Welcome Fall, you are my favorite!

Forgive me for not writing for almost a month! September has been CRAZY! Ryan started another semester at Denver Seminary with a Monday night class and classes on Wednesday and Friday mornings. The current plan is for him to finish at Denver Seminary in May and hopefully graduate! We are still trying to decide exactly when he will write his Thesis. I am so very proud of him! In addition to being a full time student, Ryan is still working at Chick fil a as well as a youth pastor for the Denver Chinese Evangelical Free Church. Except for Monday, we have every evening together which we love!

This season is the busiest travel season for me in my job. I traveled to California last week and enjoyed representing Tabor College at college fairs, high school visits and youth groups. But my favorite part is meeting one-on-one with youth pastors, students/parents and alumni. This week I have been representing Tabor at college fairs here in the Denver area. I am so excited about what God is doing in leading high school students to Tabor! My heart sings knowing they will experience Tabor like I did. I know it will be life-changing!

My dear friends Lee and Sara Jo Waldron hosted me in their home during the first part of my trip. It was so fun to meet, hold and kiss Lydia Jane! She is an absolute doll and it was so rewarding for me to watch Sara Jo be an incredible mother to her/ I am so proud of her and soaked up all the advice I could while spending time there! Sara Jo also surprised me with a prenatal massage! What a blessing she is to give me such a wonderful gift!

My trip to CA was cut short this year because Ryan was a groomsmen in a wedding (Congrats Luke and Maggie) the weekend before CA and I sang in a wedding (Congrats Ross and Stacey) the weekend after. Both weddings were beautiful and included many blessings. Unfortunately Ryan was very ill the weekend of his friends wedding so we spent some time in the ER in western KS. But I am happy to say that Ryan felt strong enough to do his groomsmen duty. Ryan was beyond bummed that he missed the bachelor party, it was something he had been looking forward to for a long time. And we both missed the reception, but thank God for the strength he did have to stand up with Luke! One blessing from that weekend was spending a day at the Garden City zoo with his family! Enjoy some of my favorite pics! (can you tell I like pictures of people better than animals?)

The blessing from the wedding I was a part of, was getting to see my mom, sister and brother! I am blessed that with my job at Tabor I get to see my family at least once a month but this weekend in KC was extra fun! Our friends got us a really nice hotel, with a hot tub and pool. Because of my pregnancy I wasn't able to enjoy the hot tub but Joseph enjoyed both of them enough for all of us! Sorry that I don't have any pictures from that weekend. You'll just have to picture with me one of the best parts. So it was very late on Saturday night. Mom and Joseph were sharing the pull out couch and Angela and I were sharing the queen. For some reason, (I really don't even remember what started it all) we got the giggles. But it was Joseph who wouldn't stop. We giggled and laughed way into the night when all of us should have been sleeping. But it didn't matter because we were together and enjoying some of God's greatest gifts; family, love and laughter.

Recap of Summer 2010-in pictures!

Fall is my favorite season! September 1 always marks fall for me. Even though there are still some days that feel like summer, in my world, fall starts in September! This post is a recap of summer 2010 in pictures! Enjoy!

