Obtaining Mercy

Resting the Body, Working the Mind

Oh my goodness.  We are such a sleepy bunch here at our house!

Isaac slept until after 10 a.m. yesterday, then - mercifully - slept all night too. Yay!

Doug came home from work and slept for several hours, as well.  Thankfully, Isaac was his angelic self and played quietly while Daddy slept.  Of course, the fact that we turned on his favorite radio station had a lot to do with his contentment! :)

I didn't actually sleep, but I was very happy to quietly watch videos on the computer all afternoon and evening too.  I was pretty convinced that, at some point in time, my head was going to explode due to the sinus pressure and barometric pressure combo, but it never did.  Secretly, I would have welcomed the relief! :o(

Doug and Ike are not going to try to go to therapy today.  We are all still dragging, and there is no need to push it.  Continuing to rest seems to be the best option.

I have been loading up on every supplement that I think will help me fight this cold: oregano, echinacea and vitamin C especially.  I am taking quadruple the usually dose of C and I really feel like it is helping.  It is not upsetting my stomach at all, so I just keep increasing the dose.  If my stomach can take it, I know it is certainly helping the rest of my system!

 

 

Newton the Magnificent

 

On a sad note, we are pretty certain that Newton (our 8-year-old Labradoodle) has some sort of growth on his spine.  We have been giving him supplements and he is moving around much better than he was, but he has developed a knot right on his backbone.  Since his movement is good, and he doesn't seem to be in pain, we are not pursuing a diagnosis at this time.  We'd appreciate your prayers for wisdom and peace, as quite honestly, we are having a hard time with this.

My devotions this morning were about "mortifying the deeds of the body" and "mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth" (Romans 8:13 and Colossians 3:5).  Not a popular subject on any day, but especially when I am sick and don't feel well!

Honestly, though, I could come up with that excuse all the time, because due to fibro, I always have "something" that hurts!  I know it is a work of the Holy Spirit when I can set aside my physical pain to do whatever task is before me.  That is something that I can almost never do on my own.  It is just too hard. 

Even though I often ignore my physical body and do what needs to be done, there are always other areas that still need work.  My mind is usually the most rebellious "member" that I have to work on!

• Am I indulging in self-righteous thoughts? 
• Am I harboring hatred toward anyone? 
• Am I letting coveteousness to control my mind? 
• Do I allow lustful thoughts to linger? 
• Am I catering to self-pity?

So, even while I am taking it easy, due to illness, I can still work on strengthening my inner man through the obedience of my mind to the Word of God.

Today's word for me:  "Mortify".

(I've got a feeling it might be a l-o-o-o-n-g day!)

;o)

Alesha

 

Finding a Van for Isaac - It Takes a Family, Not a Village

 

We are in the process of trying to find a wheelchair-accessible vehicle for our family.  Our truck died on May 8th, and we have been without a vehicle since then.

I know intellectually that family is incredibly important, but to see family spring into action on our behalf has really been amazing!

 

• My mechanically-inclined brother, who has done the physical labor on our truck the past several times that it needed work, and who had the wisdom to say (as did Bones on StarTrek) "It's dead, Jim!" when our truck blew it's head gasket last Tuesday.
  
• My fiscally-responsible brother and sister-in-love who unselfishly pick me up for choir practice each week, and bring me home from church on Sunday and Wednesday nights, who pick up groceries when we need them, or prescriptions when we have no way to get them, and who support me emotionally when I feel the need to let off steam, by simply listening or by taking me to the beach for a day (and thereby rescuing my sanity.)
• My extended family who are praying and watching for deals and encouraging us that God will meet our need.
• My brilliant husband who can tell you which car/truck/van has the best and poorest Consumer Report ratings for the past 15 years, and who is humble enough to accept rides back and forth to work but is independent enough to walk to the drugstore and grocery store when we needed something.
• My sweet mother- and grandmother-in-laws who give advice and encouragment to Doug each week and who help us pray for answers.
  
• My servant-hearted cousins who are willing to do anything at all for us from toting a wheelchair, to physically helping Isaac in and out of his wheelchair, and who act out the belief that "Pity is a benign form of abuse, " and therefore do not pity Isaac, but accept him just as he is and help him to be a true part of their junior church ministry every Sunday.
  
• My dad who has worked unfailingly to help us find a vehicle, who has loaned his vehicle for runs to the bank and the grocery store, who drives alone to church in his work truck so that the rest of us can fit in the "nice" vehicle, who believes in a fair price and a good work ethic, who has friends all over town because of his own work ethic, and who has blessed his family for many generations to come by following Christ's example and keeping a good Christian testimony.
• My mom who has taught all of us by her incredible example that PRAYER WORKS, and who is continuing to live out that truth by praying a MIRACLE down for us!!!

 

All these combine to make this time of waiting, bearable. 

As we sink our faith deeper into the mind of Christ, and trust Him to meet this incredible need, we are propped up and encouraged by these in our family who have come along beside us.

