Saturday, January 28, 2006
Bass Pro Shop
My younger brother Paul is here. We went to pick him up Wednesday and since we were in a big city we went to the Bass Pro Shop. It was alot of fun, especially for Isabella. Here she is looking at a fish that was almost as big as she is!!
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Every day is a new day...
...is something that we are trying to remember.
Jen put it good the other day, "Thinking about Anarazell is a never ending thought. It isn't something that we are ever going to stop thinking about."
And she is right. We are back "home" again and starting to get settled, but everything makes us think about our daughter that isn't here. Our house, her bed, our dear friend's babies. Isabella had a good talk with us the other day. She has a little friend who has a baby sister that was born only 2 weeks before Anarazell. Isabella was trying to work through that Micah has a baby sister, and she did as well, but Micah's baby isn't going to die, is she? And even though Anarazell isn't with us...she is still a big sister...right? Lot's going through her mind!
Tomorrow we start our first day as "volunteers". Jen is going to start working in the daycare, only 2 days a week to start off with. So she will have plenty of time to be home and try to get us back to "normal". Maybe later she can work more is she wants to, but she is fine with the arrangement now. I still don't know exactly what I will be doing and when, but I am guessing that I will start this week as well.
Also one of my little brothers is coming out this Wednesday to see us and stay for almost a week. We are excited about that. Isabella is especially excited to see her "Uncle Paulie".
Well, we are alive and God is still God.
I wrote a little booklet about our story and how amazing God is. We are trying to figure out how to get it printed so it will be in a form that is more condusive to distribution...maybe I will end up just posting it here...we'll see.
I'll update when I can...
Jen put it good the other day, "Thinking about Anarazell is a never ending thought. It isn't something that we are ever going to stop thinking about."
And she is right. We are back "home" again and starting to get settled, but everything makes us think about our daughter that isn't here. Our house, her bed, our dear friend's babies. Isabella had a good talk with us the other day. She has a little friend who has a baby sister that was born only 2 weeks before Anarazell. Isabella was trying to work through that Micah has a baby sister, and she did as well, but Micah's baby isn't going to die, is she? And even though Anarazell isn't with us...she is still a big sister...right? Lot's going through her mind!
Tomorrow we start our first day as "volunteers". Jen is going to start working in the daycare, only 2 days a week to start off with. So she will have plenty of time to be home and try to get us back to "normal". Maybe later she can work more is she wants to, but she is fine with the arrangement now. I still don't know exactly what I will be doing and when, but I am guessing that I will start this week as well.
Also one of my little brothers is coming out this Wednesday to see us and stay for almost a week. We are excited about that. Isabella is especially excited to see her "Uncle Paulie".
Well, we are alive and God is still God.
I wrote a little booklet about our story and how amazing God is. We are trying to figure out how to get it printed so it will be in a form that is more condusive to distribution...maybe I will end up just posting it here...we'll see.
I'll update when I can...
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Missouri
We are here. We got in yesterday around 3pm after a 8 1/2 hour trip. Not too bad, I've done longer...but with a two year old...things are just different! She did great though.
When we got here we found out the exciting news that we now have a phone line in our house! For the past semester we could recieve incoming calls, but we could only call out on weekends when we could borrow our neighbors phone. So we are quite jazzed. If you want to call, the new number is(573)317-8401 We would love to hear from anyone.
Driving down here yesterday was a bit hard...especially on Jen. She was "supposed" to be coming home and showing off her new baby...but all she has is a photo album instead. On the other hand it is good to be with so many friends. We are glad for the quiet time in Wisconsin, but I for one am glad to be with people again. Isabella is as well. She went back to "school" today and had a blast!
The pause button on life has been pushed once more for us and is starting again. Please remember to keep us in your prayers. We know that so many people are, and we are so thankful for that.
Talking about prayers...I have Mike and Mallary's e-mail address. It is mallarydavis@juno.com
I know that they would love it if people would let them know that they are being prayed for too. I haven't heard anything new, but if I do I will pass the info on.
When we got here we found out the exciting news that we now have a phone line in our house! For the past semester we could recieve incoming calls, but we could only call out on weekends when we could borrow our neighbors phone. So we are quite jazzed. If you want to call, the new number is(573)317-8401 We would love to hear from anyone.
Driving down here yesterday was a bit hard...especially on Jen. She was "supposed" to be coming home and showing off her new baby...but all she has is a photo album instead. On the other hand it is good to be with so many friends. We are glad for the quiet time in Wisconsin, but I for one am glad to be with people again. Isabella is as well. She went back to "school" today and had a blast!
The pause button on life has been pushed once more for us and is starting again. Please remember to keep us in your prayers. We know that so many people are, and we are so thankful for that.
