Last Minute Trip

If you would have asked me last week what I would be doing this week, I would have never guessed I would be in Florida. Yep, I'm in Florida. My friend Katie received her liver and kidney transplant exactly a month ago. Initially, the transplant appeared to be a huge success. Unfortunately, a few days after the transplant, Katie began to experience a tremendous amount of pain and has had about 10 procedures and numerous complications since then. Last Wednesday I spoke with Katie's parents and they informed me of everything that was going on. Everything that happened after that phone call was nothing less than a work of God. I knew in my heart that I had to come see her. Normally, I would worry about how i was going to afford to buy a ticket, or other meaningless worries, but for some reason, I felt a deep sense of peace that the Lord would work everything out and get me there if it was His will. I looked into catching a hop to Travis last Friday (unfortunately it was also Jarrett's birthday) and one blessing after another, I managed to catch a hop straight to Travis that afternoon. I stayed with my dear friend Natalie until I flew out to Florida on Monday. I'm here with Katie until Friday when I will fly back to California and then hopefully catch a hop back to Guam beginning on Sunday.

The only way that I can accurately describe Katie's situation now is that it is a rollercoaster. Instead of taking it one day at a time, we are literally taking it one minute at a time. Her liver is taking very well and her kidney is beginning to wake up. We pray that there will be no more complications so that she can move out of the ICU and not have to deal with so many people poking at her and walking in and out of her room. Fortunately, her sense of humor has managed to pop out in moments when we least expect it which always brings a smile to everyone's face. Despite the struggles and the hardships Katie and her family have had to endure, the Lord has been so present in everything. Whether it's her nurses, the good news that brightens the day, a simple song on the radio, or the fact that she was reading her Bible when she got the phone call about the donor, it is so evident that the Lord is working. Please pray for Katie and that her health would progress. Particular prayer requests would be that she would be able to move out of the ICU onto the regular floor and that her anxiety and pain would decrease. I heard this song on the radio as I was driving back to Katie's house and the lyrics really spoke to me so much that tears began to roll down my face because I'm so faithful that the Lord will see Katie through this desert.