Prayer Request -- Hope's MRI and Overnight Hospital Stay Tomorrow!

Please keep Hope in prayer tomorrow, Thursday, as she goes in for her MRI of her spine under general anaesthetic. . . 

We are to arrive at 10 am and her MRI will be at 11 am.  She is also going to have her Baclofen pump refilled, which means accessing via a big needle, so they use Ametop, a topical anaesthetic, to minimize the pain of this sterile procedure.  Hope reacts to Ametop with very itchy hives--well, she's always developed the hives but ONLY felt them for the first time this past June!  Another indication of healing in her brain's ability to understand sensation. . . so thankful for each area that slowly improves, even if it means now she suffers with more pain, itchiness, etc!  : )

They have asked us to stay overnight again following the procedure.  Hope would love to have your prayers for her tomorrow.  She is most concerned about the Ametop that will make her miserable and itchy!  We are already so thankful for how different Hope is this time, even compared to just this past May when she had her last MRI!!!  It is incredible to think back and remember how unwell she was, how still limited in her cognition she was, etc.!!!  We are very hopeful that tomorrow will be much less traumatic and difficult on her.

However any time spent overnight at the hospital is hard on our family, especially as we part ways in the evening. . . it is surprising how fast all those emotions and memories of the long difficult 5 months in the hospital and the months of almost daily trips to the hospital for the next year, suddenly come rushing back, along with the heaviness and tole it took on our family.  It is easy to quickly feel overwhelmed with all that has happened and burst into tears as the flood of emotions come like a huge wave; it's easy to quickly get carried out to a sea of painful memories and reminders of all that Hope has lost EVEN with how far our awesome God has brought her in her recovery so far. . . just tonight, as I made the cornbread for supper, she called from her bedroom, "I sure wish I could run in there and help you make that, mommy!"

It stings for sure. . . I wouldn't be truthful to say otherwise.  But, God is teaching us so much about how much He loves us and has purpose, ETERNAL purpose, through the pain of this journey.  He is teaching us so much about the importance of trusting Him by keeping our eyes fixed on Him and not on our circumstances.  So if you could continue to keep us in prayer as we continue to go through the grieving process. . . the very long crisis season of this journey has seemed to come to a close and we are so thankful to the Lord for that.  And now a new chapter has begun. . . and with that has come some time and opportunity for each one of us, including our very aware and cognitive Hopey, to grieve in a way that we never had time for before.  God is faithful, and we know that He will continue to comfort, strengthen and enable us, all to His glory and the worship of His worthy name, EVEN in the face of stinging reminders of such great loss.

We are fast approaching the two year anniversary of the day our lives changed forever.  And in thinking back through these past two years, that feel like an eternity, we are truly humbled, amazed, and overwhelmingly grateful to our merciful and compassionate God who has poured out such sustaining grace in what He has brought us through!  I recently gave a short cardboard testimony of how God has already redeemed this trial, believing and trusting that He will continue His redeeming work.  It read. . .

DESPERATELY CLINGING TO HOPE IN TRAGEDY AND UNCERTAINTY

(flip cardboard over)

GRATEFULLY ABOUNDING IN HOPE WITH ALL JOY AND PEACE


This was based on the verse Romans 15:13, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope."  Please continue to keep us in prayer, and also continue to praise our VERY worthy God who is so full of grace, mercy, joy, peace, and HOPE. . . we owe Him everything!!!  May His name be lifted high!!!  Thank you dear praying friends and family!!!  Eagerly anticipating what God will do in this next chapter of Hope's journey!!!  You are so very loved!!!