Let us join together in praying the Lord’s prayer this week:

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be Thy name.
Thy Kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever.

Amen

Emergency

The next morning Steve and I ate breakfast in my hospital room and around 9 a.m. I was discharged. After a quick stop at the pharmacy for pain medication and Gas-X we headed home. The old familiar emotions that jarred me the day before began rumbling again and I was grateful we lived only twenty minutes from Fort Campbell.

We pulled into the garage, got out of the car, and Steve opened the door to the house. With each step I felt waves of grief rising, overriding my weariness. Seconds after I stepped inside new sobs escaped for the first time in 24 hours and I released them on Steve’s shoulder.

Not having the same connection to the pregnancy, Steve was somewhat perplexed by my outburst. The whole experience was surreal to him. It might have been more mutual if he had known about the pregnancy beforehand, but men react differently.

Once the waterworks subsided I led Steve over to the end table in our living room and showed him the sonogram photo. With tears in his eyes he said, “It’s very sad.” At that point the loss became a little more tangible. However, he would never understand my trauma.

That night I developed a fever of 101-F along with severe pain in my abdomen. Ibuprofen didn’t break the fever and it rose to 101.7-F so we took off to the ER. This time I was really glad that Fort Campbell was only twenty minutes away.

After waiting a couple hours I was finally seen by a doctor. He asked several questions, looked at my medications, and glared at me when he saw the OB/GYN had prescribed Tylox for pain. With a strange blend of astonishment and anger he announced, “This is for end stage cancer patients!” I was so bewildered by his remark that I just stared back at him. I wasn’t sure if he was angry with me for not taking it (I had chosen not to because I didn’t want liver damage) or if he was floored that the doctor had prescribed such a potent drug. Whatever the case, this doc had a lousy bedside manner.

Once the happy doctor left the room Steve walked me over to the bathroom. As soon as I set foot inside I dropped to the floor. I’ll never know what caused the blackout but I was glad Steve was there to catch me. The last thing I needed was injury. Again I sensed God’s protection and provision.

We returned home around 1 a.m. and I managed to sleep through the night. Steve had been given a four-day pass from school at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, so he was able to stay for only three more days. During those days he made meals, bought take out, and monitored me to make sure I didn’t have another fever. Then he departed, reluctantly, on Wednesday, April 25, 2001.

So there I was, left with unresolved grief from a miscarriage and the unrelenting reality of lupus and hair loss. I was teetering between caring for myself and slipping into debilitating fatigue. Soon I would be in for another road trip.

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES:

Stay connected for more. Jehovah Jireh keeps on providing. The mysteries and complexities of our lives might never be clear in our time, but one thing is certain: God’s ways and thoughts are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9); and, His plans for our future are laced with goodness and hope (Jeremiah 29:11).

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Life Happens – Jesus Answers is a weekly column addressing the challenges we face in life, coupled with the presence and grace of Jesus, our One True Source of hope and peace. The column’s author, Laura Firtko, can be reached by email here: LifeHappens@pwoc.org

Submitted by Karen Jaedicke of Fort Bragg, NC

My first attempt at a vegetable garden was a disaster!  I was born and raised a city girl and had moved to the country, in the heart of a farming community.  Several ladies were excited to introduce me to so many new things:  gardening, canning, quilting and even driving a tractor.  We started with gardening.

I quickly learned the amount of effort (make that hard work) that went into growing one’s own food.  With the help of a few friends and a tiller, we eventually had a patch ready.  With great excitement, I made rows and began planting various seeds; zucchini, cantaloupe, watermelon, tomatoes, corn, potatoes and more.  Then I waited to enjoy the fruits of my labor.  The next time I went out to check (several weeks later) the entire garden was overrun with WEEDS.

Now I know at this point some of you are laughing.  But remember, I am a city girl, and no one had mentioned that after you have planted you have to care for, weed and maintain the garden.  I only expected to find fully developed, healthy fruits and vegetables more succulent than any commissary or grocery store.  What a surprise for this girl!

Our spiritual lives are much like a garden.  The seeds that are planted there on a Sunday morning, at PWOC, or by a conversation with a friend, must be watered, nourished and cared for.  And the weeds!  They are constantly working to wrap themselves around our beautiful plantings.  Only consistent, purposeful care can keep out the things that try to change our focus, steal our joy, and defeat our spirit.  I’m sure glad God takes on the job of Master Gardener, aren’t you?  I hope you’re asking Him daily to walk with you through the garden and see what needs His attention.  I know I am.

……my Father is the gardener.  John 15:1

“Who are you?” — I find myself typing this a lot lately.

