This post was written December 1, 2006. Sorry it has taken so long to post.

Family Update
We are back in North Carolina for a few weeks, enjoying the balmy weather. It was nearly 80 degrees yesterday, and today was slightly cooler at 75 degrees! It is supposed to get cold again next week, but for now, the winter coats are packed away.

Josiah continues to do well, although we thought we might lose him again tonight to an unusual and unexpected hazard. We were walking through Wal-mart and browsing the merchandise, when a very large individual whizzed by in one of the motorized courtesy wheelchairs. As he nearly clipped the corner off my shopping cart, Josiah’s voice pierced the air, “Look, Daddy! A fat man with an earring!” We slunk around the corner of the nearest display and hoped the man in question didn’t fit between the aisles. All fat people are not jolly…

A praise to report: Josiah can now eat venison, turkey, and black beans. Each of these things was previously on his “black list” of allergies, but it seems that the Lord has seen fit to heal him. This is such an answer to prayer! We will take it slowly, but we hope to see more positive responses in the future. Please continue to pray – the Lord is working in our son’s body.

Abigail and Esther both have a cold/cough that they just can’t shake. Please pray that they would get well soon. Abigail and I are in the throes of potty training – for different reasons, of course. She makes the messes, and I clean them up. Not much success yet. Did you ever hear the song, “All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth”? I have a slightly different version that has to do with a clean, dry house. She is continually amusing us with her little girl ways. I asked her a question (relating to potty training) the other day, and she tilted her head to one side and answered, “I’m da Princess, ‘ackshually’!” She loves to wear her plastic beads, and frequently looks like Mr. T’s female counterpart – without the suntan.

Esther is five months old, and trying to sit up. She is very alert and wants to be a part of the action that she sees her brother and sister sharing. She also wants to be a part of the dinner table action. What a fuss she kicks up when we sit down to eat! Many of you have asked is she also has allergies, and we answer, yes, she does. It seems that the culprits are eggs and dairy products, so right now I am on a special diet for her sake.

Josiah is doing well in school, and can now read many words on his own. We were in the truck the other day, and he kept saying, “Mad in Kinna” over and over again. I finally realized the he was reading off the bottom of his toy – “Made in China.” He is counting down the days until Christmas, and asking me every day how many more days it is. I never dreamed that I would one day own a talking calendar. At least it isn’t one of those horrible, tweeting, bird clocks! He was counting down the days until his next birthday, but when I told him that it was 250+ days, he was a little discouraged. I, on the other hand, was relieved when he stopped asking about it. Life’s little pleasures.

We are keeping busy, and we hope that you all will have a wonderful Christmas!

Ministry Update

Thank you so much for your prayers for us while we were on the road. The Lord gave safety in our travel and fruitfulness in ministry. We are home now for some rest and recharging before we head west during the winter.

Family Update

We are on our way home right now, and by the time you receive this e-mail, we will probably be there. We have really enjoyed the time we have had in meetings this fall. People have been saved, Christians have been renewed, and the Lord has given us more meetings as well as new opportunities of ministry. We are so thankful for all of His care, provision, and protection.

Last week, Dolly (Abigail’s constant companion) went AWOL for five days. We turned the trailer upside down and inside out looking for her, but to no avail. I looked in the church as well, but found nothing. Abigail was interrogated as to where she left her doll, but her only answer was, “I don’t know!” When we pulled out of Front Royal, VA, I just resigned myself to the fact that she was gone for good. Sunday morning, Josiah was looking for his Bible and found it (exactly where it was supposed to be) in his school desk. As he pulled it out, I heard a telltale rattle, and there was DOLLY! Abigail’s face, which had worn a rather forlorn expression for the last five days, was transformed with delight when I put Dolly in her arms once again. We are all very thankful for this happy turn of events.

We also rejoice in the fact that Paul has (finally) gotten his first deer. He went out hunting with a man in the church on Monday morning, and shot a “button buck.” I warned him that after five years of fruitless hunting, that he had better come back with something. He really got razzed about the size of his deer. One man said that he shot the spots right off of it. Another joked that the antlers were only warts. Regardless, we have some very tender meat for our Thanksgiving table. Yes, we will all be able to eat! The kids were so excited about the “baby deer that Daddy shot.” We are all proud of our resident great white hunter.

