Ethiopian Sunrise from the roof of the Hilton

Friday, November 21, 2008

1 Year Later


It's hard to believe that a year ago today we met our daughter in the Kidane orphanage in Ethiopia. Many of you were praying over us in our journey there and our journey here as the physical and emotional healing of Praise began. This has not only been about unraveling medical mysteries and physical healing but also about unraveling the mysterious ways of God in our personal lives and the spiritual healing in our souls. We have witnessed again first hand that God's grace, mercy, and love is far greater than whatever situation or circumstance we find ourselves. Her name, Praise Tinsae, speaks volumes to us in ways that we never would have imagined.

If you have been following our blog you know that because of dealing with her other medical challenges we could not start her HIV meds until about 4 weeks ago. Today, on our one year anniversary, we received a report from the doctor's office that her HIV is at undetectable levels in her body. What great news! Yes, we believe God timed this news to commemorate in our lives that He remembers each and every moment...of every year... in our lives more than we do.

Do we just believe this way about God because of our daughter's amazing health and progress? What if God chose to lead her to greater sickness or even death? Would we still be able to 'Praise' Him? Our praise of God cannot rest in our perspective of the circumstances that surround us. Our praise of God must find its rest in the nature and character of a Holy God that does all things well even if we never see or understand the 'seemingly' dark and hopeless moments of our lives. It is only from God's vantage point or perspective in His grand scheme of things that we can see how all things work together for His praise and glory. It was God's plan to send His son to a brutal death on the cross. Can you imagine how His disciples felt as they watched Jesus die such a horrible death? They did not understand the price that He had to pay to satisfy the debt for our sin. They did not know about the resurrection. They did not understand the depth of His love. Praise's middle name, Tinsae, means resurrection. Her name everyday reminds us of His love and to Praise the Resurrection.

Thank you for standing with us and praying for us.

His love is...more than we can ever begin to imagine,

Bill & Michelle McConomy

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" John 11:25-26