Life---it is a precious gift. There has been a miracle performed by God for a family in our area. I wish to share with you the hope and excitment I feel towards God. It was a week ago Thursday (Thursday the 16th of February), when I got a call from a friend concerning a woman named Judy Gillet. Judy had gone to the emergency room with a kidney stone lodged in her kidney. Her husband said she had problems in the past. The doctors told her she was fine. Due to the difficulty in detecting a stone lodged in the kidney itself, instead of in the urethra or uriter which is more common, her problem was not detected and not treated in a timely way. Judy ended up in the emergency room last week. Her husband was furious with the doctors for not performing the surgery right away. Later, he found out that God knew what he was doing and the decision to postpone the surgery was lifesaving. Anyway, they were able to help relieve all the back-up urine by putting in a shunt. However, there was a pocket of infection unknown to the hospital staff but not unknown by God. This pocket of infection was punctured. This caused an immediate life and death situation. Judy became septic. She had infection in her blood and all throughout her body. They had performed the shunt in the ICU. God wanted her in the ICU, because they were able to handle getting her hooked up to every type of life support you can think of. Judy, who I do not know personally, is in her fourties and has two children. Her one son plays basketball in the same league as my son (5th and 6th graders). In 1992 Judy and her husband had lost a 6th month old baby boy. They spent months in the hospital. Their baby had many birth defects. God had helped them get through that very difficult time.

God was at work during this critical time as well. Here is how the story goes--as best as I can tell it. From my perspective, this was a time where God was calling believers from all over to intercede in prayer for Judy Gillet. I do not know Judy in the flesh,but I feel I now have a special connection to her. Anyway, God laid a heavy burden on me for this lady, whose face is a mystery to me. I felt compelled to get on my knees (last Thursday)--she was in ICU and the next 24 hours were critical. I figured since Jesus blood could cleanse our sins it could also cleanse the infection out of her blood. I prayed that God would breath life into Judy just as he breathed life into Adam. I told my children and extended family to pray. I felt an urgency--like nothing I have known before. I called friends to find out about her condition. She made it through the first 24 hours. I have learned however that she was practically speaking "dead" twice last Thursday. One critical care nurse had 45 seconds to push all these buttons on all types of life-support equipment or Judy would have been gone. Her husband said it like this "the nurse held it together as her arms moved around like a mad women inwhich she was able to push every button and have time to give a hug to this sobbing husband". She did all this in 45 seconds. However, a few hours later the doctors came into to tell, Dan (the husband) that they were ready to call her "dead". Yet, while this doctory was reporting there was a doctor and a nurse working frantically to save Judys life for a second time. Dan said the rest of the weekend was an up and down roller coaster. On Tuesday of this week, I got a call that Judy was not responding and they feared that she was brain dead. On Wednesday, her family gathered around her bed holding hands calling out to God. God was the absolute only hope for Judy to stay alive here on earth. In the same respect, God is our only hope to stay alive for all of eternity. Anyway, God so graciously breathed life into Judy Gillet. That night she woke up and and started desiring to pull her tube out of her throat. The next day (Thursday) she stood up and also mentioned that she needed to get home to her small business, decorating cakes. She had no idea it had been a week. She had no idea what had happened to her. She kept asking her husband why all these doctors and nursed kept comming into the room to stare at her. Everyone wanted to see the miracle. She had the dream team of doctors treating her and all the doctors confess she should for all medical purposes be dead. We have witnessed a miracle. I went to the hospital last night to visit this woman. I do not know her. Yet, we are connected to eachother through Christ. I am so proud to be connected to the "Great I Am" , the "One True God", " The Living God", "The "Author of Life", that I cannot help but share it with all who will share in praising Him. Prayer is truly powerful. Our prayers for Kole are truly powerful. I am ready to see the doctors amazed for another time, followed by many more times, over and over again.

One night I laid in bed thinking how God is connected with everything that signifies life. Where as Satan is connected with death. All throughout the Bible God is connected with:

The Tree of Life
Breath of Life
Bread of Life
Living Water
Living Lord
Living Word
The ressurection and the Life
Eternal life
Life abundant
Etc.......


