Quote from Forum Archives on June 30, 2004, 10:59 pm

Posted by: lifeunlimited <lifeunlimited@...>

Dear Friends, Family, and Other Intercessors:

 

Here is an update on Nicole Grace that takes you through Wednesday night.

 

First, in case you didn't know earlier, we have recently assembled a photo album of our little saga with Nicole Grace, and just added a few more pictures Tuesday night, including some taken as recently as last week-end.  These pics include shots of the family, and also of our Dr. Anya, her husband, and her staff.  You can see them by going to http://community.webshots.com/user/01lum and clicking on "Victorious Heart" album.

 

We rejoice over Nicole's improvement regarding her erratic heart beat, her steady weight gain, and her increase in food intake.  And, we particularly rejoice over Deanna's report below.  However, Nicole is still critical and has humanly insurmountable problems.  Please continue praying for the specific things we've mentioned before ---- healing of holes and valves of heart, liver problems, absence of portion of her brain, Platelet count in her blood, breathing problems, Mosaic Trisomy 18.

 

We rejoice that so far Nicole is "beating the odds" against her.  She is now three weeks old, and only 30% to 50% live up to a month.  10% live as long as a year, and only 1% live longer than a year, and always with major mental retardation and physical abnormalities and problems.  So, we're continuing to ask God for the impossible.

 

Encouraging Report from Deanna (and adendum by Jim) on Tuesday night:

 

Well, today was a good day.  We walked into the NICU this morning and immediately checked her monitor.  We were thrilled to see an almost normal sinus heart rhythm and very even and regular saturation levels.  She looked much better and well rested.  She pretty much stayed that way all day.  She still had periods of arythmia, but not anything close to what was going on yesterday.  They did the echo just after noon and though we won't have any results until tomorrow, the cardiologist felt that they wouldn't find anything drastically different than the last one they did several days ago.
 
Shortly after getting there, I (Deanna) started singing to her and she immediately opened one eye and peeked at me - that was nice.  I sang about 3 songs that I always have sung to our kids, especially as babies.  One is the "Blessing Song" by Dennis Jernigan.  I have sung it at each of our other kids' baby dedication services, but also sing it over them often when I would be feeding them or just rocking them.  I haven't gotten to do much feeding or rocking of Nicole, but I sing it to her often just the same - or I sing it while praying for her.  It basically is a prayer of blessing.  The words are:
 
May the Lord answer you in the day of your trouble,
May the name of the Lord be your strong mighty tower,
May He grant you your heart's deepest dreams and desires,
May He answer each time you call.
And may He pour out the blessings of Heaven
And may you cast your cares on Him and daily fall
May you live to see your children's children
And may Lord Jesus be your All in All.
 
May the Lord Jesus Christ satisfy beyond all measure
May His word light your path and may His truth guard your heart
May your days be filled with gladness, joy and peace through any sadness
Filled with love that will not depart.
And may your strength be renewed like the eagle.
And as you run the race, may joy flood every part
May your memories all be sweet in each parting
And may the peace of Christ rule in your heart.
 
May His word be to you, life and health, joy and treasure
May your home be a light, and may the Lord guard your ways
May the Lord be your shepherd, may His goodness and mercy follow after
you all your days.
And may His mercies be new every morning
And may His grace and Holy Spirit help you stand,
May you live y our life to die for the Gospel
And may you hold to His unchanging hand.
 
May the Lord answer you in the day of your trouble,
May the name of the Lord be your strong mighty tower,
May He grant you your heart's deepest dreams and desires,
May He answer each time you call.

 

(This song is included on the website above.)
 
Many of you have e-mailed to us the prayers that you have been praying for Nicole and for us, so I thought you'd like to know part of what we're praying as well.
 
As for the rest of our day.  We both got to hold her for about 45 minutes each.  When I held her I would rub her hand and shoulder with my thumb.  I would stop on occasion to get a drink of water and almost everytime, she would get a little restless and "whine" until I started again.  She was very cozy and comfortable with both of us holding her.  It had been about 3 days since we had held her and she had been restless that time - so today was very peaceful and rewarding for all 3 of us.
 
Jim's folks as well as his brother Dean and sister-in-law Cathy surprised us with a visit today.  That was fun and made the day pass very quickly.  We are both very tired from our trip yesterday, so we needed the time to pass quickly. 
 
