The Raft Trip - Memorial Box Monday

This story happened a little over a month ago...

we have a dear group of friends that we have known forever.

The guys went to college together,

we all dated around the same time (many double dates!),

were in each others weddings...

have rejoiced over new babies, wept over lost ones, prayed and prayed and prayed together over the years.

They are the friends who make it seem like no time has gone by and you can pick up right where you left off no matter how long it has been or what has happened in between...

I am such a blessed woman to have them in my life!

Well, a few years ago we started trying to camp together once a year.

This year we got together in Eastern, WA...a whole gaggle of us!

Four couples and nine children age 8 and under!

We cooked and talked and laughed and chased wild children and talked and talked some more...

all in this great campground nestled in by a sweet meandering river.

In the planning of the trip the guys got a wild idea to bring our raft, the one our friends filled up for us...in our living room last Christmas!

 

The river was a really mellow one...class I and II, it looked like something one would float in an inner tube.

So, the guys pumped up the raft and went down for a test float. They brought the "big" girls with them and it went so well that Ravenna was asking Doug, "Daddy when are the big rapids going to happen?"

So...we decided it was time for the Mamas and little ones to have a turn.

We had our friend Will at the helm and four Mamas with 6 little kids age 6-3.

Another Mom and I were in the front with Parker and Georgia and her son.

It was all totally calm.

So calm that we had the kids stand up and do a dance for the people we were passing on the shore,

so calm that I let Georgia dangle her feet over the side...

Totally calm and fun,

Except for one little corner...

Let me say that we have learned a lot from this trip, all kids DID have on helmets and life jackets but the one thing we did not have was a metal frame for our raft. Never again will we raft without one...but we just didn't know how important it would be.

So laughing and joking we began to round a corner of the river...

...it had a giant log jam on one side,

you know the kind that has about 12 logs all criss-crossed over and under each other at crazy angles?

 (the one we hit was bigger and more spread out)

Still, even seeing it I had no idea how fast the water was running on that particular corner.

Will told us to paddle backwards,

He yelled it loud...and louder.

Then it all happened.

We did not make the corner.

The raft hit a huge rootball straight on.

Did I mention that my friend and I were in the front?

there was a pause...

and then the boat buckled.

Water rushed over the side.

I looked to my right just as Georgia slipped out of the boat.

She was up to her neck in the water and going under...right under the root ball...fast.

I grabbed her life jacket and ripped her up and literally threw her to my friend behind me...

Just in time to see Parker up to his chin going under.

I grabbed him too and threw him as well.

Everything then happened in a blur.

All of the kids were evacuated to the closest log...miraculously they all sat still.

They were terrified and had incredibly fast rushing water flying right past them in front and behind as their feet barely dangled out of the reach of the water.

That is when I looked down and realized my foot was pinned in the raft.

I looked next to me and my friend was pinned up to her knees, both legs.

We could not move an inch and I could feel the pressure getting tighter and tighter by the second.

We had no idea what would happen, water was filling the raft and pouring over the side.

I honestly thought, "well Lord, this may be it."

There was this weird calm pause.

Then Will was back in the boat and somehow he reached down trying to pull the pinned part of the raft apart...and miraculously my foot slipped free and so did my friend's legs!

We scrambled onto the log with the kids.

I looked at my friend Pamela and said, "We need to pray." We prayed thanking God that He was there, praying that He would keep us safe and asking Him to be glorified in what was happening."

As soon as we said "amen"...literally the second we stopped praying,

the log broke.

I looked over and saw all 6 kids sink waist deep into the water.

Pamela screamed, "We have to get the kids off of here!"

We all sprang into action. The adults were sort of spread out at the front and back of the kids. So the middle section of kids had no help from adults.

They had to climb across another giant root ball...like rock climbing moves. One slip of the foot and they would fall into rushing water and be swept under the log jam.

Miraculously each and every child made it across...I still have no idea how.

Then, we came to the next log.

We had to cross two sections of waist deep (on me) rushing water to get them to a big log (as high as my shoulders), get them up on it and then somehow hoist them onto the high bank beyond and to safety.

I waded in and started hauling kids, knowing if they slipped from my hands, again they would be washed down under the logs.

Quickly we realized they could not sit on the high log alone. I somehow got on it (no idea how) and my friend Pamela climbed miraculously up onto the bank that was about to her shoulders. Somehow, as another friend ferried kids, I hoisted, pushed and Pamela pulled....we got every single child to safety.

