🌷Health Update🌷

Happy Friday friends! I have been quiet on the blog front lately, and wanted to write an update.

I can’t believe spring is already around the corner. As I think of spring I pray for fresh ideas and new beginnings. With those, also come prayers for my health. The past few weeks have been especially hard dealing with lots of pain and nausea from these bladder infections. I have pretty much been completely home and bed bound. However, the lord has been extremely gracious on the heard days reminding me of different reasons to have joy. One Bible verse that keeps coming to my mind recently is Nehemiah 8:10. It states,

“This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

One of my favorite books of the Bible is Nehemiah, and as I have been reading through it recently, I have been reminded of what a Godly example Nehemiah is to my current circumstances. Nehemiah was faced with much adversity, but with the help of the Lord, he did not let that stop him from being obedient to the Lord’s calling. Nehemiah faced a great deal of sadness, but he immediately took his worries and cares to the Father crying out for his help and deliverance. Even though times were tough, God gave Nehemiah the strength he needed to press on, and proved that joy is not dependent upon circumstances. I am grateful for the nuggets of wisdom God has given me while studying this book, and one of those is prayer.

Just like Nehemiah, I am facing a season of adversity. While in my flesh I may feel like complaining to those around me and having a pity party, the first place I should take every thought and problem in my life is directly to the throne of the Almighty. Even though at times it is tempting, there is no need to discuss and cry out to everyone else instead of the Lord. He asks that we come to Him first and foremost for everything that we need. Nehemiah practiced this in his day to day life, and God never let a Him down. Jesus delights in us and desires to be the lover of our souls. He wants us to pray and depend on Him for our every need. Communion with God, and the power of prayer allows the impossible to be possible. That being said, I am asking each of you to be prayer warriors on my behalf.

On Monday, February 27, I have an appointment with a urology specialist in Winston Salem at Wake Forest Baptist with a physician named Dr. Badlani. I have no idea what to expect with this visit. However, I am hopeful that it would be helpful, and praying that it is not another dead end. Would you cover me in prayer throughout this weekend and all day on Monday? My appointment is Monday at 11:30am, and I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for me that day. Some specific prayer requests would be:

– That this appointment would not be another dead end, and that Dr. Badlani would be knowledgeable regarding my situation.

-Pray for Dr. Badlani to give us advice on what to expect in the future regarding these infections and treatment plans. Pray that he looks at the big picture of the past two years, and listens to what we have to say. We realize that he is not going to be able to provide the perfect solution, and that there is no easy fix to my problems. However, we want him to be willing to try to help and come alongside my other physicians when necessary.

-Pray that he recognizes how sick I have been and that God gives him the wisdom and knowledge to know the next steps he needs to take to provide me with relief.

-Pray for our travel to and from Winston Salem. While it is not too far away, the trip is going to be difficult for me because I’m so weak. We are driving down on Sunday and staying at a hotel that evening so I don’t have to make the trip all in one day. Pray that my pain would be minimal and that I am able to rest comfortably in the hotel. Pray for my mom as well as she will be driving and caring for me, and that God gives her the strength and energy she needs.

Thanks so much for praying dear friends. Your prayers mean more to me than you will ever know.
Also, Thank you for your continued notes of encouragement. Please know that they bring so much cheer to my days. Even if I’m not always able to respond right away, I read each one, and they always come at just the right time.

I will definitely update you on how the appointment goes. I may not post an update on Monday because it is going to be a crazy day. However, even though you won’t hear from me then, I will definitely post as soon as I can. I am planning to start an audio blog soon to share updates with you as well as devotions and what God is teaching me. Be on the lookout for that.

Thanks for standing with me during this season. I love and am so thankful for all of you.