Hello my name is...

Hello my name is Alycia and 

I have Churg-Strauss Syndrome. 

That is honestly how I have defined myself for the past

6 months. 

Although it is true, I do have CSS, I know my identity is not rooted in it and I am still on a journey to figure out how to live with a life-threatening disease

while not letting it define who I am. 

I have been many things in my 27 years on this earth.

A child, a daughter, a sinner, a student, a friend, an enemy, an alcoholic, a blood-bought born-again daughter of the King, a wife and a mother. 

Unfortunately, lately I just feel like the girl with that

crazy disease that has no medical cure. 

I struggled about what to say when I was asked to write

this blog post. On one hand I was honoured on the other...unworthy? I wasn't sure how

uplifting my words would be, because 

I honestly haven't felt very uplifted myself. 

The last 2 years have been an intense and terribly frustrating roller coaster! In the second trimester of my pregnancy in 2012 I developed severe asthma and joint pain. I was told this was a temporary condition brought on by my pregnancy and it would most likely subside,

 After I gave birth. 

Well it didn't. In fact it got much worse.

After many emergency room visits, doctors and specialist appointments I was finally hospitalized in November 2013 due to the severity of my condition and the fact that nobody could figure out what was wrong with me. I had giant painful purple lesions all over my body that were originally misdiagnosed as ringworm. 

I was coughing up blood, I couldn't taste couldn't smell, couldn't breathe, the list goes on. After 3 weeks in ICU and one week on life support with heart and kidney failure I was finally diagnosed with this extremely

rare autoimmune disease. 

Now this all sounds pretty awful, but you should know that the timing of this was impeccable. You see, not a single nurse or doctor in that hospital knew what was wrong with me and all the tests were inconclusive. But there was one doctor who had only been working at that hospital for 3 weeks in fact he had just moved here from Connecticut and he had seen my

2 in a million condition once before. 

I truly believe God orchestrated all of that and many more little details most of which I am probably unaware of.

I'm sure He is doing that on my behalf everyday,

 but I don't even realize it. 

It is easy for me to get frustrated that all if this had to happen and that I am stuck on these terribly potent steroids with very unpleasant side effects. Some days It doesn't take more than a glance in the mirror to literally make me hate myself for being covered in big permanent scars and gaining 50 disgusting pounds beyond my control. 

It's being thankful that takes discipline.

Thankful that I am alive, to watch my daughter grow up. 

On days when I have zero energy to run around,

 after a 1 year old, I try to remember that I am actually

one of the lucky ones because I can. 

The goodness of God never ceases to amaze me

so long as I remember to see it. 

It's always there. 

Even though sometimes it feels like the only thing that's relevant I know that I am not

 just that girl with Churg-Strauss.

I am a wife, and a mother and I've got the best

Dad in the whole world. 

"God sees the little sparrow fall,

It meets His tender view;

If God so loves the little birds,

I know He loves me, too."

Testimony Tuesdays!

 

Written by: Donna 

 

Surprises from Father God! 

One day last year, 

I was spending time

in prayer and enjoying the 

peaceful Presence of Father God.

I began musing over the thought that

most of my Christian friends knew

God’s Will for their lives; and how they fit into the Body of Christ. 

In contrast, my life seemed to be an unfolding work in progress rather than a blueprint with details.  

I wasn’t really expecting an answer to my musing, but I got one, and a surprising one at that!  Father clearly pressed on my heart that I liked surprises, and that was why He kept me in the dark concerning what He was doing in my life. 

As I considered that thought, I had to admit I do love surprises!  But I had never thought about it before, and chuckled at the fact that God knew me better than I knew myself! 

 I loved the fact that He would be interested in such little details and that He would take that into consideration in the way 

He ordered my life!  

As interesting as it was,

 I remembered my list of things to do and got about the busy everyday rhythm of my life.  But as the weeks went by, I began to have one surprise after another show up on my figurative doorstep.

 It was as if Father God was proving His point! Life was becoming an adventure, and I lived in expectant anticipation every day, wondering what He would do next!  

This past year, God healed me Physically, Spiritually, and Emotionally, and with each of those healings I began to walk in new found freedom.  And, with that freedom, came gifts, a.k.a. surprises that would delight and fill me with joy!  

One gift was presented to me by Father while helping at our Wednesday Night Kids Group at my home church.  

We had been teaching the children to listen for God’s voice and this particular session had the kids painting pictures of what God had spoken to them. 

As I walked around the room admiring the pictures, and asking questions about what they had painted, I found myself wishing that I could also paint a picture!

  I had never painted artistically before, and never had a desire to try that type of creativity.  But, instead of fading away, that desire became stronger, and the next day I told my friend that I wanted to paint. She explained, that it just happened that it was her art lesson day, and she invited me to come along. 

 I could use her materials and she even helped me find a picture of a sunset that I could paint. At 3:00 o’clock we arrived at the art studio, and was put to work creating. With some guidance from the teacher, 

I began to paint, 

and was at once captivated! 

 I loved it, and felt as if 

it was something

 I was always meant to do!  

It has been almost a year now, and I am painting and creating daily, and, what a joy it has become to me!  

After a couple months of oil painting, 

I felt a strong desire to try drawing portraits. After my experience with painting, I learned not to just dismiss those promptings, so, 

I got some pencils and a 

sketching pad. 

After watching some

You Tube videos, I started drawing. 

It was amazing!  

Though far from a ‘Rembrandt,’ 

my renderings weren’t bad for someone just beginning.  

I felt that if I continued to work at it, 

it would steadily improve. 

I am amazed and in awe of what Father God has begun in my life in this area, what a wonderful, surprising gift! 

Recently I’ve begun working with acrylic paints and have done some nice pieces that are improving 

day by day!  

What is even more interesting is that I’ve been asking Father God to give me a picture to paint to go along with an encouraging word for someone.  

So far, I’ve gotten several words and pictures that have impacted those with whom I’ve shared. 

It is so much fun to 

create with God! 

About Donna: 

I’m a sixty-two year old 

Grandmother who is discovering gifts 

that I never knew I had 

residing in me! 

 I’ve learned that it doesn’t matter

 if you are 6 or 66. 

We have a Heavenly Father

who loves to give

good gifts to His children!  

Isn’t He amazing?

 

Thanks for reading about my testimony! 

Hope you enjoyed it :)

~Donna 

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