Good Days to Rejoice!!
May 27, 2010
Just a basic update post and another time to just give thanks and glory to God. Susana is doing really well on this second round of chemo. So far, she has not had any side effects whatsoever, except for one night where she vomited a few times because I tried to get her to take some liquid colase But aside from that, she has been doing great! She is extremely lively, she is talking and wanting to play non-stop, she has been going to the playroom every day, and she is just super happy! Which of course makes us all SUPER happy. So, she has been in since Monday and she will most likely be discharged tomorrow. Wow! That was an easy 5 days. Praise the Lord for those as we know that there will be much more challenging times ahead.
We are also just so thankful for God’s provision in our lives. He has blessed us in so many ways. Our support from our family and friends both near and far has been such a blessing. We don’t love the fact that we have to be back in the states at this point, but if we do have to be here, there is no better place where we would want to be than here in Asheville. The mountains are all around us and they are beautiful. It reminds us of living in Haiti minus the intense heat, malaria, stomach parasites, etc Haha. Seriously, we do miss Haiti, but we rejoice in the Lord that He has us here for what we are going through.
I am also excited that our ministry in Haiti is going well. We have a few teams scheduled to go down in the next month and Lord willing, I may be able to go also. We are in the process of looking to buy a 4X4 Pickup truck for the ministry there so that we can transport food and supplies way up into the mountains where the people are so impoverished. Hopefully, we will locate a good vehicle for sale and then ship it over there within the next month. We also will be starting up our discipleship groups very soon. It brings us so much joy to know that God’s work is still being done through our ministry in Haiti and that lives are being changed for His glory. It is our greatest blessing to be part of His kingdom work in Haiti.
Our right hand man in Haiti, Fenel, had a scare this week as his wife had to go to the hospital because of such severe stomach pain. It turns out that she had appendicitis and had to have her appendix removed. The surgery went well and she is now recovering thank the Lord. We really love Fenel and Mimi and the 2 kids that they are caring for. We miss them so much, but we also talk to them regularly. I am looking forward to seeing them soon.
So, thank you all for your continued prayers and support. We serve a mighty big God who truly is able to do more than we could ever ask for, think, or imagine. And we continue to pray that we get good reports from the doctor like those we have received this week. – Cody
What love can do
May 23, 2010
It has been a week since we came back to North Carolina and a month since Susana was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma. I (Maria) have been through a roller coaster of emotions. Some days are definitely better than others. I can still hear the news being spoken by an unfamiliar person holding a stethoscope in her hand, “Your daughter has cancer”. It became even more real when my precious daughter went from a head full of long brown curly hair to none at all just two weeks later. Today I look at her and although I see no hair, I thank God that I still see Susana.
It has only been a month and I can tell you that it has not been very easy to let go and move on. At least no for me. Although I am in familiar grounds with familiar people and surrounded by incredible beauty I am often drawn back to the fact that my world was rocked and attacked by some ugly words doctors call childhood cancer. I can tell you right now that the journey so far has been hard, painful, uncertain, dark, and looks very much to me like the valley of shadow of death that I never wanted to pass through. Yet, in the midst of this emotional turmoil in which I find myself at times, I am able to stand up higher, walk straighter, and trust Christ more because God has brought you to hold my hand.
Yes, every single one of you who read our posts and keep up with our messages on facebook is a gift and answer prayer to us. You who came to the hospital and mailed packages and sent cards and bought toys and gave gifts and prayed prayers as if you were praying for yourself and were the healing balm we needed. And you still do these things. You are all evidence of God’s unconditional and unfailing love to us. You thought you gave a card or brought a meal, but in reality you were an extension of His love and mercy when my emotional world was crumbling and my faith was lacking and I needed to know He was right there next to me. That’s what love does!
While in Haiti, one day Cody and I were driving down the main road in Jacmel when it occurred to me that somehow I was an answer to someone’s prayers. Whenever we fed someone, whenever we clothed someone, whenever shelter was given or a word of kindness was expressed, I was God’s way of showing love to someone else. Somehow the thought humbled me. I know the many flaws I have and the weaknesses I struggle with and the thought of being “an answered prayer” or “an expression of love” was beyond what I could even understand.
