VegaCruz Ministries

February 8, 2010

Good morning and God bless you all,

Right now I am in preparation mode, in anticipation of Herman coming home on the 18th of February whether he is ready or not. This is due to the fact that the insurance as many of you know will not cover beyond that point. So I am asking for prayer in that area that God will accelerate the healing process so that he will be ready and I do know that will be to the amazement of all the staff. We also want you to keep up the praying re: the insurance company. We have put forth several appeals and we just got word yesterday that we have won 2 so far! PRAISED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD! We know that is direct answer to prayer! They are going to pay 2 sets of bills from our time in Florida back in September and October, one from the hospital (Lakeland Regional Medical Center) and one from the doctors (of the Watson Clinic) who examined Herman-which came to several thousands of dollars. Please don't stop praying though in regard to the insurance company & the process of appeals as we have others still in the "pipeline" and another one about to be. We know that all of them will need the grace from His hand to turn it in our favor. We know what we are dealing with at this moment as well as what we will be dealing with in the time to come.

Herman has been put on some additional medication to help address the pain in his upper left chest(due to muscular difficulties) and to help with the brain pain (as I call it) at the site of the stroke. I want to see the number of medications reduced NOT increased(he is currently on 23-far too many)! The up side is that it seems to be alleviating and taking some of the edge off the pain but the down side is that it makes him feel like he is in somewhat of a fog. This medication can cause some increased weakness and thereby causing him to lose ground in muscle tone & strength that he has gained. He continues to have pain/stiffness though in using his left arm & hand and that has slowed the progress in regaining use. This feels like we are treading water and we want to see the use of his left side completely restored. So please pray for that in earnest as we really need a direct intervention from the Lord Himself.

The truth in our current situation is that we know He has not lost sight of us or any one of you. We all need the mountain top (the victories) and the valley(the difficult times). The mountain top gives us perspective and the valley gives us purpose. Both are gifts from His hand! We can look at them as gifts if we understand that during all times, whether there be mountains or valleys we come and worship the only One Who is worthy to receive all praise! On the mountain top there is not a lot of oxygen . So staying there all the time will not sustain life but it does give us perspective that we cannot obtain in the valleys. In the valleys we know there are green pastures and well watered places but often there are shadows that distort our understanding. We need both to know that He is victorious and makes us victorious! So it is with great confidence that I can walk through this: "NOW THANKS BE UNTO GOD WHICH ALWAYS CAUSETH US TO TRIUMPH IN CHRIST, AND MAKETH MANIFEST THE SAVOUR OF HIS KNOWLEDGE BY US IN EVERY PLACE." (2ND CORINTHIANS 2:14) ! HALLEUJAH! While none of this has been easy, the victory, I know is in Him and Him alone! There will be no victory if there is no battle! All of us can carry the sweet savour of the Sweet Savior to the lost and hurting of the world when we walk in His victory.

Please continue to keep us in prayer and I want you to know that we feel your prayers upholding us for which we are very grateful. We are praying for you as well.

In the NAME ABOVE ALL others,

~Sandy

February 4, 2010

Good morning and God bless you all,

Sorry this has been delayed in coming, especially to those of you who knew we were back in ER again on Wednesday and wanted more info. Being tired caught up with me yesterday, as I did not get home until about 10:30PM that night. (Again, we are not really trying to get frequent flyer miles :0)

Here we go again on the same merry-go-round as twice before. So I asked the Lord to keep us focused on Him and to give us a merry heart in the midst of this.

