Tucker's Doctor Visit

Tucker went to the doctor on October 21st. His ultrasound showed an almost normal spleen!!! God is truly amazing!!! He is Jehovah-Rapha!! The doctor said he is able to return to normal "kid activity"! She even told him that she WILL let him wrestle in December! She said that there is NO evidence of scarring or cysts that can sometimes form after an injury.

We are so thankful that God has healed him so quickly! We feel that this is a testament of God's hand on Tucker. Thank you to everyone who has been praying for him. This has been an Ebeneezer in our life of how God provides: His strength when you feel like you "can't"; sleep when you're scared to sleep; peace when your flesh is filled with worry; quick incredible healing even though it's "the worst I've ever seen"; friends and family loving on us; and a testimony of God's faithfulness. We are so thankful and give God all the glory for what He has done!

A Quick Note!

It has been a month since Tucker's injury!! He is doing very well!! We have so much to be thankful for!! He has gained his energy back! So, now we are trying to remind him that even though he doesn't feel it anymore, he is still recovering from a major injury and can not do certain things!! Which is very hard for an eleven year old boy to understand!! We do go this Thursday for an ultrasound and doctor's visit to see how he is progressing. We are praying that his spleen looks beautiful!! :)

PRAISE~Janice, Billy's mother, had a clear scan! She has Lymphoma and the doctors thought that it could be back but, her scan was clear! This was such great news! This also meant that she did not have to go on another treatment and could continue what they had originally planned.

PRAISE~God provided for our family!!! Our Suburban needed new tires! God brought someone along our path that saw the need and was very concerned about our safety. This person was blessed by an unexpected paycheck, and bought us new tires!!! What a blessing to my family!! We are so humbled and grateful that God provided for them, and He through them provided for us!! Wow!!! God is amazing!! He is Jehovah- Jireh!!

What Will the Day Hold?

You know when we say, "You never know what the day will hold?" Well, Tuesday, we didn't know what that day was going to hold. As we are going about our busy night of football, homework, and Open House, God allowed us to take an unexpected turn.

Tucker was on the field and had picked up the ball. He had taken a few steps then was hit by someone about twice his size. He was knocked about 3-4 yards backwards. He laid there for a minute or two. The coaches went out there to check on him. Tucker got up and went off the field. At this point Billy texts me to let me know. Thinking he just got the wind knocked out of him and will be fine, I headed to Ellie's Open House. After a few minutes of being on the sidelines however Tucker began to throw up, maybe 10 plus times. His grandparents take him home with them. When I am finished at the school, I called Billy to check on Tucker. Billy then tells me that I need to take Tucker to the ER. After what felt like a long wait and a check from the doctor a CT is ordered. The scan showed multiple lacerations to his spleen which were bleeding. We were then admitted to TC Thompson. Tucker was put under the care of a surgeon and was watched closely throughout the night. The goal was to not have surgery to remove the spleen. As I was sitting, watching, waiting I kept thinking of the verses in Isiah where it says, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through the fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you." I knew that God was with us and will not give us more than we can handle. I was just going to have to trust regardless of my feelings!

Wednesday was a rough day. Tucker was taking Morphine about every 3 hours. Even in his sleep he would show signs of being in pain. It was so hard to watch him in so much pain. Late in the evening he started to have a fever. The nurse kept a close eye on him during the night. One thing is for sure though...We could feel the prayers of our family and friends. Tucker was alright and Billy and I were "holding up". God had shown us so much grace and mercy. It was so evident to us that His hand was surrounding us.

Thursday morning when Tucker woke up, he had improved so much! Still ran a fever all day but was talkative, interactive, ate a little bit, and walked some! It was such a relief to see the difference. God was showing us how He is Tucker's Healer!

Today, Friday, we are in good shape of going home. We just need Tucker to take in a lot of fluids by mouth. He is feeling well and is walking really good.

The thing about circumstances like this is that it doesn't just affect the person going through it. I hope/believe the testimony through this for Tucker is to see how God has His protection over him. His liver was unharmed, along with his pancreas. The kidney that bled to make his urine have blood in it, stopped bleeding within a couple of hours. Tucker did not have to have surgery, and his spleen "cracked" and clotted correctly. God is his Healer and Protector, and His hand is upon him. But, he also has two concerned parents. Our lesson is to know that our trust is in Him. We have to believe, know, and trust that God is in control of our children. Then you have Ellie and Major that have to learn to trust God with their fears and concerns. God is their Sustainer and Comforter too. Lastly, there is the family and friends that are concerned for Tucker and our family. There have been so many prayers, words of love and encouragement, visits, help with Ellie and Major, meals, snacks, Starbucks, balloons, bears, t-shirts, and gifts. We feel SO blessed. Words could never convey the gratitude we have. We have definitely felt the love of God, as well as from the body.

School is Here!!

