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Sep 12, 2009

Praising God!

We rejoice in the goodness of God in the land of the LIVING! GOD IS ALIVE AND WELL AND SO IS ANDREW!

From Wednesday - Friday, Andrew was suffering with a terrible headache and intermittent vomiting. He had not eaten because of the scheduling of two MRI's with sedation. He was beginning to look like death. He slept between my husband and me Thursday night so I could be on watch in case he vomited. Because of his left side weakness, it was very difficult for him to raise himself up without our help. I was afraid he would aspirate the vomit so I kept a watchful eye and a prayerful heart throughout the night. The only thing he asked for was a cold cloth on his forehead and for me to rub away the pain. Mothers, you know that whatever it takes to bring relief to your sick child is what you will do. Friday morning I got up at 5:30 to do some research. I updated my blog and looked at a FB message from someone who had sent me a link to Shand's hospital. I had heard about Shand's over the last 2 1/2 weeks but had been in such information overload that I had not contacted them.

I had mentioned to someone and maybe in a post here that we were beginning to wonder if all of the delays in treatment were "God delays."

I went online and found the number for the cancer center at Shands. With one phone call I was transferred to Dr. Amy Smith, one of God's finest - of that I'm convinced. I told her how desperate we were and she told me to get here and she and Dr. Pincus would see us. She also told me that she was doing treatment that was so new that she had not yet opened it as a clinical trial but had already used it with some kids whose diagnoses were very bad. We hastily packed bags, made a couple of phone calls and got Andrew ready for the 3 hr trip. He lay reclined in the seat with a cloth on his head. I changed it out when it got warm. He only drank enough water to take some meds. He ate nothing which turned out to be a good thing.

On the way I was also in touch with a patient coordinator from St. Jude. This woman, Tabatha Doyle, is the sweetest most generous woman who truly desires to help people! She told me to keep the appt. at Shand's and let me know if we wanted to keep driving to St. Jude's in Memphis. She gave me her cell phone # and told me to keep checking in.
On the drive I would check on Andrew who lay motionless and hardly talked except to tell us how bad his head hurt.
We put him in a wheelchair and held his head up while we waited for a consultation with Dr. Amy Smith and Dr. Pincus. After viewing the MRI cd we had carried with us, Dr. Pincus told us that as risky as surgery would be, it was the only thing at this point that would save Andrew's life. Possible risks included permanent left side paralysis. Dr. Pincus was prepared to do surgery as soon as possible. I felt in my heart that we needed to do it. My husband was very torn about what to do. We discussed it and prayed and called Tabatha Doyle again from SJ. She assured us that Andrew was in excellent hands and that Shands and St. Jude's referred patients to one another. She said if Dr. Pincus is telling you it's the only thing to do to save Andrew's life, then do it. This helped my husband have peace, too.
As we have done many times since August 26, we placed Andrew in God's hands. I told God, "Andrew is yours, Abba Father. Papa he's yours. We trust his life in your hands."

We called our pastor and his wife and they picked up our other two children and my mother and drove straight to Gainesville. We wanted to wait until they could see Andrew before surgery. When we told Andrew that the surgeon wanted to take some of the tumor out and his head would feel better he said, "When can he do it?"
That led us to have him taken right away into surgery so our son would not have to suffer from the excruciating pain in his head. I asked Dr. Pincus, "Do you feel he will make it through the surgery?" He assured us Andrew would survive surgery and we gave him permission to get started.
I'll tell you more details later but just know Andrew is talking to us, made an inside joke that the nurse didn't get but we did! He wants to see Ted, his dog, and is trying to move his toes and fingers on the left side.
Oh...And we ARE being led in TRIUMPHAL PROCESSION in CHRIST and through us He spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of HIM. And He is sweet perfume -the Balm in Gilead!!!
Thank you sisters and brothers who have stood in prayer, awakened in the night, had your children praying, sent us emails, comments, scriptures, devotions and battled in spiritual warfare for THE MIRACLE FOR ANDREW. I know that the Father is faithful to complete what He has begun.
Love you all so much!
Melanie, Dan, Audra, Avery & ANDREW (Ted, too.)

I will be back later because I want to share a few more encouraging things with you. Maybe they will help you should you be walking through the darkest of valleys.

70 comments:

  1. My heart's been waiting for some word...

    Praise God for Shand's and his mighty workings therein.

    peace~elaine

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  2. All I can say is "WHAT A MIGHTY GOD WE SERVE!!!!"

    Praise Him in all things! Praise Him for Andrew!

    Rejoicing with you sweet Melanie.

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  3. I have been checking on and off for an update....I am so happy for you and your family. What a blessing to find such a doctor and his team. The power of prayer!
    Anxious to hear more of Andrew's healing. And friend to friend, I hope you are getting some rest.

