God's not finished...

Not much has changed at this point - Phil is hanging in there to progressively getting worse and we are waiting to see if this new medication will kick in and help his lungs work better. However, it must be a God thing. These medications have not been proven to work and when they do work it is after weeks to months, but at this point they are like why not. These doctors want to fix things, but they can't. Only God can turn this situation around if it is His will. His saturation is still in the 60's and his PA02 is at 48 again. The doctors have said there is not much left that they can do - it is now completely in God's hands. They keep saying that he is out of the box. We have been praying for this so here we are. Thank goodness our sovereign God already knows what the plan is and how He is working in this. The nurses and doctors have been amazing - they have been so caring and are doing all that they can. Pray for Byron, his night nurse from last night. Byron was almost crying at the end of Phil's bed this morning and said, "I am so sorry, I don't what else to do." I told him that he can't worry about it. There is nothing he can do, and that all we can do is trust God. He ended up staying an hour past his shift and had such difficulty leaving this morning. He came and hugged Beth and I lost it. Then this nurse Kendra who we have never had but who has been watching what has been going on for the past 2 weeks, came up to me and hugged me and started crying and said that she is praying. Her nurse, Tammy, who is amazing keeps asking us how we are doing and I was able to share with her some, and she said for me to stop or she was going to start crying. All of the doctors don't know what is going on. Everyone is watching and we so desperately want HIS NAME TO BE MADE GREAT whether through life of death. Pray for these medical staff to come to know Jesus through this. Pray that Phil's room and this waiting room would continue to echo HIS WORTH. We don't know what God is up to but trust that He is in control, and pray that He will allow us to accept His perfect plan.

We'll try to keep constant updates as we go through the day. They will check his PA02 again this afternoon. It kind of makes you nervous because his saturation on the monitor is blinking red and is in the 60's, but Dr. Osofu has told us just to disregard this number and wait to see what his blood gas is this afternoon. Please pray that God would decide for them what needs to happen as they are just guessing at this point.

Continue to pray that God's name will be made great through this. Pray for Justin as God has told him to stay in Houston and share with his co-workers through this. He wants to be with his dad, but knows that he needs to remain obedient to God. Pray for his co-workers, that they will come to know Jesus through this. We know that God is faithful and continues to give us His peace as we continue this journey.

Continue to pray for Rhea who had the brain bleed. Her granddaughter, Tonya, said she is less responsive today. Also pray for Randy, whose wife Sharon was in here a week ago and is back again today with liver and kidney failure. He just came up to me and I told him we would pray for him.

A friend reminded me today of the story in Ezekial 37, in which God breathed life into a valley of dry bones - this same mighty God can breathe breath into Phil's lungs

Ezekiel 37
"The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me,"Son of man, can these bones live?" And I answered, "O Lord GOD, you know." Then he said to me, "Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the LORD." So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. Then he said to me,"Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live." So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. Then he said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, 'Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.' Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD."

Is 41:10 - "...so do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righeous right hand."

Ps 139:1-17 - "O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord, you hem me in - behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, to lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me", even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, my frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!"

Praise be to God who holds Phil in His mighty hand and knows what is to come!