Submit your requests and answers to prayer.
"Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." -Galatians 6:2
9-1-10 Kathy (Warren) Hoover (’80)-- Kathy Hoover is in the Intensive Care Unit of UW Madison Hospital. She has a serious internal infection that has been complicated with the onset of diabetes. In the last week she has undergone five surgeries to remove damaged tissue. Kathy will probably remain hospitalized for another two weeks. Your prayers are greatly appreciated.
8-31-10 Christy Goetz ('95)-- Please pray for Christy Goetz as her husband Dale ('95) was killed in Afghanistan while serving as a chaplain. Pastor Jason Parker of High Country Baptist Church in Colorado Springs, CO called with the shocking news. Dale is survived by wife Christy ('95) and their three sons. Funeral arrangements have not been made. Please pray for the family during this traumatic time.
8-30-10 Heather Smith ('96)-- Due to state budget cuts, the state funded preschool that I worked at for the past six years had to cut back. My position was eliminated. I am in need of a job. Please pray the Lord will really direct my steps to the right job for me.
8-24-10 Bob ('83) and Valerie ('80) Fite-- Please pray for Bradley Fite, son of Bob and Valerie Fite. He was injured on July 21 while serving overseas in the military.
Update: Wednesday, August 18
We are still here at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Today Brad begins the first day of week 5 since the explosion that caused his injuries. He has had a total of seven surgeries over the past four weeks. We are on the verge of getting him to the Rehabilitation Hospital in Richmond. He still has a fever and is still fighting both a skin infection and some deep tissue infection. The area around the hardware in his spine is inflamed. We are hopeful that the new antibiotics the Dr.'s started him on this morning will kick in and take care of the infections. The current goal is to get him ambulanced to Richmond on Monday morning, August 23. We would love for you to pray that this goal is met!
This will be the new address:
LCpL Fite, Bradley C.
Hunter Homes McGuire VA
2-B Polytrauma Unit
1201 Broad Rock Boulevard
Richmond, VA 23249
On a lighter note, he was able to go out in a newly acquired wheel chair and throw out the first pitch at the Baltimore Orioles Game at Camden Yards tonight. We stayed and watched the rest of the game while Brad slept in the air-conditioned president's suite. Our vehicle was escorted 20 police cars-quite the scene. The folks in DC are extremely respectful of these wounded warriors.
Please pray that the antibiotics will fight off the infections and that Brad can be weaned off the stronger pain medications so he can begin the next phase of his recovery. I will fly home this weekend and Bob will remain to help Brad make the transition to Richmond.
8-16-10 Bob ('83) and Valerie ('80) Fite-- Please pray for Bradley Fite, son of Bob and Valerie Fite. He was injured on July 21 while serving overseas in the military.
Update: Wed Night, Aug 11 Brad was making much progress until Monday night when his temp. went up. Tuesday night it hit 103. Tests on Wednesday morning showed some kind of abscess in his back. They took him in for a surgical procedure to drain it, but were not able as the fluid was too thick. The abscess is 10 cm long down his back next to his incision. He is scheduled for surgery tomorrow afternoon to remove the abscess. If the infection is severe, or runs deeper, they will leave the incision open so they can clean it daily. This will also tell us what antibiotic he needs to be on to fight the infection. God's moved us forward many steps, but today takes us back a step. (That's okay--we know how to walk backwards too.) This delays his transfer to Richmond a bit as well. This is a pretty big surgery for us here. This infection just CAN'T get in and around the new hardware in Brad's back. If it does, the hardware has to be replaced. Thursday will be a praying/waiting day for us. Thanks for the continued prayer. We feel it!
8-9-10 Bob ('83) and Valerie ('80) Fite-- Please pray for Bradley Fite, son of Bob and Valerie Fite. He was injured on July 21 while serving overseas in the military.