(If any of you can add to this list--- please do. Write it down in the comment section and I will add it to this blog)

It is difficult to write this blog with these little voices in the Conley household carrying on a conversation in the background. I have a six year old daughter talking in my ear about how she will need a cough drop every night and she says she is serious. Never purchase the halls brand fruit breezes. They taste too good! Anyway, Kole truly has every right to complain about aches and pains. I have yet to hear him even ask for a band-aid. He is a real trooper. His mom says, though, that he struggles with his attitude from time to time. Too bad an attitude cannot be fixed with a "band-aid". Of course we would all be going around with a band-aid stuck to our foreheads and Johnson&Johnson's stock would skyrocket. Anyway, there are no quick fixes most of the time. There is an amazing fix for our sin through the shed blood of Jesus. Yet, most issues in life especially issues of the heart take a lot of working through.

We spent some time with Kole and the Kellers at the Sprunger (Grandparent) home. We had or at least I had a wonderful time. I especially enjoyed hearing story after story concerning kind and wonderful people who keep reaching out in love to my sister and her family. Janni says it is so humbling to be on the receiving end in such a big way. I guess we will just have to pay all of you back by praying that God will pour out his blessings on everyone of you. Thank the Lord he has kept track of all of your names. Janni has done a good job remembering each person and their kindness shown. She has always had a memory of an elephant. She enjoyed beating her big sister at "memory" time and time again, to my humiliation. I just kept hoping I'd win, for seven years of age advantage should have helped me at least once. Anyway, I am getting to know and love many of you out there by Janni's testimony of your kindness. Her memory is comming in handy during this time. Anyway, God is using you to bring much needed encouragement. Now, to turn around and pass it on.

We talked quite a bit about chemo. It will be a full time job, and then some, for Janni and Steve. Kole will need an amazing amount of care. I will give you an example concerning food preparation. Kole can only consume freshly prepared food. He cannot eat at many restraunts nor eat left-overs. He cannot drink tea unless the tea bag is boiled for a certain period of time. Tea harbors bacteria and two children at St. Jude have died because of it. This caution of course is due to the extreme drop in blood counts. Kole will need our prayers even more than he needs the chemo. The "side-effects" of prayer are wonderful, as we have seen in the past.The doctors were thrilled with how Kole handled radiation.

Keep praying that Kole will gain weight while he is at home. Pray for his appetite to return. His body needs replenishment. That goes for our souls as well. Jesus talks about himself being the nourishing water for our soul. In John 4:10 Jesus talks to this "empty hearted" and "thirsty" woman about "living water". He later says in John 4:13 "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

A friend of mine at church tonight reminds me of this. She said that her mother had always thought her to be a Christian. She was very moral, went to church, and knew about God. Yet, she only knew of Jesus and did not partake of the living water untill four years ago. It was then that God penetrated her heart and not just her mind. Now, her soul will never thirst again. The empty well of her soul is now overflowing with Christ's living water. It is quite different for her now. She spends much of her time talking to God and desiring to please him above any human being. Her life has had it's share of loss over the last few years and yet she has a smile and a peace that only God could bring.

The family of Kole's Grandpa Sprunger would like to thank everyone for their prayers. I was amazed how fast those prayers worked and don't say it was the morphine (Ha!Ha!). Anyway, he is doing very well. I went to the hospital the next morning to see a much improved patient. Both his color and liveliness was back, which was quite a transformation from the night before.


There is so much to be said about life, for our family, in the months since Thanksgiving of 2005. I feel there is a need to be bold about the hope we have found in God. I have been teaching, along with a dear friend of mine, a Bible Study which begins by stating most of the characteristics of the One True God. Of course God is so incredible, he somehow cannot be fully understood by words. But, we can get a glimpse of Him and that glimpse brings hope, peace, joy, love, and on and on. If one is missing the truth about God--hope, peace, joy, etc may be escaping that person. Never fear it can be had, easy enough. How? Seek ! We have, as a study group, grown in our faith because we have learned new truths about God. We have learned that he is Sovereign. In Psalms 24:1 it says "the earth is the Lord's and everything in it, the world and all who live in it." Some other important facts about God is that he keeps his promises and that he provides for our deliverance. He not only delivers us from our sin, but he delivers us from trouble here on earth. Not always the way we expect or under our time frame. Yet,God is faithful and good. We will one day see His way and His time frame was best.

