Dare to Hope!

Steve pre-procedure, thumbs up as always...

Steve's procedure on Tuesday went very well, in fact he did not have to stay the night for observation. He was relieved at how skilled his doctors were at Scripps and how fast the procedure itself went (as opposed to last time's procedure). He is still recovering today as his body went through A LOT but as you can see above, he had a great attitude the whole time. Thanks for your prayers because we were greatly relieved at how much easier this procedure was than his last one. 

 Please pray for Dr Sanchez and his team as we will be meeting for a follow-up tomorrow and getting more results from the test. Please also pray for Steve's kidneys and overall recovery as he is already in a lot of pain on a daily basis that a procedure like this only exacerbates it. Hopefully we will get to update you as we receive our itinerary for the Mayo Clinic as we plan to head back in 4 days! 

After the procedure we were told that no masses were initially found which is great news. Steve and I felt a bit discouraged though and God firmly placed a few verses on our heart before and after his procedure that we want to share. Before heading off to the appointment at 4am God reminded us to 'dare to hope when we remember this: The faithful love of God never ends," Lamentations 3:21-22. As we left the hospital 8 hours later exhausted and fighting off discouragement God prompted us to praise Him for his faithful love and this verse puts into words what our hearts experienced, "Even though the fig tress have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren ; even though the flocks die in the fields and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation, " Habakkuk 3:17-18. Let's praise God for how good He is and even though we don't understand what He is doing and we don't see how He is going to work out all of these details for good, we trust in His unfailing love alone!

Love, Steve & Casey