Dreaming

I had a funny dream the other night. I dreamed that I was at a party, and I had parked my car in the host's front yard. As I was going to leave, two men approached me to tease me about where I parked, saying stuff like, "So... where you come from, do you put your appliances on the front porch as well?" As I was laughing, I noticed that one of them was Jeff Gordon! So, I took the opportunity to tell him all about Paul, and he cried.

As I was thinking about that dream, it occured to me that for a while after Paul died, whenever I dreamed about him, he was alive. Then there was a while that I dreamed about Paul, and he was alive, but I somehow knew that I was dreaming. Even though everything seemed very real, I didn't want to wake up, knowing that it would all be over. Now, I'm dreaming of life after Paul.

Like most things in my life right now, I prefer the way it used to be.

Demonstration of the Spirit

This summer, I decided to start reading through Corinthians. My plan was to get through both books, but so far, I've been stuck on the first 3 chapters of 1 Corinthians.

One verse in particular has been on my mind. It caught my eye, and I have been working on it for a while now. I'm sure I've read this before many times, but never quite like I have this month.

Paul writing to the Corinthians:

My message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God. 1 Cor. 2:4-5

This verse brings me relief and challenges me at the same time. I am relieved as I prepare for Iraq, as I nurture my boys, as I work at the clinic, that I do not have to know or come up with the right words or phrases... the "magic words" that will bring salvation to someone.

I am challenged as I realize that what I AM called to do is to "demonstrate the Spirit." I have struggled with exactly what that means. I haven't completely grasped it yet, except to know that it isn't something I can do, but something that I must allow the LORD to do through me.

Demonstrate the Spirit... demonstrate the Spirit... demonstrate the Spirit...

This is my prayer right now... that the Lord would demonstrate His Spirit through me. My confession is that I'm not completely sure what that prayer really means. Possibly, that's a good thing because if I knew, I may not be so willing to pray for it.

I rest in the knowledge that I don't have to completely understand God's ways for Him to work in my life. Praise the LORD for that!

Shad Faraydoon Hama (11-18-99 ~ 6-6-09)

Shad passed away this morning. Blood clots continued to form in his body, eventually filling up his lungs until he was unable to breathe.

Please pray for his dad, who will be in Istanbul until Tuesday when he can take his son's body home.

Please pray for Shad's mother, who is still in Iraq.

Please pray for Jeremy, as he comforts and consoles Shad's father.

For more information, check out the plc blog at www.preemptivelove.org/blog

In the midst of this sadness, I am tempted to forget about the four kids who had successful surgeries this week and have healthy hearts for the first time in their lives. Join me in praising God for the blessings of Roman, Heran, Shwan and Lawen.

And join me in praising God for Shad... a little boy created in the image of God, whose life was knit together and carefully planned by his loving Holy Father.

URGENT Prayer Needed for Shad

Please pray for Shad, one of 5 kids that traveled to Turkey through the Preemptive Love Coalition this week for heart surgery. Before arriving in Turkey, it was unknown whether Shad would even be eligible for the surgery. His dad (who traveled with him) was elated to receive the news that his son would be a surgical candidate. The surgery went well, and on Tuesday, Shad was recovering remarkable well in ICU. However, earlier today, Shad went into cardiac arrest and was rushed into emergency surgery.

Below is an email from Jeremy:

Join us today, tomorrow, the next day in praying for Shad’s recovery. Pray the Lord Himself would reach down (like we see in Psalm 113 where He humbles Himself to behold the things in heaven and on earth to care for the poor and the needy), hold together, and breathe strength and life into Shad’s fragile heart and lungs.

Pray for the nurses, doctors, surgeons, and all who are involved in the process of Shad’s recovery. We’ve seen with our own eyes the weight they carry as they care for these precious children whose bodies are fighting with all their might to hold on. Pray for peace and rest for them, that they would not carry this burden into Shad’s room, but instead they would walk in with hope that would move Shad to keep fighting even when he feels tired and weary.

