The Book of Common Prayer

 We have a big week here and by the end of the week, Lord willing, we will be unpacking and fully residing in our new home, in our new town.

As I was thinking about what I could share this week, I kept thinking of the book of common prayer.  This is not something I was exposed to as a child because I was not raised in the Episcopal church, but I have heard a few excerpts from this book from a dear friend from graduate prayer whose father is an Episcopalian Priest, but also from the Mitford books by Jan Karon, in which, the main character, Father Tim will frequently reference The Book of Common Prayer.

I love the reverent language, and I love that there are so many prayers for so many unique situations.

All that said, I did not find a prayer in the Online Book Of Common Prayer over those who are moving, or to bless a new home... but I was drawn to one prayer over Towns and Rural Areas.

Please join me in prayer:

Lord Christ, when you came among us, you proclaimed the
kingdom of God in villages, towns, and lonely places: Grant
that your presence and power may be known throughout this
land. Have mercy upon all of us who live and work in rural
areas [especially Rangely, Colorado]; and grant that all the people
of our nation may give thanks to you for food and drink and
all other bodily necessities of life, respect those who labor to
produce them, and honor the land and the water from which
these good things come. All this we ask in your holy Name.
Amen.

The Battle Belongs

Almighty fortress, You go before us
Nothing can stand against the power of our God
You shine in the shadow, You win every battle
Nothing can stand against the power of our God

Our Weekend

So... our weekend was none like any other full of highs and lows, but ultimately coming out with the family unscathed and for that we are grateful.

Friday afternoon, when I picked up Lee Lee from school, her teacher said they had noticed she had "zoned out" a few times that day.  Her eyes were still open, but she was unresponsive to anything they asked of her, and then she seemed to snap out of it very quickly.  One spell lasted about 90 seconds, and another nearly 3 minutes.  They were able to get one on video.

So I headed home with the video, and concern, but a plan to watch her over the weekend, talk to our physicians in the family, and call her pediatrician on Monday.

Then, about an hour after we arrived home, she began vomiting, and kept vomiting every 10-20 minutes for hours into the night.  After her second bought of vomiting, I was on the phone with the on-call physician in her pediatrician's office who recommended I take her in to the emergency room.  With the hope that she just had a stomach bug, but with the knowledge of the potential zoning-out seizures from earlier that day being serious enough that we wanted to make sure she was going to be okay.

Hubby was working a high school football game an hour away, so thankfully, the next-door neighbors that I called were happy to head on over and watch the three healthy kiddos who had been bouncing off the walls as they knew they did not have my undivided attention as I was dealing with Lee Lee's situation.

Addallee and I took off for the ER around 7:30, and Hubby met us there by 8:15.

Hours later, they had contacted a pediatric neurologist out of Denver who felt that the zoning out, which we had now learned were probably "absence seizures" (pronounced ob-sonce) and the vomiting was probably connected and potentially a presentation of childhood epilepsy.  We were told to go home with medicine and call our pediatrician on Monday to start a work up for an MRI and EEG to start the diagnostic process.

The problem was, the couldn't get her vomiting under control even with multiple attempts at oral and iv medicine. 

I finally left the ER around 10:30pm to go home for food and sleep, knowing that I would be the early shift up in the morning for the three other kids leaving Hubby with Lee Lee in the ER.  They would arrive home around 2:00am where Addallee would sleep in our bed and continue to vomit several more times throughout the night.

Saturday was spent in a haze as we kept a very close eye on Addallee, tried to entertain the other kids, and encouraged EVERYONE to catch up on sleep given our abnormal Friday night.  Addallee had a pretty good day, but began vomiting again Saturday night and spent another night in our bed vomiting and crying.

By Sunday morning, with our three big kids ready to climb the walls, my plan was to take them to church and leave Hubby and Lee Lee to sleep.  Addallee got up and vomited in the morning before fall back to sleep with Hubby.

Howard, Caroline, and Tracey were all getting their shoes on about 10:00am when Caroline began vomiting.  She would go on to vomit every 20-40 minutes for the next six hours.

We did not go to church, and I immediately instructed Caroline to get back in pajamas and keep a bucket close by.  The tv went on, and we waited to see what would happen next.  Whenever multiple kids are sick, I have a system -- we unfold the couch hide-a-bed.  This creates a nice cozy place for the kids to lay and sleep where I can still keep in eye on them while I'm doing my usual routine on the main floor.  It also gives them a chance to watch tv while their sick while being in a bed.

