Starting all over

Today we start all over again looking for a facility that will accept Joy, our daughter.  After many phone calls the last several weeks, we were told yesterday by the nursing facility that the agency which funds special cases like Joy's, cannot provide funding for her.   We were surprised because they said she DOES NOT require skilled nursing.  The tough part is that Shepherds is equipped to help to a certain level of need.  Joy has passed that and so today I start trying to locate a place that will take her. We appreciate your prayers.  I will not have as much time today because Margie has two medical appointments.  Many of you have received our urgent prayer request for this via email.  We thank you for your intercession.

Extension

Shepherds has graciously given us an extension on Joy's discharge date.  We appreciate this greatly but will be careful not to abuse this kindness shown us. I will be calling the nursing home today to see if there is anything new on the process.  Thanks so much for praying about this.  It is definitely having a negative mark on Margie's health.  Margie just awakened and said she had a good night.  We are thankful.

Countdown 11

We are very burdened about our daughter's placement after her discharge date of December 9.  We are in correspondence with Shepherds, assuring them we are doing everything we can from this side of the country to make it happen.  We know that in the final scheme of things, it has to be the Lord who does it.  We sincerely thank you all for praying about this.  Margie certainly had a good night - one of her best.  We are grateful. This morning I have an appointment with my coach concerning a business from home on the computer.  When it is all set up I will inform you about it.  In fact for the last many days, my first Brazilian narrative has been published and from here on there will be two weekly. With the Medicare situation changing, we are praying this will give us sufficient to fill in the gaps of some medical expenses.

Blowing like 60

And that's about what the wind velocity is.  All night strong winds blew and more is forecast. Alerts are warning us to watch for fallen limbs and have flashlights and food supplies on hand.  We slept fairly well and Margie did also. Yesterday she paced herself and was able to prepare lunch for us.  Our son is here and she enjoys fixing what he likes.  He likes that too.  I spent hours trying to get the CD Rom drive to "read" a program to install on Margie's computer.  I had no success, neither did the Dell technician.  We will try again another day. We are receiving scores of personal notes of prayer support for Joy's situation.  We appreciate so much the help in prayer.

Here we are

Yes, here we are at the end of another week.  We were in town yesterday and before returning home, we stopped at the hospital to visit our friend who came to the E.R. in the morning and was admitted in the afternoon. We are praying for his well being and release soon.  He thought it would be this morning.  Rawlie arrived in late afternoon and will be here while he finishes a special project on his computer for his company.Yesterday was laundry and ironing.  I did the washing and Margie the ironing.  I took her for the 20 minute hair appointment in the morning.  We are still awaiting word concerning Joy's placement.  We are totally dependent on the Lord to resolve this.  Our resources are SO SMALL.  We know He is able and we trust Him.  Thanks for helping us in prayer.

Black Friday

The Wikipedia says this name originated in Philadelphia where it was used to describe the heavy and disruptive pedestrian and vehicle traffic which took place on the day after Thanksgiving.  We had a wonderful time with our son and his family for Thanksgiving.  Margie was able to enjoy it also for which we are happy.  We are deeply concerned about our daughter Joy's situation of placement in another facility.  We certainly appreciate your help in prayer about it.  Thanks so much.

Happy Thanksgivng

Let us give thanks today for all our blessing.  Margie & I are grateful we have the Lord, our family, each other and the measure of health we enjoy.  Margie had a good night and in a moment will be preparing some things for us to take to our son's where we will join them in the Thanksgiving meal. Thanks for your prayers for Margie and our daughter's situation.  We certainly do appreciate them.

Flu

We just received word from Shepherds and Joy's Case Manager Ashley Gilmore this morning that the flu has hit the home.  Fortunately Joy's unit has been quarantined because they are all well and they will spend Thanksgiving together and have a special meal in the gym.  I asked her about Joy's placement in the nursing home and she said the Behavioral Consulting Services are working on this aspect of the situation.  I know that funding is one of the biggest issues.  Please pray that something can be worked out for her being there.  Financially we are unable to pay what they require.  I am in consultation with Shepherds regarding an extension on Joy's discharge date which should be December 9. We know you are praying about these things and ask you to continue.  We appreciate it so much.   Margie had a good night and we are grateful for that.

60 M.P.H.

That's what the weather man said.  Wind clocked at 60 miles per hour last night.  We thought for sure the lights would go out but they made it all night  Margie didn't sleep well.  Each time I awakened, the wind was fierce. Today we must go to town.  They predict strong winds for Thanksgiving Day so we will have to be careful.
I talked to the nursing home yesterday and they were waiting for the decision of a meeting of one of the state agencies regarding funding, etc for Joy, if she is accepted.  Please pray.  We know only the Lord can resolve this issue.  Thanks so much for your help in prayer.