We left after the close of our meeting Tuesday night in a gale. It was 39 degrees and raining – miserable weather for doing anything. The wind, thankfully, was behind us, so we made good time. We pulled in to a church parking lot previously arranged beforehand with the pastor. He told us that he was leaving after the service that night to be with family, but they had an RV hookup that we were welcome to use anytime. We gratefully pulled into the parking lot around midnight and got out to plug in the trailer. To our chagrin, there was no hookup to be found! The pastor had told us that the plug was on the unlighted telephone pole. We searched every telephone pole on the property, but – you guessed it – we never found it. It is amazing that no one called the police! I can imagine what the call might have been like. “Yes, Officer, there are two suspicious characters lurking around the church building. One has a flashlight, and the other has an umbrella. No, they aren’t trying to get into the building, they are just wandering around in the parking lot. Wait! They are shining their flashlight on the telephone pole….Now they are walking again….Another pole check….It looks as if they are dancing (this was when we stepped in the deep puddles). I am not sure what they are doing, but it needs to be checked out. Very strange, Officer. Very strange. No problem – just doing my duty as a citizen. You never know about people. They could be terrorists or something.”

At this point, I had taken back all the nice things I ever said about the pastor, his family, his church, and his mother. Paul and I were soaked to the skin, freezing and bewildered. Where was the elusive plug? Did the pastor intend this to be very bad practical joke, perhaps? Did the plug just disappear into thin air? After twenty minutes or so in the pouring, gusting rain, we found a 15 amp receptacle on the side of the building, and decided to adapt our plug down to that. Shortly after that, we fell into bed, relieved to be out of the inclement weather. We headed out this morning like a barn-sour horse for home.

The thanksgiving holiday traffic is dreadful. Presently, we are creeping along at 15-20 mph along I-85. Hopefully we will make it back in time for our Thanksgiving Praise service at our home church this evening.

We ask once again that you pray for Josiah. He has been sick the last few days, and is starting down the all-too familiar road to the hospital, unless the Lord interevenes. The leaf mold in this area is very high right now, and combined with the cold, has made his breathing difficult. Right now, we are only giving treatments every 4-6 hours, which is pretty good. Our request is that you would pray that the medications he is getting would be sufficient to keep the inflammation down in his airways and to keep him from having an acute asthma attack. The next 24 hours are very crucial – it could go either way very quickly. Last night he had a temperature of 102 and woke up vomiting around 1a.m. His temperature is lower this morning, but he still has a fever of 100.1, and is still sick to his stomach. The Lord has blessed us with a friend in the church who “happens” to be a respiratory therapist in a nearby hospital. She listened to Josiah last night with her stethescope and said he was moving air very well, which relieved me to no end.

Esther also has the same cold and cough. She had a fever last night of 99.5, which isn’t too high, but we covet your prayers for her, too.

Abigail has had a cold for some time, but since she only has the cough and runny nose, she is feeling somewhat neglected. Pray that each child will receive the attention and care that he needs.

A verse that keeps coming to mind is Psalm 100:3, “Know ye that the LORD, he is God; it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves…” God made each one of our children, and He knows best how to care for them. Ps. 100:5 “For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting, and his truth endureth to all generations.” I will keep you updated on any changes.

Sarah Crow

Ministry Update

We have had a wonderful day in northern VA, despite the adverse events of the night before. The Lord gave us three wonderful services today with at least two responding at the invitation to salvation in the morning service.

Family Update

We closed our meeting in Blackstone VA, on Friday night, and hit the road Saturday. We left just before noon, so we did not expect to get in to Alexandria VA until around 5 PM that evening. It was a nice drive, and though the leaves have passed their peak, it was still rather pretty to see the muted tones of the fall leaves all around us.

We had a slightly difficult time getting to the church, since our directions were not totally clear, but other than a few terrorized motorists, no one was hurt. I have a few more white hairs, but that, too, is inconsequential. It is very disheartening to be driving along, and realize that you just passed the road on which you were supposed to turn. For those of you that don’t know, Alexandria is a suburb of Washington, DC. Big city made for small cars, not large trailers. We turned around in a very small parking lot, and made our way back to the road. This was after we had taken the wrong road and had to turn around in a drug store parking lot full of cars. Yikes! Through all of this, Paul and I were amazed that only one person honked at us. I can’t remember what our honk record is, but one just doesn’t cut it – unless, of course, it is a full minute long. This was just a short one.