This was the last picture I took from the weekend when just two little girls were sick... four more victims would be taken out by these virus before sunrise the next morning.

Well, by afternoon Tracey, Howard, and myself would all succumb to the stomach bug, each vomiting between one and four times a piece.  So, not a horrible presentation, but enough to knock everyone out in the course of one day.

Hubby, who was battling aches and a sore throat all weekend would finally get hit with the bug in the wee hours of Monday morning, and so that stomach virus took no prisoners.

While our whole family has been taken out by viruses before, we have NEVER ALL been sick in the same 24 hours period.  That. Was. Rough.

Monday everyone stayed home, and everyone seemed pretty well recovered.  Lots of toast, ice, applesauce and rice.

And did I mention that while some kids were taking a bath Monday morning, water started dripping from our kitchen ceiling just below the bath tub?!?!  Can't wait to hear what that damage and repair bill will be.

Also, Lee Lee's pediatrician's office called me first thing to set up an appointment to see her.  They had a note regarding her ER visit and wanted to see her as soon as possible.  That was very nice to get a call from them ready to schedule instead of my having to do that in my Monday-morning, I-have-been-sick fog. 

I took her in at noon, and the BEST NEWS regarding Addallee was that our whole family came down with the stomach bug!  Crazy, I know.

But, on Friday night, the main was concern was these potential absence seizures and vomiting as a neurological symptom.  We had no reason on Friday night to think she had a stomach bug (although, to give credit where credit is due... that is exactly what my dad, the pediatrician, said.  As soon as she began vomiting, he said that she had a stomach virus).  It just seemed like too big a coincidence that she was having possible seizures at school and then happened to catch a stomach bug and start vomiting within hours of each other.

What we probably saw last week was, yes, some absence seizures brought on by the fact she was in the process of catching this bug.  Her exposure to this virus, and being tired as it was starting to impact her system probably made her more susceptible to these absence seizures. 

So, she is still regaining her strength and staying home from school again Tuesday, and we get to start the non-emergent out-patient process of MRI imaging locally and EEG scanning in either Denver or Grand Junction.

We are not looking forward to this new world of pediatric neurology, but we do consider ourselves so fortunate, that first of all, her school noticed what was going on, and we did just have a stomach virus... and we are now in a position to get some answers and make a plan for our sweet little Lee Lee.

And, if in fact these are absence seizures, from what we have read and been told, this would not be a major thing.  Sure, something we watch and our aware of, but nothing compared to the medical news other parents receive regarding their sick children.

So... quite the weekend... but really, a weekend where the entire family getting a stomach virus is the best news you could get, that's not a bad weekend of keeping things in perspective.

Thank you so much for the prayers you offered as we navigated this past weekend, and please keep us and especially Addallee in your prayers as we move forward.

 

Prayers for Lee Lee

I don't want to go into details right now, but please join us in prayer for our Addallee Marigold.  We're trying to figure out a medical situation regarding her, and we would appreciate your prayers for her health and healing.

 

Powerful

I saw this picture on instagram and it just took my breath away.

I just want to take a moment to pray for all these first responders in California... but really everywhere who run in to disasters and danger when all others are fleeing for their lives.  Thank you, Lord for these men and women.

 

Keep In Mind

We are living with some very strict fire ban policies in effect right now... on a pile of tinder called Colorado.

Please pray for rain and a lot of precipitation this winter. 

 

Images

I have been very effected by the images coming out of Texas with Hurricane Harvey.  I have so many friends from college and graduate school from Houston, and I just can't believe what I'm seeing.

Please pray for Texans in the wake and aftermath of this Hurricane.

 

 

What's Going On

I don't really want to write this post, but for better or worse, this blog has sort of become a record and family history of our Hubby and my journey together, so without revealing specifics, I do want to share some of what's going on in our life right now.

Hubby and I received some medical news a few days ago that may turn out to be nothing, and may turn out to be something pretty big.  We are just processing things and praying and making appointments to gain more information and get a firm diagnosis as fast as possible.  That being said, we really don't know anything yet... we just know we need to get more testing done.

So, we've been on a roller coaster the past few days, and Hubby has still been trying to complete graduate work like a madman -- so things are a little stressful around here.

