First of Seven...

Hello friends,

Many of you have been asking about my upcoming appointments at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN so here's a quick update. Dad and I will be heading down tomorrow night (Thursday) to spend the night. Friday begins the first of seven days of appointments and tests between now and the end of August. Friday morning I will have blood taken at 6:30 and have prep at 7:15 for a procedure done at 8:00am. The procedure should last anywhere from 2-4 hours and I will be sedated for it. Dad will drive me home Friday afternoon and hopefully I'll be with it enough to watch the Olympics Opening Ceremony with my roommates on Friday night!

This Sunday night we'll go back to Rochester and spend two nights there. I will see doctors in three different departments on Monday and Tuesday. I will get a little break and head back to Rochester August 7, 8 and 9. August 7th I will be tested for fibromyalgia and if it is confirmed that I have it, I will be attending a class on the 8th and 9th.

My rheumatologist will collect reports from all of these various departments and tests over the following days. I will see him on August 21st and hopefully have some answers and a new plan to improve my health.

I would appreciate your prayers for strength, endurance and peace as I go through all these days of tests and appointments. It is very tiring having such early mornings and long days. This is the first time I will be there more than one day in a row. I would also appreciate prayers for the various doctors I will be seeing. Pray for wisdom for them to know what questions to ask me and divine knowledge to know what is going on and how they can help me. As always please pray for wisdom for me as I try to remember to tell the doctors everything that they need to know to be able to help me as well as the ability to remember what they tell me during my appointments! 

Thank you friends, I really appreciate your prayers and support so very much!

What Color Will Your Crown Be?

Today we celebrate our freedom and independence.We spend time with friends and family, eat good food, blow things up and watch fireworks. It's quite a party for the birthday of our country! Many people are celebrating a little differently this year. Maybe you live in Colorado where fires are still blazing and you won't get to see any fireworks this year. Maybe you live in one of the many places across our country where temperatures and heat indexes are soaring...and your power is out.

Today looks a little different for me as well. Instead of going out and celebrating with family and friends I'm locked away in my apartment trying to stay cool. Heat and humidity are a very bad, and dangerous, combination for my body. When temperatures and dew points soar, I hibernate and eagerly await the day I can poke my head out and breathe some fresh air. Key word: breathe!

I'm going on day three of my hibernation. I think I'll have two more before the heat breaks, hopefully less! My roommates have been on vacation with their family so I've been here with nobody but my piggy from grandma to keep me company. I've been encouraged by visits from my dad to bring me food, get my mail and give me a hug! Monday was okay, it was only the first day. Yesterday was hard, it was 1:30 before I managed to get myself from my bed to the couch; 3:30 before I could keep my eyes open! Today is so much better. I feel pretty good, just the normal sore. I got a shower in and a Skype chat with a dear, sweet, wonderful friend. I'll see dad later today for my hug!

Do you know what else I've been experiencing? Joy. The joy that comes from deep in one's soul that can only be placed there by God Himself. God started working in my heart on Saturday night, speaking to me about some things. I couldn't sleep that night and was in a lot of pain so I went looking for these little booklets I have. One is called Fibromyalgia: When the Pain Doesn't Stop. It is written by Bob Smith, a physician and Biblical counselor. In this booklet there is a section that talks about God's purposes in pain and suffering. There are eight of them:

1. To bring glory and honor to Himself
2. To make you more like Christ
3. To help you grow in taking every thought captive
4. To help you desire what is most valuable in life
5. To demonstrate your character
6. To prevent you from sinning
7. To enhance your ministry to others
8. To encourage you to long for your heavenly home

As I was reading through this I realized that I have been fighting the diseases that are wreaking havoc on my body. I have been thinking of them as an attack of the evil one and something to be fought and despised. As I turned off the light and tried to get as comfortable as possible, God started speaking to my heart. What if these disease afflicting my body are a gift from Him? Take a minute to read through Romans 8, especially verses 16-39. As an heir of Christ it is my privileged to share in His sufferings. He has allowed my body to suffer for my own good. If it were not for my good, He would not allow it, He would heal me.

I finally fell asleep and was blessed to be able to go to church the next morning. My fantastic big brother picked me up in the Vette...riding to church in style! We were standing there, singing and worshiping God when I almost burst out laughing. We were singing "Lord, I'm breathing the breath that You gave me to breathe - to worship You, to worship You!" Um, Josie, that's not funny. Yes it is! You see, that very morning I was worried about making it to church. It was hot out and starting to get humid. I was afraid that I would have an asthma attack and I didn't want to go outside. However, I knew that it wasn't that bad yet and I could do it. Then we sang this song. It reminded me that each and every breath is a gift from God. As long as He keeps giving me breath to breathe, I'll keep worshiping Him! 

I am making a conscious choice to stop complaining and to be thankful for every good and perfect gift that God has given me. Even the diseases. Not because I'm some morbid weirdo, but because God loves me so much that He will use whatever means necessary to make me more like His precious son Jesus. I'm not suffering just for suffering's sake. It's not pointless. Those eight things I listed above, each and everyone of them is true and evident in my life. James 1:12 says, "Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him." I'm pretty sure my crown is going to be full of beautiful green emeralds :-)

No matter what trials you are going through, remain steadfast. I promise you, it will be (and is) more than worth it! What color will your crown be?!