Amazing Grace from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

Below is a recent update sent to thank our loved ones and give all the glory to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Seth recently learned "Amazing Grace" on the piano so every time he walks by a piano he can't keep himself from playing it.  It is a beautiful reminder to hear multiple times a day in our home....


Hi, Friends & Family!

Thanks once more for all the love, prayer, and care you graciously pour out on our family!  Here is an update on all that you have taken before our Father's throne on our behalf:

Mark....

I was waiting for Mark to recover and have a few spare moments to write an update in his own "voice", but he's been swamped with some business trips (flying back from Dubai as I type this :) as well as putting all his extra energy into caring for the kids and me.  :)

Mark's surgery was a great success!  A golf ball sized mass was removed from his thyroid, along with one lobe of thyroid and a lymph node.  Also, the mass on his clavicle was removed.  After thorough testing of the mass on thyroid, lobe of thyroid, and lymph node, Mark gets to keep his thyroid!!!  This is such a blessing and he will NOT need any radiation or to be on thyroid replacement for the rest of his life.  We are praising the Lord that all of this was discovered BEFORE the cells became cancerous!!!  The most beautiful blessing is to see God's caring hand through all the specific details.  Mark only had the original MRI because of the mass on his clavicle.  If he had not had that, it would have been a long time before the mass on his thyroid was found!!!  Praise Jesus!

The mass removed from his clavicle was also tested and what was originally thought to be only fatty tissue proved to be more than that.  I hope I am explaining this correctly (When Mark gets back he can correct whatever details I don't quite have correct. :) and the mass had some cells that were growing as well as bone in it.  The doctor said to keep an eye on that area for regrowth.  If a mass grows back they will have to look at more options.

Adam...

Yesterday, I had another thorough ultrasound (see pics attached :) and saw the high risk OB specialist Dr. Lorraine Stanco.  Dr. Stanco was AMAZED at what is going on.....or rather NOT going on in Adam's little world right now!  I give God ALL the praise and glory! Here's what she found....

-Placenta  Previa and/or Placenta Acreta are NO longer an issue.  Thus (at this point) she does not believe there will be any need for blood donations for a transfusion at delivery.  (Thanks so much for those of
you who so graciously offered to donate your own blood! :)
-Preterm Labor is being put off by my "strict" bed rest, weekly progesterone shots, and MOSTLY God Almighty! (I'm still having contractions here and there, but nothing regular or serious right now!)
-Adam is sitting very low for 30 weeks, but he's holding steady there. :)
-The section in the womb that was bleeding continuously for 6 weeks starting on December 30th, is still there, but is now only 4 cm!
-Still the umbilical cord is attached at the side of the wall of the uterus (marginal cord insertion), BUT it is NOT affecting Adam's growth so far! Praise the Lord!
-Adam weighs 3 1/2 lbs. right now!  (He made up for the little dip in his growth rate since the last ultrasound.)
-Adam is still scheduled to be born via C-section on May 22nd at Noon!

What does this all mean?  I'm still on quite strick bed rest....getting out of bed only when necessary. However, I've been given "permission" to go down/up the stairs once a day!  This is HUGE since I've only been "allowed" to go down for once a week doctor visits. It may sound silly, but I'm sooooo thrilled with this little bit of freedom!!! :)

We are so grateful for the way the Lord has spared Adam's life when all seemed lost 14 weeks ago!!!  Thank you, Jesus!  We are also so grateful for the way the Lord provided YOU to be His hands and feet on earth as you have blessed us with meals to keep us afloat, rides for kids, errands, grocery runs, stopping by to tidy messes/throw in a load of laundry, fresh flowers to brighten my room, encouraging emails/snail mail, and the list goes on and on and on...thanks to you!!!!

The home stretch is upon us as we will meet Baby Adam face to face in a little more than 5 weeks.  We thank God for all the prayer in which you have bathed our family on this journey.  The Lord is sustaining us
through you!

Angels are Rejoicing in Heaven over Chloe's Soul being Saved!!!