Stormy weather

We awakened to high winds that will increase by tomorrow to at least 60 m.p.h.   We are so glad we have our generator in place ready for such emergencies.  Our son and his friend wired our house for it so when the electricity fails, we just flip two switches and the light plant will keep us warm and help cook our meals.  We were thankful we could be in church yesterday and afterward, our son and grandson invited us to a restaurant here in our town for lunch.  It was very nice.  Margie slept well last night.  We are praying that Joy's acceptance in the Wisconsin nursing home will happen before her discharge date of December 9.  Please pray with us about this.

Bright Sunday

It's COLD but beautiful.  We are thankful for heat.  Lord willing we will attend church this morning.  At first Margie wondered if she should go.  But it is definitely not inclement weather and we are glad we can go.
Margie had a good night.  Yesterday she was able to prepare a meal for our son and grandson.  That is a blessing when you think that not long ago that was an impossibility.  Thank you for continued prayer about Joy's placement in another facility.  We tend to be optimistic about it but it still is in the Lord's hands.

Chilly morning

For us in Ferndale this is COLD.  It was about 26 degrees this morning.  We are so happy for the heaters our grandson installed.  They really help keep the old folks warm.  I worked yesterday on our business blog and you are welcome to check it out.  I will have two narratives a week about our years in Brazil. We hope you like it and keep coming back.  It, hopefully will be our source of a little extra to help with medical expenses.  If not we will discontinue it. Margie had a good day yesterday and was able to do some things in the kitchen and around the house.  She rests between chores, pacing herself that way.  Thanks for your continued prayers regarding Joy's placement in another facility.  We desire God's will in this and value your prayer support.

Protocol

There is an enormous amount of background preparation needed for our daughter Joy to be placed in another facility.  The personnel at the facility we have requested a place for Joy, have been so very kind to us and we appreciate it greatly.  We are hindered by the fact I cannot be there personally to do some of the foot work preparation.  Margie's health at the present, demands I be here with her.  I certainly want that also.  Please pray that each required item will be in place for them to make a decision before Joy's discharge date of December 9.  We appreciate your help in prayer.  Margie had a good night.  And last night we had a delightful time at prayer meeting with those who came to pray.

Patience

Do we need patience? YES!  The Bible even says that. We are awaiting further word on Joy's situation.  We are aware of the enormous amount of protocol and paperwork involved in this so we must be patient. The kind people at the home where we have applied for Joy to be placed, have been good to us and we appreciate them greatly.  Please pray with us that all will be put together in the time limit given us for Joy's discharge Dec. 9.
Margie had a good day yesterday and last night.  She had another physical therapy treatment and the therapist was pleased with her progress.  It has been a slow process but we are glad she is doing better in her balance and walking. Thank you all for standing with us in prayer. It means so much to us.

Discovery

I have been trying to initiate a home business via the computer.  Yesterday I made the shocking discovery that when I applied for a domain name for my web site, they worded it incorrectly and therefore it was out there in cyber space but not being used.  The company quickly saw their mistake and corrected it.  Hopefully we will be able to start on it soon.  For some of you it may be of interest in that the theme will be our missionary work in Brazil and twice weekly I will have articles (short) about an interesting experience during those years.  I am doing my homework and am ready for my coach who will instruct and teach me how to start this work. Please pray with us about this. The sole reason is to make it a blessing but also hopefully provide a small income to help with some expenses here.  Thanks so much.  And we don't want to forget to update you on Margie.  She had a wonderful night and we are so thankful.  Today is another trip to therapy.  This is coming to an end and we are sorry, because this has helped her much.

Encouraged

We are encouraged today after yesterday's communication with the care facility where we applied for Joy to be placed.  The Director of Admissions, S. P., was so very kind to us in explaining some of the procedure necessary prior to her transfer.  Given no unforeseen problems, she feels Joy will be able to be in their facility. This is truly an answer to prayer and we are so grateful for this administration's kindness in helping us. Yesterday was a busy day for us in that Margie had an appointment with the neurologist, this fine doctor who, among many, finally discovered the cause of Margie's extreme neck and head pain and prescribed medication that alleviated it greatly. We also had some shopping to do which added to the day's activities.  We were mighty happy to be back home.  Margie sits in the car ofttimes when I shop to help her not to overexert. Thanks for praying and please continue and I will update Joy's situation as things occur.  I am sorry to report that Margie's night was very short, overtaken with insomnia.

