Update & Prayer Requests

I will try my best to send out a little update now and again, so those of you walking through this storm with us will know what's up and how you can be praying more specifically.

Doug Smart-
My dad was transferred from UW Hospital to a Rehab Center on Friday 1/23/09. He will spend approx. 8 weeks there and then return to UW for surgery to remove any more infection in his right hip and leg. He then will return to the rehab center for another 8 weeks..after which time the doctors will evaluate his condition. Our hope is he will be able to receive a new hip. This is where it gets tricky, due to bone and muscle loss. There is also talk of femur replacement along with hip replacement. My dad was brave in asking some tough questions on Wednesday and he wanted straight answers. He asked about his heart- It's strong! He asked if amputation was still on the table? The answer is unfortunately, yes! This was very difficult for mom and dad and the rest of the family to hear or even try to wrap our brains around. Please pray that the infection in his body would vanish, that he would be patient with himself and those that are trying to help him, that his spirit would be lifted beyond his current condition and circumstance, that he would have peace, good rest and good pain management. On top of everything else dad had to have two teeth extracted...it didn't go well and zapped his emotional and physical energy back a few notches for sure. A high light for his week was that Scott and Makayla where up from Oregon and Dad was able to get more hugs and support. He and Makayla held each other tight for quite some time. Dad also got a visit from Jon Brockman and UW Huskies Basketball coach, Lorenzo Romar. This was a very nice gesture that is much appreciated by all those that love my dad.

Luke and I continue to tend to 27 acres and 13 horses. My mom and sister where here for a bit last week. Then Scott and Makayla came up over the weekend and we had some family time together between all the work on my grandparents home on Friday Harbor and the farm on Orcas Island.

Mom is now in Seattle again to be with dad and tend to some of his needs. She should be returning to the farm in a few days. Moms plate is more than overflowing as she tries to regain their existence after all important documents went up in flames. The phone is pretty much attached to her ear non stop.

I just sent out a Update/ Prayer Request to church, friends and family which I will attach below: Some of this will be a repeat of the above but it should catch everyone up to speed. Thank you to those who have called, sent notes via e-mail, snail mail and Facebook..even texts. I am not in a position to make alot of return calls or responces, just know that I so appriciate your encouragment and prayers at this time.

Here is the Update/Prayer Requests letter sent today:

I will try to make this update short and prayer requests as specific as I can; there is a whole lot going on all at once, so please let the Spirit of God lead as you pray! I have included my blog link for those of you who would like more details on a constant basis http://www.tottenlifesong.blogspot.com/

I. My Dad/Doug Smart was transferred from UW Hospital to a Rehab Center. He will be at Rehab for 8 weeks then return to UW for another surgery for deb-riding of infection. He will then return to Rehab for yet another 8 weeks after which time they will access his condition and see if hip and/or hip and femur replacement is possible. The hardest news we received last week was that amputation of his right leg is still a possibility.
Prayer: Healing from all infection, peace of mind, patience and a covering and hope that only comes from Christ alone no matter the outcome. Healing and protection from depression for parents, sister and myself as we are dealing with many different stresses and grieving many different losses. Please also pray for open and gentle communication between each family member and with those that are standing in the gaps to help.

II. The House Fire is still under investigation. The local fire Marshall deemed the cause to be a gas leek. Although the insurance company, propane co. and oven manufacturer are all sending out there own detectives to collect evidence and make there own investigations. They will all be arriving on Feb 3rd. In the mean time the rubble sits. Luke and I try to ignore it as we drive by on the tractor to tend to 27 acres farm and 13 horses out in pasture twice a day. Prayer: Investigation would go smoothly and all parties would agree on cause, so we can move forward with clean up efforts. Protection, peace, energy and safety as Luke and I as we tend to the horses and property. Please also pray that the weather is favorable, it is starting to snow as I type and this would really add a burden to our labor.

III. Other Pressing Issues: Sale of my grandparents home (they died last winter and their home is just now ready to be placed on the market). Scott and I made the last few loads of furniture out of the house and are now doing craigslist daily to rid some of the excess stuff/junk. Dad is not able to practice dentistry at this time and may not be able to anymore. There is no income and they are waiting on insurance funds to come thru. There are many difficult financial situations that need to be faced and dealt with immediately. Some hard decisions will need to be made that are highly emotional for both my parents. Retiring from dentistry, selling horses, investment properties and other farm equipment and extras that are in excess and possibly even selling the farm.

Please Pray for Gods wisdom, guidance and will to unfold one day at a time. Thank you for your concern and prayers. Thank you also to those of you that have taken care of Makayla as Scott is managing things on his own at home. I will probably be in Washington at least another 2 weeks then I will come home for a few weeks and return for a week at a time for the next couple months.

In Christ's Love and Blessings...