Another update on Brandon

Hello
Brandon is doing well. Trying to get thru surgeries. His SGT MAJOR came and visited! Really enjoyed the time spent with him. Brandon had his Purple Heart pinned on him by the SGT MAJOR. It was a great moment for these two soldiers. Soon I will have pictures to post. Brandon's SSGT Maddox is here also. They were both in the attack. Brandon was the gunner and Madddox was driving when they were attacked. SSGT Maddox suffered a broken back during the attack. When we found out that SSGT Maddox was here at the same hospital I was ordered by SGT Adam to find his fellow soldier and friend. It was awesome to walk into the room with someone so close to Brandon. I showed him Brandon's pictures when he received his purple heart. His heart came out in the form of tears. Please send (email) me letters of appreciation that I can forward to these soldiers (his unit). They need to know that you're behind them. Our media is trying so hard to ruin this country of ours and these soldiers don't bend a knee to them! United States of America, hence the word united. Let it be the truth that we stand as Americans United! Our troops believe in America and what the stars and stripes stand for. These men are my sons legs! Join them.

IN CHRIST WE STAND
Doug

Update on Brandon and the weekend

Brandon is doing well today, he is in surgery. His legs are being washed. If they are able too they will close up the wound. He is having bad dreams from the meds.They are doing a nerve block today for him. So hoping this will manage his pain so he can get off the meds! There are so many stories here about the others. Just when you think he has it bad around the corner comes strength. Seeing the courage of these people, some hurt, another that tends to the hurt. It really brings home the humanity in all of us..selflessness. I hope too be counted someday amongest these great people.

In Christ Doug and Brandon





We were in Sandpoint for the weekend. My sister and her girls and I took mom to lunch on Saturday, to avoid the crowds. We were harassed by Sherri at Slate's, which I must say, I miss so it was nice to see her. After eating, we went to the mall and Lizzie and I hit Yoke's and bought some food for lunch the next day, mini roses, cards, and had a lot of fun trying to hide the rose when mom, Jolene and Hannah came back from Penney's. Lizzie tried as hard as she could to cover the red and white striped roses with her little arms, and I'm sure mom and Jolene did not see them at all before we returned to mom and dad's home. Thane had a Mother's Day tea with his mom at the place she lives, so were went our seperate directions and got back together later in the evening, when we all enjoyed some Second Ave. Pizza at mom and dad's. We were blessed with seeing so many old friends, kids from our old youth group, and family. Unfortunately in the midst of all the activity of the weekend, I forgot about Marianne Love's book reading at Vanderford's. It was from 1-3, and at 2:55, I remembered! Sorry Marianne. I truly was looking forward to dropping by and seeing you and getting your new book. I will just have to try to catch up with you next time we are up there, although I will wait until things stop smoking around your house, just in case it is contagious.

We also enjoyed a cold trip to the mountains yesterday with all of our family. We had fun finding mushrooms, enjoying the beauty around us, and just having more time with both our moms (and dad, nieces, sister and brother-in-law.)

It was a great weekend and it was nice to return home and see that our grass has sprouted and that we have a soft green fuzz across our front, soon to be, yard!!

Our prayers continue to be with Brandon and his family.

Happy Mother's Day

The older I grow, the more I realize what an honor it is for me to have a mom like you. My appreciation for you grows with each year. The lessons and values that you have taught me are the gifts I will treasure always, because you modeled them through your actions and your words. You are not only my mom, but my friend. You are always willing to lend a hand and your arms are open when hugs are needed. You have a giving heart and you put everyone's needs before your own. I am so blessed by God that he gave me a mom like you and so greatful for a mom who extends her love and care in so many ways. Thank you for being there with a listening ear and for your care and compassion in our lives. I pray for God's richest blessings for you. I love you, mom. Happy Mother's Day!!






Happy Mother's Day to my mother-in-law, Ruth. Thank you for the gift of your son. We love you!

Heroes

Today's update from Doug:

Today I am traving to Brandons side!

Please send emails to Brandon. I do not know when he will get to read them, but it will be great to have his inbox flooded when he does open them. He uses the underscore in his address sapper_ 19 At yahoo.com sapper_19@yahoo.com see what I mean.

Oh Father, I ask for your strength as I see my son. I ask that You Oh Lord, will stand as a pillar of truth. I ask Father that Your holiness shine with the hope and peace as I stand before Your son. I ask now Lord that you let me stand in You so my son will trust in you only. And all God's people said,"AMEM!"
In Christ Doug



Psalm 103:13, “As a father has compassion for his children, so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.” (NRS)

Psalm 51:1, “Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins.” (NLT)

Isaiah 30:18, “But the Lord still waits for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion.” (NLT)

Jesus told about a rescue hero, also. There was a man who was traveling down the road one day when he noticed a hurting neighbor who had been robbed, stripped of his clothes and left for dead. Unlike others who ignored him as they passed by, this man saw the injured victim and was moved with compassion. He bandaged his wounds, took him to an inn and got him the care he needed.

