say what?!

So if you are wondering what the heck these ugly diseases are that my precious husband has....I have a few answers. I encourage you to NOT google these diseases (unless you don't love justin...in that case google away). Sweet friends told me NOT to google...and well I did...and well that was a mistake. Another friend told me that if I insist on looking things up...I should visit Mayo Clinic. So below I have listed just some very basic info on the 3 autoimmune diseases that have infected our lives.

We are taking this day by day...actually more like minute to minute. His next appointment is June 8th.

Did I mention that the rheumatologist told Justin to go play the lottery? He said having all 3 of these at this same time in one in a billion. great.

So here it is....

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disorder that most typically affects the small joints in your hands and feet. It affects the lining of your joints, causing a painful swelling that can eventually result in bone erosion and joint deformity. It is an autoimmune disorder and occurs when your immune system mistakenly attacks your own body's tissues. In addition to causing joint problems, rheumatoid arthritis can also affect your whole body with fevers and fatigue.

Systemic Sclerosis aka Scleroderma is a group of rare, progressive diseases that involve the hardening and tightening of the skin and connective tissues — the fibers that provide the framework and support for your body. Systemic scleroderma also harms internal organs, such as the heart, lungs, kidneys and digestive tract.

Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease that occurs when your body's immune system attacks your own tissues and organs. Inflammation caused by lupus can affect many different body systems, including your joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, heart and lungs.

forward march

Well...a new chapter in our life begins now. We start our battle today. We are humbled....we are sad...we are scared...we are vulnerable...we are angry...but we are prepared. God has given us great tools to fight this battle. Friendships...prayer...mentors...scripture...we are ready.

The outpouring of love and prayer and concern has been amazing. We are beyond blessed and thankful. The friendships that we have today are no accident. We have some great people to do nothing with...and thats just really what we feel like doing right this second :)

For those that may be lost....

Justin was diagnosed Wednesday with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Systemic Sclerosis. AND Lupus.

All stupid. All autoimmune. All without a cure. All painful. All stupid...wait did I already say that?

He has extreme pain and swelling inside and out.

He is my hero. He is positive and optimistic. He does not really want to talk about it. He is much less concerned about himself and extremely concerned about me and the boys.

Like I said...he is my hero.

We are not discussing this with Bryce right now. At some point there could possibly be changes in Justin's external appearance...at that time we would talk about this with him. For now his daddy is still his daddy.

We are headed for a long road of trial and error with medications.

Our great physician is in charge...and that's that.

Please pray for my heart...its a little broken right now.

Romans 8:35-39 says: “No trouble or hardship can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The past two days have been pretty yuck. I am scared of what is to come. I am tired. My stomach hurts. I don't want this for my husband. I don't want him to hurt. Our path has been beaten hard...we have overcome MANY things...this will be just another thing that we get through. Together.

I am so so thankful that I get to be Justin's wife. I am the one who gets to love on him each day. I am the one who gets to walk alongside him on good days and bad days. I will be his prayer warrior day and night. I love him UNCONDITIONALLY.

This all puts some things in perspective too.

Many of you know that I am pretty proactive in continuously learning to be the best wife for Justin. I love to study His word on marriage. I love it. But nothing quite puts things in actual order than something like this. I can see pretty clearly right now.

James 1:2 says that unshakable faith comes from faith that has been shaken...my faith has been shaken many times...can I get an amen?!

We will not cease in praying for Justin's COMPLETE healing.

Join me in this prayer for my amazing husband:

Father, in the Name of Jesus, we come together this day in agreement and confess Your Word concerning health and healing. As we do, we believe that Your Word will not return to You void, but it will accomplish what it says.

In the Name of Jesus, we of like mindedness and faith come together in agreement and believe that JUSTIN is healed according to I Peter 2:24. Your Word says that Jesus Himself took JUSTIN's infirmities and bore his sicknesses (Matthew 8:17). Therefore, with great boldness and confidence, we stand on the authority of Your Word and declare that JUSTIN is redeemed from the curse of sickness. JUSTIN will refuse to tolerate its symptoms.