But now I do. I do because I am on the other side. You are all God’s answer to my prayers when I need to see His love the most. Every single one of you is God’s way of loving us and providing comfort, support, mercy, grace, and all the things that I secretly pray for in my own times of despair. Somehow your love brings healing to my heart. And it fuels faith when mine is very little or non-existent.
I wish I could list on this post every single one of you who has held us through this time individually by name, but there are just too many of you. So, please receive this as our way of personally saying thank you to all of you. Your support, love, prayers, and encouragement means so much to us. You have no idea how much you do. I am in awe of God even more because you have chosen to love the way you do. And your love does not go unnoticed in His eyes. You are storing treasures where it matters most. And I can’t wait to see you in Heaven wearing the jewels you earned on behalf of the love you shown to us. We love you. Thank you!
Here are some recent pictures of Susana and Isabela.
Susana.
Isabela.
Sisters.
“And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’”–Matthew 25:40
Good News is Always…Good
May 20, 2010
Praise the Lord for the good report that the doctor gave us today. He said that the images and scans taken after the 1st round of chemo already show that the tumors are significantly decreasing in size! Oh, how my heart rejoiced when I heard this. He said that he is really impressed with how Susana is responding to the treatment. He said that she looks great and it is a very good sign that she is eating so well and is very active. She has also gained a few pounds. So, today we rejoiced in the good news.
When Susana and I (Cody) got in the car after the appointment, the first thing that we did was pray and give thanks to God for the good news and ask Him to continue to work in her body and bring complete healing.Susana will start her second round of chemo on Monday.
Today is a day to rejoice and I thank you all who are rejoicing with us, but let’s continue with even greater fervency in our prayers that this is only the beginning and that the Lord will bring about complete healing in her body for the glory of His name.
We are living our lives in trusting in the goodness of God when things are good AND when things don’t look good at all. Just like Job stated after he learned of all the calamity that fell upon him in an instant, “The Lord has given and now the Lord has taken away. May the name of the Lord be praised.” Job gave glory to God when things were good and he gave glory to God when things were bad. And so we too are seeking every day to give glory to God in ALL situations. So, we love the fact that we give Him glory today upon hearing the favorable report, but we also resolve ourselves to give Him glory if or when a report comes back as less than favorable. Our hope is not in the report that can change in an instant, but rather in a faithful and loving God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. he never changes and has no shadow of turning at all. Christ is the solid rock on which we stand.
We rejoice today and are so thankful to receive the good news. All glory belongs to Him!!!
Ebay Auction to Benefit Susana
May 19, 2010
Hey all,
I just wanted to let you know of an ebay auction that a few good friend’s of ours have put together to raise support for Susana and our family as we begin this long journey of fighting cancer.
The auction will run from May 20th – 30th and will include some incredible items and services. Below is the link for the auction. Please pass this on to anybody you know who might be interested in bidding for a very good cause. Thanks so much everybody for your support, encouragement, and prayers. Happy Bidding!
http://members.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=auctions_for_susana–
Explaining Cancer to a 4 Year Old
May 17, 2010
Not the kind of bedtime story that I ever thought I would be telling, but nonetheless it was the story that I just had to share with Susana this morning. She took it so well, which gave me the ability to continue and get more creative in telling the story rather than breaking down and crying which is what almost happened when I first began. Susana is doing really well right now, but that is why I had to have this talk with her. We are about to go back to the hospital for round 2 of chemo. Her counts are going to drop significantly. She is going to need to get pricked and poked probably hundreds of more times throughout this process. I had to explain to her that even though she feels good right now, that she is still sick on the inside and that is why we will have to be going to the hospital a lot in this next year. I want her to be informed as much as a 4 year old should be informed. I just want her to know why we have to keep going to the hospital. I want her to know why it is so important that we have tens of thousands of people praying for her throughout the world. I want her to know why so many people came up to us yesterday in church and told her that they have been praying for her. I want her to know why she won’t be able to do anything that she wants to do.
So, she now knows that she has cancer and that cancer can be very dangerous. She now knows that we need to be praying constantly that the Lord heals her of this disease. She now knows why her hair has fallen out. And she now knows why she needs to fight like never before. I explained to her that she has tumors inside of her, to which she said that she did not know what that meant. So, I had to get creative in my explanation. I told her that there are these invaders, like little bad monsters that have found their way into her body and are trying to take over and spread themselves out everywhere. I told her that these tumors do not belong in her body and that she has to fight with the power of the Lord to tell them to go away. So, then I pretended that I was a big tumor trying to get her and I told her that she needs to say, “Get out of here tumor. You don’t belong here. By the power of God you can leave!” And then as she said this, I would pretend that I was shriveling up and falling to the floor and dying. She was laughing like crazy and it was really good.