Update: Saturday, August 7, 2010 We are on day 18 of Brad’s hospital stay and have made much progress since the last update! All stitches and staples have been removed. His lungs are stable. The shrapnel wounds are healing nicely. The terrible black bruising is turning to a lovely purple and yellow. They are weaning him off the strong pain medicine a bit at a time. He has been fitted for a brace and is taking steps with a walker. He had a PICC line inserted this week so no one will be digging for his veins from here on out. His legs and feet are extremely swollen—circulation issues. Brad’s still dealing with MRSA and a higher white count. He’s also dealing with the cysts on his head. He’s been introduced to some special gadgets to use to get his own socks on and to pick things up with since bending is not an option at this point. Right now it appears Brad will be here at the National Naval Hospital for about 2 more weeks, and then on to a hospital in Richmond, VA, which specializes in rehabilitation of spinal fracture patients. Brad still has some distance to travel emotionally, but has come quite a ways since waking up in Germany. He’s meeting quite a few new people, and is already being introduced to new opportunities for the future. Bob, Bryce, and I will stay the week here in Bethesda, MD. Brad has a few special visitors coming in (Rosa--Julio’s wife, and also his pastor from San Diego) so we will give them some time and visit some historical sites here in the DC area. We appreciate your continued support in prayers as we know that God is good and that God is faithful. Thank you for the encouraging cards and notes.
7-30-10 Bob ('83) and Valerie ('80) Fite-- Please pray for Bradley Fite, son of Bob and Valerie Fite. He was injured on Wednesday while serving overseas in the military.
Update: I’m trying to get off to the airport this morning, but here’s a quick list of the struggles as of midnight last night. (Just in case you don’t have anything else to pray about!) Brad has the MRSA virus. This is especially a problem due to all of the open wounds Brad has due to the explosion. This could be fatal for him—they are guarding him very carefully at this point. They discovered a blood clot in his right arm yesterday. He tipped the scales at 200 yesterday—but he normally only weighs 170. That’s a lot of swelling to handle. He has three Sebaceous Cysts that have developed on the back of his head. We are told they may keep growing to a much larger size, and may take several months to dissolve. These are open wounds and very uncomfortable for Brad. Brad’s lungs collapsed yesterday. That news hit us hard—but then we found out that he arrived at the hospital in Germany with collapsed lungs and we had not been given that information. These are things the hospital staff expects to happen to the explosion victims and they are ready to handle them.
We allowed ourselves to think that Brad was “Out of the Woods” and on his way to recovery, maybe a long recovery, but still—a recovery. We are learning that the explosion damaged much more than the spinal column and this will take time for his body to adjust and heal. We are learning to hear the “daily” news, take a deep breath, walk around the closest building while praying, and then return and go forward. We do feel the Lord's presence in this situation. We’d like for you to pray that Brad can find that peace as well.
Valerie
7-26-10 Bob ('83) and Valerie ('80) Fite-- Please pray for Bradley Fite, son of Bob and Valerie Fite. He was injured on Wednesday while serving overseas in the military.
Update: Sunday Night
Brad went into his third surgery at midnight last night. He came out of the surgery at 7:30 a.m. The Dr. called to let us know that he handled the surgery well-still sedated, and was headed to a CAT Scan. He wanted to wait till he saw the results of the CAT Scan before he gave us more information. He then called us at 3:30 p.m. and said the CAT Scan confirmed what he thought-the spine is perfectly straight. He said it was, "An awesome CAT Scan!" No spinal fluid leaks. They are very happy. Many of these boys come through Landstuhl Medical Center and do not make it or end up paralyzed. They LOVE a happy ending. Brad will definitely be walking again-he will have some numb spots in the upper portion of his legs, but I think we can deal with that.
They brought Brad out of sedation for a bit to do a few tests. Brad told the Dr. that the pain was much better and asked what he did. Brad told him there was so much pressure before-even with all the pain medication he was on. The surgery has finally released that pressure and Brad is in much less pain. The newly built spine is locked in, stabilized, and attached to newly built tendons. He needed blood and platelets. He is being fitted for a brace in the morning (they can't cast him due to the numerous incisions that need to be cared for).