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  4. Thanks be to God! It sounds like God has led you to the right place. I know you are overwhelmed and very busy, so I really appreciate you taking time to give us updates. Still praying for all of you and for Andrew's care providers. laurie

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  5. Hallelujah! I'm so happy for you. Please keep us updated. :)

    Continuing to pray,

    Stacey

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  6. Praise be to God! AMEN AND AMEN! Our God is mighty to save.

    It was me you emailed that you wondered if it was God's delays. (perhaps others too, but we did email that).

    I am so thrilled and excited Melanie. Continue to keep us posted.

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  7. This is absolute awesome news!! My heart leaps along with yours. Oh my what a wonderful God we serve, what a wonderful God we serve!

    Your sister in Christ Jesus.

    Beverly

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  8. Praise you Lord!! We are praising your miracle and thanking you for answering our prayers. Continue to to perfect Andrew's healing in Jesus name and for His glory.

    I'm heading out to a rollerskating birthday party with my 8 year old. I'm skating and I will be thinking of my favorite Skater Boy and praising God for what he has down as I go round and round the rink.

    Thank you for the update. Love and ((hugs)) under His wings,

    Paula

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  9. Praising God for what He has done, not down, lol.

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  10. Praise God, give Him a big praise clap. I am so happy to hear this news about precious warrior Andrew. Our God is still in the miracle business, and will always be in the miracle business. I cannot wait to hear the rest of the things you are going to share with us. I love you sweet sister.

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  11. That is such great news on this Sat. morn. I don't even know you and your family, but feel as if we are connected. So so thankful for God's hand in all this.
    Still standing in the gap!

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  12. Thanks be to God for bringing Andrew, and you thus far.

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  13. Praise the Lord! Oh I have been checking to see if you had updated and as soon as I saw you did, I was reading anxiously alongside my 9 yr old son.
    Thank you Papa, thank you! Abba, Pater, we thank you and praise you.
    If there is anything we can do for you guys, let us know.
    Sandra

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  14. I checked on you guys a few times in the middle of the night from my cell phone, typed you out a message, but for some reason was unable to post it. Anyway, I'm praising God with you. Last night when I read your update and the comments left I just cried for you. So awesome! Keep praising Him Melanie...it's no mistake God has you in the center of this...He knew you'd be faithful to point us to Him in the midst of every Mother's worst nightmare. Thank you sister for sharing your faith in the Almighty. God is already using you and your boy and he's not even out of the hospital yet!

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  15. Paise God the Divine Physician, The Healer, the Giver of Life!! Amen Amen!
    I weep tears of joy and praise and thanksgiving along with your family! God bless the doctors Amy Smith and Pincus and all those care givers at Shands. Halleluia! I see a healing, amen!

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  16. The mix of prayer and love is powerful. So thankful Andrew has relief from the pressure of the tumor. God has ordered your steps and your eyes have been on Him the whole time Melanie. You are living life as He designed. I know Andrew will continue to get stronger as he begins to eat and have more liquids. To God be the glory...Great things He has done!

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  17. Praying that He who began a good work is faithful to complete it in Andrew. Praising that we have seen the goodness of God in the land of the living!

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  18. I can't even say with the tears streaming down my face as I read this and shouted HALLELUJAH! My husband and daughters said, "what's going on?" and I couldn't speak only praise with tears and then it came forth...and I read your message and we all jeered!

    GOD IS SO GOOD! We are continuing to pray. We know the report of the LORD! We know He is faithful! We are rejoicing with your family.

    LORD we love You!

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  19. Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord. Yes, yes, Lord.

    I am beyond thrilled to read your update today. So many are praying by faith for Andrew. He is safe in God's hands. I can only imagine your praises and tears. I rejoice and wept tears of joy with you....

    This is just the beginning of Andrew's victorious life in Jesus.

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  20. WONDERFUL NEWS! I have been praying for Andrew every day! I am so thankful for this good report! PRAISE THE LORD!

    Katie in Birmingham, AL

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  21. Oh Melanie I am PRAISING GOD through many tears right now! He is AWESOME. What an incredible testimony! I am so thrilled for your family!

    (((BIG HUGS))) and lots of Love!

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  22. Also at that time, people will say,
    "Look at what's happened! This is our God!
    We waited for him and he showed up and saved us!
    This God, the one we waited for!
    Let's celebrate, sing the joys of his salvation.
    God's hand rests on this mountain!" (Isaiah 29:9)


    Thanks for declaring the goodness of our God!! Thrilled beyond words Melanie.

    Talk about a divine connection! So many miracles in this testimony.

    God has heard all our prayers and I rejoice with you and all the countless prayer warriors out there.

    Praying for more strength each day and a complete healing♥

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  23. I've had a headache for the past two days, and it's reminded me to pray for Andrew...bless his heart, so glad to hear he is relieved of the pain. Praise God.....