Looking back it ONLY could have been the hand of God that held every foot and hand in place, that kept every child calm, that released my foot and Cheri's legs...only God that caused me to look right as Georgia and then Parker slipped under the water rushing to where we would not have been able to save them.

I do not know why it had to happen but I do know that it was only God that saved that day from complete tragedy.

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
    where does my help come from?

  My help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth. 

 

He will not let your foot slip—
    he who watches over you will not slumber; 

 indeed, he who watches over Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord watches over you—
    the Lord is your shade at your right hand; 

 the sun will not harm you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all harm —
    he will watch over your life; 

 the Lord will watch over your coming and going
    both now and forevermore.

Psalm 121

In my Memorial box? A little piece of wood that looks like a log to remind me that no matter how much it feels like my world is shifting around, God will keep my footsteps firm.

To read another amazing story of what God has done...check out Linny's Blog she's the incredible woman who started Memorial Box Mondays :)

 

Fragile Girl...

Well...

 We wouldn't want to stay away from the hospital for too long...

Miss Georgia spiked a 104 temp yesterday afternoon,

and was complaining of bad stomach pain around her belly button.

So, we got to hang out at the local ER where God did a pretty amazing thing!

We saw her curtain open and surprise!

Our amazing family doc happened to get called in to do rounds because they were so slammed (he does not work there often).

He just happened to grab the first chart in the pile, didn't even look at the name and walked into the room!

And there was Miss Georgia looking pretty punky.

Can I just tell you how amazing this is?

He is an AMAZING man who loves the Lord, is an elder at our church and part of the prayer team that has prayed for Georgia for years and knows her history so well!

It was SUCH a gift to see his kind face.

They were able to get her fever down some and we came home with her IV intact.

We are hoping she just has a crummy virus but they are also watching her for appendicitis and endocarditis too.

The doc kept saying "she is such a fragile girl" and in cases like this I am reminded of just what a gift she is.

Her little hear was racing so fast and she was so weak.

She is grumpy and fevery today so we will head back to her doc at 6pm to see where we go from here.

Praying it is just a virus for sure....

3 Amazing Years!!!!!

I woke up this morning to a bright eyed little girl crawling up in my bed for snuggles....

I cannot think of a better way to celebrate than lots of hugs and cuddles.

Holding her close,

celebrating 3 years of being in each others arms.

This little girlie that only a miracle saved,

she is a such a reminder to soak up everyday...

God blessed us far more than we could ever deserve when He kept her safe and moved mountains to get us to her in time!

Oh Georgia Mei..words honestly fail for what a gift you are to us...

So I'll borrow yours that you shower us with tons of times a day,

"I love you past the moon, past everything...except for God!"

The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.

Zephaniah 3:17

Parker's Thoughts....

This has been such a great week. It feels like the first time we are able to just soak up the summer!

We have played on the beach, picked raspberries, had yummy ice cream, sleepovers and stayed up way to late watching movies in the park!

At the end of each day I have this deep thankfullness for a simple summer day, for the laughter of my kids and how good life is.

That is just one of the gifts we are discovering on this side of things.

What are the others?

Well...I want to share one today that really deserves to stand on it's own.

I sat down with Parker the day after we found out about his diagnosis and explained to him the whole story...

How the doctors thought he might have had something that could make him go blind...

How thousands of people were praying for him...

About Albinism and what that will mean to him.

He looked up at me with those giagantic green eyes and said,

"You mean I could have gone blind?"

I nodded.

"Now I'm not going to?"

Again I nodded.

"And tons of people were praying for me?"

He then jumped up grinned and said,

"So I'm kind of like a walking miracle huh?"

later that day he snuggled up with me and said, "Mama, I'm so glad that all those people prayed."

Yesterday I overheard him telling his friends, "God has given me really special eyes and He has a plan for me with them."

Oh my heart.

I am so challenged that sometimes our struggles become the thing God can use the most. I so want to protect my children, to give them only joy, to shelter them from anything hard....

...and yet the Lord keeps reminding me that He is the one who has good plans for them, He is the one who created them and His plans come far before mine and are far more beautiful than I could ever imagine....

I can only begin to imagine how knowing people prayed and God came so close will affect Parker's whole life...oh me of little faith.

God is SO good.

