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Prayer Requests 2-5-24

Anyone have something to share?

“I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because I’m helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God. It changes me.” 

C.S. Lewis

39 thoughts on “Prayer Requests 2-5-24”

  1. Great quote!

    Prayers for your continuing recovery, AJ.

    Prayers for Kathaleena and resolution of distorted vision.

    Prayers for Kizzie’s needs mentuoned, letter well received.

    Prayers for NJ.

    Prayers for Dj’s neighbor’s recovery.

    Prayers for 6’s son and mom, M.

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  3. Please pray for Nightingale, specifically that the stress she is under today will work upon her heart to finally turn to God and be saved.

    Yesterday afternoon, while out in another town helping dear friend Stephanie shop for a wedding gown, her car started smoking. Stephanie’s soon-to-be-father-in-law, who has already been like a father-in-law for many years, drove out to help, and he took the car to a nearby Firestone auto repair center, and drove her home. (The plan was that he would also drive her back to Firestone today when the car is ready.)

    This morning, with no car to drive Boy to school, she wanted him to take the bus. (Since the events of this past fall, with Boy’s struggles and hospitalizations, she has been driving him in to school each morning. Her work schedule has been tweaked to allow time for that.) Boy purposely missed the bus. He has been hanging out down here with me, knowing that his mom is very angry with him. (So Boy’s stubbornness in missing the bus is one area of stress for her today.)

    The second area of stress: Nightingale called Firestone a little while ago. They said that the engine is ruined, and fixing/replacing it will cost over $7000. The car is 13 years old, so she is wondering if it is worth it. She is very, very upset about this, and was in tears (she rarely cries in front of anyone), saying that this would wipe her out financially, if she even has enough to begin with.

    She is having the car towed from Firestone, which she doesn’t trust, to a local place she does trust. As I said, she is wondering if the car is worth fixing, or if it is time for a “new” (used, but new to us) car. Either way, it is going to be a big, unwelcome expense.

    (I told her that I could help with that.)

    Again, please pray that she finally cries out to God and finds Him there. And while you’re at it, please pray for “my little Chickadee” and Boy. They all need our Savior so badly! (As do we all!) Thank you.

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  4. Prayer for twenty two son. His latest girlfriend, they just moved to another town together in December, dumped him about three weeks ago to pursue herself, which she can’t do in a relationship. She had been very positive in many ways, helping him back out of unhealthy relationships and the party lifestyle. He is trying to hold strong but has been slipping. He may be a Christian.

    mumsee

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  5. We’ve been told that Honda engines will go 250K miles. Our son is still driving our old Honda CRV (purchased in 2006) 120 miles a day. He, too, can’t afford a new car and has definitely cared for this one. He recently had to put $1500 into it, but it’s hanging in there.

    I think she’s made a good call, having it towed to someone she trusts to give her an honest opinion. We’re driving in California, which is not so hard on the car body. A new used car, however, can be real pricey as well.

    Very sorry to hear all this.

    M

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  6. Yes, very good call to get a 2nd opinion. I remember when one of my VW bugs needed a new engine, I found a place (small, local garage) that did it for much less than the original quote. Poor Emily, so much stress right now. 😦 Prayers.

    -dj

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  9. Mom’s at the ER with chest pain tonight, I just heard. She seemed to be doing so well after returning to her assisted living place a week and a half ago.

    Janice, as long as you mentioned it, my son could use prayers, too. 🙂 Tomorrow is 5th Arrow’s last day of being teen-aged; he turns 20 on Wednesday. Life with autism isn’t easy for him. Yesterday was one of the (infrequent, but still concerning) days that he was frustrated that God hasn’t taken him to heaven yet.

    I’m trying to praise God that he is verbal and can give us a window into his thoughts from time to time, but I don’t always see the good in getting those types of glimpses. He’s cognitively low-functioning, so I don’t think suicide would be on his radar, but I’d appreciate prayers for him as you think of doing so.

    And wisdom for us as we continue to help him navigate young adulthood. Thanks.

    Prayers for all above, too.

    ~6

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  10. Nightingale has a rental car now for however long it takes to either fix the CRV or buy a “new” car. She was exhausted by the end of the day. I let her use my debit card to buy pizza for us for dinner.

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  11. Praying for all.

    I so understand how frustrated Nightingale must be. It is always a bad idea to let our feelings take over when we are exhausted. Evenings can be that way. Joy comes in the morning. I hope the car can be fixed or a good used one will come along. Cars are so expensive and so necessary for many of us.

    I am using steroid drops in my eyes, in addition to all the others. Inflammation seems to be the issue, at least so far. It is tough to be patient when things drag on so long, as many of you can echo!

