God is so good.

 I just got off the phone with the Dr. office. They took pictures of my heart yesterday and called with the results.

 They said that things look a little worse than they did before Africa.

 What a miracle that we found all of this before it was to late. There are about 200,000 people a year who should get a valve replacement, though many don't because they don't know before it is to late.

 This kind of heart disease is not that uncommon, but the aneurysm in the ascending aorta adds the twist to the story. The ascending aorta has to be replaced which is what has made the decision for surgery even harder. There are choices that are will be made in the next four or five days that will have some effect on the next twenty-years of my life.

 This is a major surgery. I will be hooked up to and living on machines for many hours. I will have tubes coming out of me in all directions. Machines will remove the waste from my body as other devices pump life giving fluids into me. Then after the surgery is complete I will have a valve and aorta made from tissue that may or may not last ten plus years. I will be in the hospital for about seven days and then at home recovering for about six weeks. Those of you who know me know that the recovery time will be as hard on me if not harder than doing the surgery. I don't like to just sit. 

 My little brothers wedding falls in the middle of all of this and that may be one of the most important days of my life not to mention his. I will be there but I need prayer that I will have the strength to help make that day so special for him. He is my best friend and I have been waiting for this day since we were kids. He is an amazing man.

 I know that many of you have gone through hardships, losing something valuable to you( job, possessions, ego, etc.), surgeries (ones that you have recovered from and ones that you have never recovered from). Some of you have lost loved ones. Some of you are still grieving loved ones that recently have gone(or loved ones that you lost and you may still be dealing with it or hiding from it) or loved ones that were never there to begin with(dad's, etc.).

 To those whom it may concern:

 God is a good God. He is a righteous judge. He is faithful and true. He will never let you go.

 He is a good Father, one that will Father you well, and knows you better than you know yourself. He won't give you anymore than you can handle. We can trust Him with our very lives,  with our future, our hopes, our dreams, finances, sexuality, our parents, our health. He clothes the lilies of the field, how much more will He be mindful of us. He loves you and even right now is calling you to Himself. You can trust Him. 

 Jesus be the center of our worlds and draw us to Yourself.

  Ok so this specific Dr.'s office that we are going to happens to be one of the best known in the country. Also did I mention that this will all be paid for by insurance(and you don't even want to know how much this would cost). I am amazed at God's provision.

 Even now I am learning more about my circumstances and realizing the miracle of God that I am living.

 I finally have peace about heading towards surgery. After my grandfather prayed. It hit me that I did all that I felt like I should do. I have peace.

 I will be doing lab work for the rest of this week and then will most  likely be ready for surgery at the beginning of next week, monday at 5:30a.m.  That is there tentative time. It will either be then or wednesday the 15th.

 This is not fun news like winning a trip to disney world or a tour of Ft. Scott's Walmart, but it is reality.

 God is good, so good, and I trust Him.