Anyone have a pencil?

I'm having one of those weeks where you never quite feel like you can get ahead. I'm a scheduler by nature (as was my mom). If there is an event, it goes on the calendar. Along with it will most likely come a list of things to pack or bake, stores to go to and whatever else would need to get done in order for the event to go smoothly. It's just how I'm wired I guess. I'm flexible in the sense that I know that things change and my calendar has to adjust for certain unforeseen situations. But this week, I'm just on the verge of throwing my calendar out the window and starting a new one for the rest of the year. Yes, I realize it's not even April, but there are so many things crossed out, written over and scribbled on my little calendar (in pen) that it makes me almost physically ill to look at it. We've had some changes to Chris' schedule which changes my schedule and so on, and so on. I like order. I realize we are in a digital age and if I got a blackberry or something I wouldn't have to scribble, I can just delete. I'm not there yet. There's something about holding a piece of paper.

I'm running out to buy a pencil now.

The Midnight Rip

It was 3 nights before our wedding. The clock read midnight. My eyes were shutting quickly and my mind was racing. So much to do... so little time. I had just worked a full day in NYC and had spent the evening with my fiance over at the wedding venue to finalize plans for our special day. All I wanted to do, was wash my face, close the blinds and crawl into bed before another busy day was upon me.

I quickly moved about my bedroom, anxious to just collapse. I had just picked up my wedding dress the day before and it was hanging on a hook on the back of my bathroom door, along with my veil. Up until that night, the veil had been in a bag, but I was letting it hang in the open so it wouldn't wrinkle and would be all set for the big day.

For some reason that night, one of the vertical blinds would not properly close. My bedroom got lots of sunlight, so I always wanted to make sure the blinds were closed so it would remain dark in the room for as long as possible. So, here it is midnight, and I was in no mood to be fighting with the blind. I tried my best to get it to go back in its proper place, but no matter how I tugged on it, it just wouldn't align. I was ready to break the thing off and probably would have if it were my own house. So, I decided the best thing to do was to fully extend the blind which would then put it back in it's proper place. Fine. So, I extended it out, twisted it and then released it.... only to hear a ripppp!

My heart stopped. What was that??? I turned around to see that my beautiful veil was the victim of my brilliant plan. There were two holes.. in my veil... three days before my wedding. No one to blame except myself. So, I did what any bride-to-be would do with a torn veil at midnight three days before her wedding. I cried... then called my fiance. He was sympathetic and I think relieved to know that his hysterical wife-to-be wasn't injured in a car crash. I think he was more than bewildered as to why I was sobbing about this torn veil. So, he did what any male would do... try to come up with a solution. His suggestion, you may ask? Tape. I know he meant well and grant it, he is not an expert in the field of wedding apparel. I told him that I knew for a fact that tape would not solve this problem. He tried to assure me that no one would notice. But I would know! I couldn't even begin to imagine walking down the aisle with a torn veil. Someone would see it, but more importantly, I would know that it was torn. I finally calmed down enough to fall asleep and figured I would just have to deal with it in the morning. The entire evening I had dreams of me walking down the aisle with everyone looking and whispering about my torn veil.

Thankfully, the problem was solved the next day when my sister's friend (who was a seamstress) was able to repair the veil and no one was any the wiser. Hmm.. just remembered that a good friend of mine used my veil last week in her wedding. I don't think I mentioned this story to her. LOL. Well, I guess she heard it now!!

Five On Friday

Five Books On My Bedside Nightstand:

1) The Applause of Heaven - Max Lucado -- a study on the beatitudes... I'm hooked from page one.

2) The Strong-Willed Child - Dr. James Dobson -- awesome stuff, even if your child is not what you would consider "strong willed"

3) The Total Money Makeover - Dave Ramsey -- You may know Dave from Fox News. Love him and his show. Good, practical advice on finance (with a Christian perspective as well!)

4) One Tuesday Morning - Karen Kingsbury - one of my favorite authors. This particular series is about 9/11. Haven't started it yet, but will do so soon.