We are still waiting for the liaison to call us with arrangements for Bob to fly out and meet the plane as it arrives on American soil. When he arrives at Bethesda he will be given a briefing of what happened to the other young men with him. He's been fighting a physical battle this week, and will continue to do so, but this week's battle will be an emotional one. Please keep him in your prayers.
Thank you so much.
Bob and Valerie
Update: Saturday 11:30
They took Bradley off the breathing machine this morning. The first thing he asked was if the other members of his platoon were okay. They are not giving him information yet--too much to absorb. They told him they just wanted to concentrate on him for now.
They are pleased with the progress but have still decided to keep him in Germany for the third surgery. They offered to fly Bob out for the surgery, and wondered if his passport was up to date. We don’t have passports—evidently in that small print of the deployment book they sent us we were instructed to do so for an instance just as this. .
Brad will have surgery in Germany at midnight tonight (our time). This surgery will add ligaments via titanium. Dr. Neal explained that before they work on adding ligaments, they need to reduce the angulations from the fracture. He said that Brad’s spine was bent forward at the break at a 30 degree angle. They reduced it to 15 degrees in the first surgery, and hope to reduce the next 15 degrees in this surgery but need to go in through the back to do so. Because of the location, this surgery brings more risks than the previous one. There is a chance of spinal fluid leak, a greater risk of bleeding, and risk that the nerves in the upper portion of his legs could be damaged. This is a more technical surgery and will determine how soon and how well Brad will walk in the future. The risks for numbness in his legs will be long-term.
Brad’s nurse called us this morning. She held the phone up and let us say hi to him. She said he is obviously very sore and swollen. He has stitches under his chin and is covered with bruises. He had abdominal surgery the first day—so an incision on the belly. He had the first spinal surgery which leaves the incision down his side, and now tonight he will have the next surgery which will open up his back.
If surgery goes as planned, Brad will fly out of Germany on Tuesday. It will take 12 – 15 hours to get from the Medical Center in Germany to Bethesda Hospital in Maryland. A Liaison will orchestrate a flight for Bob at the same time so he can be there when Brad’s plane arrives. Bryce and I will plan to fly out on Friday and spend the weekend there in DC with them. We’ll be at the Bethesda Naval Hospital in Bethesda, MD.
Please continue to pray, especially at that midnight hour.
Bob and Valerie
Update: 1:30PM Friday
Dr. Neal called us @ 1:15. The surgery took 14 hours—longer than expected. He said they were tough fractures to deal with. They were able to de-compress the spine. He’s pleased with the results. Brad is moving both legs. Brad will have a CAT Scan tonight so that they will have a baseline of where he is at with the new hardware in. Based on how Brad responds in the next 24 hours, they may do the second surgery in Germany as opposed to state-side. They may not be able to transport him yet. Dr. Neal said Brad is asleep—but upset—he’s fighting the restraints, the breathing tube. He said his mind is still in Afghanistan—still trying to get out. He can’t figure out where he is—and can’t wake up. The movement is dangerous for him now. The third surgery is to give him substitute ligaments (the old ones are no longer present due to the explosion). His new ones will be titanium rods and screws. So think of the miracle that his back bone was broken/crushed from front to back and the ligaments were obliterated, yet the spinal cord stayed intact! How about that for something to be grateful for? Praise the Lord.
Dr. Neal will call us within 24 hours to let us know if they were able to settle Brad down enough for travel or if he will go ahead and operate on him again there in Germany. He will remain in ICU. Critical—but stable.
We’re seriously very grateful for your prayers.
Bob and Valerie
7-23-10 Art ('77) and Connie Roberson-- We will be moving to Virginia Beach, VA on July 28, 2010 to begin teaching at Tabernacle Baptist Academy and working in Tabernacle Baptist Church.
7-23-10 Bob ('83) and Valerie ('80) Fite-- Please pray for Bradley Fite, son of Bob and Valerie Fite. He was injured on Wednesday while serving overseas in the military.
