Anybody Wanna Pray With Me?

It's time to update the prayer list. 

• If you submitted a prayer request last time, please leave a comment here to update us.
• Please add your new requests in the comment section on this post. If you are a prayer warrior, please leave a comment of encouragement. 
• If you are not reading this post directly on the blog, please come to the blog itself to leave your comments so that we can keep everything in one place. 

Be Blessed! Watch CeCe sing "Anybody Wanna Pray With Me"  on YouTube. 
This card was made with stamps by smARTworks.

Anybody Wanna Pray With Me?

It's about time to update our prayer list.  If you submitted a prayer request last time, pop in and update us.

Please add your request in the comment section.  Please comment to encourage those if you are a prayer warrior.
P.S. If you read this thru a reader or thru a feed or on Facebook, please come to the blog itself to leave comments so that we can keep everything in one place.   Click here --->  Anybody Wanna Pray With Me?

Anybody Wanna Pray With Me?

It's about time to update our prayer list.  If you submitted a prayer request last time, pop in and update us.

Please add your request in the comment section.  Please comment to encourage those if you are a prayer warrior.
P.S. If you read this thru a reader or thru a feed or on Facebook, please come to the blog itself to leave comments so that we can keep everything in one place.   Anybody Wanna Pray With Me?

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Update on my Grandma: She's at home with a back brace and doing well.  She said her prayer was that they wouldn't do surgery and her prayers were answered. Continue to pray for her and those taking care of her.

My daughter's heart rate has been fluctuating and she's been to the Dr and now to the ER.  Please pray for healing, pray that her cardiologist will be able to help her on Tuesday.

Thanks so much for your continued support....

Anybody Wanna Pray With Me?

I took a few months off from doing this monthly post, because I didn't get much feedback and because my life was a little crazy. I'm going to bring it back, but instead of just doing it at the beginning of the month, I'm going to attempt to do this in a totally different way.

If you have a prayer request, leave a comment.  If you want to pray for someone, look at the comments.  Feel free to leave comments encouraging those being prayed for. Actually, I encourage you to encourage them. : )

Anybody Wanna Pray with Me

I don't have any new requests for this post except for my own. If you have a request that you'd like added to this post, please send me an email.

As I mentioned the other day, I'm going through something right now. I would ask that you continue to pray. I'm already seeing where God 's hand is working. I pray that I'll continue to look to Him for everything.

I have several requests from friends that I didn't get permission to share. I know you know people going through tough times too. Let's pray for each other.

1 Kings 8:28 (New International Version)

²⁸ Yet give attention to your servant's prayer and his plea for mercy, O LORD my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day.

I'm sharing my song of the day...

Let Go ( DeWayne Woods)

Anybody Wanna Pray with Me ( Mother's Day Edition)

First of all, Happy Mother's day to all the mommies. I hope your family makes you feel special today. God blessed me with five healthy children, two of which are now officially adults. I'm thankful for them today and for their dad who's always tried to make Mother's Day special for me. I'm missing my oldest baby because she's away at summer session and that makes me a little sad. Yet, it reminds me to pray for those moms who will miss their babies today who will not be coming back home. I'm praying for those moms who will spend their first Mother's day missing that child. Today has to be especially difficult.

One of those such moms lost her precious little boy just last night. Remember the little boy, Christopher, who had brain cancer? You can read back through these prayer posts if you want to familiarize yourself with his story and how we became acquainted with him. His mom is waking up today of all days for the first time knowing she won't see her child here on this earth again. He took his last breath last night around 7 pm. The good news is we know he is running around and playing with the angels. So today, if you are reading this, I want to ask you to say a special prayer for Christopher's mom.

My prayer today is that we remember:

¹⁵ The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their cry;

¹⁷ The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.

¹⁸ The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

from Psalm 34

Anybody Wanna Pray With Me?

Update on Christopher ( info from Katy a friend of the family)

Christopher is holding on to life. His physical challenges have increased recently but he is a trooper. Please pray that Christopher can live his life with quality, joy, and comfort. His Mom needs prayers for strength... she is traveling a difficult path.
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For those of you just reading this and have no clue who Christopher is... a few months ago I received a request ( because I make cards) to send a card and then post about a little boy who has cancer and wanted to receive cards. I posted the request on my blog and was contacted by a friend of the family to remove the post because Christopher did not request cards and the well meaning cards were overwhelming the family. They are still getting a lot of cards and although receiving cards can be a wonderful experience, you can imagine that there comes a time when too many can become a burden. I'm asking you to spread the word. If you get an email asking to send cards to a sick boy in GA, please hit reply all and ask they don't send cards, but send word to our Father in Heaven. Say a prayer for his mom also.

