Busy October

 Goodness! I had no idea I had not updated for more than a month. I guess I've been updating on FB for mom's surgery... Mom had a total hysterectomy on October 18 for cancer. So far as the doctor could tell, there was no cancer anywhere else. Her trip to the natural clinic in Georgia went very well. She lost a good amount of weight, her hip repaired itself a bit which allowed her to have the cancer surgery, and she got a jump start on flushing the cancer. The first week after surgery was rough. This week has been better, but mom has been having more trouble with her hip. Pray that her pain level will drop and that there is no new hip damage. She will have an appointment Friday with the hip doctor, and a surgery follow up appt. on Nov. 6. Pray no cancer cells were found in any other tissue that they biopsy.

Just before mom's surgery, we went to a preachers meeting. I was able to take some shell projects and sell them to raise money for the missions trip I'm doing with several young ladies next year. Please pray that God will provide the funds for the trip and for the girls' college bills next year. 

On Halloween, we set up a table at our town's trick or treat activity. We passed out over 200 bags with John &Romans, tracts, invites for our kids ministry and candy. We had over 20 people sign up for our kids Christmas Play and Caroling activity. Please pray God uses all these things to see people saved and families added to our church.

Miracles for Mom/Missions Trip

 So mom went to a natural hospital in Wildwood, GA. She spent 11 days with a totally vegan diet, herbal teas, and herbal supplements seeing what God might do to help with healing her cancer, her overall health, and her hip. She came out having dropped 11 pounds which may seem insignificant, but for her it was a big deal since she has not been able to exercise... the last three years.

On the last Sunday of the program, mom was in her room, and took a step which moved her leg to the side. She was surprised because she hasn't been able to move her injured leg more than a few centimeters in any direction except forward for walking. She then tested other movements, and she can move her leg sideways, cross it, lift it... This means she can have the cancer surgery she needs, and she may not have to have any hip surgery. She has two appointments at the end of the month, one with an oncologist and one with a hip surgeon. Please pray all goes well with these appointments.

For myself, God is moving in the hearts of young people to allow me to show them what I do when I travel to help missionary families. Next summer, I am working on a trip to Guatemala, Chile, and Guyana with 4-6 young ladies. We will help with two VBS weeks and help the missionaries' wives and in the church ministries. Please pray that God will provide the funds for each young lady. The cost is going to be $2000-2500 per person for flights. 

Please continue to pray for a major unspoken request. Three years is a long time to wait for an answer, but it not only takes God to do the miracle, but it takes the people involved to want the miracle. Pray for my parents as this situation is a great heartache to them.

Mom's health and Missions Trip

 I posted about mom's health back in July after she got the confirmation that she has stage 1 cancer. This week, she will go to Georgia for an 11 day treatment program to jumpstart the healing of her cancer. When she comes back, she will have an appointment with a hip surgeon to find out if she can have her muscles reattached. Please pray that all goes well.

I have begun planning a missions trip with several young ladies who want to see what I do when I help missionary families. We are planning a trip to Central and South America. We have one missionary scheduled in Chile for a VBS and helping in the home, and I have been in touch with a missionary in Brazil. Please pray that God will provide the funds for all these girls. If you are interested in giving towards this trip, let me know. I am still in early stage planning, so I haven't set up a place for monetary giving yet.

Prayer is still needed for the unspoken I have mentioned for the last few years. Satan is definitely a destroyer. 

Please continue to pray for our craft group. We have two ladies who are interested in coming, but they have not come yet. Pray that this group can be a tool to win people to Christ.

Vacation!

 My parents and began our vacation on July 18. We traveled to my youngest brother's to visit for a few days and have some natural health testing and consultation. At church, we met some friends who were in charge of our camp when we were kids. My dad was able to get in some good fishing.

My oldest brother came through and picked me up to travel to my sister's in Iowa. We then all traveled to Oshkosh, Wisconsin for the huge air show. I met several missions aviations groups. We had my sister's 7 kids, and my brother's twins. I met a 100 year old Tuskegee airman which was the highlight of the trip for me  We had a great time.

While in Oshkosh, I was able to give a brief testimony about my ministry. There a number of missionaries there, and more will be there throughout the week, so I was able to leave prayer cards for them.