When we reached the church, it was growing dark, so we had to work fast to get set up. I believe if the Bible had been written in this day and age, it would read something like this: “It is easier for an evangelist to park his trailer in the church parking lot than it is for a rich man to enter into heaven.” The parking lot, in this case, was plenty big, but it was set up like an obstacle course with buses, church vans, and basketball goals (that had been marked by at least one other evangelist’s trailer) scattered all over it. Let me say that you have never truly learned the meaning of “back and forth” until you try to park an RV. Anyway, while Paul put several miles on the truck, I stood out in the cold and waved him around, easing the trailer back between a bus and the hapless basketball goal. That feat accomplished, I plucked out a few more white hairs, and hopped back in the truck to wait for the pastor. We had no power until he came, because the plug was in a locked shed. We found out later that he was working on his car when we called and left threatening phone messages. The rest of the night went pretty well – normal Saturday night routines…baths, ironing, etc. It has been rather cold the last several nights, so to keep our water from freezing, we have to keep it running all night. That was the last sound we heard as we collapsed into bed.

Paul came in this morning, and asked me if I was cognizant. “Mhm, mhm mhh. Mhm?” I answered. For those of you who are morning people, and do not know the language of the non-morning people, this is interpreted, “Yes, I am. Why?” He then proceeded to tell me that the trailer was flooded. As you can imagine, I was instantly awake and out of bed. Sure enough, the living room carpet went “Squish, squish” when you walked on it. Someone forgot to pull out the plug on the gray water tank. Consequently, after four baths and a trickle of water running in the sink all night, the tank overflowed – into the trailer. First it filled up the kitchen sinks, then ran over onto the kitchen floor, and from there it proceeded to soak into the carpet in the kid’s room and the living room. In the providence of God, the trailer was not quite level, so it all ran to one side, and down into the slideout where it eventually drained onto the ground. I surveyed the damage, and immediately set to work trying to mop it up. All I had was eight large bath towels, and when they were all wet, I just had to let it go. We got ready for church as usual, and had a great morning service. After lunch at the pastor’s house, we headed back to the trailer. Thankfully, one of the church members loaned us a carpet cleaning machine, and we were able to get about another gallon of water out of the living room carpet. What a day! The funny thing was, I felt prompted to ask Paul last night if the gray water tank was open, but dismissed it as silly, since he always remembers. I guess that was the Lord trying to make our day go a little smoother. Anyway, we are thankful for the little blessings – the trailer being unlevel so that only one half of it was wet, no water went down into the register vents, and nothing was sitting on the floor to be ruined. The carpet will soon dry, and it had an extra rinse from the last cleaning it had (which, I might add, was not the best job, despite my doing it).

We are looking forward to this evening’s service, and to doing a little sightseeing while here in our nation’s capital this week. It will be Josiah’s first field trip, and I think it will be enjoyable.

Ministry Update

We are in the mountains of southwestern Pennsylvania this week in a very interesting meeting. After Sunday morning, most of the church members did not return because they did not like the fact that I raised my voice when I preach. There have been visitors, though, and I am thankful for that. I am grateful that we will be heading south very soon. It is cold here for October.

Family Update

Yes, it has been interesting… Because the youngest person other than our own children is in the eighth grade, there is usually no need for a nursery. I have been the nursery detail each evening as well as the pianist and soloist. There is a brief time during the special music where the children are totally unsupervised, and this is, as you might imagine, kept as brief as possible. Tonight, Abigail was feeling frisky, and between pirouettes on the front pew, she would turn around and stare at the visitors sitting behind her. Paul had his back to her as he played for my solo, so he was thankfully oblivious to her antics. My consternation, however, had no such luxury. Have you ever tried to sing sweetly while frowning at your child?

After the debacle was over, I came down with plans to leave the auditorium to feed Esther and give the visitors an intermission. As I turned to leave, Josiah whispered loudly that he needed to go to the bathroom – BAD! I rolled my eyes in disgust, and motioned for him to follow me as well. I have no idea what went through Paul’s mind as I trooped out the back door with our entire family in tow. I am sure it made a positive impression on everyone else, though. When the loud clumps and thumps of our departure had subsided, I began to breathe once again.

