An Update

Dear friends,

I figured it was high time I gave you all an update. Once again, thank you for your patience. God has been so good to me! How quickly I forget all the mercies He has shown and how far He has brought me.

Praise Reports

• I am still weak but my strength is significantly greater than even just a month ago. It is so easy to take this for granted until I hit a moment of greater weakness and am reminded of how much He has done.
• My weight continues to remain stable and gradually increase. I have been able to take in the required amount of daily calories and have even majorly surpassed my goal on some days!
  
• I have been able to participate in several important events including the wedding of my dear cousin, Bethany, which has been such a gift.
  
• I have been able to introduce some new foods to my diet such as kefir and several nuts & seeds.
  
• I am usually able to take short walks in the morning.
  
• God is teaching me so much about waiting on Him to fulfill His promises and is answering specific prayers.
• I recently heard that a group of friends have each taken a day out of the month to commit to fast and pray for me. How immensely humbling, and what a precious gift! I am sure that the good I am experiencing is a direct result of those prayers.

Prayer Requests

• That God might enable me to trust Him more and walk in freedom in every area of my life.
• For my faith in His promises and His Word to increase and grow so that all fears are set to flight.
• That I might become a student of God's character rather than my circumstances.
  
• For wisdom for a doctor's appointment coming up this week.
• For wisdom and grace to continue to persevere with my nutrition and daily food choices.
• For more sleep and that the sleep I get would be more restorative and deep.
  
• For discipline and strength to implement a particular treatment that my nutritionist has asked me to do this week.
• For increased strength, weight gain, and restoring of health.

At church this past Sunday, Tim Kerr said the following: "God wants us to pray bigger, bolder prayers. We ask too little. God is honored when we pray prayers that cannot be answered unless He sends His Spirit." I was so challenged by this and by another quote he went on to share from Arturio Azurdia: "What are you asking God to do, that only God can do, so that when He does it, only God gets the glory for it?" (If you have a moment, I'd encourage you to listen to this message. It will challenge your faith immensely.)

Sometimes I ask but not with faith. Not expecting an answer. But He DOES answer! And it is exactly when I have no ability of my own to help myself or those dear to me that I am pressed to cry out to Him and find Him more than able to do far beyond all I ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). The same is true for you, my friend. Let us ask Him for great things. Not just when we are aware of how helpless we are but every day. For without Him, we can do NOTHING (John 15:5).

I look forward to sharing with you all just how He answers these prayers in the days to come!

I have loved you with an everlasting love;
therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.
Again I will build you, and you shall be built.... - Jeremiah 31:3-4

For still the vision awaits its appointed time;
it hastens to the end—it will not lie.
If it seems slow, wait for it;
it will surely come; it will not delay. - Habakkuk 2:3