11/19

The morning of Tuesday, November 18th, Jessica’s water broke, indicating the baby was ready to arrive. Her due date was 11/23, so the timing was right, and Joe and Jess excitedly headed to the hospital to deliver their baby girl.

Labor was progressing as normal, but in the early hours of the morning of 11/19, there were complications with the baby’s delivery, as Jessica experienced a uterine rupture. She was immediately given a C-section to remove the baby as quickly as possible; however, the baby sustained injuries due to the rupture, including a lack of oxygen to the brain. 

Eliza Jane (Eliza- ‘God is My Oath’ Jane- ‘God is Gracious’) has been in the hospital since and her medical team is working tirelessly to treat her. We know that God is our Great Physician, and so we continue praying for Eliza’s healing. 

We will post updates here for all to stay in touch with how best to pray for Eliza and her parents. Thank you for standing with us!

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11/19 5:00 pm

Eliza’s nurse says the baby’s CO2 levels are dropping and her pH levels are rising. These moves are great news and show improvements in her condition. We continue waiting on the Lord. 

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11/20 10:00 pm

Joe and Jess both got some much-needed sleep- they had not slept for hours before, and this was much needed. The baby’s lungs have slightly improved. The doctors confirmed that Eliza was not having repeated seizures, as they initially thought, after doing a long neuro scan. She is still showing no signs of brain activity.

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11/21 10:30 pm

The Body of Christ is beautiful. Friends have come to visit, dropping off snacks and encouragement. In addition to family friends, school, and church communities, people we don’t even know have begun online prayer efforts. Meal sign-ups and a fundraising page for Joe and Jessica have begun, thinking through the road that is ahead of them. They are so grateful for everyone’s support.

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11/21 4:00 pm

Eliza will be taken off of cooling therapy tomorrow morning. Cooling therapy is given for brain injury patients in the first 72 hours to help prevent further brain damage. The doctors were hoping to begin taking her off today, but indicated that waiting one more day would be helpful, so we wait and continue praying. Today, Eliza showed increased oxygen levels and a more stable heart rate. She had a bit of movement today, which was new.

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11/22

They started warming her body up at 7:00 am. They say, depending on how her body does, it may be a full 24 hours to get her back to normal temperature. They were able to reduce her oxygen last night, but she could only keep up on her own for about an hour, so they’ve put her back on 100% oxygen. Her blood platelet levels dropped, so they have ordered some blood from Richmond and will give her that once it arrives. 

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11/23 

Jessica was discharged and Joe and Jess will be staying in town at Paul and Joanie’s home (Joe’s parents), so they can come and go from the hospital to be with Eliza easily. No new news today. They did turn Eliza onto her belly to see how she would do in a different position. She is doing ok so far. We are still praying for her brain to wake up. 

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11/26

Joe and Jessica went to the hospital today. Today felt heavy. The doctors encouraged them to begin thinking about what they want to do in the case that Eliza does not have brain activity, but her body begins improving. That is not a decision any parent should ever have to make. We continue to pray for healing, peace, and wisdom as they navigate this path.

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11/27

Thanksgiving brought some gifts- Joe and Jess headed to the hospital, and Eliza showed some movement, which brought encouragement to their hearts. 

 

This brought encouragement today:

The Hebrew word for “give thanks” in the Old Testament is yadah, and it literally means “to acknowledge God in the middle of the mess.”

It doesn’t mean “feel grateful.”

It doesn’t mean “wait until things get better.”

It means “God, I see You present even in this.”

In Jewish worship, yadah wasn’t used for victory; it was often used in seasons of fear, uncertainty, and waiting.

Thanksgiving wasn’t a celebration of how well life was going. It was an act of surrender when life didn’t make sense.

And that truth reframes everything we think about gratitude.

Here are several ways I’m practicing yādâ (thanksgiving)in my own life this week:

1. Gratitude isn’t something you wait to feel; it’s something you choose to practice.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

2. Today’s pain makes more sense when you remember tomorrow’s promise. Romans 8:18

3. Complaining is often our heart’s way of saying, ‘God, I don’t trust what You’re doing right now.’

Philippians 2:14

4. If Jesus trusted His Father in the worst moment, I can trust Him in mine.

1 Peter 2:23

5. When I think I deserve better, gratitude disappears. But when I remember grace, it returns.”

Luke 13:2–3

6. If you can’t lose Christ, then you can’t lose your reason to give thanks.

Romans 8:35–39

Thanksgiving isn’t just about being grateful for what you can see. It’s learning to trust God with what you can’t see.

Yādâ is gratitude in uncertainty.

Gratitude in fear.

Gratitude in waiting.

Gratitude in confusion.

Gratitude in the “not yet.”

Gratitude in “even this”

It’s saying, “God, I thank You now because You already know what I don’t.”

So wherever you find yourself right now:

if the diagnosis hasn’t come back,

if the finances don’t make sense,

if the relationship is unresolved,

if the future feels uncertain,

you can still yādâ.

Because Biblical thankfulness isn’t built on what you have.It’s built on the God who holds what you don’t understand.

And you can trust Him “even in this”.

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11/28

During their visit today, Joe and Jess were able to both hold the baby for the first time, which was a HUGE answer to prayer. Jess was able to change Eliza’s diaper and put some breast milk into a syringe into her feeding tube. They FaceTimed with sweet Nora while they held the baby. Nora told Eliza to ‘Wake Up’. 

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11/29

Joe, Jess, and Nora are heading back to their home today. Being close to the hospital has been good, but being in their own space, in their own beds, etc, will be so good for them- they haven’t been home since the 18th. It will be good for them to be together and navigate what their needs will be over the next weeks.

We continue to stand in faith that the Lord will bless Eliza Jane’s life and trust that He will provide for all that she needs. We trust His character, even in the valleys.