Thanking God for Today

 

Dear prayer Warriors, 

I just said goodnight to my bride who went to sleep in the hotel. Earlier in the day I checked us in to the hotel and took an epic nap. As we said our goodbyes I told her that I felt so comforted by how the day has gone. Sometimes you need trials to remember what supernatural comforting from our loving Lord looks like.

Now that I see Anna’s pain and discomfort, I am tempted to remember that it was our decision that brought this pain on her. Instead of turning that temptations into sin and wishing away my circumstance, The Holy Spirit reminded me that God knows how I feel: It was His will to give His Son to be the sufficient sin sacrifice restoring the lost to Him forever.  

The surgery side of things went so well. Blood loss was half as expected. The images that Dr. De showed us accompanied by his explanation made us praise God. 

We are however struggling with breathing. Perhaps its the meds, the transition off of the anesthesia, or her fatigue but pray the Lord to restores her. She has been on supplemental oxygen for 6 hours and triple the air pressure. As of a hour ago they are weening, she is responding well keeping the Oxygen saturation up. With only double the pressure. We need wisdom to know when to make these weening moves. 

There is water retention going on (swelling) due to the IV fluids, we have not tried anything through her feeding pump yet because of the breathing issues. Pray that the swelling reduces. She has a full face mask but is used to a nose only one, at times she is doing a uppercut jab to the mask let us now she wants the nose only. 

We are suctioning a bit more than normal but its productive and Anna rests better after. On average she is waking up every 30 minutes, crying and moving around for about 10 and then back to sleep. 

Some obvious signs that the Lord cared and carried us through today besides the medical include:
-A encouraging visit and time of prayer with the Pastor who married us. 
-A chance encounter in the cafeteria with friends we haven’t seen in years. Their kid was having an MRI done. After I got saved, I met them at church, God used them as a godly example of being a young adult seeking to live for Jesus. 
-Our ICU Doctors were both named Grace (Anna means grace in Hebrew). Our night nurse is named Sophia (wisdom) which is just what we need right now for these decisions. 
-Simon and Renee had an epic day of fun, sun and love from our dear brother and sister in Christ.
-God’s Word opening up to us. Lindsey and i had our minds wondering about what the “Sun of Righteousness” means in Malachi 4. Pastor and I marveled at God’s power and control.
-mini hymn sing bedside. 
-I had more worry yesterday than today.

*May the Lord build on the many the good things from today because He loves Anna and has good in store for her!!!

For His fame, Glory!

Nic, Lindsey, Anna, Simon, and Renee

Prayer for tomorrow’s surgery

Dear Praying Warriors,

We have been keeping Anna hydrated an well fed these last few days. We will be stopping her feed at 11:00PM. She remains healthy, engaged in her activities, and as always a great joy to be around!! We noticed that she is teething, pray that this excess saliva would not make her breathing difficult. 

Tomorrow surgery is scheduled for 7:30 AM. We will be leaving Colorado Springs around 4:15 AM. The surgery is said to take about 4 hours. After general anesthesia they will place an epidural in her spine to numb the legs for the following two days. After the surgery she will be transferred to the icu for two days for close monitoring. The primary complications are excessive blood loss and difficulty breathing from the heavy sedation. She will have forced air through her bipap machine (that she uses every night) this will be in place for about 48 hours straight. After the ICU, she will be transferred to a recovery/regular hospital room for her remaining two days. 

To more fully understand the “how” and the “why” of this surgery, click on this link to watch a computer animated video made by our hospital.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ8xjZAeCIs

Many graces have been poured out for us. Through the treasury of God’s generosity, a hotel suite walking distance to the hospital was reserved in our name for 4 nights. So lindsey and i will rotate being with Anna and having the best rest possible without driving 1.5 hours to be home. Secondly, About a month ago we received a "mini-blessing jar" from a family who knows what is like to raise a child even more medically involved than Anna. They filled it with money for when we need "a lift up from our circumstances" like a coffee, music, etc. Something to promote eye-to-eye time with my bride. I plan on bringing this in the hopes that the hospital still has those pecan sweet rolls that we share over a cup of coffee during Anna’s inpatient stays there. Thirdly, May Dennis and Nancy meet the needs and have a joyous time with our younger two kids. They have what my bride calls a "ministry of availability" keeping time open so God can ask them to fill it as needs come up. Praise God for them. Lastly, Lindsey and Simon made a picture book titled "where did mom and dad go?" For Renee who may struggle with our time apart. theses things are worth their weight in gold and encourage our hearts. 