Of course, we have sweet friends who minister to us, too, giving us ideas and telling us about vehicles they've seen, and encouraging us with reminders of Who God is, and that He promises to meet every need.  These are our brothers and sisters in Christ, and so, by that definition, are FAMILY, as well!

 

The world has swallowed the lie that it takes a government, a society, a village of people to raise a child.  This is wrong and unScriptural.  It takes individuals who are committed to the success of the child and to the spiritual growth of the child, to properly raise that child to be a Child of the King.

In Isaac's situation, he is "safe" in the Lord, because he does not have the understanding to make a personal decision for Christ. 

So, in his case, we are not coming together to teach him about Jesus and salvation in a mental and spiritual way; but rather we are coming together to teach him how Jesus IS by meeting his physical and emotional needs.

 

I John 3:16-18 "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth."

 

My family is loving Isaac, and loving us, "in deed and in truth."

That is very humbling and encouraging and is - quite honestly - just blessing my socks off!!!

Thank you, Lord, for my family!

 

 

HopeFULLy,

Alesha

Just Asking a Little Favor

 

Good morning!  I do have a lovely blog planned about mine and Doug's day out last week; but I just want to pop in to ask you to remember me in prayer today.  I go for an MRI on my back this afternoon.  I have my "MRI Playlist" ready on my iPod. ;)  I'm hoping it won't be too traumatic!  Thanks friends.  ~Alesha

Foto Friday

This week:

I worked with these lovely pieces for the Bead Soup Blog Party.

 

 

I chose some lovely gemstones for a custom piece of jewelry.

 

 

I spied this crimson-capped fella in my orange tree again.

 

 

I took out some of my frustrations by hammering on copper. 

 

(It is very cathartic!)

 

I also spent much time in prayer for my precious friend Robin Boyle.  Robin required an emergency c-section to deliver her 7th child, a baby boy named Mark Seth.  She then needed 32 pints of blood, and is currently still in ICU, due to blood clots in both lungs and failing kidneys.  If the Lord lays it on your heart, would you pray with me for Robin?

Thanks.

Then, on a much smaller scale, would you please pray for Isaac?  He caught our caregiver's cold, and has developed quite a cough.  Praise the Lord, he has only run fever one night, and we are praying that he stays stable and that the cough doesn't turn into pneumonia.

Blessings,

Alesha

Heaven's Sounding Sweeter

Just a quick update here:

My grandmother (Daddy's mom) passed away this morning.  She went very quickly, and we are so thankful to know that she is with the Lord now!

Our precious friend, Lane, is spending his final days with family and friends gathered close.  He even dictated to his son a final goodbye for Facebook last night.  It was incredibly poignant, as he pointed his friends to Jesus as the only way to Salvation and a home in Heaven. 

I was told this morning that he is sleeping more and eating less today.  They are reading the comments from his FB page to him, as they come in.  The comments have been incredibly sweet, as they honor the Godly man that Lane has been to so many in his life.

Our little friend, Joshua, is still in the hospital.  His red- and white-blood cell counts are a little better, but his platelet count continues to stay low, in spite of 8 transfusions.  They began week 5 of their hospital stay yesterday.  Please keep praying!

Here on the homefront, Isaac is still not sleeping.  He stays awake for over 30 hours before he crashes for 2-6 hours; then he starts the whole process again.  Doug is exhausted, as he is averaging 4 hours of sleep each night.  I have been able to stay up and check on Ike the last few nights, but as soon as he goes potty, Doug has to get up to change him.

My back is still "out"...I wish I could go out as often as it does!!!  I have another chiropractic appointment tomorrow...hoping it will help again.

One of my favorite memories of my grandmother (who I called "Meme") was that she would take me shopping occasionally.  I remember one year, we went shopping for my winter coat. Afterwards, we stopped to eat at a restaurant - a real treat back then.  I remember having a cheeseburger and french fries - my carb-loving days started early!  I just recall how special I felt to be the focus of the trip and to be sharing that special time with her.

She will certainly be missed...and the thoughts of Heaven get more exciting all the time.  So many friends and loved ones will be there.  Are you 100% sure that YOU will be there one day?  If you have any doubts at all, I would be honored to share with you how I can be so sure.  Just email me or leave a comment here.

Blessings,

Alesha

 

Catching Up

We are having such nice weather right now, in the high 70's, low 80's - just gorgeous really.  We'll only have a bit of this, so we try to enjoy it while we can.

We're also getting lots of rain, which is so good for everything.  This summer was too dry, even for Florida.

I can't believe some of my friends are seeing snow already - that's just cRaZy!

Doug made a huge pot of vegetable soup on Saturday, and we are enjoying it so much with our fall-like weather.

My back went out again over the weekend.  I didn't "do" anything, it just sort of "went".  I was able to get to the chiropractor today, and will need to go back tomorrow. 

