A couple of urgent prayer requests

 Hi friends,

Well, I spoke/wrote too soon in my last post. Gavin's tendon started to bother him more and more, so after a preaching a beautiful sermon at beautiful Mt. Hermon in Santa Cruz County, he received the much-needed surgery a week ago. The tendon was very angry and nasty-looking, and the surgeon anticipated its removal would bring much relief. Praise God, he was right about that, and thank God, the healing has been amazing! Gavin stumps around on a peg-leg of sorts or scoots along with a leg wheelchair and has even been going to work. He took only two days off. He was also weed-whacking the yard last night. This guy . . . ! He's dubbed himself "Peggy Stumpkin."

In harder medical news, a disc in my mom's spinal column ruptured so completely that she needs to have it removed. The extruded material is moving up her spinal column. We don't know what all this means, but we're just over 3 weeks from Isaac and Meagan's wedding, and I am asking for prayer that my mom will be able to make it! I also need the Lord to sustain me emotionally and mentally as I balance helping her during this time (meeting with surgeon tomorrow) while still running quints to therapies and schools and helping with homework and doing all the other daily household and life tasks that just keep needing to be done! Most of all, please pray for her pain relief and that she can get this surgery ASAP but still be there for the wedding, if it's the Lord's will. Anyone with knowledge on this sort of thing is welcome to email or message me! I am so out of my depth here.

EDIT: This posted an older version of the blog, not the one I wrote today. This was written a few days ago! The doctor appointment for my mom went really well, and we've decided to hold off on surgery until immediately after Isaac's wedding. Prayers now are for effective pain relief from a steroid shot and steroid pack that she'll take during the wedding weekend, and of course that she won't overdo and injure herself further.

I had also labeled and moved photos around, putting the surgery ones at the very bottom and the lovely ones of Isaac and Meagan and our time in the mountains earlier in the lineup! But all that work was lost due to connectivity issues, and Gavin posted this instead. I'm too tired and it's too late to fix it tonight. Sorry about that.

Some pictures before I go:

Marcie got bowled over by a big wave in the 46 degree Pacific!

The best part of being at Mt Hermon was having Marmi and Papa with us!! 💕

Gavin's very much appreciated peg-leg allows him to be quite mobile!

Enjoying the horses where the girls have their "horse camp"

The girls' Bible verse creations at horse camp

Warning! The three pictures following this one of Gavin below are from the surgery and are "medically graphic". Skip them if you are prone to queasiness.

Gavin's completely ruptured tendon

The tendon has been sown to one parallel to it - now one tendon is pulling two muscles in his calf!

All cut to size and ready to close up.

Post-op drowsiness

Isaac and Meagan working at the homeschool material distribution warehouse.

Fun in the California redwoods with banana slugs!

Less than three weeks until these two are wed!