"The work is extensive..."

"The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!" Nehemiah 4:19,20

We have blown the trumpet again and the people are rallying around Jared and us in prayer. Grace Community Church and others are fasting and praying this week for a significant blow to "the strong man" that is coming against Jared. The doctor said Jared's bone marrow is not as "vibrant" (that's an understatement) as it was when Jared started chemo 9 months ago and it would take 8-10 days for his blood work to go back to a decent place.

Please join us in intercession that this week there would be a significant rebound there and for the problem with his right eye. Jared needs a great victory from the Lord. As much as we are grateful for the care of the medical profession we need the deliverance only He can bring -
"No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you." Psalm 33: 16-22

Thank you once again for the support that is shown Jared and our family in so many ways. We are forever indebted and humbled.

Terry Waters

.....waiting and more waiting....

........We really are trying to keep the blog current but just about the time we get ready to update something changes. So as of today Jared is still in ICU...last day of a 5 day round of chemo...yesterday his right lung collapsed and they put in a chest tube... all his oxygen numbers looked ok today...he was not able to tolerate his tube feedings so tonight they will try some iv feedings which are not the first choice but will have to do for now...the chemo has dropped his levels which is what they want to happen but he needs to start replacing those cells and bring those levels up...until they get up he will have to have the vent tube in so we are hoping that it will not take long....what the doctor's say is that he is sick...holding his own...but needs to get moving upward...our local church has called for a week of fasting and prayer for Jared in hopes to see some turnaround this week...we feel like he is not losing ground but that is not enough he needs to get going..we can't imagine how tired and wore out he must be as we are beyound our limits....but somehow everyday we all seem to press on through. Christina is back at school this week so she will be stretched with trying to do all on her plate...please continue to pray for her. Please continue to hang with us with your prayers ! Jared is getting great care from all the doctors and nurses and we feel really blessed to have them all on his team!!!
Dianne

Believing for THE Miracle.....

Jared is at another critical moment and we ask that you specifically pray over these things:

• Most importantly we need Jared to be able to rest, have peace, be strengthened and HEALED!!!!!
• Due to low blood oxygen levels he has been moved back into the ICU and placed on the ventilator. We hope that this will assist him in getting over the hump.
• The leukemia has shown up again in his spinal fluid and bone marrow and he will be undergoing a very strong chemotherapy treatment while in the ICU.
• Chemotherapy should continue for 2-3 weeks after which there is a possibility of a bone marrow transplant.

We cannot express how deeply we need your prayers at this time and appreciate your constant support of Jared, Christina and our entire family. We ask that you continue believing in the miracle that Jared will completely healed.

More Steps Forward !!!!

....Friday night they moved Jared out of ICU and back to the Oncology floor. He was not resting so well there since he had gotten more awake and they thought his lungs were doing well enough to make the move....so far so good !! He has been having a lot of pain behind his "bad" eye since Thursday, medication is helping some. This week he will have several tests run to see what is going on with the leukemia and we hope that they will start the radiation soon(never thought I'd say that). Also the doctor said today that his infection had cleared up and they were taking him off the antibiotics.....yeah !!! No more gowns and gloves for the family !!! Jared is really tired and just detoxing from all the medication. A lot has happened in the last three weeks and he is processing it a little at a time. We are thankful to be over this hurdle and aware that we have some awaiting us but we again are hopeful and looking to the Lord to guide the doctor's through the next week. We so appreciate all the prayers and words of encouragement !
Thanks for hanging with us through this difficult time.
Dianne

A Valentines Day Miracle...

Yesterday they took Jared off the ventilator and feeding tube and he did awesome! His blood oxygen levels are looking great and he is surprising everyone with how alert he is. This is the miracle we have prayed for and we are praising the Lord for restoring life back to Jared! He will start on soft foods today and they expect everything to continue to go well there. We just couldn't have asked for a better report and we know you will celebrate in this wonderful news with us! Thank you for all your prayers, the Lord has been faithful to answer us!

Please continue to pray for the infection and for the many other steps Jared will be taking on the road to recovery. But what a day and what an amazing God!

