They are doing a "lifesaving procedure", which is one of the last resorts, while she's at Children's.

I have no other info or what this even means.

Please pray. Please pray for a miracle.

Lauren requests prayer for no strokes, for no brain damage, and wisdom for the doctors.

She referred to one doctor as Dr. Lukette @ Children's.

Lauren then texted at 5:30 that Life was on her way to Children's Hospital. Lauren is also sick with the same infection.

Continue Praying Please.

Lucia Life Larsen Update

Mel just talked with Lauren, emailing us this (an hour ago): 

Lauren is in the room with her right now... the doctor said right now, she is stable and the doctor gave her a bit of hope. My emails of the diagnosis are a little bit different than what Life has. Hers is a 3 day virus (that HD virus is CAUSING the Pulma). If Life can fight this, pray pray pray for her strength... then like she said, she can get past this. It is so crucial right now. Pray for her and Matt's strength. Pray for Life's strength. She has already proved so strong, Lauren said you can see how hard she is fighting and the pain she is feeling on her little precious face.

 

Lauren feels a peace, it comes in waves, but she is faithful that The Lord, for this moment wants this baby. It is amazing, she said that it is crucial that Life was born last night, or the infection could have gotten worse. This miracle is such a praise and so crucial.

 

She said the infection started about a week ago, and that is why she had the fever last night and she was not feeling great... her and Life both had it. Lauren feels like her fever broke and she is over it, pray the little Life fights it like her momma. They can't talk to her, they want Life to stay sedated so she fights it more... pray that she will stay in place and asleep so she can fight this thing.

 

Right now the best thing we can do is just pray, she has not even gotten 5 hours of sleep, so for her to be strong and get better, she must rest. As of right now and most likely tonight, it is best if we dont go up there so she can stay rest and they can be with Life as much as they can.

 

I am sorry Lauren, if I messed up details.

 

Love ya'll lots. Lets be little prayer warriors. Lindsay, Diane was such a warrior and shined in this. Let's all pray like Lin's mom with out question or hope, and constantly. She is such in inspiration in times like this. 

::: Psalm 46:1:::

Ashley Tavenner led our BS just 2 days ago. We talked about how the Lord is our refuge, defining what that looks like and what a refuge really means.

We decided to memorize this verse and to meditate on it this week, to form a better habit of trusting him as our refuge. Who knew our desire for more of him would result in, yet another, testing of our faith. i have had so many questions these days, little pieces of doubt that are trying to creep in. but i won't let them. i told Lauren this morning, as i am working on this myself, to have a child-like faith. a faith that doesn't ask too many questions. a faith that has a simple mind and simple thoughts.

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. ::: Psalm 46:1 :::

i believe and trust, please believe with us.

THE NEVER ENDING SUMMER

At 11:36 PM July 31, 2008 Lauren and Matt welcomed Lucia Life Larsen (6 lb 2 oz, 18 inches long @ 35 weeks) out of the womb. We rejoiced with them, came home, and crashed.

This morning we had news that baby Larsen is struggling, BIG time. She has been diagnosed with RDS, an infection, and Pulmonary Hypertension, She is in the NICU attempting to fight through this and everyone is praying that she can be guided by the antibiotics. 

Lauren says the first 24 hours are the most important, most critical, just as the link to Pulmonary Hypertension says. We are so burdened for our friends and the strain that the baby is enduring. Your prayers are needed.

friends, 

words cannot express my gratitude for all of your support.

your phone calls, text messages, running errands for me, cleaning my room, doing my laundry, bringing food over for my family, sitting with me in my sorrow and encouraging me, sending flowers, dropping little gifts by my house to cheer me up, sitting up at the hospital with me into the wee hours of the night, sending cards in the mail, blogging your words of concern and love, crying with me, praying for us.

i have experienced the body of christ in such a beautiful way. all of your support, whether it was large or small, has helped me through the past 2 weeks. i have felt like i have an army behind me, praying for and supporting us.

as of yesterday, my mom has been with Jesus for a week. it seems like she left forever ago, considering how much it takes out of you to do a funeral and everything that surrounds it. i am still processing, learning how to grieve and learning a new trust in my Saviour. thank you for praying for us and carrying us through.

thank you for all you have done, from the bottom of my heart.

Heavenly Realm

K. Hooper sent us ladies this today, from PCBC:

"We live for heaven when we care more for people's eternal souls than for their temporal approval; when we use our money to build God's kingdom more than our own; when we ask God to use our suffering more than to solve it; when we remember that this life is the car and not the house, the road and not the destination; when we make sure every day that we're ready to die."

One part over the other is more convicting. I remember recently talking with the Larsens about how heaven is here on earth, living inside of us. His Holy Spirit is living and breathing, wanting more oxygen, that we, our silly selves can let have.

Linds and I also went backpacking for a week, back in the good ol' days of high school. A vivid memory is painted in my mind when I think of the verse below. Lin, Julie, Laurel, and I were walking in a back to back line up the mountain. We recited, in attempt to memorize, the verse (+ the rest of the chapter) from the first person to the back. We had ditched Tom Young & the guys...and made a time of our own...to do such as this:

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God - Col 3

These summer mornings are regularly visisted on the phone with Laurel, whether I'm at work, on the way to work, or lazying around not going to work. Laurel has encouraged me to continually press on to the heavenly things of life & really dig for more than what is just in front of us. Thank you God.

This morning, I went to the Omni Fort Worth job site, with Julianne. We were both wearing dresses. On a construction site, one must wear pants and boots. Not knowing we were going onto site, we didn't wear boots or pants. Therefore, we had to borrow them. From the Omni Fort Worth project director. He had extra jeans in his office. Then he proceeded to give me the belt ON his waist. I tucked my dress into Bruce's pants. Thats right. Good thing Bruce is one of the most down to earth men I know....

  

The Dot Went Home.

Dottie got to go home today. So tonight, that's where I was. She's tiny, pretty, & fragile. Love her.

As you know, Woods just lost her daddy too. I think all of us (micro: us girls; macro: the larger community) have a hard time making sense of these times & knowing how to (re)act. Mel emailed this, and assuredly reinstates our current situations:

The great paradox of life is that those who lose their lives will gain them. This paradox becomes visible in very ordinary situations. If we cling to our friends, we may lose them, but when we are nonpossessive in our relationships, we will make many friends. When fame is what we seek and desire, it often vanishes as soon as we acquire it, but when we have no need to be known, we might be remembered long after our deaths. When we want to be in the center, we easily end up on the margins, but when we are free enough to be wherever we must be, we find ourselves often in the center. Giving away our lives for others is the greatest of all human arts. This will gain us our lives. - Henri Nouwen