Anybody Wanna Pray With Me?

Are you ready for some good news?

Let's continue to pray for Christopher!

Good News! The MRI showed that Christopher's brain stem tumor is dying from the outside in. His Mother likened it to the leaves on the vines are now dead, the core is still there. Also some cysts in his brain are gone. There is now something that can be done medically and he's back on the 'chemo bus'! Mom is very blunt about the fact that she's been told that the tumor will most likely recur but it's anticipated that there's more time for Christopher to enjoy life! Thank you to all the prayer warriors! Katy

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Nancy: Saw my son in my travels, and it's remarkable how much he has improved. At the rate he's going, we all hope he will be able to return to 'almost' normal life within the next year. He still has bad days, but they're not as bad as they once were, and most importantly, there are good days now. Absolutely no question, the prayers he's received from so many wonderful people have produced this recovery. Our thanks to you and your friends for prayers.
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Catherine: Continue to pray for Ethan: We went to see another pediatric doctor in another province (luckily we have family in this other province to stay with), he came highly recommended. We took Ethan off his diet so this doctor could see how he is off his diet, so we took him off the diet a week before our appointment. He told us that Ethan is a very healthy boy, but that he is VERY concerned with what is going on with him. Wants us to go see a pediatric neurologist, to get an EEG done and a battery of other tests done...he wasn't going to say he had Autism or didn't until these results come back.

We also are having a hard time getting him into the elementary school with the aids/support team he needs... ty for your continuous prayers, they are greatly appreciated :)! Hugs,Catherine
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Deb: Pray for son Jake. He's still having nightmares resulting from a traumatic experience. But they seem to be lessening and he is sleeping better. Please continue to pray that he is able to get the rest he needs. He got his senior art exhibit up and it was a good one! He even sold a few pieces:) He needs prayer to resolve two errors in recording a grade for a class he took last semester and for the correct number of convocations attended. He can't graduate w/o these two requirements which he has actually done, just record keeping gone wrong. We think he has a job lined up for after graduation. That is a huge praise for such a tight economy!

I would also like to ask for prayer for one of our second grade mothers, Lea. She was burned in a fire on Monday. She has burns on over 40% of her body, second and third degree. She has had three surgeries in the past two days. She is also going through an ugly divorce. Four sons at home. One of them was adopted from Haiti last year. He has already had so much hardship in his young life. He is the second grader. The seventh grade son found her on fire. Please pray for her healing, wisdom for the doctors, healing for this family, and for these two young sons.

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Sarah: Karen went to a migraine specialist this week. Karen has now officially been diagnosed with migraines. The doctor has prescribed a new medication to be taken in addition to the old medication, then the old will be taken away. Please pray the two medications will not have adverse affects, and that God will give us wisdom if we need to seek another opinion. We were not impressed with the doctor, although she gave us the "official" diagnosis we had been waiting for.
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Kimberly: RJ's up date is good and bad. The bad news is he's lost a little weight which is huge for him as he needs all he can get. and the good new is he's doing good in school. RJ recently won the Priest Holmes Character of Champs award!!!
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Me: Continue to pray for my healing. I've haven't started the new medicine yet, but I'm going to tonight. Please pray that it does what the doctor wants it to without crazy side effects.

Anybody Wanna Pray With Me?

Remember little Christopher, the little boy with brain cancer? Since the last time I posted, he had his wish granted from Make a Wish and was having good days and bad days. Christopher recently had an MRI... There is good news this time. Do you believe in miracles? I believe in a God who can make miracles happen. Here's the message I received from the family friend.

Hi Jacki!

Good News! The MRI showed that Christopher's brain stem tumor is dying from the outside in. His Mother likened it to the leaves on the vines are now dead, the core is still there. Also some cysts in his brain are gone. There is now something that can be done medically and he's back on the 'chemo bus'! Mom is very blunt about the fact that she's been told that the tumor will most likely recur but it's anticipated that there's more time for Christopher to enjoy life! Thank you to all the prayer warriors!

Katy


Let's continue pray for Christopher, believing that God will do what is best for this young man.

Any other updates or requests?

additions to the prayer list...

