Thanks

We just wanted to take a moment to give a huge "Thank You" to everyone who has helped, prayed, emailed, posted comments, called, texted & spread the word about Ella.  We haven't necessarily been able to respond to all the comments & emails, so we hope this can be a nice little blanket response. :)  We read them as they come in daily and are encouraged, warmed & often brought to tears reading them.  Our spirits are always lifted when we hear from you & we thank God for each & every one of you.  We are tremendously grateful!

The other morning we were reading a passage from 2nd Corinthians in the Bible (we pasted it below).  I'm sure that the situation the apostle Paul was in was much more dire than ours, but it is amazing how perfectly this passage translates to our family right now.  The way we have had a community of people surround us during this time has been so amazing and we feel a true extension of the unfathomable love of Christ.  I hope you are comforted & encouraged as you read this, just as we are...

^"3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. ⁵ For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. ⁶ If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. ⁷ And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

 ⁸ We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. ⁹ Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. ¹⁰ He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, ¹¹ as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many."

Thank you for sharing in our sufferings and our joys.  And for continuing to pray that we might rely not on ourselves, but on God & his power.  

P.S.  We will update you as we receive any news about Ella's echogram, which is scheduled for today.  Keep praying!

-Erik & Christa