    Suzanne

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  24. PRAISE GOD! PRAISE GOD! PRAISE GOD! I am weeping as I write this! I kept checking for updates!

    Lord, please be with this family as they still continue down this path you have chosen for them! We know you are wrapping your arms around them. Thank God for Shands! Thank God for God's doctors. Melanie, thank you so much for all your updates! Praying in OHIO, Nancy from OHIO!

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  25. Praising God together with you! I'm still praying.

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  26. I'm rejoicing with tears in my eyes! Yes, Lord, yes!! We praise You and thank You for what You are doing in and through Andrew's life. You are good and You alone are worthy of our praise.

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  27. i cannot even begin to write the message that i want to. i'll send you an email later. but you have no idea what andrew's story has done in my own life.

    praying on and believing.

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  28. Praise the Lord! Thank you sweet Jesus!!

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  29. Glory! Oh, Great Physician keep doing what only You can do...how we praise You!

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  30. Praise God! Melanie, I found your blog last week by what was definitely a leading of the Lord. My sister has been battling brain tumors for a year and a half. Know that you have another praying for your precious family.

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  31. Thank you, Melanie ~ Praising God for that report. Thank God He is the healing balm.

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  32. God is SO good, Melanie! I sat here and cried all through this blog article! They are tears of joy, of triumph - that GOD is healing your son. I definitely believe that the wait was probably orchestrated by God to get you to where you needed to be at the right time! Tell your son he is in the best of hands - that of the Lord's, and we are praying for him to recover quickly!

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  33. Thanking God this morning for your miracle. I will pray for Andrew for continued restoration of good health.

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  34. Oh Melaine!!!

    My heart is just in PRAISE to our God who is FAITHFUL in all HIS ways! Keep TRUSTING HIM to take you on this road you've never been. He knows the way and will lead you THROUGH... sharing Jesus' love and fragrance with all those you meet!!

    Praying for you now.....

    Choosing JOY, Stephanie
    [JESUS - For His Name's Sake]

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  35. We have been praying for your son. Our daughter was treated at Shands and St Judes. Dr Pincus did her first surgery. He is amazing! He has even danced around with our daughter's shoes on his toes. We have had consults from many other neurosurgeons, but always go back to Dr Pincus, we have never allowed any other surgeon to open our daughters head. He is conservative when things don't need to be done, and very proactive when they do need to be done. Our daughter has been on 3 different chemos with Dr Amy Smith over the past 4 years. Our daughter has done so well. So well, that we moved to Ecuador to serve the Lord a little over 2 years ago. We will be traveling to FL Monday for a month. I am not sure if we will be at Shands, but if we are in the area, I will try to find you. Please email if you would like for me to share your story with our church and see if anyone could help with meals or anything. Our daughter's website is
    http://www.valeriegrace.com

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  36. I am praising the Lord....what an awesome God we serve! I have been, and will continue to pray for COMPLETE and ABSOLUTE healing for Andrew, and for peace, rest, and comfort for ALL of you!

    Julie

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  37. Praise God Melanie - Your Andrew will be in my family's prayers!
    Kathi

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  38. Oh, Melanie! I have those same tears of joy that so many other faithful prayer warriors have shared with God today! We serve such an awesome God!I told Jacob--my 13 yr old--that when he said his prayers last night, little did we know that Andrew was in surgery! He just looked at me and his eyes lit up when I told him what had happened! Prayer is so powerful! Thank you for letting us pray with you, sweet friend! We will contiue to pray for y'all

    Much love,
    susan

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  39. Hi Melanie,

    I will be gone this evening and I wanted to check in again before I leave. I pray Andrew has been able to rest comfortably today after being in such extreme pain for days. I hope your family is also getting a little sleep. Wanted to send our love and prayers to all of you. I will check back in the morning. B

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  40. Thank the Lord! Continued prayers for you all...

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  41. I rejoice with tears running down my face. Will continue to pray and this is awesome news!! Love without end,
    Beverly

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  42. I pray that andrew is resting painfree. I pray that you are now able to get some rest. I love you all.

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  43. THANK YOU, JESUS! I heard about Andrew last night from my friend Sandy at God Speaks Today. I have been praying for him since then and he's been on my heart all day today.
    I just checked your blog to see if there was any update. I'm so excited to hear this great news and praise the Lord with you!

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  44. I'm praying with you for a complete recovery.

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  45. Praise God, Melanie! We are praying you all through this surgery, praying you all through this walk.
    "God delays" indeed. I'm waiting with bated breath for the next step...

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  46. What a praise!!! Thank You, God for Dr.'s on the "cutting edge" (no pun intended) who are ready & willing to use the skills You have given them! I've been reading your blogs & praying for Andrew & your whole family. This is such an encouragement! We will all keep praying!