Currently, Jim is taking an involuntary nap while waiting on the laundry (I have him trained well).
 
OH - other exciting news!!!  Evan started peeing again!. (sorry for the terminology - what else do you call it?)  They are continuing the dialysis until the kidneys return to full function, but they are adjusting the process so as not to dehydrate him.  If I remember correctly, he had gone at least 8 days without "relieving" himself. 
 
Guess that's all for my part.  I think Jim has some thoughts to add (i.e. sermonette).
 
From Jim:  Actually, "my part" can wait; you all have read plenty by now.  And, plus, I have laundry to do!  I will add one prayer request though to all of you across the "network."  My home church has been incredibly gracious through this entire experience, allowing me as much time as I need to care for my family.  But, it's just not the same for them without "their" pastor.  (It's not the same for "their" pastor without "them" either.)  Anyway, I would ask that you simply pray for our home church.  They're awesome people and they don't "need" me.. But we do miss them. and they miss us.  Not even sure how to ask you to pray for them, but please pray.
 
WWJ,
 
Jim

 

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Here are remarks from their Wednesday night update:

 

They did another trial with the smaller, transparent nasal prongs today.  That means Nicole also didn't have to wear her hat.  So, she looks a little more like a "normal" baby.  And. we both got to hold her for about 35 minutes apiece.  (There's just not much better in my world right now!)  She did GREAT on the nasal prongs - actually seemed to have higher oxygen levels on the prongs than on the bigger "scuba-looking" CPAP stuff.  The echo on her heart yesterday didn't reveal anything new.  The ONLY bad news of the day was that her bellirubin (or whatever that liver thing is) counts were way up again.  And the doctors don't seem to know what's causing this particular problem.  So, please pray that her counts come down to normal.
 
Evan, the boy behind Nicole, in need of a heart transplant - and in danger of being taken off the list because of kidney issues - is "peeing a storm," according to his grandpa.  So, he has been taken off dialysis, and is doing well.
 
Nicole's heart is still doing a Waltz - but it's not nearly as pronounced nor as erratic.  Plus, she seems to be handling the irregular heartbeat - i.e. as mentioned above, her oxygen levels are good and she's still wetting and dirtying diapers.  (I have very personal knowledge of that last bit of business. changed my first dirty diaper
today for her. changed plenty for my other kids, but hadn't attempted Nicole yet because of all the wires and tubes and such.  For those interested, we did fine.  Got a wire caught in her toes a time or two. but we did fine.) 

 

I'm saving some other thoughts Jim shared until later.

Deanna's remarks reminded me of something we emphasize when training people to do prayer walking.  It occurred to me that these same elements could and Should be used in all of prayer.  So, we'd like to propose that you incorporate the following Four Elements of Prayer into those times when you're praying for Nicole and the rest of us.

    +  Praise

    +  Blessing

    +  Warfare

    +  Intercession

 

As I think back to the three separate times that Dr. Anya and her staff have prayed with the two of us for Nicole, even through translation I could detect those four elements.  I'm certain that hundreds of other prayer warriors have done the same, though perhaps unwittingly.

 

+  Praise is the ultimate expression of faith.  It is expressing gratitude, honor, respect, and acknowledgement of Who God is in all His sovereignty, majesty, glory, and power.  It is to acclaim Him as all knowing, all loving, all compassionate, all just, all righteous, ever present, all sovereign, all powerful, all . . . anything else you can think of.  He is worthy of such praise from our lips.  He Only is worthy of such praise.  That's really a good place to begin any praying we do, no matter what the occasion, but it is most certainly the place to begin in behalf of Nicole Grace.  Just think of all He has already done because He is Who He is, and praise Him for it.  Then praise Him for all He is now doing and will be doing, simply because He is Who He is.

 

Many years ago, as I was praying with a dear old saint who was unable to attend the funeral of her beloved sister, I found myself praying, "Lord, I ask that for whatever Mrs. Satterfield needs right now, You will be."  Then my mind began to whirl as I realized the great truth I had just first confessed beyond my understanding, and then discovered on the spot.  It's quite simple . . . .

 

Whatever we need, God is.

 

And that certainly deserves our praise.