Jesus told this story to show what compassion looks like. But, it was more than a story He told, it was a story He lived.

With never-failing love and compassion Jesus became our rescue hero. He had an aching awareness of our injured hearts, our sin-wrecked lives and our need for His forgiveness. He couldn’t just walk by. Instead, He came to our side. With outstretched hands He offers to heal our wounds and give us the care we need.

The bible tells us that even when our hurts and our stuggles consume us, or our responsibilities, jobs and failures overwhelm us, God’s love is greater. His compassions never fail.

I love that Jesus didn’t just tell us to love, He showed us how to love - by loving us first. He told us to love sacrificially. Then He demonstrated by sacricing His life for ours. He told us to be there for others, because He was and is there for us.

So, whether you need more of His love or feel called to give His love away, remember the same compassion that brought Jesus near over 2000 years ago moves His heart toward you today.

No matter what you need, He offers healing for your hurts, comfort for your concerns and rest for your tired soul. No matter what you face today or tomorrow, His compassions will never fail. They are new every morning!

Day In Review/Update on Brandon

Update from Doug on Brandon:

Brandon has been down graded from critical to stable. The drugs are having their way with his mind. He is reliving Iraq. No infection! I will travel soon to him. Karen and I have made up are minds that we moving to Texas to be with him. I have left work preparing to go. Karen will return to closeout her business. Then we will have a better idea of time frame. I want to write the story of this soldier and his unit. They are the most amazing picture of humanity. This is why God put the camera in my hand. Its a story of love, compassion, loyalty, friendship, honor and at its center is God. You have all been casted in this story because of your love for these guys. See a soldier and share your appreciation for them! In Christ Doug
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We have been having wonderful spring weather! The flowers are beautiful and the warm temps feel so good. I am not very patient, however, and wish our yard would hurry up and sprout. I keep looking, but it's still just seed sitting there. It's been four days, what's taking so long!! haha This is definitely a lesson in waiting for me. As I drag the house and sprinkler around the front yard, I keep wondering why we didn't put a sprinkler system in. Yesterday morning, I was getting ready for work, and was out dragging it around and trying to correctly adjust the sprinkler. I set it down and as I did, the sprinkler flipped right in my face and drenched me. My neighbors across the street were sitting in their porch swing and as I glanced up, they had their hands over their mouths and I could tell they were trying really hard to wait to laugh until I at least turned around, which I appreciate. Fortunately, it was quite windy so I dried off fast.

Of course, I had to take more pictures of my flowers before they quickly fade into a beautiful memory. We also enjoyed another magnificient sunset last night. I must say that the prairie sunsets are pretty stunning. Enjoy your day!

Today's thoughts

Busy, busy days this week, and I really enjoyed this devotion from today, so thought I would share it. Great advice for us to follow, make a happy file!

The Happy File
By Luann Prater

“Be joyful always.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16 (NIV)

Devotion:
It wasn’t what some would call a perfect day, but to her it was special. We had spent the day together just hanging out around the house. Simple things like lunch on the deck, soaking in the sunshine, and giggling over funny memories traced the outlines of our shared moments. That’s when she whispered a few words as if she were telling herself a secret, “This day is going in my Happy File.”

She explained that her Happy File was a record kept of God’s simple blessings, those moments in time that beam with a little extra spark. You know the ones. When no one else would get it, but whenever you recall it… you smile. Her collection was spilling over the top.

Often we choose to hang onto the bad memories. We relive the abuse. We replay piercing words. We carry the guilt and hold on to the shame. We forget the promise of Romans 8:1, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (NIV). No condemnation. Period, nada, zip, none!

She found the Happy File very helpful when darkness came creeping into her life. Satan loves to fill our minds with negative thoughts and trip us up with stumbling blocks. A stash of happiness works like a flashlight in the middle of the night. The evil one can cloud our world with gloom, but when we open the file that holds God’s blessings, the shadows are shattered.

So what are you choosing to keep on file? Here is the deal. Start a collection of Happy Files! God’s fingerprints are all over each day. Look for them! Record them! Recall them!

Next, pull out those old musty files that have collected guilty dust and shameful mildew. One by one as they come to your mind plunge them into God’s thought-shredder. Second Corinthians 10:5 instructs, “Take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (NIV). When you say this verse out loud, something amazing happens! The thoughts go away! God longs to give you freedom from guilt, shame, worry, and anything else that hinders your ability to be joyful.

