Won't Be Long Now

Tomorrow I get to see this face again, and I can't wait! Brent has been on a high school mission trip to Australia for the last 2 weeks. We've heard so many positive things already, but I know there are endless stories of God's faithfulness.

I know this was a great time of growth for Brent to be away from his twin brother and parents, making his own decisions, and planning for what he needs. His sisters and brother have all missed him so much. David & I are counting the hours to be able to hug our son again.

If I had a single flower for every time I think about you, I could walk forever in my garden. ~Claudia Ghandi

Sometimes I just need a reminder

Praise You in This Storm

I was sure by now,God, You would have reached down

and wiped our tears away,

stepped in and saved the day.

But once again, I say amen

and it's still raining

as the thunder rolls

I barely hear You whisper through the rain,

"I'm with you"

and as Your mercy falls

I raise my hands and praise

the God who gives and takes away.

Chorus:

And I'll praise you in this storm

and I will lift my hands

for You are who You are

no matter where I am

and every tear I've cried

You hold in your hand

You never left my side

and though my heart is torn

I will praise You in this storm

Feeling God's Love in an Amazing Way

Today, I am just feeling God's love in a very reassuring way.

My son Brent leaves for Australia on a 2 week missions trip. Yep...he'll be more than 24 hours away from me, and I'm going to miss him so very much. He is really smart and so much fun to be around. Most of all, he loves the Lord. The kids in the Australia school are going to love getting to know him and his heart.

So, the mom in me starts to WORRY in a way that only a mom can. How will I get to him if something goes wrong? Who is going to take care of him? How can I go 2 weeks without seeing him?

Then a word from God...."I AM." Nothing more needed. He loves Brent so much and has a special plan for him. Brent is living a life that matters. I know Brent will meet people in Heaven whose lives he touched during this trip, and he will be forever changed too as a result of this experience.

As an obedient child to my Father, I place Brent again in His loving care. I know he will be where he should be serving God.

Please keep the people of Australia and our youth group in your prayers. From our pastors:

http://radiateleaders.wordpress.com/

Home from the Hospital with Good News!

Victoria was admitted to Children's Hospital-Scottish Rite Tuesday morning for a video EEG monitoring test. We went in hopeful that we would be discharged by Wednesday afternoon, and thankfully we were. The test started with attaching what seemed like 100 leads to her head (with glue). As you can see by the picture, her head was wrapped and she had a cord that allowed her to walk to the restroom. She was to stay in bed where she could be on video. (Now, keep in mind Victoria is not feeling sick and is VERY excited about being out of school, Christmas, traveling to see family, etc. ) Ok, with that in mind, think about what it would take to entertain her 2 days in a hospital bed!! Victoria has the sweetest spirit. She truly does. She was pushed to the limit....and honestly, by this afternoon I was too. Having the leads taken off and the sores left on her forehead were really hard for her.

I can't say enough about the wonderful staff at Scottish Rite. They certainly went out of their way to make us feel comfortable and to keep Victoria entertained. Volunteers brought stuffed animals, games, Christmas stockings, art supplies and more as gifts since she was in the hospital during Christmas vacation. Victoria was so appreciative and thanked everyone so sweetly. Yesterday she told me it was one of the best days EVER!

(Of course, it did help that she has not watched Nickleodeon or Disney Channel for over a month. I think she caught up this week! )

One of the neurologists met with us this afternoon to let us know the initial results of the tests look good. The EEG was abnormal, but the good news is an actual seizure was not detected. The impulses are occurring in her brain, but her new medicine is effectively holding the seizures at bay. That means so much as we have been trying to get to this point for over a year now. Our older kids see a big difference in Victoria and have commented how nice it is to have our "old Victoria back." Let's just say we're glad to be through with the Keppra meds, and we are so glad she is doing well with the new one! This was a great Christmas gift to hear that the medicine was working, and our Victoria is feeling so much better.

This afternoon was one of the hardest moments I have had as a mom. There was a code blue called that was cancelled a couple of minutes after the call. During that time, Victoria and I prayed for the child and asked God to be with the doctors and nurses to help in healing the child. She was so happy to hear the child was better. (The story sounds pretty good, right? Well here is where it got hard.) After the difficult time she had with getting the leads removed and taking a shower, we took a walk around the 1st floor to try to improve her outlook on the day. With tears in her eyes, she said "Mom, I guess God could only heal 1 kid today. I'm glad that one from the code blue is o.k. I just wish he could have healed my seizures all the way too." I had to stop in the middle of the hall of the hospital and catch my breath. How do I reply? I prayed a quick prayer for the word God would have me give.

We talked about how it's hard to understand, but God chooses when it's best for us to be healed. For some people (like the kid today), it can happen quickly. For others, it happens later in their life. Still others will get their healing in heaven. We talked about that is our promise...all of us get healed in heaven. She won't have seizure meds or tests, my bad elbow will be healed, Ashley won't have asthma, her cousin will be able to hear, and on and on. She seemed to really understand as we walked on. With a sweet voice, she said "I just wish God could have healed me all the way today."

What spoke to me is the honesty of a child. God knows our hearts. And it is hard to understand why we can't be that one sometimes. I continue to meditate on "if God were small enough for us to understand, He wouldn't be big enough for us to worship." God is faithful, and he loves Victoria even more than we do. She loves Him too--like no other child I have ever seen. I just can't wait to see what he has in store for this little miracle.

"For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:5-7 NAS