God is faithful!

Greg, Christopher, and I went on a tour of the hospital Wednesday morning, and we had a wonderful, upbeat visit.  Another answered prayer.   Our tour started on the 8th floor (Progressive Unit) which is where Christopher will stay on the 17th when he goes in for pre-op work (blood work, x-rays, etc) the day before surgery, as well as when he gets out of  the PICU.  The rooms are actually roomy, and the colors in the hallways and rooms are bright and cheerful.  The Child Life Specialist giving us the tour told Christopher he could even hook up a Wii to the plasma TV in his room.  Now we're talking:-)  We then traveled down to one of the PICU rooms on the 6th floor, which is where he will be the first couple of nights following his surgery. The PICU room is set up a lot like the progressive floor rooms, but only two people are allowed in this room.  Greg and Gracie will take those spots for the most part.  Gracie plans on becoming a pediatrician, so medical settings and procedures are very comfortable for her, not to mention she is Christopher's second mom:-)  She has already planned on taking two days off from school. CG and Cody will fill in when Greg is visiting with me (hopefully not too much...I have told him to remain with Christopher!).  We were surprised to find out that Christopher will be allowed to have visitors once he is on the progressive floor, as long as they are well.  We were so grateful for such a positive experience!

I will be with Christopher until I report for surgery early on the 18th.  They plan on letting us see each other  once again prior to surgery.  I will also be able to visit with him the next day.  He should be sleeping most of the first day.  We have been told that patients usually don't remember a lot about the first day.

Thank you for your continued prayers.  Prayer is powerful, and we are certainly living evidence of His power, strength, and mercy.  I can't even explain how difficult the first four months of this journey were.    Despair.  Grief.  Fear.  The depths were too low for me to even try to describe.  Deeper than I have experienced my entire life.  BUT God.  But God made His presence known everyday.  He kept me strong, even when I would cry out that I wasn't equipped for this journey. I told God quite often, "I can't do this!" I remember thinking that I had never been placed in a situation where I didn't have a choice.  I had no control, and that was scary. As dark as those days were, I could always see His hand so powerfully guiding and gently prodding us to take one day at a time.  One moment at a time.   My time spent in His Word kept me grounded.  Seven months later, I feel closer to Him, and I feel my eyes have been opened more to His Word.  As we sit 2 1/2 weeks away from surgery, I have a peace that cannot be explained.  No despair.  No Grief.  No Fear.  Only God.  I truly am seeing Philippians 4:6 come to life.  "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." 

We have seen prayers answered right before our eyes throughout this new journey.  We are so grateful.  I will continue to list specific prayer requests.  Matthew 18: 19-20 tells us, "Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.  For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."

Specific prayer requests:
-Pray that Christopher is free from fear or anxiety leading up to the surgery, when he wakes up from the surgery, and during his stay in the hospital.  All of this will be new to him.
-Pray that the IV's and catheters don't become a source of anxiety for him, especially when he first wakes up.  The Foley catheter is typically a source of anxiety for males, so my prayer is that God relieves him of any anxiety and discomfort.
-Pray that pain is minimal and manageable. 
-Pray that his surgery is an immediate success.
-Christopher's immune system will be suppressed more the first three to six months following surgery.  Pray that he is free from infections and viruses that can set in during this time period.
-Pray for peace for Greg, our children, my mother, and father as they will have two of us in surgery.
-Pray that God's presence is so strong in the room during both surgeries that His glory isn't mistaken for anything else as the surgeons' hands become His guiding hands.  Above all else, May He be glorified through it all. 

If you would like to send Christopher a card while he is in the hospital, I will include the mailing address below.  Support is a huge part of recovery time!  He will arrive on Tuesday, April 17, and he will remain for 7-10 days.  See mailing/emailing information below:

Children's Levine Hospital
1000 Blythe Blvd
Charlotte, NC 28203
Attn. Christopher Pendarvis- 8th floor
or
You can email, and the Child Life Specialist will give them to him each day.  The link for email is http://www.levinechildrenshospital.org/ .  You click on "email a child" in the navigation tool bar to the right of the page.

I would love to journal in the very near future about Pendarvis family happenings and post some pictures.  At some point, we will read back on this journal to see all of the activity God provided during this special journey that we are on.  There is so much going on around our house, and I haven't had time to blog about any of them.  Some wonderful, and some not so wonderful...like Gracie's dog having puppies 6 1/2 weeks ago leaving me with taking care of eight dogs everyday (did I mention that I am not much of an animal person?)! By the way, that was a "not so wonderful" family happening.  It's not that I don't think they are adorable; they are just SO much work.  Work I hadn't planned into my schedule weeks before surgery.   I do believe that the Lord sends us distractions in different disguises.  He always knows what we need, and sometimes it is a distraction.  So, I can't complain too much;-)

Distraction one through five, number six is back there somewhere

Resting in His strength,
Mia

Happy 16th Birthday, Cody!

