Back at Mayo

Good morning. The picture is of the hotel on the Mayo Campus where we are staying this trip. It is literally in the Mayo parking lot and takes just a couple of minutes to walk to the hospital. The rooms are really nice with a full kitchen and living room. It was built with the medical patient in mind. We will stay here into next week as I recover enough to travel. My surgery is to repair the tear of my connective tissue in my abdominal wall that was a consequence of the surgical procedure to place my feeding tube in May. The surgery is today at 12:30 MT. We would appreciate your prayers as this is a complex surgery and will take between 3 to 4 hours. I am feeling really rested as God has blessed me with deep slumber this week. I am not going in as strong as I wanted because my feeding tube surgery from just three weeks ago has failed. The tube has torn loose from the wall of the small intestine and has coiled back up in the stomach again. If you are counting, this would make the 4th feeding tube surgery failure. At this point we do not have a plan for nutrition so we need for God to clearly show us next steps. The Mayo GI team is at a loss for any new procedures to hold the feeding tube in place. We can try and repeat the previous surgery that has failed and hope it turns out different. The GI team mentioned doing the original feeding tube surgery that I had back in May. That was the one that left me in the hospital for 31 days because it persisted in leaking bile. My faulty connective tissue kept the skin from healing around the tube. So right now these are my less than optimal choices to place the tube. These choices leave us very discouraged. The clock is ticking on deciding next steps since I have no nutrition without the feeding tube. While we are discouraged, we are not defeated. God has provided a way when it seemed there was no way for over 3 decades of this physical battle. Yes, we are weary but not hopeless.

The words of singer/songwriter Kari Jacobe touched me this morning:

“In the midst of deep sorrow, I see your light is breaking through. I am not alone, you will go before me, you will never leave me. You amaze me, you redeem me, you call me as your own. Through these trials, you have always been faithful and brought healing to my soul. You will go before me; you will never leave me.”

I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. I will boast in the Lord; the afflicted will hear and be glad. Proclaim the Lord’s greatness with me; let us exalt his name together.”  Psalm 34:1-3

Lord, I am still in your hands. This is my confidence. I am a child of God. This is my confidence. Lord, you know how I need you. This is my confidence. 

In your presence, Lord there is joy. In your presence Lord, there is light. In your presence Lord, there is hope. In your presence Lord, there is peace. In your presence Lord, there is comfort. In your presence Lord, their is security. In your presence Lord, there is comfort. In your presence Lord, there is purpose. In your presence Lord, there is grace that  continues to fall fresh on us. 

May grace continue to fall fresh on us for this difficult journey. May we be found faithful. 

Steve will update after the surgery.

Trusting Him,

Lee