Talking about prayers...I have Mike and Mallary's e-mail address. It is mallarydavis@juno.com
I know that they would love it if people would let them know that they are being prayed for too. I haven't heard anything new, but if I do I will pass the info on.
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Hospital Trip...
Well, we are still in Wisconsin. We had planned on leaving today, but today was the only time we could see the mid-wife again and meet her husband, visit Tom and Grace one more time and see Brian and Julie! So we decided that it was worth postponing our trip one more day.
Yesterday we went to the NICU to say good-bye to two of the nurses that took such good care of Anarazell when she was in there. It was quite a hard thing to get off the elevator and walk down that hallway again. The smell that we always will associate with our daughter was still there, but we knew that she wasn't any longer. Both Jane and Doreen were our main nurses while we were there and it was good to visit with them for a bit. Doreen was with us when we had our good-bye party and Jane was with us when we let Anarazell go, so they will always have a special place in our heart.
As we were leaving we ran into a mother that had a baby in the NICU the same time that Anarazell was there. This story is amazing...
Three days after Anarazell was admitted, a baby was put into the room across from us. The mother came up to us and asked if we were from New Tribes. She was a student at the Bible School the same time we were. She was a year behind us and so we didn't see much of each other, but she still recognized us. So we had an instant bond...NTMer...babies in the NICU. So we kept up with each other while we were there. On Dec. 9th Anarazell went home to her Creator, and their baby, Nathan, had his surgury that fixed his heart problem and he was going to be fine.
The Lord gives and the Lord takes away...blessed be the name of the Lord.
So we were quite surprized when we saw Mallary, the mom, there in the ICU. It has been over a month after all, we thought that she was home with her baby this whole time. Well, it turns out that Nathan's heart is fine now...but he has been having some major complications with infections...not breathing right and other things, and this couple has been in the NICU for over 6 weeks now. All through Christmas..the new year and everything. Understandably they are tired and discouraged. We just wish that we had known sooner then the day before we were leaving! They have been ready to take him home twice, then he will have another problem and they are back to the ICU. What we went through was hard, and I can't even imagine having it drug out for 3 times longer...and they are still in the middle of it.
So, Please, pray for Mike, Mallary and Nathan. When I find their e-mail I will post it so if you want to say something encouraging, you can. We know how it feels to be really heart-broken and get a prayer that someone is praying for you.
Please, Lord...comfort Mike and Mallary right now. They have been living in the Ronald McDonald house for almost two months now and they are tired. They are hours from family and friends and they just have there little one in the hospital to see everyday. Well, they have you and please let them know that. Please help them to see you through all of this. Please heal Nathan and let his go home with his parents soon. God, we know you are in control..please let this family know as well.
Yesterday we went to the NICU to say good-bye to two of the nurses that took such good care of Anarazell when she was in there. It was quite a hard thing to get off the elevator and walk down that hallway again. The smell that we always will associate with our daughter was still there, but we knew that she wasn't any longer. Both Jane and Doreen were our main nurses while we were there and it was good to visit with them for a bit. Doreen was with us when we had our good-bye party and Jane was with us when we let Anarazell go, so they will always have a special place in our heart.
As we were leaving we ran into a mother that had a baby in the NICU the same time that Anarazell was there. This story is amazing...
Three days after Anarazell was admitted, a baby was put into the room across from us. The mother came up to us and asked if we were from New Tribes. She was a student at the Bible School the same time we were. She was a year behind us and so we didn't see much of each other, but she still recognized us. So we had an instant bond...NTMer...babies in the NICU. So we kept up with each other while we were there. On Dec. 9th Anarazell went home to her Creator, and their baby, Nathan, had his surgury that fixed his heart problem and he was going to be fine.
The Lord gives and the Lord takes away...blessed be the name of the Lord.
So we were quite surprized when we saw Mallary, the mom, there in the ICU. It has been over a month after all, we thought that she was home with her baby this whole time. Well, it turns out that Nathan's heart is fine now...but he has been having some major complications with infections...not breathing right and other things, and this couple has been in the NICU for over 6 weeks now. All through Christmas..the new year and everything. Understandably they are tired and discouraged. We just wish that we had known sooner then the day before we were leaving! They have been ready to take him home twice, then he will have another problem and they are back to the ICU. What we went through was hard, and I can't even imagine having it drug out for 3 times longer...and they are still in the middle of it.
So, Please, pray for Mike, Mallary and Nathan. When I find their e-mail I will post it so if you want to say something encouraging, you can. We know how it feels to be really heart-broken and get a prayer that someone is praying for you.
Please, Lord...comfort Mike and Mallary right now. They have been living in the Ronald McDonald house for almost two months now and they are tired. They are hours from family and friends and they just have there little one in the hospital to see everyday. Well, they have you and please let them know that. Please help them to see you through all of this. Please heal Nathan and let his go home with his parents soon. God, we know you are in control..please let this family know as well.