I get the sense that through Parker's special eyes God is inviting us into something incredible....

My prayer is that our whole family will be forever changed.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29:11

Re-Emerging

  This is one of those times where I feel like there is so much on my heart, that the words are so close...but somehow they fail. Oh there is so much I want to say....
     During the last month when we thought that there was a very real possibility that Parker could lose his vision (and possibly more), I felt like we were living in an alternate reality. I would look around at families going about their days seemingly so simply, their kids so healthy and I felt like it was something that I could not grasp anymore. That reality had finally slipped through my fingers and along with it our whole reality was changing. I kept getting the image of being submerged in a pool. Did you ever do that when you were a kid? I used to love to go down under the water and look back up at the world. It felt so surreal to know what was up there but to have every sight and sound changed. That is exactly how I have felt for the last few weeks. We had been plunged into the deep end and there was no way to come back to the surface. I just could not make sense of, grapple with or fingure out how to be strong enough to walk the road that was unfolding before me.

The day before our appointment to find out Parker's diagnosis was a Sunday so we headed to church. In some ways I was really dreading it because I just could not stop the tears. At Parker's last round of testing, I was able to see his chart laying on the counter. It had a diagnosis on it that would have been progressing to blindness, deafness and battling diabetes. I was terrified.

As the music began, so did my tears and something in my heart finally broke flooding my emotions out...pouring out my fear and grief to God. I cried and cried and then cried some more stuck in a place of wanting to be strong enough and yet feeling like this was just too much, God had finally given us far too much.

Then, it came...a song that has spoken to my heart so many times. A song that made me love Fridays because the Elementary kids would have chapel and they would sing this song. I loved nothing more than to sneak into chapel and watch as my children sang about how God is stronger. If you are not familiar with it, the song is by Hillsong and some of the lyrics go like this:

There is love that came for us

Humbled to a sinner's cross

You broke my shame and sinfulness

You rose again victorious

Faithfulness none can deny

Through the storm and through the fire

There is truth that sets me free

Jesus Christ who lives in me

You are stronger, You are stronger

Sin is broken, You have saved me

It is written, Christ is risen

Jesus You are Lord of all

   As the words began to sink in to my heart, I looked over at Parker. He was in a different aisle because part way through the service he wanted to go and be front and center. There he was, looking so small, his blond hair shining...with his hands lifted in the air singing with all his might....and I heard the Lord whisper, "I have placed you on this road because you will care for Parker's passion. I will not leave you or forsake you. I will never let go."
   Slowly I began to see the road again, but this time I did not feel so alone. Yes, I still could not tell where it would lead but I knew who held my feet firm, and that those hands would never, ever let go." So, ever so slowly, I began to surrender. "Lord, I give you this journey...Lord, I give you the appointment tomorrow...Lord I give you my son." You know what happened? Once again, ever so slowly, peace began to seep into my soul. The fact that we had a scary appointment the next day did not change, where this road led was still un determined but I could look and see and stand again on the promises of the One who never lets go.
   So as we slowly re-emerge from the deep end, I feel like it is my vision that has been changed. Yes, we do have things to walk through which are different than we thought. There are things to rejoice in and some things that may bring grief. We now still have three children with significant special needs. Amazingly, the thing I feel the deepest is that sense of my feet being placed on solid ground. They are safe, I am safe come what may because I am held by One who never lets go.

I waited patiently for the Lord;

he turned to me and heard my cry.

 He lifted me out of the slimy pit,

out of the mud and mire;

he set my feet on a rock

and gave me a firm place to stand.

 He put a new song in my mouth,

a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear the Lord

and put their trust in him.

Psalm 40:1-3

Blessed

I read this this morning and it fits where my heart is right now. We walked so close to the edge once again but the Lord carried us. I feel like with all three kids we have been given the chance to peek into what 'could have been' for them...and it makes each day seem like a sweet, sweet dream....

This is part of Matthew 5 from The Message:

"You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.
4 "You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
5 "You're blessed when you're content with just who you are—no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought."

May you live today in the knowledge of just how blessed you really are.

So not what we thought...in a good way!

OH my goodness,

I am exhausted but want to write to thank each of you that prayed for us today!

Today was beyond miraculous.

Parker went through about an hour of tests,

and right before they normally do dialating drops the tech said that the doctor wanted to look at Parker's eyes first.

