Pause, Storm, Prayer, Release, Sweetness

I have slept really well the last few nights, but here it is at 1:30 AM and sleep is eluding me so might as well be productive. First, I just have to share a photo of the snow that came down this morning. It was beautiful and then gone, best kind!

Last weekend, I was sick with a cold and although I really didn't feel that bad, just very congested, I stayed fairly confined so as not to share my germs. It actually was a pleasant pause from "Martha-hood" and the "I gottas or I need tos", plus it gave me more time to sit at Jesus' feet, like Mary. The thought even ran through my mind that it might be a calm before a storm. The storm I had in mind was moving Mike and his having to adjust to a new place, new people, and new routine again. I had no idea the storm would be that we are back to no appropriate placement for Mike, pressures regarding finances again from District 19, and the stress of feeling so helpless.

I am forever grateful to all of you who have been praying for so long along with me and who doubled your efforts in the past few days during the, hopefully, worst part of the storm.  With the help of family and friends, I have written, they have edited, and today I mailed a letter to the Governor of Virginia asking for assistance. With the figures I currently have, it would actually save the Commonwealth of Virginia approximately $110,000 if money could be approved for Mike to go to a brain injury specific rehab facility in Virginia Beach compared with staying at CSH.

Tonight, tossing and turning in bed, I was reminded that several months ago a friend said something about millionaires giving away money. So, I grabbed my phone and asked Google about it and several sites came up about asking celebrities and millionaires/billionaires for money and how many of them are looking for causes to do just that with their wealth. I figure I may as well do some research into that also. It never hurts to write letters and ask.

Around mid-day yesterday I was on my knees, crying and asking the Holy Spirit to pray for me because I didn't know what else to say or ask from God. I was really at a loss, the burden was so heavy, the pressure too much, and despair was so close. I heard my phone jingle to notify me that I had a message, so I picked it up and had a beautiful, timely message from a sweet friend. She told me that she was praying for me and thinking/singing/praying the following verses for me:

Psalm 55: 22, 17 (Is a song they sing in their church)
Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee. He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. Evening and morning and at noon will I pray and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice.

Psalm 27:13, 14
I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.

I am so thankful that she followed the prompting of the Holy Spirit and sent me that message. It was God's word to strengthen my weary soul at that moment and I desperately needed to hear it. Waking up this morning, I had a feeling of peace, a sort of emptiness - not in a bad way, but like a release or that I really am doing all that I know to do. I'm giving it my best shot, trying not to hold anything back, even when it's out of my comfort zone.

I had a really good visit with Mike today. At first he kept looking at me and saying "no, no" then he stopped saying that and would only nod or shake his head while staring at me. Food is always a good "ice breaker" or diversion, so once I broke out the snacks and drink, he ate and then he seemed to be more comfortable and would talk a bit. I'm not supposed to take my phone in, but today I broke the rule so that I could show him photos of Aria and Watson. He really enjoyed looking at the photos and while we were sitting there, he put his arm around me. Very sweet. We read a newsletter from missionary friends, and then took turns reading tomorrow's Sunday school lesson out loud. He started to get antsy towards the end, but wanted to finish reading. There was still about 20 minutes until lunch, so we were going to play 2 hands of Phase 10, but after the first hand, he started sort of rocking back and forth and wanted to return to the ward to get ready for lunch.

I did tell him that I was doing all I could to get him into a better place and he asked me "What about the house?" (meaning Madison House) So I told him they had decided they could not take him, but that lots of us were praying for a better home for him. He did not get upset. I had been praying about this interaction as I know some of you were too, and I am so thankful that God paved the way and it was not traumatic.

Well, it is now almost 3:00 AM and I hope I can go back to bed and go to sleep.

It's Palm Sunday. 

Hosanna to the King of Kings! 

Jesus Christ is Lord! 

Celebrate His Majesty & Holiness!

Hope deferred

Proverbs 13:12

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life."

Dear friends,

Hope was deferred yesterday when I received an email stating that The Madison House had reversed their decision to take Mike. They have now determined that they cannot handle all of his needs and refuse to consider even a trial period. I am heartsick.

As I told the Bible Study group last night, if this is an attack from Satan, he can forget it. Jesus has already won the victory and I will not give up believing that God is in control, can be trusted and has a plan for Mike. I will continue to praise God and look to Him for answers. I will continue to believe that at some point our longing will be fulfilled. God knows what we are longing for and He loves Mike and wants the best for him even more than we do. Only God knows what any of that looks like, and I will trust Him.

