Déjà vu

Well, we are going to try to get out of town again tomorrow. We are on the same scheduled flights to DC. We are hoping and praying to arrive safely without a hitch.

This time we have planned to be there for the duration. I spoke with the coordinator yesterday and she told us they would work hard to make the surgery happen quickly -- no guarantees, but they know our wishes and will try to accommodate us. We are hoping that this will happen. However, with that mindset came lots of planning, errands, and scrambling this week. I think it was good in so many ways that we didn't go last week. I learned this week how ill prepared I really was!

Tonight we are stocked, organized, packed, and ready to go. We would just ask that you all pray for our family's safety in the days and weeks to come.

Other specifics to pray about:

• Our appointment with Dr. Sugarbaker would go well.
• That our surgery would be scheduled immediately
• That the surgery is a HUGE success!
• Please pray for travel safety
• Pray for my folks. They have the job of caring for our kids. I know they will do great, but speaking from experience...it's a tiring job. At least it won't be thankless! I can't thank them enough for taking over the daily aspects of our home and life.
• Last and most important. Pray for our kids. Pray for their health and safety while we are gone. Pray for their hearts. Being away from us is going to be hard on their emotions. While they are going to miss us, we have been touched by their support and enthusiasm for this operation. They see it as an opportunity for Dad to get better. We leave with their blessing.

Thank you for sharing in this journey with us. Your prayers, notes, calls, acts of service, and kind words, have been so uplifting in the last year. We really don't know how we would have done it without all of you. We consider every single one of you a huge gift from God. Many of the things you have done or said have been answers to specific prayers. Thank you.

On Monday we turn a new page in this story. We hope this new direction is a good one. While we are hopeful that we are heading towards a cure, we acknowledge that things don't always go as we hope. While we have tremendous hope, we also harbor all of the worries and fears that have accompanied on this bumpy road. We continue to acknowledge that God is sovereign and He has it all figured out. S0, we will leave the fear at His feet and watch how He will work in marvelous ways.

With love and gratitude...