Humbled by His Provision

Ecclesiastes teaches that there is a time for everything.

Concerning this journey with FPIES there have been clear seasons set before me. The order of these seasons has been clear (in hind sight). Over the past two years we have journeyed through seasons of searching (for answers), fighting (with the medical community), waiting (and seeking answers from God), and acting (in faith in the direction He has pointed us toward).

Recently we came face to face with some difficult (yet exciting) confirmations regarding our FPIES journey. These confirmations didn’t come from the medical community or even from personal experience in treatment. To the contrary these confirmations were significantly personal and at times supernatural. An onlooker (or a skeptic) might just look at the evidence laid before them and say – coincidence. That is ok. I cannot pass my faith on to the onlooker. I can only proceed as God leads, share my story, and let HIM do the rest.

Today find myself sitting in awe – in a different season (though I have been heading into this season for some time).

Backing up for a moment…

All of these confirmations that I have received are leading us into an entirely different realm regarding FPIES. I am entirely convinced that God has led us to an alternative healing protocol for the twins. This protocol is a healing diet developed by a British Neurologist who is also a Doctor of Nutrition. Through her many years in practice she has found a link between psychological ailments and the gut. Her healing protocol focuses on healing the gut in order to impact the psychological symptoms of ADD, ADHD, Depression, as well as more serious diagnosis such as Autism, Bi-Polar, and Schizophrenia. So what does this have to do with FPIES or the twins? Honestly we will never truly know. Had we continued to feed them foods without proper healing who knows what symptoms they would have developed, but that is a different topic all together.

At every turn we have had confirmation that this protocol is the path that we are to walk down. In faith we began this journey weeks ago. As a result the twins are consuming bone broth without incident. Praise God! Unfortunately because they have not been able to eat food, they did not develop normal eating skills. At two years old they do not know how to chew and swallow solid foods. This presents a problem with moving forward in a timely manner. Sure we could wait until they catch up, but at what cost of healing? And what good would it be to get them swallowing if they have nothing to swallow. In order to move forward we have a need for some special equipment. Thanks to the West Coast Nichole (also doing this protocol with her FPIES daughter) we are aware of a machine that can help with this issue.

The Vitamix…the $500 machine!

How on earth would we afford a $500 blender? Thank God that HIS economy is not limited by the construct of ours! Without any worry I put this need into God’s hands. I just KNEW that he would provide if this was truly the path he was leading us down. I knew that we could apply for a grant from the Kelly Ann Dolan Fund to pay for the machine. Since we needed a medical professional to apply for us we brought the kids feeding therapist, Kelly (no relation to the fund), in on the plan. She was more than willing to help us apply for the grant and encouraged us to apply under both children in hopes that since it was for two children they would pay the full amount.

Back to today and this new season…

Today Kelly came for therapy. The first thing she told me was that we had heard back from the fund. She happily reported that they paid $200 toward the machine AND that she had paid the rest and gone ahead and ordered it. I thanked her, took a deep breath, and asked what the balance was (so that I could start working on covering it). This woman who we have only been seeing since December looked at me and said, “Don’t worry about that, I am covering it.”

What??? I looked at her with a “look” and said, “I can’t ask you to do that – We will figure it out.”

“Oh no,” she answered, “It is covered and I will write it off at the end of the year for taxes…really.” Her tone was resolved and her non-verbal communication was firm.
In my humanness I wanted to tell her no, but when you are looking right at God’s provision how do you say anything but thank you. I thanked her several times – I was choked up. She smiled. What an amazing person.

I think back to our doctor who decided to GIVE the twins their immunotherapy at no cost until we could pay (if ever) – and I think, “people like that just don’t exist today.” I think of the people who are friends (but NEW friends) who, in the name of God, gave us the entire amount needed to pay for those treatments ($2200) and I think, “people like that just don’t exist today.” There have been many more moments like this along the way. How could all of this be just one big coincidence? How could any of this be anything other than GOD? I have no doubts – none.

Back to my point – there is a time for everything.

1 Peter 5:6 says, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”

This is the time to be humble. I am so humbled by His provision.

Thank you Lord.