Just have to tell you that the angels are rejoicing that a soul has been saved!  During family devotions today Chloe accepted Jesus to be her Savior and forgive her of all her sin.  It was so sweet to watch Noah help her pray as she wanted to "do it right"....even though we told her it was ok to just pray and talk to God. After Noah prayed with her, Seth prayed with her, and then Daddy prayed and thanked the Lord that He saved her and revealed her need of a Savior to her!  This has been a process over many months and we haven't wanted to push her so that it truly was the Lord moving in her heart.  She is so excited to have the Holy Spirit living inside her and she can't stop smiling!  It is so precious!  A few days ago, she asked, "Mom, am I too little to be a Christian?"  I replied, "No.  Do you want to be saved right now?"  She answered, "No, maybe later....with Daddy."  I would have rather her say, "Yes, Mom, let's pray now." but the Lord had a work of faith to do in me as all I could do was wait and pray for Him to move her heart and give her the gift of  faith in His time!  

Blessings Abound this Thanksgiving....

This Thanksgiving the Gist Family has much for which to be grateful.....most of all our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the salvation we have through his death, burial, resurrection, and ascension!  Thanksgiving 2011 is blessed in another way by our Lord....Gist Baby #5 is on the way!!!  Surprise!!!

Family Photos Summer 2010

I love watching the Holy Spirit at work in my husband....Today, he preached for the first time at Grace Church, San Diego. www.gracechurchsd.org, to listen.

When I first met Mark, he had a passion for God's Word and ever since has had a desire to preach God's Word. He is so gifted at so many other things that, I think he is often torn about what to do with this desire. What a joy to see God use him from the pulpit, in spite of the fact that he has not been formally trained to preach! We'll see what God does with this man...this willing vessel.

Salvation Stories....Grace Abounds...

Seth's Story: It was a typical Tuesday, September 29th, 2009. Noah and Chloe were at preschool while I was home schooling Seth. He was having difficulty obeying and needed to be disciplined. He broke into tears and said, "I just can't obey." I told him that he was right. Without the power of the Holy Spirit in his life he could not truly obey and that He needed Jesus to be His Savior from sin. Mark and I had told this to him many, many times over the years, but never had it really clicked. Seth just peacefully stopped and looked at me. I asked if he wanted to pray and ask Jesus to be His Savior, forgive him of his sin, and fill him with the Holy Spirit so he would be able to obey. He said he did. We prayed together....he wanted help, even though he had often prayed on his own in the past...he often fears not doing things "perfectly" and we are helping him with that. Anyway, afterwards, he had a big smile and seemed so relieved! I told him angels were rejoicing for his soul in Heaven and that he would get to go to Heaven when he died! He was so happy about that, but made sure Mommy & Daddy would be going there, too. Later that day it, rained and as it stopped and the sun came out, there was a huge, beautiful rainbow that filled the sky in the front of the house. Seth spotted it out the upstairs, front window and said, "Mom, come look!!!" I reminded him of Noah and God's promise to him. Then Seth said that maybe God put it there for because of God's promise to be his Savior. I couldn't argue with that and now every time Seth shares his salvation story, he includes the rainbow that God sent that day! Each time since, when we see a rainbow, Seth remembers that special day. Noah's Story: On Sunday, October 18th, 2009, Noah was saved. It was a typical bedtime and I was tucking the boys in bed. While it was my turn to pray, Noah interrupted my prayer and said, "Mom, I REALLY want to be a Christian! Can I?" Since Mark was home, I said, "Just a minute, Honey. Let me go get Daddy." So I hurried down the hall and got Mark out of bed so he could be there when Noah was saved! Mark, led Noah in praying and when he was done, we told him that the angels were rejoicing for him in Heaven. We reminded him that now he, too, had the Holy Spirit alive inside him who would help him not sin. He knows he does still sin and will as long as he is here on earth, but what a difference it has made in his life, knowing he has the power of the Holy Spirit inside! Both Seth and Noah have continued to struggle in sin, but what a difference we as the parents have seen in the softness of their hearts and the desire to choose the right path. We continue to encourage them to rejoice in the Gospel and the grace given them by their Savior Jesus. We want them not to be discouraged by their sin, but encouraged that they can see how precious Jesus blood and sacrifice on the cross was for them as they now have the hope of eternal life with their Lord forever in Heaven!