May
Mother's Day: Ryan preached for the first time at our Chinese Church. All the mothers were given roses. The children/youth in our church gave me a rose because they say I am their mother every Sunday! Little did we all know that soon after that God would indeed place a baby in my womb!
William and Chastity Barnett wedding: In mid May we went to Kansas for the wedding of Chastity and William! Congratulations on your new life together!
During that same time in May we visited Joseph in Paola with my dad and sister. Ryan took this picture of my family (minus my mom) while we were bowling.
Memorial Day Weekend: We along with Lucas and Catie Zurcher (Ryan's sister and our brother-in-law) went to Estes Park, CO. Our Chinese church had their annual conference and my awesome husband lead the children's program.
June
We are pregnant!!! After two pregnancy tests we found out that God has chosen us to be parents!
Father's Day: It was this weekend that Ryan and I announced to our families that we were expecting! My mom, sister and I also took Joseph to Oceans of Fun!
July
Lee Family Camping Trip: In mid July, Ryan and I went on a camping trip with Ryan's parents and sister Jenny. We camped around the Estes Park area and hiked in Rocky Mountain National Park.
In late July me and my closest girlfriends from Tabor College celebrated our 30th birthdays together. It was one of the most amazing weekends of my life! These girls mean so much to me and I thank God for leading us all to Tabor and strengthening our friendship through these years!
July 26th: I think I will always remember this date because it was the day we found out I had a cyst on my ovary that my doctor wanted to remove by surgery. These flowers from my boss, Linda Cantwell, were such a bright moment in some dark days.
Heaven Fest: Ryan and I took some youth from our Chinese church to a HOT day full of Christian music!
August
New Camera: we got a Canon Rebel XS and have been having so much fun taking pics!
Pregnant and Baking in the Kitchen: we went to a small dinner party which meant I got to bake!!
Surgery: God protected me and Baby Lee during the surgery to remove the cyst from my body. We received so many prayers, phone calls, emails, visitors, gifts, text messages and facebook messages-all showing us the love of family and friends! Thank you so much!
Youth Room Update: While I was at home recovering on the couch, Ryan helped the youth group at our Chinese Church paint and update their room!
And that, my dear family and friends is our summer in pictures! We are so excited about fall and all that God has in store for us! We love you all!

Surgery: a week later

It has been one week since my surgery. And what a week it has been. There have been many wonderful moments and of course some not so good moments. Here is what I know for sure, God is still good and He is my healer! I praise Him for all the blessings He has given this past week and even praise Him for the hard times. I know He has given me strength to get through this and is using the hard times to prune me and draw me closer to Himself. Glory to Him and Him alone!

I have so much to be thankful for! Instead of sharing the not so good moments I will follow my positivity strength and share the blessings! It is more interesting anyway! :) It is easier for me to make a list so bear with me, my bullet points and descriptions.

*Successful Surgery:God used Dr. Tate to successfully remove the cyst from my body (and unfortunately my left ovary too). It ended up being the largest cyst she has seen in a pregnant woman and was very glad to get it out.
*Went home same day as surgery:Dr. Tate said that the surgery went so well that she really believed that Baby Lee and I were ready to go home. So I recovered for awhile on the Labor and Delivery floor and then went home on Thursday evening. Praise the Lord!
*Incredible Nurses and Hospital Staff:God truly blessed me with such caring and kind nurses and staff on my very first hospital stay. From the first person we talked to in Surgery Admissions (Jemna, who had Dr. Tate do the same surgery on her) to the nurse who cared for me in Labor and Delivery (Irena, a hilarious Polish woman) God took incredible care of me through these precious people!
*Absolute peace through pre-op:I cried on the drive to the hospital on Thursday morning (as i read an amazing email FULL of scripture from my best friend Kelly) but once I got into the hospital and went through changing into the "gown", getting my first IV, meeting my anesthesiologist and OR nurse, waiting for surgery time, saying "see you later" and kissing my wonderful husband, seeing the operating room (it was so bright in there) and then finally "falling" asleep, I didn't feel scared or nervous. Your prayers were answered-I had absolute peace!
*Hearing Baby Lee's heartbeat:it was the first thing I asked about when I woke up in recovery. I will never forget that moment even though I probably wasn't all there. Irena was by my side, already checking to see if I was having any contractions and found our precious baby's heartbeat. I was so relieved and happy that I started crying and hyperventilating. The nurses had to calm me down. It was one of the most beautiful moments for me. Later in the day, my Mom and Grandma got to hear it for the first time. That was another beautiful moment for me, seeing my Mom's ear to ear smile!
*Having Mom and Grandma here:I cannot explain in enough words how much it meant to both Ryan and me to have them here! They were a great support to Ryan when I was in surgery. And they hardly sat down, constantly serving us by doing laundry, making meals and cookies (YES, I got my chocolate chip cookies), helping me get up and lay back down, grocery shopping, helping me walk, giving Ryan a break and making me laugh even when it hurt! Here is a pic of the 4 of us(Baby Lee was included too) the night before surgery.
**side note: isn't my Grandma Peterson gorgeous? she turned 85 on Monday August 23. She doesn't look a day over 55! I love these women so very much! I hope I take after them as I age!

