His name is El Shaddei, Jehovah Jireh...

It is now day three of Sonia's and my trip to Miami Children's Hospital in Miami, Florida.

The travels went well, with Sonia capturing the attention of many people along the way, from the people we stood by in line, to security at the airport, to the flight attendant... everywhere we went, she seemed to brings smiles to faces and exclamations of 'awww, she's so cute!' we made it through both airports without incident, and met the Gemmens outside the arrivals door.

we had a good evening and night at the Gemman's home, and then on tuesday morning Lisa, Sonia and I prepared to go to the hospital to have a docotor's appointment for a look at the swelling in her leg, and to have an echocardiogram.  because there was a chance she would need to be sedated during the echocardiogram, she wasn't able to eat anything after 8:00 am. she did surprisingly well till her appointment at 3:00, all things considered!

i could go into detail about everything we did yesterday, but that would take too long. the short story is that, because of the swelling in her foot (the cause of which is yet being determined), sonia will not be having surgery this week as was initally planned. there has really not been anything easy about this whole medical visa, but i guess i'd hoped that things would go as planned once we got here, even though i knew they probably wouldn't. we don't know when she'll be able to have surgery now, but it could be a couple weeks. i ask you all to pray for Sonia, myself, and everyone else involved in her treatment! i believe that prayer is very powerful, and that God, Jehovah Jireh, our provider, can bring healing to Sonia's little body in ways that no one could imagine. His will may be different than what we ask, but i believe that in the end, His plans are always perfect, even if the purpose is unclear.

yesterday we met so many people. doctors, nurses, and other personnelle who have been influential in getting Sonia here. People whose names i can't remember because i'm horrible with names, but who have played important rolls in sonia's life already. It's a little overwhelming to see just how many people have been rooting for her! She's really quite popular around here!

Yesterday concluded with Sonia being admitted to the hospital for observation and treatment of her leg. she was able to have her echocardiogram without sedation, and lay still throughout the whole thing, thank God! At about 7:00 she went to have an ultrasound done on her feet. By then she had been poked, prodded, moved, and had so many naps interrupted, that she had just about had it. she was not happy with the proceedure, but once she was done, she fell asleep.

last night i slept beside her bed on a pull-out hospital chair. not the most comfortable thing to sleep on, but it worked, and i did get some sleep. I'm glad i could be there for Sonia, as she'd been through so much already. i think it was good for her to wake up to a familiar face.

yesterday was somewhat overwhelming with so much happening and changing, but by the end of the day, before i went to bed, i realized once again that God is always present, always caring, and  always ready with bucketfulls of peace, wisdome, and strength if i just ask. He is El Shaddai, my supplier. and He is Jehovah Jireh, my provider. Sonia could not be in better hands. Not only is she in the hands of some of the best doctors and surgeuns around, she is most importantly in the hands of God. There's no better place to be! :-)

Today Sonia has an MRI appointment. Other than that, the day is yet unknown. we take it an hour and a day at a time. And God will be with us through it all! :-)