Deliverance? I have grown to love that word. I cannot help but think of Janni, Steve, Kole, and Jaelle. For what are we praying for? We are praying for their deliverance. The true story of Joseph begins with a promise and ends with deliverance. Joseph is promised that he will one day lead his family. If anyone has ever studied Joseph, they would say that Joseph ran into some bad luck in his life. Joseph was hated by his brothers, which can make life uncomfortable. But, when your own brothers turn their back on you, plot against you, and sell you into slavery ---well that just plain hurts. Joseph felt disrespected and despised. Those feelings have a way of discouraging and destroying a person. That was not the case for Joseph. Joseph,who at one time was a favorite of his wealthy "free" father, is now a slave in the foreign land of Egypt. He was also told that one day he would be the head of his family. Now, how is that suppose to happen? He was separated from his family and was not free to go back. Yet, he was not separated from God. In fact all he had now was God. Joseph was forced to seek God more than ever. One wonders if he at times doubted God's promise to him. In Genesis 39:2 it say "the Lord was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master (Potiphar). Later it said the household was blessed by God because of Joseph. Joseph was highly respected by his master and was put in charge of his entire household. When Joseph was placed in a place of temptation, by Potiphar's wife, he refused because he did not want to sin against God. He was not living with his family and life had some sorrow. However, he could see God's hand of blessing on him even in his present trial. Joseph stayed loyal to God. Next ,Joseph finds himself falsely accused and thrown into prison. His life seemed to go from bad to worse. Yet, God was with him in prison as well. Genesis 39:23 says "the Lord was with Joseph and HE GAVE him success in whatever he did". Not too many would call prison success and what about God's promise to Joseph to lead his family. Joseph seemed far away from freedom and success. Joseph was granted wisdom by God to interpret dreams. He was able to interpret two dreams in prison. Later, when the Pharoah of Egypt himself had a dream, Joseph was called in, to interpret the meaning. Yet, Joseph takes no pride in himself and his abilities. He said I cannot interpret your dream but God can. Joseph had some hard hard times and has now learned to lean on God. Joseph was sold into slavery at around 17 and did not get out of prison until he was 30. Joseph was able to,with God's help, interpret the Pharoah's dream. He was able to warn all of Egypt of the comming seven year famine. He had the wisdom to organize a method of storing and distributing grain during those seven years of severe famine. Joseph was put in charge of all of Egypt and later over all of his family.The promise was fulfilled. God keeps his promises. What looks like an impossibility with man, is in actual possibility with God. God used Joseph to not only save the lives of the people of Egypt, but also the lives of Joseph's own family back in Canaan. Later, when Joseph's brothers discover that Joseph was alive--they themselves felt fear and shame. But, Joseph humbly and lovingly did not blame them. He said "do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you" (Gen.45:5) Later, Joseph says "...and to save your lives by a great deliverance". God is about delivering us out of our trials. We realize as believers that we do not suffer in vain. That God has a good purpose for our trial and for Kole's trial. God is faithful to be at our side through the trial. He his faithful to grow us and to bring us closer to him. He may also use this trial to save lives. We pray that many of you out there who do not have hope --will now have hope in the Deliverer, which is Jesus. He is my family's hope and deliverance. He is the Keller's hope and deliverance. It promises in Psalms 25:3 that "no one whose hope is in you (God) will ever be put to shame". I am not worried that I believe in a lie. I am not worried that God does not exist. He has proved himself over and over through His creation, His living word, and His work in fellow believer's lives and my own. I also find it quite amazing that Kole's full name is Kole JOSEPH Keller. My mom said the other night that maybe God will use Kole Joseph like he used Joseph in the Bible. Anyone who knows Kole Joseph Keller personally, would also know that Kole has exceptional insight and has a way of being a "mover and a shaker". He's just like his aunt Jodi (ha! ha!). No, God has gifted him for some special purpose. We have to wait to see the fulfillment of the promise.

