Phillips Medical Update

In my post titled Phillips News & Summer Highlights, I wrote a little about how we were starting to work with the Pope Paul VI Institute in Omaha.  It has been a long process, but this last weekend we were flooded with several more pieces to the puzzle of our wait for a child and my personal health.  We have been overwhelmed by the generosity of so many of you all in providing encouragement, prayer, meals, hugs, financial gifts, and understanding as we’ve walked through this step in the journey.  Your support has helped us to endure and to just keep doing the next thing.  We are so grateful God has placed such a wonderful network of loving people in our lives, and we wanted to update you with the new information we’ve been given and with some of our next steps.  Disclaimer: I don’t really filter much.  Read at your own risk.      

I’ve known for a while that something was off, which was why I was so unsettled with the idea of trying IUI.  My doctor said that infertility is the body’s way of telling us that something is wrong – that having a baby is not a good idea until the underlying issues are addressed.  We now know that I have plenty of underlying issues.  On Friday, I had a diagnostic laparoscopy along with several other tests that were performed while I was under anesthesia.  On Monday, we met with my doctor to watch the video of the surgery (bizarre!) and discuss the findings along with my previously known issues and the  bloodwork results from the thorough hormone evaluation I had done back in August.  During the surgery, they also took some cultures and biopsies, but we won’t have the results from those for a few weeks.  With the information we have right now, here are the presenting issues:

Hypothyroidism

I was diagnosed with this back in 2016, but I still experience many symptoms of thyroid problems.  My current doctor added a slow release T3 medication to my current medication and is still working to determine the optimal dosage for that. 

Endometriosis

During my surgery, they found extensive endometriosis along with some adhesions (scar tissue). 

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)

The ultrasound before my surgery revealed some ovarian cysts.  Although I am missing some of the classic symptoms and signs of PCOS (such as being overweight, having way too many days between periods, etc.), I do have enough indicators (such as enlarged ovaries, elevated levels of certain hormones, acne, etc.) that my doctor believes I have this condition as well.

Low Progesterone

My hormone evaluation indicated that, as my doctor put it, my “progesterone stinks.”  The levels are far too low, which puts me at risk for things like infertility, preeclampsia, and miscarriage.   

Cervical Inflammation

They said they saw signs of inflammation in my cervix during the surgery, but the results from the cultures will tell us more.      

Miscellaneous

I have a small cyst on one of my fallopian tubes, and I also have an extra little useless fallopian tube attached to a main tube (what in the world?!).  It isn’t really hurting anything at this point, but it’s not helping either. 

People have been asking how I am with all of this.  I am a little overwhelmed at finding out just how much is going on in my body, but I am also not overly surprised.  I am relieved to know that I am not just a wimp and that issues I’ve faced aren’t just all in my head.   I am glad to finally have some more concrete answers as to why I haven’t been able to get pregnant  in the past (nearly) four years.  I am frustrated that it has taken this long to get a diagnosis for so many major issues.  I am thankful for a husband who is completely supportive, caring, and sweet.  I am anxious and hopeful for the next steps, which presently include the following:

Ultrasound Series

I was supposed to do this during the same trip as the diagnostic laparoscopy, but my body didn’t cooperate, and it was going to run into Christmas.  The scheduling for this is very dependent on where I am at in my cycle, so it makes it hard to plan for it in advance.  It will help the doctor to see what is going on through the ovulation process.   They want this to be done at their facility in Omaha as well.    

Second Surgery

If the issues had been minor, my doctor would have corrected them during my laparoscopy.  However, because the problems are so varied and so extensive, I need to have another surgery.  It will still be minimally invasive (five incisions), but it will take about eight hours, including the time to stitch everything up to prevent scar tissue.  I will likely have to stay in the hospital at least one night and stay in Omaha for several days.  The recovery time will also be longer.

Bloodwork

I have to have a blood test for insulin resistance because insulin resistance is often associated with PCOS.  I also need to have my prolactin levels re-tested.  They were elevated when I tested back in August, but a repeat test is required to make sure it wasn’t circumstantial.      

