11 March 2006

"Well then leave it alone."

Meet Finley Johnson, the newest (and lightest) edition to our family. After watching one too many episodes of ER, I was able to perfectly imagine the scene Wednesday night at 7:45 when my mom told me they were airlifting my sweet sister, Kristi, to University Hospital in Louisville, KY. Kristi's body was not holding up well against the pressure of her pregnancy, so although they had set the goal of 35 weeks for her earliest possible delivery, they had to take little Finley from her happy little home that night at 10:00. Kristi is recovering nicely... extremely ready for some real food. Apparently my valiant efforts to break the staunch rules of the liquid diet with crackers is just not enough for her. The nurses are pretty surprised by the speed at which she is recovering. Our only concern for Krist at this point is her blood pressure. It's been down a little, but is back up today. And, bless her heart, the medicine they are giving her makes her hot, dizzy, and basically miserable. We are so grateful to see God's hand restoring Kristi's health by the minute.
We are believing in His work in Finley. She was only on oxygen at first, but since then they had to put her on a venthilator; not ideal, but a means to the end. All 3 lbs and 11 oz of her are working really hard to breath, but even with the help of the ventilator, she is struggling. The doctors are not surprised by the things they are seeing, but are not altogether pleased with her progress at this point. Seeing such a small fragile life, God's power and meticulous planning was put into perspective. Isaiah 40:29 has been a source of hope and confidence for us every time we go in to see little Finley. "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak." Now I know, for all you Bible scholars, this is part of Isaiah's prophecy to the Israelites, but it was also a timely word of encouragement from the Lord straight to a family whose hearts were a little unsettled.
One of the great ways God took care of us during this whole ordeal was by sending people to take care of Kristi when she was alone prior to surgery. None of the family was able to travel with her in the helicopter. So you have a 33 year old girl without her husband or family, only knowing that her condition is serious enough to airlift her ER style to the next biggest city for treatment. None of us could get there within 4 hours. Two people we had grown up with in church, who live in Louisville, jumped at the chance to come and stand beside her. So, Necia O'Donely and Tera Melber, thanks for reminding us what is so precious and sweet about the Body of Christ. You two were used to ease the hearts and minds of the whole family, as well as be a visible representation of the Lord's presence and care for Kristi and Finley's lives.
Thank you for taking the time to read. I know it was wordy and long...as are my thoughts at this point. We are still waiting, trusting, and living in hope. We waltz between peace and concern, with peace winning out most of the time at this point. Kristi and I have been praying, out of Psalm116:7, "Be at rest once more, O my sould, for the Lord has been good...!" Thanks for the prayers and concern so many of you have shown. We have been encouraged beyond belief. I'll leave you with a fun encounter my mom and sister had in the gift shop last night. They met a man the first moments we were all here. When they saw him again last night, he wanted an update on things. When they told him, he simply said, "Didn't the Lord already give you peace for the outcome of this?" Mom and Kristi nodded hesitantly. As he walked away, he looked over his shoulder and said, "Then leave it alone."