Merry Christmas! :)

Hello Everyone!

Brian and I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! We have learned a lot over the last 6 years of my health journey, but the biggest lessons learned would be to cherish every moment you have with your friends and family and to be thankful for every blessing no matter what type of package it arrives in. No matter how many times, I hear the Christmas story, I am still in awe that my loving heavenly Father would humble himself to come down to earth as a baby. I can imagine the overwhelming joy that Mary and Joseph felt as they held their precious son for the first time that night. Little did they know that this gift of joy would later make the greatest sacrifice for each one of us. It is our prayer that you experience God's gift in a new way this season. Seek God, and you won't be disappointed!

I found the song by Mercy Me called "Joseph's Lullaby". It's been out awhile, but I just heard it on the radio this week. It's such a sweet reminder of God's love and constant provision. He cares about each and every little detail in our lives. Remember, to listen to the song you will need to push pause on my music player at the bottom of my blog.



This isn't going to be too long because it's 5am in the morning, and I need to work in about 10 minutes. It's early, but I praise God for the opportunity to teach virtually. :) In my last blog post, I requested prayer for Brian and I as we were going to be making some big decisions about treatment. We are excited to say that God definitely made it clear the path we should take for the time being.

We have decided to stop all antibiotic therapy at this point in time. We are going to be doing acupuncture more often. For me, acupuncture seems to be helping the most. I can literally feel it working during my appointment. Afterwards, we see nothing but positive changes. This was a difficult decision to make after 2 1/2 years of therapy and stopping before I have reached a state of wellness. However, the drugs were doing more harm than good, and we felt God leading us in a different direction which was affirmed by many Godly individuals.

Two Saturdays ago, we went to our church's healing prayer rooms and sought prayer for my health. It was a wonderful experience, but we didn't notice a miraculous healing. That was okay because we are trusting God that he will heal me in His time. Over the last two weeks, God has guided and directed us down the path we have chosen. We feel at peace with our decision, and it seems like God is really working. I have been off antibiotics for about 3 weeks now, and I am still doing good. This was the first mile stone that we had to get past. The second one is the six-week mark. That is when I crashed the last time. That should be about the time we are traveling to San Francisco to see my Lyme doctor. So, we are hoping and praying we can walk into that appointment with an amazing testimony of what the Lord has done in my body. My doctor is not a believer, so it would be such an incredible opportunity for him to see what kind of God we serve!

In some ways, it's been kind of nice to let go and just let God work. However, in other ways, it's been a battle dealing with the unknowns of what will happen if I don't take the medication. I am learning that it's a minute by minute surrender. Just about the time I start to fear, I remember God's truths and His promises drown out the uncertainty. It's been challenging, but I have to say I am happier than I have been in a long time. It has taken me a long time to learn not to base my joy and happiness on my circumstances, but now that I have learned that lesson, I wouldn't want it to be any other way.

So, we would just ask that you would really be praying for us over the next few weeks. Please pray specifically that I can stay off antibiotics and other meds, and that I will keep improving. Of course, we would gladly welcome a miraculous healing too! :) We are believing God that He can help us have victory over this disease! We treasure all of the support we have received. Please know you are such a blessing to us. Merry Christmas friends!