After writing my blog for today, I went back and read an e-mail a friend sent to me. I received some disturbing information.
Most of us know that 90 to 95% of unborn babies with Down Syndrome are now aborted. Let's say it the way it should be said. They are KILLED! Now there is a new test that can be done as early as the 8th week of pregnancy to determine if the unborn baby (Oops! I was suppose to say fetus) has Down Syndrome. Let's get real. How long will it be before every pregnant woman will be required to take the test and if the baby is found to be defective, abortion will be required? And WHO, I would like to ask, has the right or even the ability to determine what defective is? The ultimate purpose of all of this would be for one purpose and for one purpose only--to eradicate Down Syndrome.
Words can not even begin to express how this makes me feel. I am heartsick. I feel weak and nauseous when I read this.
I can not or would not like to imagine my life without my son Trent. Trent is Trent. I do not think about his having Down Syndrome. As I stated in my book, Down Syndrome does not make Trent who he is. Trent is a very loving young man who happens to have Down Syndrome. What if we were all brought before a jury and our worth had to be decided. How many of us would make the cut?
We WILL all stand before a judge some day--the Creator of all! Our nation is going to pay a huge price for what we have done and the things we continue to do. We should not turn our heads the other way and condone these sins. We need to be on our knees begging God's forgiveness and asking Him to stop these abominable actions of mankind. We have no right to kill someone whom God made!
You see, abortion rules out a person. The only way a woman can abort is to not think of that unborn child as a person. It is only a fetus. That's what sin is--it's only....it's only...it's only.
My Bible tells me that God created--He created the earth, the sun, moon, and stars, the animals, and man and woman. He created everything. All things were created by Him and for Him.
Oh that God would extend His hand of mercy on this country!!!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Kids Say the Sweetest Things
Matthew is back this week after having had his surgery three weeks ago and after having his parents home with him the last few weeks. He was not a happy camper yesterday morning when Dad and Mom dropped him off at our house. He cried real tears and it just about broke my heart. It lasted only a few moments. It was a good thing, because it proves that he is attaching to his Mommy and Daddy very well.
That, of course, means I will be busier than usual for a while.
Last week on Monday night, two of my grandchildren, Andrew and Angelina stayed overnight and all day Tuesday. Angelina will be four on June 1, and Andrew was 10 in February. Sometimes kids say such adorable things.
We were all baking cookies and Angelina was talking about getting saved. Following is the conversation:
Angelina: "I'm going to heaben when I get sabed, but I'm not sabed yet."
Andrew: "Yes, you need to get saved so that you can go to heaven when you die."
Grandma (me) : "Or maybe Jesus will come back before then and just take us straight to heaven".
Angelina (ever so thoughtfully): "Mommy didn't tell me about that."
What was so sweet is that Angelina's Mommy is telling her about Jesus and what He has done for her. And she's listening! Children are never too young to learn about Jesus.
I'm exhausted and am going to call it a day soon. Not only did I have Matthew all day today, but Angelina and her little brother Wesley (age 14 months) were over here for a few hours. Two toddlers and a 3 1/2 year old can really wear a body out! I'm a worn out, happy grandmother--I guess that makes me wappy!
That, of course, means I will be busier than usual for a while.
Last week on Monday night, two of my grandchildren, Andrew and Angelina stayed overnight and all day Tuesday. Angelina will be four on June 1, and Andrew was 10 in February. Sometimes kids say such adorable things.
We were all baking cookies and Angelina was talking about getting saved. Following is the conversation:
Angelina: "I'm going to heaben when I get sabed, but I'm not sabed yet."
Andrew: "Yes, you need to get saved so that you can go to heaven when you die."
Grandma (me) : "Or maybe Jesus will come back before then and just take us straight to heaven".
Angelina (ever so thoughtfully): "Mommy didn't tell me about that."
What was so sweet is that Angelina's Mommy is telling her about Jesus and what He has done for her. And she's listening! Children are never too young to learn about Jesus.
I'm exhausted and am going to call it a day soon. Not only did I have Matthew all day today, but Angelina and her little brother Wesley (age 14 months) were over here for a few hours. Two toddlers and a 3 1/2 year old can really wear a body out! I'm a worn out, happy grandmother--I guess that makes me wappy!