5) Perfecting Your Purpose - Dr. David Ireland (my senior pastor) - awesome 40 day journey on knowing and pursuing your God given purpose in life.

Just talking about the books is making we want to go do some reading. Have a wonderful weekend.

The Gift

Close your eyes and picture the best gift you have ever received. It was probably nicely wrapped and given to you by someone very special. Do you remember how that gift made you feel? Is it proudly displayed in your house, or something that you use every day? Maybe it is very delicate and something that you only bring out on special occasions. Perhaps it has a certain texture, taste or smell. Whatever that special gift is, I'm sure you were very thankful and grateful to the person who gave it to you. Even more so, I'm sure that you treat that gift with great care. Making sure it doesn't break or get damaged. Using it with care. Treating it with all the love that tends to go towards things of great worth. Maybe it's not an expensive item, but because of it's meaning to you, it's very, very special.

The other day I was behind a very beat up old car. It had definitely seen better days. The paint was faded, it had several dents in it and basically looked like it was ready to stall at any given time. On any other day I probably wouldn't have noticed it on the road. However, I was stuck at a red light behind it, and something on the rear bumper caught my eye. A simple bumper sticker with what I assumed would be a worthless message. As I squinted to make the words out, I was surprised to find these words on the faded sticker "Children are a gift from God". I found it so odd that on this beat up old broken down car, would be a message about Children being a gift from God. It looked out of place almost. But then I got it. Sometimes I am like that beat up old, broken down car that looks out of place. My engine (my heart) is not functioning quite right if I haven't had my quiet time with God; I could be in desperate need of an oil change (attitude adjustment) and perhaps a little fixing on the outside (how I speak to others) couldn't hurt. But even in that state, when I'm not looking pretty inside or out, I'm still a child of God and more importantly, God has given me the gift of a child. My son is a gift. How am I treating that gift? Think back to the gift you pictured before. Are we treating our children like a prized possession, taking great care of their needs? Or are we quilty of treating them well on special occasions or when we "feel" like it. Do our moods dictate our actions or are we loving at all times? For some reason, this old car just really challenged me to take better care of my special gift. Not that I haven't been taking care of him, but making a more conscious effort to value, love and let my little gift know that he is loved by me and his Dad and most importantly, by his heavenly father.

May all your "gifts" be blessed today.

Fruit

Spring is in the air for sure. It's finally approaching the upper 50s/low 60s and I can't wait for warmer weather to be here. I decided to book a little "get away" with my little guy so we are heading down to FL for a few days in April. Can't wait to jump in the pool and hang out with my dad and my sister and her family. It's going to be wonderful. My hubby is staying behind this time, but we'll vacation with him later this year. Can't believe we'll be celebrating our 6th wedding anniversary next weekend. Time is flying by.

Something funny happened with my little guy this week that I thought I'd share. For some reason, my son is in a stage where the only underwear he will put on are those that have the Fruit Of the Loom logo on it. That would have been nice to know before purchasing all the underwear with his favorite characters on it which do not have the famous fruit logos inside of them. Thankfully I have enough of them so I don't have to do lots of laundry to keep the undies fully stocked in his dresser. It's just funny how kids gravitate towards certain things. This week we've been talking a lot about sharing. Our conversation went something like this:

"Mommy, are you wearing Fruit of the Loom (FOTL) underwear?"
"No, I'm not."
"Mommy, you need to wear FOTL underwear. You can wear some of my underwear. I'll share it with you. "
"Thanks, honey, but Mommies wear different underwear than you and Daddy."
"Well, I bet they sell FOTL for mommies. We should go out and buy you FOTL. You'll like it."

I guess I know what my little guy is going to buy me for my birthday next week....

House Praise Report

I have been meaning to write this post for a long time, but life and trials and other issues have distracted me. I couldn't wait another day because I need to thank God in advance for what he is doing in a certain area of our lives....our Florida home. It's been a long road and I'd like to share some of the journey with you.