Hormone Treatment

My doctor will start me on some form of progesterone, but probably not until after the second surgery.  She said the injections would be the most effective but that we can discuss other options (I am not too keen on needles).

We appreciate your continued prayers as we navigate the difficult scheduling, financial preparation, trip planning, and emotional craziness that comes with all of this!   

Pre-Op

   

Are You All In?

On Wednesday night, Jon and I joined in one of the high school midweek small groups.  Barry, the volunteer leader for this particular group, shared a challenge that we have heard him give to students many times before.  The challenge was to say yes to God before even knowing the question.  Such a challenge should be easy and logical since we know that God is sovereign, good, just, loving, all-knowing, and all-powerful.  Yet, we fear what discomfort, rejection, pain, or loss He might ask us to endure.  Tension creeps into our shoulders as we ponder which dreams He might ask us to delay or sacrifice completely.  Blind to the future, we struggle to overcome the feeling of risk that accompanies that depth of surrender. 

Of course, we desire to see the mighty works of God and His plan brought to fruition, but are we willing to do whatever He asks of us to fulfill our role in that plan?  Joseph became Pharaoh’s right-hand man, saved his family from the famine in Egypt, and was a key component in God’s design to preserve and grow the nation of Israel, but he also endured years of betrayal, slavery, false accusations, imprisonment, and abandonment in the process.  How serious are we about following Jesus?  How dedicated are we to His will?  Is He worth any trial, test, or risk we could face?  Many of us claim to have surrendered to Him completely, and we pray to Him to work miracles in our lives, but we freeze up when He calls us to action.  How can we find the strength and the courage to instead say yes to God, regardless of what He asks?

            After the death of Moses, God called Joshua to the daunting task of leading Israel, a nation of former slaves, to take possession of the promised land, which was inhabited by established cities of idolatrous people and warrior giants.  Joshua had seen the nation say no to God once before out of fear, and he had wandered in the wilderness along with them for forty years as a result.  His “yes” attitude when he first served as a scout (Num. 13:8, 16-14:10) had been overshadowed by the cautious majority.  Now, in the first chapter of the book of Joshua, God encourages His chosen leader and commands Him to be strong and courageous (three times!) as he continues to live with wholehearted surrender to God’s will.  In His charge to Joshua (Josh. 1:2-9), we also see three keys to finding strength and courage for ourselves to have a “yes” attitude toward God. 

        

1.  Believe God’s Promises (vv. 2-6)

           

            God had promised to give the land to Israel.  Joshua knew this, but God reminded Him of it once again.  God has also given us all sorts of promises.  For example, He promises that He will finish the work He started in us (Phil. 1:6) and that He will work all things for the good of those who love Him (Rom. 8:28).  These are promises that we can cling to, and when we believe that God will do what He promised, we can find the strength to keep going.  When we can’t see the whole picture, we can look back on God’s promises and find the courage to keep saying yes to the only One who never breaks His promises. 

2.  Obey God’s Precepts (vv. 7-8)

            Being strong and courageous is very closely tied to obedience in this whole passage and particularly in verses 7 and 8.  God reminds Joshua not only to be obedient in the monumental task of leading a nation to conquer a land, but also to be obedient to the whole Word of God.  As we are obedient to God’s Word in the little things, the truth and goodness of His precepts are made even more evident to us, which emboldens us to continue to be obedient when God gives us radical and life-altering callings.  In addition, God  more often than not works His will in and through us by the means of our individual choices, not by a large display of instant Divine intervention.  We beg God to do a miracle in restoring our marriage, but are we willing to forgive our spouse?  When we feel the weight of financial burdens and plead with God to provide, are we willing to change our spending, saving, giving, and working habits to align with Scripture?  If we are careful to follow His way in all of the little things, we will have more clarity and discernment to obey and find success in the big things. 

3.  Remember God’s Presence (vv. 5, 9)

           

            God’s presence in this passage is found both as a promise (v. 5) and as a comfort (v.9).  This particular promise of God’s presence was directly to Joshua, but we have the same promise and comfort in Hebrews 13:5b-6.  The knowledge that God does not leave us alone to try and do what He wants us to do allows us to boldly step forward in obedience in spite of our fears.  With the God of the universe at our side, what reason could we possibly have to fear man?  The One who split the Red Sea, the One who provided manna in the desert, the One who lowered Himself to the point of infancy for our sake, the One who carried the weight of the punishment for our sin, and the One who conquered the grave is with us.  He is with you. 