The trip to the ER on Wednesday happened late in the afternoon about 4:00PM after I had had conversations with some people saying he was doing better, slow but sure. This was a bit similar to the other 2 trips back on Christmas Day and on the 30th of December due to severe chest pain in the upper left area. Thankfully this episode did not result in another hospital stay as the 2 previous trips did but the pain was so severe that Herman was crying(which is unusual for him). It was determined after a 6 hour stay in the ER and many blood tests later that it was muscle spasms in that same area of the chest/shoulder that have been plaguing him. Praise the Lord it was not his heart (which was the case the last time)! While waiting in the ER we saw a doctor who came in to see the patient on the other side of the curtain(no, not the wizard of OZ :0). It was the same Muslim doctor(from Yemen) that we had been privileged to witness to 3 years ago when Herman experienced all the difficulties back in 2006. He actually stopped for a moment to speak with us remembering that we "are the ones who pray"(which is the way he referred to us back in 2006). That brought us a merry heart that kept us in the place of remembering that these places of difficulties are really assignments from God, remembering that He is still in control. It does help keep things in perspective. Please keep that doctor in continued prayer.

By the time we got ready to leave the ER at about 10:00 PM, however Herman strongly felt (due to the pain that he had been in) that he did not want to go back to PT & OT. He had been in so much pain that he actually was trying to get the doctors, nurses, tech, anybody, including me :0) to write that in the chart so he could have a "doctor's excuse" to get out of it. No one would let him "off the the hook" including me. Exercising "tough love" is easier said than done of course given the situation with the pain in that area that seems to be ongoing. So I ask for you to pray for continued strength and wisdom for me & the staff to share these thoughts with my husband (because of the part of the brain that was affected). I really have to ask the Lord on a moment by moment basis sometimes for the best way to communicate what needs to be said. This too is ongoing. Herman was very, very reluctant to go to PT & OT yesterday- that it really had to be the Lord's helping him to want to at least try. When he finally did go it was an awesome sight to see him do some things that he had not even been able to do (& some things that he didn't even want to try) that my emotions overwhelmed me and I started to weep & rejoice in the Lord at the same time. There is a spiritual battle being waged in the background. I know many times the battleground is in the mind as the devil tries his best to discourage my husband. Many times people try to encourage my husband for which I am extremely grateful but sometimes in doing so they, without meaning to, sometimes "minimize" all that he and I have been through. I know it is well meant and I do appreciate the intention. That is why much prayer is needed in the situation. I am still asking the Lord for complete restoration.

We love you all and appreciate all your prayers, cards, calls and visits. You will never know this side of eternity what that has meant and continues to mean to us.

In the NAME ABOVE ALL others,

~Sandy

January 24, 2010

Good morning and God bless you all,

We've had a little respite from the winter weather that seemed good to us and many others over the last several days (I think almost a week or so). The sunshine has been a reminder that not all days are dark and heavy with snow.

We have continued to see progress with Herman's ability to withstand the rigors of OT, PT and Speech however slow it may be. Nonetheless it is exceedingly painful trying to regain and relearn to sit, stand, balance to even be able to move however slightly left sided limbs. Of course the challenge of short term memory continues to plague him, sometimes in waves causing him to feel overwhelmed emotionally adding to what he sees as insurmountable obstacles at times. Hard for the patient to be patient. What you and I take for granted in everyday activity has to be explained and re-explained sometimes on a moment by moment basis everyday. I am so thankful for the prayers of His people to help undergird us but I am forever grateful that Jesus is standing at the right hand of our Father, ever making intercession for us. Sometimes the weight of it all is almost crushing until I remember that He is ever making intercession for my husband and me as well as for you(Hebrews 7:25)! That gives me cause for joy and peace, in spite of what is happening knowing that we are in His hands. This has been especially true of this past week, especially during Thursday & Friday. Just when we thought the issues with the insurance were taking a turn in the right direction and Herman seemed to be on a more even pace. Again Herman felt overwhelmed by a situation (unintentional but nonetheless very real) because he could not interpret the information correctly leaving him upset and confused. We finally worked through that and the Lord gave wisdom on how to reach through all of that. Of course we would like continued prayer for that part of the brain that has been impaired by the stroke causing these things to arise somewhat unexpectedly. Sometimes it is easy to remember the physical touch that is needed when it comes to the stroke but often praying for the healing for the brain is less obvious because of the way it manifests or doesn't manifest as the case may be.

