Whirl-wind!

Today was a good day for my friend Jennifer! Thank you for all your prayers. The doctors were able to postpone the spinal tap yesterday and today, which was good because her blood is still not clotting like they want it to. Today she was more cohereant, and even at a little bit, and her laughter this morning was enough to inspire her husband to post an update to her carepages site right away to share it with everyone.

It was also a good day in that her daughter returned to school, and was greeted by children from her class excitedly running through the halls calling joyfully to one another that she was back. I'm certain that made her feel good. I observed this self-portrait of her on the wall outside her classroom:

It is her rendition of what she looks like wearing the armor of God - Helmet of Salvation is in her hand tucked behind another student's self portrait.

While I was observing art on the school walls, I saw these from the sixth grade girls:

It is their Van Gough style paintings. And they have some lovely paintings in the style of Monet as well, but my photo did not turn out as well as I would like on that one, so not look at it here.

I also was impressed by this map, I believe made by the 5th grade class:

It shows the routes of explorers from all centuries and in places all over the world! It is detailed and really impressive, especially if you get a chance to spend time looking at all the different routes that it documents. I love it that Jansse goes to a school with so much on the hallway walls to share with all of the children!

Back to Jennifer. I really appreciate the prayers that have been prayed on her behalf. As I said yesterday, she is special. I'll share a little about that here tonight.

Andy and I met Jennifer and her husband Bruce at a marriage retreat sponsored by our church. They are full of laughter and joy, but also very seriously full of faith and love for Christ. Like us, they have lost three babies in pregnancy. The third one was three years ago, and Jen was 7 months pregnant with a healthy boy. The cord wrapped around his neck, and he died on Easter Sunday. I don't really understand what happened medically after that, but after being induced and delivering his little body, Jen's blood would not clot from a condition referred to as DIC. I cannot tell you the number of miracles that happened in the next 48 hours as a fight to save Jen's life ensued. Bruce and some others were visited by angels (there is just no other explanation for these "people") while praying during a life-saving surgery for Jen. One of the angels finished praying in the most powerful of ways, stood up, looked at Bruce and said "Your wife is fine now." Then they left the surgical waiting room, never to be seen again, and the doctor came in and explained that Jen did not die in surgery as expected, but that she would make a full recovery. And she did! She and Bruce shared their story wherever God allowed them.

I remember taking a meal to them after Jen got out of the hospital, and she and I sat under a blanket on the bench on their porch and cried and laughed and ponder God's ways, and cried some more for our lost babies, and hugged each other and squeezed each others hands in one of the most intimate friendship moments I have ever experienced!

Later that year, Andy and I were pregnant, and lost that baby. Jen was there, despite her own pain, to give us love and support. To call, send a card, comfort, pray, and just love on us in a way that only she could. She put flesh and bones to 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, which says "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God." Out of the comfort God gave her she comforted me.

Last year, out of his great goodness, God gave Jen a second child - another little girl, who has the biggest more friendly and excited eyes you ever saw.

Jen was a BSF children's leader for a number of years. Her oldest and our Jansse go to school together. She and Bruce left our church to be part of a church plant in a different part of our community. They have worked to reach out to the neighborhoods around that new church, and their efforts, combine with the efforts of others have lead to a quick growth of that new church and many being reached for Christ as a result.

So, you get the picture of this wonderful young woman. She has endured the pain of loss and still counted it all joy. Her faith is strong and sure! Her hope is in Christ! She is the woman we all hope to be! And, right now, once again, her life is hanging in the balance.

Her husband is just as amazing, but I don't know all the details, and I don't have room or time tonight to explain it all. He is hurting too as he watches the rapid decline of his wife's body.

Thank you again for any prayers you can offer for these two beautiful people!