Big News!

So big news!  We put a contract on a house!  It needs some love, but it is 1 story and I feel like I can't get into it fast enough.  And it is in the White Station school district so we can rest easy about Ann Carlyle starting kindergarten there in August.  We will be just a block from the elementary school and a block from Avon Park, which is just awesome.  We close at the end of the month and we are hoping to have our current house on the market in the next couple of weeks.  

We are so thankful and feel that God brought us to this 'new' house in His perfect timing - and at the same time, we are praying and trusting that God will bring some buyers in His perfect timing as well - hopefully soon!  We had done some research online and went to see 5 houses last Wednesday...we went back to see it Thursday morning and put our offer in the afternoon.  They accepted Friday!  

What an answer to prayer!  How wonderful that we didn't have to spend a month or 2 or 3 looking for a house, especially with the inventory of houses in Memphis being low right now.

So now we must sell our house.  Ya know, no biggie.  :) Please, please, please pray that God will bring a buyer just as quickly as He brought us the other house.  (Also pray for the inspection next Tuesday on the new house - that all will check out so we can move forward and close.)

As far as Milla is concerned, there is really nothing new to report.  We are still doing the diet - but still not seeing any benefit.  Last week, her doctor wanted us to keep on the diet just a little longer and we are hoping this week will be the end of it.  After communicating with his nurse today, we found out there is a possibility we will be able to get in to see him Wednesday - please pray that this happens!!!  As it stands, we have an appointment on August 11th, but there are so many things we want to discuss with him sooner than later.  We are going to go ahead and increase one of her meds a little bit to see if that helps.  Please pray for the side effects to be mild.  This is the Onfi medication we are increasing - which makes her have screaming fits and tremors.  Her tremors are already pretty significant, especially when she is doing a fine motor activity such as eating, puzzles, etc.

Please also pray that we will either see a significant benefit to the diet so that we would know we need to continue or that we will get the go-ahead to wean her back to a normal diet.  It continues to be so stressful on everyone and added to that, we are concerned that Milla eats the exact same thing every single day (and basically the same thing every meal and snack) - this has been the case for 5 weeks now.

Please pray for adequate time for us to prepare our house to be sold - and that we will be ready to list it within the next couple of weeks.  Thankfully there is not much to do - the most time consuming thing will be packing up and decluttering.  And of course, keeping the house neat for showings will be quite the challenge with 3 little girls running around with a combined attention span of 90 seconds.

I felt so profoundly loved yesterday at church as we were singing "In Christ Alone."  Here is the first verse (but I'm including the whole song at the bottom of the email because it is just so beautiful and assuring):

In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
this Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
when fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
here in the love of Christ I stand.

So thankful this week for His streams of mercy that are never ceasing.  Thank you for continuing to care for us by bringing us meals, helping with the girls, picking up things from the grocery store, loving us, asking how we are doing, listening, making sure we remember that we are not alone in this.  

Much, much love to you!

Dana

PS - If anyone is interested, our house is a 4 bedroom, 3 bath bungalow style house in the Evergreen Historic District in Midtown...1 block from Snowden Elementary School and just 3 blocks from the zoo - you can also easily walk to Levitt Shell, Overton Park (with the awesome Rainbow Park Playground and dog park), Brooks Museum, etc.  It's a great neighborhood!!  Also, you will have a front row seat to things like the St. Jude Marathon!  We will miss so much about this house and neighborhood!!!

In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
this Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
when fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone! who took on flesh
Fulness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones he came to save:
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied -
For every sin on Him was laid;
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain:
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave he rose again!
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine -
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath.
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.