Please pray for Karen

Karen has advanced cancer which is in every organ and affecting the bones of her ribs and back. Her pain continues to increase. She struggles to eat even a bit of food and has been losing weight daily. She has another bad infection. She is weak and exhausted from fighting. She is discouraged. She asks for prayers for pain relief and her attitude. Her husband Joe is suffering alongside her and also needs prayers. 

Unspoken Prayer Requests

There are lots of things I see in our family that could use some prayer. Some of our members are edging closer to the world and forgetting their faith, mostly to please others. I ask that you keep us in prayer. It's nothing overt. Just hints of things here and there. 

Spiritual warfare never ceases, and I know a lot of us are seeing it ramp up in these last days on earth. It's like our enemy and legions know their time is short so they are throwing everything they have into the battle. We can take hope and rejoice in the FACT that God never stops working on our behalf. God wins.

My love to all. We are praying for you too, dear reader whether you be family, close friends, new to the blog, acquaintances, or estranged family.

If you would like us to pray specifically for you and yours, please contact me through the email in the header.

Please pray for Karen

Karen, my friend in Oregon, has stage four cancer. She has been through quite a lot. Please keep her and her family in prayer. 

Prayers Please (Suffolk fire loss affecting small businesses)

https://www.wavy.com/news/local-news/isle-of-wight/fire-breaks-out-at-isle-of-wight-industrial-park/

This is a friend's building. Bobby is an incredible guy with a big heart. He shared that while he had insurance on the building, his 13 tenants did not have insurance. They will have to restart from scratch. For many of them, this was their livelihood. Please pray God makes a way for all of them so they can get back up and running asap. 

Please stop apologizing for prayer requests...

"I am sorry and feel so selfish for asking you to pray for this."

Please stop apologizing for prayer requests. If your child came to you with the same situation, would you think they were selfish? You should never feel selfish for asking for prayer. If it matters to you, it matters to our Father and should matter to your brothers and sisters in Christ. Philippians 4:6-7 tells us to take everything to Him in prayer.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Please pray for Scott

8/15: Scott is home from the hospital and is doing well. :-)

8/7: Scott was unable to meet with us while we were in New Jersey. We had the pleasure of meeting his wife and oldest son. Scott is still in the hospital. He had his third surgery. The first surgery was to do repairs to his back. The second and third have been due to the infections. When they performed the surgery this time, they found an infected muscle and bone degradation. The muscle can not be treated directly because of the blood vessels surrounding it.

The infection he has is not responding to the antibiotics they have used over the last several days. Doctors are trying to find one that will work. Scott is very discouraged that he has to go through the healing process a third time. He is a retired NYPD. Because of that, he is in a hospital in Manhattan which is a two-hour drive from where he lives in NJ. That distance is making it hard on him and his family. He thanks everyone for praying for him.

8/2: Please pray for Scott. He had back surgery, and it became dangerously infected. He was treated and declared cured of that. Sadly, he was just put back into the hospital today because it has come back.

This is the man we were supposed to meet with this weekend, so now we are waiting to hear if his son can meet us. He looked stiff, sore, and very tired when we met with him. Please pray for his healing. Scott was already very frustrated about the first infection which required a hospital stay with strong antibiotics followed by PICC line antibiotics at home. 

*****

8/3: One of his sons is going to meet us. I do not know if we will see the nurse or the teacher, but we will have the pleasure of meeting one of them. We will send Scott a can of local peanuts and a card to his hospital bed through his son. Thank you to all who are praying for Scott's health.

Parenting Can Be Challenging

I was told this was very helpful and encouraging. I removed everything that could be used to identify the situation for my friend's comfort and privacy. I share here in case someone else needs the encouragement that holding to boundaries is important and healthy for all involved. What encourages me is that this friend is old enough to be my parent and comforted and taught me when I was a child through my teen years. Now, I am able to comfort and pray for them. Christian relationships are so very beautiful and precious. I thank the Lord for these people and their influence on my life. If you feel led, please pray for this man and his parents. 

