Ramblings of Jen

I just have to throw my head back and laugh in thankful disbelief at the way the last week has played out.  Satan keeps throwing us curve balls, forgetting that God already knows where they'll end up!  So, we got Sam, our German Shepherd "pup" (1 yr old), miraculously delivered to our door after the dog catcher had found him roaming our neighborhood streets and had agreed on the phone to meet my dad at our place for no fee at all!  This, on the day that I had my spinal tap to discover whether or not I have MS (Multiple Sclerosis)!  What a blessing and absolute miracle to NOT have to pay to get Sam out of the pound and/or pay a fine on that day in particular!!  God was really looking out for us!  (It was a good try Satan, but you forget Who we have on our side!!  Strike 1!  Romans 8:31 "If God is for us, who can be against us?") The next day, we found ourselves wishing that the Animal Control officer would have taken Sam to the pound and refused to give him

God is faithful.  Period. Whether they're big problems or little tiny problems that no one else would even see as a problem, He takes care of it!  Let me share how Jesus was my knight in shining armor today! Firstly, I was supposed to have a doctor by the name of Jennings perform my spinal tap today, but another doctor was called in for some unknown reason.  It must have been so last minute that when the nurse called only 3 minutes prior to the doctor's arrival, she was told that it was Dr. Jennings that was coming.  But the man that walked in the door was not Dr. Jennings.  He was a man by the name of Dr. Citrone.  Citrone.  Kind of sounds like trombone.  :)  And his presence was as noticeable as the blare of a bellowing trombone, but not because he was noisy.  It was his gentle spirit and kind and respectful words that he spoke to everyone in the room that gave off an unusual fragrance of respect and sincere care through the room.  I've been in enough hospitals and t

Spinal tap is scheduled for next Thursday, May 24th at St. Luke's downtown Boise.  Check in time is 7:45.  Prayers are welcome!  :) 1 Thess 5:16-18 "Be joyful always.  Pray continually and give thanks in all circumstances for this is what God wants for you in Christ Jesus."

An odd emotion is flowing from my heart tonight after I learned a somewhat troublesome piece of news today when I saw my neurologist.  I am almost hoping that what he says of my health is true so that all of the testing can finally be over, but if what he says is true, then life as I know it will be different...forever.  Thankfully, I serve a God who knows what is going on and has filled my heart with peace and joy tonight as I write to you. After meeting my neurologist, Dr Green, and going over my symptoms, health record and recent tests, scans and MRI's, and doing a few in-clinic tests and exams, he said that as a Multiple Sclerosis Specialist himself, he believes that my symptoms and test results are very compatible with the disease.  Because of the telltale spots on my brain and convincing symptoms to go along with them, as well as ruling out other possible illnesses with all the testing, he felt that it was very likely that I am in the early stages of Multiple Sclerosis. 

Today, Ariana and I had the wonderful opportunity of ministering at one of Nampa's nursing homes.  We went as a part of the  NMI convention's work day, and oh what a blessing it was! This morning began with coffee and cinnamon rolls.  I can't think of a more delicious way to start the day!  During breakfast, we were ministered to by a wonderful missionary from Indonesia who encouraged us that God's light would shine down on those who love Him, no matter where we are in the world.  (At least, that's what I took from it)  After breakfast, we broke up into our different work groups and we began decorating cards for the people at the nursing home. At around 10:30, we loaded up our cards and planted flowers to deliver to the nursing home.  At first, we were all a bit nervous to enter the rooms and interact with the residents (even though we'd done it before), but room after room, we all loosened up a little bit more.  Ariana was the super-star of this outreach mi

This story actually begins in 2004, soon after Calvin and I got married.  We had talked at length about becoming foster parents and actually began looking into taking steps towards making it a reality, but were stopped short after our first inquiry because I was only 19 years old and didn't meet the minimum age requirement to be a foster parent.  At that point, Calvin and I enjoyed another year as newlyweds and then started our family biologically because it would still be another year until we would be eligible to be foster parents.  And you know the story between then and now (as far as our family goes).  :) Over the course of the next several years, we began to think of adoption.  After bringing Ella home from the hospital, it was clear to both Cal and me that we would not try for another baby biologically; it was just too risky for me and the prospective baby.  I remember a conversation that Calvin and I had in the privacy of our bedroom when Ella was only a few months old th

I'm trying to decide where to begin... My silence has not been intentional, just a result of circumstance.  Calvin and I have needed time to process and pray about all that is going on in our lives.  And because blogs are kind of like a public diary, we wanted to be sure before we blabbed our hearts to the whole wide world.  There are two topics that I am going to update you on.  One is my health status: woo hoo, yay, exciting!  And the other is the reveal of our mysterious promise(s) that God has laid on our hearts. Let me start with the first, more boring topic.  My health has continued being strange.  Still no answers, but I will see a neurologist on the 17th of May, so prayers are greatly appreciated.  I still struggle on occasion with aching joints, tingling and numbness in my limbs, hands and feet, strange vision, memory problems and more.  My sinus infection just won't go away, even after being on four different types of antibiotics, and needless to say, I am ready f