Many of my friends and some family members are on this journey with us. They, too, have homes that are on the market and we are all praying for each other. I received a call several months ago from one of these friends. Her townhouse had been on the market for about 3 months and I have been joining her in earnest prayer that her house would sell. She was very excited on this particular day because she had a very promising lead. A potential buyer was coming back to look at her property a second time and was pre-approved for the mortgage. This was wonderful news for her and I was sincerely happy for this answer to prayer.

A little while later, though, the little thoughts crept into my head... "why is it her house and not yours? Why is God blessing her and not you?" Am I alone in this, or don't we do that sometimes? I know these thoughts are not of God and I know exactly who is behind them. The devil loves nothing more to pull you away from God and from believing that he can do anything - even sell a house in a crummy economy. I had to put negative thoughts away and just remind myself that God's timing is perfect for each situation.. it's not first come, first serve.

We've had our share of ups and downs with this real estate market (to say the least!). We had an offer come in, but the man was not pre-approved so our Bank would not accept the offer as it needs to when dealing with short sale on a home. (A short sale basically means that the sale price and value of our home is lower than the existing mortgage on the property. The seller does not walk away from the sale with any monetary gain.)

I knew deep in my heart that God had been working on the sale of our house long before we even had it on the market. He knew the plans he had for us, the move from FL to NJ and all that it would entail. I firmly believe that he wanted to see if we were willing to leave it all behind and follow him. Were we willing to trust him to sell our home in an unsellable market in order to pursue the plans he had for us? I was thinking of the disciples in the Bible who were told to leave all that they had and follow him. No time to go home and say goodbye to family, or to tie up loose ends, just to go. That's obedience and trust. I think sometimes one of the hardest things God calls us to do is to believe without seeing.

Trust me, it took everything I had on some days to remember that God was in control no matter what as we watched the sale price drop by close to $100,000 over the past year. But God is bigger than a price, people. God doesn't promise us to answer our prayers on our timetable, at our convenience or in the manner that we necessarily will like. It doesn't work that way. All I need to do is ask and believe that he is already working on the answer.

Since January, we've received three offers on our FL home!! The third one just came in yesterday and it was higher than the first two (a little bidding war on our short sale). We are just on waiting for the bank to accept one of these offers.

Please continue to lift us up in prayer during this time that God will have his way with this situation. Thank you to all of you who have been on this journey of prayer for the last 14 months.

Five On Friday

You would think that I would have conquered NYC having lived in and around NYC for the majority of my life. Here is a list of five things I have still have not done in the city that never sleeps...

1) Dined at Tavern on the Green
2) Taken a helicopter ride around the city
3) Gone to the Thanksgiving Day parade
4) Visit the Guggenheim Museum
5) Wait in the TKTS line for tickets to a broadway show (although I have been to broadway shows... but not until I was 30 years old !! I'm not making that up.. how sad is that? Let's just say I've been making up for lost time and saw a whole bunch a few years ago.)

How about you? Any things on your list of places still to visit in NYC?

Special Visitor

We've been blessed to have so many friends and family come to the hospital to visit Domingo these past few trying weeks. One guest in particular caused quite the "stir" in the hospital. To us, he's just a great friend and one of my husband's dearest friends. To a large population, he is the anchor of one of NY's morning news shows (out of respect for his privacy I'm not naming names). For those of you who are wondering how we happen to know him, my hubby's worked all over the country for several major networks as News Director. Anyway, it had been a while since we had socialized with this anchor in a public setting, so it was funny to see people coming up to him in the hospital cafe, taking pictures with their cell phones, and complimenting him on his work, etc. I'm sure it was the last place they expected to see him. He's such a great guy and he was very gracious. Instead of giving autographs, he actually wrote the names of his fans down on a napkin and gave "shout-outs" to them during the next morning broadcast that he anchored. They were over the moon about that!