Now on to the battle with the insurance: with at least 4 appeals on the books and possibly 3 more to be done beyond those it has not been an easy week. On Thursday(1/21/10) they denied payment for an item dated back on Dec. 28th. Off to billing department to have a conversation with them and of course I had to be on the phone with the insurance company & the doctor's office. If that wasn't enough exercise for that day Friday only added to the pile which is becoming only bigger. The insurance also tried to argue by way of semantics(just to keep the confusion going) that the hospitals stays of Dec. 25-Dec. 28 and Dec. 30-Jan. 5 were not inpatient stays but merely observations and thereby quite possibly were not going to be covered! Then to top it off I had received a letter from the insurance that Herman's continued rehab stay will only continue until there for a total of 66 days of this year(due to a change of policy benefit from a 120 day stay covered from last year) of which he has already used 25 days. In other words, he will have to leave the facility whether he is ready or not or we will have to pay everything. I thank God that the letter was written in such a confusing manner. They used a way to calculate the number of days that was so confusing-maybe the new math:0) that it prompted me to call for clarification. In calling them they said that was not correct but a typo they meant to say 45 days of which 20 days have already been used, meaning he has to be out of the facility by February 18th whether he is physically ready or not because they will not pay after that! Just to so glibly pass it off as a typo and send the same info to the billing department & the doctor's office was very ridiculous to say the least. I thank God for their confusion which caused us to learn what was really the correct info and help us to not be in the position of paying for something that we could not possibly be able to. I did not like however, the attitude behind the way it was handled which seems to be the ongoing track record. If they only meant to confuse me that would have bad enough but it was wider than that including the DeMay Center and the doctor as well. So now you can see what we are really up against and that we are really going to have to pray for Herman to be ready in February to come home as there will be no coverage. God has used this to remind that He is NOT the author of confusion(I Corinthians 14:33-that is the devil's work) but the Author of Salvation(Hebrews 5:9) & the Author & the Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). What a sense of victory He gave me: that What Our God Starts He Finishes!!(Philippians 1:6) HALLELUIAH!!

Please continue in prayer for us.

In the Name Above ALL others,

~Sandy

January 22, 2010

Good morning and God bless you all,

We so thank you for you upholding us in prayer. That has brought us great comfort.

After a week of "resets" and a "revised version" for Herman in that there is a new tentative date for Herman to come home: February 12th. Of course we do know that it is subject to change without notice. Kind of reminds me of when I was in school and lunch menu had the disclaimer: subject to change without notice. Always seemed to happen on the day when you were so looking forward to "school pizza" but were left to wonder at the substitution of the mystery meat instead :0) By the same token I know that this is totally in the hands of a trustworthy God who will not keep us from the appointed times even if we do not understand the reason or like the change. We serve a living God who does not disappoint because we do know Him to be faithful and He has not changed His mind! We will not for one second say that any of this has been easy nor would we have "volunteered" for it but the simple truth is that either He is the Sovereign God over all or He is not. We have taken Him at His Word, that He is with us just as He is with you. We have been comforted by His Word over and over seeing it fulfilled in Matthew 11:28-30. We so thank you for your visits and cards and support.

We continue to ask for prayer in these areas: Herman's left-sided weakness and pain as well as the pain in his head that seems to overwhelm him, clouding his ability to focus and cope with OT, PT and Speech. His voice is still diminished. He doesn't seem as "foggy" in his thinking but still has difficulty in sorting out a lot of things. I believe the Lord wants to restore all these areas in their fullness as well as lift the discouragement from his heart.

As for the insurance: it seems to be the same old story with them. I am going through the appeal process with several outstanding bills that date back to our time in Florida and more recently once we returned here. We see no way for these bills to be paid except that God grant us favor with the insurance company and we know the Lord is able.

We thank the Lord we had some special time with our youngest son, Jesse who just returned from Iraq. He is now returning to Ft. Hood, TX today. So please pray for travelling mercies.

Again thank you for continuing to stand with us as that has brought us much encouragement.

