Overwhelmed

So, how are we doing? This has got to be the question on everyone's mind. The answer in short is, "okay". Yup, just okay. Sarah is doing great, all things considering. Although extremely tired (asleep more than awake today), she has been steadily improving physically. Today she started using only one crutch to get around and has been working on weaning herself from pain medication. As you know from the videos in the hospital, one crutch is a GREAT improvement. Feeling exhausted all the time is wearing though.
I swear, if it wasn't for ALL OF YOU praying and helping I am not sure what condition we would all be in (although I might be losing weight rather than gaining). I am not sure what we would do without your help. God has called you to pray and has answered so many of your prayers. You don't even know (mostly because I have not been telling you by keeping up with the blog). No doubt in my mind, God IS answering your prayers. Many of the answers I don't even know are answers, I just see them as blessing and fruit of who He is. It has been overwhelming...truly it has been. Cards, gifts, food, services, etc. if we need it, it is provided in a matter of minutes sometimes. All these blessing have been pouring in on a daily basis. Definitely more than we have even asked for.

Saturday, Sarah's grandmother and aunts (Mom's side of the family) came to our house as the "cleaning crew". They breezed through the house with brooms, mops, sponges and even vacuumed and washed the inside of our van! (What a blessing this was to Sarah as she would not be getting to the van for a very long time but really appreciates a clean one.) The visit alone was wonderful, the encouragement Sarah needed after a tough Friday. Then Sunday, Sarah's grandmother, aunts, uncles, and cousins (Dad's side fo the family) decended upon us from the great white north (3+ hours away) just to encourage us and share a meal during this trying time. Sarah was thrilled that "Pittsburg came to [her]". The love of our family so warmed our hearts. I can't even describe to you the sense of family. It is so evident that they would do ANYTHING and EVERYTHING for us.

I know this is true of more than just family. We cannot express our gratitude or how we even feel. Words cannot express how taken we are with this outpouring of decadent love towards us. Without this encourement, our journey would not be 'okay.' Keeping our focus and perspective has been challenging. Sarah has been doing really well considering all that is on her plate. However, the future lurks and the thoughts of the pending pain and suffering physically and emotionally can be overwhelming. Athough she is trying to trust God, it has been really hard when the path set before us seems so dark. It reminds me of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matt 26:39 "My Father if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.") It is really comforting to know that Jesus has gone through it. He also saw the path ahead of Him and wished there could be another way, but was willing to follow the Father's perfect plan to provide us with a means to have relationship with Him rather than be separated by sin.
In our circumstance, we feel that trusting God is not an option, it is a necessity. We may not understand why but NEED to trust in Him. He is the only way we will get through this. All we need to do is look around us and see His hands. You are His hands. He has called so many of you (all hours of the day) to pray for us and our needs. How can we deny the work of His hands? So the question for us is, "God, will you spare us this cup?"

"Nothing is impossible." The lyrics from "Healer" (playable below) are true and we believe them, but dare we hope for them? [Sarah: As I hear the words of the song, I pray that God will make them truly the words of my heart as I sing them. He is capable, but my faith is so weak. He can move mountains with my teeny faith though.] Please continue to pray for us. I will try to keep you posted on our needs, but for now, please ask God for what we need; He knows better than I.

Quick Communication

Sorry for not posting as often as I should. I just wanted to give you a quick heads up and an answer to a prayer we had before we left the hospital.
As you know Sarah was scheduled for a mammogram to rule out a breast cancer scenario. As we were told and many of you may know, a mammogram really hurts. Well in Sarah's case even more so because she is producing milk for Ethan. So, we asked the doctor to bypass the mammogram and go right to the MRI. He agreed to spare Sarah. I am not sure when the MRI is going to be, but it should be done up here sometime soon.
As for other tests Sarah is getting her upper and lower GI endoscopy on April 9Th (Lyndsey's Birthday). I will keep you informed with any other appointments. At this point nothing else is scheduled. Again, I am sorry for the lack of communication since we have been home.

The Yea's have it

However, in order to keep the peace. I have decided to post Sarah's scar on Anderson's blog. Click here if you want to see the scar.

Growing like a weed

Ethan is still gaining wieght. He is now up to 5 lb 12 oz. Before he gets too big, I wanted you all to how small he really is.