Today was spent at a hospital together as a family. Our dad, Kole's grandpa Sprunger, had surgery on his left leg. Janni and the kids came and joined grandma, aunts, uncle and cousins. The surgery itself took a little longer than expected. I believe it officially began around 3:00 and ended around 6:00. The orthopedic surgeon came out to show us X-rays full of pins and screws. The trauma to our father's leg due to the high impact of the car crash was enlightening. We are thankful only his leg was effected. He came through the surgery well. You could pray for the pain at this point for it appears to be emmense. We are helpless to take the pain away. We are thankful for skilled doctors, nurses, and pain meds. Yet, it is the good Lord who designed our bodies to heal. God's design for our bodies is amazing. We are praying that God will relieve pain, and bring healing and wholeness to our dad's leg. Kole's cousins' were so happy to see Kole. He truly was a "sight for sore eyes". Watching the cousins tossle, perform headstands, summersaults and the like was inspiring and entertaining, as the clock slowly ticked away in the waiting room. Luckily, we had the place to ourselves. I don't think we will ever take their antics forgranted again. Children playing and loving on eachother is certainly a precious sight. It brings much needed joy.

Pray for Kole to have peace concerning his periods of stay in the hospital when he goes back. He will have five days as an admitted chemo patient at St. Jude Hospital. This will be followed by a three week break before he begins his next treatment. I think there are four rounds of chemo which means a total of 20 days in the hospital. He could have to spend additional time in the hospital if his blood count goes too low or if he aquires a temperature. Pray for Janni and Steve to continue to have peace concerning this serious time in Kole's treatment. Janni said God has led her and Steve every step of the way so far. We know that God is faithful to complete what he starts. He completed our earth and universe so that we can safely dwell here. He will complete his provision for the Kellers. Janni said today "I don't believe in statistics". In those few words, she proclaimed her faith was in God instead of man. Dito, sister (that goes for me too).

Jodi

Life is forever changing, offering new challenges....which is a nice way of saying that Janni's father and my own has had a car accident and has broken his leg. Tonight, Janni along with the two kids have arrived safely at the Cleveland airport. When I say "safely" it holds a whole new meaning. I have to say, we are very thankful that our dad just broke his leg. My mom has informed me that the car is a mangled mess and we are blessed to even have him alive. Anyway, my parents were hoping that the doctors would just have to cast my father's leg. The location and type of his break (left tibia, under the knee) makes that option impossible. He will have to have surgery on Monday. So, Kole will just have to visit his Grandpa Sprunger in a cast, and give his "hobbling" grandpa tips on how to survive physical therapy. Janni's parents and my own for that matter are doing pretty good considering this turn of events. My mom and I asked each other why God would add this burden to our already "heavily laden plate". I think we both concluded that God is sufficient and that we need to "count our blessings". You are one of those blessings. In fact you guys out there are huge blessings to Kole and his family. We may never know just what your prayers have done specifically to help Kole. We just know they have worked wonders. Continue to pray for Kole as he is home. It is important that he builds up strength and gains weight in order to prepare for chemo. The effects of the radiation is not noticed necessarily right away. Some of the negative effects could take up to three years
to reveal itself. Kole continues to need prayer in this regard for some time yet. Pray that his brain will continue to be able to process information at his normal speed. Pray that he will be able to continue his educational program and that during these three years he will gain reading skills and the like. Pray for Koles health, that he will not catch any cold or virus going around.
Pray for Janni and Steve as they make the transition back home. Lastly, pray for Kole's complete healing. My mom has informed me, that Kole has made his second trip down the isle at church. He too is asking God for healing. Just know that God truly loves it when we pray. Sometimes, I tell my kids at church that I can picture God saying "I was waiting for you to talk to me today". I also tell my own children that praying and reading the Bible is like "putting money in the bank". Those prayers or that time spent reading God's living word will never return void. I say get rich on God. You will never regret it. You are gaurenteed to come out on top (at the top). My family may look like we are at the bottom right now, but we are not. We have God. If we did not have God, we would surely be at the bottom.

