"C" What's happening

April is here

2010-04-05T22:44:00.000-07:00

Its a new month with already exciting things happening. Janelle and Jeremiah got baptized on Easter. Its was a very exciting day for us. Grandparents came to watch along with our dearest of friends. With all that has been going on in our lives, having our children give their lives to Christ makes all the stresses in life fade away. Because really, isn't this what its all about?

111 John 4
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth

Yes, we still have an auction date the 30th of this month. Yes, we still have no direction from the Lord as to where we are going to live. Yes, we continue to walk forward in total faith. We do not know what is going to happen except we do know that God is in control, He will provide, He loves us, and He has entrusted us with this journey. We pray daily that we will bring HIM glory in all that we do, say and think. The enemy wants to scare us and destroy our family. Our strength comes from the Lord and daily we pray for HIS strength and HIS direction.

Today another load to the storage unit. On a practical note----its very challenging to pack. When you don't really know what to get rid of or what to save makes it so hard to know what to pack. But we do only what we know for the day and leave the rest for the Lord to show us.

Last week we did decide to list our property up for sale again. We have made many improvements thinking we will just live on the property, but we kept asking ourselves "is this what the Lord wants for us?" We can only know by opening up EVERYTHING to Him and laying it out there for the Lord to show us HIS WILL. That is all we want to do is Live out GOD's WILL for our family. And if that means to give up all we have than we are willing.

Please continue to pray for us. We love you all and thank-you for your prayers and concerns for us. We will keep you posted as things happen.
Blessings to you all!!

sorry for the delay

2010-03-24T15:23:00.000-07:00

Its been awhile since we last posted. There has not been much change in our circumstances. We have been quiet, seeking the Lord and waiting for HIS lead.
So far, all we know is that we have a date to be out of our home and we have a storage unit to house all our things. God has not made it clear to us where we are going to live. We continue to trust as we take each day captive and pray that all we do and say brings HIM glory.
Thank-you for all your prayers.

this is so hard to do

2010-03-04T21:47:00.000-08:00

Keeping you all updated on what is going on with us is so hard. Everyday there is something new. I will try my best. For now we are packing. We rented a near by storage unit that is climate control as we have a piano and IF it looks like we have to store it, then it should be safe. We just started packing and so far I have 25 boxes done. I am writing in a notebook what is in every box. I had to do this because I do not know how long our belongings will be stored.
We are moving somewhat forward with our other property. We are planning (Lord willing) to convert our barn into a home. We only need a very small amount of money to complete this. We have only so much so far to start the process. We do stand in awe at how God provides. So far some friends have offered to help us for free in building this home. We are so very thankful for this. We know that we cannot do this on our own and we have to rely on God to supply. Mike designed a VERY basic home and has all the drawings done. He has mapped out exactly how far we can get with the money we have. We are not sure how God will supply the rest which we figure all said and done will be about 50 thousand. I say all this because the last thing I said in previous posts was we were looking for a free mobile home to move onto the property to live in while we save $$ to build. Mike was getting very frusterated to learn that the mobile might be free but the cost to move, set-up and permits is too much and would not be a wise decision.
We want to make sure we are constantly praying about our ideas and asking if they are God's ideas. We did get a couple of answers from the county that points us in the direction to move on our property and build. We have to keep praying that God will provide the rest of the money. Mike is still not working as much as he would like. But again we continue to trust.
This is a hard road to travel. We are not doing this alone. We are clinging to God every second of this journey. It's very hard to lay your life out there for all to read about. We have decided to open up our life and share everything that is going on because we feel the Lord has asked us to. Not sure why, but we keep coming back to the thought that everyone has a story to tell and everyone should share it. You never know who will read about it and who can be encouraged through your life. We are a walking testimony of God's faithfulness. He promises that he will never leave us nor forsake us. I might get a bit down and discouraged some of the days but that is because we still live in the flesh too and we have to fight through those thoughts. God is loving and full of Grace for us.

