We have received word from our agency that they expect our paperwork when they travel to Thailand the first week in June! We also have learned that we have been "officially approved" for adoption. This was a technicallity, but we'll take anything at this point. This is all good news because it means we're actually moving!!
This journey towards adoption has been the longest, and one of the hardest journeys we’ve every traveled. It has tested and stretched our faith in ways we never thought we could withstand, and it has taught us that God is really the only one in control of our lives. Those words are so easy to say, but living them day by day, when your child is on the other side of the world, is another story.
There were many times I envisioned myself as Jacob wrestling with the angel. Yet, deep inside I knew God had everything under control. I had an overwhelming peace that His timing was right, and He had a plan. I was more wrestling against the fact that I didn’t like that answer. I never once questioned His call for us to adopt, no matter the wait, or delays that came our way. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt, that He had her in His arms and was holding her for us. I may never understand why we had to wait, but I know that I trust God, and I am firm in my conviction that this is our daughter and God has called us to be her parents.
Before I begin the next part, let me say that I am not suggesting that everyone should run out and adopt a child!! It is certainly not God’s call for everyone to do that, and I would not presume to know what God’s call is on anyone else’s life. I am certain, as is Chris, that it is God’s call on our lives. So, what I am about to say is meant to sort of back that up. This has become a passionate issue for, and it is something I believe in very strongly.
First, the Bible doesn’t make a definitive statement on adoption, either negative or positive. However, we are given several examples, in scripture of adoption. Moses is probably the one that comes to everyone’s mind firs,t when cases of Biblical adoption are discussed. He, of course, was adopted by the Princess. God used this situation to raise up a leader to lead His people out of Egyptian slavery. However, as I was researching I found that Esther was actually adopted by Mordecai. She later became Queen and saved God’s people, including Mordecai from the king’s evil henchman who was scheming to kill them all.
Then, of course we have Jesus and His relationship with His earthly father Joseph. Imagine having that job…raising God. Jesus was perfect, so the need for an earthy father wasn’t so much for Jesus’ benefit as much as ours. Could it be a model perhaps to show us how things should be? God Himself was adopted by an earthly father.
In the broader picture, there is the redemption story itself, and how we are all adopted by God. So, God seems to set an example for us that His heart is for the lost and broken. We are clearly told to spread the gospel to all the world, and God looks on the heart. So, does it seem possible that God might have an issue with white Christians who won’t adopt a child from another race? Do you think we might stand accountable one day for our kids having to have their own bedrooms and a closet full of clothes; when there is such overcrowding in orphanages, that kids basic nutritional needs are not met? Are we hypocritical when we tell women not to get abortions, yet refuse to adopt their babies?
I think the primary reason that people don’t adopt is FEAR. It may manifest itself in many different excuses, but the bottom line is fear. Where there is fear, there is a lack of faith because fear and faith can’t co-exist. Scripture is clear” God doesn’t give us fear”. So, if it doesn’t come from God, there’s only one other logical choice…Satan. Why would he be so interested in stopping Christians from adopting? Well, in theory this helps spread the gospel and Satan isn’t in the business of spreading the good news of Jesus. Also, these kids may grow up and adopt more kids, or become missionaries…This could spin out of control very quickly.
Fear can range from financial concerns regarding the costs associated with adoption, to the unfamiliarity of what you may end up with in the end. The financial part is one of those things that is part of the walk of faith. We have seen God provide for every expense along the way, exactly when the money was needed. When we looked at the “big picture” it seemed far to large for us! With God all things are possible! We have received donations, had a fund raiser garage sale, rented out our pop up camper, and been blessed with a grant from Show Hope!
The other issues regarding behavior challenges, health issues, mental issues, and racial issues, there are a lot of fear related excuse that people hide behind. I find it very interesting that people want a guarantee that nothing will go wrong in adoption that they could never get when they have their own children. Yet, because they can’t get some sort of security they use that as an excuse not to adopt. We all want our children to grow up to be happy, healthy, well adjusted adults. Most of all though, I want my children to love God first, and in today’s world, that may mean they aren’t so well adjusted, according to the world’s standards. God gives us no guarantees, not even our next breath. I am guaranteed that He will not give me more than I can handle, and I’m never alone.