            In our relationship with God, He is in – He is all in.  If you have any doubts about that fact, go back to the cross.  Even while we were directly opposed to Him and even when we spat in His face with our disobedience and unbelief, He left heaven to come down in the lowest and most dependent of positions just to grow up and be tortured and killed by the ones He came to save.  Now, He is alive, and He reminds us that He is still all in – we need only to believe.  As the truth of His love sinks into our hearts, how could our natural response be anything other than reciprocation?  No one wants to be in a one-sided relationship.  No one wants to give their all to someone only to receive a fraction of that person’s heart in return.  He has given us all that we need to find the strength and the courage to say yes to Him.  Are you willing to go all in with Jesus?  

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Love Keeps No Records

Record-keeping is my jam.  If it can be quantified, listed, color-coded, or categorized, I’ve got a spreadsheet, an app, a binder, or a file for it.  For our Pope Paul VI testing alone, I have a journal, a hard file (with dividers, of course), and an e-file (with sub-files and sub-sub-files).  The information pack-rat inside of me insists on keeping anything that may be necessary to reference in the future, and my firstborn tendencies demand that I keep it all organized enough that it can be readily and easily accessed.  Such is the life of an accountant’s daughter.

My passion for keeping neat, accurate records arises, at least in part, from my beaver personality (read The Two Sides of Love by Gary Smalley & John Trent).  We beavers are known for our affinity for precision, accuracy, and detail, but we are also characterized by our emphasis on the past.  We put a lot of stock into what has already happened, and our thoughts and decisions are often rooted in the past.  Before jumping in, we like to see that an idea or method has been tested and proven to be practical and effective over time.  Shady track records and patterns of inconsistency are nearly impossible for us to overlook.  These God-given traits are good and necessary for many aspects of society, work, and life to function.  However, as with any other personality traits, they lend themselves to certain weaknesses when misused or taken to extremes.       

Last week, we started a series at The Crossing Fellowship titled “The New Rules for Love, Sex, & Dating.”  On a side note, my husband is going to be delivering the message on sex; I haven’t decided for sure whether or not I should go MIA that weekend (kidding…sort of …).  Anyway, during last week’s message we talked about chemistry problems versus relationship problems, becoming the right person instead of looking for (or trying to make your spouse into) the “right” person, and what love in a relationship really looks like.  Check out the full message here, or visit The Crossing’s Facebook page here.  We spent some time in 1 Corinthians 13, and the end of one verse grabbed onto me in a way that it never has before: “[love] keeps no record of being wronged” (NLT).

I rarely lash out, and I am not easily provoked to all-out anger, but we’ve already established that I am assuredly a record-keeper, and this area is no exception.  Of course I don’t keep physical, written records of all the ways I’ve been hurt or irritated, but they are written in my heart and mind just the same.  When I am not very careful and intentional to keep short accounts by dealing with the hurt, sealing up those records with forgiveness, and letting them go through trust in my God, they simmer and intensify with bitterness as the record lengthens.  I have some golden retriever (another Smalley/Trent reference) in me too that prefers to keep the peace and avoid confrontation as much as possible, which only exacerbates the problem.  As I reach the boiling point, smaller things upset me much more quickly, and I begin to burn everyone around me as the turmoil in my heart inevitably bubbles to the surface (we talked about this extensively at The Crossing in the series “Me & My Big Mouth”). 