Anyway, after spending some time in the cafe, we went with our friend and his wife up to the critical care unit so he could see Domingo. Once there, Christopher presented them each with a sticker from his beloved "Cars" themed sticker book. If you haven't read about his sticker habit, you can read about it here. Every nurse, doctor, technician, visitor and family member was a target for a sticker. Even Domingo's hospital gown was adorned with them. So, we all had a chuckle seeing our friend, this broadcast journalist and his pregnant wife, adorning their stickers. Oh, and did I mention that Chris put the sticker smack dab in the center of her protruding belly? Very cute.

Many hours later, this friend called our cell phone to tell us that after they left us, they ran some errands and went to Babies R Us to purchase a gift for a baby shower they were attending later that day. As they were paying for their merchandise, the cashier said to them: "Um.. I'm not sure if you are aware of this, but you both have stickers on your shirts!" They both laughed so hard. How funny is that! I'm not sure if this cashier recognized him or not, but it is funny regardless. They'll never forget their visit to the hospital or the gift that Chris gave them. It was priceless - a very light and funny moment in the midst of the storm.

Miracles From God

I have so much to be thankful for and only one person to thank: God Almighty. I'm so excited as I type this. My father-in-law, Domingo, is being moved from the critical care unit to a regular hospital room today!!! He continues to do well. He is working with a therapist at the hospital to gain more mobility in his right side. He is alert, is breathing on his own and can respond to us through nodding his head, and squeezing our hands. We are praying that he will be able to talk again soon as well. It is truly a miracle from God. Hopefully he will be transferred to a rehab center soon - I believe they are just waiting for him to have some more mobility before they can do so.

Our family is giving God all the praise. Domingo has a mighty army of people around the world fasting and praying for his complete healing. Thank you all for the many notes of encouragement and prayers that you have offered up not just for Domingo, but for me, Steve and the rest of our family.

UPDATE 1:29 pm - There was no room for Domingo on the regular hospital floor, so they are transferring him to the rehab center today!! This is a wonderful step toward his complete recovery, so we are thrilled that he's going to be able to go there.

Come Sit Down and Take A Load Off

"Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." Matthew 11: 29 (NKJV)

I know that Jesus can carry my burdens. But do I always let him? Do I try to carry it for a while first and then when I am so frustrated because there is nothing I can do about the situation, finally turn it over to Him? He wants to carry my burdens: the ones I know about, and even some burdens that I don't know about. Can you remember a time when you felt peace during a particularly difficult trial that you couldn't possibly explain? That's God carrying your burden. He can lift our anxiety and stress and problems off of us and onto his shoulders. He can replace our worries with peace.... if we can just get over ourselves enough to realize we can't do it ourselves and just trust God. Trust Him with ALL you are facing today.

Faith

Our pastor shared a great acronym regarding Faith yesterday:

F ull

A ssurance

I n

T he

H eart

May you have full assurance in your heart today that God is in control.

Update on Domingo: Today he is going to be evaluated by the rehab center. Please continue to pray that his motor skills will continue to improve, that he will regain his gag reflux and that he'll be able to talk again soon. Also, we discovered yesterday that his vision is blurry. Thanks for your prayers, your faith joined with ours and your love!

Busted!

I've had a secret for a few months that I've kept from my son. I'm not sure what he thought I did for those 3 blissful hours I have 3 days a week while he is in preschool. Most times I'm home cleaning, doing laundry and other domestic chores. Sometimes I go to the library, spend time catching up with friends on the phone or just doing what I'm doing now..writing on my blog or chatting on facebook. However, my best kept secret from my son was that every now and then Mommy goes into a store WITHOUT HIM! Oh the audacity of it all!! How wonderful it is to walk into a store and not have to first make a pit stop at the restroom and then on the way to pick up whatever item we need, make a side trip to the toy department, video department, and whatever else may catch his eye that day. If it's Costco we are in, you can be sure that there will be a purchase of a smoothie for little guy during the trip. On days I shop by myself, I can actually relax, take a leisurely stroll, look at cards, go down the "delicate" aisle without fear my little guy will lunge for some breakable item.

