Update

Dear friends,

Thank you for your prayers. I cannot tell you how much we felt them yesterday. My parents and I arrived to an empty waiting room at Georgetown Medical and were quickly given a private room. After explaining our concerns about waiting through the long weekend at my current weight, my labs were taken, and we waited to see what would unfold.

At the end of the afternoon all the labs came back normal, and the attending physician, having consulted with the GI doctor on call, told us there wasn't anything they could do to speed up the process of obtaining testing or getting me started on TPN. Her recommendation was to go home and then call the GI doctors back on Tuesday. She was hopeful that they might see me a bit sooner if I mentioned I had been in the ER over the weekend. So come Tuesday, the phone calls to Hopkins and Georgetown will be underway once again, and we trust God will continue to make the path clear.

Praise:
There is so much to praise Him for!
- I felt His sustaining grace throughout the day yesterday, and He carried me through the more difficult moments.
- I have regained several pounds over the past few days, although I have a long way to go.
- My labs came back normal and even showed some improvement from the previous week.

Prayer Requests:
I am so aware of how dependent I am upon Him for every moment and am humbled as I ask for your continued prayers.

- For the right doors to open as we pursue the doctors and testing at Georgetown and Hopkins over the next several days.
- Pray that I might be able to persevere with the foods and supplements I am taking in right now and be given wisdom in the daily decisions regarding what to put into my system. There are definitely periods where I don't feel well at all, but He continues to carry me through those times and give me strength.
- Both the doctor and nurses were encouraging me to do all I can to get in more frequent high-calorie meals since I'm able to keep food down, so you could pray that my system would begin to accept fats and digest them.
- First thing in the morning can be the hardest time physically, so that's also a great time to pray! :)

I look forward to sharing with you all what God brings about in the days ahead. I do not know where He is taking me, but I know He is good. And I need Him in every moment.

I am overwhelmed by your care and prayers. Thank you.

The Lord looks down from heaven; He sees all the children of man; from where He sits enthroned He looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, He who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds. The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue.

Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him,on those who hope in his steadfast love, that He may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine.

Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in Him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in You. - Psalm 33:13-22