Mercy & Meekness

Following our previous email about River getting the flu we experienced 5 rough days of throw-ups and exhaustion. Thankfully, God protected Kaleb from catching what we all had. And Zion wins the award for the most cheerful sick person in our crew. Honestly, things got pretty bleak about mid-week, but isn't it amazing how all of that simply melts away in the sunlight of a new, fresh week filled with new, fresh mercies?

Kaleb is doing really well right now. The longer we have him the more we feel like we're getting a grasp of how to care for him, when to bring him into the hospital, what to do when he's sick, things to look out for, etc. We’ve enjoyed two Sundays now at Trinity Cambridge as a whole family, and it just gets increasingly sweeter. Not to mention all three of the kids are really blossoming right now in their ages (3, 2, and 4 months), and regularly delight us with their cuteness. God has been so kind!

Among Kaleb's various upcoming appointments, the major one we're looking at is a surgery to place a G-tube into Kaleb's abdomen. This will replace his NG tube (feeding tube that goes through his nose into his stomach). A G-tube is basically a port on the outside of his stomach that goes straight into his stomach. We've opted for this because with Kaleb's tendency to aspirate, it's not looking likely that he will be able to eat substantially by mouth anytime soon. G-tube surgery will probably take place in March. During the procedure they will also fix his significant tongue tie and also send a scope down into his throat as a first step to try to find out what's going on with his breathing, as well as evaluate if his difficulty swallowing has anything to do with an anatomical abnormality (though everyone suspects it has more to do with neurological issues).

At church right now Shawn is preaching through Matthew and we're in the beatitudes. This week he preached on "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be satisfied." Todd and I were both freshly inspired to prioritize cultivating a hunger for the things of God and ordering our lives to make room for seeking out His righteousness. The days are SO full; we have to make the space for pursuing Him. We would love prayer for perseverance and creativity in that!

River turned two on Saturday! It was a sweet time celebrating her with waffles and chocolate cake and friends from church. River is a WILD one, but she continues to live true to her name as she brings life and joy to everyone around her. We love our River girl!

Todd has begun working at the office during the week, taking on more responsibility at Trinity Cambridge and continuing to work for the Great Commission Council. We're so excited to finally be able to start having people over and building more relationally with our dear church!

Meekness & Trust

With no end in sight to this crazy new life, with non-stop days from 6am (or 5:30 recently) till 11pm or 12am, it feels a bit like we're in a never-ending spiritual boot camp. We wake up each day with the anticipation that the majority of the simple tasks we will tackle will be difficult and inefficient and sometimes even abandoned unfinished, and that does something to you mentally. Like - are we actually getting anywhere?? But then we remember that it is the LORD who fulfills His purposes for us and establishes the work of our hands. We can trust He is doing wonderful, refining things in our hearts during these days that feel like sand slipping through our fingers.

The Lord is teaching us how to continue on in meekness, looking to Him for strength for today and trusting Him for tomorrow's strength. "Blessed are the meek for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." We desperately need the joy and peace and strength that comes through His Spirit as we call on the Lord and remember who He is.

Trust in the LORD, and do good;

dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.

Delight yourself in the LORD,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the LORD;

trust in him, and he will act.

He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,

and your justice as the noonday.

Psalm 37:3-6