Tuesday, May 22, 2012

God always provides!

Hi guys! God answers prayers! He may not always answer them in the way we would like, or in our time frame, but He answers them. Since this blog is acting as a journal for our family, I would like to start detailing how we see prayers answered. Sometimes we don't even see it, or look past it as a coincidence or good luck.  When I was growing up, we did not have a lot of money, to say the least. My mom was raising four kiddos on her own and ran an in-home daycare to provide for our family. There were many times when she did not have enough money to pay the bills, or even to put dinner on the table.  Some may look at that situation as a bad thing, and at times, I am sure we thought the same thing. But looking back, we can all see God's provision and numerous miracles that happened and how he made something out of nothing.  I consider myself blessed to grow up seeing miracles first hand and seeing my mom's faith lived out day to day.  I could tell you countless stories about how money stretched and multiplied almost like the fish and loaves of bread in the bible; how money for bills would show up in our mailbox, or food show up at our door.  I have been witness to MANY miraclous provisions, and for that, I am truly thankful.  

Last post we asked you to pray that God would provide the extra funds for Dylan's procedure, and our prayers were answered!! We needed a total of $1430 for the total procedure and here is how the Lord provided!
$600 from an anonymous family
$145 from an overpayment on a previous insurance bill
$110 from someone who saw Dylan's story on my father-in-laws blog
$500 from the selling of a go-kart that was donated to Dylan last year (disclaimer: Dylan can't ride the go-kart and would'nt have been able to for at least another 10 years. So daddy took him on one last ride and we said goodbye to pay for something we needed :)

Thats a grand total of $1355!!! Then, when the doctor's office called to collect their payment, the total was $165 instead of the quoted $200....so that was another $35 off. That leaves us with a $40 bill!!! I think it is amazing to look for God's provision in the everyday things.  We could have received the refund check from the insurance company and seen it as just that, a refund. But the fact that it came in the mail the day after we found out the price of the procedure was not a coincidence....it was PROVISION! Praise God for His faithfulness!!

We thank all of you who have been praying for our little warrior. His procedure is tomorrow morning and I always get nervous going in. I have lost count of how many times we have had to put him under anesthesia, though I know the number is close to 60+ mark.  The only thing that keeps me sane during these whole procedures is knowing that the Lord is holding him tight and protecting him.  Please be in prayer with us tomorrow and be praying that his eye pressure is in the normal range and that no further glaucoma surgeries will be needed.  We are looking into a new program that Dylan may be eligible for with insurance, but it would cost an extra $150/month. We know that if this is the route God wants us to take, then He will provide the money in the budget.


Talk to you soon and THANK YOU for your prayers and support! Remember to look for the little things that God provides!





Friday, May 4, 2012

Dylan, 3 yrs & Andrew 3 months old

Update

We went to the eye doctor yesterday to try and get Dylan's pressures checked in the office. We did not succeed :( In order for the doctor to get an accurate pressure, Dylan would have to hold still for 10-20 seconds while the doc puts a pressure probe on his eye. As you can imagine, this was a long-shot to begin with. Dylan freaked out and screamed his head off. Even if we could hold his body still, Dylan would have to be completely relaxed and not fight it at all. We knew this would probably be the outcome, but it was worth a try. We now have to get the pressure checked under anesthesia as we normally do. He needs this procedure every six months to stay on top of the pressure, just in case it gets too high. We could choose to not get his pressure checked, but then we would run the risk of it getting high and endanger his eyesight. Since we no longer have insurance for Dylan, we will have to pay out of pocket for the procedure. After making numerous calls yesterday, we finally have a total. The fee from the doctor is $200, the anesthesiologist is $320, and the surgery center is $900. That is a total of $1420 for a 5 minute procedure!! As you can imagine, this is a frustrating situation, but it is where God has us right now. We believe that He will provide for our needs. We have his procedure scheduled for May 23rd. Please join us in praying that the procedure goes well, and moreover, that his pressures are normal and he will not need any further surgeries. Please pray that God provides the extra money that is needed to pay for the procedure, as well as his monthly eye drops. We feel that at this time, it is best for me to stay home with the boys. It is very important to us that I am here raising them and caring for them and our household. I enjoy being with my family more than anything, and we feel that this is where God wants me. Raising kids is no easy task, but it is the most rewarding job in the world! Although there is no compensation and benefits, there are lots of hugs and kisses! Thank you for being a part of our journey and for praying for our family. We love you guys!