"I am praying with you for XXXXXX. You should not feel horrible for having boundaries and limits to protect your physical and mental health. When you stand your ground, not only are you protecting your own health, but you are protecting the health of your spouse. XXXXXXX's expectations of you (his parents) are too high and unhealthy. His expectations of himself are too low which is also unhealthy. 

I think one of the hardest parts of being a Christian parent is the be still and know that God is in control part. We do so much to raise our children that when it is time to sit back and let God work in their lives that it seems unnatural or wrong. Our hands do so much for our children that when it is time to place them in God's hands, we struggle so hard. I have that tendency to jump in and "fix" things which really messes things up. I have become better about waiting on the Lord but still have a long way to go. You do not need to feel horrible for placing Him in the Lord's hands. 

God is more than capable of helping XXXXXXX. God truly knows XXXXXXX's heart and knows if he is sincere about changing or not. God will parent XXXXXXX based on the truth of XXXXXXX's heart condition. That is one way God is the better parent for our adult children. I know you know these things, but it is so good to have them reinforced when we are struggling. 

You are doing the right thing. Boundaries are healthy and necessary. If you do not stick to what you say, the boundaries become very shaky and ill-defined which leads to more issues down the road. Parents having boundaries helps adult children to mature. You and XXXXXX gave him a Christian upbringing. He knows to turn to the Lord for his help. 

I am praying God takes any evil influences, people, places, or things out of XXXXXX's life and replaces them with 10x the godly influences, people, places, and things. I am praying XXXXXX hears the Lord's call on his life and desires God more than anything and anyone else. I am praying he quickly develops a strong and insatiable hunger for God's Word that lasts the rest of his life. These are the same things I pray over my children. I have a reminder in my phone to pray for XXXXXXX every day at 10:45 a.m. 

I love you both. You are my friends, mentors, and my brother and sister in Christ. I am thankful for your testimony in my life. -Wendy"

Safely Home from NJ and a Prayer Request for Mary Anne

We are safely home. Thank you to all who were praying for us as we traveled. We could tell prayers were being lifted on our behalf. The work and heavy long haul went very smoothly. Unbelievably smoothly!

We arrived home around 3 a.m. on the 6th. Yesterday saw us moving the largest load home. We had to leave that in a commuter lot overnight because it was too dark to navigate through the narrow opening of our driveway. We did that move on Sunday. Caleb did it effortlessly! His experience with heavy and wide loads was such a tremendous blessing to us.

Today, we are unpacking and preparing for me to leave for the next few nights so I can do some painting on a project I am finishing up for someone. We have the next project planned, but it will not take us from home so much.

While I am painting, I will start working out in my head an order of operations for that one. Clint has told me some of what he has to do, so I just need to figure out how and when we can get it done. When I get that loosely planned, I'll take it to Clint and then we will refine it together. Team Asbell continues to roll along on this wonderful journey called life. 

Please keep praying for our friend Mary Anne who has a very aggressive form of stomach cancer. She is having a hard time nourishing herself today. She is experiencing also some depression. She loved the gifts and card our family sent to her. We received a picture as a thank you which really made our day. 

Prayers for a Sweet Lady

A very sweet lady has been diagnosed with a very aggressive form of stomach cancer. Doctors say she has weeks. Please pray for her and her family. 

Prayer Requests

*****

Aug 24: Our dear Mama B is in the hospital with congestive heart failure. They are trying to pull fluid off with large doses of meds so she can breathe easier. She is the mother of a close friend and has been a mentor to me my entire life because of the way she loved and raised her girls. I modeled much of my parenting after her. She has encouraged Clint and me since we were dating and continued to do so throughout our marriage and parenting. Her husband is also not doing well due to lung issues. We texted a little with Mama B this morning. Please cover her, Papa B, and their family in prayer. Please pray for me as I try to support her daughter through this.

August 25: The Lasix is removing the fluid and she is breathing easier. 

August 27: They think something might be going on with her kidneys and are doing tests. 

The hospital she is at cannot do the tests on her kidneys, so they sent her home. She still has fluid and issues breathing. They gave her an O2 tank and told her to see a doctor. She had to call her daughter and SIL to come to help her because her husband is in too much pain to do it. We thought they would keep her until Monday, but she's been sent home. 

