15 days...

Where to begin?

First, our God is so good. He has been gracious and full of loving kindness and mercy towards us. His love is steadfast and we are full of joy and have peace that passes all understanding because we are His children. Michael has struggled with health issues over the past four years, with this year being the most difficult. What God has allowed for our lives has not always been easy. There have been exhausting and overwhelming days, nights, weeks & months. We do not enjoy pain & suffering, but we can honestly say with every bit of confidence in our hearts that we would not change any of our circumstances given the opportunity because of what God did in our hearts through these times. Speaking for myself…I have learned that if the cross of Christ is all I have, it is ALL I NEED and far more than I deserve. When you are there, at the foot of the cross, and you see your brokenness and unworthiness compared to the absolute holiness of God, you are stripped of all self righteousness & pride. It is at the cross that true contentment and joy is found!

Oh, I’ve had my moments. And my heart is still prone to wander. But God is so patient with me. Some days are battle days where every single thing that is normally simple becomes so challenging. Then there are days on the mountain top where I’ve felt invincible. God’s grace has sustained me through both the battles & the mountains. I have seen the grace of God every day, but when Michael is sick and all of the responsibilities fall to me, I see God’s grace even more clearly. And I can testify that He has strengthened & encouraged me. I guess that is one of the coolest things about going through such difficult times: when I look back and reflect on those hard times, I ask myself how we managed to get through it. I cannot take any credit for what strength I have. I am not superwoman or just hard-wired to be tough. God, in His abundant mercy, has always provided strength, and He alone deserves the praise for it!

Many have prayed for Michael, and I have purposefully avoided posting many details concerning his health and the challenging decisions that we are facing. Why? First, we just trust God. We trust that He led us to UVA Med Center. We trust that He led us specifically to be under the care of Dr. Behm & Dr. Friel. We trust that we are in the best possible place for receiving the right care and attention. Secondly, due to the very nature of Michael’s disease, I want to be careful to protect “our” privacy and have the liberty to disclose information at our discernment rather than it all just putting it “out there”. All this to say, we do appreciate the sincere suggestions from family members & friends, but ultimately this is about us trusting God. We have spent countless hours researching, reading, speaking with doctors across the country, getting second & third professional opinions, making huge diet changes etc. We have not reached this decision overnight. We have prayed about this decision for years. We would avoid this decision if possible, but Michael has not responded well and continues to live in poor health and a lot of pain.

15 days…Michael will be undergoing major digestive surgery at UVA. Recovery time in the hospital is estimated to be 5-7 days with an additional 4-6 weeks recovery time at home. Aside from the pain from the surgery itself, this procedure should give Michael immediate relief from his disease. At the time of the surgery, Dr. Friel will evaluate the diseased organs to see how to procede. During our consultation today, we were extremely encouraged {and surprised}to hear that Michael has a very good chance of resuming a normal & healthy lifestyle, but that he will most likely undergo two additional major surgeries within this year.

So that is where we are and we are content with this. I can actually say that I think Michael is looking forward to surgery, in a way, because it will end his pain and allow him to live “normally” again {we don’t know what “normal” is anymore though!!}

What we have come to love is the body of Christ praying for us and with us. It is amazing how God has brought the right people at the right time to encourage us. Last night, we sat down with Ethan & Beth Stanley, who graduated from the same college as us, and talked for hours. Ethan went through the exact surgery Michael is facing. They’ve shared similar histories with their diseases, and it has been a tremendous encouragement to Michael to have a friend to talk to that knows exactly what he is feeling. They see the same Doctor. Michael’s surgeon’s technican was Ethan’s, too. They live near UVA, and I will be staying at their home for part of the time Michael is recovering in the hospital. Beth shared from a wife’s perspective & her personal experience so much helpful information in order for my mind to be better prepared. These are things that only God can do. Then there’s our next door neighbors, who we have shared Christ with over and over again. Their little 4 pound baby boy, born a week and a half ago, just underwent open heart surgery. The location that her OBGYN recommended for the surgery: UVA. Two floors above Michael. Today we met that sweet baby, whose life is so fragile yet looks so perfect, and shared the goodness of God through sustaining life. And then there's Rachel. I met her when I was visiting BJU as an 8th grader. She was a student at BJU and I stayed in her dorm room. Years later, when she contacted me through my blog, I felt an instant bond. Her husband's name is Michael and he has had Crohn's for years. She spent hours on the phone with me encouraging me through God's Word. Does this not amaze you?!? I could go on and on about how God has provided in countless ways for us and how blessed we are to be part of the body of Christ. So many have showed Christ's love to us through caring for our children, preparing meals, sending cards & emails. We are very thankful for all of you and for your love and support.

There are several ways that you can pray for us:

1. No complications during Michael’s July 13th surgery

2. No infections or complications specifically related to his recent DVT clot

3. Our kids, Emma {3 ½} Elliot {2} & Ethan {10 months} as they will not understand much of this and will be away from us for part of this time~pray for me as I know I will miss them, like crazy.

4. Safety as we travel to SC with the kids, and as I commute daily to and from UVA

5. Pray for us to share the joy of knowing Christ with those we come in contact with as well as our neighbors as they will still be there with their baby.

6. Pray that Michael will be able to taper his prednisone dosage before the surgery. It will be beneficial for his recovery, but the prednisone is the only thing that is keeping him from completely crashing.

7. As Michael weans off of the prednisone over the next several months, pray that his adrenal glands would function properly. For those who have any knowledge of the effects of this steroid know that it is powerful. The group of doctors caring for Michael are going to be keeping a close watch on his progress to make sure his body responds well.

As I type, it’s really late. I know there will be something I forgot, as my brain switched to OFF a while ago…

Rejoicing in the goodness of our Saviour…expecting great things because we serve a great God