Joyce

Cranium Caps by janelle

2010-02-10T08:26:00.000-08:00

It was such a joy to deliver 36 hats to Children's Hospital. I have taken the last 3 months making them. I first made signs and asked for people to donate fabric so I could take on this project of making and donating hats to the Craniofacial dept. at Children's Hospital.
I would like to share with you how this all began.,
When my baby brother was diagnosed with Craniosynostosis it meant he was to under go a major surgery to correct it. He was basically going to have his head re-shaped. The doctors told us what it would be like in the hospital and what recovery was going to be like. One small thing they mentioned was he needed to wear a hat when going outside. They did not want the sun to shine on his incision. Well, a friend made and gave us a hat for Jireh. It was a bucket style hat with many different prints of fabric. We had Jireh wear it while he stayed in the hospital. We received so many compliments from doctors and nurses that we decided to ask our friend to teach us how to make the hat. I decided that I would start to make them and by Jireh's 3 month post-op appt. I wanted to have over 2 dozen made. I ended up with 36 hats completed and presented them to Jireh's doctor's on 2-8-10. My goal now is to make 50 more by the summer of 2010.
I wanted to do this because Children's hospital is an amazing place and I have personally experienced there care back in 2004 when I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. I remember the excellent care I received by all the doctors and nurses and then watching and hearing about the excellent care my baby brother got just made me want to give back in some small way to Children's. I hope that others who are going through this kind of surgery will be blessed by getting a hat and hoping it will make their stay more encouraging.

3 1/2 months after surgery

2010-02-08T19:45:00.000-08:00

Jireh 9 months old. Waiting patiently in the craniofacial clinic at Children's hospital.
Jireh and mommy waiting for the dr. to come in. Also trying to keep Jireh from tearing apart all the paper on the table. So much for that.
Jireh with Dr. Birgfeld, getting his head looked at.

Jireh with Dr. Ojemann

All of Jireh's appts went very well. All the doctors were very impressed by how well he is healing. We are just praising the Lord for his speedy recovery. Jireh is doing everything like a normal 9 month old.

Interesting phone conversation

2010-02-02T22:12:00.000-08:00

Mike just wants to be completely honest with everyone involved in our foreclosure process. So he called the company handling it. There was a mistake on our paperwork and he just wanted to them to know the correct legal description. He ended up talking to a gal and shared with her some of our plight with Indy Mac bank. After a few minutes of sharing, she asked if Mike would write a letter explaining all that we have been through. She wanted to "see" the documents that he had talked about and thought that she might be able to go through back channels and maybe, JUST MAYBE!!! get something done.

We are not holding our breath here. We really have no idea what she is talking about. We are still moving forward and organizing our thoughts and making plans to move. But we find this interesting that there are still so many "bunny trails" that need to be played out. This is definitely NOT a typical foreclosure here. We were even told that by the lawyer who looked over all our paperwork several weeks ago. This is a true God directed journey. We would never have planned nor desired to walk this road, yet here we are. To God be the glory, great things HE has done, so Loved HE the world, that HE gave us His Son. That is the story, not our little plight. It's the Love HE gave us, the strength that He is displaying through us, and the Grace HE continues to pour out upon us. That is the story! To God be the Glory!!!!!!!

we have a date

2010-02-01T20:07:00.000-08:00

Its so bazaar to go through something like this. We get visitors from who knows where to drop off notices. We never know who will stop by. It was late friday night about 10pm and sure enough we have someone tape a 2 page notice to our front door without knocking then they take 1 picture of the place and drive off. Very strange. But now we know that our little house has a date to be auctioned off. April 30th. If the house sells we then have 20 days to move out.

The Lord has made it very clear to us that we need to take our other property off the market and make plans to live on it. We are stretching our minds and considering just about anything to live in. From free mobile homes, free garages to a travel trailer or 2. Its all still in the air right now. It makes the most sense to live there. Then we can concentrate on paying off debt that we have. We thought all along that the Lord wanted us to sell our other 5 acres to clear our debt and remodel our home. But after trying that for 2 years it just seems as though all along the Lord was saying I have already provided for you, its just right there!

Now we walk forward in faith that the Lord will provide a home for us to live in. I am not picky anymore. I can make just about anything into a home. I think our family will do just fine with this new adventure. It might look strange to others but for us, it will be our new home.

still waiting

2010-01-27T15:31:00.000-08:00

All though we are still waiting upon the Lord for answers, I am blown away at how beautiful the week has been for us. So much sunshine for us washingtonians is just not normal. Could this be a new normal for us? Hope so. We are taking the rest of the week and weekend to continue to pray about a clear direction on what to do/where to live. I am so thankful that the Lord has given me much peace this week. I have been able to keep up with homeschooling and cleaning out some things. Its always good to get things cleaned and evaluated before a big move. We will have much to do in the weeks to come.