August 31: When Mama B stands up or moves around a lot, her O2 levels drop quite a bit. She and Papa B are alone because her daughter had to go home for a doctor's appointment. 

Sept 13: I won't give my opinions on the quality of healthcare. Mama B finally got an appointment had the u/s done on her kidneys.

Sept 23: Mama B does not have anything wrong with her kidneys. They are going to do a procedure to see if her new heart valve is leaking. From the numbers, she has an internal bleeding situation. Her blood is going somewhere.

October 19: She had the TEE procedure to see if she had a leaking valve. The doctor did not see any leaks. The cardiologist says he has done all of the tests he can to determine why her blood levels are indicating a bleed. He has referred her to a hematologist.

Nov 10 Both of them are having respiratory issues. She has bronchitis and is on a third antibiotic. He is having issues due to the condition of his lungs. 

Nov 18: Mama B is on her third different antibiotic. 

3/23/2023: Mama B is still struggling with blood loss but they do not know where the loss is occurring. She has been to several doctors and has made a few trips to the hospital. I have nothing good to report about how she has been treated. Last night, she was told they were going to admit her due to her very worn condition. They came back just a few minutes later and said they were sending her home because they did not have a room for her. 

5/2/2023: She has been to three hospitals in 18 days. She can barely walk, and someone has to walk with her to keep her from falling. The hospitals keep sending her home. At the last hospital visit, they treated her for two unrelated minor issues she didn't want treatment for and sent her home. This lady was medically injured during a heart procedure a few years ago. She has had one issue with her heart after another ever since. Her husband is dealing with his own medical issues and caring for her is exhausting him. Please pray.

3/3/2023: WOW! I asked those who come here to pray and stuff started happening! Thank you to all who prayed! God moved obstacles! A few hours after I posted here on the 2nd, the doctor from the ER called her and said he was looking at her numbers again and he did not like them. He had her come into the hospital early today to do a blood transfusion. They will wait a while and then give her a shot that will help her make red blood cells. Her kidney numbers were off too, so they are going to look at that. Finally, someone is looking at the issue for which she has been seeking help. They also were given a hotel room to stay in so they didn't have to drive so far so early in the morning. THANK YOU, FATHER!! Isn't the God who answers prayer good?! Doesn't prayer just amaze you?

May 12: She was put back in the hospital a few days ago because she was losing blood again. One of the doctors who has seen her recently thinks she is bleeding in her upper GI. Another thinks it is in her intestines. She was then transported to another hospital yesterday where she received 2 units of blood after her hemoglobin went from a 7.1 to a 6.6 in a matter of hours.  She is very weak, and cannot walk or even sit up. She can barely speak and sometimes she can't speak at all. Her skin has turned yellow. They are working to do some tests today to determine where the blood loss is going. This blood loss has been occurring for well over a year, and she has been trying since then to get testing done. She has complained numerous times that something was wrong with her stomach. She can feel it. Up to this point, only very minimal testing has been done. A few weeks ago, she said it is a shame she has had to fight so hard to get tests done to see where her blood is going. 

*****

Aug 5th: Please keep praying for Tim B. who was heavily burned and has been in a burn rehabilitation facility. He is hoping to come back to work this fall. 

Sept 14: No word from Tim B. 

October 12: Still no word from Tim. 

Octobeer 20: STILL no word from Tim or his family about what is going on with him. 

Nov 10: A coworker visited Tim. He is hoping he can get back to work in a month or two.

3/23/2023: Tim is still not back to work. No word on how he is doing.

5/2/2023: PTL! Tim is back to work on limited duty!

*****

5/12/2023: S is still able to work and is doing well.

5/2/2023: S continues to do well.

3/23/2023: S has been able to work some and continues to do well. I am due to get an update on how his latest scans look.

Nov 18:  S's scans show the very large mass has deflated. That is an answered prayer! He is still having some pain. Please keep praying for him and his family. 

Nov 10: He is handling the cancer treatments well and is feeling better. "He is doing great!" were the words his sister used in a text to me. 

October 19: Please cover him and his family in prayer.

