The first word I think of for Leen and the time she’s had with us is thriving. She’s been enjoying the time with our community and with the other families. You can see how well-loved this girl is when you look at the smile on her face.
Her mother is constantly baking and coming up with new games to play with Leen, even getting the other children involved as well. Today Leen enjoyed using a tube as her mode of communication, taking the other end to others’ ears like playing a game of telephone. It is so sweet to see how much Leen has been growing in her time here. Each day she gets more comfortable with everyone and comes more out of her shell.
We are thankful for the good news of Leen’s upcoming eye surgery and we pray for this time of waiting to be a blessing for Leen and her mother.
Today, beautiful Leen had two back-to-back appointments at Sheba Hospital where she was cleared for corrective surgery for one of her eyes.
The operation has an 80% success rate which is very encouraging. Her mum was astute and thorough in making sure she understood everything, and Leen was a trooper, enduring a long day full of doctors offices and tests.
She did wonderfully and brought her lively spirit to each moment. One of my favourite moments of the day was when we were waiting for the neurologist and she took a book out of my purse and pretended to read it in English. When she realized it didn’t have pictures, she used her hand as a phone to dial the police because I hadn’t brought any children’s stories. Her mum and I got a kick out of this.
Thanks to God for a blessed and happy day for Leen. Please pray for the timing of the surgery, especially as Leen’s mum has other children in Gaza who miss her.
Leen warmly greeted me this morning with a hug and said, “Morning!” She was dressed in a beautiful red and white polka-dot dress, ready and eager to travel to her ophthalmology appointment today. Her mother mentioned how Leen has been waiting for this appointment for more than a year. She was hoping to have Strabismus Surgery last year, but it was delayed.
Today Leen was finally able to see an eye doctor and undergo various tests. Throughout the day, God provided different people to help with translation and even company for Leen. It was lovely to see neighbors helping each other. She will have more appointments with neurology and ophthalmology, with the hope that she will be cleared for Strabismus Surgery in both eyes.
Leen and her mother were both a joy to spend time with. Her mother has a beautiful, kind, generous, and grateful heart. She would sacrifice everything or stay for however long, all for her daughter to be well. Leen is so full of curiosity and joy. We enjoyed playing together in the hot air balloon and playing with various balloons in the hospital. They both have been a blessing to our community. Please continue to pray for Leen as she waits for these appointments. I hope that her joy will continue to multiply.
Leen’s appointment was set at 11:00 today, but co-worker Nicolle and I were waiting at the Erez Border Crossing at 12:30. Many people passed through the border, but there was no sight of any mother and her three-year-old daughter.
We waited and made a few calls to the hospital to let them know that we were still waiting and would be late. We inquired about how late would they be willing to see Leen today. The answer from the hospital, communicated to coworker Georgia was, “She can come at 15:00, but not a minute after.”
It takes about an hour for us to travel from the border to the hospital. It was 13:30 and honestly, we were losing hope. We thought that God would make a way if planned, but if not, then we would still welcome her to stay with us at our Shevet coastal home.
At 13:57 we spotted Leen, and quickly traveled to the hospital to arrive at 14:59. God allowed for perfect timing, as always. God has brought Leen to Israel for a specific reason.
The cardiologist graciously saw Leen. Her heart is looking well, meaning there was a good result of the pulmonary dilation catheterization from January 2019. She is staying at the our Jaffa home tonight so she can have an eye and brain assessment, which hopefully will be tomorrow.
Praise God for the time spent with Leen. Though she is often timid and scared of new surroundings, she quickly became friends with Nicolle. She even had the opportunity to explore the beach nearby.
Leen has been discharged from Sheba today and has gone home to Gaza. She was happy, healthy, and sleeping well amidst her mother asking me lots of questions in Arabic that I had no idea how to answer. Please continue to pray for her recovery back in Gaza.
Having had her surgery yesterday, Baby Leen is doing pretty well at the moment (There are two girls from Gaza named Leen, a baby and a toddler). According to the nurse, baby Leen will be extubated today. Also Leen was awake and moving. Grandma was happy to see Leen doing better. Another good thing was that the nurse could speak Arabic, so the grandma could ask a lot of questions.
Please continue to pray for little Leen that she is gaining strength and her condition stays well. Also pray for comfort for both Leen and Grandma.
Baby Leen from Gaza had her surgery today (there are two girls from Gaza named Leen – a baby and a toddler).
The surgery was done through her side rather than opening the chest, and Suhail reported back that it went very well and hopefully she will not need any future surgery.
For now, she is in the critical 24 hours post-surgery, so please lift her up in prayer, that God will surround her with his Holy Spirit, and breathe life into her. Please pray for encouragement and strength for the grandma and family back in Gaza
In the human it was a little disappointing to learn today that Leen is unable to be scheduled for surgery at the moment due to having an infection. However, we trust our Father in heaven in these situations and we know that His understanding of time is far greater than our own. Little Leen and her grandmother remain in ICU where she has been well cared for since the time of her emergency arrival. Please pray for Leen that this infection is healed quickly in Jesus’ name. Please pray that we are able to form a good relationship with her grandmother and share the love of God with her.
We are thankful for the good news of Leen’s upcoming eye surgery and we pray for this time of waiting to be a blessing for Leen and her mother.