Christopher : You might remember the little boy I posted a RAK request for the other day. It was going around the Internet that his last wish was to receive Christmas cards. That was NOT his wish and the family doesn't even know how that got started. It was wonderful that people sent cards, but the family was also harassed by strangers. That was the reason I took down that post. I've been in touch with a friend of the family and now I'm going to add Christopher to our prayer list. He is a little 6 year old boy very sick with Cancer. As you can imagine it is a very difficult time for his family. Please pray for him and also for his family and doctors as they strive to keep him as comfortable and as happy as possible. The family friend told me that "Christopher is having good days and bad days. He has physical challenges now, he needs help to walk, but he is very much alive and kicking." Christopher is going to get his 'real' wish granted by the Make a Wish people this week. Pray for Christopher, his family, especially the mother. As a mother myself I can't imagine what she's going through-- I'm tearing up just thinking about them. Our Heavenly Father knows, doesn't He? I'll update as they let me know what is going on.

Me: I'm doing good. My treatment is probably working. It's a slow process and I may not see any significant progress for months. At least I think the crisis is over. The worse part of it for me is all the doctors appointments and especially the needles (for steroids and blood work). I had 5 babies with no epidural because I really don't like needles... Oh well, I'm getting more than my share now, LOL! I'm not going to talk about it anymore unless a specific need comes up. I do appreciate your prayers and concern. Please know that I'm doing ok.

Anybody Wanna Pray With Me?

See additional request at the bottom.

Hello Prayer Warriors,
"I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:3-6

I haven't had a chance to email those on the prayer list for updates because as you know I'm having computer problems. I'm going to let you add your requests this month by way of commenting to this post.

Please don't forget all those on the list for the last couple of months. I'll continue to pray until I get an update.

November, October, September

• Let's remember each other during this Christmas season. I'm thinking of those who've lost loved ones this year. The first Christmas season is always hard.
• Let's remember our country during the transition in the government, the wars and the financial crisis.
  
• Let's remember and all those individuals going thru financial difficulties. I know several people personally who have had their jobs threatened or lost due to the economy.
• Let's remember our military.
  

I've been thinking more about comfort in suffering since I posted my card for the Salt Challenge

One of my favorite passages of the Bible is Psalm 34 ( link to the passage on Bible Gateway)
There is so much about that passage that is reassuring and comforting in times of suffering.
Here are some highlights, but to get the full effect, click on the link or get out your Bible and read the whole Psalm.

he answered me
he delivered me
LORD heard him;
he saved him
he delivers them.
the LORD is good;
blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
those who fear him lack nothing.
those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous
his ears are attentive to their cry;
The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
A righteous man may have many troubles,
but the LORD delivers him from them all;
The LORD redeems his servants;
no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him

...and all this is just from one Psalm! Isn't God good?

ETA: 12/10

Christopher : You might remember the little boy I posted a RAK request for the other day. It was going around the Internet that his last wish was to receive Christmas cards. That was NOT his wish and the family doesn't even know how that got started. It was wonderful that people sent cards, but the family was also harassed by strangers. That was the reason I took down that post. I've been in touch with a friend of the family and now I'm going to add Christopher to our prayer list. He is a little 6 year old boy very sick with Cancer. As you can imagine it is a very difficult time for his family. Please pray for him and also for his family and doctors as they strive to keep him as comfortable and as happy as possible. The family friend told me that "Christopher is having good days and bad days. He has physical challenges now, he needs help to walk, but he is very much alive and kicking." Christopher is going to get his 'real' wish granted by the Make a Wish people this week. Pray for Christopher, his family, especially the mother. As a mother myself I can't imagine what she's going through-- I'm tearing up just thinking about them. Our Heavenly Father knows, doesn't He? I'll update as they let me know what is going on.

Me: I'm doing good. My treatment is probably working. It's a slow process and I may not see any significant progress for months. At least I think the crisis is over. The worse part of it for me is all the doctors appointments and especially the needles (for steroids and blood work). I had 5 babies with no epidural because I don't like needles... Oh well, I'm getting more than my share now. I'm not going to talk about it anymore unless a specific need comes up. I do appreciate your prayers and concern. Please know that I'm doing ok. Hey Jacki- I love you, just so you know:) I love that Psalm too! so....here are my requests:

Deb:
Please continue to pray for my cousin, Beverly and her dad, Earl, as they grieve the death of my aunt.
Pray for my mom as she grieves for her sister. Mom has Alzheimers and this has really set her back. Pray for me as I deal with mom.
My boys both seem to be doing well! Thank you for praying for them and please continue to pray that they are open to God's work in their lives, etc.
I am burdened for our military--comfort, safety, their hearts and minds gaurded from all they see, hear, and experience as they serve our country.
Thank you prayer warriors!

Keep praying! God hears, and delivers. Choosing Joy! Jacki

My Four Commitments to Barack Obama

Lorie Newman posted this commitment on her blog. (We used to go to church together.) She linked to the original post from Michael Hyatt's blog. Click on his name for the original post.
I too would like to commit to Barack Obama.

