to care for critically ill children in China, specifically children with heart defects.
After our dinner together I kept up with Meredith, following all the goings-on at Morning Star via Facebook, texts and emails. It didn’t take long before I felt like the Lord had caused our paths to cross again so we could work together to utilize So Loved as a way to raise funds for MSFH.
In December, Meredith and I got a chance to talk again about working together – and which of her precious babies might benefit most from the So Loved donation. And at the end of the year we sent a So Loved donation of $2200 to MSFH, to help fund the surgery of one very special little love with a promise to donate all proceeds from the sale of So Loved through July 31, 2015.
Meet Miss Kate. Now can you see why I simply couldn’t wait for July to make that donation?
About Kate, from Meredith:
We were contacted by an orphanage who had a little girl with a minor heart defect, which may or may not require surgery. We hesitated a bit in giving an answer, as MSFH typically takes much more complex heart kids. We felt that God was directing us to this little one, so we said yes, and named her Kate which means pure.
We picked Kate up at the train station the next morning, and were shocked to find just a teeny tiny little baby… not even one month old, and less than 5 pounds. As I assessed her in the car, I happened to have brought a stethoscope along and listened to her heart. Because we had been told she had “just a VSD”, we didn’t plan on taking her to the hospital until the next day, but as I listened to her, I knew something was very wrong.
We went immediately to the hospital, and she got an echo and a chest X-ray. We were shocked to find that this tiny little girl had a heart the size of an adult’s fist… so enlarged. And crushing her lungs.
She was diagnosed with a large VSD, as well as a defect called truncus arteriosus, where the pulmonary artery and the aorta are one single “trunk”- not two separate vessels. We got her admitted to the hospital, did a great deal of tests, and she had her surgery on Wednesday, Jan 14th.
She had a very difficult time throughout the surgery, as well as in the days to follow, because she was very small and weak. She miraculously made it through the surgery and spent the next 10 days in ICU. After being moved to the regular floor, she was finally able to come home on January 30th.
She is now 6 weeks old, and still weighs about 4 pounds, having lost weight after the surgery. Her truncus repair was successful and she is doing as well as can be expected, though she will need another valve repair surgery done in several months once we can put a little more weight on her. Her little life has so much hope!
So so blessed to be able to partner with Meredith and MSFH to bless little ones like Kate. Thank you to everyone who has purchased a So Loved to make this partnership possible.
I hope, if you haven’t bought one already, you’ll partner with us, too. And even if you already have a So Loved, go get yourself another.
So Loved makes a lovely gift, too. Need a special Valentine? Give one to your daughter, your mother, your neighbor. What a beautiful way to love others – in your back yard and around the world, at the same time.
We have just received new inventory, too. Because so many of y’all have purchased a So Loved since we relaunched it, we were able to order a bunch more. Over 250 shirts, including a limited run of women’s thermal long sleeve.
The girls’ shirt is finally restocked again, too. And it’s new. Now a fitted cut in sizes 6-6x, 7/8 and 10/12 and unisex cut in 4/5.
And finally new inventory (and new classic sizes!) in the women’s short sleeve – fitted S – XL and classic S – 2XL.
Morning Star Foster Home is located in Beijing, China. It’s purpose is to care for children with complex congenital heart defects, as well fund their LOVE Project (partnering with families with children with heart defects – orphan prevention). Currently MSFH cares for 12 children in their Beijing foster home as well as three Love Project families. MSFH provides the funds for surgeries, post-op care, and advocacy/awareness for these children.
$15.50 of the sale of each So Loved shirt goes directly to fund heart surgeries for orphans in China and until July 31, 2015, all proceeds will benefit MSFH. To read more about how your donation blesses others through So Loved, see this post.
If you’re hoping to get one to gift for Valentine’s Day, I’ll be happy to turn all orders around in 48 hours. And, if you’d like, can include a hand-made (by my very special card-making crew) Valentine’s gift note to the recipient. Just make a note when placing your order.
A gift that blesses the heart of the wearer and literally blesses the heart of an orphan in China? That’s my kind of love.
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
– Mark 12:30-31
Rykauna says
This post makes me so, so happy! I’d heard about baby Kate’s surgery via Instagram, but I had no idea that the surgery was funded by So Loved. It’s just too beautiful for words. Thanks for sharing!
elisabeth says
This is the BEST news! considering I just ordered the lovely long sleeve this afternoon! What a sweet little baby, many prayers for her!
heather says
I just ordered a shirt! What a precious baby girl. So thankful she had surgery!
momto5bugs says
Thanks so much for doing this for Morning Star! We’ve been BIG fans of them for lots of years, can’t even remember when we first got connected with them. Even our kiddos frequently talk about “giving money to the babies”. What a great way to use proceeds from So Loved!
Serena says
This is a big answer to prayer for me! I have been trying to find a Christian organization/ministry in China that helps with family preservation, that our family can give to. It breaks my heart to think of the parents that so badly want to keep their kids with medical issues, but give them up/abandon them in the hopes that someone else will pay for the life saving surgeries that their child needs. As a mom, I can’t even imagine having to make that choice. Thank you for sharing this.
Christine Ciesielski says
Are the long sleeve thermals already gone? I would LOVE to order one as I still have my tshirt from your original fundraiser for Esther. When I click on link it gives an error code and says that the page no longer exists…Please let me know how to get my hands on one=0)
Christy
NiHaoYall says
They are already gone, Christy! We sold out in just a few days – so sorry you didn’t get one. I probably won’t order any next time because it will be spring/summer, but maybe next fall 🙂
Patty says
SO happy to hear you are doing this for MSFH! YAY!
Lisa says
So wonderful!, I follow the amazing work Meredith is doing over in China. Do the So Loves tees have any verses on the back? If so could I order,with just the front ?
NiHaoYall says
Hey Lisa 🙂 All the So Loved shirts have John 3:16 on the back.