Update

Today has been an eventful day! So far from what I pictured for this day when I woke up this morning!

Zeke and I decided that we would go visit a friend's church in Nashville today. Zeke met this pastor this week at camp, they worked together in the Green School at Super Summer, and Zeke told him that we would come visit in a few weeks because we were supposed to be out of town this weekend and then have children's camp next week. But since we ended up staying in town and my dad was still in the hospital and having a rough day, we figured we would just go to church and then head straight over to see my dad. While we were in church I got a text message from my mom saying that they had run tests to see what was wrong with my dad and they found that there was a leak so they were going to have to take him back in for surgery!

My immediate thought was we have to go, NOW, but as I sat there God began to speak to my heart that this was out of my control! (Obviously!) If we left in the middle of the service it would be awkward and getting to the hospital at that point would not do any good because there is nothing I could do anyways, except pray and that I could do right where I was!

So I began to pray! Pray that God would protect my dad and heal his body. I could not sit still all during the service - it could not get finished fast enough! Finally it was done and we were on our way over to the hospital. I got there in time to see my dad before he went into surgery and we stayed the entire time he was in surgery. Everything went well with the surgery and he is now back in his room at the hospital resting. On the way home, Zeke and I were talking and I began putting two and two together.

I have been going through I study about the Israelites and how God freed them from Egypt and took hem through the wilderness, providing for their every need as they went, but yet every time they came to a place where a need arose, they forgot that God was providing for them! This is just like me in this situation with my dad. There is nothing I could do to care for my dad and heal his body! I had to trust that God would provide like He always does! For me in this situation, that meant sitting through the rest of a church service realizing that my presence was not the one that mattered in the situation, but rather that God's presence was all that mattered! Trusting that He is faithful and will always provide for His children! Applying the knowledge I have gained from the numerous times He has provided for our family already!

I am so thankful that my family and I and those around us can look at my dad's circumstances and realize that God brought this about to reveal Himself! He has shown up and revealed glimpses of His glory all throughout this process! He is a great God! The only God and so incredibly worthy of our worship!


Just so you know...
My dad ended up having to have a temporary colostomy. This is very common with the type of procedure he had done the other day - colon resection - especially after chemo and radiation! Basically, the tissue in the area they resectioned, although healthy, does not heal back properly because of the radiation treatments. So they did a temporary colostomy. He will have this for 3-6mos and then be able to go in and have the colostomy reversed. They say 3-6mos because they want it to be as "cosmetic" of a surgery as possible. The surgery itself took about 3 hours. He got back into the room from recovery about 6pm and has been resting the rest of the night! Our family is so grateful for all of your prayers! They mean more than we could ever say!
Thanks so much!