Grateful

Oh, my. I have just spent an hour and a half reading the blog of a very brave family. http://audreycaroline.blogspot.com/
They have gone through things I hope to never go through. I hope no one ever has to go through. And I am openly weeping. The fact that God created Wilson for us, for me, and made him so perfectly and wonderfully is beyond my wildest imagination. I should have not been able to conceive my little man, let alone carry him. And he is here, 18 months and two days later, and he is wonderful. He is 29 lbs, 4 oz. (I know, chubby) he is 34 and some inches long. His head is really big, and he is allergic to a lot. (Waiting on word God has healed him. More later) But he is here, and I get to hug him, I get to kiss his little face off. I can hold him when he cries, and I get to be his mommy forever. Angie and her family now have a space in my heart. I found myself reading her blog praying for peace for her family and still grateful that I have not suffered in the way she has. I know some of you have. I also know a couple that I love more than they know want to be parents more than they even know, but it's coming. It really is. Be patient, and know that He is here and His timing is perfect. Please remember that friend. Please find comfort in that. And know that we love you.
For the other people that my previous words did not pertain to (trust me, there's only one of you, and that was from God, I can tell you that.) please read this blog and pray for this family. Kristal, you are in so much trouble. I was supposed to be in bed SOOO long ago!

I'm Ready

Recently, I have been tested in a lot of ways. About ten days ago, I joined together with about 4,000 of my, ahem, closest friends (OK maybe only a few of my CLOSEST friends, but still 4000 people) to participate in Go Cincinnati. Basically, a huge day of servant evangelism. We did dirty jobs, we did clean jobs, and we did it to show God's love. Sure, there are more ways, but this was close to my heart. So, we went to the YMCA in Cheviot and tore down a lot of trees. A lot. Then, we piled up the trees and got to use the wood chipper on them. After they were turned into mulch, it was spread on pathways. The area cleared by the trees will be used by the YMCA for their summer camp as an area for kids to eat lunch, do crafts, etc. in the shade. We also built a shed and moved picnic tables in that area to help the YMCA employees more. This particular event was slightly unorganized, very very dirty, and quite laborious work. But I found myself praying for each of the people there, working on their off day, spending it with a bunch of strangers, showing kindness to others. I also prayed for the people who would see the area we cleared, and that they would come to know God in a personal and passionate way. This was something very real for me. We were given a difficult task, and when the "time was up" people started leaving. There was still an enormous pile of trees to be sorted, chipped, and still a lot of clean up to do, yet because it was 1, they were tired, or had other commitments to do, so they left. I struggled with anger toward those people, but a group of us decided we still needed to get the work done. So with only about ten people, we got it all done in about 30 minutes. So much quicker than I would have thought possible. It was so moving to see these people work together toward a common goal.

I also have always one to believe in prayer, but have also relied on myself in too many ways. My pride has always been one of my biggest struggles. Recently, I have been forced to rely solely on God for health, jobs, and basically everything in our lives. This week, we had booger prayed over by some of our visitors from Mamelodi, South Africa. While we pray for him every day, as do a lot of our friends and family, this was a test for us as a family to ask someone we have never met to pray for our child and his health. She asked us what to pray for, and I just let all of it out. Everything we have been struggling with, we gave to Him. And in that moment, we were more of a family unit than we have been in the past year. We are trusting that God will heal booger, because that is our only hope. He is our only hope.

I almost forgot, I have some great news! A friend had to have surgery a few weeks ago to remove some precancerous cells. This was very trying and scary for her, and has really made her think about a lot of things in her life. When the test results came back, she found out that all of the cells that were SO close to cervical cancer have disappeared! What a miracle! We had been praying for her during this entire time, and for her to get this news is no doubt the work of God! And to hear her claim it as such makes my heart leap for joy!