"There is nothing wrong with America that Faith, Love of Freedom, intelligence and energy of her citizens can not cure." -Dwight Eisenhower

We just don't have any faith. Not in our country. Not in our Leaders. Not in each other or ourselves. Until we can pick ourselves up, dust the dirt off, UNITE and make a STAND for everything wrong in America, then we are destined to fail. We cannot place blame on our leaders when ALL we do is vote and little else. Nor can we just sit back and do nothing. We just need a little old fashioned faith and pride. Being proud to be an American and having faith enough in our fellow Americans and ourselves. United together with faith we would be an unstoppable force. I thought about the following example of faith and wanted to share it with you all.

A few years ago right before Katrina hit the gulf coast. I was at the hospital and there was this little girl who just had surgery that day. She was not too old about 9 or so. She was in a lot of pain and was very loud! She was crying and unconsolable from her pain. She kept telling everyone over and over she was sorry for being so loud. It was pretty late at night. Her parents and a few of the nurses had her in a hospital bed pulling her I.V.'s and pushing this kid all over the hospital. They decided to take her from her room so the other patients could rest. Her mother was at the head of her bed, her dad near the foot of the bed and a nurse on either side with a third nurse near the mother.

This went on for quite a while. Pushing this kid all over the place. You could tell they were all tired. She was crying non stop and pretty loud. Suddenly she was quiet! It happened so fast that everyone was alarmed. Her mother and one nurse rushed around to the side of the bed and looked at her. Everyone was looking at her. The mother asked the girl "Are you ok?" This little girl did not have that expression of pain on her face anymore. She looked different. She had her little chubby hands folded on her lap and had this smile on her face. She looked at peace. But she had another look on her face too. She looked amazed!

The little girl looked up to her mother and smiled "Yes, mommy I am ok now." Everyone seemed to look at each other confused. Then the little girl sat up in the bed she started waving her arms around. "Mommy , Mommy It is true!" This kid was shouting. Her mother looked tired and confused "What What is it?" The girl had tears flowing down her round cheeks "Remember Mommy...in AWANA's we learned we were made of body and Spirit.'' She was waving her arms around again "Remember that Jesus said HE would send us a Comfort!' Everyone was puzzled, for hours now she had been throwing a fit in pain then this dramatic change. Her mother nodded her head "Yes I do Why do you say this?"

This is what I heard the girl say. "Mommy, daddy I could not stand the pain no more" She was shaking her head "I prayed! I prayed for Jesus to come and take the pain away!" That big smile was even bigger "He did He came and He put His Arms around me and I could feel Him hug me I could Feel Him!" She was using her arms to describe how she felt Jesus hold her. Then she threw her blankets off her legs and said "See it don't hurt no more It don't" This kid was yelling! " I can feel my Holy Spirit foot!" She was waving her right leg around with big cast on it.
"I can feel My Holy Spirit toes! See, I lost my body foot today ...but I still have my Holy Spirit foot SEE!"

I did not see a dry eye on anyone's face and I heard a couple of AMEN's. After this the kid was still loud but not from pain. She was excited. She had enough faith as a little child to pray. She had enough faith to believe. She had enough faith in someone she has never seen to help her bear her pain. She just lost her foot but her Faith made the difference that day.

That little girl went home from the hospital two days after Katrina hit land. She was in a wheel chair having a friend push her all over the place. She was challenging other kids to make shoeboxes for Katrina's Kids. She made 12 boxes and in each of these boxes she put her favorite Bible Verse. She inspired a town that was tired of giving. From her 12 shoeboxes a garden grew. Semi's had to be used to take all the boxes to the Gulf. All she wanted to do is help other kids. She said that they were hurting because they lost all they had.

This kid is still like this today. She seems to get more pleasure in helping others than in other things teenagers like to do. The story of that night at the Children's Hospital is told and retold by the Staff over and over again. I never get sick of this story!

I have kept up with this little girl. I know her pretty well. To me she is an Inspiration. When times are rough and I know I may end up losing my home, I can sometimes remember that night at the hospital and find my own Faith again. Since that night this girl has never shed another tear for losing her foot. She is now fighting to save her left foot and that battle may be lost pretty soon now. But she does not seem worried or afraid. She stated that she would like to be able to run and play without her left foot hurting. She is not perfect she is a teenager, but she has a heart full of faith. You can see the Strength of her Spirit within her just looking at her face.

Her faith drives her to defend the homeless and speak up for the elderly. Her love for her country gives her reason. You can hear her sing "I am Proud to be an American" She is proud and she believes.

You may wonder how I am able to tell her story so well. I was there that day at the hospital helping push her bed around. I am pretty proud of this kid. She is very outspoken and loud. I think she gets that from her mother, she is pretty outspoken herself. I am very blessed and honored to have this wonderful person in my life who teaches me about FAITH every day. She is my beloved daughter whom God saw me and forseen that I would need someone with a lot of faith in my life. I thank him every day for this wonderful, literal and funny kid and the honor He bestowed on me by giving her to me.

I ask you ...IF a child can have FAITH and sustain her FAITH in Someone unseen...then why can't we have enough FAITH in our neighbors, our country and ourselves to HELP our AMERICA?

Her Bible verse
I can do all things through Christ which strengthenth me Phillipians 4:13