 As a parent the surgeon’s words are on repeat as we try to wait and surrender all these burdens to Jesus. “This is probably the biggest surgery Anna will ever face." "It's worse than spinal surgery in many ways." "It would be concerning if you weren't anxious...it's a big surgery." After acknowledging these statements, in response, we cling to Anna’s life verse. “ Be gracious to us God, we wait for you. Be our strength every day and our salvation in times of trouble.” Isaiah 33:2. 

We would greatly appreciate your prayers for these times. Below are some specific ways to pray: 

-Pray for Dr. Sayan De and his surgical team: to be led by The Holy Spirit, steady hands, a clear mind, and great communication and team work. 

-Pray for Anna to rest in God’s hands, to receive His peace, and sense His presence as she goes through this pain and the accompanying disorientation.

-Pray for Nancy and Dennis who will be watching Simon and Renee for 5 days. Pray for Renee that she will sleep well at Dennis and Nancy’s house, continues safety and good relationships. 

-Pray against these common complications and risks of the surgery: significant blood loss (resulting in need for blood transfusion), pulmonary distress (due to anesthesia, intubation, and being bed bound), infection, nerve and muscle damage in the surrounding areas, the femur bone healing incorrectly, and bed sores and skin breakdown. 

-Pray for God’s mercy, healing and comfort post surgery. We hope By God’s grace Anna will not experiance The expected muscle spasms and cramping in her hips and legs that is a typical response to the operating.  

-Pray for our family’s health and against catching ANY type of germs during her hospital stay and 6 week recovery. 

-Pray for strength and physical rest for Nic and I. That we would be attentive to Anna and address all her needs. She will require scheduled pain meds every 3 hours, in addition to her respiratory and feeding needs for at least the first week of recovery and we hope to gain a night nurse to help with this in God’s timing. 

-Praise for all those people who are the very hands and feet of Jesus to us through this, for prayer Warriors new and old, all glory to God. 

God is going to take care of us, 

-Nic, Lindsey, Anna, Simon, Renee

Preparing our hearts

 

Dear Prayer Warriors,

My God can seize the surgical knife like He did Abraham’s knife and say “Don’t lay a hand on her, I’m healing her today.” That is the glorious God I know. Also, God orchestrates His will through human suffering via our trusting. “So then those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.” (1 Peter 4:19) Another translation offers “if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God...”

I don't think God is pleased to see the physical suffering of an innocent little girl. What I think pleases Him is seeing His beloved children “commit themselves to their faithful Creator.”  This is what we Currats are doing, join us. May the ripples of prayers from surrendered hearts hopeful in Christ bring great joy to the Lord! 

 

What’s better than stopping the knife or seeing Anna “get up”? The actuating of deeper healing, eternal healing. Today I’m reminded that Jesus is more interested in saving sinners than healing Anna. Blessed be the Lord. His promise is to heal Anna and I cling to it, But God’s first agenda is the gift of redemption.  That is a truth and physical healing will always have a back seat to that. I remember how Jesus healed me from my diagnosis of bi-polar 1 and schizophrenia years after my conversion.   

 

Isn’t it good how God didn’t leave us with a still born child 7 years ago? Wasn’t it His power that kept Anna’s traumatic birth from ending in death? 7 weeks in the hospital, brain surgery at six weeks didn’t end in devastation but in life. 7 years of provision and counting, God is our reward in all things to come. 

 

God has been building up my daddy heart for this upcoming surgery now just a week away. In His gentleness has been dropping hints of leading us into surgery and suffering.  He has confirmed this by the peaceful unfolding of our needs being met and Anna’s medical needs being clarified. I reviewed some of the last prayer requests and said to myself: “God is working.” The Lord has answered our requests and furthered our direction. We have a chair lined up to accommodate her brace, our family logistics have been answered for the time during the hospital stay, my leave of absence has been approved at work for one month. Everything is aligned and it’s a matter of due process now should the Lord direct our steps down the hall to the OR. 

