Much Prayer Needed

Nothing surprises us anymore.  This morning, we thought it was all set up for my brother David to attend church with us.  He was told this past week that he was to leave the Transition House at 10 am (even though that is the starting time of our worship hour) and be home by 12:30 pm.  Well, he signed a paper about this outing without reading it.  The paper said he had to leave at 9:30 am to go to church.  So when Sondra went to pick him up, he was denied the privilege of attending because he was too late to go.  Yes, we are all upset but not shocked.  The "system" is not about helping individuals reintegrate successfully.  But that's another story entirely.  After church, we went to Baker's hamburger stand and got double burgers, fries, tacos and combination burrito to share.  We took all this to David's abode, ate and spent about an hour this afternoon with him.  He is still in good spirits, especially after receiving his first check from Social Security that had been delivered to our house.  Pray for his situation to be more affirming.

We got a couple of calls these past few days about my brother Noel, who lives in Springfield, Missouri.  He went to the doctor yesterday (Saturday) feeling extremely weak and faint.  He was admitted to the hospital, where they ran tests and determined that he indeed suffered a mild stroke.  They are keeping him overnight again and will run more tests to see what triggered his stroke.  He seems to be doing OK, as we have talked to Janice and received texts from Stephen.  Pray for Noel's health concerns.

I called mom before church to let her know that we (thought) were going to pick David up for church, and that she could expect a phone call from him after church.  During the conversation, she admitted that she has not felt good and possibly will not be able to fly out to see David next month.  She has been in pain with the cellulitis and is having to keep her feet elevated much of the day.  Pray for her.

My niece Keri will be going to the doctor there in the Chicago area tomorrow morning (Monday) as they have planned to induce labor.  She is experiencing some difficulty with this pregnancy in these last days, as there is too much fluid which can be a sign of a baby being born with disabilities.  Keri and husband Kevin are strong believers and trust God in all things, and they have determined to find the joy of life in whatever condition the baby has or does not have.  Pray for Keri and the baby.

My nephew Kirk (Keri's brother) just sent an email from Haiti.  He is there from May 16 through May 24.  Pray for his mission work and preaching of the Gospel there.

Sondra's brother, Alden, is fasting and drinking yukky liquids today.  He is to have a scheduled colonoscopy tomorrow.  Pray that his results will show him to be cancer free.

I go in tomorrow morning at 3 am for work again.  I am still somewhat tired.  Pray for me to get rest and to maintain strength through the week.

Lastly, pray for yourself to be strong in the Lord!  It is a challenging world and we must be faithful to the end.