I Saw the Lord

This has been an amazing day! I have just seen God everywhere it seems. It started this morning at our food bank at church. There were several new folks that came today. One little girl who's body was very small but she looked older in the face. You could tell there was something wrong. She was about the size of maybe a first grader but she was very thin and had a stoma at the base of her neck from an apparent tracheotomy. Her inability to speak did not inhibit her ability to communicate in the least. She was a beautiful little girl with long blonde hair full of excitement and personality. While her mom filled out paper work to receive food, she ran over to Sara and me with this huge grin as if to say "hello" and gave us a big hug. She just pointed at all the pictures and bounced around as if she were the happiest child on earth! We offered her some juice and she lit up like the stars! Ms. Pam Ellison was there, a precious lady who has had to endure chemo treatments for a year now, she said. She's come in so many times in the past and you could just tell how bad she felt with all her hair gone and her skin on her hands and arms all broke out from a reaction to the treatments, but she always has the sweetest spirit. Today…her hair was SO beautiful and her hands and arms looked as pure as baby's skin! Then there was Ms. Cathy Brunker, another new person sent by the Lord. She was a little bit of an older lady, very thin, she came almost running in as we were about to wrap things up. She was out of breath and nearly in tears. She began to tell us she was sorry to be late and sorry to be upset but her son who has downs syndrome had been missing since yesterday and was just found about five minutes ago. She began to cry and I couldn't help but embrace her and cry with her as she apologized and kept saying, "I was so scared." She told me she knew the Lord and we prayed together for Jehovah Shalom, the God of peace to overshadow her and her family and we praised Him for bringing her son back home. These are just a few of the ways I saw His kingdom come to earth today!

I got home after lunch to another letter from Tyler. Again, Emmanuel surrounded me. I had written Tyler last Sunday and he reminded me what I said to him about how the Lord spoke to me through a specific song that I heard on my ipod while jogging Sunday evening. I prayed that song for Tyler and for myself that night and shared it with him and how the Lord had comforted my heart through it. Then he said he had gotten up that Sunday morning at 4:30am and had really prayed and talked to God a lot that whole morning. He said as he prayed the Lord put a song on his heart and he had been singing it all day long. Then he said, "do you know what the song was Momma?" And it was the very song I had written the words to in my letter to him that Sunday! He said, "isn't that cool, Mom?" Let me ask you who might be reading this…do you know another God like the Most High God? "My whole being exclaims, Who is like you, O LORD?" (Psalm 35:10a) I have not felt as close to Tyler since he left as I did today. God connected us through prayer! And He longs to do that in all of our lives as we diligently seek Him on behalf of those whose lives He is working in and we are praying for! He is an Amazing God! He speaks. He moves. He works. He loves. He is SO GOOD! I can't wait to be in His House tomorrow! I hope you feel the same…and if you don't, you can.

Hangin' in there

Four weeks ago today we were having supper with Tyler in Montgomery preparing to say good-bye. It really seems like four months ago to me! I wish I could say it's gone by fast but it just hasn't. And it seems like an eternity to think there's eight and a half to go before we see him face to face. There are just no words to describe how much I miss him.

I do want to say thank you to ALL of you praying. I "know" God is working or I really couldn't bear it! Since my last post, Tyler's letters began to sound alot better in the areas we've really been praying over. But we have gotten a couple in the last few days that speak again of bad days. I'm sure this cycle of ups and downs is normal, and I just share that to encourage you to keep lifting him up.

Steven's sister Marilyn's husband, Gary (did I lose you there?) has a relative named Cody. He's about a year older than Tyler and he joined the Marines last fall and graduated early last December. He just told us that at the end of each phase of boot camp they have a type of initiation they put recruits through that's really tough. From all we've read and heard, and even Tyler talks about this in his letters, after phase one it gets a little easier on them (that is, until the Crucible which is the final 54 hour test they have to pass). Cody confirmed that, but he also said the last day of the phase is the hardest day. It's like passing the test moving from one phase to the next. I believe that day will be Monday, April 28th...a week from tomorrow. That will be a very crucial day for prayer and fasting. For anyone interested, you can go to http://www.mcrdpi.usmc.mil/training/index.htm and read more about what Tyler is doing every day. Thank you SO much for joining me in prayer.

Psalm 42 has touched my heart this weekend. The writer begins by confessing his hunger and thirst for God, the "living God." His life is cast down, the burden he carries is more than he can bear...so much so that he says "deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls all your waves and breakers have swept over me." In other words, he is experiencing one affliction or heartache after another that he brings to the Lord. Then in verse 8 he says, "Yet the LORD will command His loving-kindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me, a prayer to the God of my life." (AMP) Sweet sustenance! Where would I be without You, Lord? Where would any of us be without Him? I wonder, what sustains you when the waves and breakers have swept over you? Psalm 119 says the Word of the Lord revives, strengthens and sets our hearts free! Set it before you every day and He will put a spring back into your step (verses 25-32)!

Other updates: The latest news on Grace is a wait time of 28 to 29 months from LID to referral. What does that mean for us? We're at 15 right now so that would put us around next May or June. Ben spent the weekend in Baton Rouge. He finishes up this semester of college this coming week and finals are the first of May. Caleb is pumped about spring training and looking forward to his spring football game on May 13th (I believe). Steven was released from the doctor last Friday, his toe is healing wonderfully and he is blessed to return to normal activity this week.

I hope you have a blessed week!

This is a beautiful shot of Tyler the night before he left. I would call it "the last supper" but that's too morbid. I know, I look pretty rough but it's all about him not me. I couldn't disguise myself too well at this point. Every picture we took that day, Tyler looks deep in thought...except this one. He actually appears a little more relaxed here. I miss him so.

The letters are coming in now. Frequent mention of how hard it is, how much he misses us and how he prays each day will go by faster than the one before. If you are reading this and you pray for Tyler, pray over discouragement, something he mentions often although he's quick to come back with something like, "I'm trying to keep myself up though." Pray for his health, something he also mentions often. He says many are sick there and they have to keep up the pace or they're sent to the sick hall until the 13 weeks are over. Then they start back at day one. No one can graduate if they've missed even a day of boot camp. And pray that Tyler will see the Lord in everything he's learning. That's how Jesus taught you know. He took present day circumstances and said, this is what my kingdom is like...let me show you in a way that you can understand.

I want to share one part of Tyler's last letter. He said, "Every night we stand at attention and the drill instructor yells out PRAY! And we all scream out as loud as we can and say HONOR, COURAGE, COMMITMENT and get to the position of rest and pray. Every single night when we do that I pray.....that God would give me the courage and strength and the ability to push on through my circumstances." As you might imagine, I hang on every word of his letters. Asking the Lord to give me discernment to know how to pray for him through what he says and what he doesn't say. The Lord shared with me this morning from Psalm 44, verses 5 and 6, "through You we push back our enemies; through Your Name we trample our foes. I do not trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory; but You give us victory over our enemies, You put our adversaries to shame." Would you pray that with us? That through the power of the name of Jesus, the enemy of discouragement, sickness, loneliness, pain, fear and all other foes would be trampled! Glory to the LORD for all He is doing! What a Mighty God we serve! His compassions fail not, great is His faithfulness! The prayers of the righteous ARE powerful and effective!!!! May we all be strong and very courageous.