He Really Does Hear

You know how sometimes you can keep asking God for something and He's not giving it and you can begin to wonder why?  Doesn't He hear me?  Doesn't He want this VERY GOOD thing for me?  Doesn't He promise to hear us when we call to Him?  Why isn't He answering this prayer? Why has healed other people and He's not healing me?  Should I keep praying for this?

Josh and I have been praying for God to completely heal me of Graves' Disease.  Our small group has prayed with us for this.  Countless friends and family have prayed with us for this-maybe you've been one of them.  And it's been over 3 months since I was in the emergency room and still, I'm not feeling completely well.  Still, I've praying for healing.  Still, I go up and down from day to day feeling ok and then feeling bad.  At times, I've wavered, wondering if God is actually hearing these prayers.  At other times, I've been filled with faith that if He wants to He can take Graves' Disease away from me in a moment.  I've been fighting to trust that if He doesn't heal me, then I can still trust Him.  He's got a good plan. Well, guess what?

Yesterday I got a call from my endocrinologist.  She said, "You're levels are completely normal.  I don't think that you have Graves' Disease."  She thinks that maybe the diagnosis was wrong all along and that I have postpartum thyroiditis.   Well, I don't know if that's what I have or if I really had Graves' and God healed me from it. What I do know is that God has heard and answered our prayers!  I'm feeling much better (not 100% but much better) and that I don't have a LIFELONG condition!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you for praying for me! God has heard! We've asked Him to heal me from Graves' and He has.  I don't have it.  I will not have to battle this for life.  God is powerful and mighty to heal!  He didn't act in the timing I would have chosen (as in an immediate healing) or in the way I might have hoped (as in, never having allowed me to be sick in the first place), but He is healing me!  Praise Him along with me!!!! I'm so grateful for all He's been teaching me through this and will continue to teach me as I keep healing.

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Grateful for the Prayers!

Let me be honest; I cannot even imagine our flight experience being any better than it was.  I'm not kidding!  The Lord blew us away with His kindness in making the travel go so smoothly. Thank you for your prayers!  We were so aware that God was personally caring for us. A couple highlights:

1)  When we got to the airport, we found a parking spot right by the bus shuttle.  Thank you, Lord!  To make things even better, the bus pulled up before we even got out of our car and the driver said that he'd wait for us. We didn't have to wait in the cold at all.

2) The bus ride to the airport was hilarious.  Tali was sitting next to me a bit scared. Owen was on my lap taking it all in. Tali kept touching his arm saying, "It's ok Owey.  God is wit you. Don't be cared, Owey.  I'm wite here.  God is wit us, Owen.  We're almost dare, Owey."  It was the sweetest thing ever.

3) We walked in and right up to the front of the line to check in. The airport was practically empty.  No waiting!  Also, Josh's parents kindly bought some car seats so that we wouldn't need to bring ours. This made traveling about a million times easier.

4)  The flight was great.  Both kids took naps and Owen was completely calm and didn't make any indications that he wanted to get down. He just snuggled on my lap.  SHOCKING!

5) When we landed, the weather was gorgeous.  Tali said, "Tali likes sunshine!  We don't even have ta wear our totes (coats)!"  

6)  We've been having a wonderful time with family.  The kids are adjusting to the time difference...sort of.  Really, it's just been a great trip and we're so grateful to God for His kindness. I feel so in awe of God's grace because taking two kids on a four hour flight, bringing them to a different time zone and away from their normal routines can be a bit challenging. But it hasn't been at all! The Lord is so kind.

So, thank you so much for your prayers. We are grateful!

p.s.-Why do any of us live in Illinois when it is 70 degrees out here pretty much all of the time?! Just kidding. :)

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Trusting God

Tali & her friend, Caleb

It's not too hard to trust God when things are going well. But when the circumstances around me are a bit shaky, I can quickly default to trusting in myself and my very limited understanding rather than seeking to trust God. As I reflect back on this week, it is all too clear to me that I have grieved the Lord by my failure to trust the only trustworthy One. God has once again been faithful to me, bringing about good in all circumstances even when I haven't recognized it at the time.

This week, Tali has been sick, the worst of which was when her temp hit 106.9 and we took her to the Emergency Room. Most of the week I have felt sick to my stomach with worry, been sharp with Josh, slow to pray, and quick to rack my brain for what I could possibly do to help Tali feel better. All the while, God has been with me, waiting to give me peace and rest but I didn't seek it from Him.

Here are some ways that He was working all things for good:

* Our dear friends, Ben & Angie were here w/their son, Caleb. While we were hoping that we might be able to serve them & that the time would be spent fellowshipping, instead they served us. What a kindness from God! Angie selflessly served me by helping with Owen, cooking, cleaning, and I'm sure many other ways as well. (And all of that after on top of traveling for weeks and being pregnant!) I was able to care for Tali in a way that I otherwise would not have been able to without Angie's help. On a week where my mom was out of town, the Lord knew that I would need reinforcements and He faithfully provided. (Angie, I'm so grateful for your care!)

* Tali's sickness happened early in the week and not this weekend when Josh & I would have been out of town. Had it have happened on Saturday, Tali would have been at my parents and we would have been miles away.

* The Lord answered our prayers and that of our friends on Wednesday night (thank you Johnsons, Gary&Jamie, Kruegars, & Trainors!) and by the time we got to the ER, Tali's temp was down to 100. She did have to get some uncomfortable tests, but since the temp was down no spinal tap was necessary (this was a huge answer to prayer).

* Tali kept drinking the entire time that she was sick and never got dehydrated.

Those are just a few of the ways that I can see God working good out of this situation. Though I failed to thank and trust Him during it all, I am seeking to repent and thank Him now. He is worthy of all our trust and praise!

Side Note: Please pray for Sovereign Grace Church as many of us will be at New Attitude from Sat-Tues. Owen & I are heading down tomorrow morning if Tali seems to be recovered fully. I'd love prayers for a safe and uneventful ride there with my baby boy.

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Great is the Lord

"Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable." Psalm 145:3

I love that truth; His greatness is unsearchable! The Lord is so worthy of our praise. In the midst of all of these health issues that my family is facing, the Lord is still great and He is still greatly to be praised. To keep it brief, here are just a few of the things to praise Him for:

* My dad has been diagnosed with Diverticulitis, which according to Wikipedia is "a common digestive disease particularly found in the large intestine. Diverticulitis develops from diverticulosis, which involves the formation of pouches (diverticula) on the outside of the colon. Diverticulitis results if one of these diverticula becomes inflamed." To put it simply, it's not life threatening, though it has been very painful. He is feeling pretty well now and is at home resting. We praise God for this and for however the Lord is and will continue to use this trial for my dad's good and His glory.

* My grandma's heart is strong and that positioned her well for the quadruple bypass and recovery. She is trying to stay positive and is following all of the doctor's orders. Praise God for His healing hand on her.

* My mom's palpitations haven't evolved into her full blown AFIB heart racing (which is when it gets really bad and she needs medical attention). Praise God for helping her to trust Him and for keeping her from having more health problems.

Thank you for joining us in praying. I can't help but smile when I think of the glory it brings God when His people call on Him, humbly dependent upon Him for everything in prayer. Thank you for caring for my family by your faithfulness to pray! It means so much to us and it pleases the Lord.

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