I think all of this helps her understand, which in turn will help her fight. I promised her that Mommy, Daddy, and Isabela will be right by her side fighting with her. And then we both prayed together. And then she ran off to play.
Isn’t that the way it should be with us? Isn’t that what the scripture means when it says to “not be anxious about anything, but by prayer and petition, and with thanksgiving in our hearts, make our requests known to God and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus.” So, what that could look like is just what Susana demonstrated: We talk about this dreaded disease called cancer. We talk about tumors invading the body. Then we turn to the Lord in prayer, present our requests to Him, and then….we run off and play. That’s faith!!! That’s the greatness of our God!!!
Happy Days for Susana and Me
May 11, 2010
These last few days have been good ones since Susana has been doing really well and has not been in any pain. She is eating great and now is drinking enough where they just told me that she does not need to be getting any more fluids through the IV. So, we praise the Lord for the little moments where we can laugh, play, and smile. I love seeing my little Susana smiling. Oh she is so beautiful!
The last few days she has been going to the play room a few times a day. She has really enjoyed this. Yesterday, Isabela and her were both playing together in the play room. That made me so happy to see that.
So, all is good for now. She is eating well. She is drinking well. Her blood counts are all good. The infection is gone. We will be discharged on Friday and then we will be flying back to Asheville on Saturday. Susana will have an appointment at Mission Hospital in Asheville on Monday. Hopefully, she will be able to begin her second round of chemo immediately after that. Please pray that these plans do not change.
Please continue to pray for our family as this ordeal has brought about intense emotions for all of us. We are all processing these emotions in different ways, but our desire is to remain completely supportive of each other all throughout. Pray that the Lord will knit our hearts together more so than ever during this most difficult time. And pray also that we would draw closer to the Lord more so than ever and that He would draw closer to us. We are so desperate for Him.
Yesterday, I woke up early after having a bad dream. I felt the urgency of spending some time in the Word of God and reflecting on His truth. In the process, I just started weeping. It was a safe place for me to cry out my hurt, fear, longing, and ache in my soul. I just wept and begged the Lord to heal my daughter on this side of heaven. And then at the end, I entrusted her into His hands. And then the peace of God was there to sustain me and give me joy for the day. I thank the Lord that we can come to Him with even our greatest fears and pains and know that He hears us and comforts our hearts.
Getting good reports from Fenel (our right hand man in Haiti who is managing things on the ground) as to the ministry in Haiti. We have secured a huge shipment of food so that we can really start developing our feeding programs for orphaned children as well as other malnourished children in the mountains. We are still in the process of getting the discipleship programs under way. We have a friend of ours who is building us some benches and desks for the kids. We will also get some tables and chairs. We should be launching our first group by the summer. I am so excited to know that the gospel of Jesus will be shared with eager young minds and hearts and that lives will be changed for the glory of God!
We also are planning on rebuilding a church in the community that suffered damage in the quake. This is a church pastored by a very humble godly man named Jean Franko. The Lord led us to start helping this church immediately after the earthquake. Jean Franko told me that we were the only people who had come to him to help the congregation and the many orphaned children who were in such great need. Since then, we have provided food regularly to them. We also have done some outreach to the children who are there, including many orphaned children who we are starting to help.
