Mile 19: WE'RE PREGNANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 4-12-09

Welcome to Mile19!

While hesitant for some time, I am so grateful that we did go ahead and set up this blog several years ago. Our original purpose was to glorify the Lord through our trials with infertility, encourage others in their faith and suffering (specifically with infertility), and update our faithful prayer warriors so they could keep lifting us up along with praising the Lord for His goodness, mercy and grace. Our hearts are still so committed to encouraging others in their journey with Christ, through trials and suffering... This blog has become an Ebenezer stone if you will, a stone of rememberance, a declaration to God's faithfulness and the miracle we have experienced. It is with great joy and privelege that we now get to update our friends, family and prayer warriors on how our precious Laney is doing! But don't think for a second that this washes away all the pain of infertility. Our scars are real and deep, and constant reminders of just how difficult this particular journey can be. We have been so incredibly blessed to be able to come alongside and encourage and pray for many couples whose hearts ache desperately for a child. If you are reading this and are going through infertility, we would LOVE to encourage, pray and help in any way possible. Please do not hesitate to contact us (lewood34@verizon.net)- we're an open book - and it blesses US to pour into you in hope that you too will be blessed and strengthened. "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows." 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

WOW! "Praise You Lord" is about the only thing we can get out of our mouths! We are in shock to say the least ;) Just truly overwhelmed with God's Grace and trying to take it all in... but it's just tough to even wrap our hearts and minds around right now. Wow! It is unbelievable to look back on the past few weeks and see how the Lord has directed everything... how we even got to do a fresh transfer, how we never crossed the threshold into the serious issues of hyperstimulation... and how He has allowed this time to be 'the' time, His time. He is faithful - regardless of whether this was successful or not - He is faithful. We do feel like we have experienced a miracle and we give the Giver of Life all the praise and glory for it! Another huge praise was that all of my levels (hcg, progesterone, etc) looked GREAT! Really great! We'll call tomorrow for the full report and more instructions and then probably go back in the end of this week to recheck the levels. It's just so amazing that the Lord allowed us to witness His creation (that precious perfect little embryo) with our own eyes, and literally watch it make its way up into the uterus and be deposited in just the right spot. And thank You Jesus that our little embryo loved it there and implanted. And praise You Lord that You even orchestrated this to let us find out on Easter... what a time to celebrate HIS Life, His resurrection and the new life we live in Christ... and to get to celebrate the new life He has blessed us with. We are overwhelmed. And, as it looks, we will get to literally celebrate the birth of this new life, when we celebrate the birth of our Savior (CHRISTMAS!!) We have seen such a mighty work throughout this process and cannot thank you all enough for your intercession. Your knees must truly be sore from all of the praying and praising you have done, many of you for years! Of course, if you are game, we would continue petitioning your prayers for the health of this little teeny tiny baby, for my health, and God's protection and purpose. We desire nothing less than to honor Him with this time. We know it is really tough for women to go through extensive infertility and in-vitro to then finally get pregnant and not be worried about losing the baby... but as we have confidently said so many times before in this process, we have committed to Trust God. Period. It can be SUCH a challenging thing, just as it has been so challenging to trust Him in the suffering, all the negative tests, the hundreds of 'what if windows', etc. But we truly want to rejoice in His Gift, and not allow worry and anxiety to completely overshadow the blessing. We would love your prayers on this. The only security we really have is in Who He Is... and He is Good, He is consistent, and He is love. We will honor Him in every way we can in this new chapter and trust that He will carry out HIS plan!
We love you all! Thank you so much!

“O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise Your Name, for in perfect faithfulness You have done marvelous things, things planned long ago.” Isaiah 25:1

Marathon Race

"Veteran missionaries were honored for nearly a half-century of selfless service on behalf of crosscultural evangelism. As part of the ceremony of celebration, they were presented with a plaque that likened the call of God to a marathon race that requires a lifetime to run. The inscription read:'When God calls, a gun sounds, and a marathon begins. A life of service. A lifetime of measured steps which (because of the distance to be covered) take in stride the potholes along the way. Disappointment. Tears. Rejection. Exhaustion. Failure. Loss. A cross I think he called it. The One who finished first, who near the end of his own long-distance race (though winded) sighed "I thirst!" It was what he saw beyond the finish line that ade him stay his course. A faithful finish. And his Father's proud "well done!" It's true. Persistence has its price tags. But also its rewards! Like the rush that comes when you run through the pain and find a second wind (when you want to cash in). but don't forget the hush. That's another joy in the marathon quest. That quiet contentment that steadies your steps on "a long obedience in the same direction." the knowledge that you're being true to what God called you to do and to that which you promised you would. Along the way, you've had opportunities to learn endurance and in the process make a difference for Christ and his Kingdom. Because of your determination to not give up or give in, there are those throughout this nation (and beyond) who have heard the call of God and joined the race. You've paced yourself well, and now as you find your full stride, would you allow us to run at your side? After all, what you've attained is the goal that we seek. Strong, not weak. Strong, not wilting. Not bailing out, but holding out to the end. Perseverance. Persistence. Going the distance. Finishing well.""Endurance is not glamorous; it does not offer high praise or huge rewards. The Olympic 100-meter dash champion is far better known than the marathon winner. One is called the "world's fastest" while the other is barely mentioned in the sports pages." (Heroic Faith - VOM)How true it is. Anyone reading this probably would recognize the name 'Usain Bolt' that blew everyone away in the 100-meters this Olympics 2008, but I have no clue who won anything long distance. "Endurance is not a gift that a person can develop in a one day or even in one season. You can't wake up one morning and decide to hang in there." So here we are, running, walking, jogging, and crawling up the treacherous 19th mile, hand in hand, looking to the finish line. For the past three years, we have been struggling with infertility - The Journey - we've called it, really the Journey of Mile 19. It has been much steeper than we thought possible, but the Lord has taken us much deeper in the process. I really resisted forming some type of a blog - 'I didn't want to make it seem, by doing this, that we thought our trial was tougher than others going through family losses, cancer, etc.'; but God humbled me and has shown us that He comforts us not to make us comforatable, but to make us comforters, and that we are not to compare sufferings. If there can be any glory gained for Christ by creating this blog, anyone enduring suffering that could be encouraged, if anyone specifically facing that arduous road of infertility be comforted... then that's what it's about - and I'm sure that's why the Lord impressed upon me to create this, a window into my heart, in hopes that others will be encouraged in their faith. It would take me forever to catch everyone up through journal entries, e-mails, etc from the past 3 years... so hopefully I'll get this blog thing figured out and be able to post some, and go from here.

Mile 19

Soli Deo Gloria

Welcome to Mile19!

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WE'RE PREGNANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 4-12-09

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Marathon Race