I am currently sitting on the hide-a-bed in the living room with my leg strapped to a machine that brings it up and down, pushing it to bend 50 degrees. I have already iced the leg and done my towel roll exercises. This is my life for the next week.

My dad and brother had come down for the Shepherd’s Conference last week. We had a great week together. The times at SC will always be great memories for me because I get to spend them with my dad, brothers, and other close friends and it is such a privilege to be in an environment where we are all challenged in our faith and our ministry.

Dad caught a red-eye flight on Sunday night to North Carolina to help Ian evaluate a seminary. Nathaniel flew out Monday morning. He was flying out at 6:20am from LAX, which was right around the corner from my surgery center.

So at about 4:20am, Bernie, Nathaniel and I hopped in Bernie’s new rig and headed to the airport. We dropped Nathaniel off about hour before his flight and then went to a McDonald’s so that Bernie could get a bite to eat. My orders were to refrain from eating or drinking anything after midnight before my surgery, so I was limited to simply smelling the egg mcmuffin goodness.

Since we rose so early, Bernie and I were quite tired. We drove the parking garage outside the clinic and napped for a little over than an hour, before checking in at 8:15am.

Not long after checking in, they took me into the pre-op room and had me change into a studly blue gown which came with matching booties and hair cap. Nothing quite says “MAN” like a medical outfit.

The kind ladies, Penny and Georgann, proceed to prepare me and my knee for the time our life.

Before anything else, they had me write “yes” on the shin that I was having surgery on with an arrow pointing up the leg toward my knee. California state law requires this. In talking with Nathaniel the night before, he suggested that I sign my leg with the name “Sarah Palin.” But unfortunately, a name was not what they wanted.

Next came the white tights. Yes, tights. One went on my left leg and the other would go on my right after surgery. They are to prevent blood-clotting in the legs. Very fashionable indeed.

Next came the IV. “Are you good with needles?” Georgann asked. “Only if I don’t look at ‘em.” I replied. I looked away as she tapped and squeezed my arm, making the veins pop out. She then poured something on my hand that froze the top of it temporarily as she shoved the needle up the vein between my middle and ring finger.

One of benefits of surgery is that it gives you new and awkward experiences. That was certainly true when Georgann shaved my leg – high up the thigh to midway through the calf. Now I was laying there with my left leg in white tights and my right leg awkwardly shaved.

They hooked some heart monitors to my chest and then I laid there for about three hours before being wheeled into the anesthesiologist. During those three hours, I dozed off a little, but I also had to battle some anxious thoughts that arose in my heart. With needles already in me, a girl a couple beds over weeping from pain, and the anticipation of what was coming, I was feeling a bit worried. I knew I was anxious because my heart rate was going up on the monitor.

These feelings drove me to the Scriptures. I was able to have my iPhone with me during those hours leading up to surgery, so I clicked on the Logos app and went to Psalm 43 and just started reading Psalm after Psalm. Through the words of the living God, the Spirit gave my soul incredible rest and confidence. Here are a couple of the verses that I ran across:

Psalm 43:5 – “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.”

Psalm 44:25-26 – “For our soul is bowed down to the dust; our belly clings to the ground. Rise up; come to our help! Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love!”

Psalm 46:1-3 – “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.”

Psalm 46:10 – “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

Through these nuggets of truth and the prayers of the saints the Lord sustained me and mercifully calmed my heart.

After much waiting, I was wheeled into the operating room and they then sedated me and injected a nerve block into my leg, which is the equivalent to getting your mouth numbed at the dentist. Then the anesthesiologist put a mask on my face and said good-bye.

I was woken up in the recovery room by another nice lady and immediately scarfed the crackers that she offered to me. After my snack and a complicated visit to the little boy’s room, I was discharged and placed in the back seat of Bernie’s car for a groggy ride home, during which I talked to my mom and Audrey. I think they remember those phone calls better than I do

Thank you to all who have been praying for me. God has and is surely answering them. I am not resting at home with many exercises and such required of me all day long.