So, does that make the horror stories irrelevant? No, it did not make the horror stories irrelevant for us as we made our decision to adopt. What it did was made prayer very much more relevant. It also made the success stories so encouraging! We read books, took the internet classes, and listened to our social worker talk about the “what ifs”. Again, God is calling the shots here, and we are fervently praying for our daughter to have incredible pace as we bring her home. We are asking God for the impossible, and expecting it. We are not looking for the worst, because we believe that’s what we’ll get. “He is able to do exceedingly above all that we could ever ask or imagine”!
As we’re wrapping things up and preparing to travel sometime in the next 6 months or so, God keeps bringing these lyrics to my mind: “I have leaned on the wisdom of men, oh Lord, forgive me. And I have responded to them instead of Your grace and Your mercy”. As we work through the process of becoming a family of 5, I do expect that we will have days that will cause us pain. Life isn’t easy and bring our daughter home isn’t going to be the magic pill that’s going to make everything just fabulous. There will be days that it will all fall apart. She will hurt and miss her life in Thailand. As her family, we will hurt for her. There will be days when I will lose it and wonder if I had a long lapse of sanity when I signed up for this. However, that’s no different than how I felt after both boys were born, and after I took my first teaching job. When JC was born, we heard every horror story about CF aht there was to hear, but God has written JC’s story. Her story will be written by God as well, and it will be rough at times. We just have to remember who is here with us and who has called us in the first place. I want to know, when it’s all said and done, that I did whatever God asked me to do… no matter how difficult it was. After all, He died for me.
Most of all, I want this child to know God. I want her to know Him in a very personal way. I want her to know how much He loves her. How He chose her to be ours and how He held her until we came for her. How He wants her to love Him and spend eternity in heaven. I want her to know the love of God who will never leave or forsake her, and will heal her scars. I want her to understand, as I have, that His grace is sufficient and it’s always enough. I want her to grow up to be strong, assertive, fall in love with a wonderful man, have babies, and do whatever God has planned for her. I want her to know that she can do this with, or without sight, and I want her to confident in who she is blind or sighted. I want her to be confident enough to dismiss any man who dismisses her because of her blindness, knowing that he wasn’t worthy or her. I want her relationships to be precious, positive, and life-long. I pray that when this is all said and done, her life is blessed by the choices that are being made on her behalf.
We hope that you will continue to pray for us as we wrap up the waiting phase of this eternally long process. We pray that all those we come in contact with will be encouraging and uplifting . If you have concerns or opinions, take them to the Lord, I’m sure He has a much better answer than I do. In closing, I’d like to suggest the advice that Thumper’s Father gave him in the movie “Bambi” If you can’t say something nice…Don’t say anything at all.
May 17, 2010
Mar 18, 2010
lil' lambs
Lambing season 2010 has been an emotional roller coaster for us. We purchased a small flock of sheep from the previous property owner, and they ere already bred at the time we took over ownership. So, we had no control of who was going to have babies, and how many babies they were going to have.
The first ewe to give birth had twins, and made it look easy. She took care of both of her babies right away, and they grew healthy and strong. It certainly wasn’t a sign of things to come. The second ewe became very ill with toxemia, which is similar to diabetes in pregnant women. We lost both her and her twins. Each eve that gave birth from that point forward either rejected one of their babies, if they had twins, or had health problems. In the end, we lost four ewes, had four stillborns, and lost one newborn at two days old.