Here is an excerpt from Mr. Hyatt's blog:

I am publicly making four commitments to President-Elect Barack Obama:

1. I will pray for him and our country.
2. I will assume his motives are good, giving him the benefit of the doubt.
3. I will not speak ill of him, even if I don’t always agree with him.
4. I will cast off the spirit of cynicism, and be a positive force for good..

And in my effort to be a positive force for good...

I'm going to do my part to make America a better place. There is one thing I've been wanting to do for years, but the timing wasn't right. Now is the time...

During the last debate then Senator Obama said, "We should try to prevent unintended pregnancies by providing appropriate education to our youth, communicating that sexuality is sacred and that they should not be engaged in cavalier activity, and providing options for adoption, and helping single mothers if they want to choose to keep the baby."

Sooo, I marched over to the local pregnancy resource center to volunteer. I'm being trained to be a crisis counselor and mentor.

I'm also reminded of a verse in scripture:

2 Chronicles 7:14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

God will hear us and heal our land of the financial crisis, the war and and all the other problems we face if we call on Him. Are you with me?

Anybody Wanna Pray With Me?

Please submit your request email me at thecardcastle@yahoo.com
Check back on last months post for the previous details and requests, I'm only including updates and new requests here. ( you can find the links on the right listed by month.)
If you've been on a previous list, please email with your update. I haven't been able to catch up with everybody to get updates.
Remember to pray and then leave a comment as a way to encourage all those on the list.
Sometimes, it's hard to know exactly how to pray, but I'm encouraged by these words in the Bible;

Romans 8:26-28
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.
28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,who have been called according to his purpose.
This whole chapter is worth reviewing, but I wanted to concentrate on these verses because I want to encourage you today that you don't have to know the future to feel secure. God is in control. We don't have to like what is happening to us to know that God will make it all work out for our good. We don't even have to know the right words to pray, He even takes care of that! I try to look for good in every situation, especially when it seems impossible. No matter what you are facing in your life today, God's got this! Be encouraged!
Be encouraged, that nothing that is happening to you today is a surprise to God. Sometimes he prepares you for it ahead of time, and sometimes He just holds out his arms so that we can rest and hide in His safety. We know that on the other side we'll be better for the trials we go through.
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First of all let's pray for our country and our new President-elect.

• Let's pray for the man who was elected to be our 44th President,Barack Obama.


• Safety for him and his family ( Michelle, Sasha, and Malia)


• Let's pray for his transition to the office of the President of the USA.


• Godly wisdom as he chooses the people who will work closely with him.


• Godly insight as he works to tackle the problems we face as a nation.


• His family as they transition and relocate (I do know a little bit about how tough relocating across the country can be)


• Vice President elect, Joe Biden and his family


• Governor Sarah Palin and family


• Senator McCain and family


• healing for the hearts of the citizens who maybe didn't see things go their way in this election.

That should get us started on the nation. Feel free to add to this list, but I feel it is very important for us to pray.

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Pray for RJ Kimberly's son. He is experiencing anxiety and isn't eating. We need to pray for Godly wisdom for his parents and doctors and teachers and they try to figure out the best way to help him. Pray that Kim will be able to get him to the right doctors in a timely fashion. Pray for healing of his mind, body, and spirit. He is 11 yrs old. Continue to Pray for Kimberly too. *************************************

Sarah's daughter, Karen Kornhaus (on the right) has been on our list for months. She is still battling with the migraines but says that some days/weeks are better than others. She's doing pretty good right now, but she is contemplating trying another medicine to see if it will give her better results.

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Pray for me. 1) for my health: I'm on medicine as I mentioned in the last post for migraines. Since Wednesday when I started taking it, I haven't had a migraine, but I've been sleeping a lot! I'm supposed to take it at bedtime because it will make me sleepy, but I slept all morning each of the last three days. Thursday and Friday, I got up (barely) to get the kids out the door and then went back to bed until 11:00 or 12:00. Today I slept until around 10:00. I went to a soccer game at 1:00 and when I got back home I had to take a nap. Hopefully this will get better as my body adjusts to it. The Chemo drugs were already making me tired. I don't have time to be tired. I have cards to make and blog posts to type. :) 2) for my new mission: I'm in training to become a crisis pregnancy counselor and a mentor at a local pregnancy resource center. I need to stay God-focused as I add another thing to my life.

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Marciad: My DD went to the doc last week and he is pleased with her healing. Thank you to all the folks who have prayed for her. Marcia

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Michelle Adams: "My update for my Mom is this: her last surgery was a failure, so she is scheduled for an even larger surgery which is scheduled for Nov. 20th. She is in excruciating pain, and has been for months. We really need prayer that the surgery will go well and for the guidance of the surgeon's hands. We also need prayer for Mom to get relief from her pain."

