Category: Prayer Request

Links For You and An Isaac Update

by ObtainingMercy, posted in Hallelujah Diet, Isaac Update, Links to Share, Prayer Request, Recipe

I thought I'd share with ya'll just a few things I've run across lately that I thought you might be interested in.  All of these have links attached, even though my blog theme has them in such a subtle color that they don't jump right out at you.  Just hover over each one with your cursor to see the links.

  • I know you will get a blessing from this post by Courtney at Nesting Instincts.  She and her children shared Valentines with the residents at a local nursing home. :)  Wonderful idea for next year!
  • Michelle is embroidering her way through the year.  She is making such gorgeous things, too.  I am amazed at the projects she is doing with her new embroidery machine.  (Michelle is also mom to a beautiful girl with needs similar to Isaac's, so you will occasionally see Emily updates there too.)
  • This gets my chuckle-of-the-day award!  Pothole Gardens by Pete Dungey – "An ongoing series of public installations highlighting the problem of
    surface imperfections on Britain's roads."  (it will be interesting to hear Tia's take on this one!!!) 🙂
  • I am going to be trying this salad, simply because it looks like such an odd mix of foods.  Those are the ones that I usually like!
  • Our church radio station will be holding its annual Restorathon this Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  This is how we raise the yearly budget for the upcoming year.  I love that you can listen live 24/7 to our station from the web – that is such a blessing to many around the world!  The station is a big blessing to us, too, because Isaac likes music so much.  We turn it on often for him, and he is starting to let us know when he wants the radio on.  That is how much of an impact that WLVF has had in our lives. 

The Restorathon begins at 7 a.m. on Thursday!  I am going to do my best to be up and alert and listening!!! :)  If you are unable to listen, perhaps you will help us pray that the budget will be met for this upcoming year, so that our station can continue to spread the Gospel around the world on WLVF!  Thanks so much!

Isaac Update:  the little stinker had no fever yesterday, and was feeling great (that means, loud and happy all day!!!); but today, his temp is just slightly elevated and he is one grumpy little man. :(  So, we're not quite sure what is going on there…we will just have to wait and see.

I pray you have a wonderful week!

Alesha

A Short Update About A Sick Boy

by ObtainingMercy, posted in Florida Weather, Hallelujah Diet, Household, Isaac Update, Prayer Request

Trying to keep my promise to allow myself to write shorter posts that aren't quite as polished as I'd like.  I know that so many people like to keep up with Isaac, and when you don't see a post for days on end, you start to wonder. 🙂

So, here's our Isaac Update:

Ugh!  Isaac is sick again.  High temps this afternoon and a stuffy/runny nose, and his tummy has been upset too.  I had a diaper this afternoon that had me crying "Code Brown!  Code Brown!" in my head, thinking of Tia's posts on the subject!  I needed four hands for the clean up, and then one more pair to pin down Isaac's!  It was quite a challenge! 🙂

He is generally miserable, but is soothed by his favorite videos and music, praise the Lord.  I just hate the whole shivering with fever, then sweating it out…it just makes him so unhappy. :o(

I am dealing with lots of fibromyalgia pain this week.  I missed my vitamins for a few days, as well as our carrot juice, and the weather has been cold.  I think these things have combined to wreaked havoc on my system.  But I've downed my double handful of supplements for today, and Doug has been juicing our carrots this week.  So I am looking forward to feeling better soon.

My dad and brother have been working on our central air/heat system this week, so we are looking forward to having it up and running soon.  We are so blessed by the knowledge my dad has gained down through the years, and I am so glad that he has passed it on to my brother!  So nice to see them work together, too. 🙂

That's it for today.

