Twin Updates & Walking by Faith
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Ben & Hope Crelin's Twins, Prayer & Care
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Ben & Hope Crelin's Twins, Prayer & Care
Thank you all for continuing to pray. Here is the latest on the twins and our family.
Calvin is a chunk at 5 lbs 12 oz. He has aced all of his milestones thus far, and all that remains is for him to feed by mouth completely (via breastfeeding or bottles) and go several days without any significant dips in his heart rate or oxygen saturations. Preemie babies like ours missed the third trimester practice in utero of learning how to coordinate breathing, sucking, and swallowing, so eating by mouth is a major skill for Calvin to learn in the NICU. He is progressing daily toward that goal, and he could possibly be home in a few weeks.
- Thank God with us for Calvin’s amazing progress and health.
- Please pray that Calvin could go home soon, even by the end of January!
Simeon is growing, albeit very slowly, and is now 3 lbs 12 oz. His evolving lung condition (basically, a chronic lung disease caused by prematurity) paired with the large hole in his heart means that he breathes very fast and consequently burns TONS of extra calories just to breathe. It’s hard to get him to gain much weight despite the doctors packing his feeds with tons of extra calories. Simeon really needs the open heart surgery to repair the hole, but he is far from the weight safe for the surgery. All this means that we’ve been told to prepare ourselves for likely a best case scenario of at least 2 more months of stay in the NICU for Simeon, and possibly much longer if the doctors can’t remove his oxygen support needs before it’s time for the surgery. In other news, while we’re still waiting for further results, it seems less likely at this moment that Simeon has the rare life-long metabolic disorder.
- We praise God for Simeon’s growth and thank the Lord for the amazing skill, technology, and knowledge of the NICU team at Texas Children’s to sustain Simeon’s life.
- Please pray Simeon’s fast breathing calms down and that he rapidly gains lots of weight. His weight gain translates to bigger and stronger lungs, which in turn leads to better outcomes for him in the long run.
- Please pray that the hole in Simeon’s heart miraculously closes on its own and renders surgery unnecessary. The Lord can do things that medical science cannot explain, and we pray that He intervenes on our son’s behalf.
- Please continue to pray that further pending results come back with confirmation that Simeon doesn’t have the rare life-long metabolic disorder.
Amidst all of this, how are Ben and I doing? Speaking honestly, we’re very weary and yet continue to walk by faith. We’re weary: we’re physically exhausted trying to juggle being present for the twins to hold them as much as possible (they call it “kangaroo care”) as well as being present with the big kids at home.
Despite our weariness, we’re walking by faith: as the psalmists are honest in their laments, so we candidly tell the Lord that we’d have planned things differently from our vantage point. And yet we humbly acknowledge that we do not know the end-from-the-beginning as our Lord does; our knowledge, let alone our days, are a mere handbreadth when put in cosmic perspective. By faith we choose to praise Jesus for who He always is to us – even in our present circumstances. Jesus is always good and always loving to us, and we affirm that He is always all-powerful to work whatever He wills … and so we walk by faith and boast in the hope of Jesus even as we’re hurting and weary.
Friends, if you’re going through your own trial or whenever you will go through one, whatever that may be, Jesus does care and He has answered on the cross all of our desperate prayers. It is there that Jesus offered himself up to rescue us from our greatest trials, and his resurrection from the grave is the greatest proof in all of history that He is and will one day fully vanquish all our suffering, even death itself. There is no other God like our God who set aside all of his power and privileges not only to draw near to us, but quite literally to swap places with us in our darkest miseries. And in so doing, for your sake, He stumbled to his throne of glory.
So wherever you find yourself and whatever you face in your own story, please keep following Jesus with us.
This poem has been a great encouragement to us. May it be to you, too.
“Jesus of the Scars” by Edward Shillito:
So wherever you find yourself and whatever you face in your own story, please keep following Jesus with us.
This poem has been a great encouragement to us. May it be to you, too.
“Jesus of the Scars” by Edward Shillito:
If we have never sought, we seek Thee now;
Thine eyes burn through the dark, our only stars;
We must have sight of thorn-pricks on Thy brow,
We must have Thee, O Jesus of the Scars.
The heavens frighten us; they are too calm;
In all the universe we have no place.
Our wounds are hurting us; where is the balm?
Lord Jesus, by Thy Scars, we claim Thy grace.
If, when the doors are shut, Thou drawest near,
Only reveal those hands, that side of Thine;
We know today what wounds are, have no fear,
Show us Thy Scars, we know the countersign.
The other gods were strong; but Thou wast weak;
They rode, but Thou didst stumble to a throne;
But to our wounds only God’s wounds can speak,
And not a god has wounds, but Thou alone.
Thine eyes burn through the dark, our only stars;
We must have sight of thorn-pricks on Thy brow,
We must have Thee, O Jesus of the Scars.
The heavens frighten us; they are too calm;
In all the universe we have no place.
Our wounds are hurting us; where is the balm?
Lord Jesus, by Thy Scars, we claim Thy grace.
If, when the doors are shut, Thou drawest near,
Only reveal those hands, that side of Thine;
We know today what wounds are, have no fear,
Show us Thy Scars, we know the countersign.
The other gods were strong; but Thou wast weak;
They rode, but Thou didst stumble to a throne;
But to our wounds only God’s wounds can speak,
And not a god has wounds, but Thou alone.
Ben and Hope Crelin
about 1 month ago
Comments
Marilyn Moore
Linda Shelton
Latisha Powers
We praise God for Calvin and Simeon’s progress and lay our faith at the feet of the one who would take on death in their place, as we pray and believe for their healing through the merciful grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The faith of your family is genuinely breathtaking, so thank you for continuously modelling true discipleship, even in such difficult times. May the Lord continue to show you how far trusting Him can take you, and we praise Him in advance, for our prayers do not fall on deaf ears, but are heard and answered by the One who conquered all of sin and suffering. May the Spirit rest over you, and reveal to you all the ways the Lord is taking care of your family 🙌🏾!!
Psalm 34:4-7
“I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; He saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them”
Jeanmarie Tade
Janet Young
Snaque Rollo
Anna Taylor
Liz Arthurs
Matthew Gemp
Emily Wright
Out of the clear blue sky, you all came to mind. I found your page and have seen these precious boys the Lord has added to your family. (Twins! Incredible!) We also lament that this has been such a trial. We will pray earnestly for all six of you, that Simeon's conditions would improve, that Calvin's gains would continue, that Gwen & James would maintain the resilient joy and happiness of young children, and that your faith & marriage would be strengthened as you meet each days needs, challenges, and trials. This is no easy time. Your hearts as parents are in many places, and I pray the Lord keeps your mind fixed, hour by hour, on his sustaining hand. May the Lord bless & keep you all until you are home together, and these hospital days are a distant memory. Travis and I are praying earnestly for you all.