The two day old we lost was one we were attempting to bottle raise because it’s mother had rejected it. It was our first experience with a rejected baby and we probably steppen in too late to help the little guy. When he died, I took it very hard and blamed myself for not intervening sooner, but we didn’t know to do that at the time. I was so upset that I said I was never going to attempt to bottle raise anther one. Sure enough, Chris comes in the next morning with this little guy that no will claim. He was just out in the middle of the pasture all alone. I was thinking “Funny Lord..real funny.. I don’t want to do this again!!”. I had no choice though because we weren’t even sure who his mom was. Ironically, I seemed to have the “magic touch” to get them started sucking on the bottle, so not getting attached wasn’t an option for me. So many prayers were spoken right out loud over that little guy. Lambs have to be fed every 2 hours during the first week of life, so we watched the old Daniel Boone TV series on DVD to entertain ourselves as we cared for the lambs, and that’s where Mingo got his name. Mingo was the Indian friend of Daniel Boone, and that was the name we chose for our new lamb.
`Twelve hours later we had another very ill ewe give birth to twins. The first was stillborn, but the second was alive. She was very wek though, and again, would need to be bottle fed. Again, I was very fearful that we would lose her because she was so weak, and she took a lot longer to learn to walk than the other lambs did. A ton of praying and turning her over to the Lord and surrendering my will to Him, and learing how to let Him handle it. Her name is Izzie, and it came from the Daniel Boone series too. We named her after his son Israel. So, now God had given me two lambs to raise, and what a job it was!
We keep our bootle lambs in the house because we don’t really have a proper barn yet. So, we put diapers on them, and we feed them with baby bottles. So, it’s a lot like having babies again!
We weren’t quite done yet though. We still had another baby to ad to the crew. Four days later, a set of twins were born, but the ewe didn’t want the second baby, so bottle baby number three joined our nursery. Bella was our largest baby, and she took to the bottle the fastest. She was, by far, the easiest of the three to bottle raise because she loves to eat. I have never had to worry about her not eating enough!
The babies are about a month old now, and still inside with us. We’re working on introducing grain, but they much prefer their bottles of milk. We’ve spent may nice afternoons outdoors, but they prefer a blanket and pillow to hay, hooves down. They are very attached to us, and think their world is coming to an end if we’re not in their sight. They like to be massaged before they go to sleep at night in their playpen.
What does this have to do with the adoption process? Well, more than you might think. This was an ominous task that I was afraid of because of the loss of the first lamb. I can’t do something like this half way, that’s just not me. So, God pushing me back into the pool forced me to rely on Him and just go for it. We just jumped in and did it, and we’ve all survived.
It’s going to be the same with the adoption. There will be hurts, frustrations, and tears. I’m sure I’m going to feel like I’ve failed and want to give up and God’s going to have to push me right back in the pool again. I will remember and lean on this experience as inspiration when times are touch. The bottom line is this though… Without God’s help I can’t do it, and that’s a fact!
The first ewe to give birth had twins, and made it look easy. She took care of both of her babies right away, and they grew healthy and strong. It certainly wasn’t a sign of things to come. The second ewe became very ill with toxemia, which is similar to diabetes in pregnant women. We lost both her and her twins. Each eve that gave birth from that point forward either rejected one of their babies, if they had twins, or had health problems. In the end, we lost four ewes, had four stillborns, and lost one newborn at two days old.
The two day old we lost was one we were attempting to bottle raise because it’s mother had rejected it. It was our first experience with a rejected baby and we probably steppen in too late to help the little guy. When he died, I took it very hard and blamed myself for not intervening sooner, but we didn’t know to do that at the time. I was so upset that I said I was never going to attempt to bottle raise anther one. Sure enough, Chris comes in the next morning with this little guy that no will claim. He was just out in the middle of the pasture all alone. I was thinking “Funny Lord..real funny.. I don’t want to do this again!!”. I had no choice though because we weren’t even sure who his mom was. Ironically, I seemed to have the “magic touch” to get them started sucking on the bottle, so not getting attached wasn’t an option for me. So many prayers were spoken right out loud over that little guy. Lambs have to be fed every 2 hours during the first week of life, so we watched the old Daniel Boone TV series on DVD to entertain ourselves as we cared for the lambs, and that’s where Mingo got his name. Mingo was the Indian friend of Daniel Boone, and that was the name we chose for our new lamb.
