Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Dennis has continued to rest well and been more relaxed today.  Tomorrow we go see the surgeon to get an update and see where we go from here.  I am still praying for complete healing from the Lord.  Please pray for God's will!  I am tired tonight, but at peace.  God continues to meet every need and exceed every expectation!

Good Night!

Mendy

Monday, December 29, 2008

Today was nice.  Dennis slept all morning and began to move around restlessly in the afternoon.

I am beginning to see signs of annoyance with being down all day every day.  That is a good sign, I guess!  I think my job is getting even tougher with keeping him still and resting all the time.  His body aches are increasing from laying around all the time, and he desires to do something, but when he attempts it, his has to stop and rest.  It is frustrating for him!  Today, Rich Bueller on "Talk From The Heart" Christian Radio interviewed Dennis and I.  After his interview, Dennis slept for two hours!  He was exhausted.  Rich was kind and the questions and conversation not difficult, but processing and communicating the ways he wants to express himself , is tiring for Dennis.  He really enjoyed talking for two minutes with Rich, a Christian Radio personality he has listened to for thirty years!

Pray as we go to the Oral Facial Surgeon this Wednesday.  We will know more about his progress then.  

I met with men at our church today who have hearts to help make the church grounds a little safer.  Pray God's blessing on these men for their eagerness to help!  It is a bit strange to me to be talking lighting, walls/fencing, and other security measures without Dennis heading it up.  This is definitely another "new" experience for me.  Pray wisdom for me and all the wonderful men involved!  It is difficult to fathom putting barriers around the church, but necessary for people's safety as you might well imagine.  Our hearts are always for the church to be an inviting and welcoming place for people to gather to worship and fellowship, but they also need to be safe.  A sign I guess of the evil world we live in!

I am excited to share that God has even been working in the lives and hearts of people who know well the people arrested for the crime.  I was privileged to share God's love and forgiveness, and we had the opportunity to pray together.  PLEASE pray for this family as they have been both reminded and introduced to a loving, forgiving, and compassionate God who desires to draw them to himself.   

May God continue to be glorified in all that is said and done.  Good Night! 

Mendy

P.S.  Dennis has only been taking one pain pill every 6 hours today!  PTL!  He has hurt some, but has managed his pain level.  I am glad to see him cut down on his meds. 

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Hello on Day #22!

Dennis had a good day!  He slept well and actually sat up for a while today.  We seem to have has pain controlled and the light isn't bothering him quite as much as it has.  Megan and I were able to fellowship with our church this morning.  My mom "husband sat" for me.  Thank you, mom!

I hate to admit it, but it was nice to get out and worship the Lord with our church family.  God showed up, and we were blessed.  Dennis also picked up his guitar for a few minutes today and worshipped.  How wonderful that was!  We received some blood work back.  He is anemic, his kidneys are not at full function yet, but are improving.  Other blood levels are not yet right, but we need to wait to see his doctor this week to get those explained.  Pray as I call the surgeons, eye specialists, and dentist that God will continue to do the healing for us.  We are not looking forward to surgery.  Join us in believing God for another miracle with his facial bones and eye.

Tomorrow, we have some special, special friends arriving from Texas, Gordie and Jennifer Hay, to surprise Dennis.  Pray he is up for visiting with them a little while they are with us.  They arrive tomorrow evening and depart Wed. morning.  They just wanted to come give us hugs, and we can always use some more of those!

In Christ,

Mendy

Saturday, December 27, 2008--Part II

Here are the words God gave me.  Sorry!  They didn't post on above posting.

We said, "Yes, Lord!"

And surrendered all.

We prayed, "Use us!"

And answered the call.

Lingered in His presence

Longed for the day

Watched and waited

Illuminate our way!

Excited beyond measure

Hungered to know Him more

Begged to go deeper

We desired to soar!

Told us to prepare

For the venture ahead

To equip ourselves for battle

To be ready, to be fed

Filled our hearts with love

For a lost and dying world

Waited to make a difference?

Only a boy and a girl!

Looked to each new day

Eager for Him to speak

Expected miracles to happen

Waited for a harvest to reap

Learning to be faithful

In the small and little ways

Believing in His promises

Trusting Him our days

Blessed beyond compare

God laid out the plan

Opened wide the doors

No way this was man!

Mountaintops so lovely

Blessings abound

Loved all God's beauty

And happiness found

Best plans were pursued

Hopes and dreams established

Excited to receive our call

Served the Lord with gladness!

