IM - Week 6

Wednesday 10/25 - 7am update

Hi dear family, Julia is doing well this week. She got my cold, but she’s fighting through it well. She was so happy to celebrate big sissy’s birthday. Our older Daugther turned 22 last Friday. She didn’t want any pics, so little juju represented in the picture below.

Last week we were released from the hospital Thursday evening. Thank you for praying for our little sunshine. God is so faithful and answered all of our prayers. Julia did wonderful through the 24hr. chemo, super playful & happy. Most importantly, she cleared the chemo at a record time! Only set back was Julia’s oral chemo. It completely depletes her blood, therefore it was suspended since last week. Otherwise juju did great.

We experienced mighty favor & love from the medical team. A hospital staff bought us these delicious Vietnamese sandwiches for lunch one day, and I was beyond grateful & moved by this gesture. Our child life specialist made Juju a staff badge. Too cute and made her feel so special. Our medical team caring for Julia were all so incredible! I know without a shadow of a doubt it’s only because of God, and His relentless love showing us kindness through people.

Today we are back in clinic for a blood check to make sure she’s got all she needs for this week (hemoglobin & platelets).

Would you join us in praying for our little sunshine: a peaceful successful port access/de-access, God’s peace and calmness to come upon her through this process, and for her bone marrow to recover and produce healthy red blood cells & platelets. Healing of the cold/cough she’s having, physical & emotional strength for our baby. May we shine the hope & light of Jesus to those around us, to seize the opportunities to share God’s faithfulness with the people around us that do not know God personally.

Thanks for praying for Julia, thanks for standing with us in the gap. I truly appreciate you and hope I can see many of you soon and personally thank you.

Lastly, I usually sign off with this phrase based on my experiance walking with God & from what I have learned in scripture, “Our hope is in the Lord” - Psalm 33:22

This week the Bible app had a really good explanation on this word 'HOPE' - I just copied the devo. If you have time continue to read, very… encouraging & insightful about the word HOPE vs optimism. I hope it blesses you, as it did to me.

Bible app - Sunday 10/22

DEVOTIONAL

“Hope Versus Optimism

Imagine the feeling of waiting for a job offer when you really need a job. Then imagine the feelings you might have when losing a loved one. Those experiences are very different, yet they share the desire for a better life, a better situation than the present one. This is where many people turn to optimism.

But what if optimism distorts the way we hope for a new future?

Optimism is often impersonal and a stranger to our emotions, so it relies on circumstances as a compass.

Biblical hope is different because it is a choice to rely on a person (Jesus), not our circumstances. The biblical authors talk a lot about hope, and while they hope for the same things we all hope for- peace, safety, healing, love to them, "hope" is not focused on the things or the stuff.

Instead it's focused on the promise and power of God. So they write things like,

"My hope is in you, God!" (Ps. 39:7).

Unlike optimism, which only measures the surface, biblical hope goes deep to ask that Jesus would meet us in our sadness or anticipation. Jesus often reminds his friends that they cannot understand how everything works, why people harm one another, why sickness continues, or when evil will finally end. But he does promise to set the world right, and he invites us to join him in repairing the world.

So we find hope in every Jesus-like act of love, forgiveness, and generosity. His life, death, and resurrection are the anchor for our highest hopes that one day Jesus will come again to make all wrong things right.

And now, Lord, for what do I expectantly wait? My hope [my confident expectation] is in You.

Psalms 39:7 AMP”

Our hope is in the Lord

Representing for her big sister Geo bday cake😛