Works of God Monday

Hello again! I am feeling like I might be able to sit here for a few minutes and update my blog. As I write this, my heart is full as I think about all that God has done in the last several weeks. I'm not sure I'll be able to communicate all that I would like, but I'll try. :-)

Two and a half weeks ago I had my surgery. So many of you were and still are praying for me, and I can't tell you how much that has meant. I must admit, I was nervous about having another surgery and all that had to be done for this one. There was also concern, more on my part than probably Kris's, about how we would keep up homeschooling, work for him, the house, meals etc. I knew God would provide our needs and only give us what we could handle by His grace. I struggled applying that knowledge at times though. Well, it was amazing to see things come together even before the surgery. We realize how spoiled we have been being in big churches where so many people have volunteered in the past to help with the girls and meals. We did not take that for granted and were so appreciative, but being in those situations, you can more easily forget to depend on God and depend on people instead. It's been a whole new learning of dependence on God alone as the situation is very different now, and there is not a wealth of people around. It's always so good to be placed in situations where we are shown our continual need to trust and depend on God!

We were so blessed to have one of the families from our church take our girls from Wed. through Sun. the week of my surgery. The girls were able to do school there and had a very fun time too. It was a wonderful thing for Kris and me not to have to worry about what was going to happen with the girls and have peace of mind, knowing they were well cared for and having a wonderful time.

The day of my surgery, my parents called to say that they had plane tickets to come out and help us! We couldn't believe it. With my dad's heart surgery in the fall and his not being able to go back to work yet, we knew that money was tight for them, and coming out here was not a possibility. Well, someone from their church provided the financial means for them BOTH to come and stay with us for 10 days! We were blessed more than words can say to have them help the girls with school and do all the things around the house like laundry, cleaning, cooking, etc. They also spent some very special times taking the girls out to do fun things. God truly did above all we could ask or think!

Another way that God has met our needs is through the homeschooling moms group that I have been a part of this school year. I never mentioned our need of meals or anything. I just gave a prayer request at one of our meetings about my needing surgery in a couple of months. Afterward one of the moms said something about meals we might need. Someone else mentioned it at park day and then someone organized getting a few together. Well that has turned into more than we could have ever dreamed! TEN LADIES signed up to bring meals! Some of these ladies have met me only once or twice this year at things, yet so many volunteered to help us! We had meals for the first several days of my coming home from the hospital. Then I told the lady who spearheaded it all that my parents were coming. She came up with a plan to suspend the meals for the time my parents were here and then resume them for this week. I never expected that, but I tell you, what a blessing it has been even today! I figured we would be okay by now, but I'm not were I can do very much still, so I'm thankful that Kris doesn't have the extra pressure of cooking (or going out for) meals. By the way, if you need to set up meals for someone, a great site to help with that is this site. It's been a great tool!

So much of me did NOT want to have this surgery done, but the surgeon told me that there were multiple things that needed to be taken care of. I knew that I had endometriosis from having the last surgery, but when I found out about my diseased uterus (adenomyosis) after surgery, it was a confirmation that this needed to be done. I had bladder surgery and a couple of other repair and reconstruction things done as well. I am already noticing some good results. The doctor says that after the 6 weeks of recovery, I will be a new woman. I can't wait! I guess "no pain, no gain" is applicable here. I really do look forward to seeing how much better I will feel, be able to move, etc.

God has been our Jehovah-Jirah, the Lord will provide, each step of the way! We give Him praise for the great things He has done. While I cannot do a lot right now, and I go a little stir crazy, I am thankful for more time to be still and know my God. I'm able to catch up on reading a book for church planters' wives, some homeschooling books a dear friend gave me, and most importantly, dig deeper into my Bible reading. I have an amazing husband who does so much for our family. My kids are such a blessing too. They are the best! I pray we all know our God better through this time and grow closer together as a family too. There are other things I would share, but I can't stay in a normal sitting position for very long, so I best be closing now. :-) I was able to write more than I thought though. I'm thankful for daily progress! Thanks again for your prayers. God is so good!