Trials and Victory

So, I completely forgot to blog for over a month. Oops. Anyway, what's been going on with us? Well, first is my health. I, Kristin, have been sick sporadically since Memorial Day weekend back in May. On average it's happened once every 7-10 days. Without getting too graphic it's an icky sick you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. It completely wipes me out and I tend to lose about 4 pounds per day when it happens. I gain most of it back, but sometimes my stomach shrinks and it doesn't all come back. It's been funny to hear peoples' comments when I see someone I haven't seen in a while. "Kristin, you look great! How much weight have you lost and what are you doing to lose it?" Well, let's just say after having 2 kids I'm back down to what I weighed the day I got married, and slowly getting close to my high school weight. I don't recommend this diet. It's miserable and food, at times, seems to be the enemy. I've been going to doctors about it for a few months now, and am excited that I will be having and Endoscopy/Colonoscopy done this coming Monday. It's the first step in figuring out what is causing all of this craziness. I think I'll be able to handle it better when we can nail down what we're dealing with.

Another hard and very sad thing that has happened is my best friend (who I actually consider my sister) lost her husband on August 7th. He was 28 years old. They were married for four years and she is now a widow at 28. They did not have any children. Right now I don't feel the need or desire to share the details of what happened. Cyberspace is huge and it's a very personal matter. Please just pray for her and his family. It is and will continue to be a VERY difficult time.

I look back on 2008 and know this is the hardest year of my life. Not only have I had these health issues and the loss of an extended family member, but in January I also lost my dad to complications of a stem cell transplant that he had done because he was diagnosed with a very rare form of Leukemia. I also had minor surgery back in February to remove my Lymphnode because it swelled up to the size of a golf ball. I was also having headaches, back aches, loss of appetite and some other symptoms. Came to find out all of that was caused by "Cat Scratch Fever." (Yes, it's a real illness, and also a very catchy song. Ted Nugent was running through my head for weeks.) On top of all this, we are planting a church from scratch.

Just for the record...Satan is VERY real and there is no doubt in my mind that spiritual warfare is happening all around my family. I'm not sure why, but I know my God is a mighty warrior and He will WIN! God sees the big picture, and while right now I feel beaten down, weak, and weary...God will use all of this for His glory and His purpose. He NEVER promised the Christian life would be easy (like so many Christians tell people, which REALLY gets on my nerves), but He did promise He would never leave me. As long as I keep turning to Him in my cofussion, anger (yes, I've shaken my fist at God with one hand, but kept a tight hold of Him at the same time with the other), and fear, then I know He will see me through. I'm His creation and He loves me more than I can even understand. What a comfort it is that He is walking with me through this tough journey. He's pretty nifty like that. :o)