In the Name above ALL others,

~Sandy

January 9, 2010

Good morning and God bless you all,

As you know Herman is back at the DeMay Center and PT,OT and nursing are trying to get a "base line" so they can determine new projected date for the possibility of going home. As stated before after it was determined that Herman had not made enough progress to come home on December 29th, the new projected date was then pushed out to January 20th. Now with the 2 hospitals stays (Dec 25th-Dec 28th and then again Dec 30th-Jan 5th) that made a new date which has yet to be determined. We know often there doesn't seems to be a straight line and just when you think it is " safe" because you see light at the end of that long tunnel you sometimes realize it is another oncoming train! So often that is true of our walk in the Lord. I do know at the same time that none of this takes our Heavenly Father by surprise. This is a perfect example of Proverbs 3:5,6. We do not need to have the Lord give us all the "why's" instead we need to just be wise (no pun intended)in Him and trust Him! We can never figure Him out because His ways are so much higher than ours(Isaiah 55: 9) -so much so that they are past finding out( Romans 11:33)! I find that affords me peace and I cannot buy that! It takes the pressure off me especially when I have had continual uphill battles with the insurance that never seem to come to an end -with the latest rounds being only yesterday. Three things I thought was settled have once again turned into the "oncoming train". Seem to be dealing with a lot of bureaucratic non-sense- not easy dealing with foolishness. After spending being on the phone with the insurance company and the doctor's office for no less than 2 1/2 hours yesterday I decided that was enough for the morning ( a very real application of Matthew 6:34, especially the last part of that verse) and went to see Herman, just to enjoy being with him. While we were in the physical therapy room a gentlemen from the community that we knew stopped by and chatted a few moments. Herman was the last session of the day so we were the only ones in there with the staff. It was a very relaxed session as the staff, being sensitive to the intense battles we have been experiencing(on multiple fronts-for a long time) saw the need for us to "just talk" for a few moments to this man (who is not a Christian but we have in the past witnessed to him). This man then offered to get us some real Puerto Rican food: pasteles & empanadillas!(sorry that for our English speaking friends there really is a translation and description gap but trust me it is good!) from the Puerto Rican restaurant in town. He did no idea that my husband had just been cleared for "real" food- to be able to eat anything only the day before and this was like music to our ears! You see God really knows how to encourage His people and provide a respite from the battle fatigue we all encounter! The simple things mean so much and bring into very sharp focus His absolute tender loving care. (He is Genesis 22:14 in every way!). This man returned with 20 minutes and of course Herman worked to his capacity during that time. And there we were just sitting, together, just the two of us, after the therapist brought to us a little table. She quietly left us alone to enjoy our little "romantic picnic". It was the medicine we needed- a sense of normal after months of anything but. Just the enjoyment of each other's company over "dinner" of "normal food"-maybe more like manna designed just for us - Puerto Rican food has been called that :0) We felt" transported" out of the institutional setting if only for a brief period of time to just enjoyment without a consciousness of nurses, therapists, medicine, equipment, insurance talk, pain and the ever present wheelchair... Only God could have set all that up. Oh, we know the battles will be there waiting for us but to see His tender mercy is worth it all.

So we continue to ask for your prayers on our behalf for battles are not done. We do so appreciate you all.

Will continue to keep you posted.

In the NAME above ALL names,

~Sandy

January 7, 2010

Good morning and God bless you all,

We got "mixed" reviews yesterday regarding Herman's first full day back at DeMay. He of course was back into the full schedule which more than "wiped him out". The hospital stay of 7 days but him back in regard to PT and OT but Speech followed him at the hospital. A lot of this was to be expected. Now to begin again with the PT & OT. He did do better than expected on his second round of of PT yesterday but we all have noticed the spirit of discouragement and despair which has been increasing. While that is considered "normal" response with those who have had strokes I also know that there is a spiritual side to all of this. So please really pray for for his discouragement in a big way. Tied to that also is his difficulty with a good understanding of time, good judgment and what exactly is his progress and ability as well as current limitations. Some of that is also incorrect perception on his part that only impedes the sorting out of the information given to him. I ask for wisdom for the staff & myself in convey info in a way that he can grasp it and for the Lord to clear his ability to understand. I really do thank the Lord for being our help and shield and for His peace that affords me sleep (Psalm 3:2-5)