Here’s a funny story. The first time we actually visited Pastor Jean Franko’s church for service was the night that we did the outreach there where after the service we watched Tom & Jerry cartoons with the kids. Anyway, the pastor introduced me that night to the whole congregation and was talking about how the Lord had brought me there to help them and stuff. Then he said that he hopes that we come back soon and that he would like for me to preach some time. So, I nodded in agreement as I always love to preach the Word of God. So, that Sunday, we returned to his church for the morning service. After several beautiful songs in Creole, the pastor got up and shared a short word and a prayer. Keep in mind, this is all in Creole and we have a guy next to us that is loosely translating. So, once again the pastor introduces me and thanks me for all the help and stuff and then he welcomes me….and then he sits down!!! And I’m standing there like “What???” And I ask the translator what is going on. And the translator says, “He wants you to preach.” I was like, “Are you kidding me?” He wasn’t kidding. So, there I was standing amidst all these people who are now sitting there in silence waiting for the message to be shared. I had no idea that when I nodded the Wednesday before about agreeing to preach SOMETIME, that he meant the next time I came. Now, I love sharing the word of God. I have preached many many times, but, you know, usually I am made aware as to when I will be preaching and therefore I prepare a message ahead of time. I have never been put on the spot in the middle of a congregation without any notice and had to share the message. Needless to say, I was sweating in an instant! But, as I first shared with the congregation, the bible calls us to always be prepared in season and out of season and tells us to always be prepared to give an answer for the hope that we have in Jesus. And so, by the grace of God and the leading of the Holy Spirit, I was able to share a message that seemed to bring some great conviction, encouragement, and hope. I’m sure it was definitely not a 3 or 5 point classic sermon, but it was still good. But man, that was crazy!!! I think I should come up with a few sermons that I could always pull out of my back pocket should this type of situation ever present itself again.
Our ministry is in great need of a good used 4X4 extended cab pickup truck, preferably a Nissan, Mazda, or Toyota. We need this so that we can haul food and supplies up into the mountains. We also need it to transport teams. We may have a way to ship it to Haiti at a very minimal cost. Please let me know if you have any leads or possibilities.
Today, I am thankful for His grace that works all things together for good to those who love God and are called by His purposes.
So beautiful…So bald…So brave
May 7, 2010
That’s our little Susana! I have to tell you that Susana is the most beautiful little bald girl I have ever seen. I always told Maria that we should get radical one day and cut Susana’s hair really short because I know that she would look super cute since her face is so tiny. Of course, she never went for it. But here we are today with not just short hair, but no hair. And I knew it!! I knew that she would look so incredibly cute. Her face is so adorable!!! I can’t stop kissing her head!!
So, things have been going good these last few days aside from the fact that we know we are going to be inpatient still for 8 more days. We have already been here 6 days straight. This was all because Susana picked up an infection when she was released last week. She was in ICU for 3 days, but then she was brought up to the oncology unit where we are now. Her infection seems to be gone. The blood cultures have been negative for the last 4 days, but they feel that she needs to stay here for a total of ten days just as a precaution so that they can continue to administer the antibiotics through her I V and monitor her to make sure that the infection doesn’t come back. Pray that the infection is gone so that they don’t have to remove her pick line.
She is doing really good right now. Her blood counts are all up, but one is just a little low. If it doesn’t come up by this afternoon they will do a transfusion. But they think that they will come up on their own.
She has been eating somewhat better, but still needs to eat and drink more. They had her on a TPN for a few days where she was getting nutrition through the I V, but now that she has started eating better they decided to stop it. Also, they just stopped her I V fluids since we are getting her to drink more. Today she had a piece of bread, a cherry pastry, and half a box of Boost nutritional drink for breakfast. For lunch she had a few chicken nuggets, some fries, and the other half of the box of Boost. So, she is getting better, but we still need to get her to eat more. Please keep this in your prayers.
Susana is sitting up and playing with all the new packages that arrived today (thanks Aimee and thanks to the youth group at The Foundry in AZ.) Her and her sister are having a lot of fun with all the stuff.
I am about to leave with Isabela to check in at the time share condo that my Dad and his wife have gifted to us for the next 2 weeks. Unfortunately, Maria and I will not be able to enjoy this place together except for maybe the last few days since we will be alternating staying overnight at the hospital. But we will still have lots of fun with Isabela. She can’t wait to go swimming at the pool. I can’t wait to chill in the hot tub.
Asheville Bound!!!!
May 6, 2010
That’s right!! We are moving back to Asheville! (throngs of cheers rising up now from Asheville, NC…)
We want to be in an area that we really love and that will be best for Susana’s treatment. There have been so many things thrust upon us in the last few weeks that we have absolutely no control over. So, we do need to make good decisions based on things that we still do have control over. And one of those things is determining where to live.