 

Praise the Lord God who is with us, nearer than we can imagine. Listening to our hearts, our fears and faith. Bidding us to come, take courage, be of good cheer, lay down burdens and rest. He is our victory! He is our Good Shepherd calling us.

 

Please pray for:

-Songs of praise and worship to flood our lives

-memory verses, passages, to cling to at each step

-prayer to shelter us in the shadow of His wing 

-the full healing of Anna today

-health and strength for all of us

-our dear friends Dennis and Nancy who will care for Simon and Renee during our 4 day inpatient stay

-We are still asking and hoping in the Lord to provide nursing care overnight.

-Christlikeness to be seen through us to the cloud of witnesses that God has placed in our path at the hospital.

-Anna’s suffering to be met with the fullness of God’s purpose therein.

-teachability for us to learn about lifting options for transferring, positioning, diapering once the brace is on both her legs

 

*For those of you that may remember an entry about two years ago where a doctor said to me “Anna’s saving grace is that she is not always spastic with her tone.” To which I objected saying: “Anna’s saving grace is far greater… we’ve seen miracles.” Well that is the same doctor who will be performing the surgery, with his fellow. May they experience the richer grace that I alluded to.

At His service, with love,

The Currats

Onward in Jesus

 

Dear Prayer Warriors,

About two weeks ago, we celebrated Anna’s 7^th birthday. What a joyous occasion both grandmas’ were partying with us, uncle Joe came with his signature cooking skills and of course we celebrated Anna pie with exactly that, pie! The weather was so nice Anna spent the afternoon in her swing in our backyard with sunglasses on, a gentle breeze blowing, and lovely music playing softly. My how far she has come from the cold and snowy day of her traumatic birth so many years ago. God has turned our tears of sorrow into tears of joy.

As if our hearts weren’t full enough, we received heaps of presents for Anna again because Beyond the Walls church remembered Anna’s special day. Imagine an entire congregation writing cards and bringing gifts in Jesus’ name (phew a bit overwhelming). We thanked God for the gift of Anna, on loan from Him! It was all wonderful and filled our hearts with joy.  

God has been answering your prayers for us regarding this upcoming surgery. I can tell because I have already shifted out of/surrendered my brokenhearted emotional turmoil of “Why God must Anna go through this.” Into some words of faith a dear friend offered us: "God’s got Anna, and we are believing Him for her care. He can do the miraculous with a Word or He can carry her through the surgery. Either way it’s His choice!” That is quite a picture of dependance, and my aim as we go forward. We let Jesus know our hearts’ cry, ask for His resources, remind Him of His past victories over diseases and trust in Him for His purposed outcome.  We will have God’s presence, and that is greater than any healing.

 

As the days go on, we are noticing more and more that Anna needs this surgery. It has become very difficult to change her diapers. During the night she will wake up crying, whimpering until I reposition her bending her legs in another direction.  We increased her muscle relaxer, and arranged some botox injections to help paralyze the tone until then. The surgery is set for May 12^th, We are preparing in faith. Lindsey has read up on the condition and the approaches to surgery, we have visited another doctor and have been prayerfully considering our steps. Join us in praying.

  "Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
    my hope comes from him.
Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
    he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
 My salvation and my honor depend on God;
    he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
 Trust in him at all times, you people;
    pour out your hearts to him,
    for God is our refuge." Psalm 62:5-8

Please pray for:

-A wheel chair that allows for legs to be straight outward. Preferable something to borrow, I am going to post on the parent groups we are a part of on Facebook to see if we can borrow one. Or perhaps contact Anna’s equipment supplier. (Or for creative wisdom for daddy to rig the one we got).

-all the preparatory health things. For the appointments with Anna’s specialists to sign off on this surgery, insurance preapproval, pre surgery appointments with Dr. De (pronounced Day). He and his fellow will be doing the surgery.

-wisdom for the family logistics. Praise God my work has a paid family medical leave program for 3 weeks and I have some vacation saved up too. Lindsey and I would both like to be there the day of the surgery, with the COVID restrictions siblings are not allowed. If all goes well Anna will be 4 days inpatient, It will be about 2 hours away from home so we are wondering if we should apply to the Ronald McDonald house for those nights and remain together as a family, stay home and commute switching parent coverage, get a hotel room nearby. Or split town with Simon and Renee and not see Anna and mom for the duration.

