Phoebe

Phoebe is on her way to recovery but is still in need of prayer over a few issues. Here is a snippet from her blog An Atypical Miracle

...Phoebe has been feeling great and often comes to sit in her lawn chair and watch me in the garden. Her stamina still isn’t 100%, but she is making progress. Her feet often hurt because of the way she walks these days. She lost quite a bit of muscle in her legs during her sepsis episode and it has caused her to have knock-knees and over pronate. In other words, she puts her weight on the inside (arch) of her foot and it causes a lot of discomfort. We are looking into getting her another pair of orthotics that fit lower on the ankle but address her over-pronating. 

Her kidneys are still dumping potassium and her liver still sustains some damage, so please pray for those two things. Life is sweet these days, busy and full of activity and all of the things we usually take for granted. Joy is in the small things that make up a life and we are soaking it all in.

Thank you all for praying for Phoebe and continuing to ask after her,

Romans 8:26 ESV 
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

Thanks for continuing to pray for these precious children.

Blessings,
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Prayer & Praise

Romans 8:26 NIV

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 through wordless groans.

Prayer is needed for Easton and a 5 month old baby and father who were shot. Thanks!!

PRAYER

BABY AND FATHER SHOT! 

CHICAGO — A 5-month-old girl and her father were shot Monday afternoon as the man changed the baby's diaper in Woodlawn, authorities said.
The baby was rushed to Comer Children's Hospital at the University of Chicago, said Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford. Relatives gathered there identified the baby as Johnylah Watkins. She's the daughter of 25-year-old Jonathan Watkins and Judy Watkins, 21, who herself was shot several months ago while pregnant with Johnylah.
The baby was in serious-to-critical condition, police said. A University of Chicago official said Johnylah remained in surgery as of 4:30 p.m.
Jonathan Watkins was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, police and family said, where he was in serious-to-critical condition. Police said he is a known member of the Gangster Disciples street gang.

Please click above link to read more, thanks!

Easton

Prayers please! Easton was rushed to the ER this evening when he passed out and lost consciousness twice, turned blue and seemed like he was hyperventilating. They are still waiting on blood cultures but right now he has rhinovirus&cronovirus. Xray was extremely cloudy so pneumonia is a definite. His blood gas level was 102+(intabation happens at 79+). Will keep you updated as I hear!!! Thanks for your prayers ♥ ~cousin Amy

PRAISE

Phoebe

Phoebe is on the upswing. Right after she received her platelets and blood transfusion yesterday, Nathan sent me a picture of her walking to the playroom! The difference in how she feels pre vs. post transfusions is really incredible. Blood is so important, and having the right amount of the right things in your blood makes you able to function properly. 

The best news is that her ANC (Advanced Neutraphil Count) is 30 today, which means that her immune system is revving up again and she could be headed home as early as tomorrow. It's wonderful to think this might be her last transfusion for a very long time, and that soon enough we can take her all around town and to church without worrying about her immune system! What a feeling that will be, to just be able to go places with our whole family intact. 

Eventually we will work towards weaning her off her ng tube, giving all of her meds orally, and teaching her that she has to drink despite her lack of thirst. We will also be setting up a set-caloric intake to help balance out her weight. There are still many challenges ahead, but having been through the last fourteen months, they seem minimal in comparison to chemotherapy and learning to swallow, breathe and walk again after sepsis. We can do it! She can do it! We have so much to be thankful for.

Here's to Phoebe coming home to stay!

~Amey

Thank you to all of you for intercessing for these sweet precious souls.

Blessings,
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Making Intercession

I encourage you my brothers and sister in Christ Jesus to pray all kinds of prayer to Father. We have the promise of the Holy Spirit to intercede for us as we pray, taking our prayers and bringing to Father what we cannot say.

Below is one of my morning devotionals from My Utmost For His Highest that really encouraged me. You can check out the devotional by clicking on the link.

We know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Romans 8:26

We realize that we are energized by the Holy Spirit for prayer; we know what it is to pray in the Spirit; but we do not so often realize that the Holy Spirit Himself prays in us prayers which we cannot utter. When we are born again of God and are indwelt by the Spirit of God, He expresses for us the unutterable.

"He," the Spirit in you, "maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God," and God searches your heart not to know what your conscious prayers are, but to find out what is the prayer of the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit of God needs the nature of the believer as a shrine in which to offer His intercession. "Your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost." When Jesus Christ cleansed the temple, He "would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple." The Spirit of God will not allow you to use your body for your own convenience. Jesus ruthlessly cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and said - "My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves."

Have we recognized that our body is the temple of the Holy Ghost? If so, we must be careful to keep it undefiled for Him. We have to remember that our conscious life, though it is only a tiny bit of our personality, is to be regarded by us as a shrine of the Holy Ghost. He will look atter the unconscious part that we know nothing of; but we must see that we guard the conscious part for which we are responsible.

Blessings,
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Pray in the Spirit

Ephesians 6:18 NIV

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And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

The Holy Spirit given to believers when they accepted Christ as their Saviour, gives direct access to God and we can pray what is on our heart and mind and know that God hears our prayers.

Romans 8:26 NIV
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.

This verse, Romans 8:26, brings me much joy. I have a hard time trying to express the message that lies inside of me, expressive words do not come easy. When I pray, sometimes I just don't know what to say and my prayers can jump all over the place. But I have the reassurance that the Holy Spirit will take my deepest emotions and the yearning that lies inside and will bring it to the Father with groans that words cannot express.


Ephesians 3:11 NIV
In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

Through Jesus Christ we have the freedom to come into the presence of God our Father and ask for direction, guidance and lift our brothers and sister who are in need up to God. The Holy Spirit will intercede for us and make our prayers line up with the mind of God.

1 Corinthians 2:15-16 NIV

The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgements, for,

“Who has known the mind of the Lord 

   so as to instruct him?”

 But we have the mind of Christ.

Believers who are submitted to Jesus Christ and follow in His footsteps have the mind of Christ because the Spirit intercedes for us and sets us on the right path.

Pray and ask for the things of God, God will answer. Not in our way but in His perfect, wholly complete way.

Praise God!
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