Hello Everyone
I just received word that Gigi made a trip to the ER yesterday. Jen could not pinpoint anything specific except that she was "just not herself". They sent her home yesterday but they need to return this morning to have an MRI done.
Let's all lift her up this morning to the Loving Father, The Prince Of Peace, The Holy Counselor for immediate healing. Lets also pray for Jen, Drew and the kiddos. Thankfully, Jen's mom is in town to watch the children and care for them while Jen was gone yesterday and today. Let's pray for Peace in all of their hearts.
With childlike insistence Father we come before you today, never tiring of asking Gigi for complete healing! Jesus Himself tells us: "I give you My assurance, whatever you ask the Father, He will give you in My name" (Jn 16:23). Often,we are disappointed when the answer to a sincere prayer request was not what was asked for. One response is to lose faith in Jesus' promise, get discouraged, and to decide not to ask Jesus for certain things. But we should respond like children and keep asking persistently, never losing heart (Lk 18:1).
"Ask and you shall receive, that your joy may be full." —Jn 16:24
Gigi may your joy be full today!! And may all of you have complete joy, too!
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Mother's Day Gift
Dear Jen
Today is Mother's Day! Today is all about love, the simple most profound love we have ever felt, the love of a mother for a child. This week, I was with a NY friend who put it so plainly and so simply: Everyday is Mother's Day for me, what a gift it is to be a Mother! I agree wholeheartedly.
When you were in the hospital and when you got to bring Gigi home and when you cried and when you prayed and when you celebrated you did it all in Blind Whole Hearted LOVE! Your love for God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is breathtaking and seeing you (alas, via pictures for our distance is great now) be a mother is breathtaking, too! We have talked about FAITH and HOPE to no end on this Blog but today is special, today is all about LOVE, Blind everlasting LOVE~
This is taken from a teaching from One Bread, One Body:
"There is no limit to love's forbearance, to its trust, its hope, its
power to endure." —1 Corinthians 13:7
It's common for Scripture to talk about having faith without seeing. We
talk about "blind faith" and the leap of faith. "Faith is confident
assurance concerning what we hope for, and conviction about things we do
not see" (Heb 11:1). "We walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Cor 5:7). The
centurion had so much faith in Jesus' word of command that he didn't need
to see Jesus give the order to heal his servant (Lk 7:8, 10).
Scripture also talks about having hope without seeing. "Hope is not hope
if its object is seen; how is it possible for one to hope for what he
sees? And hoping for what we cannot see means awaiting it with patient
endurance" (Rm 8:24-25). Abraham hoped "against hope" (Rm 4:18), though he
could not see how God would give him a great inheritance (Heb 11:8ff).
We also have examples of love without seeing or "blind love" in Scripture:
the "patient" (1 Cor 13:4) love of a parent for a wayward, departed child
(Lk 15:13, 20), the ferocious, faithful love of Mary Magdalene for the
dead and buried Jesus (Jn 20:15), and God's love for us while we were
still sinners (Rm 5:8). However, the world doesn't recommend love without
seeing; instead it tells us to "love the one you're with," as the song
goes.
Are you called to pour out your heart in unseeing, unrequited love?
Ask Jesus to pour out His love in your heart (Rm 5:5). Blind love is
greater than blind faith and blind hope (1 Cor 13:13). There is no limit
to the power of your unrequited love to endure (1 Cor 13:7).
Prayer: Father, You are Love (1 Jn 4:8). May I continue to love for no
other reason than to imitate You.
Promise: "Love never fails." —1 Cor 13:8
Praise: Praise Jesus, Who not only conquered death and the tomb, but
ascended and sent the Spirit to teach and defend us.
Jen...go love those kids today, this of all days, the only must do: is loving God and the gift that he gave us, our kiddos! Miss you all! :)
Today is Mother's Day! Today is all about love, the simple most profound love we have ever felt, the love of a mother for a child. This week, I was with a NY friend who put it so plainly and so simply: Everyday is Mother's Day for me, what a gift it is to be a Mother! I agree wholeheartedly.
When you were in the hospital and when you got to bring Gigi home and when you cried and when you prayed and when you celebrated you did it all in Blind Whole Hearted LOVE! Your love for God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is breathtaking and seeing you (alas, via pictures for our distance is great now) be a mother is breathtaking, too! We have talked about FAITH and HOPE to no end on this Blog but today is special, today is all about LOVE, Blind everlasting LOVE~
This is taken from a teaching from One Bread, One Body:
"There is no limit to love's forbearance, to its trust, its hope, its
power to endure." —1 Corinthians 13:7
It's common for Scripture to talk about having faith without seeing. We
talk about "blind faith" and the leap of faith. "Faith is confident
assurance concerning what we hope for, and conviction about things we do
not see" (Heb 11:1). "We walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Cor 5:7). The
centurion had so much faith in Jesus' word of command that he didn't need
to see Jesus give the order to heal his servant (Lk 7:8, 10).
Scripture also talks about having hope without seeing. "Hope is not hope
if its object is seen; how is it possible for one to hope for what he
sees? And hoping for what we cannot see means awaiting it with patient
endurance" (Rm 8:24-25). Abraham hoped "against hope" (Rm 4:18), though he
could not see how God would give him a great inheritance (Heb 11:8ff).
We also have examples of love without seeing or "blind love" in Scripture:
the "patient" (1 Cor 13:4) love of a parent for a wayward, departed child
(Lk 15:13, 20), the ferocious, faithful love of Mary Magdalene for the
dead and buried Jesus (Jn 20:15), and God's love for us while we were
still sinners (Rm 5:8). However, the world doesn't recommend love without
seeing; instead it tells us to "love the one you're with," as the song
goes.