Update on Bradley Fite: Thursday 6:30 PM
We received a phone call from the Neurosurgeon at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Chris Neal. Dr. Neal said that he needed us to understand that Bradley has a significant spinal fracture. The young man riding along with Bradley was killed instantly; that same bomb caused Brad’s fracture. He is on a breathing tube. The fracture is a lower lumbar fracture. 1st lumbar vertebrae. He said it is where the spine transitions from the ribs to the lower spine.
This surgery will begin tonight at approximately midnight. The surgery will be long. Dr. Neal feels that the surgery will be a minimum of 8 hours, up to twelve hours. He will call us after the surgery is complete. They have a team of three surgeons: a trauma surgeon, a vascular surgeon, and Dr. Neal, the neurosurgeon. They will come in from the side. They are drilling out the spine at the point of fracture—completely take it out. This will remove the pressure. They will then re-build the spine with cages, screws, and rods.
The Problem—the break was completely through the bone—from the front to the back. This will be the first of several surgeries. This particular surgery will rebuild and stabilize the spine, add extra support, and protect from paralysis. The next 2 surgeries will be stateside and will be done straight through the back (as opposed to going in through side). If this surgery goes as planned—the first possible state-side transfer day will be this Sunday, July 25. He most likely will not be awake/alert till he is stateside.
I asked if he felt Brad’s life was in danger at this point. He responded that there are definitely risks here. They are working in a dangerous area, around major arteries and the kidneys, not to mention the spine. But Brad was strong going in, and he is confident along with the other two surgeons. I let Dr. Neal know that Bradley was a Christian and said that he had no idea how many people would be praying for him as he did this surgery!
We will send out a new update after the surgery is complete. Thanks to all of you in advance for your prayers.
Bob and Valerie
Update: 8:00am Thursday.
We received word that Bradley, after being injured in an IED blast @ 4:07 PM on July 20, arrived at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (Overseas Military Hospital) in Germany. He is in Intensive Care. We spoke with the Critical Care Dr. Brad arrived unconscious--and they want to keep him that way--he is heavily sedated. Therefore, we won't be able to speak with him. His brain, heart, and lungs are good. He had abdominal surgery soon after arriving. A scan showed blood in the abdominal area. He is all cleaned out and closed back up. One surgery down--one to go. He has a fracture of the lumbar spine. The Dr. said it was unstable. They will wait 24 hours from the first surgery and do the spinal surgery. Dr. Neal is the neurosurgeon who will operate. We will be contacted after surgery.
Given that the spinal surgery goes well, and he moves out of ICU, he will be flown to the states to recover at Bethesda Hospital in Maryland. Thank you for your prayers for Brad.
Pray for Dr. Neal as well.
Bob & Valerie Fite
Wednesday afternoon: We received a call around noon today from Washington DC. We were informed that Bradley had been injured and that he was in route to Germany. Brad was riding in the fourth vehicle of a convoy in Marjah. The convoy was bombed—Brad’s vehicle taking the main hit. He was attended to by medics on scene. He was taken back to base and was being airlifted to a hospital in Germany. We were told that “He sustained injury to his lower back and pelvis.” We were given a 1-800 number to call, but told that we wouldn’t get more information for 12 hours. If he’s conscious when he arrives in Germany—they will make phone contact and let him talk with us.
That’s all we know.
We wait and pray.
Valerie
7-21-10 Bruce ('80) and Saundra Clark-- Pastor Bruce Clark, a deacon at Calvary Baptist Church in Jefferson, WI, had surgery Saturday to remove blood from his brain (he had a serious fall several weeks ago and developed a bleed). He is in ICU at UW Madison. He has a drain in place to keep fluid levels down. He will need to be monitored for a few days there before moving to a regular bed. Pray for his wife Sandy and family also.
6-10-10 Mark ('88) and Adrienne (MacDonald, '89) Farnham-- Mark reports good progress from his kidney transplant. His new kidney was donated by fellow alumnus (and brother-in-law) Tom Vietti ('90). Read Mark's blog
here.