......baby steps......... !!
Just wanted to give a short update to all of you, the days all run together for us ! The last three days Jared has done well and made progress (we think) on his breathing tests. They test him( turning the vent way down-having him breathe mostly on his own) about 4 times a day for about an hour to an hour and a half each time. It wears him out but also strengthens his lungs ! The next few days he needs to continue to make progress doing this as he is running out of time on the vent. We pray that every day he will be stronger and be able to do more ! Also the other big concern right now is the "infection" in his stomach. Jared is on a lot of different medication now which makes him a little sick to his stomach. It gets to feeling like one step forward and two back sometimes but we are hopeful that it will all come together for him and we see his fighting spirit coming through!! It has been about 3 weeks since we have had a conversation with him, Jared is doing a lot of "listening" now...we are anxious to hear his voice again...o for the little things in life...please keep Christina in your prayers as she juggles all that is on her plate right now and thank you all again for all the support you send our way !!
Dianne

Eagerly Awaiting A Miracle...

This week has not been as promising as we would have hoped; Jared would have one good day then one bad which has really held back the turn around he needs. Early in the week they did a culture of some liquid in one of Jared's drainage tubes and it turns out that he has an infection in his stomach which is resilient to anti-biotic but they are working to beat it. Probably the biggest need right now is for Jared's lungs to be cleared and strengthened. This has to happen in the next few days, and we trusting the Lord to miraculously give Jared the turn around he desperately needs. On a positive note his feedings are going well and he has the met the goal the set for him this week, so praise the Lord for that! Christina started back to school on Thursday so please continue to pray for grace and strength as she juggles the two.

We trust that the Lord will move on Jared's behalf and we know that He sees the urgency of Jared's needs. Please continue to pray for the things mentioned above and especially during the next couple days as we eagerly await the miracle we have asked from the Lord. Thank you for your love and support, may you be blessed for all you are doing.

A Time of Transition...

We believe that in the next week Jared will be entering a time of transition. They have already begun to feed him small amounts through a tube and he has handled it well, which it a huge praise, but they will continue to do this and up the amount little by little. We pray his body will continue to handle that well. Also they will begin moving Jared off the ventilator and testing what he is able to do on his own, he is currently regulating his own breathing but is still having some assistance from the vent. We are still praying for clear and strong lungs. Jared has begun to wake up more in the past few days and becoming more aware of what is going on. This is very hard and frustrating for him because he is trying to communicate with us by writing and gesturing but he is still foggy and we are not good guessers so this makes for a very unnerving situation for him. Please pray that Jared will be settled and peaceful while he is unable to clearly communicate with us, and that we can catch a clue every now and again.

Jared's care has been impeccable, we can only rant and rave about the nurses, doctors and techs that have taken care of him. The really do treat him like he is one of their own which is very comforting to us since we are only able to see him four times a day for about an hour and a half each visit. Christina will start back teaching a few days this week so please pray for strength and peace as she is away from Jared.

Thank you for your prayers and encouraging comments, they are life to us! Hopefully in the next few days we will have more good news to report but as we are finding out this is a slow and tedious process, so we just wait and trust the Lord in every small step forward Jared makes.

...the cloud has moved and camp has been broken !

...Last night we all left the hospital for a much needed good nights rest !! Especially Christina !! We should all be so lucky to have a "Christina" going to bat for us, she is a gift from God to Jared and the Waters family ! The news today from the doc's is that they HOPE in a couple days to start the process of getting Jared off the vent tube and also to possibly begin small amounts of feeding through the tube to test out his stomach. These are big steps and they are being very careful in taking their time...we are hopeful. We are asking for prayer for those two "events" and also praying against any kind of infection. They will let the family "untie" his hands and move his arms around which he really likes and Christina gives his legs a work out too! He is still only able to communicate with us with nods and shaking his head and he is semi-awake through out the day and we try not to let him get frustrated in trying to communicate with us when we play the 20 questions game !
...We know that Jared has a long road ahead of him and the Waters family has signed up to see him through and with your prayers we will see this happen! Thanks again for standing with us !
Dianne

Isaiah 40:28..The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary and young men stumble and fall, but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.