Just the frame alone is well over $1000. Then you have to buy the pelvic supports, arm, chest, thigh, and ankle prompts, the hand loops, and the hip positioners, each around $300 (and you need to buy two of everything!)

We've had 2 small pacers donated in the past - a HUGE blessing. The only terribly painful thing is we don't have kids that size who need to practice walking. That certainly doesn't mean they won't come to us, so we are faithfully waiting!

We tried to make the small pacer fit Jaime back in November, but it just wasn't going to work.

You see, we have been waiting and praying for this exact pacer for YEARS. One of my favorite GH stories has to do with this pacer. It was right after I moved to GH in the summer of 2009. I was playing with Jaime and Tonio, and Martin, our jack of all trades whose back is to the camera in the picture above, started telling me about Jaime. I had almost no Spanish back then, but I remember very clearly understanding him say "This boy can walk. He just needs a really expensive and fancy walker. We have to pray for God to bless us." I was like, oh yeah, sure, that would be awesome, I'll definitely pray for that. Tonio, on the other hand, heard that, put his hand on Jaime's legs, and started praying. Can it get any simpler?? This kid knows what's up.

Fast forward to December 2012 -  a woman whose son had recently passed away donated us a lot of his things - a wheelchair, a carseat, Pediasure, diapers, medical supplies, and A MEDIUM PACER.
Exactly what we need for Jaime. I had to see it to believe it, and I almost started crying when I did! We got him in it last weekend and it's a great fit. He was excited and definitely knew what was going on - this went a lot better than when we tried to stuff the poor kid into the smaller pacer.

But. The work is not done. And we need your prayers. Half the battle is getting the equipment, yes. But the other half is finding the time to use it. Our therapist is stretched so thin and honestly, the fact that we even have a therapist is amazing. It's just that, of the 31 kids living at Gabriel House right now, each of them could use about 4 hours of therapy each day (at the very least!). So to have kids getting about 15 minutes a week, when you factor in all of the things that get in the way of Pati doing 8 hours of therapy a day, it's just...hard. And frustrating. And discouraging.
Knowing that Javier, our 16 month old, could walk but might not if we don't put in the major therapy he needs right now, is terrifying.

And then I have to remember. I have to go back to the one who brought me here in the first place. Who hasn't asked me to fix every problem or to make every kid walk. Whose to do list looks soooo much different from mine.

He's called me to live the gospel - to love his children unconditionally. Not to give up on therapy and the things our kids need. But rather to see it in a different way.

And that is what I will do.