Elyssa NEEDS YOU ALL!

This is Elyssa. She needs your prayers. She has malaria. She is in a hemolytic crisis due to what doctors believe is blackwater fever, a rare complication of malaria. She has been asleep for 50 hours.

I have become BSIC (bloggy sisters in Christ) with her mom. I already treasure her moms friendship although she is in Uganda, Africa and I am in Kansas. They are a missionary family fostering 5 Ugandan children in addition to their own 2 bio kids. True Heroes if you ask me. PLEASE PRAY for HEALING FOR ELYSSA. This is a VERY SERIOUS SITUATION. But we know OUR GOD can do ANYTHING! The power of prayer cannot be BROKEN. He is the God of MIRACLES. You can visit their blog HERE for updates.

Desperate FARM WIFE BLUES.....

Don't get me wrong, I'm SO THANKFUL to be a farmers wife. But, I'm allowed to have feelings too right? I'm going through a BLUE MOMENT.

I miss The Captain desperately when he is away at work flying airplanes 14 days each month. I get fairly lonely. Right now, I feel we are just passing in the night. Sometimes I pray for rain so he'll come inside-any other farmers wives do that?

Here's is the problem.

He changes from his pilot uniform into his farming clothes WAY TOO QUICKLY for me. He headed right out to do farm work as soon as he got home Friday. He was out on the tractor discing all day Saturday. We got to go to church as a family yesterday so that was good but he spent all day in town getting parts for something after church. Granted-he took 4 littles with him on one errand to look at baby bunnies and chicks so I could mop my ENORMOUS floor.
Wy Wy is farm, tractor, combine obsessed so he spends every waking moment with The Captain-work gloves on AT ALL TIMES.

HERE IS THE SOLUTION..

God is ALL I REALLY NEED. I must remind myself at times like this when I get lonely-lonely for The Captain, lonely for a night out with friends-TRUST ME, I have plenty of kids surrounding me but it's not the same.

I must not listen to Satan-THE FATHER OF LIES. by feeling sorry for myself-I am playing right into his lies and games.

"and you have been given FULLNESS, in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority." Colossians 2:10

"Earth has NOTHING I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Psalm 73:25, 26

May you be encouraged today that HE is truly all you need.

Revelations...Forgiveness....

I have been deep in THE WORD lately...searching...feeling that God was definitely leading me a certain way...feeling pure JOY!

Then today came.......Like a brick wall-that plan has suddenly been changed. I dont know why...a new plan has been revealed.

I trust Him..to lead me and our family.
I had a bad night last night. God was there. My actions and words did NOT glorify HIM. I didn't even recognize myself. None of you would have been proud to be my friend....bloggy or otherwise. Mama Bear...protecting one of her cubs... I never thought I was "SPRINGER" material until last night...

He was there...HE PULLED ME UP FROM THE PIT

AND HE TOLD ME THIS.

I know HE has forgiven me..Why is it SO HARD for me to forgive myself?

Now, excuse me as I go have a good cry in The Captains safe arms...

I GOT A JOB!!!

What??? You think I have enough to do with my 7 kids, farm, home schooling, public speaking & advocacy for Drug Endangered Children.

I am thanking God today for running into my kids old case worker late the other night at WALLY WORLD!

God has been calling me FOR MONTHS to do more to help the orphan.... I have been dreaming about black children and have felt drawn to Ethiopia for some time. I have been praying, reading books and buying stuff to support Africa.

I mentioned this to our social worker-I told her I felt our hands were tied since we can no longer foster here in our state because we have 6 children under age 16 (over the licensing limit). That's when she said "Oh, but we are desperate for Host Homes and you don't have to be licensed to be a Host Home." She went on to explain what this entails and gave me the number of the point of contact-"Dave". I came home, told The Captain and called the next day.

What is a Host Home? It's a safe place children stay for 1-2 days until their court date. These children are often removed from their homes with drugs, abuse or some type of danger. They are knows as "CINC" Child In Need of Care. Most of this happens on the weekend or the middle of the night.

I told "Dave" our history and he told me this "YOU HAVE MADE MY DAY!" I faxed him a copy of our old foster license and training certificate and they ran our background checks and he called me today to tell me that we are approved to be a HOST HOME. We could get a call as soon as this weekend. Only one other person in our county is doing this-he truly was desperate.

He also offered me a job-a difficult job. The job of an intake coordinator-I would be there with law enforcement to take a report when a child is removed from a dangerous home. I asked The Captain and he was very supportive. We live in a very spread out rural county and there is only one other intake person in our county. I told him I would do it the 2 weeks a month The Captain is home.

Thanking God today for using me right here in my community when I didn't think I could help-thanking Him for opening my eyes to a need to truly SERVE HIM through these children. What are you doing to help the kids in your community?

Once our eyes are opened, we can't PRETEND we do not know what to do. God who weighs our hearts & keeps our souls, knows that we know and holds us RESPONSIBLE TO ACT! Proverbs 24:12

Mark 9:37 Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me.

Don't forget to check in on Isaiah at HIS BLOG and give Jen some encouragement. We've raised over $1100 on facebook in 2 days-GOD IS SO GOOD!

HELP-Fight for Isaiah!

Please help me in helping Isaiah's family. Isaiah is currently in Omaha, NE in the hospital and his family home is near Kansas City-about 3 1/2 hours away.

Fighting for Isaiah means not only stress to this family's heart but also their finances.

This is how it works. Jen is a nurse and works Mon-Fri in KC & takes care of their 2 other children while her hubby Aaron stays with Isaiah and on the weekends-Aaron works while Jen is with Isaiah.

This is VERY EXPENSIVE with gas, food, lodging etc. After the transplant, one of them with have to live in Omaha with Isaiah for 6 months-for the second time! Remember, they've done this once already.

