Cloud of Witnesses

As many of you know, Abi has been spiking temps routinely approximately every four weeks for the last several months. It came to a head while visiting Minnesota in June because she also was vomiting and got dehydrated thus potentially tripping up our planned flight back to Portland.  Since then, fever patterns have been tracked, blood has been drawn, a new pediatrician found and yada yada.

Yesterday I checked the calendar and knew we were due...our friend Kayla who's a CNA and off work for a few weeks picked Abi up this morning when her temp hit 102 at day school. They enjoyed a morning together at our house and we headed in for three vials of blood to be drawn for extensive tests.We had Hector the lab tech who I've heard from a couple pediatric offices to be sure to request. He had Abi chatting and telling him all about going to the zoo with a friend from day school... She cried for a couple minutes over the fear of the needle stick but not the pain as we'd been turned onto a topical anesthetic because of a RN mom friend from church.

This evening as I enjoy a quiet house, banana nutella bread is baking in the oven and Abi's temp (amazingly!) was down to 98.6 just before bed the meaning of Hebrews 12:1 hit me.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,

I don't know what's plaguing Abi's little body, I don't know why Steven is on shift or away every night Abi's fever spikes and she's delirious and nearly convulsing with shakes.  But I know that God knows the path marked out for our family and for Abi. If we shake off our doubts and earthly worries (hinders) it's easier to see He has surrounded us with amazing friends and people who've touched our hearts each step of our journey and the prayers of the "great cloud of witnesses" are being felt...