After Josiah had completed his mission, I sent him, with great trepidation, back upstairs into the service. I warned him to go back to his seat as quickly and quietly as possible. He is the most responsible of our children at present, so my plethora of nervous instructions seemed to make an impression on him.

After Esther was fed, I grabbed the car seat, and herded Abigail up the stairs and into the foyer where she assayed to go running down the aisle. I was spared this embarrassment by yanking her hair with the two free fingers on my left hand. She followed me to our new seat (behind everyone else) and began her antics once more, this time dropping a hymn book onto the floor with a loud bang. While Paul preached, Esther, who has recently discovered her own voice, began to talk to her sister. The cooing and smiling was the least of my worries at this point, so I just let it slide, since Paul was making plenty of noise (see above). Abigail got really excited that Esther was talking to her, and so I had to keep shushing her, because her voice carries much better than her younger sister’s. It was at this point that Josiah heard us, and turned around to smile his welcome to us. He then picked up the pew Bible and held it up as if to ask me if he was in the right place, having forgotten his own Bible at home. I guess my frantic gestures clued him in to the fact that he needed to put the Bible down. I gave him an encouraging smile as he turned around again.

It was at this juncture of the service that Abigail, carried away with excitement, fell off the pew and landed with a thump on the floor. I stared in horrified amazement at this new development, for I knew what was coming next. The great intake of air was my first clue. I hurriedly stuffed Esther in the car seat, and grabbed Abigail. I was halfway out of the auditorium before the first wail split the atmosphere. I rushed into the pastor’s office, and calmed her as quickly as possible. She was not really hurt, just surprised and scared. Esther, not to be outdone, began crying since she could no longer see anyone. I clumped back into the auditorium and plunked Abigail down and picked up Esther. Once again, peace reigned, and all was well with the world. Esther smiled contentedly, and Abigail sucked her thumb, while I wiped the sweat from my brow.

All too soon, or perhaps, not soon enough, came the invitation. I hauled the girls up to the front and set them beside Josiah. I told him to keep Esther quiet, and told Abigail to sit still. I sat at the piano, praying fervently that they would not make any more disturbances. Apparently, I was not “on praying ground” by this time. I heard a commotion and turned around just as Josiah loudly reprimanded Abigail for messing with Esther. My malevolent look put all to rights again, and the rest of the service was blessedly uneventful, at least, as far as our family was concerned.

This week has reminded me, once again, how thankful I am for nursery workers. Without the dedicated service of these ladies all over the country, in hundreds of churches, we would have these situations (and worse) more often. You are not unappreciated!

Sarah

Saturday, October 14, 2006

Just wanted to let everyone know that we made it safely home yesterday afternoon around 2:30 PM. Josiah is doing well, but very weak. He has lost at least 5 pounds, which, in a way, I am thankful for, since I have had to carry and lift him a lot since we have been home. He walks very slowly and will fall over if he goes too fast. He also has a hard time going up or down steps, and getting up from a seated position. basically, I have a 30+ pound toddler for a time!

Abigail was so glad to see all of us! She and Josiah have been playing with his get-well balloons all day. Thank you to each one who sent him a card or gift. The number of helium balloons in the trailer should give us better fuel economy the next time we head out! Ha!

Paul begins a four-day meeting tomorrow (Sunday) and will come home on Thursday. We will all be glad to have him back. Please pray for safety and blessings during the meeting.

My mom just called to say that she made it home safely (Her connecting flight left without her) AND she also has her luggage! What a blessing!

Sarah Crow

Thursday, October 12, 2006

God continues to answer prayer! I talked to the doctor this morning, and he said that if they could get Josiah’s breathing treatments down to one every four hours, that he could go home! He said that may possibly mean tonight, or at the latest, tomorrow morning! Hooray! Josiah said he wants to come home. I don’t blame him one bit! They were taking him off the IV when I left, and he will be on oral steroids for 1-2 weeks and albuterol as needed, as well as his normal medications. He is still very weak and wobbly – can’t stand or walk without support, but that will come back quickly. He was supposed to go for a little walk this afternoon. Mom is sitting with him now while I take a little rest.

