Face of Grace

A few weeks ago I was asked to take pictures for a birthday party. I'm not in the birthday party business of taking photos anymore but for this person, I was going to make an exception.

Lauren is someone I have known probably since middle school. We went to the same church for awhile and attended the yearly Gatlinburg youth retreats. She hosted several events at her house where I remember we were amazed she had a indoor tanning bed that everyone wanted! Through Facebook I've been able to keep up with Lauren, and more so since she got married and was pregnant with Fenley having more in common.

Last year I got a text from Lauren while I was at Northpark Mall letting the girls play and having lunch. I'm not a texter so I decided when I left I would just give her a call. Little did I know that phone call was going to have me back to praying for supernatural miracles.Through the tears, Lauren begins to tell me about her pregnancy with her precious son, Wills. My heart broke for her and all I think to do was to pray for her in that moment. So driving down the road with Natalie talking, I'm trying to muster up a prayer, the promises of God. One of the promises being, Malachi 3:10,11 "And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field." "Casting your fruit before its time" refers, of course to a miscarriage. After we hung up all I could do was go home and remember God's word over this pregnancy for Lauren. I knew God didn't give Lauren my name as a contact about just photos, but God knows where my heart stands when having faith in an almighty God.

Lauren went on and gave birth to a beautiful baby boy! Praise the Lord! She did not cast her fruit before its time. I continued to pray for a supernatural miracle, for Wills to be made whole and healthy and to live a long life. Sadly Wills left this earth 15 days after entering. Lauren blogs about her walk with God through this at http://fourbowies.blogspot.com/ if you want to read her journey and read how God is continuing to walk her through this world with a different set of eyes.

So she turned 30 and wanted me to capture this 30th birthday. It was filled with the people she loved and knew her well. They gave wonderful toasts to Lauren's life and shared memories over the years with Lauren. It was wonderful to hear. Lauren thanked everyone and reminded everyone that when she was pregnant she was imaging having her Wills with her on this big 30th birthday. It struck a nerve with me as I was reminded of my lost the pregnancy before Natalie which ended after Christmas and just 2 days before my 26th bday. It is obvious that the joy of the Lord has been Lauren's strength through all of this. Happy 30th Lauren - to many more marvelous years!

The 4 Leaf Clover

Right before Christmas I had a few heart episodes that had me raising my eyebrows. I figured it was time to maybe check it out. Being the day before Christmas Eve it was ghost town to the say least and everyone was out of town. I met with an on call Dr from the heart transplant team and he reassured me all was well but after Christmas to come back for an echo to check things out. He made an appointment in pediatrics - that baby center. (God's at work).

Arrived on the 26th at pediatrics echo room only to be greeted by a very familiar face. Mrs Alex! Well, it's funny to call her Mrs. Alex. You are assuming an older lady. No no no - she's my age and married. We were in school together since elementary. It was great seeing a familiar face but I'm sure she wasn't expecting to see me. I had the echo done and she got to listen in on all the wonderful things about my lovely heart that God has given. We left the appointment knowing I was right where I needed to be and all hooked up to a heart halter. I've a got a new Dr., I've learned I always needed to be with the pediatric group considering my stuff was done back in my baby days. The term heart transplant was back on the table too. 

I got a message a few hours later from Alex informing me to pick up something from the front desk the next day when I return my monitor. I did exactly that! It was a tiny little card the read, "open carefully" on the back. 

"Open Carefully"

Jana, 

- Don't ask me how I remember this - When we were in elementary school, we went on a school field trip to the Ag museum. I found a 4 leaf clover on this trip & you asked me if you could have it. I was being a bratty kid & said no. I went home, pressed it in a book & some how still own this book with the 4 leaf clover. 

I figured now was a good as a time as any to give it you. I know that this journey you are on is entirely in God's hands, but it never hurts to have a little bit of luck on your side. 

Hoping the Best, 

Alex

Wow

I was in tears, my husband in tears. I kept thinking how special is this? How awesome is God! I wanted to write her back immediately. I started my message to her about 4 times before I knew exactly what to say. 

Alex, 

Words can't describe the feeling I felt when reading your card and the story behind the 4
leaf clover. It brought me to tears and was confirmation to myself that God knows what He is doing and to trust in Him. Putting you in my path during this time and reminding you of this clover is not a coincident but something I believe God had planned from the moment you decided to keep it. Now was the time for me to receive it, in His timing not our owns. Thank you for giving up your special clover! I'll take great care of it! 