I have a long way to go, but God is teaching me to love better.  He is constantly reminding me that He does not keep a record of my sins and that I need to love and forgive as He loves and forgives.  He tugs at my heart and lets me know when I need to deal with something, and I’m trying to listen and be more eagerly obedient to that nudge.  I am also learning that sometimes I have to be willing to look past the track record and see people as God sees them.  In His eyes, I am already glorified in Christ (Rom. 8:29, 30).  In His eyes, they are either glorified in Christ or lost in their unbelief.  Either way, they are a work in progress just as I am, they are valuable, and they need to be shown love and respect.  Our lead pastor, Eric, has often encouraged us to treat our spouses (or anyone, for that matter) as if they are already the person we hope they will become.  Isn’t that how we want to be treated?  We all need people to believe in us and who we can become through Christ.  Even though I naturally look to the past, I am learning to turn my eyes instead to the future – to ditch my records and, with hope, trust in God and what He can and will do in me and in those around me.

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Abundant Living in an Arid Land

Deserts are largely uninhabited for a reason.  Why live in the dry heat of a barren, inhospitable land when the world is full of breathtaking mountains, lush valleys, and calming seas?  Yet, spiritually, we sometimes choose to remain with our feet planted in the sand, our parched throat drawing in the dusty air, and our skin shriveling up in the relentless rays of the sun.  We may not have arrived in the desert by our own desire (whether as a result of sin or of difficult circumstances outside our control), but that doesn’t mean we are hopelessly trapped there.  So, why do we still act paralyzed? 

For most of the summer, I have been in the book of Numbers.  The wilderness was always part of God’s plan to take Israel into the promised land.  Their journey was never going to be an easy one, but they made it much harder on themselves by the choices they made.  As I read, I tried to choose one or two main ideas from each passage to write down in my journal.  Looking back over my notes, three themes emerged that I think are key to thriving through our spiritual wildernesses and moving on from them.

1.  Don’t Complain

Israel complained repeatedly through their whole wilderness experience.  Their loud discontent did little to benefit them.  Instead, it roused God’s anger and frustrated their leader (Moses) to the point that he wanted God to end his life.  Further, it caused them to forget what God had already done for them, fed their ungratefulness, and led to more heartache and headache than any temporary satisfaction they received.  Similarly, our complaints make us ungrateful for what God has already done, they make us intolerable to those around us, and they blind us from the ways God is working on our behalf.  The Scriptures are also clear that while Jesus did indeed take the punishment for our sin, God still disciplines His children.  He loves us too much to let us grow up to be spoiled brats, and a complaining attitude is not something He allows to go unchecked.  No one leaves their desert on the wheels of complaint without crashing and burning along the way.      

  

2.  Believe

In spite of all the miraculous ways the people of Israel had seen God work in rescuing them out of Egypt, they constantly doubted His character, His promises, and His ways in the wilderness.  God continued to be faithful even when they were faithless, but they tested His boundaries more zealously than a three-year-old.  Their unbelief, coupled with fear, ultimately led to their stay in the wilderness being extended by another forty years.  We get stuck when we don’t believe God, and who knows how often we have delayed or missed out on His blessings because of our stubborn unbelief.       

3.  Obey       

When we stop believing God, disobedience is inevitable.  We were all created to believe in something, and when the rightful object of that belief is displaced, we start pursuing all sorts of other avenues to fill that void.  Israel was constantly wandering away from the one true God by worshipping Him in ways that He did not ask or by worshipping other gods entirely.  Their disobedience resulted in so much destruction, pain, and death.  Our hearts are easily led away from God, even when we have seen the truth of His goodness and His righteousness.  Obedience is a choice we must make in every single moment as we continue to believe God in the face of our driest deserts. 

A common response to reading about the Israelites is baffled self-righteousness.  How could they turn away so many times from the God who set them free?  How could they even dream of being unfaithful to Him?  Of course, we would have made the right choices if we were in their shoes.  But, don’t we make those same choices today?  Our descent into the sins of complaint, disbelief, and disobedience might look different, but it is just as real and baffling, if not more so. 

We have known the love of our Savior in a way that the Israelites were not yet privileged to see.  Israel saw God’s deliverance from Egypt, but we have seen our deliverance from the eternal punishment and present power of sin in our lives through Jesus’s death and resurrection.  The Source of living water resides inside of us (Jn. 7:37-39).  In the bleakest wastelands, we have no reason to wilt because we already have been given everything we need to flourish and thrive.  We need only to choose to listen to Him.  If we stop complaining long enough to turn our eyes away from our own misery and self-pity, believe that God will fulfill His promises on the basis of His good character, and obey Him as His Spirit and Word guide us in the way that He made this world to work, we can be the oases in a cracked, broken world.  Once we realize that He is all we need, we can live abundantly regardless of whether we find ourselves in the desert or the promised land.           