    That quote by CS Lewis is so true!

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  13. Praying for all, 6’s mom & 5th arrow, Nightingale with so much on her shoulders, Kathaleena’s eye recovery, AJ and Cheryl, of course, and others here – life can be hard.

    I got my meltdown over with early this morning, work-related to that 18-candidate story. Honestly, really? Had to cancel my dental cleaning as my deadline now looms in just about 5 more hours …

    I think the prices on used cars have gone down from what they were earlier, a few years ago, when the pandemic caused the supply chain to be so messed up — new cars appear to be pretty much out of range completely for regular folk anymore.

    -dj

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  14. Praying Nightingale feels better today and that things are working out with the glitch of the missed bus by boy. Praying he can find a friend who envourages him to like to be at school, that he can have a good teacher from whom he desires to learn daily because the subject fascinates him. May he be better settled fot the remainder of the year. I pray the other auto repair shop gives a brtter diagnosis that brings down the expense to affotdable. Please, Lord, may all the difficulties prompt Nightingale to turn her heart to You and ask You for help. I pray in Jesus” name, Amen

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  15. Kathaleena, I hope your eye issues following the surgeries will get resolved. I’ve not had cataract surgery myself, but it sounds from most others’ experiences — my late neighbor the only exception I can think of — that often times it works out well. I pray that is ultimately the case for you, too, as with many others.

    AJ and Cheryl, I would have run out of patience long ago with all you’re going through. Peace be upon you.

    Mom’s chest pains last night weren’t a heart attack, and the tests done revealed no problems. She returned home (assisted living) around midnight, and sounded good today when she called 5th Arrow to wish him a happy birthday tomorrow.

    3rd Arrow (A) also went to the ER yesterday with on-and-off uterine pressure and the occasional stabbing feeling that had her wondering if baby was trying to make an early exit. Thankfully she wasn’t in true labor. She’s due 7 weeks from tomorrow.

    A’s good friend, E, daughter of my friend W, is due 2 days after A. They are enjoying communicating through social media, as E lives in Alaska. E ended up in the ER this week, too, after it looked like her water broke. Turned out not to be amniotic fluid, and baby and mom were fine.

    All prayers appreciated for these young moms looking forward to welcoming their first babies. (Well, E’s second; she had sadly miscarried her first early in pregnancy.)

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  16. Praise for my good friend K whose younger daughter confirmed she and her husband of a year and a half now are officially expecting (9/7). My friend is over the moon. They had a miscarriage earlier but all seems well this time.

    Infection (and I think inflammation is perhaps related to that) can happen after cataract surgery, it’s not common but is a complication they mention to you. I had the “drop-less” surgeries where the surgeon injects all of the “drops” into the eye directly after the surgery — so no drops for the patient to worry about. I was grateful to have skipped that step. I believe he’d also told me that infections are more common with the manual drop regiments which can be cumbersome and confusing and cause those issues.

    -dj

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  17. Janice – Thank you. Boy has been doing very well academically, and the school had arranged to have him and his friend in all of the same classes, which has helped tremendously. He says that the issue yesterday was that he hates taking the bus, but I suspect that something else may have been affecting him, too.

    *******

    The local auto place gave an estimate almost a couple thousand dollars less than Firestone. So now, Nightingale is trying to decide if she wants to have this 13 year old car fixed (with a used engine a year older, but relatively low mileage on it) for what is still a high amount of money or look for a new-to-us car. What is adding some confusion to the decision-making process is that she is aware that she likes the idea of a newer car, but doesn’t want to let that cloud her judgment.

    Prayers for wisdom and direction, please. And that for me, too, please, on some issues I am thinking about. Thank you.

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  18. It does not sound like Kathaleena has an infection. Everyone has such different reactions and situations.

    I had a concern with the drops that I would get the dropper too close to my eye and contaminate it. Thankful that did not happen. Glad ypu had excellent results with your doctor and the choice you were given, Dj. CA is always ahead it seems, in some areas, but for all the progression, behind in other ways. I have never heard of anyone here being given that option.

    My friend in CA just told me that she found out Medicare does not cover an annual physical exam. Who knew? I had tried to figure why I was never getting the longer time slots for a thorough exam. Now it is only fifteen minute appointments unless you have a generous doc who does not mind running behind on appts. I have a generous doc.♡

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  19. Continuing prayers, 6, for your precious family. You have so much to trust to God, both generations. You are the sandwich generation like we once were, caring for the older and younger at the same time. May God grant beautiful birth experiences for both new moms, and perfect bonding with the newborns, ease in feeding, and if possible, no colic! Thankful Mom M is okay for the moment. May God give you all peace and rest because you trust fully in Him.