Shad found the tubes, his inability to talk because of them, and his inability to get up from his ICU bed very agitating and miserable previously. Let’s pray that the Lord would release him from this frustration this time around, that he would not emotionally or physically work against the things that help to sustain his body, heart, and lungs until he can do so on his own. Pray that the Lord would place people and things around him to give him joy, make him smile, and help him relax despite uncomfortable tubes and his inability to communicate.

Pray for Shad’s father. Any of you who are parents can consider what to pray for this man who is waiting to see if his son pulls through, waiting in a foreign land away from his family and friends. Pray for me, that I would be able to carry the presence of our Lord to this hurting father, that this time together would give us a deep bond, and that we together would know His real peace and be able to rest in and trust our Lord as thwey wait today, tomorrow, and the next day to see how Shad will do.

You can also pray for Shad's mother who is still in Iraq with his little brother and sister. She feels completely helpless for her firstborn and for her husband.

And please pray for Jessica, Emma, and Micah who have suffered in their own way during my absence.

Pray however the Lord may lead you. But please do not stop praying. We have strongly felt today that this little boy needs to be covered in prayer. We have a surgeon and team who are able to perform the most complex surgeries and understand what is needed to repair hearts in a way that can give these kids the opportunity to live, to live into adulthood, graduate, marry, have kids, work. But God is the One who sustains and strengthens their bodies, that are far weaker than they should be, after living for way too long without the health care needed to have repaired hearts. A good hospital and a good surgeon just aren’t enough. We need God.

Click here to see pictures of Shad and read blog updates from this group of surgeries.

Above all, pray like Joshua, that God would act for the sake of His great name. Pray that God's name would not become a by-word among Shad's family, their Kurdish friends and neighbors, or their Iraqi brethren. Pray that God would be known and loved in this. Pray that in acting God would draw people to himself. Indeed God values the life of one child, but there is so much more at stake here than that alone.

Mission Waco Donation Clinic

Here's this month's newsletter from the clinic. Please pray that Christ will be honored and God will be glorified in that place...

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Mission Waco Donation Clinic News: June, 2009

Treating the Physical, Emotional & Spiritual needs of the working poor and homeless while serving as a bridge for getting our patients long-term help…


“Hope and Help”


“Bryan” came to our clinic this past month on a Tuesday night. Like most Tuesdays, the waiting room was packed, and – unfortunately – Bryan was one of three folks that we had to turn away for lack of time. We assured him that his name would be at the top of the list for the next clinic night, but extenuating circumstances meant that he would not be able to return. Wanting to help him, we talked with Bryan about his symptoms, and our volunteer nurse determined that what he needed involved lab work and x-rays (services that our clinic cannot provide). After giving Bryan some over-the-counter medicine to help alleviate his symptoms, we were able to set him up to see one of the family practice doctors the very next day. Before sending him off, we prayed over Bryan for his healing and for his family situation. Even though he never even saw a doctor that night, our desire for Bryan is that he left with a glimpse of the hope of Christ.


PLEASE PRAY…


Praise the Lord! We’ve had several new doctors volunteer this month, and our June calendar is looking good. We would still love to have more professional volunteers - particularly nurses - but we are grateful for how the Lord has provided for us this month. Thank you for praying.


Welcome to Kennedy! We are in full swing with our summer intern, Kennedy. He is a health science studies major and is already proving to be a valuable asset. Again, thank you for praying for us toward this end.


We are looking for ways to expand our services (like taking a more active role in helping our patients get plugged into social services that they qualify for but haven’t taken advantage of due to inability to navigate the “system.”) Please pray for our wisdom in how to effectively operate with limited funds and time. We serve a powerful God and know that nothing is impossible through Him!


***Please continue to pray for us that we would serve the homeless, poor and marginalized of this city with the love and power of God and that every resource that is needed for this work would be supplied!!

Thank you for your encouragement, help, and assistance!



Georgeen Scanes & Leigh Saxon

Mission Waco Donation Clinic