Well, this glorious quiet time was my little secret until the other day. On Wednesday I went to Target while little guy was in school. The problem was, we were heading down to the hospital immediately after I picked him up from school and I had some bags in the trunk. When we arrived at the hospital, I had to get into the trunk to retrieve an item and he saw the bag.

Mommy! You went to Target... without me???
Yes, honey. Mommy had to pick up some things.
Mommy, you don't go to the stores without me.
Yes, honey. Sometimes Mommy has to pick things up and sometimes I have to do it while you are not with me.
Mommy, do you always go to the stores while I'm in school?
No, only sometimes. Most times Mommy is at home.
Mommy, you don't buy things without me. Ok? (He meant things for him)
Ok. I'll try to keep that in mind.

I'm sure when I pick him up from school today, I will be asked 50 questions about how I spent my time. Who would have thought at my age, I'd still be accountable for my whereabouts.
Have a great weekend, everyone.

PS - Domingo update: he had the tracheotomy yesterday and all went well. He now has a feeding tube in his stomach. We are hopeful that this will greatly increase his comfort level. Please continue to pray that God will continue to perform this miracle in his body.

Promises, Promises

Don't you hate it when someone promises you something and then doesn't follow through?? Ugh!! This is certainly disappointing on adults, and I remember being devastated as a child when plans had to change and a promise could not be kept.

This hymn came to mind yesterday as I was driving back from visiting my father-in-law at the hospital. God never breaks a promise...ever! Every promise he makes is for each of us! Hope this hymn stays with you and encourages you today. Please pray for Domingo today as he has a tracheotomy today.

Every promise in the Book in mine
Every chapter every verse, every line;
All the blessings of His love divine,
Every promise in the Book in mine

Do You Have Your Walking Shoes On?

Did you ever wonder what it would be like to have God tell you exactly how your life was going to turn out? I remember as a little girl, I would look out my bedroom window in Queens, NY and wonder where my life would lead me. Some days it seemed the decisions were too big to make... what college to go to (a college in NY or far away), what to major in, what church to attend, whom to date and marry, what job offer to take, etc. It's endless. There are many roads to travel. It seemed overwhelming and many times I wished that someone would just pick it for me... tell me where to go or what to do. Take the pressure off of me. Take the fear of failure away.

But God doesn't operate like that. He wants us to seek him for direction and guidance. Not just in the big, life changing decisions. But in the little day to day things too. I have learned to trust him with my life. Do you believe that he can guide your every footstep? When you learn to ask him to be a part of every decision in your day, it may surprise you as to what opportunities and adventures he presents to you. Now, it may lead you down some very interesting roads...even some painful roads...but a road walked with Jesus is always on a path filled with mercy, grace, forgiveness, freedom, salvation, redemption and love. May today be a great day as you walk with the Lord.

Psalm 16:11 You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Update and Story

Quick praise report and then a story that's been on my heart. Domingo was able to slightly move his paralyzed arm and the neurologist felt resistance in the arm last night! Praise the Lord! We are just amazed at God's goodness and how he is working in Domingo's body. Please continue your prayers.

A few months ago, Chris was not using kind words when talking to me... just being bossy as 5 year old tend to do. I asked him if that is how Jesus wants him to talk to me and he said, " Mommy, I don't want to talk about Jesus right now." He knew that speaking to me like that was not something Jesus would approve of, but rather than repent and move on, he wanted to brush Jesus aside and continue in the behavior. It was funny at the time, but lately I've been thinking more about it.

Isn't that how we are with sin sometime?? We know what we are doing is wrong and not something God would want us to be doing, but that doesn't stop us. We continue in our sin and push God away. Maybe brush him into a corner where we think he can't see what we are doing. Maybe we stop picking up our Bible as often or praying like we should. Perhaps we find time for everything and everyone else and then tell God we are just too busy to find time for him. Who are we fooling???

