PRAISE GOD!!!!

We don't have the doctor's official interpretation of the tests as he is out of town until next week, but the nurse and PA both see nothing wrong with Ava's tests! Even after reviewing the notes for what he is looking for, the PA says all is in normal range! We are so excited...we were prepared for whatever the tests brought, but we are thankful for a positive outcome! God is so wonderful...not because of the positive outcome...He would have been wonderful with a not so wonderful report, but He is wonderful because He gave us peace in the storm while we waited! Thank you, Abba!

Capitol Hill - check!

So my first miracle of the day on Friday was arriving at the right place BEFORE my meeting time! Those who know me know how directionally challenged I am! The fact that I navigated the subway system from VA to DC and then found the right building and office, well, let's just say, "Thank you, Jesus!!!"

I met with three Senator's offices and two reps offices. Some were seemingly more interested than others, but at any rate, we met, they have my documentation, they know my requests, and I will follow up. As I have told everyone, working with the government is much of the time like watching grass grow! But seeds were planted, and I am trusting God to water them!

I will blog more later as I study Acts and visited the Holocaust Museum, I have some heavy thoughts...need to process some more before I put them all out there!

Capitol Hill

Capitol Hill, here I come! I have meetings with three rep/senator's offices today with hopes of sneaking in two or three more with a visit to the Liberian Embassy. I'm thinking I will be working through lunch! ha!

As I have made the arrangements to meet these people over the last couple of days, the question that keeps coming up is, "what am I doing here?!" The only answer can be: GOD! I am just a little 'ol housewife from a far West Texas town. But somewhere along the way, God gave me a passion for the rights of the poor and hopeless of Liberia (Proverbs 29:7). He has called me to a be a voice to those with no voice...not just for the children, but for their parents and grandparents as well!

So today I go as not an ambassador for Liberia, but an Ambassador for Christ's Kingdom. Asking those with more power than myself to help out my brother's and sister's in Christ.

If you are just an ordinary person who God has put an extraordinary dream in your heart, GO FOR IT! Me being on capitol hill is proof that ALL things are possible with God!

A good place to be

We still do not have results from Ava's tests. I will probably call them tomorrow. They said a week, and today was one week.

We have had several people ask me how we are doing. Honestly, great! I know that sounds horrible, but we really are! I hardly ever even think about it. At first, I thought it was because I was in denial, but truly I think I am just in a good place.

I am reading Just Enough Light for the Step I'm On by Stormie Omartian. She described it great in there. She says, "God sometimes allows things to get very dark in our lives in order to grow us up and teach us about Himself. And some things that we accomplish in the darkness cannot happen in any other setting....This is not the darkness of evil, which you can clearly sense. Or the darkness of our own disobedience, which we know in our hearts. This is a different kind of darkness, and God says there are treasures to be found there. "I will give you treasures of darkness and hidden riches f secret places, that you may know that I, the Lord, who calls you by your name, am the God if Israel." Isaiah 45:3

This is how I feel. There is just a weird sense of calm..unexplainable peace and almost an excitement to see what God is going to do. I have had a really hard time with trusting God and believing He is good since I came home from Sierra Leone with out Eden. However, in this situation with Ava, I have total trust...not in an outcome (that the tests are all negative), but in God! Really just an unexplainable peace and joy. It is a good place to be!

Had to go!

Ok, while I am in the mood for the beach, that beach background was too bright even for me! :) So went with something a little more "me"! Red, white and blue are the colors of American and Liberia, and I love both lands...if we can just get freedom to truly ring in Liberia.......

Today

"So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." ~Matthew 6:34

John took Ava to get her blood work done early this morning. He took her yesterday, but no one had told us she had to fast for 12 hours, so they went back this morning. That is done.

We were even able to get the "pee in a cup"! You got to love doing that with a three year old! They even gave us little bags that 'attach' to her to try to collect it. OK, I know, TMI!

Tests are officially done, now we wait. Not sure how to really wait for something like this, but I figure there is no use worrying about what we don't even know what we are worrying about! All tests could come back totally normal or just a dietary issue that requires some adjustments in our diet and physical/occupational therapy. I am learning everything in life is relative! That might have sounded horrible in days past, but when you stare a terminal illness in the face for your child, diet and therapy send you dancing in the streets!

I have lots of peace today. Probably because I have SO MUCH to get done over the next two weeks personally and agency wise that it is easy to keep my mind distracted! Plus, I just keep thinking that if Ava had been the last child instead of the first to go in for the well-visit, we wouldn't have known any of this until the end of July! So for at least a little while I can put it to the back of my mind and go on with life as usual.

So for today, with all we can do for now done, I will not worry about tomorrow...today has enough to do on its own!

It's MRSA and they are cutting it out.....I think she may have a mild form of muscular dystrophy

It's MRSA and they are cutting it out.....I think she may have a mild form of muscular dystrophy

These are the words that I heard/read with in an hour of each other.

John was out of town on business. He had a spot on his leg that was really hurting him that we thought was just an inflamed hair follicle. But with in 24 hours, he was running 101 fever, had chills and couldn't walk from the pain in his leg. So on my way to Ava's 3 year well check he texts me and says, "doc thinks its mersa, cutting it out." His phone was off, so that was all I knew. I am getting out of the car to take the kids in to the pediatrician for Ava's well check trying to figure out how I am going to get to Fredericksburg as my husband is probably being admitted to the hospital!