Jodi

It is a good thing I checked the blog because Janni has already updated you on their return. It was a week ago today Amanda and I spent the day with Kole at St. Jude hospital. We had to be up bright and early that Friday morning. Kole needed to be weighed in at 7:45. At least weekly if not more, Kole gets a mini physical to check his weight, height, temperature, blood pressure, blood work check, and I am not sure what all else. Kole has two lines connected to a main artery in his chest where he gets most of his medicine and blood work taken from. It was cute how he knew which line needed flushed. He has a red line and a white line. Kole did not hesitate to give the nurse instructions on how to push the plunger of the needle into his line. He claims that the medicine or solutions would burn his nose unless they pushed the plunger slowly instead of quickly. He did not hesitate to perform this task himself. The nurses there were so friendly. They showed great honor and respect for their small but mighty patients. The hospital was very well organized. Everyone received a schedule for the day, first thing in the morning. Not only was the hospital well organized, but it was incredibly clean and brightly decorated. The floor tiles had inlays of flowers, puppies, rainbows, and the like. The walls were brightly and tastefully painted. There were play areas in every section of this cozy hospital. Some of the play areas were maned with volunteers who brought in toys and activities to entertain the children inbetween appointments. The hospital also had what Janni called a" hepple filter", which purified the air. The Ronald McDonald House contained the same system as well. Anyway, after his mini physical, we were off to physical therapy. Kole loves physical therapy. As an extra bonus , today was Friday, which means every appointment means a new toy out of the box for Kole to rumage through. The physical therapist was a young woman who allowed Kole to set up his "candy cane" (flat foam balance "beam") . His challenge was to walk the balance "beam" with one foot over the other without loosing his balance. The hook on the end was to aid Kole in turning a corner. He did wonderful. He has done so well at meeting his objectives and moving on. Janni said Steve not only was his cheerleader during these sessions but took what the therapist did and practiced with Kole at home. Steve had his own little "basketball practice" at the Ronald McDonald House". He explained to me how he set up "dodge ball" and invited other children there to participate. One of the Keller's neighbors called Steve the "resident dad" of the Ronald McDonald House. Anyway, Kole also practiced jumping and walking down stairs. Next was speech therapy. This was not nearly so physical but draining all the same. He spent quite a lot of time working on forming sounds correctly. He did great and was a very hard worker. Steve than took Kole to his educational therapy session. I did not see what that was like. Later, I was pleased to go back with Kole as they prepared him for his radiation. St. Jude had a wonderful way of allowing their patients to make choices. They respected their personhood and allowed for them to participate in their own treatment. I feel this prevented frustration in their patients, who had very little say in what was happening to them. I was tickled to be new at all this, so that Kole could be my teacher. I asked the nurse how he knew so much and she commented that Kole was exceptionally observant. He watches and learns. He explained to me that they would be moving him to the "radiation room" . This meant he could ride on the bed or be carried. He said "Aunt Jodi, you have to carry me", I said that would be my pleasure as long as I didn't have to carry his "stinky shoes". He laughed and I felt so much love for this precious boy who was brave beyond his years. In the radiation room, I watched this four year old boy delight in receiving his medicine. He chuckled as he went off to sleep, "I love getting dizzy". It was hard to pull myself away. It was even harder to hand him over to the professionals who knew what they were doing. Somehow parents and aunts think they are needed to help. I know it is a foolish presumption, but it is not that we know how to help. We just are so willing to help. Kole was in there quite awhile. Afterwards he was pretty droggy, but that did not last too long. The doctors commented that they do not understand why Kole does not seem to be having the side effects most patients have. He is getting such high doses of radiation. Who do we thank for that--God of course and answered prayer. You just try trusting God. He will never never fail. He will always come through, somtimes in unexpected ways. There are no regrets in trusting God. There is huge regrets in failing to trust.