Be still

2010-01-23T21:34:00.000-08:00

We still have no answers. Lots of ideas but ALL of them take money that we just do not have right now. So instead of getting really frusterated we are going to take a break for a few days and just be still and know that God is God. He will reveal the answers in His timing. We are to just trust and keep living life. Now, that is not easy for me. I have found that going through this kind of experience can very easiely cripple a person. You have to force yourself to live, get out of bed, be wife, mom, friend, daughter, homeschool teacher, caregiver & homemaker. These are all things that are very hard for me when I do not know what is going to happen. I do not know where I am going to live. I do not know what to pack. I just have to wait upon the Lord, pray and listen.

praying for a clear direction

2010-01-20T19:39:00.000-08:00

We are so thankful for those who have responded to our current posting and have encouraged us. Thank-you all for your prayers as we travel this journey. Right now we have an idea that we are researching as to where we might live. We want to wait to say any specifics because the Lord might have a different plan and we want to be open to HIS will for us. The process is so overwelming to think about. I am constantly leaning on HIM and HIS word to get me through every situation that comes up throughout the day. I know that Mike is waiting upon the Lord for direction and will do some research in the next few days or so for some more concrete answers. This might be the direction the Lord has for us.
Currently with the forclosure, I was told by the bank that they are setting a date for the place to go to auction on Feb. 1st. Then we will have an idea of how long we have here. I will keep you all posted as you follow with us.
oh---
p.s. Does anyone know of a FREE mobile home that someone wants to get rid of?

So much happening

2010-01-16T22:24:00.000-08:00

It has been far too long since we have blogged. We have been going through so many things with our home life that we have neglected to share it with you. We do rejoice in the Lord that Jireh is doing wonderful. He continues to amaze us in his healing process. God has blessed this little guy and has given him a full recovery. At 8 months old now he continues to grow and do new things everyday. Currently he is doing a very good army crawl. We have had to make sure everything is picked up on the floor and that the gate is up. So back to our home life situation that I am talking about. We remind ourselves that even though the outcome in our circumstances are not our choice, God is control. We lay our lives in HIS hands everyday and in every step of this journey we are on. Right now it just does not make sense to us. But it looks like after 5 1/2 years and 7 floods we are reaching the end of our time in this home. We are sad at the thought of never completing our plans here. We had so many plans and ideas that we had looked forward to but it appears to not be God's plan. So with heavy hearts we are looking for a new home to rent or lease and start completely over. Joyce

