Consequently, we are no longer taking donations for Kasih.  No doubt there will be another small child or troubled community that will draw our attention and efforts shortly.

Its exciting to think that together we have made such a significant difference to a small girl’s life.  What a joy for all of us!!

Thankyou to all who have shared of their time, energy, dollars and prayers - Kasih is blessed by all of you!!

Regards

Lisa and Nicole

its with a smile that I write to advise we have achieved our goal for Kasih.  We have reached the fund raising target, and are in the process of moving the funds safely into trust for her future surgery needs and education.

Consequently, we have closed down the paypal links, and will not be accepting further donations for Kasih - for now we will be considering other needs and projects that we can start supporting.

We will report back with final figures and an update from Indonesia as soon as able.

Blessings!

Lisa and Nicole

Kasih and Nur have settled well back into village life - that itself was a big thing for Nur, after visiting and living in Australia for five months - returning to a village with no electricity or running water at home, and many of the other things we take for granted - like this computer I am typing on … truly Nur and Kasih show us that material possessions are not the ‘be all and end all’ - life is about family and relationships - and their homecoming to husband/father, parents, friends and Kasih’s playmates was apparently huge.  Kasih is quite the little star of her village :-).

To really highlight the difference that your donations, prayers and thoughts have made to Kasih, below are three photos that take us from a saddened worried family in Kira back in October last year, to a smiling homecoming photo with a new bright little girl in February this year - and a miracle of surgery in between…

Blessings and thanks to all who support Kasih!!

Lisa!

Kasih’s story has touched the lives of many many people throughout the world - from Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Canada, United States, United Kingdom, Philippines, Indonesia, as far north as Alaska, and as far south as the bottom of the south island of New Zealand!

Kasih’s journey is proof that life is bigger than any one of us, and that together we can make a difference.

Her journey continues now for several years - Kasih will need followup reviews and probably more surgery as she heads towards her teenage years.

Our dream is that she has every chance at life now - to live, to get an education, fall in love, marry, have her own children and be blessed in her own life and family.

We will post more as her story unfolds.

To all of you who have helped with time, funds, advocacy, coordinating travel, or whatever, we say thankyou from Kasih and her family.

God bless,

Lisa and Nicole
New Zealand.

Kasih is continuing to recover well although the scar under her left eye will probably take another week to fully heal.   Overall, her face has really been transformed.  Nur has said on several occasions that she is having to adjust herself as Kasih not only looks so different but, now that she has a mouth, she also sounds different and her behaviour is also very different.  Nur says it is like Kasih has been born again. 

A few days ago she decided to go walkabout at the nurses quarters and managed to get herself into the lift and down to a lower floor.  Everyone was out looking for her – this is more like the Kasih we know.  She is a typical little adventurer!!

Check out the amazing difference in Kasih’s smile in this video Martin has sent through of her ..

its amazing to see how Kasih is doing after only two days post op.  I thought I was dieing(!!) after having my wisdom teeth out, yet, only two days after major surgery Kasih is up and running around - still sore and irritable for certain - but incredibly looking like a whole different little girl…..

As soon as she came to…she was wanting to sing twinkle twinkle little star…she is a wee star herself!

More details to follow

We love you Kasih xxxx

You are a brave girl Kasih and we will be praying for you! All our love

Nicole & Lisa xxxx

It seems that things are taking longer than expected for young Kasih -with her surgery being postponed once more until 13th January

We expect the decision was due to the shorter staffing during the Christmas break - but its much better to think of Kasih having access to a full complement of specialists and nursing staff in the New Year for post operative care.

The downside however is that Nur and Kasih’s visas runout before she will be due to go home - so its back to the consulate and through all the paperwork as well as a redo medical exams to apply for Visa extensions

We would be lost without the help and support of the Aldgate Baptist team on the ground in Adelaide - Martin and Virginia have been steadfast in their support of Kasih and Nur, and in doing the things that make this possible.

