Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

We found out today that the amount of amniotic fluid around the baby has gone down a great deal since the last ultrasound. Although this was tough news to take, we are still trusting in God. Kari was given steroid injections to help develop the baby's lungs. The next appointment will be the one in St. Louis on the 6th.

Psalm 103:3 Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits--who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.

Today was such an encouraging one at church. It is amazing to witness the love that others have shown for our situation. We prayed and dedicated Will's life to the Lord. Although he is yet to be born, Will is being cared for by a loving God and prayed for by some absolutely wonderful people.

It can certainly be a battle keeping faith from day to day. The following scripture is a great one to focus on when doubts try to creep in:

II Corinthians 10:4-5 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 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.

Here is another scripture passed on that really spoke to us regarding our situation:

Isaiah 43:18-19a Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.

Thank you to everyone for your continued prayers and words of encouragement.

We love all of you.

Isaiah 53:4-5 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

It has been one week since we first received the diagnosis of our baby's illness. Since then, we have gone from a state of feeling hopeless to completely hopeful. We have been so encouraged by the words and prayers from our family and friends. Please continue to agree with us for God's healing touch.

Matthew 18:18-19 "I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. "Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.

Because we have had experience with this disease before, it would be easy to become discouraged by the possible end results of the present situation with Will. When we first received the news of his diagnosis, the question of "how will we go through this again?" certainly weighed on our minds. But we believe the Lord is showing us this is not an "again" issue. We don't have to work to figure out how we'll get from point A to point B. He has the directions, and we will trust in Him.

Psalm 118:17 I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done

On July 19, we were dealt some devastating news: our unborn son was diagnosed with the same disease that had claimed our daughter's life several years ago. We felt helpless at first, but we have been growing stronger in faith every day. Our past experience and the track record of this disease would tell us that there is not much reason to have hope for Will. However, God is in charge here, and we are believing in a complete healing of the baby. We are so thankful to have family and friends who are believing along with us. Please continue to pray for Will.

Our next appointment is in St. Louis on August 6. Here is the schedule for that day:

8 a.m. - Ultrasound
10 a.m. - Maternal Fetal Medicine
11 a.m.- Neonatology

Matthew 21:21 Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, `Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done.

Faith is not just believing God CAN do it, it's believing He WILL do it.

Ok, first, a little background: Matt and Kari are due to have a baby boy in October. They have a son in high school named Jeff and lots of family who are all very excited to welcome this little blessing into this world. Last week, Matt and Kari received a report from their physician that the baby has been diagnosed with Autosomal Recessive Polycystic Kidney Disease or ARPKD. This is the same disease that took the life of their five-month-old daughter Natalie almost nine years ago. With the disease, the baby's kidneys are forming fluid filled cysts that are taking up room in the kidneys and damaging the tissue in the kidneys, causing them not to function properly. Additionally, when the kidneys do not function properly, it causes a loss in amniotic fluid, which isn't good for the baby and causes Kari discomfort as well. The diagnosis is serious and needless to say, we are very concerned. Kari and Matt are headed to St. Louis for what will be the beginning of routine testing to take place throughout the remainder of Kari's pregnancy.

Ok, on to bigger and better. A diagnosis is just that....a diagnosis. We know that God is bigger and that He can do all things....things that defy everything we know to be medically true.....even a diagnosis like this. This said, we are praying and BELIEVING in a miracle. We know in our hearts that the Lord seeks to draw us closer to Him and that His plans for our lives are to prosper us, so we know we can trust in His will for our lives. Please join us in praying and believing in the miracle we know we will see. We are committing ourselves to prayer and fasting for this cause and invite you to do the same. We know your prayers will be heard along with ours and that we can expect to see great things happen. We are praying life to the kidneys and death to the cysts, for Kari's body to produce more amniotic fluid, and for peace for Matt, Kari, and Jeff. Matt and Kari and the family will update this site often with news on the baby's progress, updates on their progress as they deal in the situation, and specific ways that we can pray and support this family.

Thanks and God Bless!