My parents had traveled to Indiana to visit with my other sister while I was in Oshkosh. They had a great time visiting with the grandkids there as well as my dad's sister's family. They then traveled with another of my dad's sister's to meet me in Iowa.We will be here together for a few days, and plan to spend an enjoyable time playing games and catching up.

Please pray for my mom as she got some bad news while on the trip. I will give a more detailed report after she makes some decisions.

Please continue to pray for an unspoken situation. Satan is fighting hard to hold onto a family and especially the kids. Only God can prick the hearts to remedy this situation.

Baby Joel has a non-heart  related surgery on Monday, so please pray that all goes well. Due to taking aspirin everyday and having the heart condition, they will keep him overnight.

Time is always slipping away.

 The older I get, the more amazed I am at how fast time seems to go. I try to keep up with blogging at least every two weeks, but I'm late again. there hasn't been too much going on lately, so this post will be more prayer requests.

We did have 8 visitors in church Sunday. One is from a nearby town, and he plans to return. Others were vacationing. We had a good spirit in the church. Please pray for our kids program. Many of our kids have been away a lot this summer. Some have family problems they are dealing with. Please pray that we can encourage them back to faithfulness.

Please continue to pray for an ongoing situation. It is one only God can correct.

Please pray as my parents and I travel to Missouri. We will all be getting a special test to see what needs fixing in our bodies. Hopefully, this will give us some better answers and direction for helping my mom get her health back.

Please pray as I continue to work towards heading out for more missions trips. God has revealed several needs and opportunities.

Reaching and Teaching

 Since returning home about three weeks ago, I have been very busy. The kids ministry was given back to me by those left in charge while I was away. We are again in a rebuilding process for this ministry. I am learning that the people involved must have a heart for the ministry, or we will continually see the same process being repeated. Please pray for the kids and their families.

Our ladies craft group, Crafternoons, has been going well. This week, I was able to take the leader of the group to visit a lady who lives nearby. Please pray that she will join the group next week, and that God can use this to bring her to Him. She has had much heartache, and has basically rejected anything to do with God or church.

Last week, I was able to give a very brief Gospel presentation to three guys working at the Verizon store. I also invited them to church. Please pray that I can have another opportunity to speak with them, and that God will cause them to decide to come to church. I believe one is already a Christian.

Please pray for our young people. Satan is using others to hinder the spiritual growth of this age group.  I believe God could do something great with the 20-30s people in our area if others in our church would get on board with the outreach. As in any church, there is always a handful who do not see a need for the church to grow.

I still have an unspoken need that only God can fix. Please pray as I continue to take steps to bring light to this situation so that those involved can be helped.

Please pray as God is continuing to open new doors of opportunity for the future of my ministry to missionaries around the world.

Farewell PR

 Goodness, how quickly a month goes by! May was packed with busyness for me. We finished up the last two weeks of school with finals and Parent Appreciation Day. I was able to share the Gospel with about 30 adults.The kids did an awesome job with recitations, Bible Verses, and some fun skits. The parents really enjoyed seeing their kids perform. 

We had two high school graduates, and several of my first and second graders from my second trip to PR graduated from 8th grade. Many of the students from that class were still in school. Awards ceremony also took place that week, and most of my students received honor roll trophies. One of my students from my previous trip to PR was named Miss Lighthouse for high school.

Last week, I was able to take a couple days to visit some places I had not seen, and to spend time with my friend. I saw some amazing scenery including the dry forest which is sort of like a desert climate, Cabo Rojo where I took pictures of some cacti, and several lighthouses. I also took pictures of several birds I had not seen before. Yesterday, I was near San Juan, and I was able to get some pictures of a sea turtle.

Today, I flew home to Maine. I will be catching up on my mom's health to see what care she may need in the future. Please pray that she can find a good doctor who will listen to her and run the requested tests... If her health doesn't worsen and continues to get better, I will begin planning my trips to England and Europe. 

Please pray for the church and school in PR. They are in need of teachers, kitchen staff, and a financial secretary. Please pray for Mrs. Lula who was the financial secretary. She is traveling to Chicago to get some help for her health.

Please continue to pray for an ongoing situation. I am praying God will break down the strongholds which have been put in place.

Please pray for the young people who are attending our church here in Maine. Satan is trying to keep them from church and hearing the truths necessary for growth.