An extra sweet miracle story to tell this Valentine’s Day 2013…

Please do NOT skim…
or you might miss the most important elements 
of this story….

As Ruby’s story continues to unfold, I share the details of our lives so you, too, can rejoice, celebrate the miracle of adoption and praise our Almighty God with us!

I have been giddy since last week….and then, it was all confirmed on Tuesday {and I have video to prove it!!}’

Here’s the background:

An eye specialist came to Ruby’s hospital room when we landed in November of 2011 and upon examining her had found that she was blind.  We were in shock.  We had had absolutely no idea!

Six months later, in June of 2012, Dw and Emmy were in Uganda leading a mission team as I took Ruby to a second eye surgeon at the suggestion of her pediatrician.  He also confirmed that Ruby has cortical blindness.   He went on to say that it was pale {as opposed to white} behind her eyes.

I was so hopeful going to this second eye surgeon, hoping that maybe he would see something that the first eye surgeon specialist had not seen when examining her in the hospital.

Wow!!  Had I heard him right?

He just said it was pale behind her eyes….Yippee Jesus!

I was so excited!

Smiling widely, I blurted out, “Well in the hospital they said it was white behind her eye, but pale is better, because there now is blood flow, right?”

He looked me straight in the eye and said, “Yes, pale is better than white, but she is blind and she will never see.”  

The adamancy with which he spoke took me back.

Wait a second!!

TIME OUT!!

I was thinking of that verse:

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, 
but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.”
Proverbs 13:12  niv 

The reality of any situation is just that, R.E.A.L.I.T.Y.  

However, we can always hope, and this guy was trying to steal my hope.  

After all, we have a really, really, huge God.  

He can do a.n.y.t.h.i.n.g.

Besides there is such power in prayer {and fasting}.

In fact around here we refer to our great God as:

The Miracle-working, Mountain-moving, Awe-inspiring, Gasp-giving God.

So from the time of Ruby’s blindness diagnosis in the hospital back in November 2011 we have prayed: God would you please heal Ruby’s eyes?   In fact our little Elijah took it upon himself to pray about her eyes at every single opportunity.  He was kind of on a mission:  God heal Ruby’s blind eyes.

So as I found myself sitting in this second eye surgeon’s office with complete hope and truthfully I was hoping that this second eye surgeon would have hope with me…


I pressed it a bit, “But we are a praying family and we really believe that God can do anything, so to me the pale as opposed to white six months ago is a sign that God is doing something.“

This time his jaw got a little more set and he looked at me again and spoke slowly, 

“She is blind.  


That will never change.  


She will never, ever see.”  

My own eyes welled up with tears and with the Holy Spirit’s boldness flooding my soul and with firmness of heart and soundness of speech, I resolutely spoke with complete gentleness, my voice quivering a bit as I continued:

“So what you’re telling me, is that Ruby will never see?  Okay, well then, since you are so positive that she will never see and that there is no hope that she will ever see, then should my God heal her eyes and give her sight, you would be willing to admit that it was ONLY GOD who healed our Ruby’s eyes, and you would also then be willing to give Him complete credit, right?” 

The doctor stared at me and with jaw set squarely, his eyes steely cold,
 he looked at me head on and spoke:

“Your daughter will never see.  It will never change.”

With that, he turned and left the room.

As I drove home that day I bawled.  Sobbing and sobbing.  His attitude was so yukky.  He clearly doesn’t believe that God can heal and he surely did not offer any hope.  I sobbed for a good part of the long drive home.  Stupid specialist.

And then the Lord whispered, 
“I can do anything.  
I can heal Ruby’s eyes.  
It does not matter if there is a defect with the eye 
or cortical blindness of the brain.  
I can do anything.  
Your hope has to be in me.”

Right then and there I told the Lord as I drove on the 101, “Forgive me Lord.  You are so right!  You can do anything!!  It doesn’t matter what that yukky surgeon says.  Show that doctor your power!  Show him that with you all things are possible.”

And so that takes us to last week…

Off and on over the next few months we had noticed that Ruby seemed to be “tracking” with us periodically.  Not every single time, but enough that we had noticed….if we would set something in front of her, every now and then she would purposefully reach and grab whatever it was.   BUT we had not had anyone who “counted” see it happen.

Until last Tuesday.

Artemis, her physical therapist was working with her and very clearly, Artemis, on her own, saw Ruby ‘track’.  Artemis {who, I might add, believes in the power of a healing God} got so excited!  She almost shouted, “Look!! Did you see that?  She tracked with me.”  Over and over Ruby grasped something put in front of her.

Ruby’s reach was intentional.

It was purposeful.

It was a miracle!!  

And the best part of it?   Artemis had seen it!!

We were giddy.  Artemis and I cheered and cheered!! We rejoiced all day!  Someone who ‘counted’ had seen it!  Artemis made a special note in Ruby’s therapy notes that she turns in to her superiors.

Then this Tuesday, Savannah and Graham and Ruby and I were in the family room.  I had finished up school and the kids had gone to play.  Graham was drinking tea.  Savannah had been sitting in a chair near drinking water.  Both cups were on the floor, partially filled.

Very distinctly Ruby rolled toward Savannah’s clear Mason jar, partially filled with water, and with one purposeful swoop she grabbed the glass and dumped the water all over the floor.  We shrieked in delight!!  We could not believe it!  She doggone well knew what she was doing and was enjoying every second of it!

We laughed and giggled and screamed and carried on like a bunch of ninnies!  Ruby grinned!

Ruby then, without any effort, immediately rolled to where Graham’s tea was sitting on the floor.  Purposeful.  Intentional

I ran to grab my camera.

I had to get this monumental moment on video.

I didn’t make it for the first grab and spill…

But I made it for this….

And Savannah and Graham and I watched giggling and rejoicing….

So sweet bloggy friends and lurkers around the world…we do hereby declare that Miss Ruby is beginning to see!


Oh yes she is!!


And ONLY Almighty God gets the credit.  


He is our miracle-working, mountain-moving, awe-inspiring, gasp-giving God…


Yes indeed –   


Ruby’s “cortical blindness is turning to sight”
and her miracle is beginning!


Celebrate and Rejoice with us!!