`Twelve hours later we had another very ill ewe give birth to twins. The first was stillborn, but the second was alive. She was very wek though, and again, would need to be bottle fed. Again, I was very fearful that we would lose her because she was so weak, and she took a lot longer to learn to walk than the other lambs did. A ton of praying and turning her over to the Lord and surrendering my will to Him, and learing how to let Him handle it. Her name is Izzie, and it came from the Daniel Boone series too. We named her after his son Israel. So, now God had given me two lambs to raise, and what a job it was!
We keep our bootle lambs in the house because we don’t really have a proper barn yet. So, we put diapers on them, and we feed them with baby bottles. So, it’s a lot like having babies again!
We weren’t quite done yet though. We still had another baby to ad to the crew. Four days later, a set of twins were born, but the ewe didn’t want the second baby, so bottle baby number three joined our nursery. Bella was our largest baby, and she took to the bottle the fastest. She was, by far, the easiest of the three to bottle raise because she loves to eat. I have never had to worry about her not eating enough!
The babies are about a month old now, and still inside with us. We’re working on introducing grain, but they much prefer their bottles of milk. We’ve spent may nice afternoons outdoors, but they prefer a blanket and pillow to hay, hooves down. They are very attached to us, and think their world is coming to an end if we’re not in their sight. They like to be massaged before they go to sleep at night in their playpen.
What does this have to do with the adoption process? Well, more than you might think. This was an ominous task that I was afraid of because of the loss of the first lamb. I can’t do something like this half way, that’s just not me. So, God pushing me back into the pool forced me to rely on Him and just go for it. We just jumped in and did it, and we’ve all survived.
It’s going to be the same with the adoption. There will be hurts, frustrations, and tears. I’m sure I’m going to feel like I’ve failed and want to give up and God’s going to have to push me right back in the pool again. I will remember and lean on this experience as inspiration when times are touch. The bottom line is this though… Without God’s help I can’t do it, and that’s a fact!
Feb 1, 2010
Unworn Clothes.
With all this seemingly endless waiting discouragement has a way of creeping in when I least expect it. Today, it found its way into my heart through some used clothes.
Cleaning out the kid’s clothes is a yearly chore I dread. It seems to come up so fast! Before I know it, another year has gone by and the revolting prospect of cleaning out closets is again nagging at me. As I sort through the boy’s clothes, I see stains, holes, wrinkles, and maybe a few forgotten shirts that still have tags stuffed in the back of the closet. There are the usual moans and groans when they are made to try on pants and shirts to see what still fits and what is to be discarded. There are the negotiations and pleading when a favorite shirt is so worn out that it is declared fit for nothing but a rag. Half way through, I am tempted to take an overdose on Niquil and go to bed. My strategy to combat this is to empty the contents of their closet on my bed. Thus, the project must be finished that day. What a relief when it’s done!! Though I did find that JC snuck a sweatshirt declared “too small” for him back into his closet after all was said and done. He said “Grandma bought if for me and I had to rescue it from the horrible fate of going to the Good Will!” So, I pick my battles and chose not to die on that hill. At least not this year anyway.
Today however, the task of cleaning out *W*s clothes was very discouraging for me. She didn’t have too many clothes. Most of the clothes we had for her were given to us, or were purchased at garage sales. What she did have was special to me though. She outgrew an entire size of clothes and she wasn’t even here to wear them. I was trying to feel detached from this chore, like it didn’t matter. After all, they are just clothes. Nothing super special about them, but packing them up made me feel sick inside. It made me feel hopeless and very frustrated. It made me feel like I’m playing house. Am I waiting for a child who is never going to come. As I was sorting through the current size clothes and hanging them up I was wondering if next year I’d find myself doing this very same thing again. Did I have what it takes to withstand that long of a wait?
I get so tired of answering the questions about why she isn’t here and what is taking so long. Then there are the insinuation that we (meaning me) might be the problem. Despite what everyone says, deep down inside I know they wonder about my vision being the issue that is holding things up. No matter how oftern I say that it’s not just us, I’m not sure that really sinks in.