I'll be adding to this post over the next few days. Don't forget to check back on October's post and continue to pray for those requests.

Anybody Wanna Pray With Me?

I hope you're encouraged by all the positive answers to prayer this month. We still have a few requests continued requests.

To those requesting prayer... God know your needs and He's already working on your solution.

Psalm 27: 13 I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.
and this verse from my favorite psalm(at least my favorite for now :)
Psalm 34: 10 The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

To the prayer warriors... Romans 12:10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with God's people who are in need.

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• submit your request email me at thecardcastle@yahoo.com
• Check back on last months post for the previous details and requests, I'm only including updates and new requests here. ( you can find the links on the right listed by month.)
• If you've been on a previous list, please email with your update.
• Remember to pray and then leave a comment as a way to encourage all those on the list.

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New* My Friend Lori and her family are on a adoption roller coaster. They recently found out that the little girl they were slated to adopt was reunited with her birth mother. Lori's says on her blog "It is my prayer that these babies not be left in institutions, but grow up with the love of their own mother in their own native country. Adoption is 2nd best for these little ones.
So I say, PRAISE GOD that this sweet little girl's mother came back to get her. PRAISE God that the little twins we were matched with earlier will be raised with their birth mother! That's the way it should be! Am I hurt? Of course I am. But my God is in control and He has a plan."

Please join me in praying that they will have the peace and be comforted by the God of all comfort.

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Update* Catherine: Ethan will be assessed by the Autism team this Tuesday morning for 4-5 hours, and we should know something or get some sort of answer there at that appointment. I am nervous as anything, just because I don't want us to be brushed off or not taken seriously like has happened in the past. Let's especially pray for his assessment on Tuesday 10/7

~Ethan is on a restricted diet now, and has been on it for 6 weeks...he has shown lots of improvement. I thought the diet wasn't working in week 4, so just to test it I let him go off it for one day. Well, it was actually only for a few hours because within 2 hours or so of leaving the preschool he showed signs of having a reaction. He went from being very verbal, to nothing...to just sitting on the floor crying for hours because he didn't know what else to do. When his body got rid of the "bad" food, and he was back on his restricted diet he told me "Mommy that food at school, made me go crazy!" Praise God that the diet is working

~He still having lots of issues, but at least we are now on the right track...even if it is a long road ahead.

Thank you so much for your continuous prayers, and may God bless you greatly :)!

Side note, I am starting a parent support group at our church because we have over 13 different children in our church who are on the Autism spectrum in some way. There is a HUGE need there, and I am looking forward to seeing where God takes this lil project of mine.
Hugs, Catherine

Let's continue to pray for Catherine and Ethan...

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Update* Nancy Ward: Nancy's son, Andy is improving slowly but he and his family (wife and two young children) would greatly appreciate your keeping them in your prayers and thoughts. There's no doubt the prayers he has received have contributed to his improvement. Go back to January and February for details on Andrew.

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Update* Michelle : please continue to pray for Michelle's mother and Michelle as she is her mother's caregiver.
Her surgery failed and now we are looking at both pulmonary function issues and another, even larger, surgery at the big city hospital. We don't know when that will be happening, but in the meantime Mom is in excruciating pain and really can't get any relief. Prayer for her pain to subside and for the specialist surgeon to have guided hands would be very much appreciated. Michelle Adams

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Update Bette: Joe is doing much better. He is resting and doing what the DR has prescribed. So, our prayers are really helping him heal. Thanks to everyone for keeping him in their thoughts and prayers. Please continue to pray for him and his recovery.Love, Bette
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Update* Marcia aka marciad: DD is still off from work and going to frequent physical therapy appointments. This will take time to heal. Hugs, Marcia

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Update* My niece Amanda's baby Isaiah:

Hi Aunt Jacki,
Isaiah is well. When we went to the hematologist she explained that he has a milder form of the deficiency and us keeping him away from all of the "triggers" that they told us about should result in him having a normal, healthy life. The thing about G6PD, is that it was like God's way of protecting people from malaria. He is resistant to being infected with Malaria, but unfortunately, there are other side effects. DJ does not have the deficiency, we had him tested as well, so that was great news. so as long as he does not eat any fava beans or moth balls and no aspirin or anti-malarial drugs, he should remain in the clear :-) thank you for praying for him ans asking everyone else to. I am so glad that he is ok. I have to send you new photos of him. He is growing so fast! He's already a month old. It seems like yesterday, I was talking to my belly begging him to come on out!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Update* Kimberly: I am doing better. I am more up than down right now and very thankful. Getting into the swing of bible study has helped so much and I am happy to say that I am taking baby steps in moving my body :)

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Update: Karen (Sarah's Daughter): We have an appointment October 16th to see if we can find a better medication for Karen. The migraine's are still severe, and if she skips a dose, then she often has one of her "episodes" the next day.