Let me step in now and see if I can explain our situation with our home and property. WE refinanced our home with Indy mac federal in June of 2007. When we refinanced they pulled a flood determination to see if I was correct in telling them we had flooded and needed flood insurance. Flood insurance is required by federal law for any mortgage to be funded for a home in Special Flood Hazard Area. When we received the closing documents, there determination said we were not in SFHA. Well if you remember January 6Th of last year we had one of the worst floods to ever hit our area. Water was in our home for 4 days. We went to FEMA to see how to deal with the flooding and were told, " You should have had flood insurance." We explained we did not have it because the flood determination said we were not in SFHA. FEMA sent me looking for the correct flood maps and lo and behold we ARE in SFHA, since Nov. of 1999. I contacted Indy mac on January 10 of 2009 and was told, " Not our problem." I have been in an ongoing battle with them ever since. I have sought the advice of dear brothers in the Lord to help me to seek the Lords will as to our home, mortgage, flooding etc. I believe the Lord gave me the tenacity, the direction and the courage to go after and fight for our home and property. In September of 2009 I advised Indy mac again that the home has been destroyed by flood and that starting then I was not going to make any payments until they helped us out with the flood damage. In November they finally wrote a letter to tell me that, " We are advising you that your home is now in SFHA and you will need to get flood insurance. " I called the person of the letter to ask when this changed, and was told the maps had been recently updated to now include our property. Remember, FEMA had already gotten me the maps showing we have been in SFHA since Nov. 1999. I explained this to the person and was told, " we will have to get back to you." This is not the first lie we had been told from Indy mac. They have continually lied and or forgotten all about us. In December we received two letters sent on consecutive days telling us that they (Indy mac) had goofed and that they would be sending out and adjuster to look at the damage to the property. Wow, Praise the Lord. Finally we would be getting some answers. On Dec. 16, 2009 at 10:30 am one Mr. Kevin Pike showed up at our door to assess the damage done to the home. He was supposed to be from Colorado and his arrangements took some time to get worked out. He and I had talked several times by phone. After being here for a few hours and taking a lot of pictures he announced he was done and would send in his results. On his way out I asked him for a business card, and after looking in his satchel for a few seconds, he said I don't have any with me. I was OK with that seeing as we had conversed several times before by cell phone. As the days passed I called to ask the signer of the letters, where we stood on the flood damage. She has never returned even one phone call. I had become concerned so I tried the cell phone of Mr. Pike. It is not a working number any more. I tried one more time to a Ms. Rachel Hoffman with Indy Mac bank. The one who has never returned even one phone call since Mr. Pikes visit. I demanded a phone call back. This was on Dec. 30Th. At 9:50 that evening while I was at a Men's meeting, we were served with a foreclosure notice. Not only had they lied about there intentions of fixing our home, they now are in the process of taking the home away. I sought advice from friends and family as to a good Lawyer. On Thursday Jan. 7Th we sat down with a Lawyer who explained that yes they had not done what they were supposed to and they may have lied, BUT there was nothing we could do. We were faced with give up, or try to work out a resolution with Indy Mac. Joyce and I sat the kids down and discussed with them our options. I asked them to take the weekend to pray and seek the Lord in there hearts as to what we should do. The following Monday we sat down as a family and we all talked. The family wanted to see if we could stay. On Wednesday the 13Th of January I contacted the loan resolution department of Indy Mac to discuss what It would take to reinstate our loan. The woman I talked to was very pleasant and walked us through the process. I asked her about the flood damage and was told that they were just waiting for paper work from the insurance department. I could call back on Sat. the 16Th. and they would have all the reinstatement fees$$$$$ and the progress on the insurance paper work. I had a little glimmer of hope. Well now for the truth of the story. I called on Sat. and was told in no uncertain terms that I can either come up with a huge, huge amount of money and get my loan reinstated or they were going to foreclose. PERIOD.... There is, was NO insurance claim. If I hadn't pulled flood insurance, " then there is NONE..." I have fought the good fight, finished the course laid out for me. I am confident that I have Not blemished the name of our Lord with my tongue or my actions. I do believe a great injustice has been done. Yet I will trust the Lord and give him all the Praise. It was and is his home as long as he desires it to be. This is merely a snippet of what we have gone through and I do apologize for not keeping all more aware of what has been happening. I covet all of your prayers as to the Lords leading and our ability to walk in his great provision.

In Him Mike

Ps. We are Praising our Lord for his marvelous work in and through Jireh.

3 weeks already

2009-11-10T22:35:00.001-08:00

Jireh and Dr. Bergfeld.

We are so very thankful for this doctor and his team. Jireh's appt. went very well. We learned that Jireh's skull has more cuts in it than we thought. They are all doing great. Jireh does not need another scan until he is 2 years old.

We do go back to Children's in 2-3 months for another check-up and then we are on a year to year basis. Just amazing this whole process. Its just incredible what the doctors can do and we stand in awe at how God has created our bodies to recover such a surgery.

pumpkin patch

2009-10-28T22:38:00.000-07:00

Jireh is doing wonderful. We spent a very wet Sunday at the pumpkin patch to get Jireh his first pumpkin. So glad to get back to somewhat of a normal life and enjoy all these "firsts" holidays with Jireh. Thank-you Lord for blessing our family.

one week later

2009-10-23T10:46:00.001-07:00

Here is Jireh right out of surgery 10/16/09

Jireh one week later 10/23/09

God continues to amazes us how He has healed Jireh, and so FAST. Everyday Jireh is doing something new. He is completely off all medicine for pain. His incision is getting smaller and the stitches are prickly ready to fall off soon. We are still not back to any kind of normal schedule but the main cause of that is he is cutting his first tooth. It has felt so good to be on the other side of this journey and to now look back at how God saw us through such a difficult time. I remember last week fighting my doubtful thoughts and wondering if we were making the right choice to do surgery. Then I would hear the voice of God saying to walk in faith and trust Him with Jireh's life because he was my child. Walking by faith is: walking forward when you cannot see where you are going.

nice round head

2009-10-21T20:35:00.000-07:00

at home

2009-10-21T20:22:00.000-07:00

We have been busy adjusting to life at home now. Jireh has a messed up schedule and we have had some very late nights. Other than that Jireh only takes tylenol occasionally for being fussy. We continue to be so amazed that he is doing so well. There is nothing that seems to slow him down. He rolls all over on the floor and bounces on our laps. We have been looking through pictures of Jireh before surgery and now after and he looks so different to us.