The doctor looked a Parker's eyes for about a minute, turned to us and said, "Yep, I'm sure I've got a diagnosis."

We both just stared at him for a minute...stunned.

Then he said, "He has Albinism and it is not progressive."

Then he left the room so the tech could get the dialating started...

Doug and I stared at each other in disbelief,

then held each other and wept for joy.

I think I am still stunned.

Our little guy has a mild form of Albinism.

The vision loss he has is permanent but it should not progress any farther!

He will have some genetic testing soon to figure out what kind of albinism he has and we will start meeting with a dermatologist periodically....

we will have to be very good about sunscreen, dark glasses and hats...

but the retinal specialist?

Wants to see him back in two years!

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen

Ephesians 3:20-21

Big Day...

When the appointments for Parker's eyes were scheduled it seemed like July 9th was so far away.

Well, here we are.

This afternoon we meet with the Retinal Specialist to talk about what he thinks we are dealing with in Parker's eyes.

In some ways I want to hurry up and be there and in others I am dreading sitting down to hear the news.

We could really use prayer.

Parker on the other hand just continues to amaze us.

The other day I found his journal from school tucked into his bed.

In reading through it I found this:

It says, "I will be joyful in hope as I wait for God to heal my sisters."

Yesterday, as we pulled up to church we saw a new little pagoda with some benches.

As soon as he saw it Parker shouted out, "Oh cool! A place to sit and talk about Jesus!"

He just amazes me.

I am learning to slowly surrender.

The Lord keeps whispering "I will never leave you or forsake you."

This may not be a road we have chosen,

or one we are strong enough to walk,

but God is strong enough.

He will be our strength.

Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you.

Hebrews 13:5



He did it!!!!!

I have a new hero....

and it is my son.

Today he honestly did what I am not sure I could have...

it was scary for him,

but whenever he was scared he asked me to pray.

The ERG tech said she has done this test on thousands of children and he was the 2nd 6 year old who has ever successfully done this test un-sedated.

It was so long and had 2 extra hours of retinal photos that we did not know about.

He sat on his knees holding absolutely still, focusing on one point, not moving for 4 1/2 hours total today.

I am beyond words proud of him.

 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,  to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen

Ephesians 3:20-22



I Stand Amazed

Thank you all SO much for praying!

Yesterday was long for sure,

but Parker was a total trooper.

He honestly amazes me.

He leapt, ran and giggled his way through the hallways like this was all the greatest adventure ever.

The test was hard for him.

It was with an adult machine so he had to sit up on his knees, holding perfectly still, keeping his eyes fixed on one point with his head in a machine for over an hour.

About halfway through he was ready to be done but he dug down deep and kept going.

At the end he gave the tech a big high five and leapt on his way!

He can hardly wait for tomorrow and his 'robot eyes'!

My favorite part of the day happened while we were waiting for our appointments.

He has been listening to Adventures In Oddessy and in one of the episodes there is a line where a man is trying to tell a not so scary ghost story and says, "there was a man without a head, no too scary, without a thumb...but nothing bad happened, he was just born that way, it was a genetic problem."

Interestingly, Parker has latched onto that line these last few days.

So yesterday he looked up at me and asked,

"Mom, what is a genetic problem?"

I told him that when we were formed in our Mama's tummy something in our genetic code made our bodies a little bit different.

He jumped up, eyes huge with excitement and said, "Like my blurry eyes?"

I nodded and said, "and the bones in my legs and feet that are turned different."

Then he asked, "What about Georgia's heart?"

"Yep."

"...and Ravenna's blood?"

"Probably."

He again stood up, pumped his arms in the air as if he had just scored a touchdown and said,

"Oh Mama...that's SO cool. What about Dad? If he has a genetic problem too we could change our name! Instead of the Miller family we could be the Genetic Problem family! That would be SOOOOO AWESOME!!!!"

Seriously.

I asked some of you to pray that God would preserve Parker's joy and innocence through this process....

and yesterday honestly seemed miraculous.

On the way home, it got me to thinking....

How often do I choose fear over joy? Why is it that I worry so much?

Parker walked through that whole appointment with complete trust, even celebrating his blurry eyes in the midst of it all, joyfully sitting still with numb feet even when he got tired.

I am humbled and amazed by my little son and find myself praying this morning that I can be more and more like him.

Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of  heaven

Matthew 18:4

Parker Update!

Thank you SO much for praying and for your kind words...