I have determined that I need to pray and fast asking God for wisdom and discernment regarding the best place for Mike. I am planning to fast Thursday and Friday and ask that any of you who feel led to please join me in whatever capacity God leads you.

Also, please encourage Mike. If you live in the area go visit, or call me and we'll go together. Yes, it's sad and uncomfortable, but I believe an hour makes a huge difference to him. You can also write to him at: 

Central State Hospital

Bldg. 94, Ward 4

P.O. Box 4030

Petersburg, VA 23803

Thank you.

Jennifer

Our Anniversary

Today is our 31st wedding anniversary. Happy Anniversary to us! By God's grace, we are still one. All praise to Him in whom there is always hope! Our favorite color is green and in 1984, March 17 was on a Saturday. Very fitting. :-)  I love you, Mike.

Happy St. Patrick's day everyone!

Colossians 3:1&2
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

Road getting smoother

Thank you for praying. Today Pastor Randy, Karen and I went to visit The Madison House. Just before we arrived, I heard my phone ding, notifying me that I had a text message. When I looked at it, it was from Emily at District 19 telling me that the increased funding proposal had been approved! Thank you, Jesus!!

The Madison House has been in operation for 40 years and looks fairly good from the outside, but is an older building that needs updating and sprucing up inside. Some renovations and painting are being done, but it is going slowly as money is available, plus they have to work around 80-90 residents with varying mental or physical disabilities. Initially, my heart sank just from looking at the physical makeup of where Mike would be living. However, after talking with Ms. Webber and being given a tour by Ms. Ida, it became very apparent that even though this building lacks appeal to the eye, it has a very warm, stable, faith-based, family-friendly, & caring feel because the staff make it this way. This is their calling and passion and they view the residents as their family.

I don't remember how long Ms. Webber has been there, but she is there from 11am - 11pm Monday - Friday, very personable and available for questions. Ms. Ida, a small older woman, has been there 25 years and is the undisputed, "boss". Possibly lives there, because she said she was always there. (...unless that was a joke.) She also is very personable, but you can see that she runs a tight ship and keeps everyone in line. Rod, a younger man, is the 3rd floor (locked unit) supervisor and is there M-F during the day and every other weekend. I am so thankful for the longevity of the staff, and believe that will be a real benefit to Mike as well.

Mike will have a roommate. A gentleman who is a higher functioning dementia patient. Ms. Ida said the residents help look after each other and tell on each other too! The memory care unit has their meals on the 3rd floor. Many of the residents go to a day program M-F and we hope that Mike will be able to do that eventually also. I plan to go 2 times a week and spend several hours there. Ms. Ida said she never wanted set visiting hours. She wants people to feel free to come whenever they can. Ms. Webber said only about 15% of the residents have anyone come to visit them. I'm hoping that Mike and I can play games, read the Bible, sing, or in some way interact with some of the ones who are there during the day. Maybe Mike will be able to see this as a ministry to those who don't have outside family or friends.

Ms. Ida said when the weather is nice, they do take them outside or go to a park. There is really no yard. The drive way and parking lot makes a U around the building. I guess there was a grassy area right in the front by the street, but the ones who smoke or who were sitting outside were by the parking lot. The Presbyterian Seminary is 1 or 2 blocks away and a friend said that's a nice place to walk. I'll be comfortable going to The Madison House during the day, but would not want to be out there by myself at night.

We also met Fred who started a ministry there and has a worship service there every Friday night. He was funny - he said the 3rd floor residents are his greatest worshipers. He said if he pauses to take a breath, they take over! An Elvis impersonator is coming to sing for them next week. Ms. Ida said "James Brown" lives on the 3rd floor and don't bother trying to tell him anything different! Although Ms. Ida runs a tight ship, she knows that sometimes you just have to let the residents "be" (i.e. sit in the bathroom, be "James Brown", don't be too rigid or demanding)

All in all, I came away much encouraged. I am so thankful that God is included in this house and the staff make it feel like a home. I believe this will be a good fit for Mike and he needs to move.