One long night!

2009-10-20T09:58:00.000-07:00

It has been a very long night around here. We are so thankful to be home, and yet Jireh has been on full melt down. Our Lord has carried us through the night. Both Joyce and Jireh are finally sleeping and I am going to be seeking strength from the Lord. He just might direct me to many cups of coffee and his word. I was so filled with Love last night as our family was back together. Sometimes I let life fog my eyes of the important things in life, with the details that I can't control. So many times I catch myself after saying " Mike you just missed that one. " Then I realize just how great the Fathers Love is. He is Loving, Kind, Merciful, Forgiving, All Mighty, All Powerful, Sovereign, Creator of the Universe who cares for me and is patient with me. Oh how I long work out the failings of the flesh, to be able submit this life to the Lord and whatever he has, and to Praise him for it. This journey has only yet begun, even after all these years. I am so thankful for all the wonderful examples of Godly brothers and sisters who encourage me. May this day be filled with Him to whom all Praise, Honor and Worship is due.

Mike

goodbye Children's hospital

2009-10-19T19:54:00.000-07:00

We are home!!!!!!!!!! Thank-you Children's for the great care we recieved. Keep in touch Jennifer and let us know how Matthew is. We will keep praying for his recovery. We also are thinking about baby Shay and praying for her recovery. Its been a sweet blessing to know these families.

Jireh has had a bath and is doing wonderfully. We can't say this enough how amazed we are at his speedy recovery and for all the prayers.

4th day and were going home

2009-10-19T09:55:00.001-07:00

Were going home!!! Praise the Lord. Truly amazing how fast Jireh has bounced back. He has not had any strong drugs since yesterday at 2pm. He has only had tylenol. Please keep Shay in prayer, we talked to her mother while going to the cafeteria this morning and Shay had a seizure last night and they had to put her back on the ventalator. The mother is so grateful for prayers. This has been a much longer journey for them. A scheduled surgery with a stay of 3-4 days has now turned into a 3 week stay with no word of going home any time soon. They are still in ICU and that is a place that does not go to sleep. Also, pray for Matthew. They are still not sure what is wrong with him. He does not keep food down and just having a hard time. I am going to take the mom downstairs to get a free quilt for him and give her a chance to take a break before we leave. Her name is Jennifer.

all better

2009-10-18T18:52:00.000-07:00

Jireh has decided to be all better now. He is tired of being in bed and wants to be up.

day 3

2009-10-18T16:59:00.000-07:00

Jireh is hanging on to "tye" the tiger. His new friend. And then we got a call from sister Joclyn and Jireh is carrying on a full conversation with her. These are precious moments. I think he is ready to go home.

We continue to Praise our God

2009-10-18T08:47:00.000-07:00

Jireh had a good night. He had a few times of throwing up, yet that was to be expected. He continues to be strengthened by our Lord through your prayers. at 8:30am he got his drain tube out. the surgical team is constantly amazed at the rapid recovery. We are not. Our God has answered all of our prayers. As I had said from the beginning this has been about getting the help Jireh needed and that we could be a strong witness to those around us. Please continue to pray for baby Shay. When we last saw them she was getting a course to help with her infections and he blood oxygen levels. May God be merciful and healing to Shay and the Connell family. Jireh has a room mate named Mathew Clark. He also could use our prayers. He has cystic fibrosis and had to have his appendix taken out. He is not eating well and has an infection. Joyce and I continue to lift him up and ask that you would join us. Also lift up the family as dad is getting ready to be deployed which will leave mom (Jennifer) home with 2 boys and due in February with their 3rd. I do pray for their spiritual health above all. Here are a few pics of Jireh from this morning.