Back to the blessings:
*Phone calls, emails, text messages, meals, cards and gifts: So many of you have called, emailed, texted, brought a meal, sent cards and gifts and come by to visit. This has meant so much to us. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
*Healing: it has been slower than I had hoped but God is healing me everyday! I am slowly going off my pain medication and sleeping better at night. Continue to pray for complete healing and restoration so that I can get back to my full, fun schedule. To be honest, it has been difficult to rest. I know I need it and I know that when Baby Lee comes I will be begging for rest. But right now, I feel that I have so much to do and not enough strength or energy yet to do it.
*Ryan, the love of my life: with me incapable of doing a lot of things on my own, he has graciously and lovingly helped me with EVERYTHING this past week! I thank God so much for him and his unconditional love for me! He has been my greatest support and I have fallen deeper in love with him through this experience!

Let me say this again, we so appreciate your prayers! God has answered in amazing ways and we praise Him! Thank you for your love and support! It has truly carried us through some hard times. We love you!

One final thing: My next doctor appointment is on Thursday Sept 2. We are praying for a clean bill of health! I am ready to be on the Tabor campus the following week!

15 Weeks and Upcoming Surgery

The best part of having a high-risk pregnancy is getting to see our baby so often! It is truly a blessing from God to see how our baby is changing, growing and moving. And I LOVE hearing the heartbeat! What a gift God has given us! We know this baby ultimately belongs to Him so I will continue to dedicate our baby daily to Him and His care!

We had another ultrasound today to check on the status of the cyst. I went in with such hope that it would be gone, that God would have chosen me to take the cyst from my body through His supernatural healing. My faith has grown so much in the past month, learning more about Jesus as the Healer in the Word and God as my Healer now. God has also given me such peace and comfort, constantly surrounding me with His love! He has used so many of you to bring encouragement and hope! Thank you for praying in faith with us! We hope your faith has grown during this time too!

Unfortunately, the cyst was still on my left ovary. The good news is, it did not grow. Dr. Tate said today that she is so happy that it didn't grow because she was worried that it would in between ultrasounds. Praise the Lord! Even when I heard the news, I felt peace! Ryan and I, along with so many of you, have been praying for God's miraculous healing and I know He can still give that through surgery. I know that God has chosen this road for me. Am I super excited? Not really. Am I still afraid? Yes. But do I still believe that God is in control and that we can trust Him? Absolutely!

Surgery it is. This Thursday, August 19, 9:00a.m. mountain time. My surgery is about 3 hours long so I should be out around noon. Dr. Tate will keep me overnight to make sure Baby Lee and I are okay. She said that if I wasn't pregnant she would send me home, so I am thankful that she wants to take extra care of us! Ryan will stay the night with us at the hospital. I already told him that I wanted to eat chocolate chip cookie dough when I get out of surgery. :)

Here are the prayer requests we are asking you to lift up:
*peace, comfort and hope
*good sleep the night before the surgery
*peace for Ryan, my Mom and Grandma Peterson as they wait for me to come out of surgery
*Dr. Tate-that God would guide her already gifted hands
*Baby Lee-that he/she would be protected during surgery and after
*quick recovery
*opportunities to share with others what God has been doing
*Tabor Admissions team and my prospective students (I won't be there to welcome them on Wednesday and Friday)
*that God would be glorified through this experience and His kingdom expanded

Thank you again for your love, your prayers and your encouragement! I promise to write again after surgery when I am on the couch healing! :)

Healer by Hillsong

As I was listening to Pandora (online radio) today God brought this song to minister to my heart! Isn't it amazing how God knows what we need? He is constantly ministering to my heart these days....

