Many of you if you know our family have heard Matti's story but here it is again for those that have never heard it. It is truly one of our best stories. Matti came to us at the age of 12. We had some particularly difficult fosters and I had prayed that God would send us a child that really needed our help not just someone to fill a bed. The next day a call comes in asking if we would take a 12 year old girl with special needs and her 5 year old brother. I asked what disabilities she had. Because that was not on my little blue index card. Case worker said well she is blind. I replied that I could handle that because I helped care for my brother that was blind so I knew some about it. Then she added and she is hearing impaired. Has hearing adds in both ears but can hear fair with them. I still agreed. Then came the " oh yeah " She also was born with cleft palate, cleft lip, no teeth, no tear ducts, no sweat glands, three fingers on each hand and two toes on each foot and she is losing her hair. I said well I will have to pray about this some more.
Definitely one of those be careful for what you pray moments. Deahl was quick to point out that I had prayed for God to send me someone to help and here she was. I looked for excuses not to take her. Too busy, too many other kids, too much work, etc etc. But in the end I said yes.
Matti walked into our house with a cane and first thing she said was what is my chores. She expected to be treated like everyone else and did everything for herself. She never felt sorry for herself and was very independent. Matti had never been to church and we had been taking her regularly for a while. At the age of 14 we were at church and they were preaching on the story of Blind Bartamus and Matti came home and said if God can do that for him he can do it for me.
Now as an adult I didn't have the same faith as Matti and said yes he could do it for you but that may not be his plan for you. Well a few months later Matti's eye sight was restored. No surgeries or procedures. the doctor can not explain it. Matti once walked with a cane and was learning braille now was learning how to read books. She was able to do things that she has never done before.
Matti is now 19 and a senior in high school. She travels all over Texas with Youth Alive Project 7 ministry and tells her story of being born to a drug addicted Mom and a step dad that beat her and sexually abused her. What it was like being bullied at home and at school. She talks about how you never know what a person is dealing with and her time in foster care and what God did in her life.
Matti is an amazing young lady and a blessing to our family. She graduates in May and will start college while she is having dental implants to give her the teeth she never had. This will take a couple of years. Then she wants to attend South Western Assembly or God University where she wants to go into ministry.
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