We came to Miami simply because it was the quickest place to get to a hospital when we came from Haiti. But we have absolutely no desire to live in Miami. This new journey that we are on will be a painful and difficult one. We need to be around people that we know and love. We need to have a church that is so supportive of our family. And we need to have a place that we all really like. Isabela needs some serious stability now. And Susana needs to be in an environment as comfortable and pleasant as possible. And Mom and Dad need to be in a place where they can receive support and encouragement. And Dad needs to be in a place where he can fly fish for huge trout!!! Hey, we will all need our outlets to get away right? Seriously.
So, we love our friends in Asheville. We love our church, Biltmore Baptist Church. We love the mountains. We, well I, love the streams and rivers. We love that the cost of living will enable us to get a nice place to live. Asheville will be a good place for us to be. The girls are so happy!! We are all so happy!!
We just spoke with our oncologist this afternoon and told him what we were thinking and asked him how soon we could do this. He said it would be best to do it as soon as she is released from the hospital (10 days) and before she gets her 2nd round of chemo. So, this will be happening soon, Lord willing. Our last 2 weeks will be spent here at a very nice time share condo that my Dad and his wife have given us. that will be a tremendous blessing!
We have been overwhelmed with love and support from church friends here in South Florida. We are so grateful to Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale for their support in getting us a vehicle and helping us with some things in Haiti. We are so blessed by our friends Alex and Annabelle Valdes who have been so incredibly supportive and loving. We will truly miss you. And we have been blessed by many other churches and friends and family here. But we just don’t have any desire to call Miami home. And we believe that moving to Asheville will be a tremendous blessing for our family.
Susana will be getting treated at Mission Hospital for outpatient chemo, and will be referred to Duke for specific procedures and surgeries. So, we know her care will just as good as anywhere else. We have already spoken to the research nurse there to make sure that they are familiar with treating neuroblastoma.
Asheville…here we come!!!! (Thank you Miss Tootie for allowing us to stay at your Mom’s temporarily until we get our own place. The girls are are so excited to see you…and we are too!!!)
Committed to the Cause(s)
May 4, 2010
To all of our faithful support team,
As most of you know, our world has yet again been rocked as we have recently learned that our 4 year old daughter Susana has been diagnosed with an aggressive cancer called neuroblastoma. She has already begun chemo treatments, which will probably last more than a year.
We are currently in Miami as she has begun treatment at Miami Children’s Hospital. This is where my wife brought her initially when she flew with her out of Haiti because Susana was sick and was not getting better. We do not think that we will stay in Miami long term because we just simply do not like it here. However, we need to stay long enough until Susana is stable and we are given the clearance to move. This may be a few months, but only the Lord knows.
Needless to say, the possibility of us returning to Haiti to live there as missionaries is slim to none due to the fact that, should the Lord heal Susana, she will still need consistent medical care for many many years, possibly the rest of her life. So, we are thinking that we will be stateside for quite a long time and maybe we will never return permanently to Haiti. Only the Lord knows the future.
However, we still plan to continue the ministry that we have started there. God has given us a love for the Haitian people and He has given us a plan to minister to the orphaned children and at-risk children. We already have begun to lay a foundation there and we also have some people on the ground there that are fully committed to carrying out the vision that we have casted. Lord willing, and once Susana is a little more stable in her treatments, I plan to make trips to Haiti every 6 to 8 weeks for about 4 or 5 days each so that I can help with the ministry that we are doing there. The rest of the time, I plan to help organize trips, gather needed resources, set up sponsorship programs, and manage the work from the states. We are still committed to the cause that God has laid on our hearts for the people of Haiti.
I am asking you all to prayerfully consider your continued financial support for our ministry so that the work will continue and lives will be changed for the glory of God. Our mission board is still keeping us on as missionaries, therefore all support will still be directed through Global Outreach and specified to our account 3015. Obviously, our role has changed. We are no longer missionaries IN Haiti, but we are now missionaries TO Haiti. We may not be able to be living in Haiti and ministering to the children every single day, but we still will be ministering to the children by making sure that the work continues and grows. We are blessed to have a group of people on the ground there who are committed to seeing our vision carried out. We have already started the first discipleship group at our new team/discipleship house. We are also in the process of developing a program that provides support to families that take in orphaned children. We also still plan on helping re-build a church in Jacmel that we are partnering with. And we also still have several teams lined up to come this summer to further develop our ministry and to help build homes. Praise God for the work that He is doing! And all of these things are made possible by the support that you have been giving.
