Update on Serenity and a Message From Our Hearts

Serenity is currently in renal (kidney), lung, and heart failure. Her heart and lungs are working due to the medications they have her on. However, her kidneys are simply not working. They are about to give her a large dose of two medicines to try and kick start her kidneys. If it dos not work, those medicines will unfortunately cause her lungs to fill with more fluids and possibly shut them down more. However, this is a risk we have to take because if her kidneys do not begin functioning the rest will not matter. As far as the doctor knows, if he is not successful in getting her kidneys to start, she will slowly die. Hence, the kidneys are of top priority in prayer.

Please pass this on to all prayer worriers.

Our Father in heaven, being timeless, has already heard your petitions for our baby girl. And Kasey and I know, beyond any doubt, her healing might ultimately be to pass away. As we have said from the beginning, our hope is in the creator of all things. The one who made a way to save our very souls. Our hope is not in any human being. So, if in his good graces and wisdom, he has chosen to allow Serenity Hope Nichols to be with him in heaven, we will mourn, but ultimately we will rejoice in who he is and the blessing he has given by allowing us to hold her sweet little hands.

I believe the scripture below best explains our hearts. Please read it thoroughly and intently.

Romans 8:18, 23-30

"18 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later...

...23 And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children,* including the new bodies he has promised us. 24 We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope* for it. 25 But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.) 26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. 27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers* in harmony with God’s own will. 28 And we know that God causes everything to work together* for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn* among many brothers and sisters. 30 And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing (a right relationship/good standing) with himself. And having given them right standing (a right relationship/good standing), he gave them his glory."

(Keep in mind, Paul wrote this while in prison and suffering great persecution)

If, in all of this, one see's the goodness of God, then we will rejoice! If, in all of this, one comes to know our Lord and Savior, we will rejoice! Everything he does should be considered good. Including the timely death of our little girl.

Thank you all for your continued prayers and encouragements. You are all family to us! Even those of you we have never met.

-Ryan Nichols