 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
| Mikayla's Smile | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Smile of an Angel | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Every Day is a Gift from God... Untie the Ribbons | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Our Precious Love Mikayla Jean Stout was born into our family on Christmas Eve, 1998. We found her name to have two different meanings, "Gift of God" (unknown origin) and "Who is Like Our God" (Hebrew origin). She was indeed a precious gift of God that Christmas Eve and has always been a precious gift to us. But soon her name took on more of the Hebrew meaning as we witnessed our God sustaining her through the struggles she had to bear. For we were told by her doctors prior to her birth that her heart's left ventricle was not developing, and that she would have to have three separate surgeries in order to make her right ventricle do all the work of both ventricles. God brought her through her first surgery two days after she was born without any problems, and she was soon home with us and in our arms. Her next surgery took place at 9 months and God also brought her through that surgery without any problems and she was once again soon home with us and in our arms. Many people had been praying for her and we could indeed proclaim "Who Is Like Our God". |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
She continued to grow and develop just like any other child, and if it were not for the scar on her chest, no one would know that she was any different. Since the day she was born up to that fateful day last November, God blessed her with perfect health for she had never been sick. And God blessed us with her life as we saw her grow and witnessed her character developing. Although she had a diseased heart, her heart was pure, and God kept His promise to her when Jesus said "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God". Mikayla was also very giving and unselfish. If she was holding something that her older sister wanted, and saw that she was upset, she would freely give it to her. She also loved to eat prior to her heart attack on November 14th. But since then, she had lost her desire for food, and when we tried to feed her something, she would take it and put it to our mouth instead as though she was saying "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others." Mikayla's favorite video was Fisher-Price's "Little People" about children helping each other through difficult tasks as though she was reminding us to "be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God as dear children." Her favorite shoes were her Blues Clues shoes. She loved to try to put them on and take them off, whether she was going anywhere or not. It was as if she wanted to learn how to put on her shoes so much so she could do things for herself. Perhaps she was saying to us "we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." Mikayla also loved going places whether it was a walk in our arms, a stroll down the sidewalk, or a ride in the car. Before her heart attack occurred she would walk into Daddy's office, take him by the finger and lead him throughout the house as if she were saying "Come, follow me". Since her heart attack, one of her favorite words were "bye" but without a wave of the hand, which meant she was ready to go again. So we would pick her up and she would point to where she wanted to go. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mikayla loved God's creation. She loved seeing animals and birds and even knew how to make there sounds. Mikayla also loved music. The very night before the morning of her heart attack we were singing "Standing on the Promises" after our family devotions and she was standing and clapping her hands with us all. She would love to hear Daddy sing in her ear "Jesus Loves You", especially when she was laid up in the hospital. Another of her favorite songs Mommy would sing to her was "If Your Happy and You Know It", and she would even clap hers hands, stomp her feet, and say "amen". And so she loved "singing and making melody in her heart to the Lord". Mikayla also loved to smile. Whenever we had the camera or camcorder out, all we would have to say is "Where's that Mikayla-smile", and she would burst forth with the biggest smile, which we sometimes caught on camera. It was as if she were saying "Happy are the people whose God is the LORD!". Mikayla loved to be held too. She would simply lift up her arms as if to say "Hold me up, and I shall be safe." She loved to see her Grandma and Grandpa show up at the door. She would look through the window, stomp her feet, and say "Papa!". |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The night before her passing, Daddy was up with her next to her hospital bedside from about 2:00-3:30 am until she fell back to sleep singing "Jesus Loves You" in her ear. I also told her that Jesus was with her right now and that Jesus is always with her. I told her that Mommy loves you, Daddy loves you, Amanda loves you, and that Jesus loves you so much that He died for you. I told her that even though she could not see Jesus, He was with her right now to help her and that all she needs to remember is to call out His name, "Jesus". And she nodded her head several times as if to say she understood, and soon fell back to sleep. After daybreak, we were next to her bedside again, and she raised up both her arms, wanting us to hold her again. It grieved us greatly that we could not pick her up because of the ventilator tube down her throat and all the other tubes and wires connected to her. So we just held both her hands tight and told her that we were both with her, and that we were holding her in our hearts. After the ventilator was removed she was wiggling her mouth to try to speak, and was soon able to say "Daddy", as if to say "Abba, Father". I said "where's that Mikayla-smile?", and after a short struggle, she managed to smile as though she was teaching us to "count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing". |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
We rejoice that Mikayla is perfect and complete now, safe in the arms of Jesus. And we grieve because she is not with us now, but we are not without hope, for God has promised that we will see her again. As it is written, "But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words." (I Thess 4:13-17) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Please leave a note in the Guestbook | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| You are visitor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
