Newsletter_December

Additional Activities

Lauren's miraculous story has appeared on the television news of Chiapas and Gloria has been interviewed on numerous occasions, so Radiant Futures is receiving greater attention and publicity. We have had other successes in building relationships and helping those in the area. Several mothers have initially expressed desires to give up there children but during our discussions with them we have learned that it was only thoughts brought upon by desperation. In these cases we have counseled with them, broadened their prospective, taught them ways to be better mothers and put them in touch with government organizations that met their physical needs. In this way we have been able to help the babies and still keep them with their own mothers. We have also been able to build relationships with the locals, teach them how we can help others and thereby build compassion for the children of the area.

Web Activities

Please pass this site on to your friends so that we can give more people an opportunity to support this wonderful project. Also send me your e-mail address and I will try to keep you updated on the activities at Los Alamos between newsletters.

Holiday 99 Activities

This holiday season as we give thanks and celebrate God's gift of His Son, Jesus Christ, by sharing gifts with our loved ones, please let us also remember the little ones in Mexico. We ask that you help sponsor one of our little children remembering our Savior has said "And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me" (Matthew 18:5). Our Holiday Drive is dedicated to raising funds as a Christmas gift/baby present for our newest addition. We ask you to join us in our efforts by giving a Christmas gift of at least $100 this year and passing the word to friends and family too! Your financial support of Radiant Futures makes it possible to help more children like Lauren and give these children the opportunity to fulfill the measure of their creation. Thank you for your loyalty and commitment to these children. Together we can provide them a future that is bright, full of hope, and opportunity - truly a Radiant Future.

Best Wishes!

Stanford L. Call, Vice President

This Christmas season as we remember the birth of Jesus Christ and the significance of his mission, I think of his great love for each of us and the many blessings we enjoy in our lives. Our biggest blessing right now is our new baby at Los Alamos. With this newsletter, I want to introduce you to our miracle baby, Lauren Guadelupe. This newborn is special in that she has had a difficult but miraculous young life. This is her story On October 30th, within minutes of her birth and in the dark of the night, the mother discarded her from a third floor window onto a storage shed. Her newborn body broke through the old clay tile roof and fell to the ground below. The mother must have believed she was either dead or would soon die and abandoned her. When Lauren was found, she was still attached to the placenta, muddy and motionless but breathing. The ambulance was called and she was taken to the Red Cross hospital. In her first few hours of life she had suffered from hypothermia, a broken clavicle, a large contusion on the side of her head, a subdural hematoma and general swelling of the brain. She was seriously injured but also blessed that she survived this ordeal.

Radiant Futures became involved as soon as we heard of the incident. Through our efforts, Lauren received a CAT scan and was treated by a pediatric neurologist. We immediately placed her name in the temple so that she could benefit from the prayers of thousands. She also received publicity in the local newspaper and I am sure was blessed by the many prayers of the people in the city of Tapachula and the surrounding area.

When Lauren arrived at the hospital she weighed 5.5 pounds and was 19 inches long. The nurses named here Lupita, a child derivation of Guadelupe, after the Virgin Guadelupe, the patron saint of Mexico, because she was able to survive this calamity. We added Lauren to come up with her given name. We are truly blessed that she recovered sufficiently to allow us to take her home twelve days later.

With this kind of injury we are in a "wait and see" situation as the effects of brain injury may not show up until later in life. We continue to monitor her and have had the CAT scan evaluated by a neurologist in Albuquerque who believes she is getting good care in Mexico. We have two local mothers nursing her and she appears to be progressing well and growing normally. On November 30, she celebrated being one month old with a trip to the doctor where she was immunized and he said that her clavicle is almost healed. This past week we took her to the pediatric neurologist who believes that her reflexes are good but she is not very responsive to sounds and sight. However we know that she does hear the classical music that Gloria plays and she does follow colorful objects and people with her eyes. It is just so hard to determine the effects of these kind of injuries with infants. We continue to pray that she may grow up without any disabilities. We are scheduling her for another CAT scan later this month to better evaluate her. On a daily note, she is always smiling, loves to be held, and has a healthy appetite.