Just a Precious Moment

Getting back to our old lives

Our first day at home, well at least for Sarah, I went to work. It was only a half day for me since it took me all morning to get out the door. Getting back into the groove of things is proving to be harder than expected. Even my car didn't want to get going. The battery was completely dead after sitting for a couple of weeks.
So, I was thinking. Should we go back to our old routine? Should we try and make life the same as it was? Are we supposed to pretend nothing has changed, just harder because we have a premie and Sarah cannot get around like she used to? I think to try to go back to normal is to turn our backs on more opportunities to watch God work in real and immediate ways. We cannot go back now. We are by no means out of the wilderness yet. I think we have just scratched the surface of needing God.
How about you? Are you going to go back? I know that God has touched so many of you during this journey. Many of you mentioned to us that you are now beginning to understand what the scripture means when it says, "pray without ceasing" (I Thes 5:17). I don't believe that Sarah and I are so special that God wanted all of you to follow our story and pray for us (although all of this outpouring of your love is also a demonstration of His love for us). Truly this cannot be because we deserve your prayers or God needs them in order to intercede. I believe God is using your compassion for Sarah and I as a means of drawing you closer to Him. He just wants each of us to come to Him, talk to Him, know Him intimately and see Him work in our lives. He is clearly calling us into a closer relationship with Him through this experience.
So, how do we determine a "new" routine? We have been asking God for what we want (Sarah's and baby's health), now let us ask Him what He wants (particularly since time seems way too short before chemo starts). Please pray with us, that we all will continue seek God's will for our lives daily.

Home sweet Home

We pulled in the driveway around 5pm this evening. Ethan slept for us the whole ride home. The bumps and a few sharp turns kept Sarah enough on her guard that she could only rest her eyes. Lyndsey was the first to greet us with a big smile from the living room windows. Anderson was too busy watching Curious George. I guess us being gone for two weeks didn't phase him that much. They were both full of good hugs for momma and me.

Sarah's parents are at our house, so it was nice not having to think too much too soon after returning. We are pretty fried from being in the hospital for 2 1/2 weeks. You might think you can get rest in a hospital, but you would be mistaken. Between the need for meds, nurse and assistants checking in on you every few hours around the clock to checking vitals to the doctors doing their rounds around twice a day (starting at 6am), there just isn't time to relax.

Needless to say we were a bit anxious to get home. So we apologize to those we left behind and did not get to say goodbye. For those doctors and nurses who are following our blog, let me just say we love you and thank you for the help and support.

For all those who continue to pray for us, I think we have just entered phase two of our trial. The surgeries are over but the wilderness still lies before us. We continue to ask you to pray for us as we continue on our journey. As for tonight though we are just happy to be together as a family unit once again.

Putting her mind to it

Sarah was told last week that she would most likely have to go to a rehab after being discharged from this hospital. This news pretty much ruined her day. She had thought that she would be discharged over the weekend and be able to go home and spend a good month with the kids before having to enter the realm of chemo. Of course, her mind took her down the route of weeks of rehab, so it was a heavy blow mentally and emotionally. (Sarah: Even in the midst of this, God was reminding me of His provision in that Denise, my cousin, was here the day of this "devastating" news. Her support and love in person was a gift from Him.)
Well, this morning she was told that she would have to do 4 things in order to go home, with no definative timeframe.
1. Get around on crutches or a walker.
2. Be able to sit in and get out of a chair by herself.
3. Be able to climb stairs with crutches.
4. Be able to get in and out a bed by herself.
I am happy to report that Sarah passed all these tests today. Tomorrow's physical therapy session will be just more stair practice and exercise. The physical therapist said Sarah has come a long way and is ready to go home. No rehab.

This is a good reminder why Jesus said "Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his height... Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." - Matt 6:27,34
And Paul later tells us "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." - Phil 4:6-7 (Sarah: This is something that I continually struggle with, but I know that God will use this "rehab scare" to remind me of this.)

Video from Sarah

If you have trouble viewing video try moving the slide bar over a bit. Sometimes it gets stuck.

Step by Step

Sarah is making GREAT progress. She is such an over-achiever, but who didn't know that. She is pushing through the pain and making great strides. Yesterday, she could barely get around. The thought of getting out of bed onto the commode or a chair was just too painful. Our nurse, Sally, asked her this morning if she wanted to use the real potty. Sarah thought it was too far away, since she was moving to a chair on the far side of the room after. Long story short, she went to the bathroom then all the way to the chair walking by herself with the walker. Step by Step.

