Hello dear friends,
I fear this blog update is not going to be the happiest you have read, but I do pray that through it, you will find the hope that is found in Jesus Christ.
It is hard for me to know where to begin. Many of you reading this attend the Alliance Church in Menomonie and are aware of the sudden death of a much loved member of our church family. It does not feel like he is really gone and my heart aches for his family. The memorial service will be this weekend and it will be difficult, but it will also be a time of joy and celebrating the life of a man who was completely sold out for the Lord, who loved his family with everything that was in him and who was respected and loved by his friends.
Earlier this week one of my best friends lost her dad to cancer. She is hurting and her family is hurting. Again, I am so grateful that her dad loved the Lord and is with Him. I am grateful that my friend was able to go home and be with her family and spend the last days with her dad. It is hard to be so far away from a friend who is hurting and feel like you can't do anything, even give a hug. Human nature wants to do something tangible, hands on. I need to keep reminding myself that praying is doing something, something important and powerful.
Would you pray for these dear families as they adjust to life without their loved ones? I know they would appreciate your prayers right now and in the days and months to come.
Tuesday I have to have surgery. If you read my last blog you know that I had an endoscopy (tube down my throat) to look at my stomach. While they were in there a couple of biopsies were taken that came back fine. The only thing that they figured out from that test and the blood taken was that I am malnourished. That isn't a surprise since I feel sick every time I try to eat something or even think about eating. I haven't been eating much for the last couple of weeks! The next step was to check my gallbladder. I had a HIDA Scan last week. That test showed that my gallbladder is functioning at 9%, which is basically nothing. That is most likely what is causing all the pain. So on Tuesday, April 12th I have surgery to remove my gallbladder. Hopefully it will be a simple surgery with a quick recovery time. While they are in there the surgeon is going to take a look around at everything else he can see to make sure there is nothing else going on in there besides the gallbladder issue. If he sees something or has issues getting the gallbladder out he may have to make larger incisions to get a better look. The procedure is outpatient so hopefully I will be able to go home on Tuesday. I may have to stay in the hospital longer if I am not recovering well afterwards or if they had to do "open surgery" instead of the laparoscopic surgery they are planning on doing. The surgery will be at the Baldwin Hospital so I hope I don't get stuck there for too long!
Would you please pray for me on Tuesday? This seems so insignificant compared to the things that my friends are going through right now, but it is still something I would appreciate prayer for. Please pray not only that the surgery will go well, but that I do not get any type of infection. Because of the Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease, any surgery is slightly more risky. The UCTD is an autoimmune disease. That means that my immune system is overly stimulated and attacks the good things in my body instead of the harmful things (like infections). I take a medication that suppresses my immune system so that it doesn't attack itself. Because it suppresses my immune system I am not able to take it while I recover from surgery. My body cannot heal on it's own when I am on this medication. I have to stop taking it right away and I can begin it again three weeks after the surgery if I am infection free and recovering well. If I get an infection in the next couple of weeks it could be very bad. Good grief, a simple gallbladder surgery isn't so simple when combined with all that other junk I've got going on! So my biggest prayer request is that I would heal well and stay free of infection.
Okay, so that's all the sad/hard stuff. I want to end by telling you about some of the exciting things that I am blessed to be a part of. First of all I have started an on-line professional photography course through the New York Institute of Photography. I am excited to greatly improve my photography skills! I was also published this month. I was the photographer for the cover of a local magazine! You can read the Queen of the Castle Magazine on-line here: http://www.queenofthecastlemagazine.com. (I did the cover for the April edition.)
A couple of weeks ago I was able to go to San Diego, CA to attend a Perspectives Coordinator Workshop. This was such a great trip. I learned how to coordinate the Perspectives class so that we can offer it at our church next spring. If you haven't heard of Perspectives, check it out at: http://www.perspectives.org. Seriously, I think everyone should take this class. It will change your life. While in San Diego, I was able to get out and do a little photography. The photograph of the beautiful peacock above was taken at the San Diego Zoo.
I love looking at the photographs from the zoo. They remind me of how creative God is. They remind me that He is the Creator God and that He has a wonderful imagination...and a sense of humor! Some animals are so funny looking :-) Take a minute to look at the peacock above. Really look at it. Do you see all of the detail? Look at the vibrant colors and the intricate details of each feather. If God cares enough to spend that much time making a peacock beautiful, how much more does He care about you and I? He created us. He knows each of us intimately. He knows when we are happy, sad, frustrated, angry. He knows when we are embarrassed or confused. He knows how we will react to every situation because He made us. He made our emotions. He made us each unique and He knows what we need every moment of every day. God is sovereign. He has a plan. Nothing surprises Him. He is not distant and cold, uncaring of what happens to His creation. He is intimately involved with every aspect of His creation. Jesus had a close friend named Lazarus. Lazarus died and Jesus wept. He wept because His friends were hurting. He wasn't weeping for Lazarus because He knew that He was going to bring him back to life. When I see a peacock, I remember all of this because I know my God is a God who cares. I may not understand everything He does or allows, but I know that He is good.
Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
Matthew 6:26