Monday, March 23, 2009
First Meeting for Moms
To anyone who might be interested, the newest phase of the Wonderfully Made Ministry will have its first meeting on April 16 at 7:00 p.m. Thereafter we will meet the first Thursday of every month.
This group is for Moms who have children with special needs and it is called Wonderfully Made Moms. I think we are going to have a wonderful time together. We have so many things in common and I believe we can learn from each other.
We will be discussing some of the following topics:
*SuperMom--or not?
*Homeschooling?
*Finding time for my other children who do not have special needs
*Disciplining my special needs child
*Coping with fears and worries
*What does God expect of me?
If you are interested and would like more information, please e-mail me at beyondtheclouds@sbcglobal.net. On the subject line, please type in Wonderfully Made Moms. I will respond to you as quickly as I can.
This group is for Moms who have children with special needs and it is called Wonderfully Made Moms. I think we are going to have a wonderful time together. We have so many things in common and I believe we can learn from each other.
We will be discussing some of the following topics:
*SuperMom--or not?
*Homeschooling?
*Finding time for my other children who do not have special needs
*Disciplining my special needs child
*Coping with fears and worries
*What does God expect of me?
If you are interested and would like more information, please e-mail me at beyondtheclouds@sbcglobal.net. On the subject line, please type in Wonderfully Made Moms. I will respond to you as quickly as I can.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Wonderfully Made Moms
Yesterday was a great day in church--as usual. It is always wonderful to gather together with God's people and learn more about Him.
I am so-o-o excited as we begin a new phase of our special needs (Wonderfully Made) ministry. Next month we will begin a Bible study for mothers who have children with special needs. I am also thankful for a young mother, Jennie, who will be helping me out in this ministry.
Jennie is the wife of a wonderful man and the mother of three young children, age three and under. Their family began to attend the church where we are members some time, I believe, around the end of last summer. Jennie's three-year-old daughter, Kaylee, has autism. I admit to knowing little about autism, but I am beginning to learn. I would direct those of you who would like to know more to go to Jennie's website--bloominwhereyourplanted.blogspot.com. She has written about her experiences with Kaylee and some of the successes she has had. She is a young woman who loves the Lord and I look forward to working with her in this endeavor to reach out to other moms. I believe God brought us together for this part of the Wonderfully Made ministry. Our objective, of course, is to help and encourage each other, but most of all to point to the One who can solve all of our problems--Jesus Christ.
Little Kaylee loves music. Last night her parents brought her into church for the music part of the service. Pastor requested that we sing Jesus Loves Me. Kaylee sang out with all her might--and she sang right on key. It was such a blessing to me.
Yes, we are looking for great things from God. Pray for us as we reach out to Wonderfully Made Moms. (And yes, we are wonderfully made too!)
I am so-o-o excited as we begin a new phase of our special needs (Wonderfully Made) ministry. Next month we will begin a Bible study for mothers who have children with special needs. I am also thankful for a young mother, Jennie, who will be helping me out in this ministry.
Jennie is the wife of a wonderful man and the mother of three young children, age three and under. Their family began to attend the church where we are members some time, I believe, around the end of last summer. Jennie's three-year-old daughter, Kaylee, has autism. I admit to knowing little about autism, but I am beginning to learn. I would direct those of you who would like to know more to go to Jennie's website--bloominwhereyourplanted.blogspot.com. She has written about her experiences with Kaylee and some of the successes she has had. She is a young woman who loves the Lord and I look forward to working with her in this endeavor to reach out to other moms. I believe God brought us together for this part of the Wonderfully Made ministry. Our objective, of course, is to help and encourage each other, but most of all to point to the One who can solve all of our problems--Jesus Christ.
Little Kaylee loves music. Last night her parents brought her into church for the music part of the service. Pastor requested that we sing Jesus Loves Me. Kaylee sang out with all her might--and she sang right on key. It was such a blessing to me.
Yes, we are looking for great things from God. Pray for us as we reach out to Wonderfully Made Moms. (And yes, we are wonderfully made too!)
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Matthew is Home!!
