Testify

I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am a Mormon. I have Utah pioneer ancestry- you know, the ones in the history books that walked and pushed hand carts all the way to Utah- on my Dad's side and my mom's parents were Southern pioneers. I have been a faithful member of this church my entire life, but there was a point when I could no longer rely on my parent's and other's faith and testimony. I had to KNOW for myself. I do KNOW. I Know God lives. I know He loves me. He hears my prayers and He answers them. He sent His Son to this earth to be the Savior of mankind. He lived a perfect life. He healed the sick; He gave sight to the blind; He touched hearts and changed lives. He Atoned for every sin for every person and suffered a cruel, unthinkable death being nailed to a cross in his palms, wrists, feet and a spear wound in His side. But He conquered death and He lives. Jesus Christ is my personal Savior. I am a child of a loving Heavenly Father. He is a real part of my life. I live in a wonderful, closeknit, church going community where I can testify and witness with my friends and neighbors without fear or embarassment. As I witness and share what I know, my faith in the Lord is strengthened. I am thankful for the wonderful associations and friends our family has in our town. My children have been and are taught by some of the most faithful, dedicated Christians I know. So many local churches have Ella and our family on their prayer rolls. Her name is on several of our churches temple rolls. Many have fasted on her behalf. I know special Jewish prayers have been taken to synagogue for her. The mother of a friend of mine made her a pink and white rosary. I am touched by the faith and testimony of so many friends of different faiths and beliefs. Our family kneels each night in family prayer to thank our Father in Heaven for all we have and ask for special blessings we need. I know He hears our prayers. We feel like we are in a modern day miracle with our precious Ella. It's scary, at times, but exciting. It takes faith to turn it all over to the Lord, but that is how we are getting through this. It is my witness that we are children of a loving Heavenly Father. He sent His Son to save us. He Lives. I testify of this with all my heart. It is my wish that we will all dig a little deeper and testify of what we KNOW. If there is fear there, He will bear us up. He will strengthen us and those that are testifying will be edified as they share their witness. Last night at Wal Mart while getting a small piece of flannel cut to make a small "lovey" for Ella, I shared with the girls at the counter what I know. They responded back that they would pray for us. I love to testify of my Savior and especially this miracle we are a part of. May the Lord be with each of you and bless you all.
UPDATES on our miracle girl: yesterday, Nov. 7, she was almost put back on the ventilator due to many apnic episodes. Her dr. decided to ride it out, upping her caffeine and monitoring her closely. By evening, she was doing much better. Because of this, I have not been able to hold her. I held her last Sunday for the first time, and again on Wednesday. She is up to 1 lb. 12 oz. She is receiving my milk through a feeding tube (4cc- almost a teaspoon every 3 hours). She is tolerating it well so far, and making lots of poops and pee. She is considered by her nurses and resp. therapist to be very fiesty. We like it that way. She tries to shake the CPAP out of her nose and doesn't like being tightly wrapped. She gets her leg out every time. She was started on another antibiotic just in case she is developing an infection, which may be a factor with the apnea. Keep those prayers coming. We thank you all for you love, friendship and support.