We did receive a good report from Speech. She has now cleared him for regular/"normal" food -is there such a thing in an institutional setting? :0) Translation: he can have rice & beans (along with the usual foods that you & I would take for granted)! That is huge! Small graces (if there is such a thing), leading to the larger ones! Praise the Lord for that! We are still waiting for her to do another evaluation on Herman's cognitive progress and are believing for a report that shows God is doing the work in that area as well.

Again thank you for your prayers on our behalf.

In the NAME above ALL others,

~Sandy

January 5, 2010

Hi everyone and God bless you,

Thank you for your continual prayer. I really meant that because I know what has been accomplished is as a result of the Lord's great mercy and the prayers of His people.

I apologize that I did not get this off sooner today but I got home rather late. I want you to know that the neurologist and I spoke late in the day yesterday yesterday (sometime after 7:45PM) which is when he got to the hospital and had a chance to assess the situation. He felt he needed to consult another neurologist in order to give the best consultation to the cardiologist as to whether to proceed with the angiogram. As I said before the seemingly endless delays which put us in the very real position of losing Herman's bed back at DeMay only added to the intensity of the situation. The doctor doctor could only advise the cardiologist, not make the final decision which is why no decision could be made until this morning. In a nut shell this is what he told me last night (with a great deal of compassion): the concern was if they proceeded with the angiogram that would mean blood thinners. Blood thinners would increase the risk for someone with a hemorrhagic stroke to die during the procedure. The flip side is not to do the angiogram and have the very real chance of Herman having a heart attack and die from that. He went on to say:"Darned if you do, darned if you don't." No easy answer. After speaking with him I then spoke with Herman trying to explain the delay and the possibility that the cardiologist may not do it but that would not be know until morning. That left hanging feeling" is never easy but especially when it is a real life and death decision. Yet in the midst of it we both felt peace, the peace that really does pass ALL understanding. I told the Lord I was willing to trust Him for whatever decision would be made by the cardiologist, believing that it would be the Lord's answer (as I have said it is not because I am so smart but because He is so merciful). By now it was going on 8:30PM. I did finally get to bed around 9:30PM. I remember meditating on the sovereignty of God, knowing He can be trusted as I drifted off to sleep I slept restfully.. When I awoke at my usual time of 5:00AM to begin my day and spend it with Him I again meditated on Psalm 23:4. It was so real in that moment even more than in days prior. Oh, His ever present grace and peace took over! I confessed to Him once again that Herman belonged to Him long before he ever "belonged" to me. and while I did not know what the rest of the day would bring He would still be God at the end of it!

I finally received the call from the hospital this morning (after I sent the earlier e-mails_ letting me know that Herman was staying put. I took that as God's answer. They looked to make another adjustment in his medication. Finally they felt it was time for Herman to back to the rehab floor at DeMay. That meant that the bed for Herman was still available and still waiting for him! That too was an answer to prayer because those spots are quickly filled! I really felt His tender loving care for us just as He does for the sparrow (Matthew 10:29).

I share all of this with you for you to be encouraged in that you can see how the Lord answers prayer, your prayers, not that anyone of us can glory in anything but Him! (Jeremiah 9:23-24).

In the NAME above ALL others,

~Sandy

January 2, 2010

Hi and God bless you,

Hope your New Year's was pleasant and everyone is looking in hope to a brand new year.

Our favorite patient is still in the hospital and this morning I received a phone call from the doctor saying that Herman has gotten a round trip "ticket" to Rochester General Hospital scheduled for Monday. After a consult with 2 other physicians (a neurologist and Herman's cardiologist) they feel they should proceed with an angiogram. We ask for your prayers to cover this entire situation. As with any procedure there is always risk and given this particular situation it is really in need of prayer. He had been in Rochester General before back in 2004 for stents and again in 2006 for open heart (as I said we are not trying to earn "frequent flyer miles"- as this really is the hard way to do it).

