Fundaraiser - Monday, November 2

Sorry that it’s been so long since my last post. Things have been pretty quite for us these last few weeks and that is certainly a BLESSING! We have another appointment next week with the Maternal-Fetal Specialist so we will have more to report on Anna Grace’s progress next week, but as for now I am feeling good (just a little tired) and if my size is any indication then Anna Grace is growing at a rapid pace!

I wanted to post about something that is happening on Monday, November 2 (this coming Monday). Some very sweet friends of mine are hosting a “Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser” for us that evening at 6:00 pm. We currently do not have any Maternity Health Insurance so all of our doctor’s visits for the time being are being paid out-of-pocket. God is providing for us in lots of ways these days and we are SO THANKFUL! We are trusting HIM day-by-day to take care of our needs, "The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him." Nahum 1:7

So, this post shall serve as YOUR OFFICIAL INVITATION to our Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser. Again, it is Monday, November 2 at 6:00 pm at Starry Nights in Inman, SC. To view the e-vite you can click here http://www.evite.com/pages/invite/viewInvite.jsp?inviteId=WEQELBNNDEAIUGZRVQIY&li=iq&src=email&trk=aei6 or you can contact me by e-mail for more info verybusymom2008@yahoo.com

We are excited about seeing friends and family there and pray that God will be GLORIFIED through this event for our family!

My House is CLEAN

I just had to make a post about my “clean the house day” which was this past Saturday. There were six of the most beautiful women you will ever meet who showed up on my door step Saturday morning complete with rubber gloves and cleaning supplies with smiles on their faces ready to minister to me by CLEANING MY HOUSE!!!! They cleaned baseboards, window sills, windows, my refrigerator, relined my cabinets, dusted fans and any number of things that I would never have done (and VERY rarely ever do for that matter)!

We spent about 6 hours cleaning on Saturday, with a little bit of visiting along the way! I know they must have been exhausted at the end of the day because I know I was and I didn’t work NEARLY as hard as they all did. It was a very special day for me because I feel like my house is super-clean and I can now get Anna Grace’s nursery set up which is going to be a really sweet, sweet time for me.

God is so good to plant this seed of ministry in the hearts of these ladies. After all, cleaning someone’s house is not a glamorous ministry nor is it a ministry where you get a lot of recognition – but for the Bentley family these ladies have truly blessed us and I thank God for them!

Anna Grace Update - October

We had our appointment yesterday in Greenville with Anna Grace’s Cardiologist, Dr. R. and then with my Maternal-Fetal Specialist, Dr. G.

We started with the echocardiogram and then met with Dr R. to discuss the results. Basically, he reconfirmed what they told us in Charleston – however, there we a few things about her heart which were being “monitored” to see how they grew to help determined her surgical plan in more detail. So, those things we were “monitoring” are her aortic arch – which Dr R. said is too small to use. So, she doesn’t have a “working” aorta. The plan for surgery is to make a “Y” connection off her pulmonary artery and “create” a new aorta. Also, the valve that we saw last time which had an issue is the valve that goes to her aorta and since she doesn’t have a working aorta that valve is no longer going to be an issue. Dr. R. also confirmed that when she is born she will have to be on a drug called prostaglandin which will help keep “holes” in her heart open which normally close upon birth until they can do surgery. Dr. R. said that they are also going to have to do her first surgery sooner rather than later. We can expect her first surgery to be within a couple of days of her birth. The name of her first surgery is going to be the Damus-Kaye-Stancil (not the Norwood like I previously mentioned). If you want more info on the procedure you can check out this website http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~soninr/Damus.html Whew, it was a lot to take in.

Then I met with Dr G who looked over the rest of Anna Grace’s body to see how it was developing. Basically, we are continuing to monitor her stomach and esophagus. We won’t know for sure about any of that until she is born. However, everything else about her looks normal and is growing just fine. As a matter of fact, our little girl now weighs 2 pounds and 15 ounces so just shy of 3 pounds. She is in the 70th percentile in weight. That is a blessing!

I go back for another ultrasound in 3 weeks and we won’t have another echocardiogram until the first week in December. The doctors stressed again the importance of carrying her full term and that delivering her in Greenville could be very dangerous. So, please continue praying with me for no pre-term labor and no delivery before December 30.

So…. As always we are TRUSTING GOD with Anna Grace and our family. Thank you all for continuing to pray for us!

Thank You Lord

So it seems these days in the life of the Bentley’s that God is moving HIS hand in BIG ways. We have so much to be thankful for and I want to be faithful to share with all of you about how God is moving.

I posted recently that a family at our Church is going to be allowing us the use their townhome just out of Charleston for as long as we need it when Anna Grace is born. This is such a huge blessing for our family and we are overwhelmed and this family’s generosity and in how the Lord has provided for our need, but it is something that we weren’t praying for. Truly, we had been praying about the Ronald McDonald House and for God to work out the details with it. However, there is a lady at our Church, Ms. D, who came up to us after we made the post about the townhouse in Charleston and told us that SHE had been praying for God to provide us a house for us in Charleston and that the Lord would NOT provide the Ronald McDonald House. The Lord answered the prayer of this faithful saint in such a big way. We were truly blown away. This person also shared that she has been praying for something specific in her own life which the Lord has not yet answered for her, but HE showed her that HE does HEAR. What a comfort to us all to know that our Lord hears our prayers!!!!!! Halleluiah!!!!

Something else BIG going on in our life right now is a fundraiser which our friends are hosting for us on November 2. Many of you have probably already received an e-vite to the fundraiser. This all came about because some dear sweet ladies that I go to MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) with wanted to do something for our family. These ladies came up with the idea of hosting a spaghetti dinner to raise money for our family’s medical expenses. Now, as for the details of the event – all I really know is that it is going to be held on November 2 at 6:00 pm at Starry Nights in Inman , SC. These ladies are doing all of the cooking for the event, which, boggles my mind. I can’t even imagine how to logistically prepare to feed so many people, but these ladies are volunteering their time and talents to prepare this for our family. Wow!!!! I am so overwhelmed by the generosity of so many people. God is again showing Himself as our PROVIDER in this. Everyday HE is showing us that we are not alone and that HE is providing for us. I am so humbled, truly I am humbled and certainly convicted about how many opportunities I have missed to help others in their time of need. May God OPEN MY EYES to see opportunities where He would have me minister to others needs!!!!!

I also want you all to know that we thank you for continuing to pray for our family. So many of you are faithfully praying for Anna Grace and for Zachary and for our family and our needs. Thank you, we hope that you know how much we love and appreciate all of you.

Saturday, October 17

I wanted to follow-up with everyone about something that was mentioned in an earlier post. I have had many wonderful friends approach me over the last 6 weeks about wanting to come over and clean my house as a way to minister to my family. So, that prompted me to plan a big "spring cleaning day" or rather... "fall cleaning day"! I am having a baby and like most women who are expecting a baby I want to get my house in order before the new little one arrives. This is really something FUN for me to focus on right now... I know that seems crazy that spring cleaning might be a fun event, but what it really means is that I am preparing my house to bring a new baby home and that is something sweet to hold on to!!!

If this is something you are interested in helping with you can e-mail me directly at verybusymom2008@yahoo.com and I will forward your contact info onto a very sweet friend of mine from MOPS - Ms. L - who has VOLUNTEERED to organize this day for me and will contact you about the details of the day.

Thank you friends for being willing to come and help us with this.

Love in Christ,

Tina

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