Did all we knew to do

Anticipated the greatness

God would do through us

Feeling ever so weightless

In our wildest imaginations

Caught completely off guard

Sinful ways of man came calling

Pool of blood on "sacred yard."

Beyond all comprehension!

No words to convey

Never saw this coming

Believed the costs we weighed

A boy with a call

Lay lifeless and broken

His girls right beside him

With many prayers spoken

Loved and beaten

Left to die

Sounds all to familiar

But Lord, Why?

Trustworthy and True

Loving and Faithful

In control, on the throne

Came to mind when "weightful"

God never left our sides

Carrying us all the way

Reassuring us of His love

True miracles each day

The call is ever strong

Our passion ever true

God is on the throne

In Him we will pursue

Never ceasing to amaze

Awing us each day

This life of adventure

Humbled along the way

The destination lain before us

The journey was unknown

God used good for evil

And many seeds were sown!

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Hi,

Dennis had a good night...for him!  PTL!  He is actually talking and moving a bit more today.  Pray for continued healing.  We are attempting to cut back again on pain medicine today.  Please also pray for that.

I was awakened at 5 am with some words the Lord gave me to share with Dennis.  I so needed to hear God "speak" to me.  Thank you, Lord!    May the words be an encouragement to you today also.  Love, Mendy

Friday, December 26, 2008

Dennis has pretty much slept through Christmas.  I am so thankful that he has been able to rest and sleep most of the time.  He continues to improve a bit with each day.  He got up for a few minutes Christmas "afternoon" and enjoyed watching Megan open her present.  After he had come out of his coma, he had asked that Megan get her dream camera for Christmas.  A sweet friend helped me get to the store to purchase it and then took it home to wrap it for me.   Thanks to Sandra, Megan had the biggest smile we have seen in quite a while!  After opening her present, Dennis was exhausted and went back to bed pleased his baby was so happy!  Dennis is such a great daddy!  :) 

Even Megan and I have been really tired lately, so our whole family has been pretty worthless the last couple of days.  Today, Dennis and I prayed together and listened to a few worship songs before going off to sleep.  What a joy that was!  Continue to pray for patience for him as he needs to allow his body lots of sleep and time to heal.  He continues to be on pain meds and four other prescriptions through the day and night.  PTL!  We have been able to cut down on his pain medicine quite  a bit.  

This evening he has a terrible headache and his left eye is bothering him, but seems to have settled down.

Merry Christmas to all and thank you so much for your continued love and support.  

We are reminded today in Ps 34 to "taste and see that the Lord He is good."  It is in these

difficult times that we can truly see how good God is.  We so rejoice today in His goodness to us.

God is close to the brokenhearted and saves us from our troubles.  Wow!  I have never experienced this so strongly as I have these passed three weeks!  I was asked today if I would be willing to go through all of this again to grow and feel such strength in the Lord.  The answer is...humanly, an emphatic absolutely not!  But I think God that this evil act has been used for good and that we have grown through our experiences and difficult times.  As we face trying times, our choice is to fall apart or trust God has a plan and will take care of us.  I choose to continue to look to God and look forward to what tomorrow brings.  May God receive all the glory!  Love you all!

Mendy

Tuesday, December 23,2008

Sorry for not writing yesterday.  We had a full day at the hospital and finally got to come home late in the day.  We were all very tired.  

Dennis is home and been sleeping all day today.  He hasn't had an appetite and his pain level has been quite high today.  Please pray for continued healing.  We are having trouble getting his body balanced today with the pain medicine, sleep, a lack of desire to eat, and an upset stomach.  It is frustrating for him.  

Last night, we were contacted by the Sheriff's Detectives.  They arrested two people who they believe were involved in Dennis' attack.  It has been all over the news today, and several news agencies have been calling for interviews all day.  The detectives met with Megan and I, and it has been tiring and difficult.  We were very nervous about hashing over all of the details of the case again, but the detectives were very patient and good with us.  They have been working so hard on this case.  We were told by one of the detectives that in his years of service in Highland, they have never been so busy with calls from people who love Dennis and are concerned with the attackers being caught and brought to justice.  I have always loved my beloved husband, but it has been such a blessing to hear that so many others have been impacted by his life too!

I got very emotional when meeting with the officers.  Thank you, Jesus!  My heart was one of love and forgiveness for these men who have brought such pain in our lives these last weeks.  I KNOW this is all God doing this work in me.  God is a God of Mercy, Love and Forgiveness.  We are called to be merciful and forgiving.  The amazing thing about this is God has done all the hard work to change my heart and work it all out.  I truly believe we will someday have the opportunity to talk to Dennis' attackers and share with them the hope that lies within us and can be theirs too.