-night nurses. I don’t know if I mentioned it in the last email but we are without night nurses again. The excellent, dependable one that was tailored just right to love on Anna found an irresistible chance to work at a pediatric clinic during the day. I cannot imagine going through this anticipated 6 week recovery time without someone watching and caring for Anna during the night. I have two companies looking right now and we are waiting. Its been 6 weeks. Again not someone looking for a paycheck, but blessed and picked by God to serve and love Anna.  

-full healing of all of Anna’s disability to the glory of God.

Praying Victory 'cause it's too Heavy

 

Dear Praying Warriors,

It is my witness that the greatest healing mercies Anna has received are miracles. It started the day she was born when God produced a Neonatologist for Anna’s cesarian, intubation, monitoring, and medication at a hospital that doesn’t have a neonatologist on staff -she was visiting that hospital at the time and place of Anna’s birth. Then came the miracle of blood pressure stabilization later that week when all the possible meds were given and still she was failing, overnight she normalized her blood pressure on her own. Then came the shunt brain surgery at 6 weeks old where the infection rate is 70%, no complications experienced. More recently the hypsarrhythmia without seizures or infantile spasms, our neurologist said “there’s no literature on that.” We have grown accustomed to Anna being God’s anomaly when compared to other kids with her diagnosis.  We know it’s the faith of you, the reader acting in prayer that brings Anna to Jesus. She needs to be lifted up again! Please join us again to ask God for renewed healing of Anna.

 

We cannot defeat cerebral palsy; it has no cure. At best our expert doctors perform palliative (comfort) care on Anna by managing symptoms. What the doctors have done for her are great gifts of mercy from God, I don’t deny that. But What hope is there for a godless parent once they accept the counsel of experts for their child? Their “best case” is a manmade projection with only as much audacity as the doctor suggests.

 

What a shallow contrast to Anna’s Lead Physician. Our Doctor has never told us a lie, prescribed the wrong medication, or been late.  Our doctor, Jesus Christ understands the suffering of the innocent more than anyone who ever lived. Jesus outlasts, overrides, and overcomes all illness! He is the King of kings, but also Jesus is the Physician of physicians. His waiting room is called “hope that doesn’t disappoint.” Let our faith sound foolish to the faithless regarding immanent healing. In overcoming the world Jesus overcame cerebral palsy! Let’s be of good cheer, though we have trouble. I know Jesus is not about the wheel chair life for Anna forever.

 

At Anna’s latest Doctor visit, my heart dropped at the sight of the two contrasting x-rays of Anna’s hips one year apart. Our routine check-up appointment was no longer routine. The orthopedic surgeon explained how my daughter’s right hip is close to 60% dislocated and her left one is 50%. He walked me through what the surgery will look like as it seems unavoidable now. I was overcome with tears and sorrow as he explained the cutting, bone repositioning, and difficult recovery that needs to take place. I was holding Anna apologizing to her. The muscle relaxers, the Botox injections, the stander, the stretching, the therapists were no match for her increased growth in muscle density and tone. Being non weight bearing was the biggest problem the doctor explained because the femur bends into the socket through walking and standing during the first few years. As a parent, did we do all we could? We are scheduling the surgery in early summer and exhausting all our medical resources to make sure consensus is reached about what to do. Anna is not in pain right now, but dislocation creates constant pain, inability to sit, arthritis, and scoliosis.

 

On the drive home I prayed aloud with Anna, we committed these heavy burdens to the Lord, knowing He is my shepherd and will equip. The Lord is quick to always remind me of the cerebral palsy kids in third world countries that live out their days in the pain my daughter will escape Lord willing. Praying changes me, softens me, surrenders me. I will never forget how the shunt was something that I didn’t want for my daughter, I feared it. But as the praying continued and the surgery was confirmed repeatedly. We persisted in prayer to find that God’s Spirit gently, peacefully within me helped me reconsider the shunt as the provision that He supplied for Anna. Join me in praying for God’s full healing, supernaturally fixing Anna’s hip sockets and aligning the ball of the femur into the hip. This would cause great glory to God. A cloud of witnesses to be filled with faith in the Living God having seen the miraculous. May Anna make the evening news. 

