Happy New Year!

Hello dear friends! We hope and pray this email finds you freshly amazed at God’s faithfulness over the past year and expectant of His promised grace in Christ this coming year. It's been quite a while since we've had the time to send out an update, but we'll try to make it brief so you can get back to enjoying your New Years festivities! 

Kaleb

First on the agenda is to let you all know how well Kaleb is doing! Every day he grows bigger and stronger. His PTs and OT are very encouraged about where he's at. He has learned to army crawl and spends most of his days pioneering his way around the floor of our house. He is still not loving eating food by mouth, but has made some progress in that area. His heart is doing well, his lungs are doing well, he’s handling his feedings well, in fact we have scheduled a surgery on February 23 for a number of secondary procedures to take place because he's doing well. It's also been very encouraging to see him fight off various viruses that he has been exposed to this flu season without any trips to the ER. Please continue to pray for our boy. And thank you so much for how you have been praying!

My Mom

For a number of months my mom started experiencing prolonged excruciating pain in her lower back and legs. After a few visits to the doctor and tests they determined that her breast cancer (which she's beaten it twice) has metastasized onto her bones. She’s finished radiation and started a chemo treatment that will continue indefinitely. Her pain has slightly abated, making day to day life a little more manageable. Most of my siblings got together over Thanksgiving at my parents’ house in Louisville and it was a gift to be able to process this information and the new normal together. It’s been so encouraging watching both of my parents trust the Lord with this as well. Please pray for them! The week after Thanksgiving my dad fell on ice and possibly tore something in his knee, so they are quite the hobbling pair of invalids!

Christmas

It’s amazing to think that just one year ago Kaleb came home to us for the first time, a tiny, oxygen-dependent, NJ fed, weak-hearted 2 1/2 month old. So much has changed!! This year we were actually able to participate in a lot of festivities celebrating the coming of our Savior, the hope of the world! Festivities included decorating our home and Christmas tree, decorating Christmas cookies with church friends, hosting my 8th annual Christmas Carol reading, making and delivering “gingerbear” cookies for our neighbors and friends, going on a Christmas date with Todd, joining our church family for a Christmas Eve service, Christmas morning with the kids, and Christmas evening at our pastor’s home with other church members who had stayed in Boston for Christmas. So many memories were made and our hearts are filled with gratefulness!

GCC

Todd has been hard at work preparing for two major events for the Great Commission Council: CROSS Conference (Jan 1-3 and 5-7) and the Great Commission Congress (October 26-28). This week and next the kids and I are in Louisville getting time with my parents, while Todd is representing GCC at CROSS. It’s been a sweet time!

New Music

I mentioned in a previous update that God has opened the doors to make another album of songs I’ve written over the past year, particularly processing having a sick child in the hospital. I’m happy to say that we will be recording vocals next week (Jan 5-7)!! My friend, Adrian Mathenia, who produced Glory in the Darkest Place has agreed to produce this one as well and I am SO excited to be able to share these songs with others struggling through unexpected circumstances. A few song highlights:

• “The Deep” is a song based on the first poem I wrote about Kaleb, after our 20 week scan, while we waited for genetic testing results

• “Held” is based on a poem I wrote the first time I held Kaleb while he was still in the CICU as he hovered between earth and heaven

• “Bleeding Heart” is about the temptation to shut off all feeling when everything is so painful and the fight to keep your heart open in order to feel the comfort and fellowship of our faithful suffering Savior

• “You Carry Me” is a reflection on the wonderful truth that my Shepherd is carrying me through heartache, weakness, and the brevity of life.

My prayer is that this album will serve to help people feel less alone, to give biblical truth to process painful things through, and to introduce the possibility of joy in the midst of grief because of our good and sovereign God.

Please Pray for Us:

• Pray for health for our whole family as we travel (flying home Jan 8)

• Pray for Todd to know the Lord’s pleasure in his work and that there would be much fruit from the conversations that take place at the GCC booth at CROSS

• Pray for patience and joy in parenting, and wisdom in how to shepherd our children’s hearts as they get older

• Pray for Kaleb to stay healthy for his surgery on February 23, that his muscles would continue to strengthen and that he would have a growing interest in eating and swallowing

• Pray for God to sustain my voice through recording (Jan 5-7) and that everything would go smoothly, that I would be able to put together a Kickstarter to fund the project, and that God would be glorified through this project in every way.

• Pray for continued opportunities to share the gospel with our neighbors, Mike and Val.

• Pray for this year to be marked by a greater commitment to fellowship with Jesus in His Word and prayer.