Prayers are needed, please...

This may be too much information for most of you, it's about our struggle to have a child, so rather than have some of you tell me afterwards "that was a little too much information, thanks", I'm warning you now so you can move along if you so choose.

I posted an update for our home group on our group website through the church's site, and decided to copy and paste it here, tweaking it so it's not addressing them and making it easier for you all to read.

Sunday night we had a fellowship gathering, no kids, and that was a first. We addressed a lot of things about reaching out and helping those around us (the Chin refugees, sick neighbors, etc). But at the end, our home group leaders (Jake and Laurel) had us sit down in the middle of the group and they all placed their hands on our shoulders and they prayed out loud for our struggle. It was so moving, and it really let us know that others really DO care about this, and are constantly praying for us. I say it all the time, but I praise the Lord that He brought us to the Ewings' group. They check in almost daily lately to see how appointments have gone and ask what they can be praying for in this whole thing.

Any prayers we can get for this would be greatly appreciated. I'm going to just transfer what I put in my other post, so here you go:

Good morning, everyone.

I wanted to take a quick moment this morning to give you guys an update from Andrew's doctor visit yesterday. The doctor let him know what his test results were: his sperm count is low, there is low motility, and there is some morphology (we are still a little confused as to what extent, but it means that part of his count is misshapen, making fertilization not possible with the affected count).

The doctor he saw was not the one who examined the lab results, so he's ordered another test for Andrew on April 27th, and he also wants a blood test (done yesterday) to determine Andrew's testosterone levels and such to see if medications are an option.

So basically: we still don't know a whole lot. The doctor didn't try to sugar coat anything and give false hope, but he didn't take AWAY the hope, either. Apparently there is still a chance that Andrew is completely infertile, the doctor is hoping to figure that out. At the moment, it seems there is a chance we could conceive, but based on Andrew's numbers from the first round of tests, it will be very difficult. There are options (IVF, etc) open to us down the road, of course, but those are costly and invasive. We would never rule any of it out, but we are hoping Andrew will be able to take medicine to boost the count and motility. Unfortunately there's nothing to be done about the morphology, but if that is the only obstacle then we would be in pretty good shape.

We were overwhelmed on Sunday by the outpouring of love from the group. I praise the Lord almost daily for guiding us to Jake and Laurel's table at Group Connect in January. It was His will that we were drawn there and selected to be a part of the group. Andrew and I are constantly saying how blessed we are to have them in our lives. I've been so focused on what the Lord is NOT doing in my life (i.e., getting pregnant), that I haven't really realized just how much He has done for me and Andrew. Moving to Corinth wasn't on our radar when we were looking at houses, and yet our realtor brought up that listing on a whim and we knew the second we walked into the house that we wanted to live there. Moving up there ultimately brought us to The Village, and to this group.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." I came across this verse this morning in Jeremiah 29:11, and it really stood out to me. I know that He has a plan for Andrew and I, and that He loves us. I don't feel like I'm being punished anymore, but I have to admit that was a tough idea to shake from my head. I just don't understand, and I was trying SO HARD to understand the "why". I am learning to let go of trying to know everything about it. I just have to have faith. Laurel pointed out to me this morning that while scientifically things may seem bleak, nothing is impossible with the Lord. That is exactly what I read in Matthew 19:26 this morning as well…"But Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'" Having the group here to be our support system is definitely the work of the Lord, and we give thanks for His love and for them. I still can get very sad about the way things are at the moment, but I'm seeking the Lord constantly everyday for patience and strength. Andrew's been such a strong rock through this, and we certainly are growing together in this situation the Lord has provided. Outside of the Lord and Andrew, I really only had my sister for encouragement. But our group has been so warm and loving and full of verses for me to turn to so I can see the Lord's love for me. And Sunday night just really touched us both, so from the bottom of our hearts: thanks to our group for the prayers on this matter, it means more than you could possibly know to have more than just the two of us praying to the Lord for a child.

We love you guys, hope you're having a blessed week, and we will update you all more when we know more.