May I have a drum roll please? Anybody? Are you ready for this? Are you standin' up? 'Cause you're gonna want to do a little jumpin' or dancin' or shoutin' or "somethin" after you hear this! (That's what we do, you know, when we hear really good news, I mean REALLY good news, that excites us!) Okay...here it is...
I'm going to quote from Tyler's letter received yesterday and dated Saturday, May 24th: "p.s.s. Delgado's mom is a lot better! The doctors said that they caught it early enough to stop it and she is not going to lose her vision!" Oh my goodness, did you hear that? I Samuel 4:5 says, "When the ark of the LORD's covenant came into the camp, all Israel raised such a great shout that the ground shook." The ark in scripture represents the Presence of the LORD. This same reaction applies for you and me today whenever the Presence of our God comes into our situation (our camp, our home, our lives, our prayers) and we witness His powerful acts! So, I hope there's some ground shaking going on wherever you are and right here where I am because of the great shouts of praise being lifted up for His goodness in our lives! Psalm 20:5 says, "We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the LORD grant all your requests." The LORD has granted our request for Delgado's mom's healing. And we "shout for joy" to You, Lord! "You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness, O God our Savior, the Hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas..." (Psalm 65:5) Glory to His Name for all He's doing! And thank You, Father, for allowing all of us who have prayed to be a part of Your work. What an honor...what a joy...how amazing is Your loving kindness!
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Monday, May 26, 2008
How's Your Aim?
I meant to write way before now! Last week was one of the busiest week's for me in a while and I just haven't been able to stop long enough to sit down and write. The anticipation is really starting to build as I begin to entertain the thought of packin' up in three and a half weeks to go get Tyler. Man, I can barely stand to think about it yet, I get so excited! I dream about how it will feel to see him for the first time again. How different it will be. How will I be able to refrain myself. When everything in me wants to grab onto him and never let go again, how will I possibly be able to stand and appear unmoved. In a recent letter he tried to explain why a brief hug will be all we are allowed until we're off the island. He said something to the fact that Marines are always professional while in uniform, they don't show emotion in public. My question...how do you take the emotion out of love? I guess I'll have to learn.
Since my last post, we learned Tyler DID make sharpshooter!!! And he said he was one point shy of making expert marksman! In 2 Corinthians 13:11, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit Paul said, "...aim for perfection..." How's your aim? How's my aim? What are we aiming for? Again the writer Paul in Philippians 3:14 says, "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." How I continue to pray that the Holy Spirit teaches Tyler spiritual truths through his every day experiences. I ask the Father to empower him to press on for the prize of the presence of Christ Jesus in his life every day. The most recent verse the Lord has shared with me to pray for Tyler, even as the most difficult test of boot camp comes in two and half weeks is Exodus 23, verse 20. It says, "See, I am sending an Angel (God's presence) ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared." The next verse says, "Pay attention to Him and listen to what He says..." Then, down in verse 27 it says, "...I will make all your enemies turn their backs and run!" Whoo hoo!! I love that! You better look out, Satan, when you try to mess with a believer in Christ! Your destiny is doom!! Ours is VICTORY!!!
No news on Delgado's mom, so far. We continue to pray for her healing. More to come...
Since my last post, we learned Tyler DID make sharpshooter!!! And he said he was one point shy of making expert marksman! In 2 Corinthians 13:11, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit Paul said, "...aim for perfection..." How's your aim? How's my aim? What are we aiming for? Again the writer Paul in Philippians 3:14 says, "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." How I continue to pray that the Holy Spirit teaches Tyler spiritual truths through his every day experiences. I ask the Father to empower him to press on for the prize of the presence of Christ Jesus in his life every day. The most recent verse the Lord has shared with me to pray for Tyler, even as the most difficult test of boot camp comes in two and half weeks is Exodus 23, verse 20. It says, "See, I am sending an Angel (God's presence) ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared." The next verse says, "Pay attention to Him and listen to what He says..." Then, down in verse 27 it says, "...I will make all your enemies turn their backs and run!" Whoo hoo!! I love that! You better look out, Satan, when you try to mess with a believer in Christ! Your destiny is doom!! Ours is VICTORY!!!
No news on Delgado's mom, so far. We continue to pray for her healing. More to come...
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Delgado
We always pray that those we love will have or find a good, positive friend in their life. A godly friend who will influence them for good and right. Especially with young people, this is so vital. Friends become counselors, confidants, they can even become more influential for periods of time than our closest family.
God has answered SO many prayers in the last 53 days. We read early on that Tyler was making some friends on Parris Island, but some weeks ago he started talking about one guy in particular. This guy, he said, "is an artist and a musician" like him (as he put it). He said he's pretty cool, he's from New York and he's a Christian who plays the guitar for his church's worship team. He said their worship services are contemporary like ours. Tyler felt a connection and he continues to mention him often when he writes. This week we learned his name is Delgado and he grew up in the Bronx. He talks about them reading the bible together and even references certain passages that he has read himself or with Delgado and how the Lord "says some pretty cool things" to him! And, he says "it's so different now" when he reads the bible. May I just say, "HALLELUJAH!" (You can say it with me!) :) God is SO good!
In his letter today, he asked prayer for Delgado's mom. He says she had some recent surgery and something has gone wrong. Her eyesight has gotten really bad (although the surgery didn't have anything to do with her eyes) and the doctors said she could possibly lose her sight. That's all we know but please lift her up to the Lord with me and may the God of our salvation bring healing and full recovery! Amen? Amen! Let's believe that together!
