Update on Baby Caleb Rodriguez

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The College Church of Christ in Fresno has a rich history of supporting overseas missionary efforts. From the College Church's earliest days, it has supported missionary families like the Boltons in Australia, the Reeves in Germany and the Jacobos in Colombia. In more recent years, the College Church has provided oversight and support for the Repperts in Kenya, the Rodriguezes in Mexico and the Smiths in French-speaking Switzerland.
Marcus and Martin Rodriguez are two brothers who grew up with a strong connection to the College Church. Their father, Daniel, grew up at College. Their mother, Janette, also grew up here. When Marcus & Martin finished university, they felt called into overseas missions work -- specifically to China. For several years, they taught English in Beijing and worked as part of a group of American Christians. Their goal was to introduce Chinese young professionals to Jesus. God blessed their efforts, and some of their Chinese friends have formed Christian congregations as a result.
Marcus met a young Chinese woman, Julia. She had joined their Christian community in Beijing. They fell in love and eventually got married. Fast forward a couple years ... they are expecting their first child and they decide to move to Shanghai in hopes of reproducing their Beijing work there. We are grateful for Marcus & Julia and for their commitment to the Lord.
Shanghai is a world-class city with a population of 19 million. One would be wrong to think of this city as a third-world backwater. Shanghai has incredible wealth and practically anything you would expect to find in a major metropolis. I'm sure there are plenty of impoverished pockets in Shanghai, but isn't that true of all big cities? Shanghai also has a huge expatriate community, mostly Japanese, Americans and Koreans who are able to benefit from China's booming economy.
We need to pray for the Rodriguezes. Two weeks ago, they gave birth to their first child, a beautiful boy named Caleb. Health concerns became immediately apparent, first manifesting themselves in seizures. Doctors have discovered that Caleb has some abnormalities in his brain. The part that controls vision, the occipital lobe, appears to be damaged.

Everyone is still assessing the situation. They're receiving first-rate care from doctors who highly skilled and trained. But they have many decisions and questions to weigh. I'll share more details in a later post. Please join us all in praying for Caleb.

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