6-2-10 Debran Janne Thompson ('74)-- Janne has been battling lymphoma leukemia for over a year. She just recently had major surgery to remove her spleen. So far, she's recovering well. Please keep her in your prayers.
5-28-10 Randy ('91) and Sarah (Berlin, '89) Arbogast--Tyler came through his heart procedure with flying colors. While they anticipated finding additional problems with his heart rhythm, Praise the Lord they found none! The determination is the leaking valves causes the periodic heart rhythm irregularity. They have put him on a Beta blocker and will do another stress test in a month! Thanks for remembering us in prayer.
5-20-10 Mark ('88) and Adrienne (MacDonald, '89) Farnham-- Please pray for Mark. On June 1st, he is having a kidney transplant at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. His brother-in-law, Tom Vietti (MBBC alumnus 1990) is giving Mark his kidney.
5-19-10 Randy ('91) and Sarah (Berlin, '89) Arbogast--Tyler is to be scheduled next week for a followup on his heart cath. They will be looking for the cause of his "extra" heart beats. A specialist will be going over every inch of his hearts electrical system to determine the cause. This is the next step in a process to get his heart functioning as normal as possible.
4-22-10 Jonathan and JoDee (Watson, '02) Crocker-- We have asked prayer before for our son Noah. He has underwent two hand surgeries at Riley's childrens hospital in Indianapolis. We recently had a checkup in which the doctor dismissed him as a patient. Everything looks good, and he doesn't forsee any further problems. As we were walking out of the office, the doctor turned around and wrote something on the paper. It said no charge. He cancelled the rest of what we owed. Praise the Lord! Please continue to pray for Jonathan as he seeks the Lord concerning a job and a direction for our family.
4-15-10 Bob ('87) and Margie Engelhart-- Today, I received a call from Donkoi about a man in the village whose stomach was swelling so big he had trouble breathing. All the taxis and buses and bush taxis are on strike this week so I went out to bring him to the Anyama hospital. The doctors determined he has an intestinal obstruction and want to operate Friday morning. This is far from a sure thing. Please pray for the recovery of this man, Mr Yappi, and for he and his wife Clotilde to be saved.
4-15-10 Randy ('91) and Sarah (Berlin, '89) Arbogast--Our 13 yr. old son Tyler is scheduled for a heart procedure on Friday April 23rd. at 7 am. They will be doing a balloon procedure to widen the tissue valve they inserted during surgery in 2002. The doctors are hoping this will last for another two years before they will need to replace the tissue valve.
4-1-10 Ted and Kari (Turbett, '93)Tackeberry-- Their daughter, Alisa had surgery this morning to remove a cyst that showed up since her last surgery (March 15th). Please keep the Tackeberrys in your prayers.
3-25-10 Nancy (Stanley, '71) Ali Dib-- Please be praying for Nancy and her family. Her son, Jeremy died on March 19. The funeral is today.
3-23-10 BJ ('93) and Cathy Schultz-- Cathy is scheduled for her C-section tomorrow. We are praying for a healthy baby and a safe delivery. Please pray for Cathy and her doctors as she delivers our new baby girl (who, by the way is still nameless) at 7:00 am Wednesday.
3-22-10 Karli Boe ('03)-- Please be in prayer for the Boe family. Karli's Dad, Loren Boe went home to be with his Savior on Saturday, March 20.
The visitation will be tomorrow from 3-9pm and the funeral on Wednesday @ 10 am. Both will take place @ Friedrichs Funeral Home, 320 W Central Rd, Mt. Prospect, IL 60056. The burial service will take place @ 2pm Wednesday in Bloomington, IL.
In lieu of flowers, please send memorials for the Boe family to Brentwood Baptist Church, 588 Dara James Rd. Des Plaines, IL 60016. Thank you for your kind words of encouragement and prayers for our family.