Love & blessings, 

 Jana

Update

After the monitor, I met with my new Dr. After he reviewed everything he says I can keep my heart! Praise the Lord!! I'm going to be receiving a pacemaker very soon! Well, not a pacemaker but An implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) that will react if at anytime my heart needs some help. I keep seeing God at every corner of this journey reminding me of His faithfulness and love for me. God loves us! He truly does.  

Good Bye 20s...

Only a couple of hours away before I'm celebrating my 30th birthday with my favorite people. As I reflect on the past 30 years of my life, I can only give God all the praise and glory that He is so worthy of. I've lived a blessed life with amazing friends, great stewards and lots of love.

I'm not a glamorous girl, I'm pretty simple. My friends may argue that one on me, ha but seriously, the little things in life mean the most to me. I'm going to attempt to list highlights of my 20s.

Highlights of my 20s:
20 - in college I met Marcos. God showed me he was the one by some of Marcos' 1st few English words. They were; "I love Jesus", "Do you go to Church" & "I'm not Catholic" (haha - just a joke for my Catholic friends). Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 2 Corinthians 6:14
21 - celebrated my 21st birthday in Brazil. God really broke me during this season as I was already involved in the basketball coach, Coach Barnes' wife's Tuesday night prayer group. It was a very intense group of women where we clothed ourselves in prayer shawls and cried out to the Lord. It was such an anointed time. When I in Brazil I was exposed to a very broken and poverty stricken areas that had me praying for people on the side of the streets. "He himself bore our sins" in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; "by his wounds you have been healed." 1 Peter 2:24
22 - graduated college & my dad was really sick. We got together one evening with Brittany & Ramsey Bell where I was filled with the Holy Spirit and received the gift of tongues. God opened my eyes during this time to the "supernatural" realm. "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Ephesians 6:12
23 - married Marcos in Disney World. My dad gotten worse with his sickness and many people were wanting me to change my wedding date. I believed God that my dad would dance with me at my wedding and guess what? He did! Praise God! My daddy ended up getting better that year. "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13
24 - got a puppy, Sophia & traveled to Greece.  The Lord taught us patience during this season, bc with Sophia she was tearing up our house! Also, being married we were learning a new level of patience. "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud." 1 Corinthians 13:4
25 - struggled getting pregnant. We had decided to start a family but that was becoming impossible. With many rounds of clomid &. then femara and lots of prayers, we finally go a positive! My blog back in the day talks about this. During this time my verse was "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." 2 Corinthians 10:5. 
26 - my aunt Lisa dies & Natalie arrived! "I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him." 1 Samuel 1:27
27 - my daddy dies. It was soon after Natalie's 1st birthday in June things got worse with my dad. Our believers were standing with us believing in a miracle. That miracle never came the way we wanted it but the celebration service my daddy left behind was something that impacted everyone who came.  His legacy was Matthew 25:36 and a reminder to me why I am here: "For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me."
28 - pregnant with Gabriela / and she arrives. This is just a plain out miracle and reminder from God to me that He is faithful. Drs were concerned if I got pregnant my heart wouldn't be able to take it. I was sent to a Maternal fetal Dr who was going to make the call where I could go on meds to get preggo or not. Guess what? I got pregnant April and went to his appointment in June. :) He was shocked and needless to say even brought up the word Abortion to me. I told him, "No way, wasn't' even considering it and that it was the greatest thing since ranch on spaghetti and ketchup on Mac&Cheese. I'm not really sure on a verse for that year. I just kept singing, "Jesus loves me this I know!" God continued by my side up to the delivery when Gabriela turned and I delivered her BREACHED! Yeah baby! Breached! Because I believed God for a perfect delivery - no Csection. He knew my heart and I turned towards him in that moment.
29 -  I was told I needed a Heart transplant. :) Yes, you heard that right. It was really hard to hear. But then God reminded me of Gabriela, my messenger! Trust in the Lord. I called a dear friend, Mayaba Choonga, and her words brought me peace. She says, "Jana, the Lord says, It is well!" It is well..." Praise God, it is well! This last year in my 20s has been nothing short but marvelous (in Lauren's words). "For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God." Psalm 86:10

I'm looking forward to tomorrow - the Big 3-Oh! And I expect God to show up and show out in my 30s in a BIG way! For I believe in a miracle working God! A Great God and greatly to be Praised!