Blessings to you,

Alesha

From My Point of View

by ObtainingMercy, posted in Blessings, How Great is Our God, Just My Thoughts, Prayer Request, What's Happening

When your world narrows to just four walls and a bed…

When everything is colored by a haze of pain…

When you are the care-receiver, rather than the caregiver…

Certain undeniable truths rise to the surface:

  • God is merciful
  • Things could be worse
  • Prayer is practiced breath by breath, rather than crisis by crisis
  • The attitude of the patient is just as important as the attitude of the "nurse"
  • You cannot stop trying…even when it hurts, even when you fail
  • Promises of prayer become huge pillars on which your life rests, not mere spindles of religious politeness
  • The art of conversation is a skill not many possess
  • Compassion becomes a driving force, rather than an afterthought
  • Hymns of praise become the soundtrack to your thought life
  • God becomes All in All, a close companion and confidante, a Name whispered in moments of panic and shouted in times of agony, each one a sincere prayer for Divine Intervention

These are truths that, honestly, I would rather not learn; but God has decided I need to know them.

Who am I to question His plan?

As I rest today, here in my room, I am praying for God's divine healing of my back.  I would really by grateful for your prayer of agreement with me on this.

God is a very kind and compassionate friend.  If you admit your need of Him, He is quick to meet your need.  Just cry out to Him today.

Blessings to you this day,

Alesha

Just a Quick Note…

by ObtainingMercy, posted in Blessings, Hallelujah Diet, Isaac Update, Prayer Request

…to say that we are experiencing technical difficulties here at our house.

My computer is dead, and a friend from church is working on her.  We believe she is going to make it, but I'll be losing almost everything.  I am working on a borrowed computer now, thanks to another kind friend! ; )

If you are expecting an email from me, you probably need to send me one instead.  Anything that was pending in my inbox is now gone, and I have lost all my email addresses.

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Update on prayer requests:

  • My grandmother is in the hospital, and although she is doing a little better, is still not doing well.
  • My uncle had surgery yesterday.  He was not in a full coma, but was incoherent due to drug usage, apparently.  I have not heard how the surgery went.  I believe they were repairing or removing the spleen.
  • My friend Gail is back in the hospital, and is in severe pain.  They suspect there may be some other medical issue besides the Hodgkins lymphoma.

I appreciate SO much your continued prayers for these dear folks.

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Doug is fully recovered from his cold, but Isaac is continuing to cough and run a low-grade fever.  Since it has been continuing for 2 weeks, we will be seeing the pediatrician today.  I'm praying they can pinpoint the cause of the fever, and I am sincerely praying that his lungs are clear.  I have been working very hard to do his treatments and chest PT in hopes that he would not develop pneumonia.

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I visited my doctor last week, and am happy to report that I have lost a grand total of 35 pounds!!!  Yay for me!!! : )  We were also able to decrease my thyroid medication, which is a blessing!

I guess that is all I have to report for today.  Thank you for visiting my blog and keeping up with us.  We certainly appreciate your thoughts and prayers for our loved ones.

Blessings to you,

Alesha

I Had a Happier Post Planned…

by ObtainingMercy, posted in Prayer Request

…but instead I'm asking prayer today for 3 serious needs:

  1. My precious, sweet friend Gail has been diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma.
  2. My (maternal) uncle is in a coma in the hospital and not expected to live.
  3. My (paternal) grandmother is very low in the nursing home, and my dad feels she won't be with us much longer.

Could you please hold these dear folk up to the Lord in prayer today?  And could you pray especially for my mom and dad as they face these losses?

Thank you, my faithful prayer warriors.

Blessings to you this weekend.

Alesha

P.S.  Something to make you smile, though…

DSCN0045a

Just a Hello

by ObtainingMercy, posted in Isaac Update, Prayer Request

I don't really have much of interest to say today, but I felt the need to just pop in and say "hello."  We are all doing fine, and I am feeling a little more hopeful about the whole "surgeries" scenario.  Thank you for your kind words of encouragement and for your prayers for us.

I was able to enjoy some quiet time on Saturday.  Doug took Isaac with him for a couple of errands and I was able to bask in that beautiful quiet that is my house with no other people in it and no television, radio, music, or movies making noise in the background.  My a/c window unit drowned out all the noise from the outside and I rested my ears and my brain for a while.

I was also able to concentrate long enough in one sitting to put up some new jewelry items on Etsy.  I love the whole jewelry making and selling process, but the pricing and listing is definitely not my favorite part.  However, when you put up new items, it does definitely increase your web site traffic for a few hours, and that is always good and hopefully will eventually result in more sells.

