PRAY DAY

First of all, HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my dear friend Jennifer Claar (Aunt Jenn)! Hope it's a good one, Jenn!

We've been saying more fervent prayers around here. Illness and addiction are running rampant in my family of origin, and lots of hearts are hurting. My dear cousin-like-a-brother-to-me was deployed to the middle east this week, just weeks after learning his first child is on the way next October. My Mom is having a spleenectomy at 2pm today in American Fork. She also has blood clots in her lungs, for which they installed some kind of filter yesterday. None of this is sounding very good to me, but we are praying it all goes well and everyone involved be inspired and comforted. And trying to say "Thy will be done."

Also today in Tampa our friend/piano teacher/neighbor/ former VT, Carrie Kling is beginning treatments to relieve debilitating back pain. She and her husband have scrimped and saved to make this trip, so we pray the doctors will be inspired to know what to do for her and she won't have to do many more big trips. For those of you who know Carrie and want to keep up with what is happening, you can click here (you'll need to register and then type in her name under "find friends") to go to her care page which Aaron (Carrie's husband, our home teacher) is keeping updated. I really enjoyed his last update, and hope he won't mind if I share his testimony here:

"I have had questions about my faith and if it is strong enough and a very good friend talked to me about faith. I know that it will be through the healing powers of Jesus Christ that this will work. But, just so we can be obedient and prove our faith and trust in Christ and Heavenly Father, we will be fasting Tuesday night through Wednesday evening and then giving Carrie a blessing. The Priesthood has been restored to this Earth and is real. It is the power of Christ to act in His name according to His will and Spirit. The Priesthood's purpose is to serve others through our humbleness and obedience to God's will. I pray that our faith will be sufficient and that healing is in God's plan for Carrie. May God's will be done. Thanks again everyone!"

I am trying to have the faith that Aaron has today. I do know with all my heart that Heavenly Father loves us and wants us to learn and grow. I know that families can be together forever and that "happiness is the object and design of our existence and will the end thereof if we pursue the path that leads to it" (J. Smith Jr.) and "I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39).