Daniel 1.4- God has written a story

I'm going to start this post a little differently. I want to share something that has been on my heart for a long time. Have you ever had a time when the Lord has spoken to you? Put something on your heart and in your mind that you know is from Him.
He has written a story on my heart. It is not a story I would have ever written, but He is the Author and Finisher of our faith. His ways are perfect. I have prayed and prayed for a long time over this...shed tear after tear. And have heard Him clearly say that what I know in my heart is from Him and He will sustain us through all.
The past several days, the pages are beginning to turn. And as they do, I have been sharing them. There are still many pages left and as they unfold, I share more. As Daniel has been going through this trial, the Lord has so tenderly and graciously laid the same things on his heart. I can't begin to tell (although I am writing it all down in a notebook) the number of things we never talked about but have both known. From the tiniest details to the larger ones.
Oh, the Lord is so gracious, so loving, so merciful, so faithful, and as we stand on the Rock that never trembles, we are sheltered under His wings and have the peace that truly passes all understanding. Has this time shaken our faith? I can honestly from the bottom of my heart say not a bit. It is not us...it is Him. In fact, our faith is growing by leaps and bounds, our hearts are closer to Him and each other than we ever imagined possible, and we know His love and presence like never before.

The Lord's hand was again through every thing today. Brother Humberto arrived at our house early in the morning to take us to La Paz. As we traveled, my heart began to ache thinking of the day ahead; the tears began to flow; and I began to pray. I specifically asked the Lord to clearly direct every single little detail...to let us know what to do. Oh how He answered!

We assumed we'd get to the hospital, they'd admit Daniel, Brother Humberto would go back home, and later they'd do the surgery. When we got to the hospital, they told us that the other hospital had never called to make the arrangements and we'd have to return at a later date.

I have to say this...Brother Humberto is a pastor in the town where Daniel was first hospitalized. Year ago, he had cancer. La Paz is a big city and we don't know where anything is. Brother Humberto took the reigns so to speak and we just followed. He did all the talking (we didn't know what we were doing). We walked from this building to that. Finally, he got us an appointment at another hospital for the CT scan. After the scan, he tried to get Daniel an appt. to see the surgeon at the first hospital, but he couldn't. We had less than an hour to get to a bank to get some money and to get to the appt.

When we arrived at the other hospital and walked in, our hearts were calmed. This hospital was so clean, the staff and doctors were so understanding, professional and kind. They have Daniel 2 big cups of juice with dye he had to drink. He hasn't been able to eat or drink anything but small sips of water for days, and he was told if he threw up, he'd have to try again. The solution was sour. He asked me to pray...I was happy to bow my head and ask the Lord to help him be able to drink it as I was having a hard time seeing him trying. When I looked back up, he had almost finished and was able to keep everything down!

The CT doctor did the scan, said that there was something in the gallbladder, but he was sure it would be fine. He said it was this or that. Though we wanted to relax in that hope, we both knew he wasn't right. We went to the Oncologist...Dr. Napoleon Rodriguez. He went through all the studies and put up the scans. He was very concerned. He said the studies are not conclusive because the situation is complicated.

Yes, Daniel's gallbladder has a mass. But this should not cause him to be so very jaundiced. The CT scan also showed some spots on the liver. The doctor explained everything so patiently and well. He does not want to alarm, but did say tumors in the gallbladder are 98% of the time malignant and are very aggressive...we already knew the survival rate is less than 1%. But he said as Daniel is so very sick they need to opperate and 1) remove the gallbladder and even equally importantly 2) find out what is going on inside...it the liver involved and other areas.
The surgery will be about 3 hours depending on what they find when they get in there.

We have a great peace about this doctor. He will be doing the surgery tomorrow. We were blessed to be able to return home tonight around 7 pm, spend another evening with our children, and Daniel will be able to rest once more in our own bed.
Tomorrow, Brother Humberto will arrive here at 5 am in the morning. He will take Daniel back to the hospital for his blood work. They will admit him at 1 pm. In the meantime, Brother Humberto will take Daniel to Los Cabos (about 2 more hours south) to pick up Eliseo's passport which we may need soon. I will be here with the children for the morning and take the bus at 11 am to be with Daniel (should arrive around 2 pm). Josefina will be with the children and Hna. Meche, a dear older lady from our church, has been taking care of Eliseo. I will stay with Daniel and wait to hear the results from his surgery and then take the bus back home.
I will update once I get home.
The Lord has given so much peace...even as our hearts ache so much it hurts, we know our Lord and Savior suffered so much more for us. He knows, loves us, and will take care of us. Thank you for your prayers. I can't say it enough. We cry as we read the comments and emails. The Lord is so good.