Mike

36 hours later

2009-10-17T21:48:00.000-07:00

Jireh is resting and doing very well. We hold him for about 30 minutes at a time and then put him in his bed for about the same amount of time. We brought 2 toys from home that he hangs onto and won't let go. Too cute. So far, his eyes have not swelled shut. I am so thankful.

splitting headache

2009-10-17T18:22:00.000-07:00

Jireh has given the phrase "I have a splitting headache" real meaning. Bless my sweet baby. He is such a trooper. God has given him the right amount of comfort and peace to endure such a hard thing. I stop and look at him and try to imagine what he must be feeling. All I can come up with is when you hit your head on things like bunk beds or cupboards that are too low. OUCH! we say with a good rub. Poor Jireh. So thankful for good drugs.
p.s. we can have visitors now. Just e-mail us, facebook or post a comment on the blog. Thank-you

31 hours after surgery

2009-10-17T17:57:00.000-07:00

Jireh is doing well. We are holding him more than he is in his bed. He has nursed some. As you can see he still has the drain tube. The doctors say that will not be removed until maybe tomorrow night. The routine for today has been: Nurse Emily comes in every hour and checks his vital signs. He gets an antibiotic every 8 hours, and his pain meds every 4 hours. He is on oxy codine, tylenol and benadryl which is for the itching on his face. Jireh is very alert and looks all around. He is now playing with his toys.
Sweet "puffy" baby.

He is Greatly to be praised

2009-10-17T13:25:00.000-07:00

To God be the glory great things he has done. We are out of ICU and down on the 3rd floor. rm 3017 bed 2 . God has been Merciful and shown his Loving kindness. Jireh is swelling, yet not as severe as we have seen. We are sharing a room yet there should be a lot more peace and quiet. I would ask that you would continue to pray for healing both for Jireh and little Shay Connell

leaving ICU

2009-10-17T12:36:00.000-07:00

Praise! We are leaving the ICU in about 20 minutes. We will be sharing another room but are thankful that we can both stay in there and bring our bags with us. So far this whole time we have had to leave our things in the truck and we would both really like a shower by now.

Pics

2009-10-17T09:16:00.001-07:00

As you can see he is doing well at times, and not so well 2 minutes later. We are praising God that the swelling is not as bad as could be. Mommy has been able to nurse and hold her little boy. What a joy. We do miss our other children. Joclyn, Janelle, Jeremiah, Jayna we miss you, we love you and can't wait to be with you also.

Mike

A difficult night

2009-10-17T08:56:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for your prayers. It was a very difficult night for Jireh. He has started the swelling process, which is normal. It leaves him not very happy and agitated all at once. I am going to post several pics. Some of these may look worse than you might think.

viewer discretion adviced

2009-10-16T18:27:00.000-07:00

This is actaully an amazing incision. Across the top of his forhead is a drain tube that will be removed by the 2nd-3rd day. Jireh is drinking mama's milk from a bottle and is resting well. When he starts to wake up he cries and the nurse gives him more meds to manage his pain. Jireh will be out of ICU by tomorrow. The surgeon's were in a few hours ago and told us that Jireh is doing amazingly well. They are just thrilled at how well he is doing. They also performed another surgery right after Jireh's today and it went well too. Praise the Lord for answered prayer. The medical staff here is great. Very nice to us and right there to answer ANY and ALL questions. Mike is visiting with the family in our same room. We continue to pray for baby Shay.

2009-10-16T16:17:00.000-07:00

this is 3 hours later. Mommy having a hard time. VERY hard to see my baby look puffy right now. I just can not hold the tears back. I am trying so hard to not cry but I am overwhelmed of the goodness of God. HE gave me back my baby.

2009-10-16T16:11:00.000-07:00

This was taken about an hour after surgery. We will post some more pictures. Please know that they are a bit upsetting and you may want to scroll past them.

baby shay, jireh's room mate

2009-10-16T13:43:00.000-07:00

Please pray for baby Shay, she is Jireh's room mate and could also use your prayers. She had an infection under her sternum. Please pray for her and her parents