You may have read earlier how I have been studying on Abraham in the book of Genesis. This study could not have come at more perfect timing. The story of God asking Abraham to offer his one and only son Isaac on the alter in Genesis chapter 22. Abraham was a man of great faith. His faith was built on years of walking, talking, and listening to God. His faith was built on watching God fulfill his promises .His faith was built in believing that God would fulfill his promises even if it took many years. Abraham also realized how deeply God loves. The more you read the Bible the more you get to know God. The more you see how for God"mercy triumphs over judgement". Sometimes, God is forced to judge perpetual hard hearts. Though he waits and longs for repentance. Anyway, Isaac's birth was a fulfillment of a promise God had made to Abraham and Sarah. His promise took years in comming ,but it was kept. The timming perfect. Isaac's birth was nothing short of a miracle. All through the Old Testament and New Testament displays God's unquestionable ability to perform miracles. God does not play by the same rules as we mortal humans. He is not limited in power, knowledge, time, and space. Abraham had gotten to know these facts about God. So, when God asked Abraham to offer Isaac as a sacrifice, Abraham had the faith and understanding to obey God immediatly. He realized that God had the rights over Isaac. He realized God loved Isaac more than himself. He also realized that God had promised to carry on Abraham's family line through Isaac. In Hebrews 11:19 it says "Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead...". Abraham was a father who loved his son like crazy. He waited a long time for this promised boy. He probably cherished ever moment of his little life. He probably spoiled him a little. I can guarentee that he taught Isaac about his God. I guarentee Isaac felt the love of his father and more importantly the love of the Lord. As Abraham and Isaac headed up to the mountain to make this offering to God, Isaac asked his father why they did not bring a lamb to be sacrificed. Abraham, honestly told Isaac "God will provide the sacrifice". Up on the mountain, as they prepared the alter, Abraham had Isaac get up upon the alter. Isaac trusting his father's love, willingly layed down his small body on his bed of stone and wood. God had provided Isaac for Abraham, yet God in his great mercy and love draws for us this picture. As Abraham was getting ready to slay his own son, the angel of the Lord said "do not lay a hand one the boy...Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son". It was at that moment that God did provide the sacrifice. For he placed a ram with it's horns caught in the brush. Both Abraham and Isaac prepared to give back life to their rightful owner, God himself. However, God stepped in . In his mercy he provided the sacrifice. Now, Abraham's son Isaac got to get down from the alter of death. It will be sometime later, probably on that very same spot, that God himself would place his one and only Son on the alter. This time the alter would be the cross. This time the Son would not get down. God provided the ultimate sacrifice for us. This happened when he provided his Son to take our place on the alter. We deserve to pay for our sin, but God provided his Son in our place. To reject it, is to regret. For we are telling God we don't need him. We can pay for our own sins. He will allow us that freedom, though he will grieve our choice. Sometimes, when I get down on myself for my past mistakes and sin, I hear God whisper to me " get down from the cross, Jodi, I took your place. My blood was enough". Sometimes God is looking for us to show that we love him first and that we believe that he can do what he says he can do. God has provided the sacrifice for Janni, Steve, you and me. He has the power to restore health. We are tested to see if we trust him and love him first.

Jodi

Hello everyone. We have some great news. We will be coming home on February 9. Ya!! Let me tell you this great story. Two nights ago we went out to eat at Perkins Restaurant. We waited for the bill when we were done, but it didn't come. So we asked for it. The waitress said it was paid for by an angel. There were not very many people in the restaurant so we were trying to figure out who paid. Grandpa Keller pleaded with the lady at the register to tell us who paid. He said it must have been the employees at Perkins Restaurant. She said no. After begging, she finally copped up. It was someone that we would never have suspected. There was a young college man sitting right behind us. He went to the register and said to tell us it was paid for by an angel. What an inspiration this young man is. After this, I just hope that I can be like him.
We had a great day besides the dinner. Grandpa Keller said he was going bald anyway so he told Kole he could shave his head. We videotaped it. Kole had a blast. What a great Grandpa. Not too many would shave their heads let alone let a 4 year old do it.
Thank you for all the comments, prayers, and encouragement. We enjoy hearing from all of you. See you soon.
Janni