3-17-10 Ted and Kari (Turbett, '93)Tackeberry-- Please be in prayer for the Tackeberry family. Their daughter, Alisa (7yrs.old) had a tumor (aneurysmal bone cyst) removed from her back this past Monday. It is not cancerous and does not require any treatment. Praise the Lord!
3-11-10 Todd and Naomi (Eckelbarger, '00) Townsend-- Naomi has been hospitalized with bacterial meningitis. Naomi is Dr. and Mrs. Rick Townsend's daugher-in-law, and Dr. and Mrs. Linder's granddaughter. Please pray for God to give the doctors wisdom as they treat the meningitis and also that Naomi would recover from this sickness.
3-10-10 Dan ('05) and Dee Kowach--We have had an offer on our house that is now waiting for bank approval. Please pray earnestly with us that this offer will be accepted! The house is increasingly becoming a burden and is the last material tie we have to sever. The offer was submitted over a month ago and is now being reviewed. Again, please join us in prayer. Our sincere desire is to finish raising the needed funds and be setting plans to be in Korea by the end of 2010.
3-2-10 Donald G Lund ('82) went home to be with His Savior yesterday morning (3-1-10). The Lord took Him very kindly with no pain. Please be praying for the Lund family during this time.
The funeral service will be held Friday, March 5th at Northside Baptist Church in Carrollton, TX.
2-22-10 TJ ('98) and Wendy (Graham, '97) Ward-- Recently relocated to North Carolina to begin church planting in the Winston-Salem area. Please pray as they begin to make contacts in their new hometown.
2-19-10 Pat ('89) and Jill (Mutter, '90) Zempel--Pat Zempel said the surgery went very well, and according to tests yesterday, Jill is clean and clear of the cancer. She will not need chemo at this time! They are rejoicing and very appreciative of the prayers said on their behalf.
2-15-10 Steve & Cindy Stratford-- Dr. Steve Stratford went home to be with His Savior on Saturday, February 13, 2010. Please be in prayer for his wife, Cindy and the rest of their family during this time.
Friends will be received on Tuesday, February 16, from 4-8 p.m. at the Pederson Funeral Home at 213 Fifth Street in Watertown, Wisconsin. Additional visitation will be held on Wednesday, from 10 to 11a.m. at the Fellowship Baptist Church, 605 Welsh Road, Watertown, Wisconsin, with his funeral service following at 11 a.m. with Pastor John Moore presiding. A luncheon will be served to those who wish to fellowship with the family immediately after the funeral service. A committal service will take place at the Oak Hill Cemetery at 2:30 p.m.
2-9-10 David ('97) and Kim (Lauerman, '97) Huffman-- Starting at 12 noon today, I will have the privilege to share our church-planting project with approximately 20 Christian businessmen and pastors interested in advancing the cause of Christ around the world. Please pray that the Lord would use this special luncheon to result in a greater impact for Christ in Brazil in the coming months!
Thank you for partnering with us in prayer today!
2-3-10 Mike ('99) and Nancy Brill--Two of our children, Tim & Hannah were involved in a head-on car accident last Friday and we have witnessed an amazing presence of God since then. Thanks to those who have prayed, listened, visited and praised our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ with us through this present trial we face.
Here is the news. Tim's right leg has a permanent "nail" (long rods from hip to knee) in his femur bone, and a "nail" in the tibia bone. Read more.
1-28-09 Pat ('89) and Jill (Mutter, '90) Zempel-- Please be in prayer for Jill and the family. She had a heart attack last summer, and in doing some further tests, they found she has cancer. Jill will have surgery on February 15th. They have two children.
1-26-10 Debran Janne Thompson ('74)-- Please be in prayer for Janne. She's been battling leukemia for about a year and is now undergoing chemo.
1-20-10 Steve and Cindy Stratford-- Read the latest update on Dr. Stratford.
1-14-10 Butch ('07) and Erin (Jenson, '07) Archambeau-- Our faithful little car died a couple weeks ago. We have found out that the transmission will probably need to be rebuilt, which is a fairly expensive fix. Having a car is a necessity where we live and is also a handy ministry tool as we pick young people up for church, etc. so we are hoping to get it fixed as soon as possible.