Our caregiver was sick, so Doug had to miss a day of work.  That is the thing that really "gets" to me when I'm stuck with a bad back - when I can't care for my child and my home the way I need to. 

However, I thank the Lord often for the fact that our church streams its services live.  I was able to "be" at both the morning and evening services. 

The sermon on Sunday night, from our senior pastor, was just what my troubled soul needed, too.  He gave us a great reminder to not follow in the footsteps of Thomas the Doubting Disciple; but to instead cry out to the Lord, as the father of the child possessed by devils did with tears, "Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief."

So, I've been able to put that sermon into immediate practice as I've been dealing with a great deal of pain the past 2 days.  The Lord is so faithful to minister to me in my time of despair.  He is a good and gracious God to me.

Our little friend, Joshua in Japan, is still in the hospital; and his blood counts continue to drop.  The doctors continue to be confused as to the cause.  Laura and Jerry continue to try to manage family, work and hospital time.  It is difficult.  Please continue to pray!

I will share a specific answer to prayer for Laura, though.  She has been stuck eating "fast food" for most of the past 3 weeks, due to the demands on her very limited time.  However, over the weekend, on the Joshua's classmates parents brought her a basket of goodies that included fresh bread, fresh veggies and tuna.  What a wonderful treat for her!!!  What a thoughtful thing to do!  I am praying the Lord's blessings on that classmate's family! :)

That's it, I guess, for today's update.

Blessings to you,

Alesha

Asking You to Keep Praying for Joshua in Japan

I'd like to ask you to continue to pray for Joshua in Japan.

He has had several blood transfusions to try to regulate his platelets, and white and red blood cell counts, and they do help short term.  Unfortunately, his numbers start falling by the next day.  The doctors are working on several things, trying to find the culprit, and to see what will work for him.

You can read all of his mom's updates here:  Mom 2-4 Xanga

Just imagine yourself in their shoes and you will know how to pray.  I know his parents are getting tired.  They have no time to talk with each other.  There girls are just getting bits and pieces of parental attention.  They are worried.  Their jobs are taxing their energy.  They are getting very little sleep.  There is no time for laundry and grocery shopping and cooking.  It has been exhausting, and they still have no concrete answers.

Please pray for God to move in a miraculous way in the minds of the doctors and in Joshua's body, to find a cause, a remedy and a solution to this situation.

Thanks for praying,

Alesha

 

Some Good News for Joshua

 

Joshua's blood count seems to be improving! 

Praise the Lord!

\o/\o/\o/\o/\o/

Here is Laura's latest blog:

Home Sweet Hospital

She's included some pics, so be sure to click the link and read all the good news. :)

Thank you for helping us pray.  God is so merciful to hear and answer our prayers. 

We will continue to pray that Josh's bone marrow and blood keep producing the blood cells and platelets.  His numbers are not normal yet, but are moving in the right direction.

BTW, Ike is doing well.  He has slept through the night 12 out of the last 13 nights.  Yay!

I head to the dentist tomorrow.  Y'all know how I feel about dentist...sigh...  If you think about me, maybe pray a little prayer that my fibromyalgia will ease up and the muscle cramps from nervousness won't be too bad.  I'd really appreciate it. :)

Blessings,

Alesha

 

This is Joshua.

He is eight years old (but will be nine next month!)

He has many special needs - like Isaac does - and he is Isaac's virtual online buddy.

Josh's mom and dad are missionaries in Japan.  He and his sisters were adopted there.

He does therapy every week.  Here he is back during the summer, enjoying some PT in the pool!

Josh is still very sick. 

One of the medications that he takes to control his seizures has evidently caused his blood to stop making blood cells and platelets correctly.

He has been in the hospital since last Tuesday.

He is feeling better, but his labwork shows that his body is still not producing the blood cells as it should.

Please continue to pray for Joshua in Japan!

We know that he is in God's hands, and we are trusting for complete healing for him.

Thanks for praying with me,

Alesha

Josh in Japan

Little Joshua is still incredibly ill.  Please keep praying for him!

Here's Laura's update from today:

2 Forward/3 Back

Keep in mind, as you pray for Laura and Josh, that they are in a Japanese hospital with Japanese doctors and nurses.  So Laura has to deal with a language issue when talking about all the medical information on Josh.  I'm sure the medical professionals speak some English, and Laura speaks Japanese; but it is still a complication that could be quite frustrating on top of everything else.

Also, remember that this family has gone through multiple earthquakes over the last couple of years, and they were also impacted by the tsunami several months ago.  They have a teenage girl at home, and a "tween" girl at home who are struggling to deal with their brother's illness now, too.  Not to mention the fact that Jerry and Laura both teach several English classes every week.

They truly need us to hold them up in prayer at this time.  God is there.  He is always near to comfort and guide them; but we need to be faithful to call out to Him on their behalf during this time of illness for Josh.

Thank you for caring and praying,

Alesha