More comments

We are receiving more comments on my e-mail blitz, asking for prayer regarding Joy's situation.  A friend of ours called last evening,giving us moral support in our process of Joy's discharge from Shepherds.  We appreciate so much the help through prayer and suggestions.  Margie had a wonderful night.  Thank you Lord!
Rawlie and Nathan left late afternoon from here to their home in Stanwood.  Nathan has almost completed the task of putting electric heat in our house.  It is GREAT!  We pray you all have a wonderful day and thanks for your help in prayer for us as we seek to get Joy settled in a new place.

Day of rest

Sunday is a wonderful day. We have the privilege of being in church, have fellowship with others, and study the Word of God. For so many months we could not go because of Margie's illness.  Today we look forward to it.
Last night Margie slept wonderfully.  Great news.  Yesterday she prepared lunch for Rawlie and our grandson Nathan.  Nathan is busy updating and installing new electric heaters throughout our house.  Rawlie is working on the Vista house preparing it for rental. I was in our garage organizing and cleaning up the garage sale items we hope to get rid of some day. Our main concern these days continues to be our daughter Joy's situation.  Please continue to pray the rest home will decide if they can accept her.  We are puzzled by their reticence to do so based on the fact she is non-verbal.  Thank you for your prayer support.  This matter has been VERY hard on Margie and we understand why.

Response

Our extensive prayer alert for Joy's situation created a host of responses via email.  We are grateful for all who are praying.  We will keep you posted as things develop.  Yesterday we had a heavy wind storm that didn't last long but did plenty of damage.  A total of about 4,000 houses were affected by the outage.  I "resurrected" our Honda 2000 generator and it provided lights for about 4 hours.  It finally "died", and we don't know why. I will have it serviced for future use.  Our son and grandson arrived about 8:15 and we "dug" out our larger generator which was hidden beneath "tons" of garage sale items we hope to one day display at a sale. We got it going but didn't have to use it because the lights came back on. (Applause!). I am sorry to report that Margie's night was anything but desirable.  She just did not do well at all. I think the outage plus her concern about Joy did not mix well.  Thanks so much for praying.

Need for much prayer

Yesterday I called the nursing home in Wisconsin where I applied for Joy's acceptance as a client.  Last Monday they said after Joy's assessment and the paper work in, they should be able to tell us Tuesday the answer.  So I phoned, thinking something was holding up the decision because we have heard nothing from them.  The Admission Director told me their great concern was Joy's inability to communicate.  She was in consultation with the state agency that would approve or disapprove such a move.  We ask you to pray much about this.  We have known of several in rest homes through the years who could not communicate but were patients anyway. Shepherds has done a fabulous work of being able to minister to Joy's needs.  Joy has never spoken.  And she cannot hear.  Please pray that the Lord will intervene in this decision if it is His will.  That's what we want.  Thanks so much for helping us.

Busy while waiting

We are waiting word from the nursing home in Wisconsin about Joy's assessment and their decision whether they will accept her or not as a client.  It is always hard to wait, but we must.  In the meantime, Margie had an appointment with the neurologist yesterday.  He was pleased with her response to the present medication for seizures and said she would be on them the rest of her life.  Many things can cause them and we will probably never know the answer.  He did say that celiac disease can trigger seizures.  This was a new bit of information for us. Please continue to pray.  Margie is having more and more trouble with her sleep and it concerns us. She does well sometimes and at others, not so good.  I know that last night she had lots of trouble getting to sleep. Thanks for your prayers.

Not yet

Yesterday our daughter's case manager met the admissions director from a local nursing home near Shepherds, to assess Joy's situation.  The case manager said it went well and there were only some concerns about communication with Joy. Joy has never spoken and cannot hear because she is totally deaf.  There is a level of communication however through visual means and the nursing home admissions director even suggested another approach to this problem.  The final word on this is that up until now there is no final word. We are waiting word to see if this home will accept her or not.  We leave it with the Lord.  He is in charge and we must be willing to accept whatever comes of this.  We thank you for praying about it.  It means much to us.  Margie had a positive night and we are thankful.

