We know who hears our prayers - come and join us

[DutchOma]

Looking back over the thread to do a summary, there is so much to thank God for in the past month or so:
Bobsmum coming more or less unscathed through a car crash, with bean intact, Podglet's bean doing well in 'secret' and most of all Pepperpot's wonderful news. God is good, never doubt it.

Lots of large and small struggles:
CaptainCaveman, CaptainDippy, MaryBS, Mufti, NQGU, Roseylea, Zipadisuzy and probably quite a few others struggling with negative feelings, anxiety and feelings of being a 'bad mummy'. Praying that you will derive your self worth from your Heavenly Father Who knows 'how we are made' and loves us with an unfailing love.
Harrisey with decisions to make about future ministry
NSFN for wisdom regarding relationships.
QueenofQuotes - giving thanks for a better relationship.
Creambunnie for wisdom and strength in dealing with a difficult marriage.
PandaG for a new job that's just right

Praying with ChocolatePeanut for poorly mother and baby, giving thanks that the news so far is good.

And giving thanks with Dumbledoresgirl for the recovery of NASW/Losty, who is now PhoenixSoaring, how marvellous is that?

We keep praying for OnlyJoking and MummytoT&F, who are both still in very hard places.

MumtoGusnAlbie, MorticiasMother, NotanOtter and Shreksmissus, let us know how we can continue to pray for you. If I have forgotten to mention anybody, God never forgets and He loves you.
And everyone who has a look at this thread, we know that 'our help comes from Him Who has made heaven and earth, Who loved us before we were formed and Who never abandons what He has begun. Praise be to His Holy Name.

Gosh -it has been quiet on here today! I've just had lots of mad children running round my house complete with bonfire and fireworks - yey - All gone now, all tidied up and ready to jump into the bath as I stink of smoke! .....

I don't believe it CD "children running round the house complete with bonfire" No wonder you smell of smoke What about the children?

We had fireworks, but no bonfire, and most definitely NOT in the house!

As I had an hour to myself yesterday, I went into Ely Cathedral to pray and light candles for prayer. There is also a "prayer box", where people can place prayers to be prayed over at Evensnog, which I think is lovely (I placed prayers for PS and Andrew). There is also a half-statue of the risen Christ (head/torso), cast in bronze??? palms outstretched, where you can touch His wounds. There's something enormously powerful to touch his hand and "feel where the nail went through", it makes it feel he is one with you in suffering. Does that sound daft? . I find it comforting...

My prayers are with/for you all this morning...

Podglet, how did your first day go? {hugs}

You don't sound daft Mary - I think that would move me too

just a quick prayer request from me - I start a Diploma in Preschool practice this morning, is needed to do my new job (still waiting on tghe crb check to start that) I haven't studied for 15 years, and have missed the first half term ofthe course so I have a lot of catching up to do.

Much love
x

Aren't these CRB checks a blinking nuisance? Once yes, that makes sense but having to repeat them for every new venture seems utterly daft to me. i know of someone in the church who had to do 17, yes seventeen CRB checks. And guess what, every one of them was clear.

Mary, that is beautiful to make Christ's suffering visible in that way, thank you for sharing that.

CD has the smoke gone?

PandaG, best of luck, is it an OU course?

Well, am back from the first session of the course - the people were really friendly and I bubmped into someone onmy course on the way in so she took me up to the room - I get scared when going to new places so this was a real answer to prayer. THe work so far isn't hard, but time consuming, and I have so much to catch up on. PLus we have a group presentation to do next week and 2 of the 3 people I was put with were not herethis week! Aaargh!

THe course is at a local college, only a bus ride away so not too bad, itis 1 morning a week for 2 years - I am hoping I can get a student ID out of it!

love and prayers xx

That must have been a real bonus Panda to find somebody to take you up. It all shows you are at the right place at the right time.

Sorry I've not been around for a while (feels like it anyway!).

Things are mad, but ok here. Working a couple of nights this week at Christmas fayres and then doing the youth club on Fri, so won't see much of dh - was the same last week.

But - my mum phoned last night and offered to come and help us clear the room where our new (yes it's finally happening!!) wood pellet stove will be installed. All being well, we will have working radiators in every room, by the end of the month! After 3 years - I will have a warm winter!!!

