Only God

So I just have to share with you how God provided. I shouldn't be surprised, but it's just amazes me how awesome He is!

Let me start by giving a little background. I am not a mechanic...however, I was with Ron last Friday evening when we were on our way to dinner with friends and the van started it's skip or whatever it was doing. It sounded to me (untrained ear) as if it was missing a gear! Not shifting. I said something and Ron kinda laughed that "even I could tell". We canceled our plans and turned around. By the time we got home we were missing at least 2 gears and couldn't get the van to go very fast at all.  It appeared as if the transmission was going!

We spent Friday evening online looking at vehicles and wondering how the world we could afford another vehicle right now. It was depressing. We knew a transmission would be expensive and we have put so much money in the van already. Then on Saturday evening when I followed Ron in the truck to drop the van off at the shop we had to go 25 mph the whole way in - it was not doing good at all. We were struggling with what to do. The mechanic said he couldn't get to it right away, but if it was transmission it would be $1500. We had looked on Friday evening and we would only get about $2000 in a trade in, if we could get it somewhere!

So...when the mechanic called and said, my guy can't find anything. He said, I'm going to drive it myself and see if I can make it do what you are saying. When he called back he basically said he didn't know what we were hearing, feeling, whatever! He said we did have a wheeling barring going out and it wasn't safe to drive out of his shop, so it had to be fixed!

Then Wednesday morning Ron's brake light came on in his truck. He happened to be on his way into Bryan and was planning to stop and schedule his oil change. The guy said it looked like a leak and he would check the brakes on Friday morning when he changed the oil. ....not good!

On Friday morning Ron's oil change was done and there no longer appeared to be a leak in his brakes. They couldn't find anything! Just the charge of an oil change.

So...we got the van back Friday night. No transmission problem, a little over $200 in a wheel barring.

God moved a big mountain and we are so thankful!

Only God could have missed gears come back to our van and allow bake fluid to stop leaking from the brakes! There really is no other explanation -only God!

Short Week

We have prayed that this would be a short week, with Daddy gone, but we had no idea! Ron is actually home right now. He got to Kalida (about 1 hour down the road) before his back brakes went out on his truck. Praise the Lord for protection! Jesus kept him safe and even allowed someone to come and help him pinch the back brakes so that he could drive home on the front. Again Jesus protected and he made it home.

So the week didn't exactly start the way we had planned, but we are thankful that Daddy is here and that he is safe. We'll talk to the mechanic tomorrow and see how the rest of the week will play out!

If you are one who had read the earlier post today and prayed for my hubby - thank you so much! Jesus answered!

Homemade Cookies

Monday morning I woke up and I have to admit there were a lot of things going through my head. There was only 1 day until the boys went back to school and I had a list of things that I had wanted to get done! Being sick the 2 weeks prior had not helped me get those things accomplished! But as I thought about all the things, I had to prioritize! I hashed things out and although I felt less than the Super Mom I wanted to me, I knew I couldn't do it all.

One thing in particular stood out. I have always had homemade cookies for the boys first day of school lunches. Not a big deal, and yet somehow it was. I knew that with strep and an ear infection still clearing up, it was not a good idea to even attempt the cookies.

I simply prayed, Lord, help me to not worry about the cookies! After all, the boys probably won't even care!

I had to make a run to the grocery store, so I figured I would pick up a bag of some kind of cookies to use for this first week until I could get something made.

I write all this to say that the God of the Universe even cares about Homemade Cookies.

Before 12 hours had passed, 3 dozen homemade cookies had been delivered to our door by caring friends. Neither of which new my prayer early in the morning!

Isn't that Great! A blog friend I read refers to Him as, Our Mountain Moving, Awe Inspiring, Grasp Giving God of the Universe and He even cares about Homemade Cookies!

When the first dozen came, I had to chuckle as I told the story to a sweet lady in our church who had brought a whole bag of goodies to cheer me up! But when the 2nd and 3rd dozen arrived, I nearly cried!

He loves us that much! Homemade Cookies were not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but to this Momma who couldn't do it all on the day before the start of a new school year - Homemade Cookies were a gift from Jesus!

Thank you Jesus!

Answers to Prayer

We have had some big answers to prayer around here and I wanted to share!

First of all, Ryan had his testing on Tuesday of this week and we got a call yesterday that the Doctor says he is Free of Hodgkin's! There is no Cancer! Praise the Lord! Thank you Jesus for answering our prayers!

Secondly, my sister is pregnant with twins. I can't remember if I mentioned that before on here or not, but we're all pretty excited for her. She had an ultrasound yesterday and they are both doing well! I'm not sure if I'm suppose to reveal sex on here, but both babies are healthy and they are all doing well. Jo, Billy and the girls will be coming to the US at the end of July!