Are you called to pour out your heart in unseeing, unrequited love?
Ask Jesus to pour out His love in your heart (Rm 5:5). Blind love is
greater than blind faith and blind hope (1 Cor 13:13). There is no limit
to the power of your unrequited love to endure (1 Cor 13:7).
Prayer: Father, You are Love (1 Jn 4:8). May I continue to love for no
other reason than to imitate You.
Promise: "Love never fails." —1 Cor 13:8
Praise: Praise Jesus, Who not only conquered death and the tomb, but
ascended and sent the Spirit to teach and defend us.
Jen...go love those kids today, this of all days, the only must do: is loving God and the gift that he gave us, our kiddos! Miss you all! :)
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
A Big Hello From Jen
Greetings from the Gilfillans! Many, many heartfelt thanks go out to you for your prayers and kindness! Our little Gigi is now 8 months old (5.5 months adjusted) and Drew and I are truly humbled as we witness the Lord's provision of healing in our sweet girl. We have had her home with us for a full 3 months(!!!) and she continues to grow and progress in her development. Praise God! She now weighs about 12.5 pounds and is even growing some hair! Our big news is that Gigi is sitting in her highchair and eating pureed fruits, vegetables and cereals from a spoon! She is simply filled with joy, and Drew and I often remark about how blessed we feel to watch her joyful outbursts (although Kelly and Conor are usually the recipients of the biggest smiles and squeals)!
She's receiving Physical Therapy at home twice per month to promote motor control (reaching & grasping) and facilitate overall movement. She has great head control and trunk control, and her therapist Maria teaches us techniques to improve her rolling and sitting. We've seen tremendous improvement in Gigi's arm & leg movements. When she initially began P.T. in February, her left side was noticeably less active than her right. She now uses both arms well, trades toys between hands, and brings toys to her mouth to chew! My favorite accomplishment is that when she is lying on her back, she lifts her legs & reaches for her toes, and is so happy when she finds them! Gigi also does lots of "therapy" on her belly, to stimulate the muscle groups that will eventually help her crawl. She is tolerating more activity time each day, and I usually do her therapy about 4 times each day - 10 to 15 minutes each.
She's receiving Physical Therapy at home twice per month to promote motor control (reaching & grasping) and facilitate overall movement. She has great head control and trunk control, and her therapist Maria teaches us techniques to improve her rolling and sitting. We've seen tremendous improvement in Gigi's arm & leg movements. When she initially began P.T. in February, her left side was noticeably less active than her right. She now uses both arms well, trades toys between hands, and brings toys to her mouth to chew! My favorite accomplishment is that when she is lying on her back, she lifts her legs & reaches for her toes, and is so happy when she finds them! Gigi also does lots of "therapy" on her belly, to stimulate the muscle groups that will eventually help her crawl. She is tolerating more activity time each day, and I usually do her therapy about 4 times each day - 10 to 15 minutes each.
She loves the special attention!
Our concern right now is her vision. She is able to focus and track objects, but not consistently, especially when the background behind the object or face is busy. We've noticed she visually focuses on an object or face much better if the background is solid. A baby's vision plays a crucial roll in the development of their motor skills, because they are motivated to go toward what they see. Her ophthalmologist reports that her eyes and optic nerves are fine anatomically (praise God!), and that it is too soon to tell what's going on specifically with her vision. Meningitis can affect many different functions of the brain, including vision, and faithfully we've seen great healing in other areas affected... Thank You Lord!! My prayer is that the healing of Gigi's vision will be revealed very soon, that she will see her toys clearly and want to move toward them!! I ask you to please lift this in prayer, as well as continued progress in overall development.
Our concern right now is her vision. She is able to focus and track objects, but not consistently, especially when the background behind the object or face is busy. We've noticed she visually focuses on an object or face much better if the background is solid. A baby's vision plays a crucial roll in the development of their motor skills, because they are motivated to go toward what they see. Her ophthalmologist reports that her eyes and optic nerves are fine anatomically (praise God!), and that it is too soon to tell what's going on specifically with her vision. Meningitis can affect many different functions of the brain, including vision, and faithfully we've seen great healing in other areas affected... Thank You Lord!! My prayer is that the healing of Gigi's vision will be revealed very soon, that she will see her toys clearly and want to move toward them!! I ask you to please lift this in prayer, as well as continued progress in overall development.
Thank You God that her shunt works well!
This week we will return to Fairfax Hospital for a follow-up clinic for NICU babies. We'll swing-by the NICU to visit our heroes, and are hoping to see many of the very special nurses and doctors who cared for us. I'm very emotional just thinking about it!
Although I have greatly enjoyed my quiet time at home with Gigi (she has been on "house arrest" from Jan-April due to the concerns viruses like RSV and the flu have on preemies), I am so eager to be able to go outside, socialize, and share our joy with everyone. It is wonderful to slowly start introducing her to friends... to be able to share our joy in person.
This week we will return to Fairfax Hospital for a follow-up clinic for NICU babies. We'll swing-by the NICU to visit our heroes, and are hoping to see many of the very special nurses and doctors who cared for us. I'm very emotional just thinking about it!
Although I have greatly enjoyed my quiet time at home with Gigi (she has been on "house arrest" from Jan-April due to the concerns viruses like RSV and the flu have on preemies), I am so eager to be able to go outside, socialize, and share our joy with everyone. It is wonderful to slowly start introducing her to friends... to be able to share our joy in person.
So many wonderful people have supported us during this adventure, and I know God not only placed them in our life with purpose, but that he smiled upon them as they opened their hearts in kindness to our family, and also lifted us in prayer.
Thank you!
Jen
Jen
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