The power of prayer...

I have been challenged in my prayer life in the past couple of weeks. Not necessarily to pray on my own behalf, but more on the behalf of others - those close to me. I've known for a long time that I need to be challenged in this area and I'm thankful to see some real, evident answers to my prayers and the prayers of others.

An update on my uncle Glenn...
He is doing very well. He has made a lot of progress this week and they were able to move him out of trauma and into ICU over the weekend. His lungs are healing well, in fact, as of yesterday evening he was breathing on his own for a 24 hour period (that may be longer now, I haven't heard an update today). Once he is able to breath on his own for 48 hours they will move him into rehab. The doctors say he is "out of the woods" now, but the healing process is not fun. The contusion on his brain needs time to heal, and in the mean time he needs to be tied down most of the time so he doesn't do anything that would hinder the process. This is probably the hardest time for the family. Reality has sunk in and now its just a waiting game. He is not himself and they have to limit their visits so not to over stimulate him. He gets very frustrated with his current position and is very irritable most of the time. The bone doctor said yesterday that his bones are healing very well, especially his collar bone, so they are very happy to hear that. The family is so thankful for the progress he has made and continue to believe for a "miraculously speedy, full recovery"
Specific prayer at this point as per the family:
1. Continual healing throughout his body, specifically the contusion on his brain.
2. A calming peace for my dad as he goes through this process and enters rehab.
And I would add to that list, overwhelming peace, patience and strength for the family as they go through the healing process with Glenn.
Thanks so much for your thoughts and prayers. The family is overwhelmed with the miracles God has performed in the life of their husband/dad. The power of prayer is so evident in this situation and they are so thankful for all the support they have received.

There are two other situations that I have been praying for that I haven't told you all about.
1. One of my very close friends is going through a lot of serious marital problems and is contemplating divorce. I have been praying strongly that God would intervene in their relationship and give them both an overwhelming strength to forgive each other. God has brought good things about in this situation over the past week, but she is still wavering. Please pray that God would open up her heart to forgiveness and open up her eyes to the reasons why she loves him. This has been one of the most challenging situations for me. I want to be a friend to her and the more I talk to her about this situation, the more I realize her stance on marriage is not as strong as it should be. There isn't much I can do, but pray and ask God to give me the words of encouragement that she needs, however hard that may be to hear.
2. Another good friend of mine is dealing with a very rough pregnancy. She is now about 4 months along and is still not able to keep a stitch of food or water down. For the past couple of weeks she has been on an IV at home that provides nourishment for her and her baby. I believe she is being recommended to a specialist this week. They have a 2 1/2 year old as well and are dealing with some other challenging situations in their life - change of job, trying to sell their condo and get into a better situation financially. This pregnancy was not planned and makes it that much harder.

So yea, pray for me, that I would be able to grow in my prayer life. Thanks so much for any and all prayer support you can and have given. I love you girls and am so thankful to have you in my life.