And I wanted to tell you guys about something really neat that happened to me today.
Today I got to meet Hussein for the first time.
I wasn't on the last remedy mission when we came to Najaf and so I only know Hussein
like you guys do through photos, through web pictures, and through tiny little videos that
we were able to take last time.
And so I've grown to love this kid, I've invested my time, I've given my personal
money to help save his life just like you guys have and so I feel a real attachment
to him but I've been here already in Najaf for a couple of days and I hadn't gotten to
meet him yet.
So I was really excited when I arrived at the hospital this morning and as I walked
through the corridor I saw his dad.
Now his dad didn't know me from anyone but I knew his dad, I recognized his dad and I've
seen the guys in my office be on the phone with his dad and talk about Hussein and ask
how he's doing and I've seen that conversation, that relationship develop so I was really
excited when I walked by and I saw this man that I knew a couple minutes later after I'd
put my stuff down in the break room, came back out and Hussein was there with him and
it was just really exciting for me.
I felt like I was meeting a kid that I've had the chance to impact his life not because
of my organizational position but because of my private personal position, the same
position that I kind of share with you guys in this case.
So I was really excited to meet Hussein, it was a really just joyous thing for me.
He didn't pay me any attention, he didn't give me the time of day because he doesn't
know who I am but it was just really special for me.
Matt had his computer out and we had his campaign page pulled up on the internet.
I don't know if you've seen his campaign page but we've put the website address up
there and we would love for you to go and give an update to Hussein, send a note, write
a word, send a picture.
It was fun for me to see Hussein sitting there on the computer and clicking through all the
notes and all the pictures and all the things that people had sent him.
I was especially moved when he came to the picture of my daughter and my son, Emma and
Micah because they'd drawn a picture for him and they said, get well soon Hussein,
you know?
It's moments like that where I realized as a father how intensely personal and real this
is.
To see my kids reaching out to a child overseas and to realize this could have easily been
my child, this could have easily been my Emma or my Micah who was born with one of these
life threatening heart defects and quite honestly I have this amazing healthcare system in America
that I can always run back to and get whatever I need but Hussein's dad doesn't have that
and I just, I don't think that's right and that's why we're here and that's why you've
sent us here to remedy that situation, to make it so that they have what they need here
in their neighborhood to save Hussein's life and that's what we're committed to this week
and so I want you to stay tuned, we've got more coming on Hussein, we're gonna track
with him, we're gonna stay with his family, we're gonna try and walk you through the process
and please be praying with us, none of this stuff is guaranteed.
It's not guaranteed that just because we have a team here, his surgery saves his life and
so please pray with us, we want his life to be saved but ultimately that's in the hands
of God.
So we're here this week and things are really exciting for us, things are exciting for me
and it's not least of which is because I got to meet Hussein today.
So stay tuned, there's a lot coming.
