Prayers Needed

 My mom has suffered another health setback. On Sunday, September 25, she had an emergency appendectomy. It is a long recovery process. Please pray the pain will ease, and that she will have no complications.

My 8 month old nephew, Joel, will be having his second open heart surgery on Tuesday, October 4. He has left hypoplastic syndrome which will be repaired along with extra veins that will be rerouted, veins that wrap the heart that will be rerouted, and a narrow aortic arch which will be expanded. Please pray all goes well with no complications during surgery, and please pray his recovery is quick.

My sister Joy had a miscarriage a few days ago. Please pray for her in regards to this and some unspoken things.

Please continue to pray that I can begin traveling again. Mom's health is the main reason I have not begun traveling.

Fall Is Upon Us.

Where does the time go? I cannot believe it has been over a month since I posted an update. Life seems to happen and move too quickly these days. During the last week of August, we began to see a bit of color in the leaves. Soon the countryside will be covered with the colors of fall. We have already had cold enough temperatures in the night and early mornings that I am sleeping with blankets. I believe we are going to have a long cold winter.

Last Sunday, we began our kids program Anchor Adventures again. We are working hard to regain some of the kids we have lost since the program was closed down for the winter and because I was staying with my sister most of the spring. Please pray that our kids will again become faithful, and that they will get a burden to reach their friends and family with the Gospel.

We finally took out a wall which was hindering growth in our downstairs auditorium. I am praying that the empty chairs will push our members to get out and bring in people to fill them. It is sad that so many Christians allowed their practices of faithful church attendance and soulwinning to slacken because of covid. If anything there should have been an urge to tell others about Christ because of the fear of death being on everyone's minds.

My sister's baby has been doing pretty well, but weight gain has been a huge hurdle. After trying several formulas and finally finding one that seemed to work, the government control on the formula has caused her issues in being able to always get what he needs. Please pray he continues to gain weight and do well. They still haven't met about his second surgery, and my prayer is that by the time they do, his heart will have grown what he needs. God is a God of miracles, and I believe this could happen if God allows it to.

A month or so ago, my 18 year old cousin Charlotte was diagnosed with lymphoma. Please pray that her treatments work and for wisdom and strength for her and her family.

My mom's health is still the same. Please pray that her heart rate and blood pressure will even out. Pray also that her hip will heal so that she can regain strength and mobility.

Please pray for me as I look to possible heading out on a series of trips in either the spring or summer. I am waiting for answers and healing for my mom and nephew before heading out.

August-The Last Month of Summer

 It is hard to believe we are nearing the end of summer. The last two and half years have been very different from what I expected. Covid brought me home, and my mom's health has kept me home. This year baby j was born with a heart condition, and is expected to have a second surgery in the near future. 

The Bible talks about seasons, and just like we have seasons in nature, we have seasons in life. The last two and half years have felt like a long bleak winter. It has been hard for me to not be traveling and helping missionary families. I see the needs of so many around the world, and I wish I could clone myself. My mom needs my help, and my sisters need help, and again I wish I could clone myself. I have never been a very patient person, so this period of waiting for God to bring healing... in my family has been difficult. Please keep my family in your prayers, especially my mom.

Please pray for our church. Satan is using everyone and everything he can to defeat spiritual of our members and physical growth in numbers. Some may say numbers aren't. Important, but then they would have to reject the entire book of Acts which lists numbers added to the church daily. Every number is a soul, and while having the largest church in the world isn't the most important thing, striving to have the largest church in the world is important because it means you are working to move ahead, to grow, to push harder to reach more people for Christ. The biggest needs we have are someone to help with the kids ministry, and someone to help with music. The next big need is a larger vehicle to pick up people. 

Thank you for your prayers and for those who continue to support me. The continued support has allowed me to care for my health as I cared for my mom, and the bulk of the support goes into an missions account which will be used to fund future trips. Please pray that God continues to open and keep open the nations I am planning to visit. 

Life Continues

 I have been home a couple of weeks now, and most of that time has been spent caring for my mom and buying furniture for my room and trying to get the house settled. Sometimes moving feels like starting all over. Hopefully we will be settled in totally by next week.

Mom is working on getting rid of three blood clots in her leg. She is also still trying to heal her torn hip muscles. Because of these issues, her heart rate and blood pressure have been giving her trouble. Prayers are appreciated.

Our church did an outreach program to pass out tracts and John and Romans. The people participated and really enjoyed the opportunity. We had several visitors come over the last few weeks. Please pray that God will continue to bring people in and that our people will continue to have a burden to reach out.

My sister's baby has a cat scan coming up next week for his heart. Please pray that the doctors will see everything they need to. Surgery is possible in August.

Until the baby has surgery and my mom's health is better, I am waiting to begin traveling again. Please pray that God will open the doors for the places He wants me to go.

Baby J Updates

 I had been waiting to see what the doctors would say regarding baby Js surgery... which is why there has been a month of no updates. baby J was supposed to have two different procedures near the beginning of June. A false positive covid test kept him from having these. The good thing that came from the false test is that he doesn't need another test for 180 days. He had the heart cath last Thursday. The doctors will meet and then schedule an appointment  to discuss the next steps. The CT scan has been pushed to July. Please pray that the longer time may allow for more growth which will make his next surgery a better scenario. 

Due to still not having housing, and due to mom hurting her hip again, she and I will be staying in Iowa for a bit while dad returns to Maine to hopefully find housing. Please pray that God shows plainly what we need to do.

Continue to pray as I try to work towards getting back to missions traveling. Baby Js situation and my mom's health are two things that I am waiting for improvement in. Please pray that travel remains unhampered by any more health measures.

Moving Week

 Well this is the last week to be out of the house my parents have been renting. We still aren't sure of the truth of who owns it...,but no matter what we will be out. We still have no leads to a new residence.

My mom and I are flying to Iowa so she can spend time with baby Joel before his next surgery. Please pray as he has a heart Cath on June 10, and surgery will be scheduled soon after. We are still praying for some miracles of healing in his heart, but no matter what the bands put on to decrease oxygen to the lungs and spread it through the body will have to be taken off  pray for God to protect Joel and guide the doctors hands, and pray for peace for my sister and her family.

This week is Memorial Day, and I think about my uncle who gave his life in Vietnam to save his fellow soldiers.  I think of the millions who have sacrificed their lives, the lives of their family members, the childhood years of their children, the early years of their marriages, their wealth and lands... Since this nation began. As I watch the current government try to steal away our rights, vote away our rights, give power over our lives to a killing machine, remove the power of our money, remove the will power to work and provide for families... I pray that God will cause Americans to rise up one more time and throw tyranny to the winds. 

Jesus is coming soon, and I see time slipping by that should be used to reach others for Christ. Instead, the time is being used to bash ministries who are giving the true Gospel, it is being used to remove the truths of God's Word and give people a false sense of security in a "Christian" rock and roll culture, and so much more that is displeasing to God. My prayer is that revival will take place in the hearts of those who claim to be Christians. You can't revive something that is dead. A result of revival is souls saved, but revival is for the saved to return to the truth of God's Word, surrender to God's will...

Quick update

 Update 1- Baby Joel will have a heart cath either June 1 or June 10. Within a couple weeks of this test, his doctors will set a surgery date. Please pray that God will allow this surgery to go as well as the first with no complications. He will have several things done during this surgery.

Update 2- My parents housing situation is still a mystery as far as who owns the property and where they will move. The church is considering how they will be able to help. Please pray that God will give clear direction for my parents.