And another praise point, ds' lovely headteacher phoned to say she's tracked down the school Ed Psych who will come to observe ds on Friday. We'll have a meeting about what she thinks ASAP - progress! He's on stage 3 of staged intervention, stage 4 is a statement, so he may or may not move up or down that list. But the head is really pleased with his progress

And another one - we got the insurance cheque for the car, which will cover the shortfall we'll have because of the massive heating installation costs almost to the penny. God brings good stuff out of the rubbish!

AND! One of my good friends who has had all sorts of problems getting pg and keeping her babies, is 9 weeks pg and has seen the heartbeat! It'll be a long, long road for her though, so pray she stays well and the the Lord has this little one's future in his hands - she has far too many angel babies and could really do with one on earth

Better get ds from the bustop - he's got a piano lesson tonight and he's done no practice!!

Love and arrow prayers to you all

Good stuff Panda! Praying all goes ok with the Diploma, esp your presentation next week - Difficult when you have been "out of the loop", itn't it!!? One the one hand I really want (need!) to find a job, on the other hand I am absolutely terrified!! Eeeeeek!

Good to "see" you Bobsmum, my lovely! Yey for insurance cheques and heating Yey for 9 week Beans and Headteachers - praying everything goes well with DS at school - Fab that he is having Piano lessons now!

hi CD

Hello BM! How's you? xx

Hi all,

Thanks for all the prayers and good wishes. First 2 days have gone really well. I have got stuck back into it and it feels like I have been on a fortnights hols, not a whole year! Lots of changes to the staffing and management but I am coping with this and learning. They have been wonderful about my news and told me to stop apologising about it There was a "proper" new starter yesterday as well and she couldn't work out why I was being hugged and kissed and seemed to know a lot about the job and the people poor girl hadn't been told I wasn't quite a new girl!!!

Have tried to catch up a little on last couple of days. Im with DO, CD and not sure indoor bonfires are wise...

Mary - Ely sounds very powerful and inspiring. I have never been to the cathedral there but have wanted to visit.

Panda - repeated CRB checks sound silly, once is fair enough but every time??? And they moan about paperwork

praying for PS and her family at this awfully difficult time.

Off now as am a bit tired of looking at a PC screen after 8 hours at work. Night and God bless all.

Hello all, sorry I've not been on here much lately.

Podglet so glad that your first days at work have gone so well. When will your next mat leave start?

Bobsmum it's good that things are getting sorted with your ds's help at school. And yay for a warm winter! (I don't do cold!)

Panda glad that your courde went well. I'm sure you are a real natural with young children! A few interesting things are openng up for you atm, eh?

Mary the statue in Ely cathedral sounds very spiritual, very powerful. How are you doing?

Hi CD, DO, CCM, Suze, NQGU, NSFN and everyone else! Hope you are all well and enjoying this beautiful time of year.

Well, a prayer request for me SVP; I've been asked to think about a job (Bobsmum's old job, in fact!) working with a christian charity going into local secondary schools, running christian clubs and finding opportunities of sharing God's love with young poeople. I sooooooooooo want to do it! I need to find out some of the logistics (the hours are similar to what I do now, but will be at different times). Dh read the job spec and said "Well, that's just you anyway, isn't it? You'd be getting paid to be yourself" which was quite lovely. So I'm pondering and praying, and I'd really value your prayers. Thank you!

Hi Rosey, getting bogged down in the Tractarian movement atm... . Am trying to write my essay, but not getting very far...

Praying for enlightenment for you re: this job...

Podglet - glad it all went OK at work!

Panda - praying for you and your studies too!

BM - glad your finances seem to be sorting themselves out.

Back to the essay...

Hello. How nice to see you praying for PS. I just popped in to say that after an horrific few days, I spoke very briefly to PS today on msn and she said today had been better so I thought you might like to know your prayers have been making a difference. I am not sure if PS will be back to tell you herself. She is so ashamed of what happened on MN at the weekend, she is claiming she won't be back. Anyway, it is just one day, but so nice to see a chink of sunlight through the clouds.

Thanks to all praying for me too. It is more needed and appreciated than you might know.

thanks all for your prayers re my course, God is very good indeed, opening the doors for me for the job, and then geting me a place on he course.

Rosey - that job sounds perfect for you - will pray for direction for you, what a lovely thing fo ryour DH to say.