Saw Herman today and he seems somewhat restless, physically. He doesn't seem to be overly concerned with Monday's trip but he does want to get back to DeMay and be able to get on with rehab and have the ability to get around even if it is in a wheelchair for now.

In any case there is much for prayer consideration.

Will keep you posted when there is more to share.

Thanks to everyone for all your support.

God bless,

~The Cruzes

December 31, 2009

Hi everyone and God bless you,

As some of you know we found ourselves back in the emergency room again yesterday with Herman having another round of chest pain. We are not really trying to get holiday frequent flyer miles and as much as we like the staff we aren't looking to get too close. This trip was a little better than the one on Christmas Day (when there was literally "no room at the inn"- leaving Herman as an inpatient in the emergency room until the following day.) as they were able to get him inpatient up on the floor rather quickly.

On my way to see Herman this morning I went to the nursing home (which is attached to the hospital by a long hallway) so I could see our doctor who was making rounds there before I headed to see Herman. (My purpose was to discuss some ongoing issues in regard to Herman.)

Once I got to the hospital side there was much discussion about taking him to Rochester General Hospital to take a much closer look but the concern was about Herman being unable to have blood thinners (for the fact that he had a hemorrhagic stroke) and that would affect the procedure. So he stayed at the hospital here for further observation. He seems to be relatively good spirits considering. Just missing the ability to at least get up and into the wheelchair and also take a shower. He is wondering what he's going to do for New Year's :0)

We, of course hope the doctors will have great wisdom from the Great Physician.

Please keep us all in prayer and we will do our best to keep you posted.

~The Cruz Family

December 28, 2009

Hi everyone and God bless you,

Just a quick update re: our patient.

We went to spend Christmas Day with Herman after a family gathering at home with the exchange of gifts and a Christmas dinner. We arrived at DeMay Center to spend the afternoon with Herman (with 3 of our 4 children-Elizabeth had to return to FL and 5 grand children) to bring him the rest of the gifts he had. Some he had already opened when all four of the children were home.

Upon our arrival we started to have the gifts opened but shortly thereafter Herman became increasingly agitated and confused and he was complaining of chest pain. The staff did everything appropriately but things did not seem to "settle down". I had the doctor called and they asked for a evaluation to be done in the Emergency Room. So off we went. There we spent the rest of the afternoon and evening. They had him admitted but literally there "was no room in the inn". We had to stay in the emergency room for 24 hours. I did finally go home at 10:30PM once Herman finally fell asleep. Was so hard to leave him but I was exhausted.

My return the next morning(Saturday) still found him in the emergency room but at least not in the triage area but in a "quieter" room at the end of the hall of the emergency department. Enough blood work and time had passed that they could determine that he had not had a heart attack. PRAISE THE LORD! They did however find an "unusual" rhythm for which they could not get a "handle" on. They wanted to keep him for further observation (and evaluation by his cardiologist). They were able to get a room in the "inn" for him about 4:00PM on Saturday afternoon. Once he got settled into a room in the hospital they started him on an IV.

Sunday was a little hard for all of us as I became sick with a 12 hour intestinal bug and was unable to visit Herman.

After further blood work and being on the heart monitor since Christmas Day I got the phone call Monday I was so waiting for: they determined this morning that an adjustment in his heart medication was needed and he will be going back to DeMay this afternoon sometime. Thank the Lord they were able to get to the bottom of it. God has been so faithful to us at all times.

This past month has been especially challenging as Herman has fallen twice, had a visit to our home only to be told he is not ready to come home yet (new projected date January 20th) and a "tour of the hospital" but getting to see all 4 of the children for one day and then to have to say good bye have made it all hard for Herman to "sort out": joy, sadness,confusion (as his short term memory has been impaired), progress and lack there of, all co-mingled.

