When a family chooses to welcome a child into their home, the impact they can make is far greater than you can imagine. The story below is an extraordinary example of the impact that one family can make.

E was a five month old frail, weak little guy when he came to Bethany’s foster family. There was no light in his eyes, his hair was matted and he lay still most of the time. He had a feeding tube in his nose and a heart monitor and there was the possibility that he was deaf. He was in need of open heart surgery as well as surgery to insert a permanent feeding tube.

His new family made E their son immediately and cared for him with passion and gusto. E gradually began to make tiny improvements. He began to make eye contact, to kick his legs and make the smallest of vocal sounds. The love and nurturing he was receiving from his family was soaking in and bringing healing.

E underwent open heart surgery. His foster parents stayed by his side during his stay in the cardiac NICU. They cried and prayed over him. Their love was the key to his recovery. He then had a permanent feeding tube implanted in his stomach so that feeding and life would be much easier.

E then began to make great strides. He began smiling and laughing! He could sit upright in a special seat. He had a new view of the world! His siblings made it their personal jobs to entertain him and engage to make him laugh. His eyes were bright and took in everything around him.

E grew, physically, emotionally and developmentally, under the Anderson’s love and support. He began to eat solid foods and wore hearing aids (though he tended to try to eat them almost as often as he wore them). His doctors were amazed at his progress as they did not believe he would be able to function well at all.

Today, E is walking, talking some and using sign language most of the time. He has a broad smile and the brightest eyes one will ever encounter. He is truly a little boy that is evidence that through the power of love and prayer, miracles occur.