I’m really angry at Thailand for holding up this process and being lazy and not working hard to help get these kids adopted as quickly as possible. I’m frustrated with our agency for not advocating as much as I think they should on our behalf. I’m also feeling abandoned by God right now. I know it’s me. I’ve really slacked off on praying about the adoption because I’ve tried to protect myself from any more pain. I’ve questioned everything we thought we heard from God going into this whole process. Did we misunderstand? Were we wrong? In our eagerness to do what we thought was a great thing for God, did we miss Him altogether?
I wish I could think of something clever and cheery to say to end this post, but it’s not in me tonight. I have a very heavy heart, and that’s where it’s going to have to stay for now.
Cleaning out the kid’s clothes is a yearly chore I dread. It seems to come up so fast! Before I know it, another year has gone by and the revolting prospect of cleaning out closets is again nagging at me. As I sort through the boy’s clothes, I see stains, holes, wrinkles, and maybe a few forgotten shirts that still have tags stuffed in the back of the closet. There are the usual moans and groans when they are made to try on pants and shirts to see what still fits and what is to be discarded. There are the negotiations and pleading when a favorite shirt is so worn out that it is declared fit for nothing but a rag. Half way through, I am tempted to take an overdose on Niquil and go to bed. My strategy to combat this is to empty the contents of their closet on my bed. Thus, the project must be finished that day. What a relief when it’s done!! Though I did find that JC snuck a sweatshirt declared “too small” for him back into his closet after all was said and done. He said “Grandma bought if for me and I had to rescue it from the horrible fate of going to the Good Will!” So, I pick my battles and chose not to die on that hill. At least not this year anyway.
Today however, the task of cleaning out *W*s clothes was very discouraging for me. She didn’t have too many clothes. Most of the clothes we had for her were given to us, or were purchased at garage sales. What she did have was special to me though. She outgrew an entire size of clothes and she wasn’t even here to wear them. I was trying to feel detached from this chore, like it didn’t matter. After all, they are just clothes. Nothing super special about them, but packing them up made me feel sick inside. It made me feel hopeless and very frustrated. It made me feel like I’m playing house. Am I waiting for a child who is never going to come. As I was sorting through the current size clothes and hanging them up I was wondering if next year I’d find myself doing this very same thing again. Did I have what it takes to withstand that long of a wait?
I get so tired of answering the questions about why she isn’t here and what is taking so long. Then there are the insinuation that we (meaning me) might be the problem. Despite what everyone says, deep down inside I know they wonder about my vision being the issue that is holding things up. No matter how oftern I say that it’s not just us, I’m not sure that really sinks in.
I’m really angry at Thailand for holding up this process and being lazy and not working hard to help get these kids adopted as quickly as possible. I’m frustrated with our agency for not advocating as much as I think they should on our behalf. I’m also feeling abandoned by God right now. I know it’s me. I’ve really slacked off on praying about the adoption because I’ve tried to protect myself from any more pain. I’ve questioned everything we thought we heard from God going into this whole process. Did we misunderstand? Were we wrong? In our eagerness to do what we thought was a great thing for God, did we miss Him altogether?
I wish I could think of something clever and cheery to say to end this post, but it’s not in me tonight. I have a very heavy heart, and that’s where it’s going to have to stay for now.
Jan 12, 2010
Feeling Encouraged!
I spoke with one of the social workers at WACAP yesterday, and it was a very encouraging conversation! She said that the Thai social worker had stated that our case, along with 2 other families were on the top of her priority list! This may not seem like much, but to us it is HUGE!! It is the most specific indication we have had that she is working on updating *W*s paperwork. We have no specific time frames, and we are still very open ended time wise. This news is better than no news though, so we'll take it and be thrilled!
May 20, 2009
Paperwork, Paperwork, and more.....Paperwork!!