And if that was not enough, Sarah walked to the Solarium and all the way back. As you can see, there is victory and exhaustion in her eyes. This was the first time out of her room since we arrived at the hospital two weeks ago. She is determined to show everyone that she is not a wimp and that she wants to go home and not have to go to rehab.

However, since we have stairs in our house, a few days (perhaps a week) might be the best next step after the hospital. Please pray for Sarah and her recovery. She also needs to be getting more sleep than she is. Not only is she expressing milk every 3 hours throughout the day and night, she is also recovering from two major surgeries as well as rehabilitating (learning to walk again). All this makes for a weak body and emotional weariness, not to mention the joys of fluctuating hormones!

Praying for us

I just want to say from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU for praying. You don't know what it is like on this end to know that people are praying for things we ask for (sometimes in the exact moment we ask), as well as things we are not asking for, and seeing the results. As some of you know, the requests that come up in the scrolling updates are sometimes a bit personal and immediate. Well, our lives have been exposed. We don't even really care anymore. We are who we are (period). Sometimes it is really hard for me to just stand by and see Sarah suffer and not have other Godly people petition our Lord on her behalf. I have seen your prayers being answered even in the simplest or most private requests. Sarah knows what I post for updates. Dignity has left the room and humility and transparency have entered. If you have been following the blog on a frequent basis (multiple times daily), you may see immediate personal requests for prayer. I am not trying to be funny or demeaning. We are on a journey where real things / hard things are happening and have invited all of you to join in our journey, so I thank you for following along and especially praying when things are hard. No matter what time of day, I know when I post a request there is always someone out there that sees it and is praying along side us. Thank you.

He's Named - Ethan Covill Levasseur

,

Sorry it took so long. We have had other things on our minds. It just seemed too hard to think of a name that was meaningful. We settled on Ethan, the author of Psalm 89, a musician in King David's court. His name means Strong / Firm. Covill is Sarah's maiden name.

Ethan is doing well, although he is still loosing rather than gaining wieght. He has made a few trips up to our room to visit because Mumma can't go to him. He really likes to snuggle up with Sarah. As you can see from above, he is completely content to just relax in Mumma's arms. Although, tonight he did get down to business and had a good meal. Sarah's milk supply has really started to kick in. Because he is now down to 5 pounds, the nurses have added some neonatal formula to Sarah's milk (when bottle feeding) to help boost Ethan's caloric intake. Continue to pray for his weight gain and the ability to take all his feedings by mouth (without getting too tired) so we can take him home at the same time Sarah is discharged from the hospital (3 - 5 days more).

Sarah's proximal femoral resection and reconstruction to remove a fibroblastic sarcoma tumor went well. Okay let's try that again. Sarah's hip surgery to remove the cancer went well. God knows the end results and we trust Him. The doctor feels he removed all the cancer from her femur and surrounding tissue. As you can see from the x-ray, the top third of the femur was removed and just about the rest was hollowed out to make way for a new stainless steel rod and ball. As you can imagine the incision is pretty long, about 20 inches, from the bum to about a third of the way down her left leg.
So I say we are half way there; Sarah has a long road of recovery ahead of her. She will have to go through rehab and retrain all the muscles that used to attach to the bone that are now attached to surrounding muscle. The range of motion will have to relearned. She will be doing all this retraining while pushing through the pain.
Sarah can use your prayer for good sleep, despite having to get up every three hours to express milk for the little one. We can also pray for understanding and patient nurses. Please pray for me as well. I am trying to help and Sarah wants me here because she trusts me, however, I am not trained and can sometime step on toes with my words and actions. Please pray that my heart and best intentions are recognized as such. Thank you.

Big Girl Jeans

Thanks for all your prayers. Sarah was doing really well this morning. She seemed pretty relaxed and at peace. The nurses in our area have loved working with / for her. She was getting well wishes / prayers from all of them as she won't be returning to the OB floor. She actually got a card from one of them that had a small pair of jeans glued to the front. Seeing the little girly jeans reminded Sarah of a talk her Aunt Carol gave at a MOPS meeting last fall. Sarah shared that she gets to choose her perspective and attitude towards what is going even when the surrounding circumstances might seem out of control. She decided to pull up her "big girl jeans" and zip them up rather than sit around waiting for circumstances to change. Surprisingly, there were very little tears this morning. Sarah has accepted the lot given her. She loves and trusts God. He is so good to us. It may seem strange but this experience has only shown us more how much he actually cares for us. Independently, Sarah and I were each singing in our heads a David Crowder song, "Open Skies." (lyrics) Once I started humming it, we both sang aloud. It was no mistake we were singing this song this today. He has certainly been there and is HERE with us today.



