Surgery Postponed but a Surprise Message Instead!

I woke up on Sunday morning and following my completion of Wordle in a miraculous three tries, I did my morning scroll through Twitter and Facebook. #DontJudgeMeItsAStressfulTime. For some reason, there was a deluge of tweets lamenting the hurt of the church and an empathetic invitation for those whose church trauma keeps them from attending worship. I switched to Facebook and noticed an update from Lindsay regarding Madeline. There were more than 50 comments from friends, mostly people we know from our years pastoring and teaching. 

I am grateful for the church these days. By church I mean all those who confess Jesus and who seek to love God and neighbor. Seeking to do this is enough. Christianity is a practice more than a completion. Jesus is not Yoda, "do or do not, there is no try." Jesus is gracious and hospitable and forgiving. So we seek to imitate Christ and often fall short. But lately, the seeking has been a fulfillment. When I read the comments on Lindsay's facebook I noticed the church seeking to love neighbor. Their words are a fulfillment of their desire. This has been true for our entire lives, but currently we are finding new life and joy through the witness of God's people. 

Thank you.

Madeline was supposed to have her second surgery on Wednesday, but the doctor fell ill and it is currently rescheduled for next Friday.. We could feel the exhaustion this morning as we woke up on Wednesday knowing the surgery is postponed. You know we are tired, but your words of encouragement and care packages sustain us, especially Madeline. We are so grateful when our texts "blow up", our voicemail box becomes full, our FB messenger includes medical experience and connections, or when snapchat sends a playful message with a filter. Sometimes we cry and other times we laugh, but the body of Christ makes us feel alive, which is exactly what we need. 

This week we received two signs of hope. 

The first was meeting The Brown's poolside in Orlando. Their daughter lost her leg three years ago. They come to Orlando for prosthesis. We sat with them in the pool and listened to their story. They were calm, wise, and grounded. They described Kylie's surgery knowing nothing of Madeline's story. After they finished telling their story and entertaining our questions, Lulu asked if Madeline could share her story. At first, Madeline wanted me to tell the story, but I was (uncharacteristically) hesitant. Madeline began telling her story with a quiet confidence. The Brown's received her with grace and empathy. They asked if they could pray for her and share her story with their friends. Mr Brown gave us some helpful wisdom and instruction that we continue to consider.

The second occurred while writing this entry. I was writing and Lindsay was making dinner. We heard her scream, "No Way!" from the other room. We couldn't tell if it was good or bad news, so we rushed to see what happened. She received a video message from some of her closest Michigan friends offering words of hope for her surgery. These friends are mostly from her youth group at Fellowship Reformed Church (this is what she misses most from Holland). Each middle schooler offered words of encouragement. They are going to be incredible adults. These are real friends. We know their parents well and feel their entire family's love through this witness. 

As the video ended, one more person emerged on the video. KIRK COUSINS!!!! Now to be fair, Cousins and I are close friends. 🤥 Okay, so he has no recollection of our outing, but we participated in Cardio Tennis "together" on a Saturday morning the week before Covid-lockdown. You can clearly see we have similar ab workouts. Cousins offered Madeline a clear and personal message. She was overjoyed. I have been a Vikings fan for years and will forever now root for Ragnar's team. 

 

In all seriousness, the body of Christ is sustaining us. As we wait several more days, we covet your prayers. Pray for our doctor to recover from illness. He is an incredible person who demonstrates love for Madeline. Pray for the schedule to remain open and for Madeline to remain prepared. Pray for her recovery. And as always, pray for the many children who face surgery, illness, and pain and for their medical teams who labor in love for healing.

VIDEO IN NEXT BLOG POST