In their book
Saving Levi,
Children’s Hope adoptive parents Lisa and John Bentley share an
absolutely inspirational story of a badly burned boy “left to
die... destined to live” —their son Levi.
Left to Die, Destined to Live
“When John was practicing law, we
had the brand new house, the sports car, the minivan, the
bonuses, the raises and I was pregnant with my fourth child and I
remember being upstairs in the bedroom thinking, ‘Lord if this
is all there is to my faith, to my Christianity, it’s boring and
it stinks.’”
When God answered Lisa Bentley’s
prayer, he sent her to China. She did not know the language nor
did she understand the culture. Was this truly the answer to her
discontentment? Then she laid eyes on a little burned boy.
This boy, later named Levi (“to bind
and unite”), would change her life and give her a heart for the
Chinese people. This heart thrives today with the non-profit
charity she runs with husband John. This charity, Harmony
Outreach, serves all levels of the Chinese community but most
importantly the “least of these”— orphaned children with special
needs.
In saving Levi’s
life there laid a question: How far does one go to save an
orphaned child’s life? With third- to forth-degree burns
afflicting over 70% of his entire body and blood infections
requiring more and more amputations of his upper limbs—Levi was
an extreme in a healing philosophy to bring orphans to health
and into forever homes. Even if his initial surgeries were
successful, he would require more skin grafts each year. Until
he was fully developed, his growing bones would outstretch his
scar tissue.
The Bentley’s mission is also
Children’s Hope mission. On faith alone the Bentley’s took every
measure to save Levi, with no monetary support or physical means
necessary. Day by day they strode forward. Each day their feet
landed on solid, supported ground.
Early on, their feet landed on
Children’s Hope and Melody Zhang. Children’s Hope funded Levi’s
first surgery in Beijing and later gave the Bentley’s their
media opportunity in China to get the word out about Levi’s
story.
Wherever his story was heard,
people’s hearts were touched. From complimentary airfare,
expedited Visa paperwork, to a simple twenty dollar bill—people
were moved to action. Levi touched Lisa’s heart to act from day
one. She knew he was meant to be hers. Her home would be the
best hope for a full life for this little boy.
When she was able to adopt him as
her own, she did so through Children’s Hope. As obstacles rose
up and stood aside, one took anchor and brought the process to a
standstill: the China Center for Adoption Affairs declared him
too burned to be cared for through adoption. Melody took a
stance in the name of this amazingly loving family. Levi was to
become a Bentley.
This story is a linked chain of
God-chosen people brought together to save one life. It is a
story of encouragement in the hardest of times, of the strength
in love within every person, and of the daring in courage of
one.
In January,
Focus on the Family
interviewed John and Lisa Bentley, discussing Harmony Outreach
and Saving Levi on their radio broadcast. To listen to
this two-part moving broadcast and to hear the voice of parental
inspiration, click below and be changed:
The Bentleys: A Radical Journey of Faith (Part 1/Part 2) -
bottom of the webpage.
To
best benefit their cause, purchase the book Saving Levi via
Lisa’s web site at
www.Harmonyoutreach.org or at
www.savinglevi.com. In
2007, Lisa will travel the U.S. on a Saving Levi book tour and
signing and will speak at many venues across the nation. If you
would like Lisa to share this amazing story and important
mission of faith at your event, contact her by
e-mail to speak
with her directly.
Ellis
Nomad
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