Remember a thousand years ago when the Internet was introduced? Shortly thereafter came Email? Back then, we were all ignorant about cyber-safety. We created usernames like Pookey, ArmyMom and CatLady. One of my earlier email addresses was BeagleMomOf2. I had two beagles so it seemed to fit. To use our real name wasn’t a consideration then.

Fast forward those thousand years and we know a lot more about the threats, both real and perceived, that haunt our online presence. We’ve finally learned that using our real name for our email address isn’t really a threat after all…or have we?

So often, I still see generic usernames on email messages but that in itself isn’t the problem. The problem is introduced when the sender of the message fails to sign it and the reader is left with the question, “Who are you?” Furthermore, failing to sign your message is a fast track to the Junk bin! If you want to be taken seriously, identify yourself.

Personally, I strongly prefer using your real name for your email address. The army does it and if you haven’t noticed, they don’t do anything that could be considered unsafe (on the web, that is).  But if that’s still too risky for your comfort level, then please, oh please, begin using a Signature Block telling your reader who you are. If you’ve sent them a message, then you must want them to know who you are, right?

Don’t know what a Signature Block is? In every email system, whether you use an online webmail (Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc.) or an Email Client (Outlook, Apple Mail, etc.), you have a feature that allows you to include a block of text at the end of every message you write…automatically. Moving forward, every message you write will automatically add this information to the bottom of the message and your reader will never again have to ask, “Who are you?”

Before setting up your Signature block, consider these two points I mentioned in my May 26, 2009 Tech Tuesday entry:

Keep Your Signature to 5 Lines of Text
“Signature” is a synonym for brief and unobtrusive — or at least it should be, because overly long signatures in emails are an annoyance.

No Need for Street Addresses in Email Signatures
Come visit me, everybody! Unless you want everybody and the whole world to know where you live, don’t include your street address in your email signature.

For help creating a Signature block in the various mail systems, try one of the links below:

Gmail
Yahoo
Hotmail
Outlook 2003
Outlook 2007Apple Mail
Entourage 2008

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“Tech Tuesday” is published every Tuesday. To reach Tracy with comments or questions, email her here.

Submitted by Kimchi Blow

“We love because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:19

We experience so many moments throughout the day that can so easily pass us by. Here lately, the Lord has been having me slow down a bit to enjoy just a few.  Thankfully, today at the park, I was able to watch my two toddlers playing joyfully.   While there, I experienced a moment that took my breath away, and I wanted to capture it in my mind forever.  After running around chasing her brother for what seemed like hours, my two year old daughter suddenly stopped with her face towards the sunshine. It was like a scene from a movie where time stopped and all I could see was her. With her face towards the sunlight, I could see each of her amazing features. Her skin appeared perfect like a porcelain doll, while strands of her golden blond hair blew gently across her face. The rays of light hit her striking blue eyes in just the right places and they danced with delight. Then slowly, she closed her eyes and gently tilted her head toward the sky, as if God had taken His hand under her chin and gently lifted it towards Him. Peace exuded from within her. She stood there with a smile enjoying the warmth of the sun on her face and wind through her hair. All I could do was hold my breath. I walked over to her and just held her, kissing her sweet face.  Immediately, I thanked God for the moment.  It was a moment to cherish, a moment to love, a moment to thank, and a moment worth living for!

I walked away from the park overwhelmingly changed somehow. Why did this moment touch me so intensely? Why did I feel a stirring deep within? Why did I want to just stop time right there and not move another second forward? Why? As I pondered these things, I even began to pray and seek God for the answer.  And then it hit me and I was moved even more profoundly than when I was watching my daughter. It became so apparent to me that God was giving me a picture of how He stops and cherishes me like that throughout each day! Stop to recognize the moments God pours His love on you today.

A Warm Embrace

Shortly after my brief phone call with Steve two nurses arrived to anesthetize me. The friends who had faithfully stayed by my side all day were ravenous so they departed for dinner. Once they left the nurses told me to count backward from ten as they wheeled me into the operating room. In a matter of seconds I was out. It was approximately 5 p.m.

Around 6:30 p.m. I awoke trembling from shock; but the warm blankets wrapped snugly around my body felt like God’s loving embrace holding me fast. Ironically, a newborn is wrapped in a blanket before being handed to his mother. I would never know the joy of holding a newborn in my arms, but I did know the comfort of a loving Father holding me in His.

I glanced to my right and there was my friend again seated in a chair against the wall. She and the nurse had been chatting while they waited for me to wake up. It was good to see a familiar face. She followed as I was taken to my own room to spend the night. We talked for a while and she stayed until Steve arrived around 9 p.m.