                                  

Fighting Fear

          

        The past couple of weeks have felt like a nearly constant battle with fear.  Between the frequent blood draws, the arrival of the medical billing estimate, and the information I’ve been reading about potential treatments, I’ve been overwhelmed at times.  I know in my head that God has got this all under control and that the end will be worth it (whether or not it results in a pregnancy), but my heart has trouble getting on board sometimes.  Questions keep rolling around in my mind:

Will today’s blood draw be a tolerable one, or one that is going to make me dread coming back again in two days? 

 What if the local lab doesn’t follow the instructions quite right or doesn’t get the completed series shipped off the right way to the lab in Omaha, and I have to do this all over again? 

 How in the world is this going to pan out financially?  What if Samaritan Ministries (our health sharing group) decides that none of my tests or my surgery will be publishable?

 What are the results going to show?  Are they going to make me take progesterone shots at home?  What kinds of havoc will my body and emotions go through if they have to adjust my hormones?  Will I have to have a second surgery?  What if they find something even more serious?      

All of this is out of my control, of course.  There is no point in dwelling on it, but letting go is so hard!  The timing of the Livin’ Out Loud concert was perfect for me.  Two songs that God has been using to quiet my mind were played: Fear is a Liar (performed by Zach Williams) and No Longer Slaves (performed by I Am They).  I wholeheartedly recommend listening to them if you are struggling with fear too. 

We were also privileged to hear the story of Justin Halbgewachs and his family.  He lost his wife to cancer and not long after was diagnosed with brain cancer himself.  He was given nine months to live.  Those nine months have come and gone, along with two brain surgeries.  After one of those surgeries, he woke up and was so thankful simply to know Jesus that he went and sang Amazing Grace with his three children.  You can check out more of the details of his story by visiting his website or by  following his personal Facebook account.  During his messages on Saturday and Sunday, Justin talked about how he had asked God to do whatever it would take to draw him closer to Himself.  Just a couple months later, he was diagnosed with cancer.  I know he has struggled too, but he was so relaxed and at peace in the way he talked.  He did not blame God, he wasn’t angry with God, and he was not bound by fear or grief.  He has learned to value what God values.  His eternal perspective gave him freedom and joy that was completely evident to those of us who saw him. 

The fact that God often uses suffering and difficult circumstances to grow us, develop our character, break down our idols, and draw us to Himself isn’t really easy to accept.  I wish growth could come easily, but the more of life I experience, the more I learn that suffering and pain are part of the package.  It’s not like God can’t relate.  I can say “Jesus died on the cross” without giving that statement hardly a second thought, but the reality of just what took place is something we can hardly comprehend.  If Jesus was not exempt from suffering in this life, why should I be?  We have the promise and hope of glory on the other side.  We know that the God who allows trials is good and trustworthy and that His plan is good, even though it includes hard things.

          If Justin can overcome his fear and face his circumstances of life with joy and worship, so can I.  So can you.  We don’t have to choose fear or listen to the lies.  Even when our circumstances loom heavy on our hearts, we can lift our eyes and reach out for help and hope.  God gives us His strength and everything we need to walk through anything that He asks of us.  He never leaves us, and He promises us that this life is not all there is. 

    

Phillips News & Summer Highlights

            This summer has felt remarkably similar to a time-lapse video.  For the blog, I’ve been missing in action through most of that time, so I decided to give you all some of the highlights and some of the lessons God has been teaching me (or re-enforcing) along the way. 

 

June

Maranatha Camps

For Jon, three of the four weeks in June were spent at Maranatha Bible Camp.  Each week he played a different role: cabin leader, emcee, and worship leader.  I visited camp occasionally during those weeks when I could.  While I missed having him at home (and I was admittedly a little jealous that I wasn’t able to be there too), I loved getting to see him invest in the lives of both campers and camp staff by using many of the ways God has gifted him.  During this time, we also both began walking alongside one of the camp staffers who had just graduated high school as she made some big decisions for this upcoming school year.         