School has started and is in session! Our days have somehow gotten even busier!!!

Ellie has started her senior year at Ooltewah High School. She has a full schedule for the fall semester: Chemisty, Contemporary Issues, Bridge Math (prep for ACT), and English. She is also a FCA leader as well. In the youth group she is singing with praise band and is a LIFEgroup leader. We pray that this is a successful year for her as she begins this new phase.

Tucker is in 6th grade at Ooltewah Middle School. He loves it so far!! He is on the football team. He is also participating in FCA and FCO (Fellowship of Christians Owls!). Our prayer is that as he starts this new journey of middle school that he will learn to stand his ground and be bold in his faith.

Major is in 5th grade at Wolftever Creek Elementary School. He is trying to get used to new school environment, rules, and teacher. We pray that he adjusts soon and continues to make new friends.

Easter 2010!!!!

Here are a few pics from Easter 2010 with the family. Hope you had a wonderful day celebrating our Savior's resurrection!!! He Is Alive!!!!

Opening Day for Baseball!!

Wrestling and basketball are over and baseball has now begun!!! Saturday was opening day for Tucker's and Major's baseball season!!! The boys are on different teams this year, but are both the "Red Sox". Tucker is the catcher for his team. Major pitches and plays either 1st or 3rd base. I have a few pictures from opening day!!! We will keep you guys posted on how the season goes!!!

Day with Traci and Becky

Thursday, March 25th Traci, Becky and I headed to Atlanta to go to First Baptist of Atlanta. It was such a blessing to see God's provision for us, especially Becky. Becky and her family are headed back to their home in Africa from being on furlough. She has to shop for three kids for the next four years!!! FBA has a ministry for missionaries that provides clothing and such. Wow!!! It was so neat!! I was very touched not just by the provision, but also by the tenderness, attention, and prayer time that was given to us!! I think this was one of those times that I will not soon forget.

While talking though, we found out that Becky had not ever eaten at a Cheesecake Factory!!! Traci and I thought that Becky HAD to eat there before returning back to Africa!!!! So, we made a stop and shared nachos and had some cheesecake!!! It was delicious!!!!

It was also a great time for me personally to be with two women that have been on the mission field for several years now. They have wisdom and experience that I do not have. It was great to be with them and hear all that they had to say. Thank you Traci and Becky for your insight!!! :)

Happy 10th Birthday Major!!!

Wednesday March 24th Major turned double digits!!! We had Chick-fil-A sandwiches, chips, fruit, cake, and banana pudding!!! We played pin the tail on the donkey (everyone played!), had a pinata, and played Farkle!!! Billy won pin the tail on the donkey and Becky won Farkle!!! It was a great party!

Major is such a blessing to our family. I can not imagine life without him. As with all of my children, he is a miracle. I say this because I was told I wouldn't be able to have children when I was sixteen. My pregnancy with him was stressful and we prayed constantly for his life. At 25 weeks gestation we were told he had hole in his heart. But God had His hand on him in my womb and closed that hole a week before he was born!!! Then when he was born, thankfully by c-section, the cord was wrapped around his neck and he was a little blue and needed oxygen. Again, God had His hand on him and he was perfectly fine! Throughout his life Major has brought us so many laughs and smiles!! I'm so thankful that God allowed me to be his mother and gave him to our family!!!

Happy Birthday Major!! We love you very much!! :)

Thailand/Philippines Trip October 2009

In October 2009 Bill and I took a trip to Thailand and the Philippines. First we went to Thailand. We were able to go into the slum area of Bangkok, visit a childcare center, and see where the children live. Bangkok is where the office is located so we were able to go there and meet the people in the office. We were also able to visit with our exchange daughter, Bell, and meet her parents while we were in Bangkok. We then traveled to Nan, Thailand. There we helped with an English Camp. After the camp was over each day we would go and visit childcare centers, feeding centers, and a hostel. We also were able to go to a Hmong village church where Bill presented a passage from Ephesians. Bill and I were amazed at the beauty in Thailand! The Thai people were so friendly and it made us feel right at home!
Our visit to the Philippines was fast moving!!! We had a lot to see! We went to many childcare and feeding centers, as well as Skilled Hands. The office is in Manila where we spent most of our time. We were also able to see and experience the parts of Manila that had been flooded by the Typhoon Ketsana (Ondoy) three weeks prior to us arriving. It was so heart breaking to see these living conditions and such poverty. Bill and I were also able to visit where we hope the boys will be going to school if we live in Manila. We also went to Bacolod where we visited other childcare centers and an orphanage. It was great to see so much of what these precious people do to help the people of there country.
No doubt that this trip made us want to be in South East Asia even more!!!

Hello Everyone

We are so excited to have a blog up and running now!!! We hope that we can keep this updated and let you guys know what is happening in our lives. We would love to hear feedback from you and any prayer requests that we can pray for.