Monthly Archive: August 2016

We made it!!!! All five of us, plus Max, have arrived safely in Memphis. We are unloaded and unpacked at our apartment and settled in for the evening. The neighbor is everything we had hoped it would be and the apartment is very nice. Thank you Lord for continued blessings!

We had a jam packed day today. We started at church where we were all loved on, prayed over, and wished well for our trip. We had lunch and some family pictures. Then I finished packing and we drove over. Amazingly, even with all of that craziness Kayleigh did not have a headache! She did have a few moments on the road where too much sun light bothered her but that was easily remedied with sunglasses. I am hopeful that at our visit tomorrow we can lower her steroids a little more!

Tomorrow will be another very busy day. Kayleigh has labs at 8:30, a visit with the neuro team to confirm the plan and sign trial paperwork, an MRI, and a follow up neuro consult to go over the results. Please be praying for good scans! We are hopeful that they show improvement from the August 1st scans.

We know God is in complete control. We trust Him and this path He has set us on. We may not understand why we are where we are, but we know that God is using our situation and precious daughter to bring change in the hearts of people everywhere. The verse from one of my devotions says it all…

Jeremiah 1:5a
“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb…”

Yes, God knows us. He knows our hopes and fears, our talents and struggles, our hearts and our minds. But not only does He know us, He loves us.

Until tomorrow,
‘Carrow💜

Whew… Packing what you need for 5 weeks is rough. Packing what 5 people need, one with a pretty strict diet, and a dog is serious work. This nana is beat!

Thankfully I have all the house stuff packed as well as all the kids. Tim is packing his things and I will pack myself tomorrow. I’m too tired to tackle that right now!

Kayleigh had a pretty good day today. No headaches! She also had a pretty big day socially. We had new friends pray over her and then she had a FaceTime call from Chipper Jones! As in, the Hall of Fame, Atlanta Brave’s 3rd Baseman. Just wow! A big thank you to our friend Justin Jones for making that happen!

We would very much appreciate your continued prayers for complete healing this side of heaven. For side effects to disappear completely. For safe travels. And for the energy to finish packing.

Tomorrow night I will be writing from Memphis. Until then –
‘Carrow💜

We made it to Friday!!! This has been a very long week. Kayleigh has enjoyed school 4 out of 5 days this week and she is worn out. Headaches are still causing some minor problems through the day but over all she is doing great!

Tonight’s post will be a short one – mostly because I am pooped and ready for bed! These were my verses tonight. How perfect are they? A beautiful reminder that no matter what is happening around me, I do not have to be shaken!

Please pray for us to pack everything easily and get everything loaded tomorrow. Complete healing this side of heaven. For symptoms to be controllable!

Psalm 16:8-9
8 I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. 9 No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety.

Until tomorrow,
‘Carrow💜

The entire second day gathered for a picture with Kayleigh!!!

Happy Thursday, Friends!

We are rapidly approaching our return to St. Jude. God is beautifully moving every piece into place making this a smooth transition for each of us and we are so thankful!

Kayleigh had a pretty good day today. She still had some peek through headaches but we are keeping them under control with medicine as needed. She is also noticing a little more difficulty waking which is disturbing her a bit. It’s so hard for me to explain to her exactly what is going on. I have promised her from the very beginning that I will always be honest with her. She is allowed to ask any question she has and I will do my best to answer it.

One of the most amazing things God has done is grant me words to answer those questions in a positive light. I refuse to speak negatively or cultivate a spirit of fear. We serve a mighty God – whom shall we fear? And truly, when has fear ever helped in a situation like this? Fear cripples us, panic debilitates us, grief freezes us. Who needs that? Not me. Not Kayleigh. So, I speak truth, but I speak truth through the eyes of Jesus – the one who has already conquered death. The one that already knows how the story ends. The ultimate victor. And you know what? That truth is always full of good news.

My prayer is that I will be able to instill in Kayleigh, Grace and Cole that knowledge of hope and a working picture of faith in action. I pray they will experience it for themselves and find themselves walking closely with Jesus. These three blessings are my greatest mission field. And I pray in the meanwhile that God will continue to work on me, tearing down the messes I’ve built over the years replacing it with what He would have me to be.

Philippians 4:4-7
4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! 5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. 6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Until tomorrow,
‘Carrow💜

You’ve got to love math with friends!

So thankful to be at school!

Thank you Jesus for a wonderful day!

I have nothing Earth shattering to report tonight. I just have a string of little things all falling into place perfectly that have me filed with gratitude. Gratitude that we have a God that cares about every part of our lives, big and small.

Up until yesterday evening we felt like we were still walking a little aimlessly. Just waiting on news to come back and for a path to be set. Once we had the email from St. Jude yesterday afternoon that they had orders in for Kayleigh everything shifted. We now have a destination, timeframe, and game plan. Thank you Jesus for that! Admittedly, it is not the trial I had hoped for but I know God sees the whole picture and He has us on this path, in this place, for a purpose. So we will be faithful and say thank you for directing our path.

Today I have visited the kids schools to begin working out the details to take us all to Memphis. I have always loved our school system but since Kayleigh’s diagnosis they have brown me away. Not just with how they have taken care of Kayleigh but Grace and Cole as well. I was prepared to homeschool them in order to keep us a together but – HALLELUJAH, that is not necessary! I don’t have a large enough font, bold enough letters, or enough exclamation points to express just how thankful I am that I don’t have to figure out a curriculum for the kids as well as take care of Kayleigh. The schools are understanding and helpful beyond words. What a blessing.

I believe we have also found an apartment to lease for just the amount of time that we need, no contracts required. And it is located very close to the hospital on Mud Island. Some of our special St. Jude friends knew what we were looking for and sent us exactly what we needed. And it will be available Sunday, exactly when we need it. We even get to take the dog – the kids will be tickled to death!

So tonight I write to you from Kayleigh’s bed where I am snuggled up with my sweet girl. She had a great day at school with only a couple of tiny headaches this evening. She is loving her sweet teacher and friends. And she is really looking forward to returning to St. Jude. Just knowing that her friends are either there or returning soon makes her happy.

I must say I am looking forward to those friends as well. It’s hard though. Knowing that we are all returning for the next phase. For medicine that has the potential to make our children feel terrible. Some much worse than others. So, as you are praying for our sweet Kayleigh, asking for complete healing this side of heaven, for no headaches, and for peace in her spirit, will you please pray for our friend Anna and her family? She begins her phase 2 this week and it is going to be hard. Please pray that symptoms are far less than the doctors say and that her mom and dad will have the strength to get them all through this. Our friend Sawyer will be returning soon too and she needs prayers for good scans.

Thank you for continuing to stand with us daily. Your prayers and comments are greatly treasured.

Until tomorrow,
‘Carrow💜

Jeremiah 29:11-13
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12 In those days when you pray, I will listen. 13 If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.