Praise Him under open skies
Everything breathing praising God
In the company of all who love the King

From wherever you are

Wherever you've been

He's been there

So let his people sing

And it's so wonderful to be here now

Wherever you are

Wherever you've been

He's been there

Surgery on Monday

That is right. Sarah's surgery has been moved up from Wednesday to Monday 7:45am. The doctors don't think a few more days is going to buy Sarah anything as far as recovery from the c-section. It is actually a blessing. Sarah is of course bed-ridden so the less time she spends just laying there the better.
Here are some facts about what is going on.

• Sarah has fibrosarco (a fibrous tissue cancer) that has attacked the neck and top of the femur (right below the ball joint).
• The surgery consist of cutting Sarah's femur just below the tumor and replacing it with a steal replica.
• They will also remove any tissue that was in contact with the tumor.
• They will sew her back up and then off the recovery. The doctors say sometime around 5 days she could be ready to go home.
• The cancered bone will be sent off to the lab where it can be further tested, so the best course of treatment can be taken.

Please pray for Sarah's body / recovery. She is a strong woman and we all know she will do it, it is just a matter of the amount of anxiety. It would be nice to have this all behind us, but then we wouldn't have changed for the better. We absolutely believe that God has our best in mind, not only us but our children and you who are following in our journey. It may be hard to swallow sometimes, but he doesn't give us more than we can bear.

Quick Update

Both Sarah and I got some good sleep last night and this morning. It was much needed. We spoke with the pediatrician this morning and he thinks our baby is doing good. The baby's oxygen levels look good. His blood sugar level is up. Keep praying. I wouldn't be surprised to see him free from the machines tomorrow, but that is just my speculation.

Sarah Spends time with Baby

Yesterday when the nurses notified us that the baby needed to be put on oxygen. They told us that holding / moving him to our room, would not be an option until stablizes. Family members would be allowed to go see him in his room, but he wasn't going anywhere. This meant Sarah would not be able to see him. Internally, God showed her to be thankful for the quality time she got to spend with Anderson and Lyndsey rather than stress about not being with the newborn. Sarah asked the nurses about just wheeling her down the the nursery so that she could at least look at him through the glass. One could see the reluctancy in the nurses faces. At this point Sarah surrender the thought of even seeing him, since it would just be too painful (emotionally) to see him and not be able to hold him.

The God Sighting:

It wasn't ten minutes after Sarah told the nurses that she was okay with staying in her room that they came in to wheel her down the hall to the nursery. They got the bed into the nursery, but the door to our baby's room is too small for the bed. Sarah couldn't stay where she was because she was blocking access to other infants. Either we were going to have to abandon the idea or ... "Why don't we move her over here where their are two open cribs" suggested another nurse. There was just enough room to fit Sarah's bed between the two. Once they moved her the another nurse suggested moving our baby from his room into the shared spaced. As a result not only was Sarah right beside our baby, they also layed our new born on Sarah's chest for a little quality time. Sarah got more than her hearts desire. The two layed there skin to skin for an hour. God is SO good.

** Sarah's Update **

Sarah is recovering well. She is still on a PCA (Patient Controlled Analgesic), which means she somewhat controlling her own pain. She was happy to get a sponge bath this morning as she is still bed ridden. She will not be allowed to get out of bed until after her hip surgery, which has been moved up from Wednesday, to Monday morning at 7:45am. So, we needs to get her rest and recoupe before the doctors start in on her again. The doctors here have been so kind and considerate here.

Some immediate family came to visit today, both sets of parents and our kids. Sarah got to spend some one-on-one time with them which was really special for her. She read "Make way for ducklings" to Anderson, Lyndsey was not all that interested. However, she did sit with daddy for about 45 minutes as I sang to her. She actually corrected me on the lyrics a few times.

In between family visits both Sarah and I got some MUCH needed naps. I was out for almost 2 hours, Sarah a little less.