 

+  Blessing is to express in word positive, edifying, healing, restoring truth and wishes.  The Dennis Jernnigan song Deanna quoted above is nothing but one blessing after another.  We express best through words.  James tells us that we have the option of releasing blessing or curses through what we say.  Intentional or unintentional, we are daily releasing both blessing and curses into circumstances.  Sometimes we say or think what we really don't want . . . . doubt, fear, unbelief, fatalism, hopelessness, by the way we pray . . . by the things we say to others.

 

If releasing curses is the only other alternative we have, then it makes sense that we purpose to release blessing instead.  To Bless is to speak.  To speak is to "confess".  "Confess" means to "agree with" or "say the same thing as".  When John said, "If we confess our sins . . .", he was simply saying, "If we say the same thing (con-fess = with-speak = verbally agree with) that God is saying about sin . . ."

 

The same principle is true in blessing.  Agree with God.  How do you do that?  I suppose there are many ways, but one of the easiest ways is to speak back what God has already spoken.  There are many Psalms, prayers of the Apostle Paul (see Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians), statements of Jesus (such as Beattitudes or the Model Prayer in John 17), and other great statements by the apostles and prophets that you can use as a basis for blessing this situation, or any situation.

 

+  Warfare is simply announcing to the Devil what are the facts of his demise and limitations, what are the facts of God's love for Nicole Grace, what are the facts of God's power and authority through the Lord Jesus Christ, what are the facts of the hearts' desires of God's people, and declaring the authority every believer has in the mighty name of the Lord Jesus Christ against anything and everything that opposes the nature, character, and purposes of God.

 

Warfare is not a jumping, yelling, screaming rampage.  It is a simple declaration of truth to the father of all lies, letting him know you are aware of the facts and that he must bow, rescind, and retreat at the mention of the Name of the One who destroyed all his works.  All disease, as does all sin, has its root in the spirit of rebellion that Satan first exercised against God and then introduced to the human race.  Warfare is taking back the territory in every realm that was lost in the fall of man.  It's not a "name it and claim it" or a "demon behind every bush" philosophy.  It's an act of obedience built on the finished work of Christ and the authority of His strong name.

 

+  Intercession is to fill in the space, stand in the gap, or "take the place of" another person who needs God's intervention.  Intercession is the pathway for intervention to reach the intersection of man's need and God's supply.  Some people think that intercession and mediation are the same.  They are not.  We already have a Mediator, and He did a very good job in our behalf.  What we need now is a team of intercessors.

 

Some people thing that intercession is just to pray for someone else.  It is much deeper; it is to pray with a sense of identification with the one/s for whom you are praying.  It comes out of a particular work going on in the heart of the intercessor.  It's not something you think through, plan for, or "emotionalize" yourself into.  One of my favorite Bible characters who apparently understood intercession is Nehemiah as he prayed for Jerusalem (see chapter one).  He demonstrated the primary qualities of intercession in his prayer. 

 

Identifying God as "a great and awesome God", Nehemiah prayed with Respectful Courage because he understood God's majesty and power.  He also prayed with Resilient Confidence because he knew God was the One who "preserves the covenant" He made with His people.  His intercession was also characterized by Relinquished Commitment, a willingness to go the distance and pay the ultimate price, because He knew God honors obedience as One who expressed "lovingkindness toward those who . . . keep His commandments."

 

Then, Nehemiah was the ideal intercessor because he entered into Relentless Compassion that stemmed from his knowledge that God was also The God of compassion and grace.  That's why he could plead, "Let Your ears be attentive and Your eyes open" to this people!"  Finally, Nehemiah confessed Radical Conviction in his praying because He understood that, even though they don't always make sense, God does have ultimate purposes in what He initiates and allows.

 

So, it seems to me that our intercession for Nicole, Jim, Deanna, the children, and the church should have those same qualities . . . . courageous, confident, committed, compassionate, conviction-driven intercession.

 

Like Jim, I didn't intend to preach, but it seemed appropriate to share these four elements of prayer ---- Declared Praise, Spoken Blessing, Authoritative Warfare, and Gap-filling Intercession.  I wonder what would happen if all of us took this stance of prayer.

 

Before we close, we simply must share some other testimonies and remarks from others.

 

+  From a longtime friend in Wisconsin:  Please don't worry about inundating us with too much info about Nicole Grace, Jim, Deanna and the children.  I wait for every new email to see what God is doing.  You and Jo Ann are in my prayers, too.  What an awesome display of the grace of God in this situation.  And it is reaching so many people.  I will continue to pray for God's touch to heal Nicole completely, and that the glory will go to Him - however and whenever He chooses to accomplish it.