 

Infertility: Re-Direct

In my last infertility update, I mentioned that we were looking into IUI.  As I researched, I still felt uneasy with that route, so I reached out to several friends who have gone through infertility.  One of those friends introduced me to NaProTechnology, Creighton Model Charting, and the Pope Paul VI Institute.  We decided to pursue that avenue of testing, and in June, my FertilityCare practitioner (who was teaching me the charting method) told me that she suspected I might have endometriosis, along with some other issues.  However, I had to complete two months of charting (which also involved several follow-up appointments with my teacher) before I could begin working with the doctors at the PPVI Institute in Omaha.       

New Nephew

In June, Jon’s brother and his wife welcomed their second child, Mark Erin Phillips III, into the world.  We now have five nephews and two nieces on that side!

July

Independence Day

By the 4^th of July, Maranatha still wasn’t sick of us, so they asked us to play some music for their big 4^th of July event.  It was another great opportunity for us to connect with some of Maranatha’s staff, and it was just plain fun!

            Infertility: Initial Consultation

I completed my two months of charting right as we were leaving for Grace Haven.  I had already gathered all of the necessary documents for a long-distance consultation with the PPVI Institute in Omaha (medical records, detailed cover letter, fee, etc.), so we put it all together, and dropped it off with my parents on the way to Utah so that they could get it sent off right after the weekend. 

Grace Haven Bible Camp

For the third consecutive year, Jon was asked to speak at Grace Haven Bible Camp in Utah.  This time, I was able to go with him (I am so thankful for a fairly flexible job and parents who were willing to take on our three dogs in addition to their own two for a whole week!).  There are some pretty awesome people whom we get to work with when we go out there (including some FSB alumni friends), and we have thoroughly enjoyed getting to see the familiar faces of several campers from year to year.  Grace Haven is a little out of my comfort zone as far as creepy-crawly things, rustic living, and extreme games, but I can’t help loving it anyway.  It’s good to be stretched. 

This year, I was so encouraged by the transformation we saw in one girl.  She came to Jon and I with a huge list of tough questions, and we spent a couple hours with her going over them.

(By the way, one of my absolute favorite things to do with my husband is to work together in counseling students.  We complement each other so well in being able to offer completely different perspectives, illustrations, and explanations.  These precious moments make me appreciate him so much!)     

We left that initial meeting a little discouraged because she was still unsure and confused about a few things.  As we prayed for her over the course of the week and as other camp leaders invested into her, eventually something clicked, and she put her faith in Christ not long before camp ended.  This was such a huge gesture of affection from God toward my own heart.  After having prayed for months and years about some things in my life with seemingly very little change, it overwhelmed my heart to see Him act so quickly and so drastically in this young girl’s life.          

Austin’s Wedding

The weekend after Grace Haven, one of our good friends from our life group in Scottsbluff got married.  Our life group transparently and vulnerably walked through some really tough seasons together, and they hold such a special place in our hearts.  I was reminded again of how important it is to be authentic and to intentionally pursue deep friendships.  We’ve talked before about how we never would have chosen each other.  If we hadn’t all gone to the same life group launch, we likely never would have become more than acquaintances.  God was so gracious to throw us all together in the midst of our mess, and I’m so glad we didn’t miss out because we weren’t willing to give each other a chance.   

  

Babysitting

The weekend after the wedding, I babysat our friends’ spunky, bright three-year-old in North Platte.  I also babysat her consistently from the age of 8 months to 13 months when we all lived in the panhandle.  This is another family we just absolutely adore.  While it was exhausting taking care of her largely by myself for the weekend (I have crazy respect for people who single parent), I love getting to be a part of her life.  She just brings so much joy.    

She’s currently in the “why” stage, and God used that to make me think about the ways that I ask Him the same question.  Sometimes it’s out of curiosity or a true desire to know the answer, but I know other times I use it as a way to try and make Him justify His actions or His commands to me.  He is God and I am not, and I don’t always have to know why in order to be obedient or to trust His character.             