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Plans...
Well, our time here in Wisconsin is swiftly drawing to a close. Our intentions are to drive down to Missouri on Tuesday the 17th.
Not everyone knows, but we have been asked to become staff at the Language School in Missouri. We have been wanting to have a ministry somewhere in the states and so we have been considering it. They asked Jen to work in the child care and for me to work on the construction crew. We were asked to pray about this the day that we headed up here to Wisconsin...seems so long ago. They wanted us to give them an answer after the Thanksgiving break. After everything that has happened we didn't know what to think anymore. If we accepted the offer we were supposed to take the next several months off and start raising support for our ministry. There is alot of speaking and moving from place to place and such that goes into all that and it seemed like too much for us to do right now. So we talked to the leadership down in Missouri and they asked us if we wanted to take the next semester and work on staff as "volunteers". We will be doing the same jobs that they asked us to do if we are going to work full time there.
So we think this will be good for our next step. It will give us some much needed stability and we can try to "catch our breath" as a family. Isabella will be able to go to child care with her friends and we can try to get her life back to "normal" as well. We don't know if we are going to serve in this position for the long term, but this gives us some time to think and pray about it. It will be good to spend time in the "New Tribes bubble" again. It is all we have ever known as a married couple. These past few weeks of being alone as a family have been good, but it has been very different as well.
So, this might the last post for a few days. We don't have internet access in our house down there so updating the blog isn't quite as easy. I will let everyone know when we get there and will update everyone with our new/old phone number and such.
Please pray for Jen when we get home. The house is all set up and decorated for a baby so that is going to be a bit hard.
Please pray for safety on the road as well.
Thank-you everyone who have kept us in prayer for all this time...
Not everyone knows, but we have been asked to become staff at the Language School in Missouri. We have been wanting to have a ministry somewhere in the states and so we have been considering it. They asked Jen to work in the child care and for me to work on the construction crew. We were asked to pray about this the day that we headed up here to Wisconsin...seems so long ago. They wanted us to give them an answer after the Thanksgiving break. After everything that has happened we didn't know what to think anymore. If we accepted the offer we were supposed to take the next several months off and start raising support for our ministry. There is alot of speaking and moving from place to place and such that goes into all that and it seemed like too much for us to do right now. So we talked to the leadership down in Missouri and they asked us if we wanted to take the next semester and work on staff as "volunteers". We will be doing the same jobs that they asked us to do if we are going to work full time there.
So we think this will be good for our next step. It will give us some much needed stability and we can try to "catch our breath" as a family. Isabella will be able to go to child care with her friends and we can try to get her life back to "normal" as well. We don't know if we are going to serve in this position for the long term, but this gives us some time to think and pray about it. It will be good to spend time in the "New Tribes bubble" again. It is all we have ever known as a married couple. These past few weeks of being alone as a family have been good, but it has been very different as well.
So, this might the last post for a few days. We don't have internet access in our house down there so updating the blog isn't quite as easy. I will let everyone know when we get there and will update everyone with our new/old phone number and such.
Please pray for Jen when we get home. The house is all set up and decorated for a baby so that is going to be a bit hard.
Please pray for safety on the road as well.
Thank-you everyone who have kept us in prayer for all this time...
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Huge Blessing
Well, we found out today that it looks like the Wisconsin medicaid is going to cover ALL the medical expenses that we have incurred since we have gotten here. Believe me, there were a lot of them...
That is such a blessing. We weren't really worried about the bills, just because there were going to be so many, we realized that if they were going to be paid it was going to be God that did it! Because we are not residents of Wisconsin we weren't sure what was going to happen, but I called the last collector today and unless something strange comes up it looks like we are finished with it all.
Kinda weird...I know it isn't the case, but it kinda feels like we are taking a step back in time. It is like we are heading back to Missouri with nothing to show for our time here, just as if we never came in the first place. No bills, no baby girl, just a lot of memories...
I'm sure that something will come out of all this. Maybe I won't be able to see it this side of heaven, but God is working in someway...
That is such a blessing. We weren't really worried about the bills, just because there were going to be so many, we realized that if they were going to be paid it was going to be God that did it! Because we are not residents of Wisconsin we weren't sure what was going to happen, but I called the last collector today and unless something strange comes up it looks like we are finished with it all.
Kinda weird...I know it isn't the case, but it kinda feels like we are taking a step back in time. It is like we are heading back to Missouri with nothing to show for our time here, just as if we never came in the first place. No bills, no baby girl, just a lot of memories...
I'm sure that something will come out of all this. Maybe I won't be able to see it this side of heaven, but God is working in someway...