Parker with his latest invention!

We are definitely on a journey with our little guy,

grieving a lot and learning anew how to surrender and trust

that God is GOOD in the midst of this.

We are praying hard for complete healing of his vision

and also seeking the best medical help we can find.

Already God has been so faithful in coming near and encouraging us, showing us that we are not alone.

Last Monday I talked with Dornbecker (a Children's hospital in Portland, OR),

the intake gal said,

"I hate to tell you this but the Retinal Specialist are now scheduling appointments for 2013"

2013.

How could that possibly be? Some of the conditions that fall under Retinal Dystrophy can progress to blindness in 6 months.

If Parker is losing his vision we want to know so that we can pack everyday full of sights that he will never forget!

So again we wept and cried and prayed.

Two days later, I got a call from another lady from Dornbecker...

saying she looked at the schedule again and if we would be willing to do the visit in 3 seperate chunks she could get the testing done by July 9th!

So...next week will be a big one.

July 3rd Parker will go in for a comprehensive visual field test.

July 5th he will have an ERG (electroretinogram)

July 9th we will meet with the Retinal Specialist and a Genetic Counselor!

It is a scary road but we are SO thankful to be on our way at least to initial answers so quickly!

Thanks again for praying!!! Please keep it up!!!!



"Mama, I have Jesus to keep me safe..."

 There she lay, big brown eyes looking up at me as I re-tucked the wires of her heart monitor into their little pouch. Miss Georgia Mei with her heart full of love snuggled up in her soft pink blankies. As I leaned over to kiss her goodnight, she gently held my my necklace.
" What is this Mama?"
" It is a necklace that was Grampie Tom's. Grammie Pat gave it to me because she thought I would like it."
" Mama, it keeps you safe."
" Well...I wear it to remember Grampie Tom who I loved very much."
" Mama, I have Jesus who died on the cross to keep me safe."

Then, with those big earnest eyes focus intently on me she said,

" Jesus died on the cross and he promises to come in through our eyes. Then we see him on the inside....Mama he will do that for everybody who asks him to."

" Do you see him baby girl?"

"Oh yes Mama, on the inside all the time."

Then she nestled her head into her pillow and closed her eyes...
I leaned down to kiss that sweet cheek of the little girl who teaches me so much everday.

Memorial Box Monday - Protected

    Today I was sorting through some boxes in the garage and came across a bag that we still had not unpacked from the hospital 9 months ago...in there I found a letter that instantly brought me back to a story that I do not ever want to forget.

     This takes place on a very hot a sticky day in Guangzhou, China. We were on day 4 of our trip to China and day 3 with our newly adopted Georgia Mei. She was a very frail, weak 17 lb almost two year old. Looking back now, I had no idea how very sick she really was. We had traveled in a whirlwind to go and get her, getting the "go ahead" from our agency only the day before we traveled. If we had not gone with that travel group, it would have been at least a month before another group was going.

    So there we were, the Grandmas and I standing in the hallway of the medical clinic in Guangzhou, a very weak little Georgia limply laying against my chest as we waited our turn to go through the "medical exam" that every childs must pass to get their approval to enter the USA. Some of you already know this but Georgia had an unrepaired heart condition called Tetralogy of Fallot. Most children have open heart surgery for this condition within the first months of life and Georgia was just a few days shy of her 2nd birthday. At this point statistics get pretty grim for children of her age with this condition untreated.

    The US government had just recently put into place a rule stating that at the medical exam every child's vaccinations must be brought up to date....meaning kids were getting all of their shots in one day. I gripped the little red booklet from the orphanage listing Georgia's shot record knowing full well that they had stopped her vaccinations at under a year old because her heart was too sick for them. Tucked inside the booklet was a letter from our International Adoption Pediatrician and Cardiologist in Seattle. This letter asked the medical center to waive the shots because they could cause a "dangerous Tet spell during travel." A Tet spell is an incident where the child becomes very short of breathe, extremely blue (like a blueberry, face, hands, lips almost black sometimes) and can lose conciousness. In the few days we had Georgia so far, she had already had a handful of these spells (but had remained alert during them). The Cardiologist at home had told us that the only thing we could really do to help her was to pull her legs to her chest (constricting bloodflow) and try to calm her down. In the States, she would have been rushed by ambulance and given oxygen and medications right away. Here, we relied on cuddles and prayers.