Abigail and Karen
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Update: Sandie (sandie994 from GW)

Things just keep getting worse for for my brother and his wife. Last week his job was downsized. He had worked there 25-30 years. The worst part of course is the hospitalization. They can buy it from COBRA for 18 months but it will probably be very expensive and with cancer it will be hard to get other. The chemo has hit her really hard so they will be making adjustments in that. Thanks to all for keeping them in your prayers, sandie994

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Update*: Debbie S ( Kentucky Deb from GW) I'd like continued prayer for my boys. They both seem to be doing well. Jud (the oldest who has struggled so) is still of great concern to us. We continue to pray for him to turn his heart back to God. I feel a real urgency in this regard.
I am struggling a bit physically. I had a bit of a set back over the weekend and am having quite a bit of pain in one of the areas of one of my surgeries. I know what caused it, just wasn't expecting it!
I'm feeling "under attack" spiritually too. I'm examining my life for areas of sin, etc. that I might need to get right with God. Feeling very "dry" and disconnected from Him. Sometimes this happens because of fatigue and/or before I go through a round of depression. I haven't struggled with that in a long time, so I'm needing prayer for discernment about this.
I feel like this is one long "whine, whine, whine"! We do have so much to be thankful for and I never want to lose sight of that.

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Update* Me(Jacki): Last Friday I started the new medicine . On Tuesday night, I broke out in hives. I could be allergic to something else, but we are erring on the side of caution because hives is a common side effect of this drug. The doctor has changed my the medicine back to the original drug but at a normal dose, as opposed to a starter dose. So...right now I'm really itchy and taking Benedryl. I'm already believing God for healing... it's just a matter of time.

Thanks in advance for your continued prayers for me all these requests.

Prayer Warriors

Please see the September prayer list for an update on an urgent prayer request. Bette's husband Joe is really sick. Thanks.

Prayers needed....

I got this message from my niece today. Her baby, Isaiah, is just couple of weeks old. These are her words...

We found out yesterday that he has a blood disorder called G6PD deficiency. I never heard of it before yesterday, but now it is like the most important thing in our lives. Basically, there are certain foods and meds that he can not have because it will cause a further degradation of his red blood cells. (his blood is lacking G6PD which is a component of healthy red blood cells) it is a genetic disorder... we think that {husband/dad} is the carrier. We have to monitor him when he gets infections or sick b/c the risk of him needing blood transfusions is higher when his body needs to fight infections since his red blood cells are deficient, illness can throw him into a severe anemic state really fast. He has an appointment with a hematology specialist on Wed. Our hope is that he has a really mild form of the deficiency... and that it will have a minimal effect on his life. Otherwise, he is completely healthy. I just wish we did not have to deal with this. but, no matter how hard I wish, that doesn't change the circumstances. All I can do is pray for him, and ask others to do the same.

Please pray for her and encourage her if you feel inclined to do so.

Another update on my situation...
I still was not able to get my prescription filled today. I could have paid in cash, but it was BIG bucks. I need to wait for the insurance. I think the problem is with the pharmacist computers connecting with the insurance company's computers or something like that....

I also found out today that as of next week, my dermatologist will be leaving that practice and moving even further away to the other side of Atlanta. What this means to me is that the next time I go in I will be seeing a new doctor. I need wisdom...

Anybody Wanna Pray With Me?

submit your request email me at thecardcastle@yahoo.com
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With the beginning of a new school year in our midst... I would like to put a renewed emphasis on praying for the young people in our lives. Please add the names of the young people in your life by commenting on this post.
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Remember to leave a comment as a way to encourage all those on the list.**If you've been on a previous list, please email with your update. Check back on last months post for the previous details and requests, I'm only including updates and new requests here.
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Update!! Bette( 9/20): Late last night my husband started bleeding rectally and they are doing a colonoscopy to try and find were the bleeding is coming from now. They have given him 4 units of blood since last night and he is now retaining all fluids. His stomach looks like he is 7 months pregnant. Please continue to pray for him. He will still be in ICU until his condition changes. Thanks everyone for your responses. It really means so much to me. Love, Bette

Update(Friday 9/19): He was doing much better last night and if he continues to improve may be out of ICU by tomorrow or Sunday. Thank God that they were able to help him. He is such a kind, wonderful man and it breaks my heart to see him suffer so much. He has been my rock and the roles have reversed and it is so hard for me but I try my best....

