There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home. And I am exteremly thankful to be here after 2 weeks in hospital, for surgery and then rehab hospital. It was not a bad place, just not home. There is no place like home.

Just in case you wonder why I was in a hospital for surgery and then rehab, on Wednesday, December 1, I was walking down our sidewalk to the house when my femur snapped in half and I fell, thankfully onto the grass. When I tried moving my leg the bottom half didn’t move. It was definitely broken. I knew I couldn’t crawl up the hill and cement steps, nor down to the house. I knew Wendy was expecting me to bring the car around (the reason for going to the house was to get my keys) so we could do an errand and would wonder why I was taking so long. Surely someone from the office just across the street, which I could see from my position lying on my side, would poke their head out the door and look for me….I refused to let myself panic, hunkering as best I could against the wind whipping a few snowflakes around me. The ground was cold but not yet snow covered nor frozen. As long as I didn’t move, I didn’t hurt…yet. Prayed God would send someone out of the office soon so I wouldn’t be there too long on the ground. I tried yelling, “HELP!”, several times and waved my arm. Amazing that you must use hip and leg muscles for yelling. And how quickly one’s voice gets hoarse.

Though I was scared and cold, I knew this could be much worse. I could be alone here, no one in the office, no one expecting me at any moment. I thanked God that others would soon come looking for me, that the ground and weather was not yet full blown winter, that I had gloves on, that I had a hood on my jacket which I put under my head on the ground; for so many things. It could have been so much worse.

After what we estimate was about 30 minutes, Randy came out the door of the office onto the porch. Just then I yelled and waved my arm and he yelled to those inside to call 911. I was going to be ok. Deliverance was on the way.

Everyone from the office piled out and did whatever they could to assist. I was piled high with blankets and a heating pad to keep me warm. I had begun to get seriously cold just before Randy showed up. It took another 30-40 minutes for the ambulance to arrive and needless to say I have never experienced such pain as when I had to be moved onto a stretcher for the ride to the hospital, and subsequent moves from one pallet to another in hospital. It would be several hours before I received any pain meds. But I was thankful to be rescued, for that is certainly what it was. As I said, it could have been so much worse.

After an agonizing X-ray (my femur bone, in 2 pieces, was criss-crossed), it was determined I’d have surgery the next day. In mid-afternoon Thursday I went to surgery and after a day or so transferred to the rehab hospital next door where I spent a week and a half.

Winter storms came rushing into our area with many inches of snow and single digit temps and even below zero windchill temps. Randy couldn’t even get out every day to come the 35 minutes to hospital to visit me. I was glad he was wise and stayed home in the worst of it, though I missed his company. Mountain roads can be treacherous. With this weather the prospect of getting me down through our yard into the house when I was released seemed daunting. It was of great concern to Randy. But God graciously let me be released on one of the only days we had calm weather, higher temperatures and sunshine. The roads were clear and with the help of 3 friends, who practically carried me in the little wheelchair I had, I got down the several steps in our yard and into the house with no incidents. Again, we are so thankful, so thankful.

I do not know why all this is occurring. The why's belong to God. And I know beyond a doubt (my own) that God is good. I have simply yet pointedly prayed that God make something eternally valuable out of all this. Suffering of any kind should never be wasted. God doesn’t waste anything. He knows I am His, totally abandoned to Him; to live for, love and serve Him. May He work out His eternal, righteous purposes through this brokenness of my body.

I am doing rehab on my own at home so far. We do not yet know if there is a home health company which accepts our insurance which can provide in-home rehab. But I see my orthopedic surgeon this Thursday (23^rd) so please pray all is well, that I will mend properly with no problems, that I will have no blood clots or fat embolisms which can happen with a femur fracture.

Randy has been caring for me at home, fetching and doing everything for me that I am incapable of doing for myself yet, plus running the household: laundry, cooking, dishes, cleaning, etc.

Since our home has a step into our downstairs half bath and a flight of stairs to the only shower, the yard is all incline and sidewalk steps, Randy has determined for my welfare and safety that as soon as I am ok’d to travel, I will be going back to California to live with our children for my recuperation. It will be a long road to complete recovery with incremental improvements, but by God’s grace I will improve every day. Randy assures me he sees it each day now. If you’ve been through anything like this, you know exactly what it is all about.

Thank you for your prayers for me. Please continue them, and hold Randy up as he has the extra load of work and burden of concern for me.

Grateful to God for His mercies…and friends like you. May you know more deeply this year His goodness as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and only Savior.

Jacque

Baby “Heavy” Fanchi (he does have a formal name too) came for a short visit to his mom, dad, siblings and other family yesterday, October 3, 2010. We understand they had 15 minutes with him, for which they thank God, before heading right on to his final destination, his heavenly Father’s home. Of course, all here mourn his quick departure, but they were prepared ahead of time for this real possibility and have made the most of the little time allotted them with Heavy.

Thank you for praying for the Fanchi family. As you think of them in coming days, as the seasons change and express yet more wisdom of our creator God, please continue to ask our loving heavenly Father to hold them together and fill with his peace the lonely space in their lives as they grieve Heavy’s death.