We are hoping to set up an education grant for Kasih from residual funds. If you would like to give to this specifically, please annotate this with your giving … she looks keen to study already!

Blessings and a Happy New Year to you all!

Nicole

Read on for the story:

Kasih’s birth brought overwhelming grief to her mother, but her life is bringing joy and hope to her family, her native island in Indonesia and the wider Muslim and Christian communities.

The 20-month-old from Halmahera, in what was once part of the rich spice islands of the Dutch East Indies, was born with a rare Tessier cleft palate that left a large gap through the centre of her face.

Next month at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital she will have the first of several surgeries to reconstruct her face, thanks to the Aldgate Baptist Church and another church in NZ.

Kasih’s mother, Nur Laewerang, the 21-year-old wife of Asri Talaba, a farmer from the small Muslim village of Kira, still weeps when she remembers her daughter’s birth.

Through a translator, and many tears, she told The Courier that she was “just very sad”.

But when her daughter was about eight months old she remembered that many hours away there was a clinic run by “Westerners” - Christian medical volunteers - and she found the means to travel there to find help for Kasih, whose name means ‘love’ in Indonesian.

This was a big journey in many ways for the young woman who was only 14 when some of the worst of the Christian/Muslim ethnic violence erupted on her island.

However, she was at pains to stress that the massacre of thousands, on both sides, was orchestrated by “outsiders” inflaming old conflicts over land.

It was at the clinic that providence stepped in, in the form of NZ doctor Nicole Anderson and a group of volunteers from the Aldgate Baptist Church.

Dr Anderson was determined to do something for Kasih, even though she was on the eve of returning home.

It took her three months of emailing medical contacts before Professor David David from the world famous Australian Craniofacial Unit in Adelaide said he would take Kasih on as a patient, and that September would be the best time to bring her to Australia for pre-surgery procedures.

Dr Anderson remembered meeting young Adelaide Hills volunteers Kurt Mahlburg and his sister Laura at the clinic and she emailed them for help.

They mentioned that Martin Gare from their church was heading to Halmahera at that time and could escort Nur and Kasih to Australia.

Between the two churches they handled the inter-country logistics and raised the thousands needed to cover the medical, travel and living costs of the pair.

“It’s been such an Anzac effort really,” Dr Anderson said during a brief reunion with Nur and Kasih at Martin Gare’s home in the Hills.

“When we first saw Kasih we had no idea how we were going to help her.

“I’ve tried to do advocacy before and I knew how hard it would be.”

Nur said she was overwhelmed by the care and compassion shown her daughter and herself when they arrived at the clinic.

“They wanted to know all about us. They really cared about me,” she said.

She also said she had complete confidence in Prof. David and the doctors and nurses caring for them in Australia.

And her family supported the trip, although they worried about how the pair was faring on their own.

“Kusih is the most famous person in the village. They all want to follow Kasih to Australia,” she said.

The Gare family is also conscious of how Kasih’s treatment has become a symbol of “healing” on her island.

“I’d bet a month’s wages that every Muslim in this village knows about Kasih and who is helping her out and I just see this an incredibly significant,”

Mr Gare said.

“There are acts of goodwill that occur between Christian and Muslim that are very important and often go unreported.

“A few years ago there was widespread violence between Christians and Muslims in the region with many thousands killed.

“Simple acts like this carry great significance in the community.”

Kasih “the petrol head” has charmed her hosts with her energy, humor, resilience and passion for anything with wheels.

Doctors have inserted a tissue-expanding bladder into her cheek, which is inflated every three days, but even with a small balloon on her face she spent her reunion with Dr Anderson and the Mahlburgs climbing over the outdoor furniture, pulling apart the peg basket and tearing around the backyard with the washing trolley.

In addition to her medical expenses, the churches want to set up a fund for the toddler’s education.

“She might have started life with a disadvantage but we’ll make sure she goes through life with an advantage,” Dr Anderson said.

END OF ARTICLE

For more information about Kasih, read through her blog, visit her pictures pages, or visit www.KasihMeansLove.com