 

Please Pray:

 

I don’t know where to start with individual requests, May God place burdens of prayer on you for Anna. Please join me praying this prayer my bride wrote:

“Father, you have told us to pray ‘Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.’ We know that in your heavenly kingdom there is no disability - bring that to earth for Anna. We know it is not your will for people to suffer - bring your will for Anna’s life on earth. Yes, You can use suffering, but suffering is not from You. Father, there is common grace available to all mankind through doctors and medication. Thank you. But these things have failed to help us. They cannot heal. Father, we are turning to you and asking for your help. Help from heaven. Supernatural help. We are asking for help that the world cannot give. Do not turn us away. Do not say our best hope is back where we came from - in a doctor who is limited in understanding, limited in skill. How would that make us any different from those who do not acknowledge You or call on Your name? We have access to You the eternal God who created all things, why should our resources be limited to the same common grace available to all unbelieving people who revile the name of the Lord? Lord, have mercy on Your people. Uphold our faith in You in this skeptical world. Father, you do not lack compassion; You do not lack power; You do not lack knowledge or understanding of Anna’s condition. You are able to help. You do not need to work through a doctor or a surgery. You can work through your Word, through Your breath, through Your spirit. I know You hear us cry to You for Anna. Manifest Your virtue of healing, Father, for Your glory. In the mighty name of Jesus we pray.”

Grateful, hopeful, united in Christ,

The Currats

Feeding Anna's Spirit

 

Dear Prayer Warriors, 

 

Loving Anna is hard when two younger siblings are always jockeying for my attention and I like to escape for a scroll on my phone here and there. Before I get to Anna, I need to address the persistent crying from Renee and the repetitive questions of Simon. I wonder if Anna feels like she gets leftovers of my best because she can’t wrap herself around my ankles and demand my attention like my other two can. By God’s grace, I have learned to announce to Renee and Simon that right now I’m going to be spending time with Anna. it’s hard to connect with planet Anna. That sweet girl is always available for me but I am often giving of myself elsewhere. To be clear, I’m talking beyond Anna’s caretaking needs, more like soul care, discovering the personality she has and the things she loves. With Anna the checklist of cares will get done but have I loved her or just served her? I want to make Anna feel listened to. 

 

By God’s grace, there are times that I stop everything (drop the phone), and try to envision life from Anna’s point of view. What is it like to lay on a mat and chew the outer part of the right thumb while looking at the same piece of ceiling for 5, 10, or sometimes 45 minutes, day after day? At times I attempt the art of imitation.

 

Today, I read the Bible to Anna and had some time with just her and it was blessed. I sat her up and presented the Gospel to her. I remember doing that one other time while she was in the NICU. We marveled at the gift of salvation offered to all sinners, the undeserving, the weary, the brokenhearted. We thought how a Just Father gave His Child for the ransom of many because there is no other way. As Anna and I lingered there, I reminded her what God did for her and how God has given her the choice to hope in Christ for all things including healing. Suddenly, Anna went on and on and on, Oooing and ahhhing making all kinds of vocalizations for a couple of minutes at least. We prayed and thanked God. Anna isn’t overly vocal, she coos and makes noises here and there, so this was exceptional, I looked her in the eye and let her finish.

 

This week I had a realization of answered prayer! Anna has been showing lots of progress at night. Even as I write this, I remember this was one of my most recent and reoccurring prayer requests. It is exciting to share God’s mercy with you. The saliva and mucus buildups that she deals with about 2-5 times at night have become self-managed. Generally, these episodes included foaming/drool at the mouth, gasping for air, large volumes of spit-up, air swallowing and remaining awake for hours. The more involved occurrences included panicked breathing, aspiration, suctioning, repositioning, and change of clothes. These episodes have gone away. Praise the God who heals. 