Mary - praying for concentration for you, and for a clear idea of what to write

Rosey, if you feel God is calling you to do that job, go for it. But not so long ago you had a real desire to be a sahm and I'm wondering whether this job will put you under too much pressure. Your dc are still very young and dh needs you too. But if God wants you to do it, again, go for it.
DG, it is a real privilege to pray for PS and for you too and I'm glad you find it helps.
It's a funny thing and you probably all think I'm daft, but I sit here and I can feel God's love for you all flow through me. I just can't tell you how much God loves you.
We went to see the lung specialist for dh and he is going to see if he can find anybody who can shed any light on Bob's misery and shortness of breath.
I read the whole story about the 'twins' mummy' in the Mail today, it is really horrendous and I don't even know how to pray about it, since JWs don't like you praying for them. In fact it is the quickest way to get them off your doorstep if you offer to pray with them. That doesn't help these little twins. Lord have mercy.

Hi everyone - praying for the situations mentioned. I'm (once again!) supposed to be working but I'm so tired that I'm finding it hard to summon up some enthusiasm.... please pray for an abundance of energy and for some miraculous tidying up of our front room which currently has only a small area of carpet visible!!

Anyone heard of Simon Guilliband?
He spoke at our church on Sunday and was really inspirational - all about living more radically for God...

DO - Simon says Hi! He was really touched!

Can I have a real 'let it out' time?

Yesterday at lunchtime we discovered that a woman who went to college with us last year died at the weekend. She was 33, and had been a diabetic for years. She was a real fragile soul, yet so full of life and sparkle and love for God - yet she had that fragility about her - do you know what I mean?

She met a chap at college last October and they got married at Christmas. He had had to leave college for 'reasons unspecified' but not due to the 'academic reasons' that we were fed from the college hierarchy (which I found out was not true from a friend on staff). Apparantly they could not under any circumstances let him stay in college. She left at Easter, again saying the academics was too much for her - not sure if that was true or not. She had done some babysitting for my kids, so we knew her fairly well, and did our best to keep in touch, though she wasnt good at returning calls, though we had one lovely evening with them.

She was found dead at the weekend - the police had to break into the house as she and her husband had become estranged - noone knows when, or why. The first diagnosis is a heart attack (common in badly controlled diabetics) but there could be so many other reasons, including self inflicted, and there is to be a PM this week, followed by a funeral next week we think.

College has crashed. She would have been in 2nd yr now so the 2nd yrs are devastated, adn she had lived in college, so the people who lived in with her are devastated. In fact we all are, adn it is seriously testing some people's faith right now. there are a lot of young folks in college and many of them have never experienced a bereavement, and are hurting badly. I'm doing my best to help but got little work done today as I was talking to folks all afternoon. I'm not a counsellor, but as I am prominent on the student council people have been turning to me for help/advice etc. I cant take this amount of emotional pressure, and am going to talk to a member of staff tomorrow who supports students, for myself and for those who feel the need to offload.

Had to get it off my chest. Its such a tragedy, and there are so many other aspects to it, it could get messy before it is resolved.

On the flip side, I told my 7yo. She said "Oh, thats sad!" then brightened up "but lucky X is in heaven now with Jesus!!!" We need to see these things through their eyes more often. I feel sorriest for her husband - whatever happened, however it pans out, he can never now undo any wrongs, he will have to live with this forever.

oh Harrisey - praying for you, and for the rest of college too.

Praying for you and the college - .... - praying that nothing too sinister has happened ( obviously the death is tragic, but you know what I mean)

Yes - glad you survived it!! The school prayer group were looking lost without you!!

Oh harrisey!! So tragic. I don't know what to say except that I am praying - Absolutely wonderful what your 7 YO said though - yes Praise God, eh!! Praying for you as you talk to people and for everyone who has been affected by this terrible tragedy.

Glad work has been going well, Podglet

Praying about the job, Rosey - Tell us more ..... Do echo what DO said - don't take on too much sweetheart ......

Yes, it is a priviledge to pray for PS, DumbledoresGirl - Thank you for popping by! She should not be by what happened the other night ...... She is loved.

Praying for this diagnostic tests for DH, DO - Praying they can find the root cause of his breathlessness etc ......

Praying for buckets of energy, Worz - Did the living room get miraculously cleaned!!?

I'm off to bed, very tired (what is new ) ......