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God of Wonder Ministries International
Welcomes
Baby Joy |
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 Baby Joy had nothing to smile about. Doctors at the hospital where she had been abandoned after her premature birth labeled her "failure to thrive," along with her other medical difficulties.
Most abandoned baby girls would be adopted by a Ghanaian family, but baby Joy had tested positive for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Left in the hospital for five months, and then moved to another institution, Joy never knew the love of doting parents.
On January 15th, Larry told Beki she could "bring the baby home and keep it alive." And for the past few weeks, everyone wondered if the 7 month old baby weighing less than 7 lbs, with multiple health issues would survive.
Today on February 10th, Joy is turning 8 months old, weighing 9 lbs and is a joyful smiling and cooing baby! We are so thankful to be apart of Joy's miracle, as the God of Wonders who gave her life, is giving her hope and a future! |
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I will give thanks to You (Adonai), for I am fearfully and
wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret...
... And in Your book were all written, all the days that were ordained for me,
King David's Poem found in Psalm 139:14, 16
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"How long will she live?" |
 We are often asked this about babies that initially test HIV positive. The truth is that only 25% of HIV+ babies are actually recreating the virus in their little bodies.
The standard blood test shows the antibodies that have been passed to the infant from the birth mother. As the babies grow, further tests can be done to assess their true HIV status.
What does this mean? Typically 75% of the HIV positive babies will be healthy normal babies!!!
Three out of four HIV+ infants do not carry HIV!
But the stigma of AIDS is allowing infants to die of neglect in Ghana.
Even if Joy falls into the 25% of true HIV positive children, the treatments and health care available today can enable her to live a full and productive life. Joy can grow, marry, and even give birth to HIV negative children! (98% of HIV+ mothers on the proper medication give birth to babies without HIV).
Our heavenly Father who ordained every day for Joy, before one of them began, has a good plan and He intended a bright future for her.
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"Why bring these babies into your home?"
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 In Ghana, people living with HIV/AIDS hide their illness because of the rejection they will experience from family and friends. The children living with HIV are the ones in most need of medical care, good nutrition, and a loving and accepting family. Yet it is the completely dependent infants that have the least hope of receiving their basic physical needs met, since many people think the babies will just die anyway, and do not want to waste limited resources on them.
We understand limited resources, and the great needs of children in Ghana today, which is why God of Wonder Ministries, Int. has chosen to invest in the ones that are dying for no reason. Both Emma and Joy came to us clinging to life - malnourished and rejected due to their HIV status. Both are now thriving and growing with loving parents, a doting big brother and sister.
Yeshua Messiah (Jesus Christ) showed love and reached out to the 'untouchables' of society, and it is our pleasure to show His love to these little ones in his name.
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We are thankful for the love and prayers of those who have been partnering with us during these difficult economic times. We are all being stretched beyond what is comfortable but we continue to stand for those who cannot stand.
For the One who defends the widows and orphans,
Larry, Beki, Josiah and Gracie McConnell
God of Wonder Ministries, International
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| PS - For more information on living with and caring for people with HIV, please see the U.S. Dept. of Health's Center for Disease Control (CDC) fact sheet on HIV and its transmission:
http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/factsheets/transmission.htm . If the link doesn't work, copy and paste it into your browser. |
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