Nothing new...

Well we never heard back the results (though we were told that we would only hear if they were positive) so hopefully that's good news! However Charity is still battling a fever every night and therefore not getting her much needed rest, but today she is scheduled to go see the Lupus specialists and hopefully we will be able to find out if that has been one of the causes of a lot of the recent problems. We continue to pray and search for answers...


Due to the past month's happenings with Charity's illness I have not been able to post the many other things we previously and have recently done but I will hopefully be trying to catch up on the rest of our family's happenings throughout the next couple days, though I will still try to keep giving an update on Charity's health conditions as we continue to ask you to seek with us our Great Physicians healing.


For Christ's glory alone!

Grace

Update on Charity - Friday P.M.

Dad and Mom took Charity to Ann Arbor around 11:30 this morning and they were able to get right into the ER and get some blood cultures done. She also had some other tests done as every immediate check seemed to show that everything was OK, making everyone even more puzzled! Even through all this her fever was back down to normal (though she did take some Tylenol before leaving this morning) so that adds to the confusion.

God knows all this though and is in control. We continue to trust and try to learn more patience and understanding of the lessons He is teaching us through all this.

We await the results - tomorrow.

Continuing Prayer Request...

Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation,
continuing steadfastly in prayer;
Romans 12:12

• Please continue to keep Charity in prayer as yet another weekend is coming around and though she is home, we are continually in need of wisdom from the Lord as yet again her fever has started to go back up and the doctor said we need to take her back in to get some blood test done to try to determine the cause of all this.
  

• Please prayer for physical and spiritual strength for Charity to be able to go through what ever needs to be done to help her regain her strength and cleanse her body of what ever is afflicting her, if its another bacteria- to destroy it, or her Lupus- to suppress and gain control over it.

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear...
Psalm 46:1-2

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace,
that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:16

Our strength and our help...God's all sufficient grace

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
You, who unto Jesus for refuge have fled?

In every condition, in sickness, in health;
In poverty’s vale, or abounding in wealth;
At home and abroad, on the land, on the sea,
As thy days may demand, shall thy strength ever be.

Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen and help thee, and cause thee to stand
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.

When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of woe shall not thee overflow;
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

When through fiery trials thy pathways shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.

Even down to old age all My people shall prove
My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love;
And when hoary hairs shall their temples adorn,
Like lambs they shall still in My bosom be borne.

The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to its foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.

Words by Rev. John Rippon, 1787

Take Two...Finally Home!

What a long day this has been, but by God's amazing grace Charity was finally released from UofM Hospital late this afternoon and is finally home!!!
We are all so exhausted so I will post more tomorrow.

We greatly appreciate all those who have commented and let us know that you have been praying for us! Our great and awesome God has truly heard and answered those prayer!

May His name be praised forever!

Grace

Update...or no Update?

... that is the question. Or actually the questions most recently have been, "What caused all this" and "when can Charity go home?" Yes, in one sense we do not want to be hasty and have to take her right back in again, but even right now though the doctors are still puzzled as to the cause of all that has been going on in Charity's body, some assumption have been made and by God's grace alone she is heading on a road of very slow and careful recovery! Through the many tests that she has gone through over the past month we have been told that she does not have many different things, but we still have not truly found out what did cause the many problems she has been struggling with except that the bacteria in her blood stream most likely caused the high fever and could have been the cause for her weakened heart. Even though the medical team kind of gave up on her legs, we (Mom and Grace mostly and a dear friend) have been working on them, massaging and trying to push the fluids back up into her system to give her heart a break and they are noticably a lot thinner than two weeks ago!
As we wait the Lord's leading and timing as to when Charity will be back home again, we continue to ask you to lift her up with us in prayer, to our Heavenly Father for strength and healing for this long road ahead of us.
We can not thank enough, all the dear people out there, our family and friends, and even people who have never met Charity, who have been praying for her! Though we know the Lord has been using many people to glorify Himself through this time in hearing the prayer of the saints, we would kind of like to know how many have been keeping up with these prayer posts and to how far or to where across the country prayers are being lifted on Charity's behalf. If all you blog watchers out there could post a comment and just let us know if you have been praying and where you are from we would greatly appreciate it!
To those of you who have commented and let us know you are praying, we thank you so very much for all your encouraging words and loving support!