I was asked today what our Christmas will be like and what we want and need.  We have already received the precious gift of a saviour in which we rejoice and celebrate; however, our Christmas will not be one this year one of an over abundance of food, family, and presents.  We will spend a quite week loving each other, resting, and thanking God for bringing Dennis home to us.  We are celebrating the miracle of life and the healing power of God in our lives physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.  God is an awesome God, and we are more in love with Him today than two weeks ago.  

We have known and felt God has been preparing us this last year for a special assignment/calling on our lives, but we never dreamed the destination would take us down the path it has these last weeks.  We are looking to the goal and keeping our eyes on Jesus to continue to work in and through us and to continue carrying us on this journey.  Through terrible circumstances and a nightmare of an event, God is moving and working in the lives of people to draw them to himself.  Pray God continues to touch people's hearts, and that we will stand strong and dedicated to the call God has placed in our hearts and on our lives.

Blessings to you all for your continued support, prayers, love, and commitment to us.  You have all played such a huge role in helping us to find the strength to stand and the strength to move forward.  Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!  We love you all.  Mendy

Sunday, December 21st

Dennis spent about 18 hours in emergency yesterday, and at 4:30 this morning he was moved into The Cardiac ICU for tests and observation.  I am happy to say he had a good day...no new episodes or problems.  We are very thankful for that tonight.  The Head of Cardiology met with us at noon today and told us Dennis' heart is in great shape!  No problems!  They also did a CT scan and his head injuries are healing well.  We were told it is a absolute miracle that he is healing so quickly and will have no permanent damage or problems.  Everyone in the hospital are amazed!  We are all amazed at what God has done and is continuing to do. 

Megan and I left Dennis in a private room this evening where he is resting nicely and peacefully.  Thank you, Jesus!  Tonight, may we all sleep well!   I was told that if Dennis continues to have a good night, then tomorrow he can return home.  He was very happy to hear those words.  He is so tired of sleepless nights and being in a hospital.  Pray he gets to come home with us tomorrow.  I know we will all sleep easier when we can all be home together again!  That is all we need for Christmas!

The doctors aren't completely certain what happened yesterday morning, but they seem confident that his brain and heart are both in good shape.  PTL!  It may have been meds that he had a reaction to or he wore himself out at the doctor or it may have been a combination of those things with the brain injury.  All too much for a body to handle.

I know this tonight.  We can depend on God as our source of strength.  Is. 40:25 tells us God gives power to those who are tired and worn out; he offers strength to the weak.  Those who wait on the Lord will find new strength.  They will walk high on wings like eagles.  They will run and not grow weary.  They will walk and not faint.  God's power and strength NEVER diminish!  I have felt life crushing in on us, and last evening felt I could not take another step, but I KNOW I could call upon God to renew my strength, AND HE DID JUST THAT!

I spent the early hours today reading scripture by Dennis' bed and soon felt God's presence holding me in his arms, sustaining me.  Just the promise of God's strength helped me rise above life's difficulties.  I soon began to claim God's promises found in His Word.  Tonight I am thoroughly exhausted and am looking forward to a good sound sleep, and I can do that because of God holding me in His arms this night.  Thank you God for loving me so much!  He cares about all the details and difficulties in our lives.  Cling to Him this night and may you be encouraged to trust and have faith even when you can't see the road in front of you and when you don't know what tomorrow may bring!  I have complete confidence in the fact that my Father loves me, He loves Dennis, and He has a great plan for our lives!  He has given us a call and a mission, and He will see us through in that to completion.  We are excited about that!  THERE IS NO GREATER PLACE TO BE THAN IN THE CENTER OF GOD'S WILL!  I will trust God with the journey He has my beloved husband and I on, and look forward with anticipation and excitement to what tomorrow will bring.  Pray for our church.  Pray for the young, confused men who committed this crime, and that they will find our precious saviour.  Pray for lost souls everywhere that need to hear about our loving, wonderful God who cares for them. 

Love in Christ,

Mendy 

Saturday, December 20, 2008

DAY 15:

Where do I begin?  Dennis and I got up and headed for a doctor's appointment early this morning.