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  47. What a Blessing!
    Thanks be to God for the good He has done!

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  48. Thank You Lord for hearing our petitions. Glory to You our Greatest Healer and Comforter. God bless and may the Lord's strength cover you all.

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  49. Melanie,

    I read half of your blog before I was on my knees praying for Andrew. I believe that God is great, and he is going to get Andrew through this ordeal!

    Jane

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  50. Praise the Lord! This is so awesome! We are rejoicing with you and we continue to pray. Our boys pray for Andrew often in the day and we wanted to check in tonight. God is amazing. And what faith you all have had walking through, the referral, etc. Triumphant Procession! Love and prayers! Carolina Mama and Family

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  51. Praising God with you! What wonderful news! Praying for Andrew's quick and complete recovery.


    Blessings,
    Beth E.

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  52. I came online just to see if there was an update on Andrew tonight. Praise God! This is amazing news! ...continuing to pray! ~Love you all, Rhonda

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  53. PRAISE GOD! i have been praying all day and last night when i heard (i lurked rather than post) and was anxious to see an update!! i can not even imagine your heart right now. i am singing praises!!!!

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  54. Oh, praise God. I woke up this morning with Andrew on my heart and have been praying for him all day. Can't wait to hear more good news.

    Thank you, Jesus.

    Love,
    Sandy

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  55. I am so rejoicing with you. I have been gone all day and could hardly wait to get home to hear how Andrew is. My heart has been praying and will continue to pray for Andrew,you , your family and all the doctors and nurses that care for him.
    I am so happy for you and know that the Lord is getting all the glory!

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  56. St. Jude is the helper of the helpless, who will intercede for us in our hours of needs. Thank God Andrew is doing well ... prayers will continue for all of you. Do keep us posted. I put your link up so my followers would join in prayer. Bless you all.
    TTFN ~Marydon

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  57. What a blessing and concrete answer to prayer! Continually praying!

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  58. I have just heard about your son and want as a cancer survivor want to encourage you on this journey. Several years ago a friend of mine started a pediatric oncology research foundation called Rally Foundation. Dean Crowe started Rally in the drive-way of one of her friends who had a child battling cancer. As Dean would say, "Rally on to victory!"

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  59. Oh mom, God bless you. May God continue to strengthen you. Praise God, praise God. I'm in awe.

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  60. I am so thankful that the Lord is doing this wonderful work in Andrew! He is the second child with this same problem that we have been asked to pray for recently. The other little guy is at St. Jude's...glad that you were able to go to Shands...a wonderful hospital with people who really care!

    Will be praying for a complete work in Andrew's body...and for you too, dear Mella...
    Bless you,
    Susan

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  61. Praise God. Bless your sweet sweet Andrew.

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  62. Hi Melanie. I clicked over here from somewhere - I can't remember now if you left a comment on my blog or if I found you on another blog... hmmmm...

    Well, anyway, here I am!

    I want you to know that I'm going to pray for you and your son tonight when I crawl into bed (in just a few moments). I'm sorry for what you've been called to endure. God works so mightily through the difficult times and I'm so grateful for how he's worked through my trials and heartaches, but they're still so hard aren't they?

    You're a beautiful lady and I'm so glad I stopped by to meet you.

    Blessings to you and yours and know that a sister over in Sedgwick, KS is praying tonight.

    Love,
    Lynnette
    Dancing Barefoot on Weathered Ground

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  63. I saw the prayer button for Andrew on several blogs and the request for urgent prayer yesterday. I just came from Edie's blog to read the wonderful news! I'm thanking and praising God with you and your family. I will continue to pray for Andrew's healing!

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  64. I heard of your son and your need for prayer, grabbed your prayer button and have been praying for Andrew. Praise God for finding these doctors and for the successes of the surgery. Will continue to pray.

    God is so good.
    Heidi @ 2 Thinks to Share

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  65. Just dropping by with love, prayers, and hugs to you all.

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  66. Rejoicing with you in this good news! Praise the Lord! Will continue to pray.

    Rev. 5:8
    "Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints."

    A beautiful bowl of prayers is continually being filled with prayers for Andrew and all of you.

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  67. Praising and continuing in prayer.

    Hugs,
    Joy

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  68. Praise the Lord! Prayer changes everything!

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  69. PRAISE GOD!!!! I have been praying for you all weekend, but without a computer so did not know what was happening. I prayed that a quick resolution could be found for the horrible pain Andrew was in. I rushed into the office this morning and your blog was the first I went to. I am in tears praising and giving God thanks for His faithfulness and His direction. Praising Him for your FB angel that suggested Shand's (and others before them).
    Praying for a complete recovery and continued miracles from our Creator! It is a time for rejoicing!
    John 2:11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

    God bless you all!
    Trudy

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  70. Praising the Lord....

    Standing in awe of Him...

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