All that to say, a neighbor brought me food last night.  She was very sweet and brought me two big pans of enchiladas and cookies.  It was very very nice of her, but as soon as I accepted the food, the first thought in my head was, 

"Wow... someone is bringing me food... this really must be a big deal and bad news if people are starting to bring me food."

The truth is, most of the time I think I'm fine, and I'm not having trouble trusting God until I say something out loud -- like when I tell Hubby about the research I've done, or tell my parents about a doctor's appointment, and then I get choked up... which is weird because I just read this stuff twenty minutes ago and I had no emotional reaction at all, but now when I'm saying it out loud, I'm getting emotional.

Also, this is the first time that I'm getting calls and texts from family and friends reaching out to me to check in on us.  It is also the first time that I'm feeling the need to turn off my phone at certain points, because I just need a little break from all the other people wanting to talk about this right now.  Sometimes I want to talk -- sometimes I want to ignore the text messages on my phone, cuddle with my kids and watch Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood without thinking about this situation that we don't actually know what's going on yet.

Most of the time, I am not emotional at all because we really don't know the facts yet, and it doesn't make a lot of sense in my head to become emotional when we don't know the facts... at least that's how I feel most of the time... ask me again in five minutes and you might get a different answer. 

So please keep us in your prayers knowing that God knows all of the specifics and so your general prayers for our family are perfect and very much appreciated.

 

Terrifying

Hubby and I have some news that I have delayed sharing for weeks.  We have had an offer accepted on a house in Rifle.  We are now under contract and have a closing date set for the middle of October.

This is not only big news, but a tremendous answer to prayer, and a very big life milestone for both Hubby and myself... and yet I have waited weeks to share the news here on my blog for one simple reason -- I was still processing this life changing event.

Not only did I delay sharing the news on my blog, but I have told none of my close friends.  Sure, I told a few acquaintances in town but I did not tell any of my friends who would ask me how I was doing or would be able to read in my voice how thoughtful and not-fully-excited I was about our situation.

It wasn't until last week when I was on the phone with a friend -- not a close, old friend of mine who knows me well, but a mutual friend of Hubby and mine whom we've known a few years and whom Hubby had told we were in the process of buying this house.  She and I were talking and the subject of our new home came up and, of the process and major event she said, "Isn't it terrifying?"

...

...

... And from the moment she said those words, I felt like I could take a deep breath and admit that "YES!  This process is absolutely terrifying!"

I had been feeling so guilty that I was not more excited about buying a home, and I had been an absolute wheel-barrel of emotions for over a week, ready to burst into tears any moment as we learned more and more about the process involved in buying a home.

To hear a friend and peer state aloud how truly scary it was for her husband and her to buy their first home allowed me to exhale and admit that this really is a tremendous responsibility, and a completely new process for Hubby and me, and it is okay to be... well, terrified.

Not only is this a larger purchase than I've ever made, I have never borrowed money like this before, and I have never made a commitment to a location in my life.  After my 18 years in my parents' home in Michigan, I spent some time and RENTED places in Virginia, Nashville, Eagle, and Rifle, Colorado... but nothing has kept me in those places.  I have always known I could up and leave any of those places at the drop of a hat with minimal consequences.

Buying my first home is a truly terrifying process... but it is very exciting... and ever since my friend spoke those words, "Isn't it terrifying?" I have been able to breath easier and admit... yes, this is terrifying... but its also very exciting... and it is okay for me to feel both terrified and really excited.

So, our big exciting news is that, Praise God, we are under contract for buying a home in Rifle, Colorado.

For us this is really big, really amazing, really scary, but fantastic news.

I will keep you posted on how things go.  Thank you for your prayers for us and specifically for God's Will during this process.

This Fall

We have a lot going on this fall, just to give you some idea of what is going on in our world.

Hubby is working full time -- which is much more than full time from August-June.  He is also still working on his graduate degree in education administration.

I am working part-time in the job I've had for the past five years -- same job, but less school districts, so its now part-time.  In addition, I have been asked to teach a class at our local community college for their teacher education program.  I will be teaching Child Development, and I am really excited, but I have a lot of work to do to create my class, prepare lectures, and re-familiarize myself with the course materials (it has been a few years since I took this class in graduate school).

In addition to all of that, I am in the process of training to become a Bradley Method of Husband-Coached Childbirth Instructor.  If you remember, Hubby and I had a wonderful experience preparing for Tracey Ann's birth through our Bradley classes, and so I want to make myself available to help other couples prepare in the same wonderful way we did.

I will attend four days of certification classes next week... and I am studying like crazy trying to complete all of my certification assignments before then.  I don't have to have everything done before the workshop... but I would like to.

So, please pray for my time and my speedy study-skills as I study and complete assignments as quickly as possible to complete this certification next week.

How is your fall?

Big Prayers

When I think about my prayers of petition to God, they are usually not what I think of Big Prayers.  They are big prayers in that I live every breath simply thanks to God's mercy and grace... but they are not big because they are things that I putting my human efforts toward and I hope and pray God blesses those efforts to allow and enable the end result for which I am working.

Often, I spend days, or weeks thinking about a problem that Hubby and I are tackling, and pray for wisdom about the problem... and then when I think I have the solution, I will pray for the solution that I concocted to come to fruition.  It is so human of me... but I've put in the time to figure out the answer, now I just have to pray that God makes that answer come true, since I've gone to the human trouble of figuring out the solution.

It is not the most Biblical concept, but I really do identify with the phrase "Pray as though it depends on God; Work as though it depends on you."

That being said, sometimes I come before God with, what I consider to be BIG PRAYERS.  These are prayers that I lay before His feet in complete surrender because I am not doing my part to make these things happen.  These are things that are so far outside of my control that the only way these prayers can possibly be answers are through God's grace, guidance, and provision.

These are prayers like when I prayer for someone's healing, or for a couple that is facing a trial, or a family who is struggling -- I am not necessarily doing things through my own efforts to answer my own prayers, I am just surrendering them to God, and praying His love, healing, protection, and love over them.

I know I serve a big God and big requests do not scare Him... but I don't often like to come before Him with be requests because they scare me.  I don't like to be told "No."  I don't like to ask others for favors... I like to work and earn things for myself.

I believe, coming into this fall, Hubby and I are going to be asking God for guidance and provision in a BIG PRAYER with a little bit of a timeline on it, and I'm a little nervous, but also excited to hope and wonder what He, in His love and grace, might do for us.

What are some of your big prayers?  How did God answer them?

Asleep in the Boat

In college, the minister of the church where I worshipped, Chap, preached a sermon one Sunday that stuck with me long-term.

Matthew 8, Luke 8, and Mark 4 all tell the story about Jesus out in a boat with his disciples.  While they were at sea, Jesus fell asleep.  While he was sleeping a fierce storm came up, and water began swamping the boat and the disciples (many of whom were fishermen -- very familiar with boats and the sea) were so afraid that they awoke Jesus.  Jesus spoke to the wind and the waves, and immediately the storm ceased.

Then, He turned to the disciples and scolded them for not having faith.

Chap's sermon talked about the fact that the disciples did exactly what was, as Christ-followers, are taught to do -- they called out to Jesus when they were afraid... and yet Jesus scolded them for having so little faith.

Chap said that, if the disciple's faith had been stronger, instead of crying out to Jesus, they would have pulled up a pillow and peacefully fallen asleep right next to Him.  Chap said that in the storms of life, the only place he wants to be is asleep in the boat, right next to Jesus.

I want to have a great faith.  I want a life full of trials and tribulations that consistently and repeatedly provide me with testimonies of God's faithfulness, wisdom, protection, and provision.  I want to teach my children about strong faith through an example of my own -- but sleeping in the boat is a really hard place to be.

Hubby and I are praying like crazy about life next year -- we are considering many options -- everything from staying exactly where we are with the jobs we currently have, to moving over seas with one of us working -- and everything in between...

I am calling out to Jesus passionately, and often... but the best place for me to be is asleep in the boat.

Gratitude

Something I have learned about myself in the past few years is that I have a hard time faking gratitude.  Some people are fond of saying, "Fake it til you make it," and I have tried to do that when I'm discouraged or overwhelmed.  I know that an attitude of gratitude can make all the difference, but, frankly, I am not great at faking.

That being said, when I can see a silver lining, when I can sincerely find something to be grateful about in a tough situation, I LOVE the attitude of gratitude.

As Hubby and I come to the end of this pregnancy, and closer to the MAJOR life change that parenthood will bring, I am finding that gratitude is easier to come by in tough situations.

These final days of pregnancy, for example.  I am sincerely grateful for these final days and weeks.  I will admit, I don't love every aspect of being pregnant... but I love carrying our child.  I am INCREDIBLY grateful for how our pregnancy has progressed without complication.  I am grateful that I am still able to work at 37 weeks along.  I am grateful for the little (and sometimes BIG) jabs in my ribs and stomach, because it means my baby is healthy and moving and growing.  I have no idea how many times in my life I will be pregnant, or when the next time will be -- once our baby arrives on earth, the pregnancy is over indefinitely, and so I truly am grateful for every day that remains.

Adding to this gratitude is the sobering reality that we have known three couples in the past month to give birth to their babies.  One couple had unforeseen complications that put their newborn in the NICU for 5 nights... and that's the happy ending.  Both of the other two couples, their babies died either before or shortly after birth.  In one of these cases, the death was not a shock... but that doesn't make it an easier situation, and in the other case, the death was completely sudden and unexpected.  PLEASE keep these couples in your prayers as they are coping with the unimaginable.

I am so grateful for my big, growing, kicking, healthy baby that is still inside me.

I am sincerely grateful that I am able to do my job.  Sometimes I have had to talk myself into gratitude for having a job... but in these last weeks of life before parenthood, and these last weeks before life on a salary cut due to maternity leave, I REALLY am SO grateful for my job and the chance to do what I love with wonderful students.

In the past month, Hubby and I have gone from three cars down to one.  Once upon a time, we each had a personal vehicle and I had a work car.  In December I was in a minor accident while driving in the canyon... it was minor, except there is nothing minor about sliding on ice into a guardrail several times when you are 7 months pregnant.  That being said, the accident could have been SOOOO much worse, and we are so grateful for how minor it was.

That took us down to two cars until my work vehicle is fixed.  Then yesterday the transmission started to go out on my personal vehicle (and when I say, "started to go out," I mean "the vehicle will no longer find Reverse or Park reliably").  I made it to the transmission shop and might have a working car again by the middle of next week.  Hubby and I are both mildly disappointed about the inconvenience of only having one vehicle, and the upcoming expense of transmission repairs... but we are both SOOO GRATEFUL for how smoothly the problem was solved.  At 9 months pregnant, my transmission could have blown up and stranded me along I-70... or better yet, the transmission could have begun acting up when I was in labor and we needed to get to the hospital.  Can you see us pulling up to the emergency drop-off, and my husband puts the car in park... and it keeps rolling?

We're also grateful that we had three cars to start with so that when we are down two, we still have a vehicle to meet our needs out here in the middle of nowhere, Colorado (its not like we can hail a cab or take the subway).

The attitude of gratitude really makes such a difference, and Hubby and I have SO much to be grateful for these days.

A Little Getaway

Hubby and I are so blessed that although we have only seen my parents about 24 hours this summer, they have whole-heartedly supported us in the decision to take a little getaway for just the two of us while we are here in Michigan.

My parents are keeping both Lexie and Lloyd while Hubby and I escape to northern Michigan for two nights.

While I am less than excited to go on another car ride, I think the trade off is going to be worth it.  Chris has never seen the northern part of Michigan, and we will soak up this rare summer time together.

I am not sure if I will blog while we are away.  If I do, it simply means that I had the time and wanted to document things that happened immediately.  If I don't, it simply means that I didn't have the time and other things took priority over my time.

Hubby and I do have some specific things we are going to be praying about and discussing  during this time away, and so please support us in prayer as we go before God with some specific things on our minds.

Northern Michigan, here we come!

Prayer Request: The Dreaded DROP OFF

Today, possibly as you read this, I will be participating... and hopefully PASSING WITH FLYING COLORS, the Dreaded Drop Off.

I am studying at University of Northern Colorado all this month to learn the methods of teaching Orientation and Mobility.  Orientation and Mobility is a skill taught to blind people to help them orient themselves to their environment, and safely travel from place to place once they know where they are.  There is a HUGE amount of liability in literally teaching blind children to cross the street, and so it requires an additional educational endorsement in order to teach it.

I have been spending much of my month of June blindfolded, learning to walk with a cane, gathering clues from my environment, and traveling around Greeley.  It has been a very interesting experience.

Today is the culmination of all I have learned thus far -- my drop off day.