Things have been quiet for quite a while, and then the flood gates opened again! We are in the process of gathering our Dossier paperwork. The Dossier is a collection of documents that will be sent to Thailand. Included are certified marriage and birth certificates, certified copies of tax returns, bank statements, employment letters, etc. We also have to include letters of recommendation, and pictures of the house and our family. I'm just about finished gathering everything! Once we send the Dossier to Thailand, they will then be able to update *W*s file and send the updates back to our adoption agency. We will then sign more paperwork and return it to Thailand. Thailand will then send us an invitation to travel. I'm praying it's before the end of this year!We're still working on raising money for the rest of the adoption expenses. We are feeling led to take the boys with us to Thailand. Both Chris and struggled with this at first. We had concerns for JC's health, but we have a peace about taking him with us. We will just be extra careful and take precautions to help him stay health. Our other concern is finances. God knows what we'll need to make this work, and He's in charge! We feel that *W*s adjustment will be much easier if she meets her brothers right away. She is used to being with children, so it should be easier for her. I think it will be much easier for the boys too. When we approached them about going, Nick was SO EXCITED! JC was much more reserved. He's been much quieter and more reserved throughout the whole process. He's a lot like his daddy. He stands back and observes, and doesn't show much emotion either way. I'm really at peace now that we've decided to take the boys with us. We are a family and this is a family process. I think they really need to be a part from the very beginning. There's also the value of experiencing a different culture. I think it help the boys connect with their new sister if they see where she has lived for the first 6 years of her life. Please continue to pray for us as we journey towards becoming a family of 5!
Mar 5, 2009
Our Home Study is DONE!
Our home study is complete! It's a miracle! Endless hours of paperwork and interviews have finally come to an end! Well, at least for right now. I had to read and proof the home study last night. It took over 2 hours. I'm glad I didn't have to write it, that's for sure. WACAP will now proof the study and advise us of any changes they wont made. The study will then be notarized and our daughter will officially be placed on "hold". We will then apply to immigration, which takes 6-12 weeks. Then we gather MORE paperwork and send that along with the home study and immigration approval to Thailand. Next we wait.... Thailand will send us an invitation to travel! We're praying for a summer travel date, but God is ultimately in control. He has the entire process in his hands.
In the meantime, JC is doing much better! No tummy pain at all today! He's been his happy, crazy, energetic self all day long. Adjectives are throwing the boys for a bit of a loop. JC is really struggling with the whole concept. So much so, that it seems he has forgotten what a subject and verb are too! Today was a long day for all of us! Hurbie was a happy camper though. He hasn't been able to go outside and play ball for days because of the snow and ice. (Yes, 4 inches of snow, in GEORGIA, in MARCH! Global warming is hard at work:o). Hurbie was raised in Florida, so he'd never seen snow. Let's just say that he could have gone his entire life without seeing snow. He was "high steppin" and not happy. He has a need to run after a ball every day. The rest of us also have this need because he will drive us nuts if he doesn't get some exercise! Chris's favorite line about Hurbie is "That's not proper guide dog behavior". I think he's absolutely adorable! Well, most of the time anyway....
In the meantime, JC is doing much better! No tummy pain at all today! He's been his happy, crazy, energetic self all day long. Adjectives are throwing the boys for a bit of a loop. JC is really struggling with the whole concept. So much so, that it seems he has forgotten what a subject and verb are too! Today was a long day for all of us! Hurbie was a happy camper though. He hasn't been able to go outside and play ball for days because of the snow and ice. (Yes, 4 inches of snow, in GEORGIA, in MARCH! Global warming is hard at work:o). Hurbie was raised in Florida, so he'd never seen snow. Let's just say that he could have gone his entire life without seeing snow. He was "high steppin" and not happy. He has a need to run after a ball every day. The rest of us also have this need because he will drive us nuts if he doesn't get some exercise! Chris's favorite line about Hurbie is "That's not proper guide dog behavior". I think he's absolutely adorable! Well, most of the time anyway....