Then yesterday I took Eli to urgent care and we spent about 3 hours last night waiting and being treated. On Tuesday he was at a friends house and stabbed himself in the foot with a pitchfork. It was cleaned out well and seemed to be doing well, but yesterday morning he woke up with a high fever, stomach pain and was lethargic all day long. It wasn't until evening that I remembered that we needed to be extra careful with infection and his heart! So we went in. As it turns out the doctor put him on an antibiotic to protect his heart, but didn't see infection in the foot. Also told us what to watch for possible appendicitis (but he didn't have all the symptoms) and let us know that he would be on call all weekend if we needed him. The doctor was really puzzled at not finding a source for the fever. He did however find something blue in his ear. It honestly looks like the end of a colored pencil lead, but it is not wooden, it is more gel-like - like a crayon. Eli says that he didn't put anything in his ear, so we are not sure. I'm just thankful the doc got it out!

After more thinking we are wondering now if the belly pain and fever are tied to the fact that he was in a pond on Monday evening and had a few drinks (cause he was thirsty). Maybe that could explain some things.

We are just thankful he is OK!

So we are Thankful for all the Answers to Prayer in these days! We serve a Great a Mighty God who loves to hear are prayers and answer! Thank you Jesus!

Cleaning out the Diaper Bag

You're never gonna guess what happened today. Remember a couple of days ago when I posted about my missing ring? (If not check this out).

Well today I found it!

For some strange reason I decided to check the diaper bag. It needed cleaned out anyway! And there in the very bottom was my shinny little symbol of my love for my handsome hubby! I found it! I was so excited I ran outside to show Ron. He was excited, although I found out later - he was secretly hoping he would be the one to find it :)

Anyway, now it is back on my finger where it belongs, along with a little bit of yarn to make sure it stays there!

Thank you for praying!

Answered Prayer = Bonding Time

Lately, Ronnie and Eli have been "at" each other a lot. Now I don't know if it is a stage that the 7 year old is going through, or a stage that the 4 year old is going through, but they have just been picking and fighting and just not getting a long at all.

Then Monday, Valentine's Day (if that means anything), I turn around in the kitchen to see this at the table.

Ronnie was quietly reading to Eli. Not only that, Eli was quietly listening! Amazing!

I wondered if all the prayers were being answered and finally they were going to be past their "hatred" of one another.

Then Tuesday morning we found out Ronnie had strep (yes, we're guessing he got it from Maddie, but honestly that's another mystery - since those 2 are the least likely to be spending lots of time together). So, Ronnie was home from school for 2 days. Believe it or not Ronnie and Eli played well together both days. I think they were both ready for Ronnie to go back yesterday, but I was just very thankful they got along so well!

So only time will tell if these 2 will be buds or not, but for now...I'm happy with the bonding!

Answers to Prayer and More Needed

A couple of days ago, I asked for prayer for 3 family members. I wanted to thank you for praying and update you on all that is going on in those situations.

My Grandpa (Gramps) is doing well. His tests results confirmed that there was no stroke and that he had a virus which has left bacteria in the blood. This seems to be cleared up by medication and Praise the Lord he is much better.

My sister-in-law, Tonya went in for all of her tests and got a good report too. She wasn't even nervous for the tests which I know is because so many were praying. Thank you.

Ron's brother, Ryan, is scheduled to have surgery tomorrow (Friday) at 2pm to remove the lymph node in his neck. He should know by Wednesday of next week, when he returns to the oncologist, what is going on. Please continue to keep him in your prayers. The PET scan is completed so now the surgery is tomorrow!

Thank you again for praying for our family. We appreciate it so much!

A Friday night ER Visit

Yesterday I actually go off from babysitting a little early, so I got to go pick up the boys at school. When I picked them up, Nathaniel was complaining of a headache. On the way home he explained how he had hit his head during recess while playing basketball and it had hurt ever since. When we got home I got some Tylenol in him and he laid down. A few minutes later, he threw up. Scary! This is not a kid who has trouble taking medicine. Ron and I both thought concussion. While Ron cleaned up the mess, I called the school to get more information. As we gathered info and found the swollen knot on Nathaniel's head, we determined we need to go to the ER to make sure there wasn't a concussion.

I took him and on the way I struggled to keep him awake. We prayed and I tried to keep talking to him and keep the van on the road. Thankfully the boys and Daddy were praying at home too. Grandma and Pap were called to pray also.

After 2 hours, and a CT Scan, we determined that he was OK, but we needed to continue to watch him for a few symptoms because things could possibly (not likely) develop.