Our director always says that "money is easy for God," and we know that to be true. He also tells us to ask for what we need and He will supply. We are asking Him to provide the money to get the car fixed by the end of the month. Will you please pray with us for this? We know He WILL provide, but we're excited to discover how and when that happens. Your faithful prayers could directly affect that provision and that is exciting to us! Thank you so much for your continued involvement in our ministry!
1-11-2010 Wesley ('71) and Cecile Potter-- Dr. Potter went home to be with his loving Savior on Sunday, January 10, 2010. Please be in prayer for the Potter family during this time.
12-16-09 Sara Anderson ('08)-- Please be in prayer for Sara's Mom; she has stage 4 Glioblastoma (brain cancer). Her 4 tumors were inoperable so they attacked them with radiation and chemo treatments. Her radiation ended in June, and she was taking chemo until November. After a stay in the hospital, they took her off of her chemo because it was not working. Currently, she is taking a drug called Avastin, which is the last thing that could possibly help her. The doctors have told us that she does not have much time, so we need to cherish each day that we have with her. Each day seems to get more challenging for her; she is now walking around with a walker but has fallen 3 times in the last week. It's very hard to see a loved one have to go through such an awful sickness.
The Lord has really been working in my life through the last 9 months. As hard as this year has been, I am so grateful for it. I have never experienced God's love and protection like I have this last year. My mom has been such an awesome testimony through this whole journey. It is so neat to see her be able to show God's love to her nurses, co-workers (from when she was able to work), friends and family. We are trusting God for His will to be done in my mom's life. We know that He makes no mistakes.
I am still working at JEK Properties as a Leasing Consultant. They have been so flexible to me over this past year. I am able to stay home with my mom if I need to and/or take her to treatments whenever I need to. I am so grateful for God giving me the job that I didn't even want to begin with! This job was my last choice...but ended up being such a blessing.
12-15-09 Jim ('77) and Cathie (Cole, '80) Harrison-- Please be in prayer for the Harrison family. Jim's parents were both promoted to glory recently. The funeral will take place this Saturday.
11-13-09 Jaeson ('98) and Julie Tobin-- Jaeson, assistant pastor at Tomah Baptist Church was killed last night in a car crash. Pray for Tomah Baptist Church and his parents, Pastor Ron and Pat Tobin. Also pray for Pastor Tom and Marie Baker (Berean, Camp Douglas) who are parents of Jaeson's wife, Juli. In addition pray for Juli and their three children as they deal with this unexpected tragedy. We will pass along the memorial service arrangements when they are available.
Jaeson was serving as assistant pastor working with the youth and also just this school year had become the school principal of Tomah Baptist Academy.
11-10-09 Mark('73) and Tacy (Bradford, '72) Tolosa-- Today, our friends' (less-than-one-and-a-half year old daughter) Agne (AHG-nay) fell from 2nd floor. Her skull is cracked in two places. She is in intensive care. We don't have much other information, and the prognosis is unknown. We know they would REALLY appreciate your prayers!
11-9-09 Garth ('85) and Lynnette (Hayward, '85) Piper--Thank you all so much for praying. Dad seems to be making a full recovery. He was released from the hospital today, the doctors don't seem to know for sure what has happened, maybe it had something to do with his blood pressure being quite low. I really appreciate you praying. It has been a very busy and trying time here in New Zealand of late, and concerns back in the States were making things harder.
11-5-09 Garth ('85) and Lynnette (Hayward, '85) Piper-- I would like you to pray for my father. My dad is 87 years old and has been doing ok with his health but yesterday while he was at one of his grandchildren's volleyball games he collapsed. He was attended to by EMT's that were at the game and was taken to the hospital by ambulance where he has undergone a heart cath, resulting with one stint being put in. Read rest of the story.