Matthew came home from the hospital today! Originally, Chet and Phyllis were told that he would probably be hospitalized for three days. Imagine how happy they were when they found out that they could take him home already.
The surgery went well, although he has been in pain. When he was brought to recovery after surgery, Chet and Phyllis were shocked to see how swollen his mouth and eyes were. Today, however, the swelling had gone down. The difficult thing now is going to be the restraints that he has to have on his arms to keep him from touching his mouth. He has to wear them day and night for two weeks. As one can imagine, that is going to be very trying for little Matthew--and even more for Mom and Dad.
When I got up at 3:00 this morning, I peeked into Trent's room and saw him sitting up in his bed. I went to him and asked, "Is there something wrong Trent?" "I can't sleep," he replied. "It's Matthew!" I said, "Matthew is okay. God is taking care of him. The nurses are giving him medicine to help him to sleep and when he is asleep, he is not feeling pain." Trent has a heart full of love! I praise God for the love between "Uncle" Trent and his nephew. Thank you dear Jesus for taking care of our little Matthew.
The surgery went well, although he has been in pain. When he was brought to recovery after surgery, Chet and Phyllis were shocked to see how swollen his mouth and eyes were. Today, however, the swelling had gone down. The difficult thing now is going to be the restraints that he has to have on his arms to keep him from touching his mouth. He has to wear them day and night for two weeks. As one can imagine, that is going to be very trying for little Matthew--and even more for Mom and Dad.
When I got up at 3:00 this morning, I peeked into Trent's room and saw him sitting up in his bed. I went to him and asked, "Is there something wrong Trent?" "I can't sleep," he replied. "It's Matthew!" I said, "Matthew is okay. God is taking care of him. The nurses are giving him medicine to help him to sleep and when he is asleep, he is not feeling pain." Trent has a heart full of love! I praise God for the love between "Uncle" Trent and his nephew. Thank you dear Jesus for taking care of our little Matthew.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Matthew's Surgery
Please be in prayer for Matthew's surgery scheduled for tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. He will have surgery to repair his cleft palate. He has had a cold but the nurse told Chet that if Matthew's nose was running clear and he did not have a fever, they would go ahead and do the surgery.
I am going to miss him for the next three weeks. We can't believe how quickly he is learning. A few days ago I taught him the sign for more and he picked it up in no time. Now when he wants more of something, he uses the sign. In the past weeks we have seen him learn to fold his hands every time we pray, throw kisses, give hugs, wink, blow his nose, etc. You get the picture. It is amazing that after spending almost 16 months in an orphanage how he has made up for lost time. God is going to do something special with that little boy!
I am going to miss him for the next three weeks. We can't believe how quickly he is learning. A few days ago I taught him the sign for more and he picked it up in no time. Now when he wants more of something, he uses the sign. In the past weeks we have seen him learn to fold his hands every time we pray, throw kisses, give hugs, wink, blow his nose, etc. You get the picture. It is amazing that after spending almost 16 months in an orphanage how he has made up for lost time. God is going to do something special with that little boy!
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Trusting God through Scary Times
Have you had an opportunity in which you needed to trust God today? I mean REALLY trust him? Has your faith been tested? How did you do?
We look around at the things that are happening in our world. Those of us who know our Bible know that things do not look good. The signs are there--the failing economy, the failure of our leadership to take a stand for right, the promiscuity in these days, to name only a few. How then do we trust God? I mean REALLY trust Him?
We must recognize that God is sovereign. Nothing escapes the attention of God. There is nothing that is so great that it can be beyond His power to control it. This lesson is especially important to me.
A few years ago, Don and I went through a time of testing that lasted about a year and a half. There were times that I said, "Why God, why? Why can't this end?" It wasn't going to end until we learned what God had for us to learn. It was a horrible thing to go through and yet, we knew that God was in control.
Now again we are facing a situation that demands for us to trust God. I want to share this because I feel there are many others out there who will be facing a similar situation.