I will send out an update when I know for sure what is going on. Please keep praying – this is not over yet.
later

I just talked to the nurse in PICU, and she said that because Josiah is still so weak, they will probably keep him until tomorrow morning. That means we will be homeward bound tomorrow around 11 am or so. It is about a 40 minute drive back to Wilton. Please pray for safety and a quick discharge in the morning. Thank you all for praying. We will keep you updated on his progress over the next few weeks, as time allows. Mom flies out of Albany on Saturday morning, so I will have a bit more responsibility in taking care of everyone after she leaves. Praise the Lord for all He has done in our lives this week!

Josiah is making progress slowly but surely. They have been weaning him off the albuterol, and this morning they finally took him off the continuous treatment. He will still get treatments every hour or two as needed, but this is another small step in the recovery process. Praise the Lord.

When I went to see him this morning, he was sitting in the chair, coloring. He wasn’t doing a very good job of staying in the lines because he had very little control over his hands. (He has an IV in his right arm, and though he is left-handed, the albuterol has made him so jittery that he can’t keep his arm from shaking.) The doctor said that he could eat today, so when I switched out with mom, they were in the process of ordering his tray. I know that will make him happy! Later today, they are going to bring in some Legos and let him play for a while. It is so good to see him getting back to normal.

Thanks for all your prayers, phone calls, and e-mail messages. It has been such a blessing to know that hundreds, and perhaps even thousands of Christian brothers and sisters are praying for us. Please continue to pray.

Sarah

Josiah has been off the ventilator all day long and is doing okay. He is still on continuous Albuterol, but they are trying to evaluate him in regard to just doing a treatment every hour or two instead of continuously. He is feeling well enough to complain about how bad he feels. He still hasn’t had anything to eat, which he thinks is cruel and unusual punishment, but I talked with the nutritionist today, and she was preparing a menu for him. Hopefully, they will let him eat tomorrow morning. I really feel for him. Everything is still a day by day, hour by hour situation as far as how long he will be in, and all that stuff. There are no certainties right now.

He felt good enough to sit up and watch Winnie the Pooh, and color in his new coloring book from Grandma for a while, but he still gets tired easily. They let him get out of bed and sit in a chair for a while today, and I was able to hold him on my lap for a time. It was a real feat to arrange all the tubes, wires, and monitors in such a way that we could both be comfortable. He has to take some anti acid to keep his stomach juices from giving him problems since he doesn’t have any food for them to digest. Tonight they had to give it to him by mouth instead of putting it directly into his stomach through the tube. He didn’t like the taste, and spit it out. We finally bribed him with some water, and he drank the rest of it. He told me he doesn’t like feeling bad. He really is doing so much better. Please keep praying.

Sarah

Praise the Lord for answered prayer! Yesterday afternoon, I was rather discouraged by his lack of progress, as some of you may have noted from reading the last update. We came “home” to the Ronald McDonald House, and settled out belongings and ate dinner. After dinner, we went back over to the hospital. Mom went in to see him while I stayed with Esther in the waiting room, and when she came back, she told me that he was awake. He had tried to tell her something, but with the tubes in his mouth, she couldn’t understand what it was that he wanted. I hurried in to see him before he fell asleep again. I was amazed at the difference that two hours had made! He was doing so much better! His heart rate and respirations were down, and his oxygen level was good. I talked to him for a while, and he kept trying to tell me something. I figured out that he was telling me that he was hungry! Of course, he couldn’t have anything to eat until he was off the ventilator for a while. I tried to comfort him as best I could, and he actually smiled when I told him that he could have jello and Popsicles when his tubes came out! It did my heart good to see him last night.

Shortly after I arrived at the hospital this morning, they took him off the ventilator and removed the tubes. He is now on continuous albuterol treatment and 35% oxygen. He said he had stomach cramps, which could either be from hunger (His last meal was Friday evening), or from air in his stomach from having the tubes in there. He has been so brave and good through the whole thing. Mom is sitting with him now, and I will go back in a couple hours. I have told him that all of you are praying for him. Please keep praying. He has a long road back to recovery. Even after he is discharged from the hospital, it will take a few weeks to get back to “normal”.

Thank you to each one who has spent time in prayer for Josiah, for me, for Paul, and the rest of the family. We have benefited greatly from your intercessions, and I know that God is healing our son. Do not underestimate the power of your prayers. We love you, and thank God for you all. I will continue to update as the situation changes.