Faith in tough circumstances

I've read through the book of Genesis and really want to highlight Joseph's story.

If you don't know Joseph's story, here it is in a nutshell: Joseph's father really loved him and God also favored him, and that made his brothers really jealous. So, his brothers made a plan to kill him. One of the brothers convinced the rest not to kill him, so they decided to sell him into slavery instead. Joseph was a highly favored servant and was given much authority. Unfortunately, he was wrongly accused of making a pass at the master's wife and thrown in prison. "But the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him. He granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. (Genesis 39:21 HCSB)" He actually put Joseph in a leadership position amongst the prisoners which eventually got him enough attention to be called upon by Pharaoh to help interpret a dream. Joseph completes Pharaoh's request and was let out of prison to be Pharaoh's right hand man. Pharaoh said, "You will be over my house, and all my people will obey your commands. Only with regard to the throne will I be greater than you." Pharaoh also said to Joseph, "See, I am placing you over all the land of Egypt." (Genesis 41:40, 41 HCSB)
So Joseph was betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery, and wrongly imprisoned. All of these things happened over decades. Not what most would consider a 'blessed life'- but Joseph sure did. He stayed close to God the whole time and gave all glory to God for all the good he was able to do. God used every circumstance Joseph was in to mold him into the leader he eventually needed to be for the people of Egypt. In his place of position over Egypt, he was able to organize and help them save during the good times so that they could survive during the bad times. It was during the bad time when Joseph was reunited with his brothers. The brothers came to Egypt to look for food and Joseph recognized them. After a while, Joseph's father came to Egypt and Joseph revealed who he was. Joseph invited his father and his whole entire family and their families to settle in Egypt. Fast forward several years - Joseph's father grew old and died. The brothers are immediately fearful because they still remember what they did to Joseph: "When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said to one another, "If Joseph is holding a grudge against us, he will certainly repay us for all the suffering we caused him." But Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result-the survival of many people. (Genesis 50:15, 19, 20 HCSB)

Thank God for His plan! Joseph could have been so upset with his brothers. They tore him away from his family and sold him like a farm animal. But he knew that it wasn't his brothers who put him where he ended up - it was God's plan all along. How could he be mad at his brothers now?

God is so big and can use decades of our lives to get us to where we need to be. So if you believe God has a plan for you and that you are living out that plan then there is no point in harboring negative feelings toward anyone or anything that made the path uncomfortable because all that you've been through is for a mighty purpose.

Low E2

E2= estrogen. Yep I'm cool enough to use abbreviations like E2. I have been googling all of these IVF questions that I have and I swear I may as well be trying to read Chinese on the forums!

Anyway, I received a message from the nurse yesterday that stated my estrogen is low but we are just going to keep going with my meds and see what happens on Sunday. I left a message back to them asking for clarification and the nurse just called back. Have I mentioned that this is definitely the right office for me? God is so looking out for us! I asked the nurse, "should I be nervous, or is it just something where everyone is different?" she said, "you got it. We kind of knew you would be a slow start because of your AMH (ovarian reserve) being low and we have you on the highest doses for your age, so we just need to 'keep talking and telling Him and hope He listens'." I was totally confused because she was talking fast anyways as nurses tend to do but it finally registered that she was talking about PRAYING. Love it!

Here is my prayer:
God, these are your creations and You are in control. If it is in Your will, please allow this cycle to be successful and give us the children that we can raise as your disciples. Amen.

Monitoring Visit #1

We took a look at my uterus and ovaries today and it looks like I have 10-11 follicles so far. The doctor says it looks like they are of to a good but slow start. It didn't sound like slow is necessarily a bad thing, just that my stimulation may take a little longer. My next monitoring visit is on Sunday and then I will probably have one more monitoring visit next week before they tell me to take the ovulation medication, so we are looking at retrieval toward the end of next week. I had acupuncture right after the appointment and my acupuncturist mentioned that from her outside observation, it seems as though slower egg growth could equate to better quality eggs.

Keep praying for these little eggies to grow!

The power of heartfelt prayer

Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife because she was childless. The Lord heard his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived. (Genesis 25:21 HCSB)

Isaac was prepared by the Lord for this moment. His own mother was 100 years old before finally being blessed with his birth, and he was 40 before he was married to Rebekah, so I can only imagine that he fully understood his mother's story of infertility and waiting. God primed Isaac's heart for a time like this. When he recognized his wife's infertility, he also recognized the need for prayer in that moment. And the Lord heard his prayer! What a relief! God knows what He has created us for and what His purposes are for us and he still listens to us and others who petition for us. I can't wrap my mind around how big He is or how much He loves us but I sure am thankful for how the open invitation to talk with Him. And I'm VERY thankful for my husband and all the other prayer warriors who are helping us through this. Just as one
example, I definitely know God is showing His favor by reducing the side effects that I posted about yesterday!

stimulation station

A few doses into the stimulating medications and I'm feeling good but not awesome. Experiencing cramps, bloating and extra emotions. And the strange memory issues have not gone away. The good thing is that I'm very aware of why I'm feeling these things, where they are coming from and that it's all temporary. Im grateful for this day off to lay on the couch & snuggle with my doggies. I definitely have the most helpful and understanding husband to help me through it and a loving God that is there every step of the way.

The Lord protects you; the Lord is a shelter right by your side. (Psalm 121:5 HCSB).