Peace and Strength...

"Honor the Lord, you heavenly beings; honor the Lord for his glory and strength. Honor the Lord for the glory of his name. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness." [Psalm 29:1-2]

So many times throughout this journey I have relied on David's words through out the Psalms to lift my eyes...and talk about an opportunity to see the authenticity and transparency of a life in relationship with God. His heart cries, his joy, his plea, his worship, his struggle, his encouragement, his desperation, his hope, his surrender, his love for our God - His Strength and Peace!

And strength and peace is exactly what yesterday held! The reinforcements - Katie - arrived yesterday right before lunch, and what an awesome blessing she has been! The kids were so excited for her to come and hang with us for a couple of days - especially Carter - as Katie has been there time and time again to watch the kids for Kel and I when we had small group, a date night, a dinner out, doctor's appointments, or just needed to get a way for an evening/afternoon! And when the procedure was moved up to last Friday, we never had the chance to get my mom and dad's place "set up" for us to stay here for a couple of weeks in the midst of our move! So, yesterday was day of organization and cleaning. Katie, Carter - who is an awesome helper at age 5 and one heck of a worker - and I set up the basement as the kids play room/tv room - allowing Kel the opportunity to relax/rest in the family room. We also worked at getting the bedrooms put together, especially the kids room! And man, what a difference 6 hours of sweat equity can make in a home! When we sat down to dinner last night - Katie made crock pot Lasagna that was awesome, and the first meal that Kelly felt good enough to enjoy - we were exhausted, but such a peace had come over Kelly and I, just with having the house set up! Of course we long for a place of our own, and will begin looking for houses again soon - but, finally, we are just able to take a deep breath here at the farm, and feel like we are somewhat comfortable and put together!

Kelly was feeling much better last evening, after a day spent on the couch watching "chick flicks" with good naps in between - or during! She still has a lot of incision pain, and we are worried it may be a little infected. Her nausea has subsided and she seems to be getting around a little easier, but it is still really painful for her to get up and down from a seated or laying down position. Unlike a C-section where the baby is in your arms after the surgery, the ongoing pregnancy and Jackson continuing to grow, do somersaults and kicks [Hallelujiah] there is so much added pressure to her incision and abdomen...and at times the pain just brings her to tears! They are tears of joy don't get me wrong - and Kelly will be the first to tell you that - but, the joy comes through the pain!

Today is going to be a full day, and please be in prayer for Kel's comfort and physical strength with all the driving, sitting, walking and just movement the day will hold! This is our first trip to the hospital since being discharged on Sunday and we are both anxious to see how Jackson is doing! We are so excited to see our team of doctor's and just have the opportunity to talk with and continue to learn with them! The schedule looks like this...

11:15 - Leave Dayton and drive to Magee Women's Hospital

12:30 - Lunch with Kathy (who is bringing us meals organized by/through our small group from NorthWay)

1:30 - Appointment to have Kelly's staples removed and to check her incision

2:30 - Ultrasound

3:00 - Echo and meeting with Dr. Speer and Dr. Sherman

5:30 - Hopefully, back home here at the farm - with great news to share!

I will try to update the blog later this evening...but please be in prayer through out the day! Many of you have been asking in what "specific" ways you can be praying for us, and again I would plea with you to be praying for Kel's pain and incision, and just the strength/peace and comfort to get through our day! Pray for healing upon Jackson's aortic valve following the procedure - as we hope to know more about his valve following our echo/meeting this afternoon! And stand firm on the Truth found in Romans 8 that "the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." [Romans 8:26-28]

And continue to worship and praise His Name - the Name of Jesus - that He Loves, Lives and is always there for us! He was, is and is always going to be our Rock, Refuge and Rescue!

All Eyes on Jesus!