God healed her heart, and people are noticing
By a diaspora outreach worker —
Saturday around 2 p.m., I got a serious call from the doctor treating Baby S, who was born 16 weeks early to a refugee family near Atlanta. "I know the parents were here this morning, but can you get them back here quickly? She's not doing well." I asked him bluntly if he was expecting her to go. He said, "Right now, that's a very real possibility. Please get them to hurry."
I called someone closer to take them immediately, and then I battled traffic to get there as fast as I could. When I arrived, scrubbed in, and got to the NICU, baby’s mom ran into my arms sobbing. I looked over at Baby S and was shocked! I had just seen her the day before and she was fine. Now she was sickly yellow grey, and as time went on she became more and more grey. Her kidneys had shut down. She had only peed a slight amount on Friday night, and nothing since.
The doctor got an interpreter on the phone and sadly told the parents that with the kidneys failing, the heart wall was thickening, and there was little they could do.
The doctor got an interpreter on the phone and sadly told the parents that with the kidneys failing, the heart wall was thickening, and there was little they could do.
We called for prayer. We cried. We prayed. We sent out a request for anyone available in the local area to come to the hospital to pray. Honestly, my faith was so small that I really just wanted a few extra sets of arms available to hold us when she died.
I asked the NICU nurses if the group coming could meet in a side room so we would not worry other parents arriving for visits — but instead they allowed the prayer team to come in and surround Baby S in her incubator.
Baby S lay grey and grimacing and twitching. The team began to pray. We did not pray in turns or even always audibly. We prayed in English, German, and sometimes just quiet, desperate cries of "please Jesus." After an hour, the team filed out so that the nurse could do her job.
The nurse opened the bed, and began to care for Baby S. As she opened the diaper, I heard a quiet, "She peed!" The nurse helping her repeated it, and they checked again. "Yes, she really peed!" Word spread around the nurses’ station, and shoulders slumped slightly, relaxing tension. She peed!
Baby S lay grey and grimacing and twitching. The team began to pray. We did not pray in turns or even always audibly. We prayed in English, German, and sometimes just quiet, desperate cries of "please Jesus." After an hour, the team filed out so that the nurse could do her job.
The nurse opened the bed, and began to care for Baby S. As she opened the diaper, I heard a quiet, "She peed!" The nurse helping her repeated it, and they checked again. "Yes, she really peed!" Word spread around the nurses’ station, and shoulders slumped slightly, relaxing tension. She peed!
Her color began to change, slowly, slowly, less grey, until finally she was pink again. The parents watched. I watched. The nurses watched. She relaxed. No more grimacing. She wiggled more – she’s always been a feisty baby!
At 6:30 p.m., they asked us to leave for change of shift. I went to visit two other babies born that day. When I was done, shift change was over, so I went back to the NICU to see Baby S. She was resting peacefully, and the nurse said, "She peed again, a significant amount!"
At 1:30 a.m., I phoned in again. "She peed again. She's looking good. Her blood pressure is stable. Get some sleep."
Before church, I phoned in again. "She peed all through the night. We repeated her blood gasses and she's not in metabolic acidosis anymore."
God is good.
I texted baby’s mom the news, and she said "Thank you for prayers." That thank you is for all of you. A few representatives stood around her bed, but there was an army before God pleading for this tiny baby's life.
At 6:30 p.m., they asked us to leave for change of shift. I went to visit two other babies born that day. When I was done, shift change was over, so I went back to the NICU to see Baby S. She was resting peacefully, and the nurse said, "She peed again, a significant amount!"
At 1:30 a.m., I phoned in again. "She peed again. She's looking good. Her blood pressure is stable. Get some sleep."
Before church, I phoned in again. "She peed all through the night. We repeated her blood gasses and she's not in metabolic acidosis anymore."
God is good.
I texted baby’s mom the news, and she said "Thank you for prayers." That thank you is for all of you. A few representatives stood around her bed, but there was an army before God pleading for this tiny baby's life.