Please continue in prayer for him with balance, pain, left-sided weakness, stiffness (still needs major assistance in most activities with much swelling and pain in his left hand) and clarity of mind to return.

As I look back at what the Lord has walked us through (Psalm 23:4) these past 3 months I see nothing but His hand print all over, to shine forth His glory, ever learning that in our absolute weakness He makes Himself strong. His grace truly is sufficient. (2nd Corinthians 12:9). The Lord has said to us: "Let this be an incredible journey!" and we will trust Him for that. We know He will give us joy for the journey as we as we fix our eyes on Him! (1st Peter 1:7-8).

Thanks for all your many prayers on our behalf. They have carried us through much.

God bless you,

~The Cruz Family

December 23, 2009

Good morning and God bless all of you,

            We know it has been a while since our last newsletter. This is due to an unexpected event. As many of you already know Herman had a hemorrhagic stroke while preaching at a church in Lakeland, FL on September 27. There are so many details of God’s miraculous intervention that point to His great love and mercy that it would require many pages to tell. God’s awesome love is continually being poured out on us and our family (Matthew 10:29-31). There are not enough ways to say thank you for what the Lord has done! We so appreciate how His people (during our nearly month long stay in FL and since our return to New York State) have blessed us in prayer, support, visits, cards and phone calls. No words in English, Spanish or “Spanglish” could be enough to express our deepest gratitude but we’ll say it just the same: THANK YOU, GRACIAS AND “GRACIYOU”! Herman continues to make slow but steady progress. Thankfully he never lost his voice (though it is somewhat diminished) or his memory of people and most importantly he still has the eternal Word of God that has been deposited in him (2 Corinthians 4:7). He is currently at DeMay Living Center here in Newark, NY. We do need continued prayer for his balance, severe head pain (where the stroke occurred-behind the right ear), swallowing, strengthening of his voice and his left side and the persistent swelling of his left hand. He needs encouragement also as the physical, occupational and speech therapy tend to be very exhausting. Sandra needs prayer for His wisdom to address the decisions that need to be made and for the seemingly endless paperwork. Thank you in advance for your prayers on our behalf.
            We do want to update you on what the Lord did during the times we did speak since the last newsletter and we also want you to be aware that the prison ministry is continuing on with Sandra and those volunteers who have been with us. In August we had the opportunity to speak at Wellspring Church in Clifton Springs, NY (Pastors Jim & Linda Knarr). The Lord had me to speak on “Laying the Foundation” based on Isaiah 28:16 and Luke 6:43-49. We saw God touch and save eight precious for His Kingdom! Praise God! Then we went on to Bridgeport, CT to speak at Pivot Program, a Christ-centered rehab program (Exec. Director, David Smith). Sandra shared from Psalm 42:7-8 on the need to call out of the deep unto Him in the midst of the storm. I then spoke on Genesis 1:1-2, sharing how we are all created by God and without Him we are without form and void and have darkness upon the face of our deep places. Eleven souls came forward with nine wanting to receive a touch from God for their storm and two who came weeping to ask the Lord for salvation in the Name of Jesus! Isn’t our God awesome?!
            During this Christmas season we come to remember the best gift of all: Jesus, who came to be born and to die on a cruel cross and rise again on the third day. That helps us to keep things in their proper perspective. As we look forward to the New Year of 2010 it is important for His people to be encouraged, to walk in hope and obedience. Is it easy in these trying times? The answer is: NO! Is it worth it? The answer is a resounding YES! He does give joy for the journey! We want you to know that while God’s people are pressed on every side (2 Corinthians 4:8-9) and while we have found our current estate to be challenging on many different levels we have found Him to be faithful in every way! He has given us strength, hope, peace, wisdom, fellowship, the gift of laughter and His boundless, amazing grace! The awesome part is that we only need grace for today and when tomorrow comes we can ask our Heavenly Father again for the grace that is needed and He will give it to us (Lamentations 3:21-25). Be blessed in this coming New Year and walk in expectation of Him.
            BE ENCOURAGED IN THE LORD! (Daniel 6:27)