1 Corinthians 15:26 “The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”
Ela is more awake today than yesterday. She is also in a relatively good mood (all things considering) and the most conscious we’ve seen her over the last few days. Although she is hoarse from the intubation, she has enough of a voice to say: “I have a new heart! I am not sick anymore!” And what a joy it is to hear her tiny voice say those words! Seeing her smile and hearing her make comments like this is overwhelming…in the best sense of the word!
Ela’s had some water, she has had some apple sauce, and even remembers the names of some of her stuffed animals. Our joy is hard to describe and our tears fall short in expressing our gratitude to God for what He has done so far.
Sadly, tears of joy are not the only kinds of tears that we’ve shed today. We found out this morning that some friends here at the hospital lost their daughter. We are thankful that they were comfortable enough to share the news with us and that we were able to spend a few minutes with them.
Death is the last enemy to be destroyed, but it WILL be destroyed. We are thankful that because of Jesus’ work, we do not have to fear the second death. Our friends hold to this same confession, and this brings comfort to our hearts since we know that one day they will be reunited with their daughter in eternity. In the mean time, we rest assured that she is being well taken care of by our Heavenly Father.
Pray for them as they grieve. In times like this, the only thing we can do is cling to Christ in faith. Faith in the fact that God’s ways are perfect. Faith in the fact that His plans are achieving some eternal good that we do not understand. Faith in the fact that He truly sees us and hears us and cares for us in our pain.
Leslee and I have talked about how draining the hospital setting can be. We rejoice to see Ela conscious. We grieve for our friends’ loss. We worry over bleeding complications. We plead for other hearts when we see families we know still waiting for a call. We tear up at hearing Ela laugh. We wonder when the donor family will have their child’s funeral. We are hopeful as we feel a good squeeze from our girl’s hand. We squirm at her pain and discomfort when she turns. And the list continues…
Thank you for your love and support. And thank you for letting us share our hearts with you. Time for more emotional turmoil…the presidential debate is on. Blessings!
Psalm 94:19 “When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.”
I prayed for your baby girl and so happy God heard our prayers will continue to pray. God bless you mommy and daddy
Aw look forward to your posts every night. Thank u so much for taking time to do that. Means so much to us as well as MANY others. This is such great news and great pictures. So so precious she realizes about her heart & all that at 4 years old💕💕Sad on the other things. Sorry for the loss for your friend thats tough🙏💕
Our hearts are filled with joy! Trying to imagine God’s great plans for you all and Ela! GOD IS SO GOOD! Prayers also for the family who lost their child. ” For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the “gift of God”, not of works,….Eph 2:8-9.
Tears of joy and thanks. Our God is awesome. We pray for Ela constantly, and are so thankful she’s doing so well. What a testimony to our Lord!!
We are grieving with you for your friends, and thankful you were there to spend some time with them. We will remember them and your donor family in our prayers. We are so blessed by the promises of eternity from our Father. And we rejoice with you for Ela’s progress! Seeing her awake and knowing she is talking just fills us with joy. Thank you for the updates and pictures, and for sharing your faith with us in such a special way. We are truly humbled by your journey. God bless you all. We are praying. 🙏❤️🙌
Such wonderful news to here is Ala is awake and talking. Thank you for sharing this journey you and your family are going though. I believe in the power of prayer. Our awesome God hears our prayers and your precious daughter is living proof. I know this journey is hard and there wil be bumps and twist and turns. But your faith is strong and we service a mighty God. My prayers continue for the donor family and the difficult decision they made. Please give your sweet Ala and general hug from a grandmother from Va.
Your words encourage me. Praying!!
Praise God for Ela’s good recovery! Praying you will have just the right words for your friends as they grieve.