Someone in my Bible Study once said that their prayer for their kids is that if they ever start down a road that is not of God and they are sinning or maybe in jeopardy of making some bad decisions, that they will get caught in their sin and that they will quickly repent and be put back on the right road. A former pastor of mine said that he and his wife actually laid hands on their sons car while he was in a period of rebellion and prayed over that vehicle that their son would be removed from danger, bad influences and that the Lord would watch over him. As parents, we have to be on the offensive. I'm not sure why this has been on my mind..maybe someone needed to hear this. Or maybe I'll just need this reminder down the road.

Blessings

Hi everyone... I decided to post 2x today...something on the "lighter" side and then an update on my Father-in-law. Thanks so much for all those emails I received with scriptures!! I truly appreciate it. Domingo is making improvements. He is able to nod his head, open his eyes momentarily, and has pretty good motion with his "good" sides of his body. He can understand conversations and can reply yes or no by giving you a thumbs up and down. The doctors are pleased with what they are seeing and we are still praying and believing for a full recovery. God is awesome and we give him all the glory for the progress he is making each day.

Thanks everyone!!

Yep, I'm a Hard Worker

One of my SIL (sisters-in-law) sent my little guy a wonderful book called "God's Wisdom for Little Boys" which is a collection of virtues from Proverbs that little boys should strive for (Cheerful, Friendly, Truthful, Wise, Responsible, etc) . Each day my little boy has me read one of the virtues to him (it's a short little poem and the corresponding bible verse). The other day he said to me, "Mom, you are Hard Working" (the virtue I had read to him the day before). Melted my heart (and was so glad that he noticed how hard Mommy does work at home!).

When You Don't Have the Words...

Sometimes I feel like I'm out of words and don't know what to say.... Thank God I can just call on the name of Jesus.

Hope you enjoy this video/song.

What Can I Do

Many people have asked me what they can do to help us out during this trying time. Well, today I thought of something. It's quick and relatively easy and will help in ways you will never fully comprehend. All I'm asking is that you leave a comment for me with either a healing scripture or favorite scripture in times of trial. If you'd prefer to email me privately you can do so at [email protected].

If you've never posted a comment, it's easy to do. Just click on Post A Comment, enter your text in the box and click on the button that says Anonymous. The computer will prompt you to enter the words you see and it should work. If not, just email me.

Domingo has Pneumonia and his heart beat is slightly irregular. He's been put on some new medication to regulate his heart and is on medication for the pneumonia. The doctors say he's not out of the woods yet, and all this added things on top of the massive stroke, make things complicated. We assure them we understand, but God is ultimately in control. God's working on the hearts of the doctors and nurses in that hospital and we are thrilled to be a part of it. We've been able to pray with many other families who seem to have no hope. We thank God each day for what he's doing for Domingo and the strength that your prayers give us.

Much love to you all!

His Mercies Are New Every Morning

What a difference a day makes. Yesterday Domingo did not look good at all. He was unresponsive and it was heart wrenching. Today when I walked into the Critical Care Unit, I instantly noticed that he looked better. His color had improved, his breathing was better and his fever had broken. I walked over to him and announced that I was there, gave him a kiss and grabbed his "good" hand and he squeezed it hard! Praise God. Steve & I decided that he looked well enough for Chris to see him. We explained to him what he would see as far as all the tubes hooked up to his grandfather. He walked right in and gave his grandfather a kiss and when Chris grabbed his good hand, he squeezed it. I even saw a little tear coming out of his eye although his eyes were closed. We then had a prayer vigil by his bed with all his children and Chris holding hands. We anointed him with oil and, in true pentecostal fashion, demanded the blood clot to be dissolved. The nurse was in the room the entire time, but you know us, that didn't hinder us one bit.