August

            Infertility: Review Letter & Beginning Testing

On August 1, we received our consultation letter from the doctor in Omaha who reviewed our case.  She agreed with my charting teacher that my charts and history displayed several characteristics of a variety of issues, including endometriosis.  She recommended a whole slew of tests, starting with a thorough hormone evaluation.  I will get my blood drawn locally approximately thirteen times in the span of a month, and then it will all be shipped to the National Hormone Lab in Omaha so they can run the tests themselves.  Many of the other tests (including diagnostic surgery) will occur under anesthesia during a 7-10 day stay in Omaha.  Within 6-8 weeks, someone will call me to schedule the stay in Omaha.  The stay itself will likely be in 3-4 months, since that is the typical wait time for all of their doctors.  At the end of the testing, the doctor will meet with me to discuss the results and treatment options.  I started the blood draws this last Saturday.  One day, I was feeling particularly fearful about the blood draws and about the potential treatments I was reading about (progesterone shots sound like torture), and I opened my devotional book to see the title “Do Not Fear” and the verse 2 Timothy 1:7: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”  This was another sweet moment for me to realize that yes, God still sees me.    

Sterling

The first weekend in August involved a wedding, my sister-in-law’s baby shower (nephew #6 –  #1 one on my side – is due to arrive in just a few weeks!), Grandma Ruth’s 80^th birthday party, and worship service at the church I grew up in.  My mom asked me to come down for the weekend to help her with the many cakes and cupcakes she had gotten herself into.  The weekend was insanely busy, but I enjoyed getting to take part in all of the festivities, getting to spend time with my parents, and getting to briefly see so many people from my childhood.      

 

Class Reunion Weekend

This weekend was no less busy.  On Friday, I went to North Platte for a monthly life group made up of several Berean pastors’ wives (led by the wife of the president of the fellowship – Diane Mathis).  Spending time with other ministry wives has been so valuable!  Saturday’s main event was my 10^th year high school reunion.  Once we got past the slightly awkward beginning phase, Jon and I settled in and caught up with some people I’ve kept contact with and others I haven’t seen in years.  The trip to Sterling was a fast one because we had to drive back to be in Gothenburg for Family Day at The Crossing Fellowship.  Family Day involved worship led by the children’s ministry, a child dedication, a sermon about parenting, a potluck lunch, giant inflatable bounce houses, a slip ‘n slide, ga-ga ball, and a dunk tank to raise money for Backpacks for Kids.      

Visits from Utah Friends

One of the perks of living near I-80 is that we have friends coming through one direction or the other all the time!  One of our favorite ministry families from Utah was driving home this weekend after visiting relatives and stopped by for the Family Day service.  We didn’t get to see them while we were at Grace Haven this year, so we were super excited that they took the time to stop!  We also have another friend from Utah (and FSB alum) who might stop by this next week on his way home!        

Upcoming

Livin’ Out Loud

We are looking forward to Livin’ Out Loud next weekend: the annual free Christian concert that takes place essentially right in our backyard.  My parents are planning on coming to take part, and we will also have a booth for Catalyst Student Ministries this year.    

Catalyst Resumes

The weekend after Livin’ Out Loud, Catalyst Student Ministries will resume with lots of new changes!  You can check those out in the newsletter I shared earlier this week on my Facebook feed if you are curious, but we are stoked to get youth group kicked off again (we just had sporadic big events throughout the summer instead of meeting weekly) and to see what all God has in store for that ministry this year!  

If you made it all the way through this post, I am impressed!  I know so many of you reading this have invested in us in one way or another, and we are so thankful for you all!  For me, the over-arching theme of the summer has been community.  I mentioned so many different groups of people from so many different stages and areas of my life, and I just can’t imagine what life would be like without them.  People are so valuable, even to an introvert like myself.  I am so amazed at how God brings us into each other’s lives at just the right times and in just the right places.  I could go on and on about it, but since this post is already ridiculously long, I will simply say, thank you for being in my life (even if it is only in a small way).  Also, if you are one of those long distance friends and you need a stopping place on I-80, hit me up!  We’d love to see you!