With pizza in hand Steve bent down to kiss me and told me he was sorry this happened. Remarkably, I didn’t sob at that point. I was so glad to see him and I was too hungry to cry. Even though I was advised not to eat I did anyway and managed to avoid a rendezvous with the bathroom.

Once Steve was finished eating he took a moment to call my mom and asked her if she was sitting down. He told both she and my sister at the same time that I had a miscarriage and had come through surgery fine. They were stunned of course.

As I looked back on those events, I wondered why I didn’t attempt to contact Steve or my mother at some point during the day. But under those conditions, walking around in a fog, I just didn’t have the presence of mind to do it. Plus, in the process of being ushered all over the hospital I never gave it a thought. I guess I wanted to talk to Steve before talking to anyone else, but he had been in classes all day, and by the time he called I was almost ready for surgery. So that was that. Second guessing myself is useless. It’s over and done.

As Steve and I visited I began to feel a splintering pain in my abdomen that gradually intensified along with tachycardia – my heart rate soared to 130 bpm. A nurse came in, took my vitals, put an oxygen mask on me, and assessed the problem. As it turns out, all I needed was Gas-X! During any kind of internal surgery air can accumulate and get trapped. I felt like Violet Beauregarde — the girl who chewed a forbidden piece of gum in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and blew up into a blueberry-like ball.

Again, I was quick to note God’s sovereignty and provision. If this alarming event had occurred at home I probably would have panicked and made a beeline for the ER. Unfortunately, something happened the next night that forced me to do just that.

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES so stay connected:

Along life’s highway we all encounter grief, heartache and challenges of various kinds in varying degrees. All of it has a higher, larger purpose than we might ever know. Nothing is lost on God, especially since He ordains these events to fulfill His purposes and plans for our lives. These events massage our hearts and souls into a pliable condition that causes us to surrender to His Lordship. It’s called transformation. We like to fight the process because it’s painful. But fighting is futile. We must submit to God and find rest for our souls.

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Life Happens – Jesus Answers is a weekly column addressing the challenges we face in life, coupled with the presence and grace of Jesus, our One True Source of hope and peace. The column’s author, Laura Firtko, can be reached by email here: LifeHappens@pwoc.org

This week, the PWOC International board is gathered together for Vision Week. Today, all of the Regional Presidents and Vice Presidents will join us, which means there are a lot of gals “out of the office” so to speak.

What happens when you go off the cyber-grid and can’t answer your email? Remember when you sent that email and immediately received a reply informing you of your recipient’s absence for a stated period of time? That was an “out of office” reply and is an available feature with all email providers.

For help setting up “Out of Office” replies in the various mail systems, open your preferred Internet search engine and enter the name of your mail provider (Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Hotmail, Outlook, etc.) along with the phrase, “out of office reply.”

And don’t forget to lift our PWOC leaders in prayer this week as we seek the face of Jesus and His direction for the ministry in the coming year.

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“Tech Tuesday” is published every Tuesday. To reach Tracy with comments or questions, email her here.

Submitted By Laura Miller, Japan

A few years ago my husband was assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Uzbekistan.   This third world country, located north of Afghanistan, is unlike the western world.  My husband was allowed to take his family to this remote part of the world and within 30 hours of our arrival, I experienced a suicide bombing.  The two years spent in this country were at times dangerous and uncertain, however, I felt safe and comfortable most of the time.  I have fond memories of my years spent in this predominantly Muslim country.

One of my favorite places to visit was Tizzy Kavka.  Americans called it the ‘junk’ bazaar….because it literally had a lot of junk.  This place was extremely filthy and foul smelling; causing me to hold my breath and then gasp for air as I meandered through the crowded lanes filled with a mixture of unusual aromas of food cooking, cigarette smoke, incense, and body odor.   People had blankets on the ground or tables displaying their possessions in hope of a sale.  I enjoyed this place because I find people interesting.  But I also enjoyed searching for treasures to purchase.  It is true that one man’s junk can be another man’s treasure.  I found some awesome vessels that I could see beyond the defects and dirt and saw the beauty and potential use for each one I chose and bought.

I purchased different kinds of vessels.  Some of them made of clay, copper, metal and glass with different shapes and sizes.  Many of the vessels I chose were defective in some way; chipped, scratched, cracked, old or dirty and no longer wanted by the owner.  I took them home, cleaned them up and each serves a purpose as a decorative item and some I use every day, such as a teapot.

These vessels represent to me lives and hearts.  Sometimes we see ourselves and the world and Satan makes us feel like junk; old, defective, useless, not the right size, of no value and purpose.   Sin and the trials of life can break us down, crack us, and make us feel dirty, undesired, maybe even frightened in a world filled with danger and uncertainty.