To me, it is so much more than the life of a child, as dear as she is to us. It is the name of our God. The community is talking about how God healed her heart. I told God that afternoon, "Do not let your name come to dishonor. You have set your name on her, and these unreached people are watching."
Keep praying. Baby S is fragile. God is showing his might, but also his tender loving care. And pray for us. The NICU is both an emotional rollercoaster and an endurance race all in one. Throw in a few near misses and miracles, and it's a lot to go through. But we are resting in God and our eyes are on him.
Keep praying. Baby S is fragile. God is showing his might, but also his tender loving care. And pray for us. The NICU is both an emotional rollercoaster and an endurance race all in one. Throw in a few near misses and miracles, and it's a lot to go through. But we are resting in God and our eyes are on him.
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Choosing a Missions Organization: Why SEND International Stands Out “Why should I be a missionary through SEND International?” Jenna, a new missionary in Eastern Europe, shared with us what she appreciates about working with SEND. The highlights for her are: - Devotion to prayer - Diligence in communication - Commitment to development - Intentionality in accountability Prayer “Back in September of 2022, the Lord reconnected me with SEND after I had met them a year prior at the Moody Bible Institute. However, before he would sign me up for anything, my Missions Coach encouraged me to pray. He said something to the effect of, "I know that you've been praying on your own for a long time. But as the Church, we are not called to walk alone. So, you and I won't talk for about a month unless you have questions. I want you to go pray with 5 or 6 others from your church about where God is calling you." That October, more than 10 friends prayed with me and we saw God answer as He directed me to Romania. From February 2024 to November 2025, I had the pleasure of being a part of team meetings in Romania with my SEND colleagues. Our meetings were four hours long, two for prayer and two for business. This has been the minimum for our team. There are also prayer meetings with the local churches we partner with, among smaller groups within our team, of course prayer with many of you across the pond, including those at our US office. The organization was built, has been sustained, and continues to run on prayer. This is my favorite thing about SEND. Communication As I mentioned above, we have a two hour block for business / ministry details in each of our meetings. This provides consistency across our team which works alongside three different churches and in a variety of ministries. It also helps us to communicate about the need for change or growth, alongside what is working well. In addition, my team director also meets with each of us, allowing us to communicate needs, considerations, and prayer requests. I've also enjoyed getting to work with SEND workers outside of my immediate region . We receive emails with the minutes from the Europe leadership team, Friday communications from our international director, and information regarding projects that affect our work among the unreached. In December of 2024, our international director at the time wrote a note to my parents for the first Christmas that I was gone. If nothing else had convinced my mom yet, this did. He took the time to care for me, but also to care well for the parents that were sending me (What it meant to my dad and mom for him to do this well has been one of the greatest ways I've been supported.). I also have some pretty wonderful regional directors. These people have prayed alongside us (while also serving in their own countries of service), they have taken time to come visit and encourage our team, and they have also taken the time to encourage the people in our churches. Development SEND has provided much in the area of development and care (spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally). At our regional conference (every three years), there have been medical check ups available, counseling options, and time for connecting with others on the field with similar experience. At our conference last October, I connected with a missionary who served overseas for many years, and is now serving on the administrative side of SEND. She has met with me since then for mentorship and has also invested much of her time recently in preparing a retreat for the singles across Europe. Accountability Over the years I have read and heard amazing stories of how God has worked through missionaries. God has done great things and great things He is still doing! However, people who have committed their lives to the Lord in this way are not “super Christians”. We are still humans with the same struggle against flesh that others have . A major challenge is in being isolated -- living in areas with little to no presence of other believers to sharpen them can cause many difficulties. SEND has been a great resource in this area too. Through my team, I have an accountability partner that I meet with monthly. When my regional director came to visit, he and his wife spent a day with me and asked intentional questions about how I lead, handle conflict, and how I am growing in general as a Christian. In addition, my teammates share their wisdom with me on a regular basis. These things and more have assured me that SEND International is a highly valuable organization and I'm excited to partner with them in service to, for, and with our great God! Interested in being sent by SEND?
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