11-5-09 Richard Hammers ('76)-- Please be praying for a 10 yr. old girl named Danielle Bartlett who is recovering from a brain tumor. Danielle does know Christ as her Savior but does ask that people would send her cards. Please pray and be an encouragement to this little girl. Her address is 260 Country Club Drive, Richwood, WV 26261.
10-26-09 Josh ('00) and Wendy (Gardocki, '98) Nelson-- Josh is pursuing seminary via correspondence and video classes in addition to his daily duties as Chaplain's Assistant.
10-19-09 Bryan Lenartz ('08)-- Bryan broke his leg last week while playing soccer in Guam. He was flown to the Philippines for surgery and came through fine. Please pray for his healing and recovery as he continues working as an intern for Harvest Ministries in Guam.
10-7-09 Dan and Laura (Oesterle, '92) Gillette (Missionaries to INDIA)--Please keep our family in prayer as my husband and 2 older children, Asha and Isaiah have been sick with Dengue fever. I am concerned because if someone gets Dengue 2 times in one season, they can have internal bleeding. There were some cases in the hospital with children and adults having internal bleeding. Dengue is a real problem in Delhi, and this is the first time anyone in our family has gotten it. Please pray that our family doesn't get Dengue again.
10-1-09 Reinhard ('79) and Patricia Schumacher-- Please be in prayer for the Schumacher family. Patricia went home to be with the Lord last week. The funeral was this past Monday.
9-30-09 Pastor John ('82) and Judy Erenz-- Please be praying for the Erenz family. Pastor John Erenz went home to be with his Savior this morning after suffering a massive heart attack. Funeral details are forthcoming.
9-16-09 Martin ('80) and Sherri (Bloyd, '80) Counterman--Please pray for Martin as he has Stage 2 Kidney Disease,Type 1 Diabetes, Anemia, Asthma, COPD and MRSA. He is considered totally disabled at this time. He is currently receiving IV Antibiotic therapy. However, he continues to minister in a local nursing home and working with AWANA.
8-18-09 Melissa Carlson ('05)-- Melissa will be leaving Thursday to take a 2-week trip to Sweden. Please pray for safety and protection.
8-14-09 Dave ('07) and Emiley (Yogerst, '09) Marriott-- One of MBBC's first board members, Dr. David Cummins ('69), passed into the presence of the Lord last evening. His long struggle with cancer is now over as he is face to face with his Savior. Please continue praying for the family. Funeral details are forthcoming.
8-13-09 Don ('75) and Grace (Potter, '75) Albright-- Update from Jan Albright (Don's Mom)-- Thank you for your prayers in Don and Grace's behalf. Don had an appointment with the cardiologist yesterday afternoon. They are sure that it is his heart. Every time he had what they thought might be some kind of seizure, his heart rate would drop to 30 and if he was standing or sitting he would pass out. While in emergency, when he was lying down, he didn't pass out when his rate dropped. He is very tired and advised to do nothing until they can determine the problem. The doctor suggested that he may need a pace maker.
Given Don's recent health situation, his church voted to take Rob ('95) and Joanne (Albright, '01) Pfeiffer on part time which will be a tremendous help to Don in the ministry.
8-12-09 Gary ('72) and Mary (Cummins, '73) Gearhart-- Please be in prayer for the Cummins family. Dr. David Cummins' health has been failing and is now nearing his graduation to glory. Dr. Cummins was an original board member and has five children and 11 grandchildren who are MBBC graduates.
8-10-09 Don ('75) and Grace (Potter, '75) Albright--Don and I appreciate the responses we have received since news of his health crisis this last Saturday, August 8 has reached many of you. We wish to update the initial information. Don did have an episode while driving on Saturday near Northland Camp. It was followed by one in the ambulance and one in the emergency room. What we believed to be seizures were likely heart-related problems, a shock to us. We are home in Flint now and he sees a cardiologist on Wednesday. Until this is resolved he is to rest and not drive. Please, pray for a resolution and opportunity to use this for His glory.