Update 6

Update on Nate.6

Hello Everyone!

Sunday was another uneventful day, but tomorrow will be a full day for Nate. Today he mostly relaxed and had his 1.5 hour-long plasma “dialysis”. He is still retaining water which means basically his kidneys have not started putting out yet, but we remain hopeful. I suggested in my adult Sunday School class today that we start a new campaign, “Urinate for Nate”. This idea came to me early this morning, and I don’t necessarily think it was “inspired by God” but it does represent a basic idea that came to me recently. Pardon my discussion of such “base” functions, but we are talking about kidneys, you know. I have been thinking that our bodies and their automatic functioning in so many ways is nothing short of amazing and rather miraculous in their own right, from heartbeats and breathing, to digestion and yes, “elimination”. If, for a while, whenever we eliminate, we say a quick prayer, agreeing with God in the work He is doing in Nate, then who knows what we might see as a result. Truly I do not know God’s plans for Nate, but I sure would love to get a call from him saying he “peed a river”, and even if it was nothing more than a trickling stream, it would seem like a victory. Even if we do nothing more than just thank God for the functioning of our own bodies at such a regular interval (not suggesting that none of us already do this), it would delight God. Who knows, I might even have some bumper stickers or t-shirts made… we could start a new movement (I know, poor choice of words). Anyway, such a “slogan” may be no more than a caution to be wary of thoughts coming to you early in the morning, but hope you can appreciate my intent. It would be so great for Nate to be able to get rid of some of his 30+ pounds of water weight naturally!

Our doctor has not given us much in the way of expectations for these new treatments, nor has she given us much to expect in this coming week, so we are trying to be patient. We are thinking about getting a second opinion if it is deemed appropriate, and we are praying for wisdom in this area. There are concerns about Nate’s status as a student and if spring semester, which starts in a week, will be possible. And then there is the question of a transplant, which his doctor today said is best not to be thinking about quite yet. Anyway, with so much up in the air, it is great to know we are grounded in God’s love and care. What more can we say, then? If God is for us, who (or what) can be against us?

It was so wonderful to see many of you at church today and to continue to get encouragement from you all… what a family we have! Keep up the faith!

Shalom,

John