New Year, new prayers needed

Hello Everyone,


As always there is never a dull moment around our family. Christmas passed peacefully and we spent it with my Mom and Dad at their home.

The Saturday before New Years Day my dad tripped on a rug in a convenience store, fell and shattered a bone in his hip. When he still couldn't walk or handle the pain two days later he went to the doctor and that's when they told him his hip was broken. They called an orthopedic surgeon and sent him to have emergency surgery but he couldn't have it that day. Dad doesn't like going to the doctor and the last time he did was in 1979. It seems that he was diabetic. His sugar was 552. They struggled to get his sugar down far enough to operate and then discovered that his potassium was low and so was his blood count. They ended up giving him iv's of potassium and one pint of blood before surgery. I was sorry he was hurt but I told him that I was grateful that God got him there because if not he would have had complications from his diabetes and we would never have known. He now has his sugar under control with diet and diabetes pills. He is also going to the doctor. That in itself is a blessing only God could have worked out. Please keep him and my mom in your prayers.

On the same day as my Dad's fall, our former pastor and friend Bro. Sam fell and broke three of his ribs. He is doing better but still hurts. Also, his wife, Mrs. Betty got cataract surgery. Prayers are needed as well for them.

My David's grandmother also had some trouble with her heart during the holidays. She had a pacemaker put in and was supposed to go back to the nursing home but we found out later that she was still in the hospital. Please keep her in your prayers so that the pacemaker works well and she heals well from the surgery.

Our friend Julian who had the double transplant ended up in the hospital because his kidney stopped working. They did an electrical therapy on the kidney and it is working, not 100% but it is working. He was expected to be home again this week, but as I wrote this someone called to tell us that he'd developed a blood clot and had been in surgery for 4 hours. We don't know how he is doing except that it's not very good. He is a wonderful Godly man and always tells everyone he knows that God is with him in all his trials. Please keep him and his wife Janice in your prayers.

David turned his truck over to Tiffany this month and he got a new baby in the process. He wanted a bigger truck and thought he had one lined up but it disappeared before he could buy it. We think it went to a family member as its former owner had passed away. Something told me to look on http://www.craigslist.com/ to see if there were any there. I'd never been on this website but it was fairly easy to find what I was looking for. I happened to see a really nice truck that I thought David would like that was cost effective. I showed it to him and he was so excited that he called the owner as soon as possible. Needless to say we went to see it and he fell in love. It is a 1997 Chevy Silverado 2500... 3/4 ton with extended cab. It had only two owners before him and both kept meticulous records and kept reciepts of everything they did and they also made sure maintenance was kept up on the truck. There are two pictures of it in my photo album. Take a look at it. I told him he was terrible though, when he bought a small bass (fish) air freshener to hang from his rear view mirror. Heather will never be able to set foot in his truck. Luckily she hasn't seen the fish yet.

My cousin Maryjo from Kentucky called to tell me that her sister Shirley has cancer of the sinus cavity. I remember as a child going on our yearly trek to Michigan. We would always stop in at my Uncle Jr. and Aunt Maryjo's house/farm for a day on the way to Michigan and a day home. I always loved going there. I spent as much time as possible with Shirley and her other sister Debbie (we were closer in age). I always got into something and it was usually poison ivy. Mom would go to the doctor and get medicine for me before vacation because she knew I was going to get poison ivy. She had even tried to teach me what it looked like but I always got it anyway. Shirley and Debbie loved to teach me some of the things of farm life like how to gather eggs, how to milk/ride the cow, and what an electric fence does. I think I remember they said I'd see fireworks. What fun those days were, really. I loved it. Maybe going to their home was the reason I loved the book "Town Mouse, Country Mouse" so much. Ahh memories. Please keep Shirley in your prayers as well.


Another prayer request that I have is for a high school friend of mine and her husband. Karen's husband Danny suffered a bad fall at work and everything they try to help him these past few months has not worked. He may lose his leg. Please lift him up that his leg will recieve the healing it needs and that they both may have strength to go through this time in their lives.