Fast pace

Yesterday when we began our contact work with nursing homes in the Union Grove area, we were delighted how quickly things happened.  A local nursing home recommended by Shepherds was very kind to me and through a series of phone calls both to them and Shepherds an assessment meeting was arranged with the Admissions Director of the nursing home to meet with Joy (our daughter) and her Case Manager this morning at 8 o'clock P.T. (or 10 Union Grove time).  So by the time many of you open this, that meeting may be over. If you receive it before that, please pray for the Lord's will in this matter. We appreciate it so much.  This situation of Joy's discharge and trying to find a new place for her has been so very hard on Margie especially because she is not well.  We will keep you posted perhaps even today with an update HERE when we hear any news we should pass on to you.  To the host of folks praying for us during this tender time, we say "thanks".

Waiting

We have two things we are waiting for today:  More information concerning rest home facilities in Union Grove, WI and  a call from the company that is making a new web site for my home business.  Both are very important but our daughter Joy is the first priority.  Please pray with me as I contact the different places, trying to determine the best option for us to follow.  We certainly need the Lord's guidance.  We are completely unable alone to make the right decision.  Thanks so much for caring and praying.  We appreciate it greatly.  Margie had a good night for which we are grateful.

Time change

I'm glad we remembered the time change.  I set back all the clocks yesterday.  Our grandson, Nathan, is installing electric heat in our house and he was able to get a lot done.  With the forced air furnace, we seem to be  cold an awful lot. We know the steady electric heat will be better. Margie had a better night and we are thankful. We look forward to being at church this morning.  It is cold and we are reminded winter is coming.  Thanks for  your prayers.  We have much homework to do this week, when Shepherds sends a list of the facilities around Union Grove where Joy could possibly be transferred to.  Please pray we will have His wisdom.  We know that finances will determine greatly what we can do.  We know that none will ever compare to Shepherds but we trust the Lord to help us find the right one.  

Official notice

Yesterday afternoon we received the official notice from Shepherds regarding Joy's discharge.  It will take place on December 9.  Monday we will receive the list of homes in the area of Union Grove where Joy could possibly stay.  I will then have to contact all of them via Internet and direct phone calls, to determine which would be best for her.  The crucial concern at this moment is if the facility will accept Joy's present financial benefits as payment for her care.  Please pray with us about this. I researched last night and discovered that quite a few of them do not accept Social Security or Medicaid patients. We know the Lord will work it out for us but we certainly depend on our praying friends during this very important move. Thank you for  your help.  Another concern of mine is the fact that I most likely will have to go to Union Grove to be there for this transfer.  It is logical that I should be and I want to be there.  But I am very concerned about leaving Margie alone for that time.

We hope

Maybe at last after long months of searching, we may have found something that will help us bring in some financial help for our medical expenses. If it does work out, we will post the new blog site here so you can see what we are doing.  In just a few more days it should be near completion.  Margie had a good day yesterday and together we washed dried and folded the clothes.  I only did the washing, which is done in our garage area.  She has difficulty descending and ascending the two stairs into our family room. Yesterday morning I went to our local tire shop and had the studless snow tires mounted on our car for the winter.  We have not used them for many years because with our work with Shepherds, we were rarely home in the winter to need them.  Margie did not have a very good night.  We pray tonight will be better.

Too early

It's too early to know if Margie had a good night but all indications are that she did.  I only heard her a couple of times. Yesterday was a fairly busy day for us.  In the morning we attended and I had a small part in the memorial service for our good friend Elsie Forner.  We were not able to stay for the fellowship time because we had to get home and prepare for our short trip to Lynden for Margie's physical therapy session.   While she was there I did some shopping and we returned home.  It's always good to be home.  Once again we thank you for praying for Margie and our daughter Joy and her soon discharge from Shepherds.  I also appreciate prayer concerning my part time work at the computer, attempting to help a little with the expenses.  I have not actually started yet, but hope to soon.

A dear friend

This morning there is a memorial service for Elsie Forner, a wonderful friend, who died last week. I am honored to have a part in that service along with our pastor.  From the memorial service we will go to Lynden, WA for Margie's physical therapy. Yesterday was a busy day also when she attended the Women's Missionary meeting at our church then off to Bellingham for an appointment with the foot specialist. As you can see, we are always on the go.  Margie had a good night last night.  Thanks for praying.

Last night

Our church had a Parking Lot party for the neighborhood.   It was well organized and well attended.  The weather cooperated also even though it was cold.  Here at home we were quiet.  Margie had a chiropractic treatment in the afternoon.   Last night she didn't get to sleep before midnight so her report this morning was not as good as we had expected.  Today, Lord willing, she will attend the Ladies Missionary missionary at our church then I pick her up for a doctor's appointment in Bellingham mid afternoon.  Thanks for remembering her and Joy in your prayers.We are awaiting word from Shepherds relative to her discharge.