     I had been told by other adoptive parents that so far no one had ever  been approved to waive their shots...every child had to be vaccinated. I counted and was pretty sure this would mean around 9 shots for Georgia. I held her close, tried not to cry and prayed. They called our name for the first examination (there are 3 stations). Our guide Maggie came with us and as I tried to keep Georgia calm the doctor listened and listened and listened to Georgia's heart for what felt like at least five minutes. He would listen and then take some notes and then listen some more shaking his head. He asked our guide if I knew that she had a serious heart condtion and she confirmed that I did. I took a deep breathe and asked her to ask the doctor to please waive her shots. I showed him the translated note from the doctors at home. He read the whole thing and shook his head.

   Maggie translated, "He says every child has to have shots, even heart babies, no exceptions." And we were ushered out of the room. At the hearing exam station, same thing. They were supposed to check her hearing but also listened to her heart (this is common for us now, every medical professional loves listening to Georgia's unusual heart!). So I asked again..., "no" and again at  the height and weight station, every person we came in contact with. All had the same answer, "Even the heart babies all must have shots."

My Mom holding Georgia while I went to the bathroom...

   So we stood in line, leaning against those white tile walls, trying to sooth Georgia who had cried hard at each 'station' and was looking pretty blue in the lips and face. I so badly wanted to just take her and run away from that hot, stuffy, medicinal place. Finally, we were next in line and I noticed a man standing behind the counter near the front of the office. I asked our guide if we could try one more time. I asked the families from our group to pray and we approached the counter. Our guide asked and the man behind the counter looked at the letter, shook his head "no" but then he walked away down the hallway towards the stations. About 5 minutes later he came back and in broken English gruffly said, "You...here!" and grabbed my elbow. What was happening???? I was terrified that I had upset the staff. He took me to an office and closed the door and through our guide said, "Do you promise to get her shots after her surgery?"

       ABSOLUTELY!!!!!! I could not believe it, somehow on the sixth try, God had done something to change the heart of this man! He had me sign a statement saying that Georgia was going straight to the hospital and that we would vaccinate her once her surgery was done. I walked out of that office realizing that I had just witnessed a miracle!

     Thank God sweet Georgia did not get those shots. A few hours later she had a massive tet spell in a McDonalds and lost conciousness...which (once we were Statewide) the doctors told us could have been fatal. I can only imagine what would have happened if those all those vaccines were in her system.

Our sweet protected Georgia Mei

You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance...

Psalm 32:7

In my Memorial Box? I will place that letter which I found today asking them to waive her shots...

A Memorial Box is a place to remember the things that God has done...to remind us when things are hard and to tell the stories to our children.

To learn more about Memorial Box Monday and read other amazing stories you can click

Memorial Box Monday...The Accident

Don't forget to check out the 'Coffee and Espresso Maker Give Away to help a family adopting from Uganda Click Here To See It!

     Wow....somehow I cannot believe that it is Monday already! Yesterday was such a beautiful day. I love being a Mama. This Mother's Day seemed to be on full saturation, vivid color all day long. I just want to savor it...the kids running in the yard with friends, sweet presents made by kids with big expectant eyes and sticky hands. Dumptruck races down the hill in our yard (yep, they rode in the Tonka trucks) .Hugs and hugs and hugs. And the best husband ever, more than I could ever dream of orchestrating it all. I fully believe this morning that the things we have to wait for, struggle for and trust the Lord for are by far the sweetest.
     Before I share my Memorial Box story, I have a Parker story I just have to share! One of the things Doug did for my Mother's Day was get the kids a new kiddie pool. He worked really hard and built a platform for it so that it won't get all yucky and is very stable for the kids. As he was working Parker pointed to the pool and asked, "Mama, what's this called?" I looked and him and said, "Well, it's a kiddie pool." His head dropped down and he said in a quiet, crushed voice, "I guess I can't go in it then...I'm not a Kitty." Oh I love that little guy!

         So now to Memorial Box Monday. If you have not heard of the Memorial Box Monday yet, it is a time to remember something that God has done in our lives. The Bible talks about 'building an altar' and 'telling our children the stories of what God has done'. So on Memorial Box Monday, some of us have joined Linny to share and remember the awesome God we serve. A Memorial Box is a place where you place actual items to remind you of each story. If you want to read a bunch of my stories you can click  Here to read even more check out A Place Called Simplicity

      Back in the late 90s I was a backpacking guide at a Young Life camp called Wilderness Ranch. Campers would come to the Ranch for a week at a time and spend almost all of their time backpacking. We would hike through the San Juan mountain range of Colorado teaching kids about the love of God. I can say without a doubt that I learned far more than I ever taught. One of these lessons came in a strange package.

