Surgery....So Soon!

 The below message is from Tim, about CJ's upcoming surgery.  We have been Praying about this day since before he was born.  It is inching up on a year now.  Even so, hearing the surgery is in less than five days felt like a punch in the gut.  My first thought was, "so soon." My second thought was," I like him this way, what if the ruin his cute face?" Ironic,huh? 

Message from Tim:

Praying friends,

We just got a call from the surgeon's office this morning that a spot has opened up for six month old Campbell's cleft palate/lip surgery this Friday morning.  This is great news, as we were hoping for several reasons that this would happen in December rather than waiting into the new year.  The timing is a bit sudden ... we are thankful that it looks like we will have good help from out-of-town family, but we certainly covet your prayers for this precious one over the next few days!

The plan is to take Campbell in to the hospital at 5:30 am, then his surgery is scheduled to start at 7:30 and run about three or four hours.  He will stay overnight and we expect to be able to bring him home late Saturday morning.  We are so thankful for the Lord's provision of a surgeon who is truly an expert in this niche, as I have mentioned to many of you along the way.  He isn't the strongest communicator though, so we are a bit "blind" about what to expect (what he will look like post-op, what the timing and steps of his recovery are, etc ... let alone how many of these he will undergo over the coming months/years) ... and those unknowns serve to remind us again of our need to wait at the throne of our great God.  The Gospel of Mark records our Lord Jesus commanding the wind and the waters "Peace! Be still!"  He is certainly just as sovereign over this surgery.

Please pray for:

- Campbell's health leading up to the surgery: by God's mercy he has been generally very healthy all along, and got a great report at his six month checkup a couple of weeks ago.  The usual coughs and sneezes are around our house these days -- please pray he doesn't catch anything (the next available surgery date is Jan 11)

- The surgery itself: please pray that there are no complications, with the general anesthesia, the procedure and his recovery (near- and long-term)

- Our peace: the aforementioned unknowns, and just the fact of our six month old "going under" for most of a morning ... The Holy Spirit will be our peace and our hope.  Also for Kirsten and Kyle, as the extra attention their baby brother needs in the next week or so could be challenging for them

Thanks in advance for your faithfulness and love.

Grace and peace,

Tim & Kimberli