Trip to Michigan
Well, we have been in Michigan for the past few days. We went to visit our friends Grant and Sarah. It was good to get out of Wisconsin for a while. Not that there is too much difference between the states, but at this point, any change is good. We had a really good and lazy time. We stayed in Sarah's parents house and got to know her family. It was bit different because I grew up with all brothers, and in this family it is all girls...It was interesting to see the different dynamics.
I haven't seen the sun here in Wisconsin in over two weeks. Pretty crazy. Gloomy as well.
We will only be here in Wisconsin for a few more days, then we are heading back down to Missouri. It is going to be...different. In our original plans this is the time that we were "supposed" to be heading back, but our car and our hearts are going to be emptier then we thought...
I haven't seen the sun here in Wisconsin in over two weeks. Pretty crazy. Gloomy as well.
We will only be here in Wisconsin for a few more days, then we are heading back down to Missouri. It is going to be...different. In our original plans this is the time that we were "supposed" to be heading back, but our car and our hearts are going to be emptier then we thought...
Thursday, January 05, 2006
In Memory Of...
Anarazell Joy Phlaum
What can we say about her? We hardly got the chance to know her…and then she was gone.
We know that in the two weeks that she was here on earth, God began teaching Jennifer and me a lot.
What can we say about her? We hardly got the chance to know her…and then she was gone.
We know that in the two weeks that she was here on earth, God began teaching Jennifer and me a lot.
We are learning that God is in control, and in that thought we can find peace and comfort.
We are learning that we are weak creatures, but the Creator is immeasurably strong.
We are learning how the Body of Christ is supposed to function.
We are learning that a lot of things that we thought were so important before might not be all that important.
We are learning to hug our Isabella and each other a lot more.
God the Father Himself lost a child once-His only Son, Jesus. Jesus came to Earth, was absolutely innocent and perfect, yet He, too, died. In Jesus’ case, he chose to die. Jesus died on the cross in order that He could pay the penalty of sin for the rest of humanity.
But He didn’t stop there, oh no. Jesus rose from the dead three days later and soon took His place at the right hand of God the Father.
Because Jen and I have accepted what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross, we have the assurance that we will one day spend eternity with Him. Along with that, we know that one day we will get to see our little daughter again.
What Jennifer and I have been through is impossibly painful, but in knowing what we know we can find strength. What about all the people here on earth who do not have this hope? How much more sad and devastating a time like this must be. We as Christians need to let people know about the hope that is within us.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16
We thank the Lord for drawing us close to Him during these past weeks. Anarazell was only here on earth for a short time, but the impact that she had on our lives and the lives of many others will be felt for along time to come.
Sunday, January 01, 2006
New Years
Well, it is here...2006
Funny how life marches on.
We came back to Waukesha, today. We had "planned" on driving back yesterday, but then we were having such a good time with Jared and Erin that we stayed there for the new year. It was good, otherwise we would have been here by ourselves for it. Jared and I were downstairs watching a guy movie, and Jen and Erin we upstairs watching a girlie one. We came up and turned on the T.V. just in time, we only had 1:17 left to go on the clock!! Then we finished our respective movies!
Our time away this weekend was everything we could have asked for...and more. We had such a fun relaxing time with Jared, Erin and baby Ruby, even if they are teaching their little girl to like the Green Bay Packers. :-)
We got to spend some time with Erin's dad and mom too. Only met them once years ago when Jen and I went to spend a weekend at their house. But again, the body of Christ is amazing, and we felt right at home in both houses.
Looks like we will be around for the week, and we are "planning" on heading up to Michigan this weekend.
Jen and I started dating 8 years ago today. Amazing how life is, isn't it? We love each other so much more now then when we were kids, or at least we understand what love is a bit more.
Hope everyone had a good New Year...and we'll talk soon.
Funny how life marches on.
We came back to Waukesha, today. We had "planned" on driving back yesterday, but then we were having such a good time with Jared and Erin that we stayed there for the new year. It was good, otherwise we would have been here by ourselves for it. Jared and I were downstairs watching a guy movie, and Jen and Erin we upstairs watching a girlie one. We came up and turned on the T.V. just in time, we only had 1:17 left to go on the clock!! Then we finished our respective movies!
Our time away this weekend was everything we could have asked for...and more. We had such a fun relaxing time with Jared, Erin and baby Ruby, even if they are teaching their little girl to like the Green Bay Packers. :-)
We got to spend some time with Erin's dad and mom too. Only met them once years ago when Jen and I went to spend a weekend at their house. But again, the body of Christ is amazing, and we felt right at home in both houses.
Looks like we will be around for the week, and we are "planning" on heading up to Michigan this weekend.
Jen and I started dating 8 years ago today. Amazing how life is, isn't it? We love each other so much more now then when we were kids, or at least we understand what love is a bit more.
Hope everyone had a good New Year...and we'll talk soon.
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