I woke him up a few times in the night, just to be sure, but Praise the Lord he is now outside running and climbing trees with his brothers!

Thank you Jesus for protecting our Nathaniel. Thank you for watching over our kids, even when we are not around!

A Newborn in the House, Again

Before any of you read that title and assume anything - I am NOT pregnant!

But for the past month and a half we have had a baby around here.

Meet Lelah

Lelah is 5 months old and is a miracle baby. She was born with the cord wrapped around her neck and spent her first few weeks in ICU. You can check out their Caring Bridge website here. She is a little fighter and finally they began to see improvement and today she is fantastic (still visiting doctors, but doing great). The power of Prayer is an amazing thing! And then to top it all off, her parents, whom I had never met, asked me to babysit for them. I was thrilled!

I was pretty excited about the opportunity, especially since we had prayed for this little miracle baby since birth. Now I get to see her grow and develop every day.

It is a little more challenging to have a newborn with 4 other kids around, but we are managing. Lelah is a good baby. She loves to be held, wouldn't you if you hadn't gotten to be at the beginning of life?

Maddie adores her and loves to call her by name, very cute! I honestly had hoped that Maddie would adjust well to her. I don't want Maddie to be the "spoiled" baby of our family - it's nice to have another baby around that needs some extra attention.

So there is another baby around the Adkins home. And it has been an adjustment, but we're doing pretty good!

In the Past

I know several of you are anxious to see pictures from our vacation and I promise, I have TONS, but I really wanted to let you know something else first.

This is actually a picture I have posted before, but it's a good one of mom and Maddie. And I wanted a picture of Mom when I tell you that...

CHEMO is officially behind us. My mom finished her 16th treatment on the 6th and so the Chemo stage is over! Praise the LORD! She is doing well. When they tested her white blood cell count on the 6th it was high enough that the shot was not necessary. Another Praise! We all thought for sure she would need those final 3 days of the booster shot. The end of last week she began to have some leg pain and knee pain that she had not experienced before.

Yesterday she returned for a follow-up and another check of her white blood cell count. The count was down some again, but they didn't seem to worried. The nurse told her that the pain in her leg and knee was more than likely from the accumulation of chemo in her body. She has also been pretty moody lately and all of that is blamed on the chemo. These are side effects that we just need to give time to take care of.

The Nurse said mom could wait up to a month before beginning the Hormone Pill that will be the next phase of treatment. My mom and I are a lot a like in that we don't do medicine. We tend to have pretty high pain tolerance and we just don't like medication. Mom has not been to excited about more drugs. She was relieved to know that she could wait a month and allow the chemo side effects to wear off before beginning a new drug with new side effects. At least this way she will be more likely to know what is causing what!

So Chemo is done and we are thankful. Mom is still mom with some extra quirks! And Praise Jesus the end of that tunnel is here. I remember posting back in February when we began all of this and wondering what things would look like after 16 chemo treatments.

Let me just tell you, in case you didn't realize, Jesus is still in Control. We still look to Him every moment of every day and He will remain our constant. Praise the Lord! Many of you have read the updates from my mom, my sister or myself and many many of you have prayed for my parents. Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! Please remember to Thank the One who Holds all of us in His Hands.

Thank you Jesus for keeping your hand on Mom during these last few month. We praise you that the Chemo is over and we continue to trust you for the coming days. We know that there are new symptoms and new things that will come from the new medications, but we also know that you will remain the same. The One who knows all things and the Great Physician. We continue to trust you with Mom and we Praise you for your Presence with all of us during this time. Amen.

A side note: When I told the boys this past week that Grandma Neff was done with her Chemo. They hooted and hollered in Grandma Adkins living room. They were excited. When Eli prayed for bedtime he said, "Thank you that Grandma Neff is done with her surgeries."
So maybe I didn't explain it enough, but Eli has been faithful to pray for Grandma every night and ask for prayer nearly every week at Ney during the concerns. He has been a prayer warrior for Grandma!

Answered Prayer

Thank you so much for your prayers for the weekend. There were no major issues with all the guys and kids and they did well. There was some missing Mommies, but we are all reunited now. We had a great time at Retreat and I personally know that Jesus spoke to me and gave me a new perspective on things and challenged me on others. I will give more details later.

For now I wanted to ask for your prayers for mom again. My sister, Jo, took her to chemo this morning at 8am. I'm hoping that the lack of a good restful weekend will not hinder her ability to push through this cycle like she did the last one.

Thank you again for your prayers. Jesus answered in even bigger ways than what I imagined!

Thank you Jesus for hearing the Prayers of your people!