Prayer Warriors Needed

I've had a lot of best friends in my life.

First grade there was Janelle. Ironically we looked very similar. That was...interesting. In third grade my best friend was Jill. We've stayed friends over the years, even re-best friending in junior high and high school. In fourth grade my best friend was Becky. We watched tons of Muppet Babies together and had countless sleepovers. In fifth grade Natalie joined the friendship circle. Proving that three isn't really company, but more crowd-like.

In seventh grade I was cast aside by all my best friends. Evidently I wasn't cool enough. And that was fine by me. That same year the three Amys and I hooked up, creating quite a stir with our name redundancy.

In high school friends came and went, depending on what group I was hanging out with at the time. My sophomore year I met another Becky. We ended up going to college together and, I'm proud to say, are best friends to this day. Despite the fact that we haven't lived in the same state for over 13 years now. Sigh.

But throughout all this friendship turmoil and upheaval, one friendship remained constant. My sweet friend KK.

We lived in different towns, but we went to church together. And despite the distance between us, our love for Amy Grant and Cabbage Patch Dolls made for one very strong friendship. She was the one who introduced me to L.M. Montgomery and her incomparable character Anne Shirley. (Perhaps you don't know of my love for all things Montgomery and Anne. Here's a quick summary: I've even been to Prince Edward Island for vacation. Traveled the same roads as Ms. Montgomery, even staying with one of her cousins at a B&B. So yes, it's a slight obsession. Thanks again, KK.)

Our families were tight. We vacationed together. Her family became my family. Her mom was there for me at church camp when the dreaded monthly visitor came to call for the very first time. She was there to give me new pantyhose when my mom thought my holey pair were fine to continue wearing. Her grandmother, a woman I've admired my entire life, made us matching outfits.

Yes, I said matching.

So you could say we were close. Very close. And quite honestly, my best childhood memories are of our years together. She lived on a ranch. You know of my love of the outdoors. It was definitely a good fit. I can't even begin to count the hours spent in the woods, even leaving our Coke cans to chill in the creek for our lunch. The nights spent watching Esther Williams and all the MGM glory of the 1940s..... Ahh, good times.

And now my sweet friend KK needs our prayers. I won't go into all of the details and specifics (especially since I've rambled on about our friendship). KK is pregnant with baby #2. (She has a GORGEOUS 3 y/o little girl as well.) They recently found out that Baby Girl has a major heart defect called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. Basically the left side of her heart has not fully developed. She will have to have 3 heart surgeries, the first being at 1 week old then again at 6 months and 3 years.

Now Mommas, imagine having your 1 week old in heart surgery. Imagine that.

I can't imagine it. At all.

Already there have been many miraculous events. Things they thought were possibly wrong have turned out fine. Hallelujah.

What has amazed me about precious Baby Girl #2 is how strong her parents are. They have said over and over again how they want ALL the glory to go to our Lord throughout this entire situation. (If you see me out somewhere, ask me what they've named precious Baby Girl. You'll need a kleenex.) Every email KK sends shows their strong faith. I'm humbled.

And on top of all of this, KK's husband ended up in emergency kidney stone surgery the other day. He had to miss their trip to Little Rock to tour Children's, meet with doctors, etc. Again, I can't even imagine. They had asked for prayer for this trip and then he ended up not getting to go.

Please join with me in prayer for KK, her husband, and Baby Girl. The desire of their hearts is that our Lord be glorified throughout this entire situation. They've asked for you to pray however you feel led to pray. I'm praying for peace. I'm praying for strength. I'm praying for an uncomplicated C-section next month. I'm praying for healing. I'm praying for the Lord's will.

Some of you who read this are very close friends of mine. Please pray for KK. You all have to know if I'm blogging about this, when I usually blog about randomly frivolous things, then it's truly important to me.

Thanks for reading yet another novel long post. I'm grateful for prayer warrior friends.