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  20. Almost sure my annual exam is covered, but maybe that’s with the Plan B supplement I also have. Don’t remember paying for most of those things though.

    I asked the eye surgeon why the droplets method wasn’t use more widely as it’s been around for about 10 years. He said younger surgeons are the ones who mostly use it, older surgeons don’t (not yet anyway).

    -dj

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  22. Kizzie, we once got a used replacement engine for a Ford Escort. It did not work out well for us. We ended up giving the car away to a ministry that had people in recovery learning to repair cars. Maybe she needs to check reviews and see if anyone else has written up the busines. good or bad, concerning major expensive repairs.

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  23. This is a local place that has been around a long time, and has a good reputation. Nightingale has used them before. Being a small town, if there was a problem with them, we would hear about it. :-)

    Years ago, when the girls were elementary-to-middle-school age and up to Chickadee being almost 18, I was in the middle of the sandwich, first with my MIL and then with my mom.

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  25. I think I had rebuilt engines put into both of my VW beetles and it worked out well both times. I love the small, hometown shops, and I currently don’t have one of those mechanics.

    -dj

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  26. i was thankful we could afford to donate that car, and actually we donated two cars at the same time to that ministry. We would not have gotten much had we sold them or used them for a down payment. Why not bless others when one has a good opportunity? Turning lemons into sweet lemonade😀🍋🍋

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  27. Medicare has their own short annual visit. Some of the supplemental insurances cover a more comprehensive exam.

    I was very careful with my eyedrops. I have taken drops for years for allergy issues and now for dry eye. Hopefully, these will help the situation.

    It is so difficult to know if a new used car will be reliable, too. Prayers for a good decision for Nightingale.

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  29. Did I mention twenty four about blasted his face off? Over in North Dakota he opened a high pressure pipe without releasing the pressure. Seems those things carry quite the wallop. They put him out for the surgery. He was not allowed back to work the next day but needed to return the next. Pray this will be his wake-up.

    mumsee

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  32. Buying a used car that’s “certified” takes a lot of the uncertainty out of it. You’re not at the mercy, any more, of a fast-talking sales person. Reputable dealers now have to back their cars up and prospective buyers have a lot more *real* (under the certified designations) information available about a car’s history and condition.

    A lightly used car that’s maybe only a couple years old seems the best option for most shoppers with the current prices. Mine was a lease turn-in; the Jeep before this one had been a “fleet” car, 6,000 miles on it and thousands $ cheaper than if I’d bought a “new” one.

    -dj

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  34. I’ve never bought a new car, or even a certified used car. But I always take cars I’m considering buying to my own mechanic. He does a thorough check for $200. If I buy the car, he’ll apply half the $200 to any fixes he recommended. I’ve rejected two cars and bought three based on his recommendations, and never been sorry.

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  35. Nightingale has decided to have them replace the engine. The “new’ one only has 42,000 miles on it. She says the car “will be younger than when we first bought it.” 🙂 I think this was the right decision.

    We feel good about it. I paid for the engine – which costs $4000 – over the phone, because they had to have the payment before they ordered it. Although Nightingale’s “Thank you!!!!” was only by text, the fact that she used four exclamation points tells me that she is very appreciative. I am so glad that I am able to help in these ways.

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  36. I was able to buy two new cars back in the day, earlier in my reporting career and when cars weren’t so shockingly expensive. A 1984 Jetta and a 1996 Jetta.

    It was nice having that new-car smell and a brand *new* car, I’ll admit. Of course, they aren’t “new” for very long …

    The Jeep Liberty (an ’07 bought in early ’08) came next and now PJ (Pandemic) Jeep Cherokee, the fleet turn-in, a 2018 purchased (under desperation and through mourning tears right after the demise of the beloved Liberty) in 2020.

    Working from home — with no regular commute anywhere in particular — I’ve put so few miles on the Cherokee (it came with 41,000) that I expect this will last a good while.

    I keep cars for as long as I can.

    -dj

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  38. My 2 VW Beetles got me through college and early-work years, both quite “used” when purchased. But they were fun little cars.

    Still remember the little blue one catching fire as I was driving back to work on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood one day after lunch errand runs.

    “Hey” I heard someone call out to me, “your car’s on fire.”

    What?

    Yikes.

    I looked in the rear view mirror (VW engines were in the back) and sure enough, lots and lots of smoke …

    I managed to get it fixed and it carried on for maybe a couple more years.

    -dj

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