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Georgia church leads effort to help Iraqi baby

Jan. 10, 2006

By Alice M. Smith*

DOUGLASVILLE, Ga. (UMNS) - One United Methodist called his church and
asked for help, and now a tiny baby girl from Iraq is resting
comfortably after the first of three surgeries to correct a
life-threatening birth defect.

Lt. Jeff Morgan, a Georgia National Guardsman serving in Baghdad and a
member of Shepherd of the Hills United Methodist Church, sent an urgent
plea to his home church asking for help in bringing Noor al-Zahra, a
3-month-old girl born with a severe form of spina bifida, to the United
States for surgery.

At birth, she had been given 40-45 days to live.

The Rev. Adam Roberts, pastor of Shepherd of the Hills, admitted when
Morgan's e-mail came he was skeptical about what the congregation could
do against such enormous odds. The church would have to find a doctor
and hospital, arrange transportation and locate a home where the Iraqi
family could stay while Noor underwent treatment.

"But, luckily," he said, "that's not what members of the church thought,
and they jumped in and started working, particularly Debbie Stone."
Largely through Stone's initiative, and the cooperation of other people
and agencies in the right place at the right time, "Baby Noor" arrived
in Atlanta Dec. 31.  She underwent the first of three surgeries at
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Jan. 9.

According to a report in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the doctors
who performed the surgery said she will be paralyzed from the waist down
but should otherwise develop normally.

Stone, Roberts and the congregation became international media stars
over the Christmas holidays, with the first reports of the Baby Noor
situation in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The newspaper had a
reporter embedded with the Georgia National Guard, and the story was
picked up by CNN and broadcast internationally on an ongoing basis. The
church's Jan. 1 service was covered by reporters and filmed by TV crews,
and Stone became adept at camera and print interviews.

The media attention wasn't something church members expected, but they
agree it has all been positive, with war-time soldiers wanting to help a
terribly sick infant, a church working against odds to help, and all the
elements falling into place to give Baby Noor a chance for survival.

"I say unashamedly God ordered my steps daily and had a big part in
this," Stone said. "It was God from day one."

What has surprised her most about the media coverage is the incredulity
of some reporters who wondered out loud why she would undertake such a
colossal task for someone she didn't know. "I think the concept of doing
something for somebody just because you care about them and want to show
God's love is so foreign to people nowadays," she said.

She hopes the church's example has been an eye-opener not only to
reporters but also to many non-churchgoers about how Christians are
called to live out their faith.

It is not surprising that Stone's heartstrings would be pulled by Noor's
life-threatening situation. A mother of two - Christopher, 7, and Paul
David, 5 - Stone is a social worker who works specifically with children
with handicapping conditions. Her oldest son has had five ear surgeries
in his young life.

Her calls and e-mails to find help for Noor began with friends who work
at Emory Hospital and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and included
follow-up calls on any leads she received. Eventually, she came into
contact with Childspring International, a Christian nonprofit agency
that brings children from abroad to the United States for medical care.

The organization secured an Arabic-speaking family with which Noor, her
grandmother and father could stay during their time in Atlanta. The
baby's 18-year-old mother did not make the trip because, according to
Iraqi culture, the grandmother is considered the family's matriarch.

After an e-mail from Morgan, U.S Sen. Saxby Chambliss' office became
involved and helped particularly with one hurdle: bringing the father to
Atlanta. Childspring's policy is not to bring male Iraqis to America,
for fear they could defect, but Noor's grandmother could not travel
without a male family member, according to the Iraqi culture. Chambliss,
of Georgia, was instrumental in getting the U.S. Department of Defense
to take responsibility for the father and to arrange transportation from
Baghdad to Kuwait. From there, Delta provided transportation to Atlanta.

The successful arrangements that were made through international
protocols and cultures solidified Stone's belief that God was in charge
of the situation. "There's no explanation for that other than God. In my
eyes, that was God's way of making sure this happened."

Throughout the time she was trying to make a way for Baby Noor "nobody
said no," she said. "Every time I would call and talk to someone about
this situation, if they weren't able to help, they would say, 'you need
to talk to this person or call this number.'"

Much credit also is due to Morgan and the other soldiers in Charlie
Company of the 48th Brigade whose hearts were touched by the baby's
plight. Before Stone could go about finding a doctor to help, she needed
specific information about Noor's medical situation. A U.S. Army doctor
went at night to the baby's home to make the assessment. If insurgents
had learned that the family was cooperating with the Americans, not only
the family but also the soldiers would have been endangered.

Dr. Roger Hudgins, chief of neurosurgery at Children's Healthcare,
applauded the soldiers' efforts.  "Obviously, good works happen every
day in Iraq, and good works happen with the soldiers," he said, in an
article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. " ... It's showing the
tender side of the military. These are good guys. They went out of their
way to help make this happen." Hudgins volunteered his services to help
Baby Noor.

Before Baby Noor's plight became known, the Shepherd of the Hills
congregation had been discussing establishing Lifeover Ministries, a
nonprofit organization related to the church that would also work with
other churches and community organizations to meet people's needs. Some
ministries were already in place, such as providing monetary
contributions to tsunami and hurricane relief, establishing a children's
clothing closet where parents of foster children can secure needed
items, and sending a work team to help with hurricane cleanup in
Mississippi.

Now the church is well on its way to getting the organization
incorporated and is already working to bring two other Iraqi children to
the states - a 5-year-old who needs heart surgery and a 1-month-old with
a cleft palate. Efforts are also under way to provide five older adults
with wheelchairs, as well as baby formula and prenatal vitamins.

Such help is important, Morgan told Stone in a conversation, "so that my
children will not be there in 10 years fighting again."

In addition to Morgan, the congregation has two other soldiers in Iraq:
Morgan's son Daniel, and Christopher Clary, both in the Army. The church
has "Blue Star" banners in its sanctuary, remembering all three. The
banners originated in World War I and feature a blue star in a white
center with a red border.

For Roberts, who was ordained elder in June, his church's involvement
with Baby Noor has taught him two lessons.

"The primary lesson for my congregation ... is to believe that anything
is possible, that when they see an opportunities, they pursue them ...
because God has shown us the things that can happen."

His other lesson:  "I have learned not to get in the way of them (church
members) one bit.  That's really a good thing."

*Smith is editor of the Wesleyan Christian Advocate.

News media contact: Kathy L. Gilbert, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470
or newsdesk@umcom.org.

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United Methodist News Service
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