Last Friday Don called me from work to tell me that he had just been laid off. He has been there for 35 years. He has no pension. When Don started work there, we didn't think about a pension--we were young and naive. By the time we began to consider that he should have a job with a pension, we had Trent. Trent had pre-existing conditions, so Don couldn't change jobs or Trent would have had no medical insurance. In the earlier years, he had some serious medical conditions. Needless to say, any money we were able to invest in the stock market has sadly dwindled down. So...how are we handling this?
We are trusting God. God has never let us down and He is not going to let us down now. I think back to an incident that happened when we had been married for only a few years.
Don was a baker at the time and he worked nights. He usually got home around 11:00 a.m. We had dinner and then he went to bed. He drove about 36 miles each way to work. On this particular day, a Wednesday, when he arrived home, he asked me if I had any money. I told him I had nothing. With that he replied, "I only have enough gas to get to work one time, so I'll have to take tomorrow off, and then go to work on Friday (pay day). I can't afford to take the day off, but I don't know what else to do." He went to bed and I put Brad down for his nap.
That afternoon I decided to go down to the basement and go through a box of some things I had saved from before we were married. I don't know why, I suppose it was to get my mind off of the problem. I had already asked God to work it out.
In that box of items was an old wallet of mine. I opened it up and I could not believe my eyes! There was a five dollar bill in it--more than enough to buy gas for him to get back and forth to work for those two days.
I can't help but think how God in His sovereignty had me leave the money in that wallet and then forget about it. And that wasn't enough!! He also put it in my mind to go through that box on that particular day, after it had been there untouched for a few years!!!
The greatest thing about that time is that I have never forgotten the incident. It has reminded me that God will always takes care of us and that He is in control!
If you know Jesus Christ as your own personal Savior, you can trust Him for everything. He is sovereign and He is Lord of all!
We look around at the things that are happening in our world. Those of us who know our Bible know that things do not look good. The signs are there--the failing economy, the failure of our leadership to take a stand for right, the promiscuity in these days, to name only a few. How then do we trust God? I mean REALLY trust Him?
We must recognize that God is sovereign. Nothing escapes the attention of God. There is nothing that is so great that it can be beyond His power to control it. This lesson is especially important to me.
A few years ago, Don and I went through a time of testing that lasted about a year and a half. There were times that I said, "Why God, why? Why can't this end?" It wasn't going to end until we learned what God had for us to learn. It was a horrible thing to go through and yet, we knew that God was in control.
Now again we are facing a situation that demands for us to trust God. I want to share this because I feel there are many others out there who will be facing a similar situation.
Last Friday Don called me from work to tell me that he had just been laid off. He has been there for 35 years. He has no pension. When Don started work there, we didn't think about a pension--we were young and naive. By the time we began to consider that he should have a job with a pension, we had Trent. Trent had pre-existing conditions, so Don couldn't change jobs or Trent would have had no medical insurance. In the earlier years, he had some serious medical conditions. Needless to say, any money we were able to invest in the stock market has sadly dwindled down. So...how are we handling this?
We are trusting God. God has never let us down and He is not going to let us down now. I think back to an incident that happened when we had been married for only a few years.
Don was a baker at the time and he worked nights. He usually got home around 11:00 a.m. We had dinner and then he went to bed. He drove about 36 miles each way to work. On this particular day, a Wednesday, when he arrived home, he asked me if I had any money. I told him I had nothing. With that he replied, "I only have enough gas to get to work one time, so I'll have to take tomorrow off, and then go to work on Friday (pay day). I can't afford to take the day off, but I don't know what else to do." He went to bed and I put Brad down for his nap.
That afternoon I decided to go down to the basement and go through a box of some things I had saved from before we were married. I don't know why, I suppose it was to get my mind off of the problem. I had already asked God to work it out.
In that box of items was an old wallet of mine. I opened it up and I could not believe my eyes! There was a five dollar bill in it--more than enough to buy gas for him to get back and forth to work for those two days.
I can't help but think how God in His sovereignty had me leave the money in that wallet and then forget about it. And that wasn't enough!! He also put it in my mind to go through that box on that particular day, after it had been there untouched for a few years!!!
The greatest thing about that time is that I have never forgotten the incident. It has reminded me that God will always takes care of us and that He is in control!
If you know Jesus Christ as your own personal Savior, you can trust Him for everything. He is sovereign and He is Lord of all!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)