We hope everyone had a wonderful Easter holiday.  Classes will be starting up again tomorrow and then it's just a few short weeks until the end of the semester.

Derrick, Katelyn, and I wanted to send you guys an update personally.  I know many of you are just beginning to hear what's been happening with Katelyn over the weekend.  We are sorry for the delay in getting the word out to you guys.  Everything happened within a matter of hours and we've had limited time to send updates even to our families.  Thank the Lord for Internet and text messages!

To read the full story of what's happened, you can go to our blog:  derrickandashley.com, Katelyn's Story.

We are also posting updates there as we have them, so if you want to follow her progress, that's the place to go.  The basic story is she had an infected left hip socket that was causing so much pain she had been immobile since last Monday morning.  She needed surgery to drain it but since there are no pediatric orthopedic surgeons in Nac, we were transferred to Dallas in the middle of the night Friday.  After another round of tests, she had the surgery Saturday afternoon and was back in her hospital room by that evening, sleeping soundly thanks to the pain medications.  She has continued to improve since then.  Her pain level is much decreased, she is beginning to move around again, and her appetite and sleep patterns are returning to normal.

Now, we are waiting for results on the fluid they removed to see if we can tell what kind of infection it was - they may or may not be able to pinpoint it.  Tomorrow (Tuesday) she will have the dressing and drain removed from her hip and will have a repeat blood test to see if/when she will be able to return home.  They have told us to expect to be here a week - so far, we've been here 3 days.  So, we will not be back in Nac when you guys return to school, maybe not at all this week.

We wanted to let you know what's going on for two reasons:

1.  We are asking you guys to pray (or continue to pray for those who have already heard):  Pray that her blood test shows signs of improvement = lower levels.  Pray that the blood work and dressing/drain removal tomorrow go as smoothly and painlessly as possible.  Pray that her appetite returns fully.  Pray that she gets lots of good sleep despite all the interruptions that being a hospital patient brings.  Pray that her fear of medical personnel begins to subside.  Pray that we would have strength and energy to give her all the love and attention she needs.  Pray that we would have wisdom to make all the associated decisions for her.  Pray that we would be able to help her understand what's happening to her.

2.  We will be updating you guys again soon about plans for XA activities already scheduled for this week, specifically our Last XA Service and Water Baptisms.  So watch here and/or on the Facebook Page for updates - or talk to your small group leader.

We love you guys - we know how much you all love our baby girl, too.  This has been a scary, difficult few days, but even in the middle of ambulance transfers, IV sticks, vital signs, and sedation, God has been so faithful to us.  You can read just one story about that at Ashley's blog - but be forewarned, it seems to make all the girls cry.  :)

If you forget where to go for Katelyn Updates, I've added a link on the front page at sfaxa.org that will take you there.

Talk to you guys soon!

Check out this recording from A.W. Tozer to follow up with Gary Paschal's sermon last week on Fruit of the Spirit!

Ravi Zacharias, in his address Why I am Not an Athiest*, tells the story of a young teenage boy, maybe 12 or 13, who sits down at the table with his father and begins to talk about his day at school.  He tells his father about a particular discussion in one of his classes about the ethics of a certain lifestyle and asks his father what he thinks about it.  The father begins to share with his son a verse from Scripture that deals with the issue at hand.

Is this the right approach?

Rediscovered this post from my personal blog and thought I would share it with you guys!

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"The only test for spiritual maturity is the fruit of the Spirit."
(Mary Gautreaux)

What is happening through you that you cannot explain?

Were your friends better for having seen you yesterday?

I am a problem-solver by nature. I love puzzles - any kind: word puzzles, sudoku, ken ken, crosswords, cryptograms, jigsaw puzzles, riddles... anything that gets my mind thinking. So learning has always been fun to me, at least the form of learning where you're not just memorizing facts. If there is something to figure out, like in math and science, I loved it. That's right - I'm probably the only math-loving artist you've ever met. I'm twisted, what can I say?

I love this movie - most people did.  And this is one of my most favorite scenes.  But probably not for the reason you think.  It's not because Leigh Anne reaches out to Big Mike, helps him when he's in need, although that is great.  It's not because of her saucy attitude ("She's about to get her way"), although that does hit close to my heart.  And it's not because of the general spirit of charity and love and generosity that's displayed in this clip.