Sept 23: A test showed the foot pain is caused by the cancer. They are going to do a PET scan to see if it is anywhere else in his body soon. He is in a motorized scooter due to mobility issues.

Sept 14: His sister is staying with him. He has mobility issues. He is going to the doctor for a scan because they think the foot pain is bone cancer. I do not cry a lot, but this situation has brought me to tears many times. 

August 31: The chemo and radiation are hard on him. He is not able to work.

August 24: They shared another picture with me. The cancer is definitely much, much worse and is oozing. Please pray hard for him and his family. He is still pushing through work each day and still has not told his father. 

Aug 2nd: S is a friend from middle school and high school. I am a long-time friend of his family also. He has metastatic squamous cell carcinoma and is having pain in his bones. He is in a lot of pain and is doing all he can to keep working for the business his family owns. He has not told all of his family yet. This prayer request has burdened my heart so heavily for months that I have not been able to even type the words until now. Please cover him and his family in prayer. Thank you!

I saw a picture of what his cancer looked like on the outside of his body months ago. I was told it is much, much, much worse now and that it is oozing. Please cover him in prayer.

*****

July 13th:

Please pray M, son of a family friend, who is in rehab for the fifth time. Please pray this time works miracles. M is home, working, and on medication. 

Update 8/24: M is still taking his medication consistently. Doctors think the strong THC may have altered his brain permanently. 

Update 8/28: M stopped taking his medication. He flushed it down the toilet. He wrecked his car and was arrested for trespassing. He is in jail. The family is dealing with serious health issues in two members, so they are just overwhelmed by this. Please intercede on M and his family's behalf.

Sept 14: This troubled young man is not taking his medication. He threatened to take his life. They moved him to a prison in Raleigh that has a ward to keep him safe. He goes to court Sept 22. With what I read online about the charges, he will have served all of his time which will allow him to be released after sentencing. That is very troubling for his family who is concerned about what he will do. Please pray hard God breaks through to him. The doctors and law enforcement said he may have damaged his brain permanently 

Sept 23: He has been released from jail due to his time being served. They have him on medication again. Please pray he stays on it and stays out of trouble. Please pray for his salvation.

October 13: He is working and doing well so far. Please keep praying.

October 20: He continues to work and do well. Please keep him in prayer. We are right in the time frame where he usually stops taking his meds and struggles very hard again. 

Nov 10: He is still showing up to work every day. They have his meds adjusted to optimal levels. The family says it is like they have the "old XXXXXX" back. 

3/31/2023: He continues to do very well and has been very serious about his faith.

5/2/2023: He has moved to a new area and is still doing very well.

5/12/2023: He is working and helping his mom pay bills.

*****

July 13: L. family friend, is losing his wife and his house. Distracted by all of that, he made a $77k mistake at work. The boss has not been informed yet. Please pray he does not lose his job and that God saves his marriage and home. 

Update: A walk-through inspection was done on the flooded unit, and there was NO damage! PTL!! Update 7/31: His wife has moved to another state. 

Update 8/24: Both L and his wife have made some bad choices. His wife caused an accident by texting while driving a while back. She was arrested for shoplifting just a few days ago. He was cited for public intoxication. Please pray for them, their marriage, children, finances, and jobs. Please pray my children who are around L will stand strong and influence L for the Lord. 

Nov 10: This situation continues to degrade. They are getting a divorce. Pray they stop drinking. 

3/31/23: They have stayed together and things look to be improving.

5/12/2023: They are still working on their marriage.

*****

October 20: Please pray for S. to give her life to Christ, get free of the drugs, and stop messing up with the law. We have prayed for her before, but here are a few more details to help target those prayers on her behalf. Her mother had a parade of men in her life, and one of them molested her. She is a sweet girl who struggles very hard mentally. Doing some dumb stuff. :-(

Nov 10: Please keep praying about this situation.

3/31/23: Please keep praying for her.

5/2/2023: The Lord gave me an opportunity to share a little of His Word with her. Please pray those "seeds" fall on fertile soil.

May the Lord bless you for the prayers you lift on behalf of our friends. How can we pray for you? Our email address is in the header.