Bette (GW)Her husband (Joe) was taken to the hospital after throwing up over a pint of blood. What they found is called Esophageal Varices. They operated and put bands on the veins that caused the bleeding. He will have to have the procedure done every week for 6 wks and the every 2 months and then every 6 months for the rest of his life. But at least there is a way to keep him from bleeding.
Let's Pray for Bette and Joe.
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Update(9/20): Marcia aka marciad Thank you for adding my daughter to the prayer list. She is much better. Going for physical therapy to continue the recovery from the surgery.
Please just thank all the folks who read your prayer list for helping.

New* Marcia aka marciad: Please put my daughter on the prayer list She is healing from surgery and is now fighting an infection. We're hoping it's minor as it's shown up in her eye.
Thanks for the support.
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New* Amanda: I got this message from my niece today(9/10). Her baby, Isaiah, is just couple of weeks old. These are her words...

We found out yesterday that he has a blood disorder called G6PD deficiency. I never heard of it before yesterday, but now it is like the most important thing in our lives. Basically, there are certain foods and meds that he can not have because it will cause a further degradation of his red blood cells. (his blood is lacking G6PD which is a component of healthy red blood cells) it is a genetic disorder... we think that {husband/dad} is the carrier. We have to monitor him when he gets infections or sick b/c the risk of him needing blood transfusions is higher when his body needs to fight infections since his red blood cells are deficient, illness can throw him into a severe anemic state really fast. He has an appointment with a hematology specialist on Wed. Our hope is that he has a really mild form of the deficiency... and that it will have a minimal effect on his life. Otherwise, he is completely healthy. I just wish we did not have to deal with this. but, no matter how hard I wish, that doesn't change the circumstances. All I can do is pray for him, and ask others to do the same.

Please pray for her and encourage her if you feel inclined to do so.
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New* Kimberly: Kim asks that we pray for her mental health. She struggles with depression and feels a downslide coming on. She recently blogged about it. Click on her name to go to her blog.
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New* Michelle : Please pray for her mother, Janet, and for Michelle ( who is currently her mother's caretaker) . She had major surgery several weeks ago and is still recovering. Pray that she both fully recovers from the surgery and also doesn't need another surgery. There is doubt right now as to whether or not the surgery was successful, so they may be looking into repeating it. Michelle says, "I don't think she can go through it again. I am trying to trust God - I know He made her so of course He can control what happens, but at the same time I am having a really hard time keeping away from worry."
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Update: Karen (Sarah's Daughter) This update is from Karen herself! (Karen is on the right in the photo)


I started taking medication for migraines shortly before college. Since then, I’ve had significantly fewer episodes of slowness and brain fog, but more headaches. This makes me think the weird spells are my body’s way of dealing with severe pain – turning it into something more bearable. So maybe the medication is keeping the pain from reaching the point where that happens? Also, noise seems to be a trigger, so I’ve been wearing earplugs whenever I’m in crowded/noisy places. Those two things seem to be helping a lot, so prayer that I'd find something to help with the headaches and other things resulting from noise would be super.--I really really appreciate your prayers. Thank you SO much Thanks!~K~
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Update: Sandie (sandie994 from GW)
My son is having some pain down his leg. We're hoping it is just some inflammation from the surgery and will stop. He will be stating therapy soon.

My SIL is doing well. Still sore and tired but getting around. She will be starting chemo on Thurs. She has a very good outlook and is sure she will beat this. She was so touched by all the card she received from GW's.
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Update: Catherine: Ethan is on a restricted diet now of no:eggs, dairy, corn, wheat, juice and sugar.

He has improved on this diet I tested it out yesterday by letting have lunch at preschool that they prepare there. NEVER again!!! Chaos erupted. ..
We have him in a developmental center for preschool, so that'll help us :D! Ty for your prayers please continue...
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Update: Me(Jacki): My dermatologist decided to biopsy the rash/lesion on my face. When I go back next week to have the sutures removed, and depending on the results, I'll probably have to go on that medicine that I hoped to avoid. I'm still praying for healing. I do know that sometimes God chooses to heal with medicines, right?
9/9 I went back to the dermatologist today. My sutures are out and the biopsy results are as expected. No change... at least it's not worst. So we start the new medicine as soon as the drug store and the doctor and insurance company figure out how many to give me with one co-pay. I'll have to go back in a week for a blood draw to find out how I'm tolerating it. Sounds scary. I'm a side effects magnet... So let's pray that it doesn't make me too sick, AND it stops this mess from progressing.