     It was the first trip of the summer in 1996, the mountains were still so laden with snow that there were virtually no trails. Our packs were so heavy with winter gear that we had to help each other hoist them on. It was map & compass back then, no gadets or gizmos to help us figure it all out! We were in the middle of our trip and had just crested a towering ridge. Weary from the arduous grunt that felt like we were trudging upwards for hours (wait, we were)...we all looked forward to the glissade down the other side. Glissading is a term for basically 'sliding' in a semi-guided way down the hill either on your heels or your backside. This was a first for these Texan high schoolers so, as one of the guides I decided to go first. The ride was exhilerating, sun glinting off the snow, wind in my hair, in a world all my own, I can still almost feel it now. As I neared the bottom of the hill, I dug in my heels to slow down. Then, my left foot disappeared quickly into the snow, I had found a hole!

     "Well, this is embarrassing," I thought...but someone can help me dig out. I turned back to get the attention of one of the other guides when SMACK! I was hit from behind by an eager and out of control high schooler. My heavy pack swung around and I fell, leg still very much stuck in the hole. Pain shot through my knee and I knew something was deeply wrong. I smiled, not wanting to worry anyone and worked to dig my leg out of the hole. I could put weight on it, but every step was agony.

     We were a 3 day hike from the closest trailhead. There was nothing to do but keep going on our same course. The other guides helped lighten my pack as much as possible and we kept on going. Those three days felt like forever, I tucked in at the back of the line hoping that the kids would not notice that I swung my left leg completely straight with every step. As I hiked, I remember praying and singing "Oh God, You are my God and I will ever praise you....I will seek You in the morning and learn to walk in Your ways and step by step You'll lead me and I'll follow You all of my days." Never had those words felt more true as I trusted the Lord for every literal step out in that frozen Colorado wilderness.

     We made it out and back to camp and a found my roomate who was a physical therapy major. She felt around and did a 'drop test' on my knee and then said, "I'm pretty sure that you have torn your miniscus..." If this was so, I would be out for the rest of the summer. I made an appointment with a knee specialist in Denver and was off to see him the next day.

    In his little office he examined my knee and agreed that, even without imaging, I had a pretty bad tear in my miniscus. He ordered an MRI for the next morning just so they could see the extent of the tear and told me that they would call me for a surgery date. Then as I was getting ready to leave with a monstrous brace on my knee, he hesitated. He said, "I feel like I am supposed to do something, would you mind if I prayed for you?" Of course that was fine! So he place his hand on my knee and prayed, prayed for healing, prayed for Wilderness Ranch, prayed for my life. I thanked him and hobbled on my way.

    That night I went to a service my church in Denver. I sat in the back and cried and prayed. I loved guiding intensely and was so broken over the idea of surgery and having to be done in the mountains for the summer. The next morning, I got up and went to the MRI . I remember thinking that the brace must be pretty awesome because I did not feel any pain.

    Later that day, the phone call came. On the other end was the knee specialist and these were his words, "You are never going to believe this...the MRI is perfectly clear. I have no doubt that God has performed a miracle! Your knee is healed!"

     Your knee is healed!!!!!! I got up and did a little dance and sure enough, that knee of mine held up perfectly!!!! God performed a real live miracle in me...little old me!!!!!!!

      

                         One of the trips later that summer!

 The rest of the summer was amazing and I had no doubt of exactly where I was supposed to be, wandering in the San Juan mountains teaching kids about Jesus! I have had 2 MRIs for different things since then and have always asked if there is any sign of an old miniscus tear...the answer "Nope, not at all!"

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

Romans 8:28

In my Memorial box? One of Parker's little hiking Boots!

 

Been praying for Chrissie???

    Then you just have to read what the PICU doctors have said! I'm not going to spill the news...go and check Here!
     If you have no idea what I am talking about. Chrissie is a little girl adopted from Serbia who has a heart condition. She had open heart surgery recently and has ahd a REALLY rough time...has died twice and made miraculous comebacks. I just have to say, if you don't believe in miracles...you just have to read about Chrissie. It will be some of the best few minutes you have spent all day, promise!

