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Thanksgiving
Newsletter From the Messer's 2013
Every year
holds new events and adventures, hardships and challenges,
hopes and dreams. The things that come into our lives are
often unexpected, unplanned, and sometimes unwanted. How we
come out on the other side of these circumstances depends
largely on our attitude, choices, and faith in God.
This year Elaine and I have faced the most difficult and
challenging time of our 36 years of marriage and 56 years of
life. An experience that has shaken the foundations of our
lives and has reshaped who we are and how we see life, God,
and each other.
Instead of a Christmas newsletter we have chosen to send a
thanksgiving newsletter for we have so much to be thankful to our
God for!
First of
all we are thankful to all our friends and family who have
come along side of us in this difficult and uncertain time.
We are thankful to our children who were there faithfully
through countless hours in the hospital, and who pulled
together to help see us through. (Joshua, Janet, Alisa and
John)
We are thankful to the close friends, who are our extended
family, who came to our side and prayed, counseled,
encouraged, and wept with us.
We are thankful to our church, First golden Baptist, who were
in constant prayer and who provided food, hospital visits, and
financial support, as well as letters and cards.
We are thankful to those too numerous to count across the
nation who lifted us up in prayer. Churches and prayer chains
more than we will ever know. Even a rock band through Facebook
dedicated a Christian song at every concert on behalf of
Elaine.
To God be
the glory!
Now, the
rest of the story.
On the
evening June 27th, 2013, Elaine became very ill. After a long
night, we went to the doctor the next morning, June 28th.
Within minutes of seeing the doctor he called for an ambulance
to rush her to the hospital. After a series of tests and scans
they rushed Elaine into emergency surgery.
Her small intestine was leaking into her bowel and she was
severely sepsis. (Full of gangrene). Her body was beginning to
shut down. She was literally in the early stages of dying.
She make it through 4 hours of surgery, but she was still a
very sick girl. She was in intensive car, life support, 9 bags
of intravenous meds, and in a drug induced coma for 1 1/2
days.
The future was uncertain and a long range recovery
anticipated. Doctors thought she would be in the hospital for
a month or more, with occupational therapy following the
hospital stay.
But God had other plans. Seventeen days total in the hospital
then she went straight home, recovering much quicker than
expected and is feeling better than she has in years.
She is on
no medicines, By September we were taking mile long walks.
Elaine is doing awesome!
OH! And now
for more of the rest of the story and how awesome the God we
serve is!
We had no
insurance! The total bill was over $230,000.00 Medicaid was
declined. The financial counselor at the hospital said we
might have to take medical bankruptcy.
While Elaine was still in the hospital, God challenged me as I
was in prayer and journaling. He put the option before me as I
prayed; "You can take the easy way out and take the
bankruptcy or you can trust Me and let me be glorified once
again."
As I prayed
I committed to God in prayer and in my journal that I chose to
let God be glorified. The events that followed are too many to
tell, but God is faithful and the bills are paid as I write
this newsletter of thanksgiving.
It does pay to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and to live our
lives out for Him. He alone is our hope. Not just because of
what He has done, but because of who He is.
In every
area of our lives God wants to be loved and trusted. He wants
to show Himself faithful and be glorified in our
circumstances.
At the post
surgery visit with the surgeon, Dr. Kamau, he told us
"Elaine was a goner when she came in to the
hospital", but God said no!
This
holiday season our prayer for you is that you will know Jesus
Christ for yourself as your own personal Lord and Savior.
There is no other hops. All other hopes are fading and
disappointing. Those who put their hope and trust in the One
God who created us will not be disappointed.
If you
neglect the Hope purchased on the cross by Jesus Christ, you
will be missing it all! Eternity is just around the corner for
all of us! God wants you to be with Him in heaven. Please
don't let this opportunity pass you by. Heaven is real. Hell
is real. Your choice is the deciding factor.
May Jesus
Christ be your choice!
We love you
/ Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas!
Rick &
Elaine Messer
P.S. So
here is our challenge to you for 2014. WE DARE YOU to trust
God for miracles in your life!
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