Not ten minutes later, we could visibly see more movement and activity in his left side (his good side) The nurse came in and started asking him to move each finger individually on his left side and he did it. Then she asked him to wiggle his left foot and he could do that. The clincher was when she asked him to give a thumbs up and he did that. That proved to her (and us) that he could hear us and follow instructions. He was responsive again!! We give God all the glory for that. What a witness to that nurse. We were very encouraged today and are thanking each of you for your part in praying for him and for each of us. We feel those prayers and are seeing God at work. We are excited to see this improvement. The CAT scan today remained the same as yesterday, but that is a good sign - meaning that his brain is not swelling worse than it was. His vital signs are good. Steve is spending the night by his father's bedside so keep him in prayer.

This verse spoke to me so much yesterday: "My whole being follows hard after You and clings closely to You; Your right hand upholds me" Psalm 63:8. What a thought that even though Domingo's entire right side is paralyzed, God is upholding him with HIS right hand. What an awesome God.

Keep praying!!

Update - Thursday

Domingo remains in critical condition. He has a brain embolism and his brain is swollen. He is not responsive. Please continue to pray for him and for us during these difficult and trying days. Also, please pray for my sister-in-law Shirley, who slipped on ice last night and injured her right arm. She's having it X-rayed this morning at the hospital. Your love and prayers are felt and are lifting us up. Thank you !!

Missionary At Large

I thought I'd post a story today about an experience we had with Christopher this past week. As I've mentioned, we came down over the weekend to visit my father-in-law who has been hospitalized. There has been no change in his condition since last evening. I was able to spend time with him, he squeezed my hand (with his non-paralyzed hand) and even opened his eyes a few times. He is a fighter and we can see that he's trying to communicate with us and to move that other leg and arm. Please continue praying for him (and us!).

Anyway, while in the hospital last weekend, I had packed Chris' backpack with all sorts of activities to keep him quiet.. I mean "happy and engaged" during the many hours we spent there. He did great! Really great for a 5 year old. As I mentioned in previous posts, one of the best activities for kids is the Crayola Color Wonder set. These markers only appear on Color Wonder paper and the markers won't get on your hands or furniture or anything. So, Chris happily colored lots of pictures and gave a few to my father-in-law, his aunt and uncle and me and my husband. The man who shared a room with my father-in-law at the hospital had a lovely wife who came up to Christopher and asked him if he would make one for her husband. He was excited! So he got to work, and the next day, happily walked over and was able to give the picture to the lady to pass on to her husband.

This must have triggered something in him. Before we knew it, he was drawing lots of pictures and then said to us "I have to find someone to give this to." So, he led my sister-in-law down the corridor of the hospital and selectively picked the person to receive his treasured picture. He just didn't walk into any room. It was the Holy Spirit guiding him to the right person. You could just see it. He would pause outside a room, and if he didn't get the prompting, he would walk away or just say "that's not it". It was awesome to see this little missionary having God lead him to who needed this little precious picture from a little boy. We gave quite a few pictures out that day and many of the patients were hooked up to breathing machines and couldn't verbalize their thank yous... but you could see it on their face and with their hand gestures. It was so heart warming as a parent to see this little boy 'get it". He may have been in the hospital to visit his grandfather...but he let God use him to minister to others in need as well. How awesome is that?

Update

Thank you all for praying for Domingo. We still need your prayers! He has had his surgery but has no movement in his right arm. He's going in for a CAT scan now. Please continue praying. I'll try to update again when I have more info.

Update at 4:00 pm -- I was just told that Domingo is paralyzed on his entire right side. Please keep us in prayer. I'm likely heading back down to the hospital in a little while. Will update when I can .

Prayer

Hi everyone -- seems like I'm requesting prayer a lot lately...not that you mind (I hope!) My father-in-law, Domingo, has had a few "micro" strokes in the last several days. He is scheduled to have surgery tomorrow morning (Tuesday). We have been down in South Jersey with him and the family for the last several days...and now we are snowed in!! The surgery was supposed to be today but the hospital changed it because they were afraid they would be very short staffed due to the snow today.

Please keep Domingo in your prayers. Thanks so much. I am blessed to be able to reach out to my much loved family and blog friends through this blog. Love you all!