 

God has been layering many good things in Anna’s life. We have only had one viral illness lasting less than two weeks all winter. Anna has gained a pound and has had consistent bowel movements. Our night nurse has been helping with blending fresh foods to supplement Anna’s organic formula almost daily. we recently adjusted her saliva-reducing medicine and the new amount seems to have helped as well. Also, Anna has had a deeper sleep; so much so that when we give her medicine and refill her BIPAP machine with water at 3:30 AM she doesn’t even wake. 

 

Beyond all these exterior helps, Anna is showing increased ability to manage the mucus build up herself. She still has bouts during the nights when I hear her chewing and turning her head from side to side, but it isn’t escalating. Generally, those are the red flags for me to hop into action. Lately though, I’ve stayed by the video monitor to see her resolve it and it passes within 5 minutes as she never fully wakes up. We are getting some restful sleep y’all. Go Anna!

 

Please Pray for:

 

-A nurse of God’s choosing perfect for Anna, to supplement our overnight care, right now we have three nights covered.

-A greater sensitivity of how to spend time with and engage Anna relationally, as a family and one on one. How can we communicate more effectively with her.

-Continued mercy and healing of Anna, ushering in ability and glory to God.

-New therapies, passionate therapists, and exercises that open doors and unlock greater potential.

-joy and lighthearted laughter to season our days together as a family that we would be caught up in the nearness of the Holy Spirit and love each other well.

-continued equipping by the Holy Spirit to use Anna and my family for the glory of Jesus Christ.

Casting My Corona Cares on Him

 

Dear Praying Warrior,

Merry Christmas, thank you for your gift to us in the form of praying for Anna and us. I know there are some people who pray everyday for us, others who do so when they get this, and still others that pray when God places us on their mind. All of it is a tremendous encouragement in love for us. I can think of no better way of exercising our hope in God than to pray. I want to apologize for not updating sooner. I have found myself more tired than usual with the demands of working at Target and loving my family well. Recently, there has been dryness in my walk with the Lord. This entry is a good deal about my walk with God as Anna’s father amid the Coronavirus. Feel free to skip down to the prayer requests that are more squarely about Anna, asking for prayers for Anna is of first importance. 

 

We have been blessed during this Coronavirus. Some of the noteworthy blessings include health, employment, lower APR on our mortgage, greater accessibility for Anna in our home, a great start to homeschooling, my bride and I have lost a combined 70 pounds, and the icing on the cake came in the form of a church that we didn’t know of reaching out to us at Christmas wanting to be the hands and feet of Jesus. They eagerly came alongside us in prayer, Christmas cards, and gifts to the fame of God.

 

Once the Coronavirus came to my neighborhood, all I could think about was Anna lung history, aspiration, airway clearing issues, Trachiamalacia and her Chronic Atelectasis. For me, this year has been a time to “check yo’ self” on a faith level and I have found Jesus to be both Sovereign and Protector. When I say “I have found Jesus to be” that means that I went looking this year. Do I really believe those 2 things about who God is, or is that just my Christian lip service?

 

 Surrendering all things Coronavirus to Jesus’ care has been a test in trusting His sovereignty.  Somewhere along the way of becoming a husband, a father, home owner, financial provider, a nice car driver, the stakes got higher. There is more to trust God with now. I struggled to hand things over to God, my bride frequently reminded me that God is in control whenever I would bring a news headline to her attention. "Even if the Coronavirus comes to us, He will be with us." It's almost as if within my marriage we were battling the virus differently with me as the personification of “works” and Lindsey was the personification of “faith”. I adhered to all the best practices and due diligence for minimizing the likeliness of contracting the virus and Lindsey kept on praising God. Lindsey helped me see that I stuck my head in the news a bit too often. If Jesus is the Rock I’m standing on, why was I distressed over what the Coronavirus might/could/maybe do to a little girl with a history of lung problems? I wondered if my stance of “works” was really a lack of “faith”.

 

Working 40 hour a week with the general public during the pandemic created a nervousness within that wasn’t quenched by a mask and sanitizer. Some of my coworkers’ chatter at work contributed to this growing fear within. In my self-righteousness I felt justified to worry because of Anna. I had gotten so desperate one day that I just stopped everything and asked myself: Can God really protect me from microbes? Looking back, I see Satan trying to use Anna’s disability as a foothold, actively tempting me to take control of my life rather than to offer it up to the Lord. I relented and asked Jesus to protect me.  By God’s grace this test came to a head with a sincere appetite for God’s protection rather than running away from Him.