Prayer Request: Fatal Motorcycle Accident

Darcy (a relatively new friend, Christian homeschooling mother of 14) and her husband Chad had just landed for their trip when their phones started working. They learned their 22-year-old SIL had been in a bad motorcycle accident. They immediately purchased plane tickets to go home to be with their daughter and family. The SIL did not make it. Please pray for Lucy and their two young boys as well as the rest of the family. Please pray for the Lord to enable Darcy to really help and comfort her daughter. She says it is excruciating seeing her child suffer so badly. 

Prayers Please - Car Accident

Update: She has mutiple injuries. Her foot was crushed and looked like "hamburger." (Yeah, ugh!) They have put it back together. She has screws and external fixation. She is recovering at home. She will be out of work for 6 weeks. A big truck (semi, I think) was doing an illegal U turn on the highway at night. She could not see him until a split second before she hit him at the 55 mph posted speed limit. She has a lawyer. If you can take her a care package to Windsor Blvd, lmk. We have sent her a card but would like to do something else like like a restaurant meal. 

February 12: A hometown friend was in a "serious car accident" yesterday according to another hometown friend who was the EMT. Those at the scene said it shook them up. That is all I know at this time. Please cover her in prayer.

Prayers for very close family friends

Please pray for a very close and very dear family friend who received very bad news about her father, mother, and son. I am the only person she has told other than her boyfriend who was there when the news came in. She is heavily burdened and heartbroken to the point she is very physically ill. It is like she has been body slammed and her lungs collapsed! She is gasping for air. She needs prayers for a voice, strength, peace, rest, and to keep herself firmly in agreement with God's Word. 

Dear Reader, Storms blow hard on this earth. They wreak havoc and try our hearts and minds. I think if we truly understood how hard the enemy is coming at us, we would take prayer so much more seriously. Please know, I consider it a big gift to me and my family and loved ones when you pray earnestly for us. Thank you so very much. Reach out to me through the email in the header or through Facebook to let me know how #TeamAsbell can join you in prayer also. If you ever need to talk, ask me for my phone number. I am here if you need someone to listen and team up with you in prayer. My love to all.

Prayers Please

One of our family members has been injured at work. They took a blow to the face that moved their teeth. They have seen a dentist and had their teeth put back into place. Clint came home to take them to the ER. Right now, they do not want their name published because they want to rest.

Please pray there is no concussion and that the blood supply to the teeth is still healthy.

Please pray for Bethany's and Winter's safety.

Chicago CTA riders on high alert as violence surges on Red Line

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3OVh0YBVps

Bethany has to ride this for half an hour each way to get to work. She often gets off very late at night. God is God anywhere, even in the big city, and can protect her. Thank you for any prayers you lift on behalf of Bethany and her friend, Winter.

Please pray for Mack

Update: Mack said PT is not going as well as he hoped. His legs are very weak. He's battling depression. Thank you for praying for him.

Our neighbor Mack had a fall during a construction job about a decade ago. He suffered spinal cord injuries and is caught between walking and not walking. The way he walks now puts a great deal of wear and tear on his body. He had to have surgery on his spine again. His incision is from the back of his neck to his tailbone. He is having a great deal of pain from where they took bone from his legs to use in his spine. He started PT today also. He requested prayer as he goes forward. 

Pray for Walter

Feb 27 a.m.- Walter is being discharged to go home as I type this. He does not have an NG tube.

Feb 26 a.m.-"Walters feeding trial is not going exactly as we hoped but they are going to keep him on it unless he vomits again. He has been up since 330 and is currently refusing a bottle after vomiting straight formula at 630. They are planning to do an X-ray to check NGtube placement in case we have to start using that again for feeds. They said one vomit during trial is ok but they don’t want more than that in the 24hr period."

Feb 24 a.m.- Walter is tolerating feeds through an NG tube well. He is not happy he can't eat by mouth and wants more food. He will have a swallow study sometime today if all goes well. Sarah says he's not out of the woods yet, but he's well on his way.