Tomorrow is another hurdle to jump according to the bootcamp-training schedule. The guys "qualify" on the rifle range. They've spent the last two weeks learning and practicing how to shoot an M16. Tomorrow is test day. They have to score a 190 out of 250 to graduate, but Tyler is going for the gold…Sharpshooter or expert Marksman! May the Lord grant His blessings on all he puts his hand to (Deuteronomy 15:10; 28:8).
News on Grace: We've just finished updating our homestudy and our immigration forms that are about to expire. Hopefully we won't have to do that again before the trip to China. There has been rumor for some time that the Olympics in Beijing this fall has something to do with the excessive slowdown on adoption processes in that country. Who can know for sure, but China doesn't like a lot of attention drawn to that part of their culture (the fact that hundreds of thousands of babies are orphaned and sent out of their country) and when the World news is flashing their direction they like to lay low. I'm wondering if the earthquake and all the devastation they are facing as of this week will affect proceedings. We continue to pray.
God has answered SO many prayers in the last 53 days. We read early on that Tyler was making some friends on Parris Island, but some weeks ago he started talking about one guy in particular. This guy, he said, "is an artist and a musician" like him (as he put it). He said he's pretty cool, he's from New York and he's a Christian who plays the guitar for his church's worship team. He said their worship services are contemporary like ours. Tyler felt a connection and he continues to mention him often when he writes. This week we learned his name is Delgado and he grew up in the Bronx. He talks about them reading the bible together and even references certain passages that he has read himself or with Delgado and how the Lord "says some pretty cool things" to him! And, he says "it's so different now" when he reads the bible. May I just say, "HALLELUJAH!" (You can say it with me!) :) God is SO good!
In his letter today, he asked prayer for Delgado's mom. He says she had some recent surgery and something has gone wrong. Her eyesight has gotten really bad (although the surgery didn't have anything to do with her eyes) and the doctors said she could possibly lose her sight. That's all we know but please lift her up to the Lord with me and may the God of our salvation bring healing and full recovery! Amen? Amen! Let's believe that together!
Tomorrow is another hurdle to jump according to the bootcamp-training schedule. The guys "qualify" on the rifle range. They've spent the last two weeks learning and practicing how to shoot an M16. Tomorrow is test day. They have to score a 190 out of 250 to graduate, but Tyler is going for the gold…Sharpshooter or expert Marksman! May the Lord grant His blessings on all he puts his hand to (Deuteronomy 15:10; 28:8).
News on Grace: We've just finished updating our homestudy and our immigration forms that are about to expire. Hopefully we won't have to do that again before the trip to China. There has been rumor for some time that the Olympics in Beijing this fall has something to do with the excessive slowdown on adoption processes in that country. Who can know for sure, but China doesn't like a lot of attention drawn to that part of their culture (the fact that hundreds of thousands of babies are orphaned and sent out of their country) and when the World news is flashing their direction they like to lay low. I'm wondering if the earthquake and all the devastation they are facing as of this week will affect proceedings. We continue to pray.
Monday, May 12, 2008
A Glorious Gift
Guess what? YES!!! I got a phone call for Mothers Day!!! Tyler surprised us at 6:19 AM yesterday morning. Steven answered the phone and was startled out of a deep sleep and didn't even recognize his voice. Once he said, "...this is your son, Tyler" he sat straight up in the bed hollering out his name! haha What a gift! We had no idea. I was so dumbfounded, I didn't even know what to say or what to ask. We did ask how he was feeling though and he said he is a lot better. He said everything was fine and he did get to talk to his brothers for a minute too. So, none of us were really able to say much but I couldn't have asked for a better gift. We ALL celebrated all day long! I didn't even think to ask him why he was allowed to call. Steven stumbled around it when he first answered the call and realized it was Tyler...he said anxiously, "what are you doing? Why are you calling? Are you okay?" And Tyler said, "uh, I'm calling to wish my Mom a Happy Mothers Day." And he did say he had been waiting about an hour to get to the phone, so we assume all the guys got a call home! Ain't that sweet?!
"How great is Your goodness, which You have stored up for those who fear You, which You bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in You." ~Psalm 31:19
"How great is Your goodness, which You have stored up for those who fear You, which You bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in You." ~Psalm 31:19
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Wrap Me In Your Arms
Hey! We found out yesterday that a 36-hour virus has hit Tyler's platoon and they were put in isolation as of last Sunday night. We've really been praying. Today's letter was written Monday and everyone has basically been quarantined to bed/rest. Tyler says he's feeling fine. Thank you all for your continued prayer.
This video is the song I referred to in my last post. Tyler now says he's calling it his "bootcamp" song. He can't seem to get it off his mind. Even though this video is not Michael Gungor live as we heard him in May of 2006, this IS him singing it with his wife and brothers. This song talks about being in the Lord's arms and it says "that is the place where I'm changed." Every letter we've gotten from Tyler the past week or two has really evidenced change in his life in a spiritual sense. Our prayers for God to become real to him ARE being answered. And I can't put into words what that does in my spirit. We had personal, individual prayer time at the end of our service last night at church and I told the Lord, if this is what it takes for Tyler to know you as "his" God, it's worth it ALL!!!
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