THE night.

The man came back and told us, unfortunately these lungs weren't good for me...

----Before I could even begin to feel anything about this, God shielded my heart and the Holy Spirit reminded me -- I AM giving you lungs, don't get distracted like the Israelites, don't trip over the speed bumps because it's just a tactic the enemy uses to divert us from God.. I honestly felt like the enemy was just trying to get in any last stab and jab he could before God rescued me -- because just like the Israelites, God planned on bringing me through the whole time.

Back to the man standing in my room... Before he even finished his whole sentence, his beeper went off and he told us that we had ANOTHER offer - and he was going to leave right now to check them out. He told me he wants to get these lungs for me, but he's not going to accept them just to accept them.. he wants me to have GOOD lungs and with the most seriousness and sincerity anyone has ever spoken to me before he told me "I'm doing my best to get you good lungs."

Again, I went back to sleep -- almost in bliss. You neverrrr hear of people getting 2 offers within the same day.. or at least I never have, and i layed there feeling God in action on my behalf.  I asked God for the nurses to let me skip my chest therapy and physical therapy for that day because it was just so painful and hard to do them, and i felt like why should I go through all that just to get new lungs? I only told this to God and my mom.. and sure enough the nurse walks in and says I don't have to do CT or PT that day. THANK YOU, LORD! I just felt like he was setting everything up to finally finish this, and let me tell you... it was such a nice feeling.

Most of the day went by, and the next thing I know, my nurse Sarah comes in smiling and says -- they're yours. I couldn't believe it! People started flooding my room, detaching and reattaching tubings and machines and IVs and starting me on pre-surgery meds.. it was all so chaotic, and yet all so peaceful at the same time. I wasn't scared at all. It was like I was in this cloud, this euphoria,just watching everyone around me hussle about.. but as for me.. I just smiled knowing I was going to finish the race.. Soon.. I would breathe.  Really the only way I can describe it:  Isaiah 26:3 -- "You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!" -- I was about to go for one of the most hardcore surgeries there are.. and yet, I was in perfect peace.


They took me out, and I mouthed to my family (minus my dad) "Pray for me" and just layed back and relaxed. I got into the OR and my surgeon was there, which only added to my peacefulness. He stood right infront of me so I could see and hear him clearly. They had to put in an arterial IV before they knocked me out -- but mind you, my veins were basically shot at that point. So I had both my arms stretched out to the sides -- one guy working on gettin an IV in each arm, and two guys down at my feet trying to get a leg IV -- I honestly didn't even feel a thing. Suddenly my Dr. says "Hang on, Emily has to see one more person.." and in comes my dad! He wasn't able to get to the hospital fast enough to see me off, so they found him, literally ran him to the OR prep room, got him dressed and brought him in so he could see and pray with me before i went under. That's the last thing I remember until I woke up..

...with new lungs.

"..But those who trust in the LORD will renew their strength, they'll soar high with wings like eagles, they'll run and not grow weary, they'll walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31 -- that's the verse God spoke to me when we first started pursuing transplant. He told me "I'm literally going to do this for you."  And the night of July 31, 2013, I got to see the Word of God alive and active (Hebrews 4:12) like I've never seen before.

God put his promise into action and lungs in my chest because God is love.