Less than 24 Hours Until Surgery

I can't believe it is less than 24 hours before Rachel's surgery...and I am not freaking out!

No, instead I am choosing to believe that "nothing is too difficult" for the Lord (Jeremiah 32:27)

He asks, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" (Matthew 9:28). And our answer is, emphatically "Yes! Do it Lord! Do it Lord!"

So, on this day, less than 24 hours before surgery, there is joy and laughter and complete faith in the Faithful One who "is able to do immeasurable more than all we ask or imagine" (Ephesians 3:20).

Last night we were blessed to see Skillet, Decypher Down, and Hawk Nelson...from the 2nd row!

Here are a few (really they are a few out of over 300 that I took) pictures from our incredible night:

This is Jonathan Chu on the right. He is the incredible violinist from Skillet and one of Rachel's absolute favorites. We didn't get to meet them before the concert, it was only a Q & A session from 200 fans that were blessed with VIP tickets. Jonathan wasn't even at the session, but after the concert, just as we were leaving he came to center stage. Rachel said, "Jonathan, I love you! I am one of your friends on Facebook." He replied by asking her name and then came over and talked to her for a second. You can see her sweet face on the left (I didn't have my wide angle lens on at the time). It was a moment to remember....a moment of favor from the Lord.

There he is talking to her!

Jen was awesome on the drums and what a testimony she has!



She is looking right at us!

Jonathan!

John Cooper

(This morning we were talking about the concert and how we were so close that it looked like they were looking right at us at times. Mr. Incredible commented that "John really liked singing to him." And we all burst out laughing!

Kory is quite an entertainer!

Ben!

Hannah got to meet the lead singer from Decypher down!

The guys from Hawk Nelson were awesome too!

He smiled and pointed at Hannah when he saw her in her Hawk Nelson t-shirt and sunglasses.

The drummer from Decypher down threw his guitar pick to Rachel!

Mr. Incredible would like to have this guy's hair!

A picture from the Q & A Session.

The concert was amazing. We have never been more thankful to have ear plugs though...yes, I know that makes me sound old...but they really saved Rachel's headache.

The girls grinned from ear to ear all night. It was a night to remember...a night filled with God's grace (I Peter 5:10) who is the giver of all good gifts....who loves us enough to fill our hearts with sheer delight...just in His perfect timing.

We meet with the Anesthesiologist this afternoon, get our final surgery instructions, and then we are headed to Rachel's favorite restaurant with family.

Thank you for your continued prayers for us. While you are praying, please remember:

- a girl named Autumn who is just a few years younger than Rachel and was recently diagnosed with Lupus and has an enlarged heart valve.

-Debra who will be admitted to the Mayo Clinic tomorrow.

I'll try to post specific requests for Rachel tonight or early in the morning. For now, we are off to grab something to eat and "stay busy" as Rachel says.