Jacque

Friday morning, Mustard Seeds’ staff worship, prayer and study time. As we sang songs from the songbook we’ve compiled over the years, Angie requested “Blessed be Your Name” (by Matt Redman). Sitting next to me on the settee, she leaned over and said she thought of this song as she was praying for Peter and Chelsea. Angie is very concerned for this couple and what they are going through with their as yet unborn baby, nicknamed Heavy. I had just sent an email reply to them the other day, encouraging them in their struggle. They are not alone, and not just because so many are praying for them, lightening their burden in unseen ways, but because we all have to go through “dark valleys” at some point or points in our lives, and those who have gone before us, whether yet living or not, can teach us much about struggle and faith… and the light beyond the dark valley. We only need look at their lives; they will reflect this song.

Blessed be Your Name in the land that is plentiful

Where your streams of abundance flow,

Blessed be Your Name.

And Blessed be Your Name, when I’m found in the desert place,

When I walk through the wilderness,

Blessed be Your Name.

Chorus:

Every blessing You pour out, I’ll turn back to praise,

When the darkness closes in, Lord, still I will say,

Blessed be the name of the Lord, Blessed be your Name,

Blessed be the Name of the Lord, Blessed be Your glorious Name.

Blessed be Your Name, when the sun’s shining down on me,

When the world’s all as it should be,

Blessed be your name.

Blessed be Your Name on the road marked with suffering,

Though there’s pain in the offering,

Blessed be Your Name.

Every blessing You pour out I’ll turn back to praise,

When the darkness closes in, Lord, still I will say,

Blessed be the name of the Lord, Blessed be your Name,

Blessed be the Name of the Lord, Blessed be Your glorious Name.

You give and take away, You give and take away,

My heart will choose to say, Blessed be Your Name.

(repeat)

I can never seem to get through that song without tears choking me silent. I have had a wonderful life, but not without suffering, fear and pain. I know, however, others have suffered so much more, to my thinking, in ways I have not. Yet our common reference point, for those of us who trust in the living God, is His grace and Presence. For those who have gone through a dark valley, and have come out into the light, they know one gets to that light by living the song, by offering the sacrifice of praise to God in the midst of pain and suffering. Because we have hope, hope in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

When my dad died I thought of him in the presence of God, having gone on before us (I always have a tinge of longing to be there too), and of all the things he was learning. How much he will be able to tell us when we get there!

Though we don’t know the “days” marked out for baby Heavy by his heavenly Father, we are pretty sure his life will be much shorter than most. Yet as I think about him, I again think of Heavy going before us, and the things he will learn from our Lord. How precious he is to the God who loved us all so much He sacrificed His son for us. How our Father will welcome this little person to His bosom! What will He teach him? What will Heavy be able to teach his family when they arrive? It is awe inspiring to me to think about it.

Baby Heavy, for whom yesterday was to be his birthing day, though he must go through a dark valley too, and will not even know to “live the song”, will soon be running and jumping and praising God, in fields of light; the Presence of the true and only God.

And through their tears his loved ones, by faith, will rejoice with him, looking to the time when we all will join him running and jumping and praising God in His Presence.

Here is the continuing journey of Peter and Chelsea Fanchi, parents of 2 young children and expecting their third, nicknamed Heavy, who will not live long after birth (see my last blog). We can journey with them through prayer, and learn from them as they learn to walk their dark valley with Jesus. Chelsea wrote the following and sent it to us September 6^th:

Today was a really rough emotional day. I haven’t had one of these days since June. A WHOLE LOT OF TEARS! Everything made me sad. I pouted like a little kid. I didn’t want to be with people. I really don’t feel like I want to go through with the next few weeks.

I am afraid.

Afraid of the unknown. Afraid of being sad for a long time. Afraid of taking a whole lifetime of love and packing it into a few precious moments. Afraid of the afterward.

Peter with tears filling his eyes, gently, in his most loving way, reminded me that when Peter or Maria are in pain, or sad, our desire is to hold them until the hurt has stopped, and what a wonderful opportunity we have to do that with Heavy.

Somehow, in my emotional messiness that helped my tears to slow down and to not be quite so afraid. The future is always a bit scary, but I can get my head around moments of holding our child until they no longer hurt and then continuing to hold them.

I even think that it is a blessing that we have the opportunity to be the ones who are with our child as his breath returns back to God (Ecclesiasts 12), the One who breaths life into us all.

In the midst of our fears, we KNOW that we are not alone. This summer I had the opportunity to volunteer at Peter’s VBS at church. One of the nights a leader got dressed up at the disciple Peter and in character shared about the step of faith it took to walk to Jesus in the stormy water. The leader, could have been speaking only to me, said, you just keep you eyes only on Jesus and step, then step, then step.

That night at VBS as the elementary kids were watching the leader finish his silly Peter character skit, I was fighting back tears. Knowing that we, as God’s children, whom he fiercely loves are never forgotten.

Please pray for us as we wait and prepare for Heavy’s arrival. We are 3 ½ official weeks away and counting. (Due September 27)

On Monday August 30^th, we had our ultrasound. Dr. Landers confirmed that Heavy does have a heart defect, one that is in fact operable, but not in his case due to all of his other health complications.

We also found out that our little guy was still breech, but, we have a ROCK STAR perinatologist who flipped Heavy manually (also called, version). It kind of tickled and was really cool for Peter to see Heavy float across my belly. My abdomen felt pretty beat up the following day, but I wouldn’t trade that for a cesarean any day!

Please pray that Heavy will stay head down!

Since our last update we also completed our birth and life plan. It was strange getting in writing what we wanted and did not want for our son’s life on Earth.

Please thank God with us that we feel confident and secure with our document. We know that God has helped us to create a peaceful plan for Heavy.

With Love,

The Fanchi Family