In the process, he was late taking his meds, and the doctor's appt. took much longer than anticipated.  While attempting blood work at Beaver, the staff attempted to take Den's blood five times...and each time the vessels collapsed.  The last tried time...Dennis had what appeared to be a seizure and passed out.  He was then transported back to LLMC Emergency by ambulance.  I have returned home after twelve hours in emergency with him waiting for tests and getting him stabilized.  He is resting comfortably, but wants to come home!  Doctors believe either one of two things caused the episode:  they believe, after an irregular EKG today, that he was either having an allergic reaction to his meds. or something is going on with his heart.  I will return in an hour to the hospital to be there when another EKG is done and the doctor will meet with us soon after (around 11 pm or 12 am tonight).  The odd thing is that he had perfect EKGs while in the hospital a few days ago.   Please pray that it was a reaction to the meds, and he will return home tonight with me.  He so desires to be back home in his own bed.

For me, please pray.  I am exhausted and struggling this evening to keep it all together.  I came home to pray, read the Word, and to remind myself of the attributes of my Father in Heaven.

He has been so faithful and good through all of this.  This is difficult to admit...but I am weak and tired and would so appreciate your prayers this evening.   Pray for God to surround us with his peace and love.  I see and hear people celebrating the holidays, and I then sit for hours in the Emergency Room and see people's struggles and tears and also face them myself.  

I thank God tonight for all He is and all He continues to do in our lives.  I am choosing to trust and place my confidence NO MATTER THE OUTCOME in my Father God.  I am claiming the promise that He will not give us more than we can handle.  If you are in this place tonight, please trust in my GREAT BIG GOD who controls everything in our lives.  He will see us through this hard time, and He promises to see you through too!  These struggles will be worth it all when we come through the other side and see the beautiful ways God continues to make good out of evil in this world.  I am expecting great things!   

Much Love!

Mendy

   

Friday, December 19th

Today has been Dennis' best day yet!  God continues to amaze us with his healing power.  What a miracle I see every day in Dennis.  He has been up most of the day, restless, but doing well.  He wanted to paint the entryway for me and get up on a step stool to fix the outside Christmas lights! He desires so much to take care of his family.  Of course, we brought him in from the garage and took the step stool out of his hands!  He is so sweet, but very difficult to keep down.  I guess that is a good sign though.  He is still having trouble with headaches, but we are able to control his pain and nausea with medicines.  We actually got to stay in all day, and he was able to rest well.  This evening, Santa came down the street, and Dennis wanted to go outside and wave to him.  He wondered if Santa would give him a lump of coal or a gift on Christmas morning.  I wondered too! :)

With each new day, I am thankful to God for his love and protection on our lives and for giving my precious husband and father back to us.  How blessed we are to be able to once again tell him how much he means to us and how special he is.  Wow!  Be thankful this Christmas for the loved ones in your life and take the time to let them know how important they are to you.  We have been reminded all too well, how, in the blink of an eye, a life or lives can be forever altered.  

We talked today about our deepened desires to share the love of Jesus and his forgiveness with people who do not yet know or understand what it means to be in a personal relationship with God.  He is our Sustainer, Deliverer, Healer, Provider, Comforter, and He alone is in complete control of our lives.  There is no greater place that we want to be than in the perfect will of God.    We are excited to get back to serving the Lord with all of our hearts, and we know that day will soon be coming again.  Pray for us as we head in that direction.

Tomorrow, we visit the doctor for another check-up.  Please continue to pray for healing in Dennis' body and that he will be patient to wait upon the Lord.  It is difficult to keep a good man down!  I can't say I can blame him!  The attack occurred two weeks ago tomorrow.  God has brought such miraculous healing, but he still has more healing to be done.  

Thank you for your continued prayers and support.  We love you all!

Mendy

 

Thursday, December 18th, 8:00 pm

OH WHAT A DAY WE HAVE HAD!

Praise The Lord!  Dennis got to come home last night.  God has been soooo good to us.

The doctors and Dennis felt that he would get better care and rest at home.  :)  He came home with ten medications, a big headache, multiple skeleton fractures, and a sick eye, BUT NO seizures, no brain damage, no more bleeding on the brain, and fully working kidneys!  We have so much to be thankful for!  We have lots of healing to still see happen and surgeries to face in the weeks ahead.  I have to set alarms all night long and wake him to take all of his medications, but all is well.  It is so good to have my husband and Meg's daddy home!

We saw the top eye surgeon at Loma Linda Med. Ctr. today.  After much testing, the doctor was amazed at his progress.  He said his healing has been a total miracle from God.  His eye is healing well and his sight is returning.  PTL!  Each day, Dennis' blue eyes are returning more and more to me.  