Love in Him, Carla

 

+  From a missionary colleague:  I've been reading your email and praying for Nicole this morning.  I also began to wonder about the children--like my boys who are/were premies and how that goes for them here in Ukraine.  I thank God that my children survived their premies days and close calls to be able to hold them and snuggle with them today.  We have been truly blessed yet I wonder as all parents do what the future will bring.  Thank God that this is in God's hands too.  Please be encouraged ... love ya'll,  Beth

 

+  From a team member on our 2000 Sarajevo trip.  . . . Joshua and I have tried to have a baby for the past two years and due to a medical condition I have may never be able to have one of our own. However God is bigger than illness and modern medicine so we continue to believe he will bless us with a child in one way or another.  Our heart and prayers are with your family and Baby Nicole. Every day as we pray for our own child we ask God to heal Nicole. God's plans are to prosper his children and by his stripes we are healed. He is a huge God with more love for us than we can fathom. I believe Nicole will be restored to the glory which God created her for!  Thank you for keeping us updated. We will pray for her and your family with out ceasing.

In Him, Erin and Joshua

 

+  From a friend of boyhood days:  My soul moans....I don't know what to say, do, or pray.  Nicholes little life is in the hollow of the hand of the Almighty.  I am praying for the good that will come from this over the years which we cannot begin to see from this point.  Praying to God this week, I reminded Him of His own words:  "My strength is made perfect in weakness."   Speaking of myself, I said "God, You want weakness...here I am....do your work."

Charles E. 

 

+  From a missionary colleague in Ukraine:  I continue to gain encouragement and insight from our spirit, as well as the same spirit inside of jim and deanne.  it blesses my heart to see the heart of God in you all.  thank you for every moment of vulnerable honesty you all have shared. it builds up the Body.  thank you for reminding me of the important lesson to Praise HIm, no matter what the circumstance.   He is on the throne, and He has not lost His grip, and He will continue to pour out Himself on our lives.  i love you guys so much!  i hope you find time of refreshment and rest in your traveling! 

Keri

 

+  From a long-time friend and multiple-team member to Bosnia and Croatia:  It is so wonderful when God just taps us on the shoulder or holds us in His arms and says to be patient and let Him work out the details.  It's the waiting and the being patient that strengthens us as it is now for little Nicole Grace.  Everything is in God's hands and has been from the start.  When I start to count out the months and years of waiting for God to work out the details and unfold His perfect timing, then I see the 'fingerprints' you wrote about.  I see His fingerprints all over me. It doesn't mean it was easy ~ it just means that He was with me through those long years of wondering and waiting AND praying. 

 

Now that I look back, I can see how I was changed and molded.  When I see something like this happen to another  family, I visualize wonderful things that God has planned and say to myself, "I wonder how God is going to use this one!!"  As you inferred in your letter, the head knowledge is getting  the big test and is being transplanted into heart knowledge.  Jxxx and Lxxx have had two miscarriages and since I never had any miscarriages of my own, I wasn't prepared for the grieving time for a preborn baby.  I am anxiously awaiting the meeting of these two little people when I get to heaven. 

 

As a grandparent, I know some of the 'heart pain'  you are experiencing.  I pray every day for you and Jo Ann and for Deanna's family as all of you experience this slow time warp.  God is using every bit of this time to deepen His relationship with both Jim and Deanna ~ I am seeing that happen in their letters. 

 

I also know God is doing His work in the lives of your other daughters although you haven't talked about it.  Thank you so much for sharing because it makes all of us slow down to take in more of God and reevaluate our own relationship with Him.  We aren't here just to receive our blessings but to share our relationship with the Lord with as many people as possible. 

 

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Thanks so much, dear friends, for praying.  Since we are now in Switzerland until July 14th, we're not sure how often we can or will need to update you, but we will do so as often as possible and appropriate.  In the meantime, pray for the two of us as well, that we will be rejuvinated by the conference and refreshed by the scattered opportunities to relax and simply enjoy "doing nothing official".

 

Gripped In His Bond and Buoyed by His Sufficiency,

 

Bob and Jo Ann

 

Bob Tolliver
IBC - Hope4Kyiv
lifeunlimited@pobox.com
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