Mar 3, 2009
Amazing Grace
On Thursday evening, JC came to me complaining of a tummy ache. I didn't think too much of it as we were recently exposed to the stomach bug that's going around. So, I prepared for what I thought was going to be a long night of the dreaded stomach bug. Well, the symptoms never came. By Friday afternoon, he was in more pain and couldn't even walk upright anymore. We rushed him to Barrow County Hospital E/R. They did an x-ray and saw a blockage in the small intestine. He was rushed to Children's at Emory by ambulance at 3:30 A.M. Chris was with JC and I was home with Nick. Chris and I were on the phone together throughout the night.
Once at Children's, JC's treatment moved very slowly. He did not receive his first dose of oral medication until 11:00 P.M. Needless to say, we were very frustrated with the very slow treatment he was receiving. The medication that they ordered for JC was supposed to add water to the intestines allowing the blockage to pass. This sounds great in theory, but the medication smells awful and tastes worse. We called it stinky skunk juice. JC could not keep the medication down. This caused us more frustration because the resident was completely incompatent. I had to insist that they prescribe an anti nausea medication to help him keep the medication down. We were really concerned that JC would need surgery.
When JC was born he had an intestinal blockage. He had surgery when he was less than 24 hours old. At one year of age, he had a repeat blockage and was very ill. It was one of the worst times in our lives. JC couldn't eat or drink, and they placed a tube through his nose down into his stomach (NG tube). He was so sick and sad. The blessing in all of it is that he was so young, he doesn't remember.
JC is now 11, so we haven't had a bowel issue for 10 years. When we found that he had another obstruction, we just couldn't stand the thought of him having to go through all that again. We pleaded with God to have mercy on JC, and He did! The obstruction had passed by Sunday morning! His x-ray was totally clear and he went "' #2" 3 times! He hates that his going potty has become public news, but we can't keep silent about what God has done!
Chris and I were in Ron Riley's Sunday school class for several years. One of the things that Ron impressed upon us was that we are never to rob God of His glory. So, we praise God for our son has had a healing touch from the Great Physician!
As JC continues to battle CF, God will continue to be faithful. When JC was born, my dad was given a verse that we have claimed as JC's life verse. Psalm 34: Many are the afflictions of the righteous, BUT the Lord DELIVERS them out of them ALL! God has truly shown his amazing grace to us and we are truly blessed. JC came home from the hospital on Sunday afternoon, just in time to play in the snow! God is so good.
Once at Children's, JC's treatment moved very slowly. He did not receive his first dose of oral medication until 11:00 P.M. Needless to say, we were very frustrated with the very slow treatment he was receiving. The medication that they ordered for JC was supposed to add water to the intestines allowing the blockage to pass. This sounds great in theory, but the medication smells awful and tastes worse. We called it stinky skunk juice. JC could not keep the medication down. This caused us more frustration because the resident was completely incompatent. I had to insist that they prescribe an anti nausea medication to help him keep the medication down. We were really concerned that JC would need surgery.
When JC was born he had an intestinal blockage. He had surgery when he was less than 24 hours old. At one year of age, he had a repeat blockage and was very ill. It was one of the worst times in our lives. JC couldn't eat or drink, and they placed a tube through his nose down into his stomach (NG tube). He was so sick and sad. The blessing in all of it is that he was so young, he doesn't remember.
JC is now 11, so we haven't had a bowel issue for 10 years. When we found that he had another obstruction, we just couldn't stand the thought of him having to go through all that again. We pleaded with God to have mercy on JC, and He did! The obstruction had passed by Sunday morning! His x-ray was totally clear and he went "' #2" 3 times! He hates that his going potty has become public news, but we can't keep silent about what God has done!
Chris and I were in Ron Riley's Sunday school class for several years. One of the things that Ron impressed upon us was that we are never to rob God of His glory. So, we praise God for our son has had a healing touch from the Great Physician!
As JC continues to battle CF, God will continue to be faithful. When JC was born, my dad was given a verse that we have claimed as JC's life verse. Psalm 34: Many are the afflictions of the righteous, BUT the Lord DELIVERS them out of them ALL! God has truly shown his amazing grace to us and we are truly blessed. JC came home from the hospital on Sunday afternoon, just in time to play in the snow! God is so good.
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