Satan, we speak to you in Jesus' Name and we proclaim that your principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in heavenly places are bound from operating againstJUSTIN in any way. JUSTIN is loosed from your assignment. JUSTIN is the property of Almighty God and JUSTIN will give you no place in him. JUSTIN dwells in the secret place of the Most High God and JUSTIN abides under the shadow of the Almighty, whose power no foe can withstand.

Now, Father, we believe Your Word says that the angel of the Lord encamps round about JUSTIN and delivers JUSTIN from every evil work. No evil shall befall JUSTIN, and no plague or calamity shall come near him or his family. We confess that the Word abides in JUSTIN and it is life and medicine to his flesh. The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus operates in JUSTIN , making him free from the law of sin and death. We stand in agreement by prayer and hold fast to our confession of Your Word over JUSTIN,and that JUSTIN will stand immovable knowing that health and healing are his now, in Jesus' Name.

Father, we give you all the Praise and Glory now for healing JUSTIN in Jesus Name.

may!

lots of things happening around this joint!

here are some highlights!

1. Bryce graduated preschool! This is extremely sad for me. I know that he will do great in kindergarten and I KNOW that he is more than ready...but I am sad that he will not be all mine everyday. I am sad that I won't be friends with his teachers like I am now. I am sad that he will not learn about Jesus during the day. I am sad that kindergarten starts and before I know it...he will be applying for college. This is the beginning of the fast track to crazy town....the McElhannons are aboard!!

Thank goodness I still have two precious guys at FBC Preschool.

2. I got to be a part of an AMAZING event for my sweet friend Katie! The One Less 5k/3k was a HUGE success! I was so honored to witness God's perfect orchestration! The weather was PERFECT...the most fun people in the world were there...the park was beautiful...and the best part was the Fickey family gave God every bit of the glory!!
I cannot wait to see and help with future One Less Races!!



3. This mission trip is for real. I am in awe of how quickly it is happening! We leave in 33 days! YIKES! I have never been away from my kids for this long(7 days). I know they are going to be so loved on...but man it is going to be HARD! We are starting to plan crafts for VBS and skits and lessons that we will teach the sweet children. I cannot wait to love on those kids. I am already starting a list in my brain of what all needs to happen...three kids going three different places = a LOT of planning/packing. Here is where we are going:

4. My most precious dad in the world came in town and watched my boys for FOUR DAYS so I could go to a beach retreat with my preschool friends. I dont know how I got so lucky...but our Pop Pop ROCKS! Justin was here to help him at night and on Sunday...but the rest of the time he was on his own. The boys had such a fun time. They all 3 cried their faces off when we dropped him off at the airport.

Here are some pics of his time with the boys:

(eating jello...in diapers of course!)

My weekend away was so fulfilling! Our preschool director rented condos for us at Port Royale and filled our weekend with Bible Studies, lots of fellowship and plenty of pool time!
Here are some pics of that:

80's NIGHT!!!

beach fun!

5 and on...Amanda and Cade came for a visit from Houston! We had so much fun with them and were so excited about how relaxed they were around all of our crazies.
I hosted a baby shower for Amber...did I take any pictures? Nope. What a dummy.
We have got to have some great playdates and spend time with super fun friends.

I have already got to start celebrating my birthday! How cool is that??
We have started the PPCD evaluation process for Brody. I am 100 million percent giving that to God....so I am interested to see what His plan is. Next meeting is May 26th. We have definitely determined that he will NOT go full time...but we are leaving the door open for part time or even just therapy.
We have completed tball season! Our guys made it to the 3rd round of the tournament! Go Rattlers!! We were so blessed to have such an awesome coach and are hoping to be on his team in the future!
We are so looking forward to a super awesome summer....lots of fun planned so get ready for some cute pics!!