After the doctor examines Ava and asks many questions, he says, 'I think she may have a mild form of muscular dystrophy." Not really sure what all he said after that. He said a lot, I asked questions, but my brain was still trying to wrap itself around what he had just said while I was hearing the rest of the explanation. I remember bits and pieces as I talk about it with family members, but just not sure.

Go to the car in a slight fog. John calls and he is better. After they removed a boil half the size of his fist full of infection from his leg, he is feeling slightly better (that was before the pain of having a boil half the size of his fist cut out of his leg hit!). I share the news of Ava with him. At this point being brave isn't that hard because I'm not really even understanding what I am telling him.

Ava has been a special blessing in my life. All my children are wonderful, don't get my wrong! But Ava came unexpectedly right after we lost Addy and while we were waiting for the outcome of the visa for Eden. I did a 100 word testimony on her at Stonegate. Basically, little Ava was my promise and hope that life would go on despite all the heartache of the years preceding her birth in the area of children and parenting! She is my laid back child, my joy-filled child, my little girl who can re-energize me with a game of tickles when I have had an exhausting day!

To hear that she may have an illness that could shorten her life (he assured me it wouldn't, but all research on muscular dystrophy says otherwise, and he tends to NOT tell me things before a diagnosis as we have learned in a couple of other instances!) has taken me through every emotion known to woman!

Shock was first. It takes awhile for something like that to soak in. I really can't say that fear even surfaced until the next day. That first day was just shock. Trying to really understand what we might be dealing with considering the very little bit of information we had. But the next day, well, when I finally took a shower after noon, the tears started and just as I figured, once they started, I couldn't get them to stop! What do I KNOW? I KNOW:

• God is in control and this is no surprise to Him;
• Ava is fearfully and wonderfully made NO MATTER what the outcome of the test results are;
• I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength;
• watching my child struggle will be hard;
• knowing my child has an illness that might cause her difficulty and keep her from doing everything she might ever want to do makes my heart hurt;
• there will be days when a diagnosis will not matter and there will be days when a bad diagnosis will seem like the end of the world;
• God will never leave me nor forsake me as I walk this journey;
• Someone else giving me these churchy answers who has never walked this path on a bad day will make me really angry (right or wrong, that is a fact!);
• parents have received much worse news than that their child might have a muscular issue.
• God loves her more than I EVER could and will use whatever the outcome is for His glory
• I have friends like Lacy who deal with special needs children every day and have made me aware of the precious children behind those words, "special needs". Lacy, I have thought a lot about you the last two days! You are my hero! Little Miss Autumn is just too precious!

The blood tests have been ordered and will be drawn tomorrow. They will be sent to Mayo Clinic and we will wait. I have always said in major life issues that the unknown is the hardest thing. I'm not so sure that is true this time. As long as I don't know, there is still hope that all the little indicators that makes the doctor think we might have a problem are just coincidence. So not knowing just might be ok this time!

If you think of it, will you say a prayer for my sweet girl that all is normal....well at least as normal as any Petree can be?! Thanks!

Church Blog

Our church, Mid-Cities is starting a blog to hopefully have lots of discussion on the study of Acts. I was supposed to blog June 28, but we will be in DC that week, so they switched me to today which made me the first blogger! A little nerve racking, but I love to start conversations about scripture, so it was fun! The hardest part was keeping it to 300 words...not just hard, impossible! So I went to 400! :)

If you want to follow and contribute to our study of Acts, go here!

Update

I posted here about two needs in Liberia. The first was Matthew, little boy in desperate need of medical attention. I am happy to report that because of your prayers and generosity, Matthew's medical costs are met for now. He is currently too weak to travel, so please pray that he will be strengthened for the trip in order to have the surgery. Also, pray for wisdom for all of us working and making decisions right now on Matthew's behalf.

The news on the other need is not so good. I have $140 toward the chain saw. That is a great start! However, we received word last week that one of the little boys living in the home with out a roof died. He was 2 and a half years old. His name is Swen. He died from what they called a "cold illness". My heart is broken! No matter how many we help, there will always be some who die! Can you help us cover the other children before more fall to Swen's fate? If you can help us, go to www.addyshope.com for donatioan information.

Thank you for your support and your prayers!

New Blog Look...

Can you tell I am longing for the beach???!!!

John Piper

Pride is more fatal than death. ~John Piper
Read his wonderful thoughts on fame and Christianity here.

They Need YOU!

Please go to our website and read about two desperate needs! One is for this little boy who needs medical treatment not available in Liberia. His name is Matthew!

He has taught me that I could adopt special needs kids when I am not traveling internationally! I love this little boy! He will die with out medical treatment! You can read more about his amazing story and how you can help here.

The other need is for these children! They live in Grand Kru. They are children without parents or a roof! The building you see is the one they live in, but it has no roof! All that is needed to complete the building is a chainsaw! Go here to read more about how you can help!

Please prayerfully consider these two needs. I have talked to countless ministries and all of us are struggling right now! Children are going hungry because people are not giving like they should! I don't want to get preachy here, but please consider giving of even just a little of the surplus God has given those of us here in America and trust God to take care of your tomorrow!

And if money is too tight to give even a dollar, then please pray that God would raise up those with money sitting in a bank to provide for His children! Thank you in advance for hearing this plea and answering the call!

Great Quote

"We are such wimps - really, we are. Living in a sophisticated developed country where life is full of comfort and conveniences has weakened our character and our resolve. We often look for the easy way out of challenging situations and even pride ourselves on doing the minimum required - just enough to get by. Discipline, sacrifice, cost - these are not popular concepts."
Kay Warren in Dangerous Surrender