Hope Hollis

Dear friends, so many of you have asked me for an update on Hope Hollis, the sweet little angel on my sidebar with the adorable little glasses. Her sweet mommy sent this to me today and I wanted to pass it on to you.

"I want to give a quick update on our little Hope. As you know, her cardiologist appointment is scheduled for late June, and at that time, we will find out whether God had healed her little heart or whether He is going to allow her to go through a third open heart surgery. Praying Friends, we are believing for a miracle with every bit of faith we can muster!!!

To celebrate Hope's life, we have decided to take her to Disney World over Spring Break. We plan to dress her up as Cinderella one day, Snow White the next, and then as Belle. We plan to tie balloons all over her stroller, take baths in pink cotton candy, and even try to get Hope in the front car to lead one of the morning parades wearing her very own Mickey Mouse ears! We will introduce her to Cinderella, let her have lunch with Winnie the Pooh, take flight with Dumbo over the Magic Kingdom, and stay up late watching fireworks. We can hardly wait!

Our family has a choice to make. We can allow Hope's uncertain future to bring us down and cause us to fret, or we can choose to jump in and enjoy our lives with her. We are choosing JOY!!!

Thank you for standing with our family with your prayers for Hope! May God continually be glorified through her little life."

I also want to add that there is another condition Hope has been diagnosed with. I do not understand all the implications or medical ramifications, but as I understand it, Hope was born with a larger than average separation between some of the vertebrae in her neck. This is apparently not uncommon for children with Down Syndrome, but of course, we were hoping this wouldn't apply to Hope because she has already suffered so many "ailments" and life threatening issues. As I understand it, the problem with these separations is that a wrong move or a hard blow could cause irreversible damage to Hope's spinal column. Friends, I cannot tell you in a way that would help you truly know the daily faith that it takes for this family just to get out of bed in the morning. If I told you all the ways Satan has attacked this family, all the angles he has used to try to rob these precious friends of their joy and hope, you would probably not believe me. And I can honestly tell you that even through the extreme trials this family has faced, they have glorified the Father, they have sought Him, not in spite of, but MORE SO because and through it all. Please, please, please join me in praying for this precious child. The world needs more Hope Hollis right now, not less. She is precious and even though we know that she belongs to Him, and it's easy for me as a sister to place her completely in God's hands and trust that He will do according to His will and it will be the right thing, it's a different thing entirely for her mother to willingly lay her in the arms of the Lord, knowing full well that He may choose to take her to heaven with Him. I ask you to pray with me for Hope's healing, but also for the courage, wisdom, understanding and faith the entire Hollis family needs right now.

Thank you so much!

Lamentations 3:21-24
"Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:

²² Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.

²³ They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

²⁴ I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him."