Friday, August 18, 2006

Wow! What a week this has been! My original intention was to start school this week, but that didn’t happen. Everything else did! But it was a wonderful week! I can hardly wait to tell you the details of our appointment yesterday. It humbles me to think that my God loves me so much that He would answer my prayers in such specific ways as He did yesterday. And we are humbled even more that so many of you prayed so earnestly for us through this appointment. Many of you wrote at the exact time you were praying and knowing that you were praying gave us such incredible strength and ability to walk in faith, believing God for this appointment. Well, let me get the rest of the week’s news out of the way so I can share yesterday’s events with you. We had a very busy weekend last weekend. The kid’s got to go to the circus with Uncle Timmy and Aunt Keby and some of their other cousins. They had a great time as always. Sunday was a day of new beginnings for all the kids. Everyone went to a new Sunday School class in the morning. After Jonathan got signed in, I helped him get settled in his new class. When we walked in, I noticed all the boys in one of the class rooms with an older gentleman. I asked Jonathan if he wanted to go hang out with the other boys. He said yes and when we walked in the room, all of the boys said hi and called Jonathan by name. I was so thankful! It was such a blessing for me to see that. When we went to pick him up, he was sitting on the back row with all the boys and seemed to like his new class. I asked Jonathan during church if he had made some new friends. I asked him if he remembered some of the boy’s names. He named a couple of them that he remembered. After church that morning, one of those boys saw Jonathan and told him good-bye when he passed him. I talked to his father and found out that they had learned about Jonathan through Sunday School and had prayed for him. I continue to pray that God will give Jonathan some wonderful new friends at church and I’m thankful for those He has brought thus far. On Sunday afternoon, the kids all began choir for the first time. Elizabeth is in the Chapel Choir (High School), Sarah is in the Clarion Choir (Middle School) and Jonathan is in the Children’s Choir. Everyone had a great time. Jonathan did terrific! I thought I was going to stay with him for the first couple of weeks, but he made his way to the circle of boys in the choir and did perfectly fine without me. I peeked in on him a couple of times and he was sitting with all the other boys (on the back row) singing and having a great time. What another blessing! After church we went to a friend’s house for pizza. The kid’s were going to spend the night with Aunt Keby, but just before leaving, Jonathan had a fall and ended up coming home with us. It was probably providential because when I told him we were leaving, he was working hard not to cry, so it was for the best that he ended up coming home. He wants so badly to be able to do the things that the girls do, but sometimes he is just not ready. He cried quite a bit that night, but once we got him home and in bed, he slept almost the entire night, only waking up once. On Monday we spent the day at Hurricane Harbor with some of our family. We got to do this last year and had so much fun that we decided to do it again. There were a few more people there this year than last, but it was nothing compared to a normal summer day. Jonathan rode a couple of new rides and did really well for the most part. All the rides are so high up which makes the walk to the top very long for someone like him. He would start out well, but by the time he reached the top and then having to stand in line, he would be completely wilted. But once he hit the water it seemed to revive him. We all had a great day and enjoyed the time we got to spend together with our family. Tuesday morning finally brought us the phone call Jonathan has been anticipating and asking about for two weeks – His new glasses were in! So just as quickly as we could get to Plano, we went and picked up his new glasses. He loves them, of course, and is trying to read everything we put in front of him. They look good on him as well. He has bifocals now, so we are working on learning to read through those. We will go back in September to see if any changes need to be made, but so far, he is doing well with them. Later on that day, we got to spend a couple of hours at Main Event in Grapevine playing Laser Tag and eating pizza with the Starlight Foundation. We did not expect to get another invitation so quickly but we enjoyed another fun family event with them. We got to play two games of Laser Tag. Lamar played the first game with Jonathan and I played the second game. He did a very good job. Sarah scored the most points out of the entire group on both games. (Those of you who know Sarah are not surprised!) We had a great time and we are so thankful for all those who make that possible for families like ours. After Laser Tag, Jonathan went to his drum practice. Yes, this was quite a busy day! He did well there and was so proud to be able to show Mr. Brian and Mrs. Debbie his new glasses. On Wednesday, we got to spend some special time with our precious friends in the Worship Ministries at Lakeland Baptist Church. They were so sweet to give us a little farewell party and a gift at their fellowship time. We have been blessed to serve with some of the most incredible people in all of the body of Christ and it has been our privilege to be part of that special ministry. We will miss you but promise to drop in and keep in touch.