Mike was rather "off" at CSH this afternoon. The nurse had come and told me that she was trying to get him to come see me, but that he was reading. He eventually did come, but was having a hard time breaking out of the "no, no, no", seemed worried and became teary-eyed several times. I'm not sure if he was just a bit upset that I interrupted him or frustrated that he was stuck, or what. I told him that everything had been approved for him to move to The Madison House and hoped that would get him unstuck, but then he just remained slightly upset and started saying "I'll stay at the Madison hou, I'll stay at the Madison hou..." I asked that his supper be brought to us so that I could stay with him longer. I cuddled up next to him, rubbed his arm and started reading the Bible to him and he began to relax. His food came and he ate well. He had brought his book with him so after he ate, he wanted to read, so it was time for me to go. At least he was not worried and teary-eyed anymore and he was enjoying the book.

New request:  Please pray for our son, Caleb, he was rear-ended yesterday, has a concussion, headache and is sore and hurting today in his neck and shoulders. He did go to the ER last night and is going to another doctor tomorrow to be checked out more thoroughly. Thankfully the woman who hit him has insurance. His was an older car and will probably be deemed "totalled", so he'll be looking for another car also. Thank you.

So many of you have been such faithful prayer warriors and I am very grateful. How can I pray for you? Feel free to email me at mcjrrice@gmail.com. It is wonderful to be in the family of God and a privilege to be able to pray. Go with God and be blessed today by His abiding joy.

Bump in the Road

Quick update:

I received an email yesterday from the CSB saying that the Madison House had requested more money in order to care for Mike than was originally requested.  Therefore, a new proposal was drafted and submitted to the DAP team for approval. Evidently after reviewing Mike's case further, they requested additional funds in order to provide one-on-one care for Mike, for which I am grateful. Am trusting that God's hand is in this and His Will will be done.

Mike had another fall today. He's OK, but has another bump on his head. His balance has been off ever since the accident, so if he is pushed, he is not able to stabilize himself. He rarely tries to break his fall with his hands either, so always seems to hit his head. Please pray that he does not have any more incidences and falls. It's so distressing. He really does need the one-on-one supervision to keep him from bothering other people and receiving adverse reactions to his assertive actions.

Thank you for your prayers.

Timely Mercy

"All is well if it is in God's hands."

This morning during my time with the Lord, I looked back at what I had written yesterday morning in my journal. "All is well if it is in God's hands." (C.H. Spurgeon) How fitting that quote was for the answer we received yesterday concerning the DAP funds!  Honestly, yesterday morning I was having trouble staying awake while reading and couldn't even remember what I read. So I went back this morning and read that page again and it was all very timely. I want to share a bit more of it with you:

Title:  God's Timing
"Just when we need a mercy, and when the mercy is much more a mercy because it is so timely, that is when it comes. If it had come later, it might have been too late, or at any rate it would not have been so seasonable and thus not so sweet.   Who knows what is the right time? God, who sees all at a single glance, knows." (Beside Still Waters: Words of Comfort for the Soul by C.H. Spurgeon)

May this encourage you today.

DAP FUNDING APPROVED!!!!!

I received word during my lunch hour today that the DAP funding has been approved for Mike to go to The Madison House!! PRAISE THE LORD!!!  No details yet, but hopefully Mike will be able to transfer to The Madison House within the next two weeks.  I am so very thankful to God for this answer to prayer and so thankful to each of you, my dear, dear prayer warriors.

I am especially grateful to be getting him into a smaller place since he's had several incidences in the past 2 weeks at CSH. Mike had received his new glasses a couple of weeks ago, but just a few days after receiving them, he grabbed another patient, they pushed him and he fell and broke his glasses. The fall also caused him to receive a small cut above his left eye which required 3 stitches.  There was another incident this week and this time he fell and needed a few stitches on the back, upper right side of his head. His balance has been off ever since the accident and he's just not aware that he is bothering other people. He has a very strong grip also, and I used to have to pry his fingers off of me when he was in that mode.

I will keep you posted as I learn more details. I am very hopeful about this move and, yes, a bit anxious also. Please pray that all the details get worked out in the proper sequence and time and that Mike will transition well to this new "permanent" place.  I have spoken with Dr. Hammond, part owner and, I believe, a psychologist, and he seems to be a very calm and caring man. They are taking Mike at a reduced rate because Mike "captured" Dr. Hammond's heart. (I believe our Awesome God had a lot to do with that!) Dr. Hammond said Mike was "in and out" during their interview, but he just wanted to do this for Mike and our family. Totally of God and I am so thankful.

Job 37:5 

"God's voice thunders in marvelous ways; 

He does great things beyond our understanding."