...We continue to wait and prayer...

May God be glorified!

I trust in God's unfailing love
forever and ever.
I will praise you forever for what you have done;
in your name I will hope, for your name is good.
I will praise you in the presence of your saints.

Psalm 52:8-9

Results from the TEE scope test

"Negative" is a very beautiful word right now!

The results to the test that was done on Charity this morning showed that there is nothing wrong with her heart! No need for surgery, no more tests... Praise God from whom all blessing flow!!

He is your praise, and He is your God,
who has done for you these great and awesome things
which your eyes have seen.
Deuteronomy 10:21

Please continue to pray that God will give the doctors wisdom as to finding the cause of Charity's swollen legs as now a possibly damaged heart is not in the picture!

Update on Charity - Tuesday A.M.

Prayer with praise!

• Charity was scheduled to have the TEE test done today to get a better view of her hearts condition by sending a scope down her throat. She was told that she could not eat for 8 hours before the procedure but they told us last night that the set time wasn't until 2 p.m. and she could not swallow anything (even water!!!) from 12 p.m. to 2 in the afternoon. She was rather upset at this and discouraged but God was merciful and we just heard a little while ago, (10:45) that she is being taken right now to have this test done!!! Praise God!

• Please prayer that the procedure will go well. That she will not experience any discomfort and that this test will not be in vain and the result will show if there is really anything wrong with her heart or not and most of all that we will be able to know for certain what has caused her to retain so much fluid in her legs!

We serve an Almighty and merciful God!

Update on Charity - Sunday P.M.

As of this evening there are really no new updates beside the fact that Doctors are still puzzled as to the cause of her swollen legs because as of now they are saying that her heart looks OK (depending on who you talk to) and the supposedly new bacteria that was found on Friday is not there. There is a possibility that this is a Lupus flair and hopefully they will soon be able to accurately determine that but as of now we still covet your prayers as Charity cannot get much of her needed rest and discomfort from laying down a lot is really bothersome!

God is faithful and we continue to trust His unfailing love!

But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.

I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me.

Psalm 13:5-6

Update on Charity - 2:30pm

• After many long hours of sitting and waiting (a very long time) to get into a private room, mom just let us know that they have finally situated her in a room on the 7th floor, section "B" room 124. Praise God for this small bit of progress! Still a long way to go to figure out what the diagnosis is but He is faithful and all we can do is wait on His will.

Please keep praying...

Update on Charity - Saturday A.M.

"Do not be afraid.
Stand still and see the salvation of the LORD,
which He will accomplish for you today."
Exodus 14:13

Dear Family, Friends and loved ones,

Once again we would covet your prayers for Charity and the situation with her health. I know many of you rejoiced with us when she was able to come home on Monday, but since then, she really has not improved at all. The home care nurses that came to help out with her antibiotics, were quite concerned with her over-all appearance, and specifically with her swollen legs and shallow, rapid breathing, and fast heart-rate. They both said that she needed to go back to the hospital to get those symptoms checked out. She also was put on two new antibiotics after they found that she had a different bacteria in her blood.
We finally decided that it would be better to take her to U of M in Ann Arbor where we knew she would receive for specific care regarding her Lupus and we were referred to a very good cardiologist there. Mom and Dad drove her out there last night (around 8:30pm) and they ended up staying there all night. The hospital staff are trying to get her a private room, because they are worried about her bacteria.

• Please pray that they will very quickly be able to get Charity into a room, so that she will be more comfortable and will be able to get some much needed rest.
  

• Also that she would be seen by the Doctors soon, and that they would be able to give her some clear diagnosis, and began to get her heart rate and swelling under control. As of 10:00 am this morning, only the regular E.R. doctor had been in to see her. (although U of M is a good hospital, it is also a very busy hospital!)
  

• Please also keep Mom and Dad in your prayers. That they would stay alert, and that God would give them strength during this exhausting time.
  