 

In my quiet times, it became apparent that my view of Omnipotent God had gotten small. It is out of God’s love for me that he protects me!  As Anna's father I want power to control all the variables, however there are too many variables for me to control. I can’t control everything, so I pray to the One who is Sovereign and commit what I can control over to Him. Many times, on my way to work my repeated prayer has been “Jesus you have always been my protector from unseen things, that includes Coronavirus today.” The Bible pretty clearly states that the cure for anxiety and worry is prayer, I think I was slow in my prayer closet about presenting these things in faith to God. There was a time where my “works” preceded my “faith” in dealing with the pandemic. Now I got faith first with a can of Lysol not far behind.

 

I want to leave you with a sweet prayer. Simon is growing a heart for prayer in his 4-year-old body and soul. His passion to pray ebbs and flows, but when its on, phew, he shares the sweetest words of faith to a listening Lord. “There’s so much to praise You for, the thankfuls never end. You are in control. Amen.” I don't want to forget this prayer.

“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed – not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence – continue to work out your salvation with fear (reverence) and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his purpose.” Phil 2:12-13

 

Please Pray for:

 

- Anna’s wrists. Her persistent chewing and biting breaks her skin in several spots. Grandma Sandy has made dozens of custom finger braces that work great however Anna still finds ways to get to the skin. It’s a self-soothing comfort issue mixed with saliva management; she has been biting her wrists daily since she was less than 2. May the Lord redirect her hand chewing tendency, and improve her secretion management.

 

- Anna’s hips. For God to supernaturally reverse the subluxation occurring with the femur and hip socket joint. That her hip joint would grow in correctly. Her Cerebral Palsy muscle tone, Dystonia, and being non-weight bearing are the primary cause for this hardship.

 

- Anna’s eyes. May she continue to progress in ability with the eye-gaze devices so that one day she could effectively communicate. This would open up so many more way to teach school to Anna. Recently we were told that Colorado Springs has a great school for the blind. Pray that this coming year we would see if it is a fit for Anna.  Anna has cortical visual impairment and optic nerve atrophy as visual challenges. 

 

-Anna’s lungs. This year’s sleep study showed that she still needs the help keeping her lungs open at night. We are still on 2 kinds of meds to help her breath effectively. Praise God that Anna has not been sick to the point of needing oxygen in many months. Anna has chronic atelectasis and tracheomalacia.  

 

-Anna’s brain. Something I forget to pray for often is her periventricular leukomalacia, hydrocephalus, and polymicrogyria. The first diagnosis happened the first year of her birth and she is living with the results from it today. Anna has holes in the white matter of her brain where once there was brain cells now there are holes. Pray for Anna’s shunt tube, valve that they would not get infected or shift in their placement in her brain and body. That her hydrocephalus would be managed well by the provision of such medical advances. There are no surgeries or medicinal treatments for the holes and for her polymicrogyria. They are there impacting her disability until the Maker of the brain can restore her brain back to the original design and intent for which He designed it.

 

-Anna’s sleep. Nurse Emily continues to be terrific in providing 3 nights of refreshing rest a week for us. During the night we manage Anna’s feeding, medication, diapering, repositioning, and airway clearing. I attend to Anna on the nights we don’t have a nurse and it has gotten a little more challenging. The medication needs to be given 3 different time during the night. On a good night that is mostly all I do. Recently Anna has been staying up, continuously trying to manage her secretions, or sometimes just chewing her hands. When she does this for 2-3 hours during the night, I need to monitor her more closely than just having the camera on her. 

 

-Anna’s therapies. Anna is a hard worker, she always feels up for working out. She seldom complains about putting in effort. May the Lord give vision to therapists Chelsea, Cassidy, Bruna, Dave, and Emma. That Anna would not just maintain her gains but that milestone to the glory of God would be achieved. We are praying about another intensive therapy session if we can arrange the timing and funding in the coming year.

-For God to be our help. A very real help in our days and hours of caring for our children and meeting their needs. The body of Christ, the church has always been so gracious to us in our needs.

With Love,

The Currats