Mike

The old saying

2009-10-16T12:48:00.000-07:00

I sit hear beside Jireh's bed and the thought that strikes me is " In GODS hands ". Jireh was from the beginning of his life in the hand of God. When he first got sick,we thought he just needs some hydration, he was in Gods hands. Through all our trials in life do we see the hand of the almighty or are we so busy, blind, dull as to not see his hands. If we believe that all things work together for good for those who love Him, then this is for our good and if for our good then we are right where our Lord wants us; " In His hands". There are so many times in my life I want to do so much good, yet I feel rebuffed by our Lord. That good I see me doing would be in my strength, my way and apart from our God. Not " In His hands". We are all given not any more than he can carry us through. Gods desire is to use us to bring Him glory through the life He has given us. Whatever that is, is the best from God and the best for us. Is there any better place to be than to be in the hands of the Master? As Paul would have said " far be it". When Jesus asked Peter if he was going to quit following him as the multitude did, he reponded with " You have the words of God and are his Son, where else would we go?" Where else do we turn when all else seems lost? To hard. To much. Lets turn to the master and fall into " His hands".

Mike

PRAISE GOD

2009-10-16T11:04:00.000-07:00

Praise be to the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ. at 10:35 they called us to say your prayers are answered. Jireh's surgery is complete and he is doing great. it wil be about another 1-2 hours till he is in the ICU and then we will be able to go back and see him. I would like to thank all of you for your prayers and ask that you would continue for his recovery.

PRAISE GOD for his goodness!

Mike

The Love of the body

2009-10-16T10:09:00.000-07:00

I can never express our thankfulness to our Lord and all of you for the prayers, thoughts and encouragement. We are in the waiting period, yet very encouraged. We very much feel all your prayers. Thank you

Mike

2009-10-16T09:54:00.000-07:00

Jireh started to suck his thumb because he is so hungry. This is right before I had a little melt down. The tears just fall out of my eyes. They assured me that the time from me to being out with the gas is 2 minutes. And praise the Lord, I was able to settle Jireh down and put him to sleep before they took him.

the 2nd call from surgery

2009-10-16T09:42:00.000-07:00

Everything is going well. Jireh is doing just fine. We have a pager with us to allow us the freedom to go to the cafeteria. So thankful that we are here with Wes & Pam Spurling, Doug & Tina Riley, and Cary & Lois Green. We have been visiting and praying. And were trying to eat. I am having a hard time every time the beeper goes off. My mind wants to go straight to negative thoughts. But God is my strength and my fortress, in HIM I will trust!

he is in surgery

2009-10-16T07:47:00.000-07:00

at 7:35 am they came and took Jireh back. He did sleep through the night (Praise the Lord) and did very well without being fed. Please continue to pray with us for his surgery, recovery and for strength for Joyce and I. Thank you for all your Love, we feel completely surrounded by it.

Mike

How deep the Fathers love for us

2009-10-16T04:40:00.000-07:00

The song says " How deep the Fathers love for us, how vast beyond all measure. That He would give his only Son, to make a wretch his treasure." That is the first stanza of a song that is sung A LOT at our home, in the car, in the store. Quite frankly just about anywhere that the Lord prompts me. Sometimes even to the dismay of my family, because I will sing out no matter. Yet this morning I sit here thinking of the words more richly. The song wants us to understand the depths to which God almighty has reached out to us, the lengths to which he would go for us. as I sit here this morning ready to go, It really struck me; just how deep a fathers love can be. We have known of Jireh and his coming for about 14 months. Yet it feels like we have had him for such a great length of time that our love for him has grown to be so great. We must in just a few short hours give our son over to the medical staff at childrens, and rest in the Lord. Yet what really strikes me is that the God of the universe, the almighty creator, knew of Jireh from before the begining and how much Love must that be? I am not fearful. I stand firm in the Lord and his goodness. I am a father though, and I love my son. I want, pray for the best for him. How deep is the love the Father has put in us, for our son. His desire is to make our son his treasure. That is a deep Love, one that could only come from the Father.