I'm asking you to pray and if you find it in your heart-please donate.

There are 2 ways to donate:

You can mail a tax deductible check to their church-write Isaiah in memo Address:

Lifestream Christian Church

136 East Main Street

Gardner, KS

66030

Phone: 913-856-8088

Or you can join FIGHTING FOR ISAIAH on facebook and donate there! I've raised $300 in 1 day already-God is working!

I am so excited to be able to help this family-I hope you will find it in your heart to do the same! Visit Isaiah's blog if you have time! You can also help by passing this on to others! Give THANKS to THE LORD FOR HE IS GOOD!

GIVEAWAY WINNER!

Isn't this necklace FANTABULOUS? Beki also made this.We had a VERY COMPLEX system to choose the winner!AND THE WINNER IS.....ADEYE SALEM from NO GREATER JOY MOM! Congrats! Email me at handsheartsquiverfull@gmail.com with your address and I will mail it out!

My trip to Omaha went well. It was so nice to spend time with Jen. It was VERY DIFFICULT for me to see Isaiah. He was in a lot of pain. So hard to see a child suffer. It is very overwhelming. Isaiah will be listed for another transplant in 6-8 weeks when he heals from this surgery. He will be getting a small bowel and liver transplant. He took this news very hard.

Guess what? While I was there, I helped Jen start a blog! It's so overwhelming for them to update everyone on his condition so I told her this would be a great idea. Go HERE to give Jen, her family and Isaiah a little bloggy love, welcome and encouragement.

Isaiah.....

Here are the 2 Jens...Me and my childhood friend-Jen.

My family calls her "OJ" (the other Jen). We have been blessed to be friends since we were about 3 years old. We've both adopted children. Jen is a nurse.

After feeling the call of God-She adopted a boy that was a foster child on her patient load with severe medical problems. He is now 6. This was the first time I was blessed to meet her son Isaiah. A TRUE JOY! A miracle. He also was exposed to many drugs just like my littles in the womb. He has endured much suffering since birth.Isaiah was born with all his "insides" on the outside. Here he is with Aw-Bell as a baby. He calls the 4 babies "his babies." Because of his problems...He needed a small bowel transplant. He's never really eaten or enjoyed eating food-he is mostly tube fed.

Jen and her hubby and other 2 kids took turns staying with Isaiah-sacrificing "self" for this sweet child. He has been in and out of the hospital for years. They thought the transplant worked......It didn't.......
Jen called yesterday to tell me that they had to remove ALL his new bowel...it was destroyed. She has asked for prayer for her family. Isaiah is in unbearable pain and I'm sure Jen is too......of a different kind. The mommy kind-the kind I pray I never have to face.

If he makes it through...He will be listed for another transplant immediately.

Because of Jen and Aaron.....Isaiah KNOWS JESUS!! Praise the Lord for that.

As soon as The Captain heard-HE TOLD ME-"you are going to be with her"-He is such a wonderful husband. SO, As soon as THE CAPTAIN rolls in at 6pm CST, I will be rolling out to 5th floor ICU at The University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, NE...to spend the night holding, praying with and spending time with my dear friend and her boy.

Please join with me in prayer for my dear friend and her only boy. I don't even think Jen knows what a blog is but I HAVE SEEN the bloggy community come together in situations where prayers need to be lifted up-GOD DOES MIRACULOUS THINGS through these crazy computers.

Pray I'll know what to say & that whatever I say will comfort her. Pray that Isaiah's suffering will cease.

I don't know when I will return yet or check my blog again but will you help me spread this prayer for Isaiah? Thank you friends!

"O Lord, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief." Psalm 143:1

BABY CORA....

Went to be with Jesus today....

The tears are flowing for a family I don't even know- I just can't imagine their pain. Please pray for them...

PLEASE VISIT THEIR BLOG HERE and leave some words for Jess and Joel. LET'S JOIN TOGETHER & overwhelm this family with God's love!

JOY & PAIN & Prayer!

Pain....If most of you don't know already..at 5:30pm last evening Mark Lamberth lost his earthly fight and entered GLORY LAND after a dirt bike accident 4 weeks ago. He left behind a wife-Angie and son Nolan. PLEASE LEAVE ANGIE A NOTE OF ENCOURAGEMENT HERE.

Now for the JOY! Please go visit GAYLY AND SHAWN and leave them a message here as they joyfully wait to meet their son Nate in China in less than 48 hours. Whats so amazing about them is that they took their other 3 kids with them ages 3, 4 & 5-WHAT TROOPERS!

IT ONLY TAKES A MINUTE TO SHOW GOD'S LOVE TO people who could really use support! Have a BLESSED WEEKEND!

URGENT PRAYER!

At this point it does not look good for the Lamberth family. Please go HERE for the update and please continue to pray for Angie and Nolan AND PLEASE stop by and leave a word or prayer of encouragement during this difficult time for their family. I do not know them personally but feel VERY CALLED to this family and our family has been in prayer for them since his accident.

Please don't forget the LAMBERTHS!

Please Take a Moment-PRAY!

I do not know the Lamberth's personally however their story HAS touched me personally. One week ago today, Mark Lamberth was in a dirt bike accident and has been unconcious since. He is a man of God and a husband to Angie and father to Nolan.

Tomorrow he and his wife Angie will celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary. Angie asks that you join her in a day of fasting and prayer for Mark. Please take a minute, go to their site and leave a prayer or word of encouragment for her and the family.

If you have a healthy husband today, BE THANKFUL! Take time today to love and encourage him and Praise God for his health and well being. It is amazing to me how God brings together the body of Christ to pray for and cry tears for a total stranger. What an awesome God HE IS!