What a week!

What a week!

The boys were off to China and the remaining 4 of us took our positions laying flat on the couches in the front room here at home.  All four of us were sick.  We stayed that way until Saturday morning when my sister, the doctor, came over to check us all out.  Then she gently said to me, "Get your sick butt off the couch to take your sick son to the hospital.  I am admitting him NOW."   I am the older sister and generally I like to tell her what to do....however, this time I followed.  ;)

 And so, room 4527 became me and Levi's home for the next 6 days.

Praise the Lord, all 3 Skipper boys in China were healthy and able to carry out their duties of going to get baby sister!

At 1:20am on Monday morning I was awaken in room 4527 with the best Face Time call ever.

Getting Abby had gone very smoothly and she was back in their motel room with them.

PRAISE THE LORD.

I will never forget that Face Time call.  

She took my breath away.  And my boys....my boys were soooo sweet and still with her.

 

She was very stoic and somber with them.

 

 Until they took her down for dinner....

 In the middle of dinner, Marc said, she suddenly emerged from her shell!

  

 And she has been pure joy ever since.

Funny, giggly, a teaser, sweet, smart, meticulous.  

She is INCREDIBLE.  And she IS a Skipper.  God is so amazing.

 

 They are having an absolute blast with her and everything is going so well for them over there!

Being in the hospital with them going through so much over in China (albeit all going so well) and having 2 sick sick sick kiddos at home that I could not take care of.....was really hard.

 But, the Lord provided me with some heroes that helped carry me through.  I felt so so so weak emotionally in the hospital, that truly, these heroes felt like God's love and presence in a real tangible way.

Hero number one.

My sister.

I will be frank.  If it wasn't for her, Levi could have died.  She is an INCREDIBLE doctor.  INCREDIBLE.  Not only was she incredible in the way she managed his care but she also gave me my only night away from the hospital to get a few hours solid sleep at home one night.

  

 Hero number two.

My mother.

 My mom stayed at our house and cared for my sick two girls the entire week.  

What a priceless gift!  She is a gem.

 Hero number three.

My oldest.

This girl is a servant.  She stayed with me the whole last day in the hospital and helped care for Levi.  And since coming home last night, she has continued to help me with him in every single way.  I woke up late this morning to her caring for Levi AND fresh warm banana bread coming out of the oven.  She's amazing.

 Heroes number four.

My friends.

They brought me coffee, treats, stayed with Levi so I could run home and shower, and most importantly, covered us in prayer and encouragement.  

Only silent tears of thankfulness is what I can say about them right now.......

I don't understand why all of this sickness and drama had to happen at this time.  But I do trust the Lord.  And I am in awe of how He showed up and loved me through it through my heroes!

 

 The boys have finished up in Abby's province and are safely in Guangzhou, where they will finish up their trip. 

 

 We are sooo thankful to be home from the hospital where we will all continue to heal from our sicknesses and begin to prepare to be a family of 8 in just seven short days!

 What a week!

To Thee,O LORD, I lift up my soul.

O my God, in Thee I trust.

Psalm 25:1