Hold Me Jesus

Three months between visits to Rochester goes so quickly! We got to the Ronald McDonald House not long ago. Gage is playing up a storm! The excitement and love the kid has for this place almost make all the medical tests bearable (for him, at least). I know that we haven't had an update for some time, and I apologize. Suffice it to say that Gage has been doing very well (from our perspective). He seems to be handling the chemotherapy pill well, and we haven't seen any side effects (besides the "highlights" in his hair). This time between scans, they have opted not to do blood work (again, because he has been handling things so well), so we haven't had any indication of what is happening in his body since June. His eyes look even better because that is what people who do not see him all the time continue to tell us, and they are hopeful that things will continue to go in the right direction.

Our appointments tomorrow start bright and early, where they will check Gage's heart. The familiar places for ECD (Eardheim-Chester Disease) to be found are in the heart, pituitary gland, and on the bones. They had thought that Gage's aorta might be slightly enlarged when they examined his heart before, and wanted to re-examine it after he had been on his medication for a while. His doctor also requested the same full-body scan he had last time, which had shown significant improvement, as well as an MRI of his face and head. Please pray for Gage as he navigates all of this tomorrow (a process that will take a significant part of the day).

Additionally, I would like to mention that September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Did you know that the five-year survival rate for childhood cancer in the 70's was 58-68% and now it is 83-88%? We are deeply thankful for modern medicine and genuinely believe that our God is the Great Physician, who uses doctors. The marvel of modern medicine is a testament to His goodness and love. When I examine the data, I am grateful that the trend is heading in the right direction, but also that the number was closer to 100%. Pray for Children with cancer this month, and if the Lord leads, give to fund research. We are so grateful for the advances in ECD research, for we are in a different place than we would have been even five years ago.

Desirae and I (and Gage) were, for some reason, listening to Rich Mullins on the way to Rochester today. For some reason, we were talking about him the other day and decided to listen to some of his music on the way. It's amusing how you can know all the words to a song, yet still forget it. A song like that comes on and you think, "Oh, yeah, I remember that one." That happened a few times today, but one in particular stood out to me. It was the song 'Hold Me Jesus.' Do you remember that one? The song begins this way, "Well, sometimes my life just don't make sense at all When the mountains look so big And my faith just seems so small.

So hold me, Jesus, 'cause I'm shaking like a leaf. You have been King of my glory. Won't you be my Prince of Peace?" I can't say it better.

Thank you all for your prayers and support. We love you all.