"The LORD will fight for you,
and you shall hold your peace and remain at rest."
Exodus 14:14

Pray Without Ceasing

"Thus saith the Lord God; I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them." -Ezekiel 26:37

Prayer is the forerunner of mercy. Turn to sacred history, and you will find that scarcely ever did a great mercy come to this world unheralded by supplication. You have found this true in your own personal experience. God has given you many an unsolicited favour, but still great prayer has always been the prelude of great mercy with you. When you first found peace through the blood of the cross, you had been praying much, and earnestly interceding with God that He would remove your doubts, and deliver you from your distresses. Your assurance was the result of prayer. When at any time you have had high and rapturous joys, you have been obliged to look upon them as answers to your prayers. When you have had great deliverances out of sore troubles, and mighty helps in great dangers, you have been able to say, "I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears." Prayer is always the preface to blessing. It goes before the blessings as the blessing's shadow. When the sunlight of God's mercies rises upon our necessities, it casts the shadow of prayer far down upon the plain. Or, to use another illustration, when God piles up a hill of mercies, He Himself shines behind them, and He casts on our spirits the shadow of prayer, so that we may rest certain, if we are much in prayer, our pleadings are the shadows of mercy. Prayer is thus connected with the blessing to show us the value of it. If we had the blessings without asking for them, we should think them common things; but prayer makes our mercies more precious than diamonds. The things we ask for are precious, but we do not realize their preciousness until we have sought for them earnestly.

"Prayer makes the darken'd cloud withdraw;
Prayer climbs the ladder Jacob saw;
Gives exercise to faith and love;
Brings every blessing from above."

from Spergeon's Morning and Evening

Backyard Visitors

Below are images that I was able to capture the other day of some of our regular visitors to our back(and front) yard. Enjoy!!






Can you see him? Though they usually are not very shy, on this particular day Mr. Wren did not want his photograph taken and all I could get of him was this image of him peeking around the feeder.


Throughout all the years we have been at this house we have been blessed on several occasions by being able to catch a glimpse of some rare and striking visitors that are attracted to our backyard feeders. This particular one, though not all together rare has chosen to show himself only a few times a year and at this time, about a week ago has seemed to like our "winter wonderland" and has stopped by a couple time since. I am disappointed though, that I have not been able to get a good picture of him yet so the above image is all there is to show of the exquisitely handsome Yellow Shafted Flicker.


No, he is not screaming. Instead this beautiful specimen of God's creation, a Sharp-Shinned Hawk is actually just finishing up a big yawn while sitting in our front cherry tree the other day.
God's amazing creativeness in the designs of all His creation proclaim one thing - His Glory!

To see more amazing (and much better captured then mine) images of birds, visit www.kanonphoto.com where the photographs of a local photographer recently relocated from Sweden are displayed. We heard about this gifted photographer from our newspaper after he had the very special opportunity to capture on film a truly rare visitor to Michigan's Southeastern soil - a Snowy Owl!

A Dicky-Bird in February

A Dicky-bird sat in the Cherry tree,
one damp and dreary day.
Singing a song to the coming Spring,
And a song to brighten the way.

He twittered and warbled with hardly a care
for the piles of snow or the cloudy sky.
He carried Spring in that brave little breast
and sang, though the sun would hide.

He sang of the balmy breeze from the South,
of the swollen green buds on the trees,
and the melody of the waters' voice
when the brooks and rivers flow free.

He bubbled and chortled in highest glee
as he told of the first Spring flowers,
cheering the world with their brilliant hues
and bathing in sweet Spring-time showers.

He sang to his wife, in her sweet modest dress,
of the babies they'd raise in the Spring.
Of the bounty of insects to feed to their young,
and of teaching to fly and to sing.

He sang with such sweetness, and gusto and joy,
with his head tilted back and his beak in the air.
He gave thanks to his Maker, Creator and God,
As he sang that most beautiful prayer.

~ FaithAnn 2 – 20 – 07

Finally Home!

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11

Praise the LORD! Charity was finally able to come home on Monday night after a long day of back and forth answers as to whether she would leave at all!
Another praise is that they were able to get her a portable monitor to regulate her IV input instead of us having administer it every four hours! We now only have to change the bag once every 24 hours and the cycle will run its designated course by it's self.

Again we cannot thank you all enough for all the care and concern you showed towards our family at this trying time in our lives!

We continue though to covet your prayers as Charity still has a long road ahead of her as we have yet to truly determine the cause of the many physical difficulties she has experience lately and direction as to long term medication use and the strengthening of her heart.