Memorial Box Monday- In the Shadow of His Wings

      It is Memorial Box Monday again! I cannot tell you how much I love doing this. A Memorial Box is a place to remember God's faithfulness by placing a small object in the box to remind us of times when God has been faithful. I have begun using this box to tell our kids some of the stories of what God has done and every week God reminds me of more and more ways that He has been faithful. What could be more exciting than that? To find out more and read other people's stories of God's faithfulness Click Here!

    As I am writing this my sweet husband is playing "It is well with my soul" on the piano. I cannot think of a more fitting background! I am so spoiled because he plays every night as the kids are falling asleep, it is the perfect ending to the days for all of us.

   I have been reflecting on what to write for this Memorial Box Monday and may ramble a bit but feel like God is speaking to my heart. Many times, it is through writing that God clarifies what He has been speaking to me. Thanks for hanging in there as I fumble along.

Here is the story that He has been telling me to share:

     Back in the late 90s I worked at a Women and Family shelter. I LOVED working there...loved every part of having a ringside seat in watching God transform lives, the lives of bright, incredible, brave, compassionate, beautiful women and children every day. I learned so much about myself and even more about the Lord during that time.

    Many of my shifts did not end until 11pm. The shelter was in a very dangerous part of downtown Seattle (drugs, gangs, prostitutes etc) and the free parking was about a half mile away from the shelter. I was young (late 20s) and pretty naive at the time and many nights would prepare to head out to my car by myself. The shelter had a few colorful characters living on the top floor who acted as 'security'. One was a Swedish gentlmen named Jan who must have been in his 70s and was passionately in love with with Lord and cared for the staff as if we were family. The other was a dear, sweet  for lack of a better word "codger" named Sam. Now Sam had quite a past and now in his late 70s (or 80s???). I'm pretty sure he had lost all of his teeth and he had no hair. Sam would wander hunched over around the building muttering under his breath and sometimes would get his boxers in such a bunch about something that he would fling donation boxes in the hallway. Other times he would sit and chat so tenderly about his life that big tears would roll off his nose. To this day thinking of these guys bring tears to my eyes, they were so dear to me.

     So Sam was usually on the nightshift. On this particular Fall night he appointed himself my escort to my car. So now picture us will you? A young innocent (and not very big) lady and a hunched over old, old man walking literally past dealers, prostitues and the like. I remember that night that there was extra tension in the air. Something had happened between the gangs and there was sure to be retaliation. Groups of men huddled on each corner, not so secrectly hiding weapons. They also were making it very clear that they were not moving to let people pass, noting was clearing them from their 'turf' for even a few seconds.

    I was scared to death so before we headed up the dark hill to the car (on the sidewalks that held all of these men) I quietly prayed (I didn't have the guts to ask Sam to pray with me) and asked God to place His angels around us. I immediately had this picture of big, burly men surrounding Sam & I....men with bulging muscles and tank tops (why the tank tops? Really not sure!)...I took a big breath and we headed up.

OK, not an angel but an older picture of my husband...isn't he a hottie???

     As we walked I tried to get Sam to talk (anything to calm my nerves). Things like, "Where were you born Sam?" which got the muffled response...."not telling you that!" and so on. I kept glancing at the group of men on the first corner. They were clearly not happy that we were moving their way. I remember it all now in slow motion like a movie, the sound of my boots on the sidewalk, Sam's labored breathing and muttering as we moved closer and closer. The group stood firmer and firmer, hands on whatever was inside their jackets.

    Then, as we got right up to the group...they all jumped WAY back, hands up, as if they were terrified. They stayed that way and let us pass right by! I have NO doubt that those burly guardian angels must have made themselves (tanktops and all) abundantly clear to that gang!   But it did not stop there, seriously...at EVERY corner we had the same reaction. By the time I reached the car I was giggling (probaly a bit out of relief) and safely dropped Sam off back at the shelter, hugged his old smoky shoulders and headed home.

       Out of the 6 years I worked there, 3 of them I had that evening shift. There were nights when I had to walk that same route alone. I would step out the shelter doors, thank God for my burly buddies and walk....and no one ever touched even one hair!

"How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings."

Psalm 36:7

In my Memorial Box? I happen to have a ceramic wing from one of my Grandma's old angel figures. I am heading now to find it and place it in there!