This past Sunday, our Cody Boy turned 16!   He is 6'3", and we don't believe he has stopped growing!  Cody is the youngest of our teen "triplets", as they are now 16, 17, & 18 (Crow follows four years behind Cody).  Cody is our guy that loves displaying his Michael Jackson moves, acting in plays, playing basketball, serving others, spending his entire summer going on mission trips, and he loves going to church and growing closer to the Lord.  Cody also sees the world from different eyes than most people.  He has such an innocence about him, and it is so refreshing.  He doesn't see or look for the "bad" in anyone and views everyone as his friend.  In fact, when I have asked him on several occasions where he has met certain friends, he has replied, "In the hallway at school".  Within two weeks of starting his freshman year at the high school, Cody had already tried out for a play (and made it), and campaigned for Freshman Senator (and won).  He certainly is a breath of fresh air in the corrupt world that we live in.  He has always been extremely undemanding, and our family wouldn't be quite the same without his funny sense of humor!  Happy Birthday Cody!



We celebrated Cody's birthday with Gamma and Paw Paw at a Japanese restaurant.  It was a lot of fun!  This is Cody with his "birthday sherbet" after they sang Happy Birthday!

Cody was getting a little frustrated with all the pictures his siblings were taking with their phones! 

Greg put "Happy Birthday Cody" signs at the high school on Monday morning.

Our very own Michael Jackson
Check out those moves people!

(Cody was "MJ" for the Halloween Bash this past October)

Cody's Baptism Day!
Greg had the privilege of baptizing Cody a couple of years ago.  Cody accepted the Lord at a young age, but he was baptized when he was 14.  What a beautiful picture! God is good!


I know this is coming from his mom, but Cody truly makes the world a better place! 



God is good all the time...

As of yesterday, we are five weeks away from surgery on Wednesday, April 18. It has been three weeks since our last posting, and time sure has flown by.  We are scheduled to go in on March 28 for Christopher to have a tour of the PICU and the pediatric floor so he will be familiar with the hospital.  He shouldn't have to do anything else in preparation for the surgery.  I was speaking with the nurse over the phone this past week, and he asked if I needed a tour of the adult floor.  I told him that I would pass on the tour; after having four babies I am quite comfortable with hospitals.  Actually, I literally have no anxiety regarding my part of the surgery.  I am so consumed with praying for Christopher that I almost forget that I am going into surgery as well:-)

Christopher continues to feel great.  His energy and appetite are unending; that in itself is remarkable considering he is having a kidney transplant in five weeks.  It is difficult as parents to realize that our child is going from feeling well to dealing with a major surgery, but we know God is in control.  Christopher turned 12 in January, and I can see him maturing every day.  He came home from his church small group last night sharing with me some wonderful truths he had not realized before in reading about the stoning of Stephen in the Bible.  As a parent, it is so rewarding to see your child get excited about God's Word!

All three teens are extremely busy, which keeps life moving in our household at a steady pace.  Gracie is playing soccer for the high school team which takes up most of her time outside of school, but she wouldn't have it any other way; Cody is in the school play which takes up a lot of his time, but he loves it; and CG is co-captain for the FCA at the high school, and he is busy organizing a Christian concert with speakers for the youth in the York County area, along with working at a local Chinese restaurant and selling at the local auction & flea markert to earn money for a mission trip to Israel this summer.  My, do I enjoy being the mother of these four!  God has blessed us so much!  They love the Lord, and they love people. 

We have a praise report for our oldest son, CG, a senior in high school.  He found out several weeks ago that he was accepted into the Darla Moore Business School at USC among a competitive pool of applicants.  In addition to being accepted into this program, he interviewed to be a part of the International Business of Chinese Enterprise program (IBCE) within the Darla Moore Business School/International Business program a couple of weeks ago, and he found out early this week he was accepted!  USC partners with the University of Hong Kong and only 20 students are accepted into the IBCE each year.  This program will have him studying at USC his freshman and junior years, but he will study at the University of Hong Kong his sophomore and senior years.  He will spend 14 months in China his sophomore year; they will be spending the extra months in intensive Chinese language studies.  Our family will go to a meeting with CG on April 14 for more information, and he will be able to meet the other students entering into this program.  Very exciting!  CG has had a special place in his heart for China since he was four years old.  To see God unfold this piece of the puzzle in CG's life has been exciting.  Spread your wings and fly, CG!

Gracie just texted to let me know that she was nominated for Palmetto Girls State for her high school!  CG attended Boys State last summer, and he really enjoyed it.  God is good!

We have had individuals and groups of people reach out to our family over the past months in different ways.  We truly are experiencing Jesus' hands and feet through brothers and sisters in Christ, and it is so comforting.  Blessings we certainly don't deserve, but we appreciate so much.  I believe the comfort I am experiencing comes from feeling His presence through these precious people since it is Him working through them.

We would appreciate our prayer warriors joining us in prayer in preparation for the upcoming surgery. Please see specific prayer requests below:

-Pray that Christopher is free from fear or anxiety leading up to the surgery, when he wakes up from the surgery, and during his stay in the hospital.  All of this will be new to him.
-Pray that the IV's and catheters don't become a source of anxiety for him, especially when he first wakes up.  The Foley catheter is typically a source of anxiety for males, so my prayer is that God relieves him of any anxiety and discomfort.
-Pray that pain is minimal and manageable. 
-Pray that his surgery is an immediate success.
-Christopher's immune system will be suppressed more the first three to six months following surgery.  Pray that he is free from infections and viruses that can set in during this time period.
-Pray that God's presence is so strong in the room during both surgeries that His glory isn't mistaken for anything else as the surgeons' hands become His guiding hands.  Above all else, May He be glorified through it all.

Thank you for your continued prayers!
Mia