** Baby's Update **

Baby Levasseur is doing well. His blood sugar was a bit low, so they put him on a glucose IV out of the gate. That is why you see the splint on his left hand. Earlier today he was put on a low dose of oxygen to help with his blood / oxygen saturation as well as help calm his breathing rate. It looks scary, but they say he is just being a typical preemie boy. He has been holding his own temperature and his blood work has been looking good.

What a Glorious Day

What a Glorious Day. God is so good. Despite all that has gone on these last few months and especially this week, today was a true blessing from God. Sarah is doing great. The baby is doing great. Just look at the pictures, don't they look so relaxed? Sarah was a real trooper today. Her spirits were high despite not sleeping last night. We certainly praise God for this successful day. Thank you SO MUCH for praying for us. I believe your prayers were an intrical part of the surpassing peace we felt.

Baby Boy Levasseur

Born at: 8:37 am 03/06/09

wieghing: 5 lbs 13 ozs

hieght: 17.25 inches

apgar score: 8/9 (very good for his maturity)

So now the name...? We are not looking for suggestions (although the comments have been interesting). We really believe that God is going to name this child, so please pray with us that we remain still. We are also anxious to pray for and call this child by name.

It's A BOY !!!

The newest Levasseur

Sorry, still can't tell you the gender, but the baby is doing really well. We are still trying to reach immediate family (no one is answering phones). In the mean time as you are checking for updates let's take a poll (above). What is the sex?
Sarah is trying to sleeping right now. I went down to the nursery to take a few more pictures. I guess I can share this one with you. A little teaser.

It's A ....

Sorry, we need to tell family first. I did want to tell all of you that Sarah did great and the baby did great too. Thanks so much for the prayers.

Off She Goes in Good Hands

Sarah is off to the OR. Please pray for her anxiety and that God will watch over her, the baby and the doctors as they get under way.

Quick Prayer Request

Sarah didn't sleep a wink last night. I am sure it is for a reason. Please pray that she can rest, trust, and lean on God's strength. I am reminded of a praise song we sing in church : "You are my strength when I am weak. You are the treasure that I seek."

We are only now an hour away. Talk soon.

Think we are keyed up about tomorrow?

"Do you remember your having a baby tomorrow, actually today?" - Nurse Meg

Sarah Being Sarah

God is in Control

God works in mysterious ways. It is so evident that He is working all around us. The battle indeed is His and he is fighting on our behalf. Here is Sue, the Executive Director of Anesthesia and Critical Care at Mass General. She came up to visit Sarah and I yesterday afternoon. Would you believe that she is my sisters roommate in college. I knew her as well as I spent a lot of time with my sister her senior year, my freshman year. Sue asked the best anethesiologists to look after Sarah and will be our anethesiologist for the c-section. I find it simply AMAZING.

In the Shadow of His Wings

Sarah slept for about 7 hours straight last night. She can't remember when the last time that happened. And you know what? The most amazing part was her hip did not wake her up. She usually gets her meds every 3-4 hours. If she doesn't, the pain gets ahead of her and ... well let me just say it took a lot of meds and an emergency room visit to get her caught up last time.

I know that this is a direct result of you prayers. By all means Sarah should be in more and more pain as the days progress, however, God has been showing His mercy on her. I believe this is because you asked for it. We still have hope for the miracle to happen. Our God can completely cure Sarah if He wills. Of course we want him to, but strangely enough we really desire to obey, trust, and put our confindence in Him and His desires for us.

Today we met some new friends who comforted us with words from Psalm 91 (Please take a look - Just click). Here are a few key highlights that is resonating with your soals.

Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler (small shield). You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day.
Because you have made the Lord ... your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; for He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.

God has been more than gracious and merciful to us during this hard time. There are a million little God sightings that we need to record. I feel like if I write it all out no one would read these updates because they are just too long. So, I have consolidated the God sightings below.

Now for the schedule of tomorrow and how you can pray for us.

Tomorrow morning Sarah is starting her surgery prep at 6am. Please pray for her anxiety. She is really anxious about surgeries. She will be getting a spinal, which is a shot just below the spinal cord. She is really anxious about getting a spinal headache. The c-section itself is scheduled to begin around 8:30am. Please pray that Sarah does not loose that much blood. She may need to get a blood transfusion, because of her scheduled surgery for her hip next Wednesday. Please also pray for Sarah's and the new baby's recovery. Please pray that Sarah and I get a few minutes with the baby before they wisk him/her away to the nursery.

