Overdue

Well, we're overdue for an update. So sorry I've become so slow at them. Things have been crazy around here. Thursday was the first day in over three weeks that I didn't have a doctor's appt. I have literally had a doc appt. every single day since I went on Short Term Disability.

The cool thing is that God has truly been answering prayers and we're checking things off our list. Thank you, Lord! We felt very selfish asking so specifically. However, we have learned through asking specifically God can truly get the glory. It's so cool to watch.

So, I will do my best to update everything that has been going on over the last few weeks. Here is the prayer list and how the list is getting checked off:

Prayers:
*That Ben will hear from dental school so that we know if he is in or not. This will help us to determine his job search, etc.
Ben got a call on Tuesday from a dental school for an interview. He will interview this next Tuesday. They receive 3000 applications, interview 400, and accept about 50. Please pray for his interview.

*That Ben will be able to get a full-time job by March 1st that will begin to provide for our family.
He has heard from a pharma company that will begin the interview process the 25th of this month. Obviously, the interview with the dental school with have some weight in this, but pretty cool!!

*That we will find a way to make a big dent in our student loan debt.
Holy Wow! God is so good! Let's just say that we didn't think we could knock these out completely until next year. The Lord has provided considerably and based on the math we've done, we think we should have them knocked out by mid-March! Wow, LORD! You are so amazing!! This also allows us to start focus on saving for the adoption much sooner than planned.

*That we will get solid answers to what is going on with my health and we will find treatments that work and provide real results.
As far as my health goes, they are still convinced that it's mercury toxicity. Since I started the detox, I have had some great days. My goal is to go seven days without any episodes before I transition back to work. Last week, I went three days. Then, I had three days with some pretty serious episodes (only a few each day, so that's better than 15). I am now at the three day mark again. Thank you, Lord! I had a biz trip planned the 25th-2nd in Indy. I was afraid that I wouldn't hit the seven day mark in time for the trip and still have energy for seven days of intense training. So, we've rescheduled the trip. My heart rate has slowed considerably (another great thing)! The doc said he honestly didn't expect a response this quickly (he expected a couple of months before we saw real results), but he's calling me his poster child since my body is responding so quickly to the treatment.

*That my manager will be sensitive to my health issues and show understanding. He's an Ag, so he's a good guy, I just hate being out of work and stress myself out unnecessarily.
My boss has been awesome! Thank you, Lord! Please pray for blessings upon his family for his precious heart, support, and most importantly, his prayers through this. We're not sure when I will be able to go back, but he has been so wonderful! Such a blessing for my stressed out mind!!

*That the Lord will give Ben very clear direction on whether he is to finish chemo or not.
Let's just say we have had some pretty cool experiences. After the trip to MD Anderson, I was quite convinced that no doctor would support Ben stopping chemo. However, Ben had an appt. with his oncologist here last week. He is a Believer. Ben told him that he respected his medical expertise and he felt he had been cured. The doc said he was okay with Ben stopping at 3.5 rounds, but thought he should look into radiation. So, Ben met with the radiation oncologist. What an answer to prayer. In summary, the conversation went something like this, "I think you should do radiation b/c that's what the studies say. However, I'm a Believer, too, and from what you're telling me, I firmly believe the Lord has CURED you. So, I'm not going to hard sell you on radiation. I won't be disappointed if you choose not to do it. Oh, and here are all of the side effects..." So, as of right now, Ben feels that the Lord is telling him those treatments are over. He is still doing the Vitamin C IVs with our family practice doc. It's very cool stuff and we found out that Cancer Treatment Centers of America are about to do studies on these same treatments.

*That the CT will come back perfectly clear!!
We still have yet to hear from MD Anderson on Ben's CTs of his head and neck.

So, as you can see, God has been busy answering prayers! Thank you, Lord! We truly were hesitant coming with such specific prayers as we felt selfish and demanding. However, we have come to realize that by being so specific, we are setting it up that only God can get the glory for these awesome answers. It's so cool to be a part of a plan that you know you played no real role in...that it's all HIM!!

Thank you all for being prayer warriors and specifically lifting us up and praying that we can get this stuff checked off our lists! There is great relief and peace in checking all this off...thank you! Keep praying!!