Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!  We are truly thankful for your prayers and support!

We had a brief appointment at the hospital on Monday, so we were able to get Christopher's lab work completed while we were there (instead of going in on Monday, 11/28). Nurse Bob called the next day with an excellent report.  Thank you for your prayers! May God receive ALL the glory. 

The doctors feel that Christopher's levels are stabilizing which gives us a longer window of time (a few extra months) until the kidney transplant without having to use dialysis. If he does need dialysis temporarily until the surgery, Christopher would actually be emotionally fine to handle it. We are just trying to skip this step if possible.  There are a couple of levels that we are still trying to get within target range, so we would be grateful for your prayers. He continues to feel great!

Yesterday marked the 4th year for Operation Thanksgiving Turkey at our church.  The crew smoked 300 turkeys this year!  They started with 40 the first year. These delicious turkeys are delivered with a bag of groceries and a yummy pumpkin pie to families in need.  Our whole family was able to serve yesterday (carving turkeys and delivering).  Our son Cody really enjoyed himself.  They like for a male to accompany females on deliveries, so he made deliveries with two beautiful young moms and their children all day.  He stated that he "had it made riding around all day with two foxy mamas".  You have to know Cody. What are we going to do with him?  Anyway, CG worked until 2:30 pm, and then headed to Samaritan's Purse in Charlotte with a group to help prepare shoe boxes for shipment.  We are so grateful that all of our kids have servant's hearts. 

We are heading to Chester shortly to spend Thanksgiving at my parents, so I need to sign off and get packed.  Thank you again for following us on our journey.

Plan B

I actually can't believe it has already been a week since our last post.

Where do we begin... 

First of all, as disheartening as it was to hear that Greg was unable to proceed with the surgery, we truly know that God is in control and has a plan.  This news especially was difficult for Greg.  Men are "fixers", and he couldn't "fix the problem" himself.  But we both realize that His ways are not our ways, and He sees the whole picture.  We only see what is in front of us.  I just keep imagining the Holy Spirit flowing and working all around us in ways we cannot see nor imagine through this whole situation. He uses all circumstances for His purposes and His glory.  He has the master plan, and we just have to trust that His plan is best.  Our idea of "best" is different from His "best".

We have several people that are starting the health screening process as potential donors.  There are no words to express how grateful we are for these amazing people who are considering something so selfless for our child.   We will not be involved with their screening process, so please pray for these individuals and their families.

On a different note, Gracie's soccer team won their first round for the State Cup last night in Rock Hill.  We are so excited for them. The next and final round will be the weekend of December 17-20.  If they win the next game of the State Cup, this will automatically place them as a "Premier" team.  In layman's terms, that is the top category for club soccer.  Gracie is still floating from last night's win:-)

Prayer  & Praises:
- Pray that Christopher continues to do well.   
-Pray for the individuals going through the health screening process.
- We praise God for how Christopher has responded to this whole process.  God created him with this amazing sweet spirit. We know that God will use all of these experiences as Christopher's personal testimony one day. He realizes that everyone has something in their lives going on, whether it is physical, emotional, or mental (or all three).   He knows that he is faced with a bigger challenge than some people may be facing, but he also realizes that there are many more people facing challenges more dificult than him.

Results from CAT Scan

We did hear from the hospital this morning. Greg is unable to be Christopher's donor. Greg's kidneys are small and since his creatinine level is a little high, they feel donating a kidney would put him (Greg) at risk. While we are struggling with this news, we trust that God is in control. He has a plan. He had a plan before we knew a problem ever existed. His ways are best, and that is where trust and faith come in.

We are going to CMC today to pick up several donor packets. We have had many friends say they would be interested in being on "the list", and we are so grateful. At this point, the hospital will be able to schedule more than one potential donor for the health screening process. Reaching out to friends on this list isn't easy, but again, we have to trust that God is in control.

Praise and Prayer Requests:
-Pray that Christopher continues to do well so he does not have to go on dialysis before his kidney transplant.
-Pray for the person that God has planned to be Christopher's donor. Make your perfect will be known.
-Praising Him that the waves of life no longer have a hold on us.

Still waiting

We still have not heard anything regarding Greg's reports from the CAT scan. Last Friday our contact person told us that they needed to order additional information from the scan that had not been sent over the first time. So, we wait... Meanwhile, Christopher continues to feel great, and we are continuing on with our day-to-day routines. We home school Christopher, so most of our days are filled with school work. CG, Gracie, and Cody home schooled through middle school, and they now attend Nation Ford High School (9th, 11th, and 12th grades). You would think that it would be quiet around our house during the day now, but do not be fooled:-) Between Christopher and his dog, there is never a quiet moment. Trust me. I will say, it is always nice to see our three teens walk through the door after school each afternoon. I could never get tired of having all four of our kids at home.