Well, let me share about our appointment yesterday. Many of you called and emailed words of encouragement that lifted me up and kept me from being overcome with fear and anxiety about this appointment. I spent a very emotional time with the Lord Thursday morning as I prayed about the appointment. During this time, the Lord confirmed to me again that He will completely heal Jonathan. I wept that God would answer me again so specifically. I claimed God’s promise in Prov. 3:5-6 and I asked God for another promise for the day. He gave me Is. 41:10 - Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.' I shared all this with Jonathan after breakfast and I had to really work hard to keep my emotions under control. I kept myself pretty busy during the morning, but I continued to fight a nervousness in my stomach. Lamar was able to rearrange his schedule and come with us which was such a comfort to me. We dropped the girls off at my parent’s house in Ft. Worth before heading downtown to Cooks. I was so nervous on the drive to Ft. Worth that I had to just shut my eyes and pray and meditate the entire way. As I was praying, the Lord brought another Scripture to my mind: Philippians 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. I found myself telling God all the reasons why I could be thankful for that appointment: It gives us another opportunity to bear witness of God’s miraculous healing power, it’s another opportunity to see God’s hand of control leading and guiding this healing process, it’s another opportunity to show God’s love and care and His power to answer prayer to so many who are praying for us, it’s another opportunity for us to trust in God and believe that He will be faithful to keep His promises. It really didn’t matter what happened, I knew that God was in control. I finally found that peace and was able to walk into the appointment without fear. Dr. McGlothlin visited with us for about an hour. We shared everything with him. He listened, asked questions, took notes, read through the medical records we had and looked at the CT and MRI films we brought with us. After examining Jonathan and talking with us, he said he thought he could help us with the sleeping issues. Instead of putting him through a sleep study, he had three medications he wanted to try. He explained each of them and gave me a prescription for one to start with. He only wants Jonathan to take half a pill each night and to take it about a week and then call and check in with him until we find one that will work for him. He watched Jonathan walk up and down the hall. He told me that he thought his balance was not really that bad. It is the week right leg, the way his foot turns out and he drags his toe that causes him to lose his balance. He said he has a partner who specializes in gait (walking) so the next time we come in (which will be in Nov.) he thought he would have him look at Jonathan and see what he has to say. So really, nothing major happened at this appointment, but let me tell you just how God answered my prayers. When I first began to contemplate finding a new neurologist, I made a list of some specific things I wanted to ask the Lord for in this doctor: 1) I wanted him to be a Christian – I don’t know if Dr. McGlothlin is a Christian, but Lamar said he was wearing a Cross ring like the one that Jonathan wears; 2) I wanted him to be gentle and kind – Dr. McGlothlin was a very soft spoken, gentle, kind man in the way he handled Jonathan; 3) I wanted him to be sensitive to Jonathan and his needs – When Dr. McGlothlin began to examine Jonathan he said to him, “I don’t have any shots for you.” Several times he reassured Jonathan with regards to what he was doing. Not only was he sensitive to Jonathan, but he was sensitive to my concerns and addressed them very specifically; 4) I wanted him to be able to explain and help us understand things – He explained everything very well and went over the films with us, answering questions, verifying things we told him that we remembered and helping us understand things we didn’t know; 5) I wanted him to only suggest test that were absolutely necessary – He never mentioned any tests, and suggested that we begin with the medication to help the sleeping improve. Isn’t God amazing? At the top of the page on which I wrote these requests several months ago, I have a part of Matt. 7:7-8 written out: “Everyone that asketh receiveth…” God’s Word never fails.
Once again, I am thrilled to be able to share with you God’s answer to your faithful prayers. I am so very thankful that you are on this journey with us. Now that the appointment is behind us, we need your prayers that one of the medications Dr. McGlothlin wants to try will be the exact thing that Jonathan needs. I got the prescription filled today and he has taken it for the first time tonight. As I sit here writing, he has woken up crying at least 3 times. With the Benadryl, it took 2-3 days before we began to see it help him, so we are giving it a few days before we make a judgment. Please pray that the medicine will work and that it will not interfere with his bladder control. Continue to pray for Jonathan’s walking to improve. Pray that Jonathan will adjust to his new glasses and that they will be a big improvement for him. Continue to pray for his weight loss and his eating. Also pray for all the kids and myself as we begin school next week. Thank God for His goodness and faithfulness and His answered prayers. We love each of you and thank God for you. Thanks for checking on us so faithfully. May God give you a blessed week ahead. We love you all.

Matthew 7:7-8 Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. 8 "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened.

No comments: