JASON IS AT WORK!! PRAISING GOD!!

WOOOOHOOOO!!!! Jason is back at work today. He just called to check in on his first break, and he is doing well. He knows it is going to take some time to rebuild the muscle mass that he lost over the last month, but he is working and feeling good about it. I'm sure he is going to come home and collapse this evening ;-) This kids and I are off to do some grocery shopping before the snow hits tomorrow and also have a zoo day. We got a zoo pass for Christmas and hadn't been able to use it yet, so we are all excited. Personally, I'm hoping this is the beginning of being back to normal around here. I'm ready to be back on schedule, and you know it is bad when the kids start begging to do school again :-0

Blessings to each of you have prayed for us and followed us on our journey.

Jason Update - Jan 14

After our small setback, it appears that everything is back on track for Jason to be at work tomorrow morning. He did some work on our van at home this afternoon, and is tired and tender, but feels pretty good overall. It will be four weeks this Wednesday since Jason was last at work, so I know it is going to be a long day for him tomorrow. Praising God for his healing :-)

Jason Update-Jan 13

Jason attended church this morning. It was nice for him to be back in the service and with his pain greatly decreased. He says he feels "okay", but he will still be going in to the doctor tomorrow. We are hoping that our setback is temporary and that the GI doctor will be able to check him out without a hospital admission. Lord willing, Jason would like to return to work this week.

We are blessed during this trial to be members of a very supportive church. They are opening an account for contributions to our family, since Jason has been almost a month without working, and we will definitely have several thousand dollars worth of medical bills when all is said and done. It is very humbling to know that we *cannot* make it without the grace of God and help from friends and family. God has been so faithful to us already, and we know he will continue to be faithful.

When Jason was in the hospital, he had a roomate who was obviously not a Christian. We had an opportunity to share with him a little bit about what God had done and was continuing to do in our lives. When it was time for this man to be released, he had to call a taxi to drive him home from the hospital! We simply cannot imagine, with all of the friends and family supporting us, what it would be like to have no one to drive you home from a stay in the hospital. But for the grace of God, we too could be like this man. Thank you for ministering to our family during this time.

A Quiet Heart--Thoughts for Today

James 1:2-8

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does."

I Thessalonians 5:16

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:4-8

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again; Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with Thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things."


He whose heart is kind beyond all measure
Gives unto each day what He deems best
Lovingly its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.
(Lina Sandall, Swedish)


Thou Art the Lord who slept upon the pillow,
Thou Art the Lord who soothed the furious sea,
What matter beating wind and tossing billow
If only we are in the boat with Thee?

Hold us in quiet through the age-long minute
While Thou art silent, and the wind is shrill;
Can the boat sink while Thou, dear Lord, art in it?
Can the heart faint that waiteth on Thy will?
(Amy Carmichael, Toward Jerusalem)


Heaven is not here, it's There. If we were given all we wanted here, our hearts would settle for this world rather than the next. God is forever luring us up and away from this one, wooing us to Himself and His still invisible Kingdom, where we will certainly find what we so keenly long for. "Running aground"[Acts 27:26}, then, is not the end of the world, but it helps to make the world a bit less appealing. (Elisabeth Elliot--Keep a Quiet Heart)

Jason Update - Jan 12

While I won't go into details, Jason has had a minor setback. He was prepared to go back to work on Monday, but will instead be returning to the doctor for more testing :-( If things get worse, he will go to the ER this weekend, so please pray that this does not happen. We would much rather handle things on an outpatient basis, if at all possible. Jason just made the comment that he wishes that God didn't have quite so much faith in him. He is discouraged so please pray for God to surround him with his love and peace.

Jason Update - Jan 11

Jason is still doing well as far as his pain level. He isn't entirely pain-free, but is more likely to describe it as "tender" rather than "stabbing" like it was before. His muscles are sore, now that he is starting to get up and around again, but he realizes that this is just something he is going to have to work through. He still tires easily, but just tries to rest when he can. Today, he took charge of the children and let me take a nap, and I really appreciated this. I woke up feeling much more energized than I had over the last few weeks. Tomorrow, Lord willing, he is going to work on the van. If he can handle this, we are confident that he will be able to handle work on Monday. We talked to the doctor yesterday and his medical release is in the mail. As soon as we receive it, he will be back to work.

Jason Update--Jan 10

Jason is determined to go back to work next week. We have discussed it, and even though he is still experiencing pain, we have mapped out a trial activity plan to see if he can handle an entire day of work. Today, he walked to the end of our block and back and also vacumned the living room and hallway. After doing that, his pain isn't really worse, but he is tired and weak feeling. He wants to increase his activity over the next few days, so that by Monday or Tuesday, he'll be ready for a full day. Our van has been having problems, so he may try working on it this weekend. Since this is the type of work Jason does on a daily basis, this should be a good test--especially since bending over has been one of the most painful moves for him. We figure that if he can handle doing things around here this weekend without a relapse, he is probably ready for work. We talked to the doctor today, and as long as Jason feels ready to resume normal activities, the doctor is willing to release him.

Thank you for praying.