Our professor has given us a specific residential area in which to practice.  The area is six blocks by four blocks and she will drop us off anywhere in that 6x4 block area and we have to use our skills to determine where we are, and then accurately walk to a predetermined destination (a specific fire hydrant on the corner of a specific intersection).

Our instructor will be following us the entire time and making sure we do not get into a harmful or dangerous situation, but it nerve-wracking nonetheless.

At 7:30am this morning, my partner and I will be the first two of our class to attempt this major assignment.  We have practiced many times.  We have both learned the area very well and we each have our method of determining our location.  We are ready... we hope.

We have each dealt with disasters and confusion and we have re-oriented ourselves and kept going.

My dad has always taught me when I go into a test that the test is the easy part.  I've put in the time, the studying, the effort, the practice, and all the work... taking the test is the easy part.  He is usually right, and today, I certainly hope he is.

Please pray for:

• A clear sky and bright sun -- my partner and I each immediately try to find the sun so we can orient ourselves as to North, South, East, and West.  The sun is our key!
• Calm nerves and peaceful stomachs -- we don't need any butterflies
• A clear head to accurately reflect and demonstrate our knowledge and skills
• Safety as we literally travel blindfolded
• Accuracy!!!  PASSING the Drop-Off

Thank you so much.  I'll keep you posted!

Thank You for your Prayers

Thank you for your Prayers.

A few weeks ago, I asked for you to join me in prayer as I hoped to arrange Orientation and Mobility placements for myself this summer in order to become certified to teach Orientation and Mobility as soon as this winter.

Specifically, I asked for the following... and I have followed up each request from early May with how, just over a month later, they have been answered.

• Please join me in prayer for the arrangements of summer placements... All summer placements are arranged as of two days ago.  I will spend three weeks of July in Tucson; three weeks of August in Michigan; and three weeks of Sept/Oct in Texas.
• Or join me in prayer that all the doors would be locked tight and I would get the message to stop knocking!  These doors were never locked.  They took some persistent, and PERSISTENT knocking... but every one of these doors has now been opened (and I'm hoping they will stay open so that I can walk through them in July, August, and Sept/Oct).
• Please pray that my will be in joyful submission to whatever the Lord wants me to do with my summer... and my life... and it will be on His time frame.  The Lord provided for all of these practicum placements, and showed me His timing for not only my earning this degree but other things in my life through this process.  So little is in my control, and sometimes I forget that this is how I want it.  His timing is so much better than mine.  My life and my future is so much better cared for in His wonderful hands.
• Please pray that I learn from this intense frustration and that it grows my character.  I think He is still growing my character through this process.  Sometimes things don't happen fairly, and people don't extended common courtesy.  That shouldn't affect how I treat them.  I need to love them despite their treatment of me.
• Please join me in prayer that something changes because I am coming to the end of my rope.  The Lord measured my strength for each day, which I know he will continue to do throughout this very busy, jam-packed, working summer.  He extended my rope as long as was needed, and provided everything I needed in the perfect timing.
• Maybe you will feel led to pray that I get a new dose of patience for dealing with organization after organization that seems intent on a lack of common courtesy...  He provided all the patience necessary, and I am so grateful.
• But please, however you feel led to pray, please join me in prayer.  All of your prayers were answered and I am so grateful.

Thank you for standing with me during this time of adjustment.

Thank you for helping me surrender these points before God as I struggled to accept His plan and His timing.

Thank you for your support. 

Please never hesitate to share your prayer requests if you would ever like me to stand with you in prayer.

Please Join Me In Prayer.

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 I believe in the power of prayer. I believe that the Lord hears my prayers even when I don't speak them out loud. When I am the only one who knows what I'm saying to the Lord, I believe He hears, and listens, and answers. That being said, I don't exactly know how more people praying about and for the same topic increases the clarity of God's response, but I believe my faith increases when I ask others to pray on my behalf.
I don't fully understand how more or less people praying changes or enhances God listening and responding... and I am so grateful I don't have to understand.  It is not my job to understand.

I am so grateful that I am free to pray to my Creator, my Comforter, my Lord, my God, my Savior, my Father, my Friend any time and on any subject.  I am also grateful that I can request the prayers of my brothers and sisters in Christ and believe that their joining me in prayer makes a difference.