Feb 23rd: p.m.- Walter has been extubated and is breathing on his own. He can be held and comforted by his parents. He still has a long way to go, but he's making good progress.

a.m.-Walter is still in peditric ICU. He is fighting the sedation which is a good sign. He needs the sedation because he is intubated. Please keep praying for him. All of this is due to where they had to repair the connection from his mouth to his stomach when he was born. He was born without part of his esophagus. This area is weak and keeps closing on him causing the frightening choking episodes. Thank you for praying for my "niece's" son. My love to all!

Feb 22nd: Baby Walter had a choking episode right after a doctor's appointment at CHKD. It was very severe, and he went into cardiac arrest. He is now in the pediatric ICU. Please keep him in prayer.

Please Pray for Clint's Boss

Clint's boss has to have his new hip taken out again. There is another infection that is growing on the metal. The doctor told him that antibiotics can't kill this. The hip has to be removed, and they will give him a "loaner" hip until his new hip is made and replaced. He has been through so much since he had it replaced the first time. By the time he gets through this round, he will have had six hips-his natural one, three replacements, and two loaners while the replacements were being made.

This will create more work on Clint who will have to do both jobs, but he is getting training to move up another rung in the company.

Prayer Request Updates Katherine and Kenny

August 16: There is a big snag. Kevin's home (the one he is trying to sell) has an issue with the septic drain lines. He is willing to leave money in escrow for the repairs to keep all involved parties moving forward. He can not get an engineer out until Friday. (An engineer is required to see the best way to install the new lines and probably a new system altogether. Lots of red tape.) Then the plans have to be drawn and submitted and approved by the county. Then he has to get an estimate for the repairs. So far everyone is willing to wait. Please pray God knocks down the hurdles.

August 2: The septic and well inspection passed. The home inspection found rotten sills that need to be replaced. Sills are the boards that go down on top of the foundation. Kevin is asking us to pray the homeowners will repair them.

July 26: Kevin asks that we pray the inspections on the well, septic, and home go well.

July 21: Kevin thanks you for the prayers! After weeks of looking, he told Clint that he has signed a contract on a home and things look good for the contract to be ratified. His home also has a contract on it. Katherine is doing very well. It has been such a blessing to see this young girl go from the depths of despair and self-destruction to having hope and looking forward to a bright future. She still has some tough things to work through, but she is much improved. Please keep praying for Katherine's mother. She has her own mental health struggles and reasons for blocking Katherine's treatments. Blocking the medical treatment for Katherine is what started the divorce and battle in court. Katherine was cutting herself to the extent the doctors and her father thought she'd die. The details of how she harmed herself that were shared with us were very, very disturbing. It is heart-rending to think of anyone in that much pain. Katherine is getting the help she needs, and it is working well for her. Also, Katherine's strength is really becoming apparent as she leaves behind that state of brokenness and continues to reach for more healing. May the Lord continue to work in the lives of this family.

July 7: Last week, the final custody hearing happened. Kevin has custody after he sells his home. Some of Katherine's trauma is centered around that house, so he is required to purchase or rent a new home. He already has a contract on his house and is searching for one to buy. Please join us in praying he is able to buy a home quickly and rejoicing that he has custody. Katherine seems to be doing well. She has not cut herself anymore and seems very happy with the court rulings. Please keep praying for her wellness of mind, body, and soul.

For the 4th, we were able to spend some time with our favorite veteran. Mr. Reese still has not had his surgery to free his locked knee joints. His knee cap on one leg is about two inches over where the knee cap goes. The knee cap on the other leg is on the inside of the joint. Doctors can not explain how this happened to him. His next appointment is in August. He was told he will get a surgery date then, but he's been told that before. He enjoyed the food and the company we gave him over two days. Please join us in prayer that Mr. Reese will surrender his life to Christ. 

Dear Reader, Thank you for your prayers for our friends. May the Lord bless you greatly for ministering to them through prayer. Please let us know how we can pray for you and yours.

Prayers for Donna

Our long time realtor, advisor, and friend, Donna, fell and broke her hip over the weekend. She had a hip replacement instead of pins, so she should heal quickly. She is in a rehab center currently. Please pray for her.