It was early November when I sat in a coffee shop with my friend Carrie, talking about the new addition to her family expected at the beginning of January. She and her husband Jeff had just found out it was a boy.

"Have you decided on a name yet?" I didn't really expect a clear answer, just the usual "not yet" or "we're still deciding."

Carrie smiled, contentedly rubbing her small but obvious tummy. "Happy James."

I looked at her, unsure if I had heard her correctly. My curiosity drove me to ask. "Is that his first name or just a nickname?"

She smiled again. "You're not the first person to ask. His first name. We wanted a name that he could live up to."

Well, why not? People named their little girls Joy. So why not Happy for a little boy?

A month later Carrie and I sat at the same table for our Thursday morning Bible study. Carrie shared some very unexpected news. During the last ultrasound, they discovered Happy James had a heart defect. One side of his heart wasn't growing. I was amazed at how calmly she shared this news but then surprised as her calm composure became heart-wrenching tears.

The next few weeks sent our small group and the church into fervent prayer for this little guy. Happy was put on prayer chains all over the country and the world. People as far away as Russia were praying for a little baby named Happy James who had a heart defect. The effect on our church alone was tremendous as we found ourselves unified in purpose. Whatever we could do to comfort and care for Carrie and her family, we did gladly.

Meanwhile Carrie and Jeff continued to affirm their belief that God was in control. They knew their little boy would be "fearfully and wonderfully made" as Psalm 139 promises.

About a month before Carrie's due date, they found a second problem. Happy James had an intestinal blockage. His heart condition still seemed to be the more serious issue, but until he was born, they wouldn't know the full extent of his condition.

And there was concern over the possibility of Happy being born too soon. If this happened, his heart wouldn't be strong enough to support his immature lungs. We prayed he would go the full nine months to term, therefore giving his lungs enough time to develop completely, and for the blockage to clear before his birth.

Several more weeks passed and it seemed Happy was content to stay in his mother's womb for as long as possible. Happy James was born one day after Carrie's due date. We praised God for answering our prayers. Happy's lungs were fully developed.

We continued to pray for Happy as he was transported from San Jose to UC San Francisco to begin his life in the Pediatric Heart ICU. However, his heart condition was temporarily pushed aside to address the much more serious problem with his intestines.

The doctors weren't sure if it was a blockage or if Happy simply didn't have a complete digestive system. Surgery was done, and we were relieved to hear the problem was fixed. Happy's digestive system was indeed complete, and he was recovering quickly. Another answered prayer.

As the doctors began the first of several surgeries on Happy's heart, God put it upon my heart to make a quilt for Happy James. Quilts are such wonderful statements of love and care. I loved the idea but was also overwhelmed by such an undertaking. I knew it would take hours just to cut all the pieces and several days to sew and quilt it to completion. I protested in my prayers, saying I didn't possibly have the time, but God thought otherwise and persisted to nudge me. God convinced me by sharing His vision for this to be a Blessings and Prayers Quilt. It would be a testimony to Him and His presence in Happy's struggle to live.

I presented the idea to our Women's Ministry group and then at our Women's Retreat the following weekend. I was overwhelmed by the response to help in any and every way. Those who couldn't sew offered to iron or provide financial support to buy the items we needed. Others made phone calls or volunteered their homes as work places. My anxiety about doing this project dissolved as I watched so many eager hands organize the logistics of completing the quilt. My doubt was disproved by God's faithfulness.

At our next meeting, we cut and organized pieces of fabric according to the pattern, which we had modified to create more open spaces for writing. People could sign these areas with words of blessings, Bible scriptures and their names, thus making it truly a Blessings and Prayers Quilt.

That Sunday we set up our table and spread out our fabric pieces. Our pastor made the announcement about the quilt each Sunday for the next couple of weeks, but the congregation seemed hesitant to participate. One Sunday I brought the first quilt I had made for my daughter and shared how special it has been to her over the years. Then I shared how God showed me the story in Joshua 4 of the Israelites passing into the Promised Land. God had parted the waters of the Jordan River and told Joshua that each tribe of Israel was to take a stone from the middle of the riverbed. On the other side, the stones were set in place to be a lasting memorial of what God had done for the Israelites. The quilt for Happy was to be a tribute to God's presence in his life, the lives of his family, and the lives of those who were praying for him. I watched with excitement as people came to the table each Sunday and wrote special messages to the baby who had touched the lives of so many.

During this time, it became clear to me this was part of God's plan. Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." (NIV) Our church had never been so united in purpose and prayer before. And not only were our lives touched, but also the lives of the people at the hospital. They witnessed Jeff and Carrie's faith in God, and their trust that all was as God planned it. If we went to them in the hopes of giving comfort, it was often we who walked away comforted. All marveled at the little baby boy, who seemed to survive and thrive against all odds.

Our quilt pieces continued to fill up with wonderful words and blessings. I printed onto fabric some of the photos of Happy and his family to be part of the story the quilt had come to represent. As a church we began to understand what it really meant to have faith and believe.

After five surgeries our joy was made complete when we got the news that Happy was coming home. We were all in awe of what God had done to keep this amazing little boy alive. He would face more surgeries for his heart down the road, but for now he could come home. Our enthusiasm grew to finish the quilt and dates were set to gather and put all the pieces together.

It was a very special time for this faith driven family. Happy's heart was weak, but the love of his parents, two sisters and grandparents seemed to strengthen him to fight. After Happy had been home for almost two weeks, I went to visit him. I held that precious little boy and thrilled at the tangible evidence of God's work.

The next day as I was working on the quilt, I got the call I didn't expect. God had taken Happy James home. Our hearts were broken, but we knew Happy's heart was now whole.

Our Blessings and Prayers Quilt is now a memory quilt. The words and signatures remain as a testimony to the love of a church for one of its tiniest of people. God used this precious little boy with a weak heart to strengthen the hearts of many. Happy James had accomplished in ten and a half weeks what most of us hope to accomplish in a lifetime.

Now the quilt belongs to his sisters, two sweet little girls who like to kiss the pictures of their little baby brother. Happy James is truly living up to his name in a unique way. We know he is "happy" in the arms of Jesus. And we look forward to the day when we will meet him again.