Only a little while longer until Heather's husband David comes home. She walks around the house and at random times blurts out "____ days until he comes home!" She is excited, and rightly so. She has been spending time with one of his army buddies' wives and has developed a nice friendship. Please continue to pray for his safe return, also for his fellow battle buddies and all the other troops overseas, and also the girls' friend Josh Stevens who is serving in Iraq.

Tiffany went to choir practice with her boyfriend, for her new church tonight. I am so glad to see she will be using her voice once again to praise the Lord. She is attending Chris' church now.

Rochelle is still drawing and crocheting. She has been enjoying watching movies with Charlie Chaplin in them. For Christmas her dad gave her an envelope. It was hanging in the tree for most of the month of December. What sweet torture. She wasn't interested in much of anything under the tree, just that envelope. She made a big deal out of the fact that she had an envelope and no one else did. On Christmas day she waited until last to open her envelope. Inside was a letter from my David stating that they would be going to a Gaither concert in March. Needless to say she was thrilled. Also she was thrilled recently at the announcement that her favorite singer/comedian/writer Mark Lowry was going to be back with the Gaither Vocal Band along with David Phelps.

We have been raising rabbits for home meat use. Meat prices in the stores are too much. We are putting the cages I made to use. We have had one successful litter and have 3 other does awaiting delivery soon. Some may think this is cruel but when food prices soar and you have a family to feed you do what you must. David is also getting seeds together to start our garden soon. One other use the rabbits are good for is fertilizer. I have been bagging up their waste to use for this purpose.

This past week I was in the hospital. I had dressed for church and then started passing blood. I spent three days in the hospital and then they sent me home to come back as an outpatient for a stress test and a colonoscopy. The emergency room doctor took me off the steroids and is running tests to see if the polymyositis diagnosis is correct. Thank God. I was wondering how to find a good second opinion and He provided the way for that by my hospital stay. I was thankful that God used me to speak about Him to others who came into my hospital room. Hopefully as the days go by I will open myself more for God to use me. I will be going to the hospital tomorrow morning to get my stress test. I know it sounds funny to say this but I hope they find out what is wrong. I don't want to come back home without knowing anything more than I do now. It is frustrating to know that something is wrong but not know what it is. I trust God and His divine will for my life. I know that whatever comes along it is for my best. I just pray that I do not go home to Heaven with an empty plate. I want Him to know that I loved Him enough to tell others about His glorious love and salvation, and that my life has been a testimony of what He has done for me. When I see Him I want to lay my crown down humbly at His feet.

Please pray for me, David and the girls, that we will always rember to praise God through whatever lies ahead for us.

If you do not know Christ as your Savior, what are you waiting for? No one knows for sure when their time is up. Although we are going through a lot we have reassurance and peace. We know that everything we go through, God is right there with us. Jesus never promised the road would be easy but He did promise us a comforter always. I feel His presence lifting me up and my burdens are just a drop in the hat. I am not afraid.

He died for my sins and rose again that I might live in Heaven with Him. He wants you to live with Him too. It's not about working your way to Heaven. If I could do that there would have been no need for Him to die. I could never have been "good enough" or done enough good things to get to Heaven. He says the only way to Heaven is through Him. I recieved the Lord as my Savior years ago. It is easy. All you have to do is admit you are a sinner (we all do things that are wrong), believe that Jesus is God's son, trust Him to lead your life through obedience to His word and tell others about Him. The changes He will work in your life will be so great that others will see and not be able to fathom them. He loves us all, no matter what we've done and waits to offer forgiveness when we truly go to Him asking for His forgiveness (repent). I did this years ago with this simple prayer: "Dear Lord, I know that I am a sinner. I believe that you are God's son and that you died on the cross and came to life again so that my sins would be forgiven. Lord, I ask for your forgiveness and I recieve you as my personal Lord and Savior. I promise to live my life according to your Word. Amen"

If you have prayed this prayer I would love to talk to you and encourage you in your walk with the Lord. You may email me at teachthem@hotmail.com Please put the words New Year, new life in the subject line.

Take care and God bless.

Happy New Year

Hi everyone,

I hope this finds everyone doing well. I had wanted to take the chance to tell everyone Merry Christmas and Happy New Year but the time has passed for that. We have been running quite a bit. Christmas was nice but I'm glad it's over with.