You hold my every moment
You calm my raging seas
You walk with me through fire
And heal all my disease

I trust in You
I trust in You

I believe You're my Healer
I believe You are all I need
I believe You're my Portion
I believe You're more than enough for me
Jesus You're all I need

Nothing is impossible for You
Nothing is impossible for You
Nothing is impossible for You
You hold my world in Your hands

Simple, yet so profound. Touched my heart to the inner core. These words are so true and I am clinging to them for hope, peace and comfort today and in the days ahead! You are my Healer, Father God!

14 Weeks

I can't help it. Every time I go into Target or Wal-mart, I have to look at the baby things. Ryan is very patient and I think loves doing it too! We haven't registered for anything yet but we LOVE to look and dream! Since we aren't finding out the sex of our baby, it is difficult to find neutrals that I like. Ryan has no problem with yellow and green but I prefer primary or bright colors. We haven't figured out what theme we want yet either. Good thing we have about 5 more months ahead of us! We haven't been to Babies R Us yet but let me tell you, I can't wait!!! Wall to wall baby stuff!! What gets better than that when you are expecting your first child?

I have got to show you some adorable things we have already gotten. We are trying REALLY hard not to buy anything yet. But I had a gift card to Target so I thought it would be perfect to use on buying our baby it's first few things.
Do you see those red tags? That means I even got them on clearance! That is my kind of shopping! Burp cloths and bibs-must haves! I also got a Boppy cover (also on sale). I don't own a Boppy but I sure hope to! I have heard great things about them and am excited to try it out! And of course our baby has to have some Tabor blue. I just couldn't resist this when I was in the Tabor bookstore when we first found out we were expecting and it was still a secret to the world.
Some family and friends have showered us with gifts too. We are so blessed! Below are some gifts from my Mom and Sister; our baby's first Bible, and his/her first bib (it says Thank Heaven for Little Ones), and a gift for Ryan (my Mom said she didn't want Ryan to feel left out) a picture frame that says "I love my Dad." Thank you Mom and Sister for blessing us!
And our friend Jennie Cabrera came over the other day to bring me and Baby Lee some gifts. She gave me Hot Tamales (she says they are good for upset stomach), A&W Rootbeer and Reece's peanut butter cups....YUMMY! And this is what she brought Baby Lee. Absolutely adorable huh? Thank you Jennie for blessing us!

Surgery Date Set: Thursday August 19 9:00a.m.

Ryan, Baby Lee and I want to thank you for your prayers this past week. As I mentioned in a previous post, God has been doing such amazing things in us and through many of you! We simply would not be in this place today without your words of encouragement and your prayers! Thank you, really from the bottom of our hearts, for loving us and supporting us! We are truly blessed!

We met again with my doctor on Tuesday and have set a date for the laparoscopic surgery to remove the cyst that is on my ovary. Thursday August 19 fits right between weeks 14-16 of my pregnancy which is the safest time to have this surgery. She went over the risks again with us but this time we felt so much peace and comfort which we know only comes from our Great God! The surgery is at 9:0oa.m at the Medical Center of Aurora. Please join us as we lift up the following things in prayer:

*healing before surgery even starts! As you know, we are praying in FAITH that God would heal this cyst before my surgery date. We believe He is the Great Physician and can perform a miracle if that is His will
*my last ultrasound is on Monday August 16, pray that the doctors CANNOT find the cyst
*peace of heart and comfort if surgery is in God's plan
*good sleep the night before the surgery
*peace for Ryan and my Mom as they wait for me to come out of surgery
*Dr. Tate-that God would guide her already gifted hands
*Baby Lee-that he/she would be protected during surgery and after
*quick recovery
*opportunities to share with others what God has been doing
*Tabor Admissions team and my prospective students: this August date means that I will not be able to welcome my new freshmen and transfer students to their fall semester. this is very disappointing to me
*that God would be glorified through this experience and His kingdom expanded

Ryan, Baby Lee and I love each of you! We thank God for you and the impact you have had on our lives! We are excited to see God continue to work; healing before surgery, protection during surgery, healing after surgery, problem-free pregnancy and the birth of a precious baby! Above all, we know that He is in control and we trust Him!

Philippians 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.