If Greg is unable to proceed, we do have a wonderful lady that has submitted her paperwork to go through the donor process. Hopefully one day I will be able to share her story.

We already know that God has a plan. He has assigned this journey for our family and Christopher for a purpose. As many of you know, it is through our trials that we experience God at a deeper level. He has revealed many truths through His Word over the past 12 weeks. We receive a devotional each day through email, and I printed a particular Bible verse over six weeks ago since it spoke to me so powerfully at that time. I would pray this prayer as I cried out to the Lord over and over. The same verse came across again this morning, and I think it is powerful scripture for someone to claim when distressed. It is Isaiah 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.
This verse is referring to the Israelites passing through the Red Sea, and also the protection He gave to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, in the fiery furnace. This scripture is a reminder that God will never forsake us. It says to me that though we go through pain, He is there. As we surrender to the pain, He will burn the flames that need not linger and not allow the pain to overtake us. The reality of our personal situation still can be painful, but for the most part we are learning to surrender this new "walk" over to Him. We are learning that Christ will guide us so that we can fulfill His perfect will and gain the strength necessary for each day. Matthew 11:28 tells us "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light". I feel that in the beginning, we were under this huge wave, and we couldn't even come up for air. Looking back, it was like the fiery furnace. We were under water for so long, but we didn't drown. He was with us under that wave giving us the very breaths we needed until we could get a firm place to stand. Yes, waves still come and pull us under, but we don't remain there for very long. God is good.

We completed our fall season last Saturday since the previous weekend was rained out. I wanted to post a couple of cute action shots that the VSO photographer (Andy Majors) took of Christopher during one of his games to use as examples for some of his work.

Check out the tongue in both pictures. Christopher means business. FYI- Christopher wanted me to notate that he was on the "blue" team this past season, The Crew. The gold team was short on players that day so a few of The Crew helped them out.

Reports

Christopher's lab work came back favorable again today. The levels we have been watching are continuing to aim towards the target ranges. His next appointment is set for November 28. He is only going in once per month for blood work. Thank you for your continued prayers.

We did find out today that Greg's CT scan reports will not be ready until early next week.

We have two friends that lost loved ones over the past couple of days. One friend lost her brother in a car accident, and the other friend lost his mother. Lift these families up in your prayers.

More updates & fun fall pics

It seemed like we were at the hospital all day, but it was only three hours. We met with one of the head nephrologists for 1 1/2 hours, and then we met with Christopher's doctor and nurse. Our first appointment went over many of the same details as previous appointments, but it still is a little heavy to hear. Thankfully, we have already processed most of this information so we don't have to deal with it at the same level as before. Christopher sat in the lobby and watched a movie during the majority of the first appointment.

We did find out today that Christopher's medical team will not be meeting to discuss his surgery until three more weeks. So, we will not find out a surgery date until the end of November. The doctor stated today that Christopher's type of kidney disease could be stable for quite a while. That is always encouraging for us to hear. Christopher's body outgrew his kidneys very slowly, so they realize his condition will not change too quickly.

We have not heard results from Greg's CT scan. Hopefully we will hear something tomorrow. We will receive Christopher's lab results from today tomorrow afternoon.

Specific prayer requests:
- Begin praying for the surgeries, and that Jesus will guide the surgeon's hands.
- Pray for the kidney transplant following surgery to be a success with no complications.
- Pray for Greg (if it is God's will for him to be the donor). Pray for emotional, mental, and physical strength as he goes through this whole process
- Begin praying that Christopher stays clear from infections the first 3-6 months following the kidney transplant (the most critical time period).

I would like to end with saying that we do know that God is in control of this whole situation. This whole situation is way bigger than we are, and we are learning a deeper level of surrender. We appreciate your prayers more than you will ever know. Thank you!

I wanted to share a few fun pictures from this past weekend:

Our church hosted "Trunk-or-Treat" for the community on Sunday evening. It was a huge sucess. The 7th-high school, along with adult Sunday school classes and small groups hosted trunks with a specific theme.

The 6th graders didn't host a "trunk", so they went around and stocked up on candy. Check out these guys. Christopher isn't the "costume kind of guy".

Christopher organized his candy on our kitchen table. Too funny.

Cody's group theme was 101 Dalmations.

Gracie's group theme was the Angry Birds (apparently an IPOD game)

CG's group theme was "Moses and the Red Sea". CG was Moses. Wow. I didn't realize Moses was so care free. I did observe that the younger kids were a little reluctant to get candy from this "interesting" group:-)

We try to have all four children carve pumpkins each fall. I am still trying to figure out what happened to the traditional jack-o-lantern. From left to right: Gracie- Go Clemson!; Christopher- Pac-Man; Cody- Mario never quite made the "cut"; CG- no explanation:-)