Praise God He sent His son to purchase and redeem us with His precious blood and death on the cross.  He searches and chooses each one of us living in this dirty, foul world and gives us the gift of faith.  He saves us, washes away our sins, and begins sanctifying us-the process of purifying, refining, and transforming us into the image of Christ.  He makes each one of us valuable (we aren’t junk) and gives each of us a purpose.

Just as I saw the beauty, value, and found the vessels as treasures with a purpose, that is how God sees us.  We are loved, valued, beautiful, and He wants us to become a vessel He can use to bring Him glory.

2 Tim 2:21 Therefore, if a man cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.

2 Cor 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not of ourselves.

But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.

II Corinthians 2:14

Dear God,

We thank you for leading us together, in a big triumphant parade of joy in the victory of Jesus Christ.  Lord God, I pray that everywhere we live, work, play and serve we will spread the fragrance of the knowledge of Jesus.  God, we are the fragrance of life to those who are being saved but to those who are perishing we are the smell of death.  God, lift the veil that blinds the minds of unbelievers to the glorious light of the gospel.  I pray today for awareness of the lost around me.  Let my fragrance today smell sweet because of your goodness shining through me.  Let me be the fragrance of life, the life of Christ shining through every surrendered place in me.  It’s not about me.  It’s about the harvest.  We cry out to you to send workers into the ripe harvest fields of our posts, bases, and communities.   We love you.  In Jesus Name, Amen.

Sovereign Comfort

Once the hospital admission process was complete, I was escorted to a private room for final surgery prep. My friend never left my side from the moment she arrived late that morning. While I changed into a lovely hospital gown her husband went to find out if Steve had received the Red Cross message.

Across the room I noticed a table covered with a variety of reading materials including a Bible. I went over to pick up the Bible and underneath was a stack of small booklets. I thumbed through them and one in particular caught my eye. The title was How Can I Deal with My Loss? — A very appropriate title indeed. However, something else jumped out at me from the lower half of the cover. A white Avery label about one inch wide and four inches long displayed the following:

Compliments of:

CH (CPT) Steven Firtko and the 7-101 AVN BN UMT (Unit Ministry Team)

My heart nearly stopped. All I could think was, “No way!” Apparently my husband had been in that same hospital room ministering to a woman who also had lost a baby. Holding that booklet in my hands was like having Steve’s spirit in the room.

This sweet little gift from God proved His sovereignty and omniscience. It was all part of His grand plan for me to be in that particular room. Knowing exactly what I would need, He prompted my husband to plant a booklet with his name on it in the right place at the right time. My God shows up. When He brings or allows something difficult, He also provides a soothing balm to ease the pain.

While my friend and I marveled at God’s handiwork her husband returned with news. Steve had finally received the Red Cross message, but only after it floated around Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, for a while before reaching him at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Overwhelmed by the blatant stupidity of this, I felt the anger phase of grief rising up.

My emotions were getting a little more unpredictable. Along with the emotional upheaval came hormonal upheaval. I had a good attitude one minute and anger the next. Clearly I was no longer operating on autopilot. Reality came out to bite me once again. But when my friend’s husband got Steve on the phone my fury had to wait. Our conversation went something like this:

S: How are you? Why didn’t you tell me you were pregnant? What a shock.

L: I wanted to tell you in person and I fully expected to have an opportunity. This was too significant to share over the phone.

S: You know how I found out? I was sitting in class and the class leader gave me a note that said Your wife is in the hospital due to complications of pregnancy. He told me to go see the Chaplain teacher. So I went to his office, he asked me to sit down, and he closed the door. Then he spoke, “I’m sorry I have bad news. Your wife had a miscarriage.” My mouth dropped open and I exclaimed, “What? I didn’t even know she was pregnant.” Then he excused me from class to get a plane ticket. I’m in Nashville now waiting for my ride. I’ll get there as soon as I can. Love you.

L: I’m going into surgery soon. I’ll see you when it’s over. Love you too.

So he finally knew. What a horrendous shock . . . for both of us. After the surgery I would be glad I persuaded the doctor to make arrangements for me to stay overnight. And God would show up again.

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES:

Dear women of PWOC, I pray and trust that the Lord is using this story to encourage and perhaps challenge you. This isn’t for me or just about me. It’s for Christ and all about how He wants to use it. Please stay connected for more. As always, you may access previous entries in Life Happens – Jesus Answers under “Categories.” Have a Christ-filled week.

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Life Happens – Jesus Answers is a weekly column addressing the challenges we face in life, coupled with the presence and grace of Jesus, our One True Source of hope and peace. The column’s author, Laura Firtko, can be reached by email here: LifeHappens@pwoc.org