Today I'm requesting prayer for my summer practicum placements for Orientation and Mobility training.  These practicum placements are like student teaching for this graduate degree I am earning and I need 9 weeks of practicum experience to complete this degree.

 

I have been praying about, researching, petitioning, and organizing summer practicum placements for months now.  While I was earning other graduate degrees, my university arranged my student teaching placements, but for this Orientation and Mobility degree I am arranging everything on my own.  My hours of work have been endless... and literally endless because the summer placements are not yet arranged or confirmed.

At one point, 6 weeks ago, I believed all three of my necessary placements were arranged... but they were not and my quest has continued.  Maybe it is not the Lord's Will for me to complete this degree in 2013 and every day that passes that organization after organization does not return my calls, I become more and more convinced this might be the case, but I want to complete this degree in 2013 and until God clearly closes every door for this summer, I'm going to continue knocking. 

 

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Specifically:

• Please join me in prayer for the arrangements of summer placements. 
• Or join me in prayer that all the doors would be locked tight and I would get the message to stop knocking!
• Please pray that my will be in joyful submission to whatever the Lord wants me to do with my summer... and my life... and it will be on His time frame.
• Please pray that I learn from this intense frustration and that it grows my character.
• Please join me in prayer that something changes because I am coming to the end of my rope. 
• Maybe you will feel led to pray that I get a new dose of patience for dealing with organization after organization that seems intent on a lack of common courtesy... 
• But please, however you feel led to pray, please join me in prayer.

Prayer Request: My Aunt and Uncle

Please pray for my Aunt and Uncle and their family today, and every day, especially leading up to Christmas.

My Uncle has been fighting cancer, and a number of complications, since August and in the past week he has had set back after set back.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."
Philippians 4:6

Specifically please pray:

•  that my aunt and uncle would feel the Lord's presence and support every minute of every day
• that my aunt and uncle would know they are not alone and that God is with them
• for healing for every ailment in my uncle's body, one by one until he is completely healthy
• for physical, emotional, and spiritual strength for every obstacle that arises
• for my aunt who is by my uncle's side through everything, supporting him, loving him, caring for him, and watching him fight
• for my cousins, that they would know how to support their parents, and be drawn closer to the Lord through this trial
• for the Lord to be glorified through these struggles
• for the struggles and heartaches that my aunt and uncle and cousins are experiencing that only the Lord is aware, and the He would be the ultimate Comforter
• for the Lord's Will to be done

Thank you, in advance, for covering them in prayer.

"In the morning, O LORD, You hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before You and wait in expectation."
Psalm 5:3

Please Pray for Colorado and Rain

Chris and I are safely out of the state of Colorado, but we are reminded every day of our beloved home state because of the MANY fires burning throughout beautiful Colorado.

Thank you for the concern so many of you are showing for Colorado and the prayers you are sending up asking for protection for the firemen, families and RAIN.

Thankfully, the fires are not anywhere near where Chris and I live, as of now.  To be frank, the entire state of Colorado is potentially a pile of kindling because of low snow fall and a very dry spring.  Just about a week ago, Chris and I were playing with Lloyd and we saw a huge group of firemen, forest servicemen, and policeman scanning the hillside with binoculars keeping an eye out for fires because we were having lightening and no rain in our area.

PLEASE keep our entire state in prayer.  It is so humbling to see the power of mother nature out of control.  I've listed some specific prayer requests below:

• Please pray for the Colorado wildfires.

• Please pray for the firemen fighting the many blazes in these incredibly dry and treacherous conditions.

•  Please pray for the families who have been evacuated and are watching all of their worldly possessions go up in flames.

• Please pray for RAIN. 

• Please pray for rain without lightening, rain without wind, RAIN! 

 All pictures from here.

Taking Anniversary Ideas, Please!

Chris and I are at Lake Chelan with my family and very little internet... so I think this will be the best time to ask a question, I hope he doesn't read in the blog.

What are your great anniversary gift ideas?

Chris and my first anniversary is coming up on June 25th, and I am still working on coming up with a few ideas.

I went on Pinterest and learned that the first anniversary is the Paper Anniversary...

I had one idea that would go well with paper, but the artists I talked to about it are really busy this spring.

So, please... SEND THE IDEAS OVER!
Please either comment on the blog or email me with your great anniversary gift ideas for the best husband in the world!

mrs{dot}bs{dot}miller{at}gmail{dot}com