Our lives have been changed significantly in the blink of an eye. We have been put on a new path that we ourselves never would have chosen in a million years. But God already had this path chosen for us before time began. And we trust that His plan is good.
We are living every second in the reality that our little girl has cancer. And with that reality we do not know what the next second holds in store for us. But the other reality is that life must go on. We cannot stop living. we cannot stop giving. We cannot stop loving. And we will NEVER stop sharing the love and truth that is found in Jesus Christ.
So, Lord willing, our plan is to still serve as missionaries to Haiti. That is the job that God has called us for. We, of course, will make every necessary change so that our daughter’s treatment and health is prioritized, but we pray that our lives will still be used to minister the love and truth of Jesus to the people of Haiti. And in order for us to continue, we need you to continue on your end.
We are committed to the cause of walking with our daughter through this most difficult trial that has changed our lives overnight. And we are still committed to the cause of sharing the love of Jesus in word and deed with the beautiful people of Haiti. My prayer is that you too will remain committed to both of these causes.
Thank you all so much for the love and support that you have shown. We are humbled in the sight of the Lord that He chose to bring all of you into our lives so that His glory would be known to many. Your prayers, both while we were in Haiti and now here, have been such an encouragement to us. You may never know on this side of heaven what a blessing you have all been. We thank the Lord that we are not alone on this journey.
Jesus…Our only Hope!!
May 3, 2010
Today has been somewhat emotional as I (Cody) sit in the ICU beside my little girl who is going through so much discomfort and pain. Her fever has been up and down. She received several transfusions of blood products. I got her to eat about 12 pieces of pancake, but they also now have her hooked up to nutrients through the I V. She spent most of the day sleeping today. My heart just aches for my child and I want to do something to take away her pain…yet I cannot do anything except tell her how much I love her and tell her that Jesus is right here with her. It is amazing how praying over her calms her and brings her relief. I also pray that the doctors and nurses are being touched by God as they hear me praying over her every time they come in to do a procedure that might cause her pain.
As I have a flood of different emotions throughout my body at this point, I can only come to ONE rock solid conclusion. Jesus is our ONLY hope. I cannot find the comfort that my heart needs simply by reading people’s success stories over neuroblastoma, for with every success story there are also many stories that end in the child losing his/her battle. I can find some moment of encouragement in these stories, but I cannot rest in these stories. I cannot find the comfort my heart needs in seeing how Susana has a positive reaction to a medication or a procedure. Because just as she has a positive reaction to one thing, she then has a negative reaction to something else. Yes, I praise the Lord for the small victories, but I cannot even rest on that.
I can only find true rest in one truth – Christ in us, our hope of glory. Christ in Susana – her hope of glory. 9 And trust me – I know Susana loves Jesus. She always wants to hear the bible read to her. She always wants to sing worship songs. She always wants to pray and have Mommy and Daddy pray for her.) Christ in Isabela – her hope of glory. Christ in Maria – her hope of glory. And by the grace of God, , Christ in me – my hope of glory. God is with us. He has saved us by the blood of Jesus. He has chosen us to be His children. He has given us the faith needed to follow Him. He has given us the desire to know Him and follow hard after Him. He has promised us eternal life in heaven. He has already done everything for us. And He has a plan in all of this that will bring glory to His name.
Yes, He is glorified in delivering His people from their pain, but just as much He is also glorified in His saints suffering and persevering through their pain. If you don’t believe me, just read the bible and see for yourself. Read the Book of 1 Peter. It is all about trusting in the grace of God while undergoing serious trials and suffering. It is a Book that I studied for several months straight just over a year ago, and now I am drawing from the truths found in it. Many of the saints brought glory to the Lord by enduring their most difficult moments, some in which they lived through, but some of which even led to death. And that’s the only reason I can even write about the dreaded word “death”, because Christ is alive. He has swallowed up death in victory. He has forever taken the sting out of death. And this is Christ in us – the hope of glory. This is my ONLY hope. In this truth does my heart find the rest that it so desperately needs this very moment.
Now, I still pray like never before that God is glorified by saving our little girl and giving her many many years here on this earth to bring glory to His name. But when all is said and done, I cannot firmly rest on this. For He may indeed have a different plan to bring glory to His name. I only rest in the truth that He is good and His love will endure forever. May we all be encouraged by that one truth alone. - Cody