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Update: Debbie S ( Kentucky Deb from GW) I am continuing to feel better! Two more weeks until I can work full time. I FINALLY got results on my breast ultrasounds. Not the c word. I will at some point need surgery on the right one. Boys are both doing well:)
Thanks for praying.

First Day of School

OK, Blogger isn't letting me load pictures right now.

Today was the first day of school and I didn't take any pictures anyway. But thank the Lord that this day went soooo much better than last year's first day. I still can't believe that summer is OVER!

I also had a dermatology appointment today. I needed to get test results from 6 weeks ago and now she wants to see me back in three weeks. If I haven't responded to treatment this time, she wants to try a stronger drug taken by mouth instead of the stuff I now apply to my skin. I'm rebelling against that.... I'm always the one in a million to experience the side effects. Pray that I will find balance between being a good patient and my being my own advocate. I've asked the Lord to heal me from Discoid Lupus in the past, and his response was "not yet". Pray with me as I seek healing again.

Speaking of prayer... the days have gotten away from me again. I totally missed August 1st! I'll update my prayer list tomorrow so if you have anything on your heart that you want to share, send me an email or leave a comment here and I'll transfer it to the August prayer list.

Anybody Wanna Pray With Me?

submit your request email me at thecardcastle@yahoo.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
With the beginning of a new school year in our midst... I would like to put a renewed emphasis on praying for the young people in our lives. Please add the names of the young people in your life by commenting on this post.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Remember to leave a comment as a way to encourage all those on the list.**If you've been on a previous list, please email with your update. Check back on last months post for the previous details and requests, I'm only including updates and new requests here.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Update: Dina and family. Home again! Prayers answered! See their update here.
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Update: Karen (Sarah's Daughter)
We are now looking into migraines. We have noticed that noise is a trigger, and as college (especially dorm life) is noisy, we are hoping the local gp can find the right medication for her before college starts.

...somebody in the Kornhaus family has sense of humor, wouldn't you say?
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NEW: Sandie (sandie994 from GW) has 2 requests:
First: her son is having back surgery on Aug 13, so prayer to guide the Dr. and that all goes well.

Second is really a difficult one. My SIL has breast cancer and is having a double Mastectomy, reconstruction on Aug 14. She will then need to have chemo. She and my brother have been married just a year, and his first wife died of Ovarian cancer after a long illness. This was a long hard time for him. We are so happy that he found Cindy but hate to see him going through this again. So we need prayers for her, my brother, the doctors, etc.

Update*( 8/14) : My Son and SIL came through their surgeries without any complications. My SIL is in recovery and has a long haul ahead of her, so would appreciate continued prayers for her.
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NEW: Catherine: Her 4 year old son Ethan has been displaying very strange behavior. They are not sure what caused it, but recently saw some improvement when they started him on vitamins.

Catherine says, "We basically would like to see God wrap his loving healing arms around Ethan, and for Him to help us figure out what is going on. To protect us from any evil, and to give our family the strength that we need to carry on, to find the right person to help us out to figure out what is going on with our son. To help us find someone help us be able to understand what is going on with Ethan, and to help us/teach us to help him. Thank you so much for your prayer, we need it :)!"


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NEW: Me: I mentioned this the other day, but I'm praying for healing of the symptoms of Discoid Lupus. If God chooses to supernaturally heal me... that's fine with me. If He chooses to heal me thru a lifestyle change, that's fine too. Specifically right now I need (1) to find the perfect primary care doctor and (2) My dermatologist needs to see that the treatment she's given me on for the next few weeks improves my condition. I don't want to take the strong drug at all.

Update*(8/14): I'm seeing a marked improvement in the lesion on my face. The dermatologist actually injected the medicine directly into my cheek the last time I was there. Hopefully, by the time I see her in a couple of weeks, I will have improved enough that she will forget about the drug thing.
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NEW: Debbie S ( Kentucky Deb from GW)
For my (sons) Jake as he finishes up his last year of college. For his health - spiritually, mentally, and physically.
For (son) Jud - to be freed from the deception he is currently under and for his relationship with God to be restored and renewed. Physical protection for him and for God to either change unhealthy relationships or to take those people out of Jud's life.
Me - continued healing from my surgery and stamina as I attempt to go back to school part time. Peace of mind as I see my breast problems through, still no real answers yet.
Praise God for a wonderful husband and friends who took such good care of me!
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Update: Mary-Ellen (about the friends who lost their first baby). They are an incredibly strong couple. They had a memorial service the last weekend in July. They have really looked to the Lord for their strength through the past few weeks. She even offered to take care of my boys for a few days while my babysitter was not available.
Let's continue to pray for this couple as they maneuver thru the next few months especially.