Kole is precious... of course I am his aunt and maybe a little impartial towards him. My weekend with Kole was filled with all kinds of activities. When Amanda and I first arrived at the Ronald McDonald House, Kole was away at a Memphis basketball game. I couldn't help but feel a little dissappointed that I would have to wait to lay my eyes on him. I had a yearning to see him...It was not long before Janni called Steve ,at the game, to check on Kole. Kole was ready to come home, so we hopped in the Keller van and headed for the stadium. We parked, probably illegally, infront of this monstrous stadium which had a monstrous sidewalk. There was quite a distance between our car and the front door. It was cute watching my sister's long legs cover the distance to the door in no time at all. My eyes strained to catch the first glimpse of Kole. It was just minutes later, I spotted him bounding through the door. Janni had him show off his running ability, which was really impressive. The urge hit to get out of the car and sweep him up into my arms. I think Amanda felt the same. We were all so happy to see eachother. He giggled as he got into the car. I do not think we will ever take eachother forgranted again. Kole, however, is a traitor to his Uncle Joel in the fact that he announced to me that he is planning to work for Fed EX when he grows up. My husband of course works for the post office. Kole enjoyed calling his uncle to rub in his future plans. He loves to tease and my husband loved giving Kole "the business" (Leave It to Beaver saying) for his disloyalty. Anyway, that night was special. We went back to the Ronald McDonald house after a brief stop at Kroger. Kole took the elevator even though Janni encouraged him to practice walking up the stairs. He seems to have made himself at home. Anyway, back at the room he showed us some of his toys and Amanda got out a framed picture of Kole with her two kids to put beside his bed. The room is a little bigger than a standard hotel room. Janni of course had it well organized along with some added touches to make it more homey. The floors look warm like wood, though they are probably vinyl. Janni added a soft beige shag rug to the small sitting area which contains a nice chair and hassock. Kole said he had had a fall early on, so his mom bought the rug especially for him. The room also contained two queen size select comfort beds, which Janni does not enjoy sleeping on. There is a small bathroom across the floor from the beds. Janni and Steve call it their "little throne room". You walk in and see the back of the toilet piled high with their Bible, the Purpose Driven Life, and other Bible study materials. Janni locked herself in the bathroom every night I was there, inorder to spend some much needed time with her Sustainer, the good Lord. The bathroom is nice and neat with only a tub and toilet. The sink is in the room. Janni said it is an inconvenient location because to run the water to brush your teeth tends to wake the kids. Anyway, the small room and lack of privacy for a family of four has had it's challenges. Never had she appreciated home so much, though she is so grateful to be there. Anyway, the room was still very clean and comfortable. Maybe because of the people dwelling there and maybe because of God's presence felt there. I felt at home . Anyway, I got the privledge of sharing a bed with Kole. He enjoyed me tickling his feet and telling him some crazy camp stories I had heard as a kid. I was delighted to be so close to him. He became so dear to me as I patted his back and wrapped him in blankets as the night wore on. I wanted to protect him and care for him. Tenderness overtook me and I felt that maybe God could some how use our arms and hands to care for Kole for God himself. That God uses the love of all those around Kole as His instrument. God's tenderness for Kole however way out weighs anything we can offer him, yet he still uses us. There is a verse in Psalms 103 "God is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love". That is all I have time for this time. Do continue to pray that Kole will be able to eat well. Pray that there will not be side effects to his radiation. Pray that he will continue to gain strength. There has been many answers to prayer on his progress so far. He has made great leaps being able to jump, walk a line, write his name, and the like. The last MRI discovered a tiny fleck on his spine, which they are suspecting maybe cancer. However, it will be taken care of with the radiation. God has been so faithful to Kole and many are impressed with his progress. We attribute it to prayer....your prayers. Thankyou.

Jodi