While at Loma Linda Medical Center this afternoon, my brother Bill called and got through to me while with the eye surgeon.  He called to say his wife and daughter, Becca, had been in a terrible car accident with a drunk driver.  He had been called by someone who witnessed the accident.  They were both being taken to LL Med. Ctr. by ambulance.  Friends came and took Dennis home, and I got over to the all too familiar emergency room waiting for the ambulance to arrive.  After a difficult wait for them to be examined and x-rays, they are beat-up a bit, but will be just fine.  Their car has been totaled, but once again God was faithful and protected them from what could have been a devastating outcome.  The drunk driver hit their CRV going about 60 mph, broad siding the driver's side of the car.  How amazing is our God? 

How great it is to belong to Jesus.  He never ceases to amaze us!  God is our refuge and our strength.  He is our ever present help in time of need.  Thank you God!

Please keep the prayers coming!  We love you all and so feel your love, support, and prayers.

God Bless You!

Mendy, Megan, and Dennis

Tuesday, December 16th, 11:00 am

Dennis got up and walked with us helping him yesterday afternoon!  We were so excited, but he pushed it a bit too much.   It is so great having him talk to us and hug us!  The rest of the day moved slowly as he had terrible headaches and an upset stomach from medications.  Please continue to pray for the upset stomach and pain levels.  He continues to have these problems this morning.  I am praying he is able to rest comfortably today and that the doctors can find the right combination of medicines to help him rest so he can regain his strength.

Eye surgeons checked him out yesterday and told me he does have vision in his eye, but it has a

"almost rug type wound and scratch" on the eye.  He is experiencing some double vision. There is also blood behind the eye, but they believe with time, antibiotics, and an eye patch (to rest the eye), it will continue to improve.  He is very sensitive to light, and he tells me it is very "foggy".  Pray the eye continues to heal and that he is patient to give it time.

Facial bone surgeons are continuing to monitor him daily.  There has been some discussion on whether to do surgeries soon or maybe send him home to continue to rest and let the swelling go down for a short time.  I so want them to get this all done, but I absolutely want God's timing!  We want him home so much, but they are concerned with his high blood pressure (which he has never had), his low heart rate, his pain levels, and nausia.   Pray that God will take care of all these areas.

I will keep you all updated  on when he can have visits.  He is anxious to see everyone, but is in a great deal of pain this morning.  God is on the throne, and we are praising God for his love and faithfulness to us.  Doctors are amazed at his progress!  I continue to be in awe of the peace and strength God has given us to sustain us.  Thank you for your continued prayers.  We need them so much!  Love and blessings to you all!

Mendy 

December 15, 2008

Praise The Lord!  Dennis is out of Critical Care and into Intermediate Care.  He is off the ventilator and breathing on his own.  His kidneys failed a few days ago, but they have began to return!  He is in much pain, but was singing "How Great Is Our God" and "I Don't Know Why Jesus Loves Me", and we all joined in.  What an awesome time we had worshipping the God of the Impossible!  Please continue to pray for continued healing and strength.  We will hear today from the surgeons on the next steps to be taken.

Dennis told me he can't wait to get to heaven and have two young men come up and shake his hand and tell him they were the ones who beat him with a blunt object.  He wants these men to find forgiveness in Jesus Christ.  He was very clear about that.  He also let me now he is more passionate and fired-up than ever about the call God has placed on his heart to reach a lost world for Jesus.

Dennis is very weak and still not feeling very well, so please give him a couple more days to gain his strength and heal more before coming to visit.  I will update you on visitor status on this site.  If you know Dennis at all, you would know he loves people and wants to be surrounded by everyone, but doctors have expressed concern that the best medicine he can have right now is rest and sleep.  I have even limited the time I spend in his room so he will relax and sleep.

To God Be All Glory, All Honor and All Praise!

Thank you sincerely from the bottom of our hearts for all prayers, love, and concerns that have been expressed over the past nine days.  We love you all!

Mendy

P.S.  I will do my best to keep this updated daily.

Today Thursday December 11, 2008

He is doing well today!

They took out the breathing tube yesterday. Today he is still sedated but he told me he loved me and gave us kisses :D The doctors say that he will still have to have surgery around his eye. Oh! and his kidneys are doing much BETTER. He should be getting his own room tomorrow and might even get to eat!

He is starting to look more like my Daddy again!!

Please keep Praying!!

In Him!