A Thanksgiving Post from Melissa

Hello. Melissa here. As I sit here in my downtown Indianapolis 'Riley condo' looking at my spectacular view of a brick wall, a slanted slate roof, and a construction site filled with orange flags and bare steel beams, I was reminded of the truths in Psalm 34:1-4: "I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt His name together. I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears." Today is Thanksgiving and just as the Pilgrims gave thanks years ago to the Almighty Creator God for all the things He had done for them, so I too offer up my praise to Him for all He is doing for us.

First, we are so thankful for God's comfort, grace, and healing power He has given to Myla. The doctors told me Wednesday Myla is handling her treatments "above average" than most. Myla is a smiley, happy bundle of joy and if you saw her apart from this hospital room, you'd never guess her bone marrow is wiped clean of good and bad cells after finishing 29 very strong chemo infusions. Despite having NO immune system, her mucusitis and severe diaper rash are clearing up. Up to this point, she has needed no pain medication, has continued nursing, and has gained weight (she is now a whopping 11 lbs. 3 oz.). God spared her life three times already by alerting us of air in her IV tube that developed below the computer sensors. The doctors told me that based on lab results thus far, the chemo is working as best as they can tell! This is absolutely God saying "yes" to the pleas for Myla from His people! The bone marrow aspiration done as she begins her second round of chemo treatments will tell them for sure if the first round of chemo worked to kill all the leukemia cells. Myla's greatest risk for infections and complications from the chemo therapy this round will come in these next few weeks as her body trys to recoup and rebuild her immune system. Round two will start a week after her immune system is about 50% recovered -- which should happen in about 4 to 6 weeks.

Second, we are so thankful for the sensitive hearts toward us. Literally thousands of people around the world are praying for Myla. We are overwhelmed by your outpouring of cards, emails, and well-wishes as well as your generosity shown through gift cards and goodies for Little Raul and me. We are amazed by folks who have told us they were prompted to pray for us even before they knew we had a "need" and we've been touched by many who have offered their bone marrow if Myla needs a transplant. God has used you all to encourage us!

These are two major ways we have seen God working in the details of our situation. Soon I will share more "insignificant" details (or blessings) that show us that God is working mightily on our behalf day by day. God many times chooses to not take away our trials but holds our hand THROUGH the trials. AND HE IS!

As you go throughout your Thanksgiving day, I hope you also see God's hand working in your situations because God does care about the tiny details in all of our lives (not just the major ones)! Happy Thanksgiving!