Mike

the hat before surgery

2009-10-15T19:26:00.000-07:00

We are so thankful for special friends. Thank-you Mrs. Hinman for the darling hat.

surgery tomorrow

2009-10-15T13:53:00.000-07:00

The call came in first thing this morning from Children's hospital. All the details prior to surgery. I was a bit "out of it" but quickly got it together. Jireh's last feeding is at 1:30am. We need to leave the house at 5:00am to be at Children's by 6:15 am. Jireh's surgery is at 7:30am. Jireh can have his favorite blanket and one toy. We decided on his singing dog that is always in bed with him. We thought this was a good choice in case Jireh's eyes swell shut, he can still listen and touch his dog. He also can have cereal at 11:30 tonight which we will do. We are praying that Jireh will sleep VERY good after his 1:15am feeding. There is nothing after that. What would work out just perfect is that Jireh sleeps until we leave and we can just put him in his carseat and prayerfully he will fall back to sleep. Thank-you to EVERYONE who is praying for Jireh. We covet all the prayers and know that Jireh is covered in God's love.

packing

2009-10-14T16:57:00.001-07:00

Jireh's bag is all packed. Now all we have to do is pack ours. I am thinking that "less is best" so to speak. I hear that the hospital rooms are quite small. Mike is making plans to sleep in the his truck with an airbed while I stay in Jireh's room during the night.

so many details

2009-10-14T16:48:00.001-07:00

One of the details:
Since I am nursing Jireh and he will be having a blood transfusion, I am juicing carrots, apple, and spinach to help build up his immunities.

blood

2009-10-11T23:11:00.000-07:00

Off to Children's tomorrow. They will test Jireh's blood and make sure that his donor blood matches his. They do this before surgery to make sure Jireh's body does not reject it. Please pray for the blood. That the donor blood is pure and perfect for Jireh.

one week to go

2009-10-09T14:54:00.000-07:00

Reality is striking hard. One more week and were off to Children's to really have this surgery done. honestly today I have been fighting the anxieties that pop up. I find myself getting weepy when I am holding Jireh and nursing him. I just look at his head and cherish this time of no scar. I kiss his sweet head and as the tears roll down my cheeks, I thank God for providing doctors for this surgery and a great hospital and most importantly for friends that are praying for our sweet boy. God is so good to us. May I have the strength to fight off the doubt and fears. Jireh is God's child and he is only loaned to me. Next friday I have to physically hand over Jireh and give him to the doctors. In my mind I will be handing him back over to God. I pray that God will give him back to me just hours later with a new and improved head. I pray that Jireh will go on to live a great life with a great story and that he will know the Lord at a young age and able to share the greatness of God.

2009-10-08T12:07:00.000-07:00

learning how to read with daddy while waiting for the doctor to come in. One of the pre-op apppointments on Monday.

Jireh Malachi

2009-10-07T18:58:00.000-07:00

Our little boy truly is a gift from God. Joyce and I prayed for three years about doing a vasectomy reversal and believed that God was calling us to correct a mistake I had done. As we looked into the cost of the procedure we were surprised by the cost. from $ 2,500.00 to $ 10,000.00. Not money that we had just saved up. So we prayed, and prayed, and prayed. In April of 2008, the Lord taped the money on our front door. LITERALLY! Praise God he did. As Moses had told Issac, Jehovah jireh, I knew what our little boys name would be if the Lord would allow us to get pregnant, and if it was a boy. I get to choose the name of the boys and Joyce gets to name the girls. Malachi means my messenger. I had felt that if God would allow us to have more children, then he might also have much to say to the world with the little life he was bringing forth. So that gives us Jireh malachi. As you may have read from Joyce's comments above, God is using Jireh to demonstrate himself to the world through all the medical procedures, the churches that are praying for him in the many states, and now through these pages as we walk with God daily and allow you to see and read. I pray this is an encouragement to you as you read.

Mike

2009-10-07T11:40:00.000-07:00

2009-10-07T11:18:00.000-07:00

For all of you who do not know what we are about to go through, let me tell you about it. Our sweet baby boy was born with craniosynostosis. Basically his skull is prematurely fused and is shaped like a football. He has to under go surgery to correct it. If we do not do surgery than he would have a head that would not allow his brain to grow normal and could cause some major problems in the future. Finding this news out was upsetting to say the least. But God has provided so much encouragement through other people that have gone through this same thing. We have already met a wonderful family in Idaho that walked this road 5 years ago. They shared with us all their pictures from start to current and there little boy is doing wonderful. We continue to put all our trust in the Lord and thank HIM daily for doctors that specialize in this area. So far, Children's hospital has been great. We are praying that our experience there will be good and that we can be light to others there as well. This is a journey we are on and we know that God has big plans for Jireh.
Please continue to pray for us. We know that we can only do this with the LORD'S strength.

home of the C's

2009-10-06T11:17:00.000-07:00

Just getting started with blogging. Please be patient with us.