Prayer

I am so thankful for those of you that let me know you are praying for us. Two reasons - it's very encouraging for us to know others are thinking of us and supporting us through prayer. But also, because I can't get the words out. If I try to pray out loud, I cry every time. So I just pray in my head. A constant conversation with God about my worries and fears, and reminding myself of what His Truth says and how He promises to take care of me, and our whole family.

But praying the words out loud is powerful, and I am so thankful you can do that for me during a time when I can't.

Someone sent me a book called The One Year Book of Hope by Nancy Gutherie (whoever you are, thank you!) Nancy suffered the loss of two children from Zellweger Syndrome so she "gets" the range of emotions you go through during a hard time. I was encouraged when I read this about prayer and the Holy Spirit,

"What a relief to know that the Holy Spirit helps me in my weakness and confusion. When we are weak-willed and weak-minded, when distress has consumed our energy and emotions, the Holy Spirit helps us. And his prayers are not passionless or impersonal. He prays for us with deep groanings that reflect his understanding and identification with our need. He prays for us with deep devotion and perfect articulation when we have no words - only tears and questions."

How perfect was that? So comforting to know the Holy Spirit is praying on my behalf when I can't get the words out.

If you are supporting us through prayer, here are a few things on our minds:

Work. I go back to work in about two weeks. Please pray for all of us as we maneuver through another transition. I will struggle with mom guilt once again as I try to find a new balance in our lives and figure out how to fit it all in.

Finances. We are still waiting on insurance to find out what we will owe for this whole experience, but you can imagine that Matt and I feel anxious. The other day I got a bill for the genetic testing which was $11,000. Thankfully, we do not have to pay that much! Please pray we can continue to believe what we know to be true - that God will provide for us.

Relationships. This experience is tough on so many relationships, so of course Matt and I feel the stress in our marriage. It's a constant balancing act of priorities between work, Matt, Carter, Spencer, time to decompress, etc...Please pray we could continue to work through the ups and downs and try not to take out the stress on one another.

Breastfeeding. For some women, you read that word and you already know what I mean. Pumping. Milk supply. Latching. Plugged ducts. Sleep deprivation. There are so many stressors related to breastfeeding. The good news is my milk supply is currently doing ok. Spencer will get to start breastfeeding when he is off his CPAP, so hopefully in the next few weeks. Please pray that experience will go well for both of us (Matt is secretly nodding his head and saying AMEN in the background.)

Thanks for your prayers. They are powerful and we appreciate them!