9/23 Update

    

 

Life seems so much easier when things are going your way doesn't it? Emily and I have had quite the roller coaster of a week.  I'm currently writing this on a plane headed to Mexico with 2 guys from our church to plan mission trips for small groups to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico.  I have been praying for several years now that God would use me to go anywhere that He needed me to go and this opportunity came out of no where. I don't know what will come of this but I do that He has put me on this plane for a reason. One hour prior to boarding, Emily called me to give me her second update this week from the fertility clinic. She was scheduled to get an evaluation to see how ready she was for next week's egg retrieval.  We thought that this visit was basically to tell us whether or not she needed more medication to stimulate her through the weekend or not.  

     Rewind 5 days prior. We were having a yard sale to help raise money for our treatments. We prayed that the money we raised would cover most of the cost of the medications. We raised a total of $500 from items that our friends had given us to sell.  Emily's medications totaled $3500 and we were still $3000 short of that number.  We received a phone call the very next day that some members of my parents church in Kentucky had given us $2000 and we got another gift the following totaling $1100!!! God had provided, through the generosity of others, the entire amount we needed!  We were on a high and couldn't wait to see what God had in store for us this week. Just before I boarded my plane Emily called with some bad news, the clinic has decided that she did not have enough follicles stimulated to produce a good number of eggs which would give us low chances of success if we moved forward.  They recommended that we stop our IVF cycle and try a different stimulation plan later.  Crushed. We are both crushed.  Why wouldn't God use that awesome opportunity for His glory right now?!

 

     There are so many verses that I could use but Jeremiah 29:11 is the one I have clung to.  God has plans for us, plans for ALL of us. Plans to give us hope and a future. The main thing I have to stay focused on is that this future is for His glory, not mine, not Emily's, not our children's.  We all have things happen to us that we may never understand.  We must use those circumstances in our lives for good and not dwell on things we can't control.  If your happiness comes from your circumstances you will always be disappointed.  If your joy comes from Christ, it will sustain you through those rough patches.  Today, I am thankful for the process and thankful for the awesome life that I have been given with so many chances to tell people about what it really means to have Joy.  Thank you all for your prayers and support.  If we can help you in any way, please let us know.