We trust God. He is in control and we are only asked to stand still, stay close to Him, and wait in the shadow of His Wings.

Second Update

Today, or rather yesterday, was a busy day of visiting and talking on the phone. The nurses were somewhat surprised with how much Sarah talks. I told them this is nothing, she is on vacation compared to what it is like at home.
Many family and close friends stopped by to share some time with us, which was good. It was nice to see people processing the news with us. It is really important to us that people are looking to God for answers as to how to process this aweful circumstance.
Sarah did not have to go through any procedures today, although she had to get a few more shots. She got her last dose of steriod for the baby, which was the worst of it. She was crying before in anticipation. After the shot went in and came out she said, "Are You Done! (with tears in her eyes)." When I and the nurse told her she all done, she said "Oh it wasn't that bad (comparitively)."
Tomorrow should be even more relaxed. We are anticipating fewer visitors and less shots (just 2).
As we are learning to go to God for answers, or at least comfort during this trying time, we are prayful that all of you will also go to God for answers and comfort. Trust me when I say we are as concerned for all of you as we are for ourselves. It is most critical to us that you seek God in this time of trial. We have complete faith that God is fighting this battle for us, so we are just trying to BE STILL.

Previous Update

Biopsy Results: Maligant Tumor (cancer).

As you may have suspected, because of this late update, Sarah's tumor is cancerous. It has been really hard to digest and it has not begun to settle yet. This whole process has happened so fast. It was just last week this time we where in the emergency room trying to get the pain under control and doctors were starting to take Sarah serious about there being something wrong.

At this point we are trying not to think too much about what might be, but looking towards the immediate future and the plans that the wonderful doctors here have for her. We are in the high risk pregnancy ward at Mass General Hospital and they are taking good care of Sarah and the baby. The next steps are the crucial. We really need your prays more now than ever.

Right now this is what you can do for us. Even at this moment Sarah needs to rest. Her body needs to rest so she can be in a good mental / emotional state. Sleep depravation will not help us cope with the current circumstances.

Here is the plan that is unfolding before us. Sarah's is still at great risk of a femural break. Her left hip is in great pain. The doctors are keeping her in bed at all costs, which causes Sarah even more pain as mobility actually seems to help. However, a fracture would be an extreme emergency for Sarah and the baby, so her femor has to hold out. The OB doctors have given Sarah a steriod to help the babies lung develop more rapidly. This comes in two painful doses. The first she recieved tonight and the next will be tomorrow night. Then the doctors are planning on a c-section by Friday morning. From the OB's care Sarah will be passed off the the oncologist / orthopedics where they will do a CT scan of her lungs to see if the tumor has mastisized (spread through-out her body - it shows up in the lungs first). These same doctors have scheduled a partical hip replacement for next Wednesday. This surgery will replace the top portion of Sarah's femur with an artifical ball joint (just the ball - not the socket). After Sarah has recovered from both surgeries (estimated 3 weeks) she will begin a nine month chemotheropy regiment; three week cycles. Despite all this rapidly advancing plans and bad news, we are remaining STILL in God's presence.

I say STILL because last Sunday during our church service Sarah and I both felt we recieved the following word from God: 2 Chronicles 20:14 - 17
Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahazeil ... a Levite ... And he said, "Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: 'Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's. Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel. You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O judah and Jerusalem!' Do not fear o be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.

These and other verses (promises from God) have been sustaining us. We are really looking for strenghth and peace from God. We want to be in His will despite the outcome. Therefore we are trying to keep it day to day at this point.

Please pray:
- Sarah femur holds for as long as needed.
- God brings the baby up to speed (maturally - steriods to the trick)
- God prepares the baby for the c-section.
- Doctors have wisdom and God given insight into Sarah and baby's health needs.
- Cancer has not spread.
- Doctors can remove all cancer from femur.
- Sarah has quick recovery from surgeries.
- Sarah can breast-feed the baby for as long as possible (one month) before chemotheropy.
- We get to see our kids soon and know what to say and when to say it.
- In all things Sarah and I maintain STILL, trusting that this battle does not belong to us.

We are not to fight but let God be our advocate and defender. Thank you all so much for your prayers. It is so important that you continue to pray.

Thank you.
Bob and Sarah

Sarah Needs Prayer