I apologize for not keeping up with the blogs, but life has had plenty of ups and downs for us lately.  Thank you for your patience.  Many of you may know what it’s like to deal with special medical needs in your children; however, for us, it’s been a new road to travel.  Yes, we’ve dealt with slight autistic issues and speech delays in our adopted son for the last 3 years.  However, the Lord saw fit to teach us even more during the past 3 months or so.  This summer we began noticing that our 5 year old daughter would constantly space out while she was talking to us.  Our little “brain child” who loved to memorize scripture and who seemed to have a photographic memory suddenly couldn’t remember anything from one moment to the next.  She desperately wanted to learn to read, but she became very frustrated when she realized she couldn’t even remember a letter one minute after learning about it. 

By October, it was obvious that something was very wrong.  Our happy little girl went from energetic and bright to moody and withdrawn.  It became impossible for me to teach her kindergarten because she’d be spacing out constantly.  All I could think about was that my child must have a brain tumor or something.  (Cancer runs in our family, so it’s easy to concentrate on that thought.)  I prayed desperately for God to give us back our little happy girl, but God very clearly emphasized to us through His Word that He was sovereign and that all things work together for good to those who love Him.  We realized that we should never take good health for granted.  Instead we should be thankful for our children’s situations, no matter what kind of health they are in.  I began learning to thank God for all the blessings God had bestowed upon Joyanna instead of just worrying about the negatives.  All of her little drawings, pictures, and funny sayings became instant precious memories to us.  I found myself wanting to spend much more time with Joyanna and the other chilren as the days ticked by while our daughter got intensively worse.  Intently cleaning the house and doing all those other extras just didn’t seem as important anymore.  Being with my kids, teaching them God’s Word, and raising them for the Lord today - not just tomorrow - became much more important. 

One Sunday in October, I noticed that Joyanna had become much worse.  I couldn’t trust her to be near steps or around the stove because she’d go into her own little world while moving around in odd movements.  It was then that the Lord brought my sister-in-law to mind.  She’s a fantastic pediatrician who really knows her stuff.  As soon as I called her and talked to her about Joyanna, she immediately confirmed that we were most likely dealing with petit mal seizures.  We then met with our own family doctor who immediately scheduled an EEG for the next morning.  That night Joyanna had a dream come true.  She got to stay up all night and have a Mommy-daughter and Daddy-daughter party while everyone else had to sleep!  (We didn’t quite find it as much fun, but it was necessary since she had to be sleep deprived for the EEG.)  Boy was it a party!  We fingerpainted, baked cookies, played Candyland, colored pictures, played internet games, and finished it off with a very early morning trip to McDonalds. 

The EEG confirmed the doctors’ suspicions.  She was literally having hundreds of seizures each day - up to 6 every minute.  No wonder she couldn’t remember anything.  It was affecting her emotions and short-term memory!  As my husband and I read the report, it amazed us that she could do anything at all!  All we could do was praise the Lord for surrounding us with loved ones and doctors who could get on top of this quickly.  Joyanna is now adjusting to her medicine which she must take on a regular basis to help regulate these absence seizures.  She also has to have blood tests done every so often to make sure the liver isn’t being damaged.  The seizures have now been controlled, with the exception of a rare breakthrough seizure here and there once or twice a week.  Joyanna’s smile is back and she’s excited about school again.  Bible verses are being memorized daily and today she was able to read her first 3-word sentence!  She literally danced around the house while reading her sentence over and over again.   Each time she comes bouncing back to the table I thank the Lord for allowing me to see the joy on her face once again.

Are all the problems over?  I doubt it.  God knows that we are refined more for his glory as we go through these valleys.  However, I am so thankful that once again, God has shown Himself faithful.  He has reminded us of His goodness to us and He was shown His grace even during the times of uncertainty.  We have also been shown once again that our children are a precious gift from God and that should never be taken for granted. 

Thanks to all of you around the world who prayed for us as we were going through all of this.  Some of you sent special gifts to Joyanna and let me tell you - that made her day!  She hugged those stickers, cards, and books as if they were the best things she had ever received.  While she was getting her blood drawn, EEG performed, etc, we would remind her that people all over were praying for her.  That would instantly calm her as she realized that her situation was being kept before the throne of her Heavenly Father. 

We would love to hear from those of you who also have been dealing with medical issues with your children.  Your testimonies of God’s goodness to you, suggestions, and prayer requests will encourage all of us.  Feel free to comment!  May the Lord richly bless you as you raise your “gifts from God” for his honor and glory - despite the tough circumstances!!

Jesse and Becky - God’s Eternal Masterpiece

www.godseternalmasterpiece.com