Last night, at church, I was able to join the choir.  We have found a small room at church where Isaac can make as much noise as he wants to, and it won't bother anybody. ; )  So Doug is sitting with him there, so that I can be involved with the choir.  I enjoyed it so much, and I am so grateful to my good, sweet, thoughtful husband who saw that I had a need, and figured out a way to meet that need.  I am so blessed!

Isaac is running a low-grade fever again today.  We'll be making an appointment soon to see the orthopedist about his hip.  He is really antsy and unsettled today, so I'm wondering if he is having some pain.  : (  I did give him some M*trin, just in case.

Well, I guess that's it for today.  I will keep you posted! : )

OH, and one more thing I wanted to share with you: 

Our church will be taking up a special offering this next Sunday for some things that need to be upgraded in our ministry.  We will be

  • refurbishing some of the dorms at our college,
  • continuing the construction of our gymnasium and
  • purchasing a radio tower that will boost our signal back to its original strength.  

(our old tower was leased, and when the lease was over, it was torn down; so now our radio station's signal is not reaching to places it was reaching before.) 

Our goal is $150,000.  If you think of us this week, would you pray for our offering?  I know that God will be glorified by the way the church uses this money.  If you would like to read more about our church and the ministries it supports, you can check out our newly refurbished web site:  Landmark Baptist Church

I guess that's it for my rambling today. : )

Blessings to you,

Alesha

Unfortunately, Surgeries are Looming…

by ObtainingMercy, posted in How Great is Our God, Isaac Update, Prayer Request, What's Happening

Yeah, I know.  I'm not really excited about it either.  We've been to 4 doctor's offices in the past 2 weeks, and we've seen 5 doctors.  

Within the last 3 weeks Isaac has started having an entirely new kind of seizure.  He has also run an intermittent low-grade fever.

We've also known for about 7 months that Isaac's hip is dislocating about 50% out of the socket in certain positions.

So two of his doctors have recommended surgery:  the neurologist and the orthopedist.  The neurologist has recommended an implant that might reduce Isaac's seizures.  The orthopedist wants to do hip surgery.

As we told the neurologist about the orthopedist's recommendations, she told us that if he is having a lot of pain in his hip, that could be causing the new seizures and the low-grade fever!  Right, so my son is in pain, and I didn't even have a clue.  I'm feeling really terrible about that right now!

So, we'll be seeing the orthopedist again soon, to have more x-rays taken, and to hear his recommendations.  This surgery is quite invasive, and would mean 6-8 weeks in a full body cast or brace.  I told Doug that we would definitely need nursing help following that surgery!

We will not likely do anything about the new seizures until after we have resolved the hip issue.  If it is pain that is causing the new seizures, then following corrective surgery, they should stop.  Normally.  Ideally.  In the usual cases.  (Yeah…I'm not holding my breath on that one!)

Needless to say, we are not feeling very happy about these situations.  We hate to see new seizures, no matter what is causing them.  We feel horrible to think that Isaac is hurting all the time.  We loathe the thought of another surgery, especially because he did so poorly during the last surgery.  We abhor the idea of more equipment and gadgets being implanted in his little body. 

I was going to include links to the two surgeries so that you could look at them, but I just got overwhelmed while reading the sites and had to stop.  When it's time to go forward with them, I'll give you a better idea of exactly what will be happening.

I know that my God is in control.  I know that God has His hand on Isaac's life and ministry.  I know that God has allowed us to walk some very difficult paths so that others would see Him in Isaac.  I believe that Isaac causes people to think about God, and reconsider what they believe about Him.  I have witnessed folks response to the peace that Isaac has, and to the peace that God has poured out on us.

Sometimes I don't like where God leads us, but I know it is for my good and for His glory.  So "I will follow, follow, all the way" just like the old hymn says.  It will be very interesting to see God work through this next stage of Isaac's life.

We certainly would appreciate your prayers for wisdom as we make the decisions for which procedures to do, especially the one on his hip.  There are innovative doctors doing wonderful things for our kiddos, but they are not covered by Isaac's insurance, nor are they in the state of Florida.  We need wisdom to choose what is best, while considering all the factors involved.

Thank you, in advance, for carrying us to God's throne in prayer.

Alesha