Latest News on Gist Baby #4! :)

Hi, Praying People in our Lives!

Where do I begin????  First of all, Mark and I are absolutely blown
away (once again) at the way the body of Christ has stepped up and
overwhelmed us with kind service in the name of Jesus!!!  Your rewards
will be in Heaven and there is no earthly way we could ever hope to
repay you....  So, if you don't have time for a lengthy email, maybe
you could just listen to the attached song and let the Lord bless you
through it today.

Little did I know when Lisa (my sister) and I chose to sing "Out of
the Depths" together at Lakeside Bible Church in Montgomery, Texas on
August 2nd, that the lyrics would grow to become an even greater
comfort than they had previously. (Some of you may be aware of my
battle with depression and insomnia in 2008. The end of that battle
came exactly one year to the day (Aug. 3rd 2008) that I went forward
in church and was prayed for so specifically for all that was
tormenting my soul (w/o sharing my need). From that day forward, I was
freed on so many levels and I give God ALL the glory for that! That's
all to say, here I am with the Lord showing Himself so graciously and
being my sustanence in the depths, once again.  We all have "stuff"
that we are facing and my prayer for each one of you receiving this is
that you might be comforted in your "stuff" just as I am by my Jesus!

Here's the news as of the doc appt. yesterday:

- Cyst inside the left (and only) is HALF as big as it was on August
11th when we first saw it! :)
- If in 3 weeks, when I go for a recheck, things look the same/better,
there will be no need for surgery!!!! :)  (I must confess, many of
you, including my beloved Mark, prayed for this, but I sure did not
have the faith to pray this way.  I figured I would just be grateful
to make it to the 12 - 17 week surgery time without the cyst rupturing
and keeping itself "status quo"....THANKS FOR YOUR FAITHFUL
PRAYERS!!!)
- The tear in the placenta is completely healed!
- The extra sac of blood/fluid (doc was never quite sure what it was)
is gone!  There is only one mysterious line of blood underneath the
placenta, but he wasn't too concerned about that.
- The baby is 9 and a 1/2 weeks now and looking like a baby!  The
heartbeat is strong and "she" (at least a 1/2 dozen of you have told
me you think it's a girl so we'll go with that unless we learn
otherwise...ha! Ha! :) was even "dancing" as Dr. McNeely described
her!
- I have be "released" from complete bed rest, but if the
spotting/bleeding starts again, I have to stay flat until I have had 2
days free from it.  I am allowed to walk around "gingerly" as Dr.
McNeely put it and not lift anything too heavy.


Prayer Requests:

- Continued strength and faith for our family as we take each day in
stride, accepting help where we should.
- Pain of the cyst...still there, but not as severe. :)
- Health of baby.
- Tina to know her limits...you all know I have trouble with this.

Congrats to those of you who made it through this!  Our family is so
blessed to have you in our lives and we love you all!

Hoping in the Cross,
Tina

PS Here are the lyrics for the attached song, "Out of the Depths"!  Be
blessed!!!!

Words and music by Bob Kauflin

As recorded on Psalms

Out of the depths, O Lord, I cry to You
When I am tempted to despair
Though I might fail to trust Your promises
You never fail to hear my prayer
And if You judged my sin
I’d never stand again
But I see mercy in Your hands

So more than watchmen for the morning
I will wait for You, my God
When my fears come with no warning
In Your Word I’ll put my trust
When the harvest time is over and I still see no fruit
I will wait, I will wait for You

The secret mysteries belong to You
We only know what You reveal
And all my questions that are unresolved
Don’t change the wisdom of Your will
In every trial and loss
My hope is in the cross
Where Your compassions never fail