I will extol You, O LORD, for You have lifted me up, and have not let my foes rejoice over me. O LORD my God, I cried out to You, and You healed me. O LORD, You brought my soul up from the grave; You have kept me alive...Sing praise to the LORD, you saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.
You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, to the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever!
Psalm 30:1-3b,4,11-12

Update on Charity - Monday P.M.

"Oh, the depth of the riches
both of the wisdom and knowledge of GOD!
How unsearchable are His judgements,
and His ways past finding out!"
Romans 11:33

• Well, this has been quite a roller coaster day! "But thanks be to God Who has given us the Victory through our LORD Jesus Christ!" Charity's fever is down, she has been released from the hospital, and is on her way home!
  

• Please continue to pray that she will not have this reoccurring fever. And that we will have wisdom in knowing how to get her Lupus under control, so that she can regain her strength.
  

"Blessing and honor and glory and power,
be to Him Who sits on the throne,
And to the Lamb, forever and ever!"
Revelation 5:13

Update on Charity - Monday A.M.

"Say to those who are fearful-hearted,
"Be strong, do not fear!"
Behold, your God will come with vengeance,
with the recompense of God;
He will come and save you!"
Isaiah 35:4

• I hate to be the bearer of bad news . . . :-( The infectious disease Doctor came in this morning and said that Charity could not come home, because her fever had spiked back up to 101. Obviously Charity is VERY disappointed (and we are too) with this set back. Please pray for her comfort and that the doctors will be wise in how they diagnosis and treat her. Please pray that they will try to find the cause of this fever, and not just give her Tylenol to temporarily get rid of it.

• They are taking another blood culture today. Please pray that they will find that everything is well.
  

" . . And pray for one another,
that you may be healed.
The effective, fervent prayer
of a righteous man avails much."
James 5:16

Update on Charity - Sunday P.M.

"Oh give thanks to the Lord
For He is good!
For His mercy endures forever!"
Psalm 136:1

(Before anyone else gets worried because we haven't posted in a while, here is the latest and the greatest on Charity's condition.)

• Well, after I posted on Saturday that the bacteria was found in Charity's blood, the Doctor came in and said that her blood culture had indeed come back negative! And that it had been negative for a while. (some nurse had told us that it had come back positive!?) Praise the LORD that the bacteria is gone!

• Praise!! Charity's fever came down some today. Please continue to pray that she will not suffer from bouts of fevers like this.

• Please pray that the doctors will be able to determine why her heart rate is so high. (120's when she isn't doing anything) It was normal on Thursday, but suddenly jumped up. Possibly because of the fever.
  

• O.K. I saved the best news for last!!:-) Charity is coming home tomorrow!! She has the pick line, and we will have to put the antibiotics into that every four hours, so please pray for that. Also please pray that she will continue to regain health, and get a lot of much needed rest. We are not sure of the exact time of her release, (we have a house showing at 10:30 so y'all could pray for that too:-) but please pray that everything will go smoothly.

• Thanks again for all your prayers and support during this ordeal! God has used you all to bless us so much, and to show His care and love. Please don't stop praying for Charity though! She has a long road ahead and will need much strength and perseverance in the coming days.
  

"The LORD is my strength and my song,
And He has become my Salvation!"
Psalm 118:14

Update on Charity - Saturday A.M.

• Unfortunately the blood culture test came back positive for bacteria today. Please pray that the doctors will know what to do to get that under control.
  

• Also, Charity had a fever of 101 last night and this morning. They are giving her Tylenol to bring it down. Please pray that she will soon be free of this high fever and that these set-backs will not be too disappointing to her.
  

"I will lift up my eyes unto the hills,
From whence comes my help?
My help comes from the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth."
Psalm 121:1

Update on Charity - Friday A.M.

(Sorry about the absence of an update yesterday. There really wasn't anything new to report! :-)

• Praise!! The Blood culture they took yesterday, came back testing negative for bacteria! They say that they have to get a negative test result for two or three days before they know she is free from the bacteria and can come home. Please pray that the Blood cultures will continue to come back negative.

• Praise!!! Charity reported that Doctor G. came in this morning (4:00am) and said that her heart is looking very good. He seemed to be very positive about the health of her heart and said that the TEE probably isn't even necessary now. Praise the LORD!!
  

"I will sing of the mercies of the LORD forever;
With my mouth wil I make known His faithfullness
to all generations!"
Psalm 89:1