When you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you can begin daily to rid your mind of the garbage Satan has dumped on you and replace it with Happy Files. Then you truly can BE JOYFUL ALWAYS.

Application Steps:
Get a package of index cards that are spiral bound. Begin to record “God moments” on them. Keep this Happy File where you can easily grab it in case of unexpected darkness.

Reflections:
What gloom am I allowing to hang over me?

How can I walk in the light of God’s promise every day?

Why am I resistant to let go of the past?

Power Verses:
Psalm 68:3, “But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful.” (NIV)

Isaiah 55:12, “You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace.” (NIV)

Psalm 40:1, “I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.” (NIV)

Romans 4:20-21, “Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.” (NIV)

Brandon update

We received numerous email updates from Doug yesterday on Brandon. Karen arrived in Germany, just in time to fly back to a Texas hospital with Brandon. Today's update from Doug is:

Brandon will undergo surgery today to clean up wound. More info about that tonite folks. It is a bit different then we had thought. When they found Brandon he was dead. No pulse. His body almost emptied of his blood. His boys sent letters to him expressing their love for him and that no one else had been injured. Karen said that he was constantly asking about his unit. He told the doctors to fix him and that he intends to return to Iraq and finish what we have started. It is his choice they said. They could not stop from doing so! Go Army!! Jesus spared Brandons life. He gave it back to him. Raised from the dead to walk in Him again.
In Christ Doug

If you want to contact Brandon, his email address is sapper_19@yahoo.com. His dad is encouraging people to write encouragements and often.

Thanks Brandon, and all others who serve our country for your willingness to put your lives on the line for this country and for me! You are more appreciated than you will ever know. God bless each of you!

Weekend Rundown

It was quite a weekend! We got our front yard in thanks to dad bringing down his tractor. Thane, mom, and dad made quick work of it. I was inside playing with the nieces while their mom and dad went to hear Keven Leman speak on family and marriage. It was still quite cool out, so we stayed inside and played and colored until around lunch time when we ventured to the park to play. They loved the twisty slide! There were brief visits to the smaller slide and swing, but the twisty slide was their favorite. We all had a great time and I don't know about the girls, but I know I was worn out after the day of playing. We spent late afternoon at a picnic at our friend's home on the Spokane River, where the views were breathtaking. I didn't have my camera, but it was very beautiful and the food and company were great also.

We did find out that because of our wind, and just overall dryness down here, we are having to water the newly seeded yard four to five times a day! I think I am going to have to take a leave of absence from my job just to stay home and water so the grass sprouts.

We got up early Sunday and went to church and a dad of a kid who had been in our 5th & 6th grade youth group several years ago in Sandpoint came up behind us, which was a nice surprise as we hadn't seen him in a couple years. Doug and Karen live down here now, as well. He told us of his son, Brandon, who has been in Iraq fighting for his country, and on Friday night he was in an explosion and lost both his legs. He is only 21 years old. Please pray for him and his family. They all have a very long road ahead of them. Another young man from his brigade lost his life and one other is fighting to live, so please keep them all in your thoughts and prayers.

Mom and dad left midday on Sunday. Thank you so much for all your work on our yard! Now we have to conquer the backyard. Thane and I decided we just needed to unwind a bit after the busy weekend, and the news of Brandon, so we went for a drive around Hauser and Newman Lakes. We saw six deer, a pheasant, many geese and ducks, and other birds. It was a great way to unwind and we very much enjoyed watching the little yellow fluffball goslings with their parents!! Our dog Maddie's favorite part was watching the deer as they darted back and forth in front of our truck, running down the road, up the hills, and across the river.

It was a long weekend, with a lot of things accomplished, good times with family, tears shed and prayers lifted up for Brandon and his family, and a nice time to just enjoy God's creation at the end of the day. I think it's time to get to bed and get ready for the week ahead!

JOY

Joy increases as you give it, and diminishes as you try to keep it for yourself. In giving it, you will accumulate a deposit of joy greater than you ever believed possible.

There is a difference between happiness and joy. Happiness is more about our circumstances, but joy penetrates our hearts and lives, and goes beyond our circumstances. If we choose to allow it, it is ever present in our lives, which doesn't mean that we are always running around happy, but if we have joy, it has a place deep in our souls and we have a sense of peace in all circumstances. Joy is a state of mind, a sense of well-being no matter what we come up against. It's not a fake smile, or pretending life is great when it isn't, but it's knowing we can pull through. Too me, joy and hope go hand in hand. Joy isn't about things, it's about who we are and what is in us. It is living each moment we are given to the fullest. Joy shines through us for all to see, if we let it.

1 Thessalonians 5:16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

Joy is prayer-Joy is strength-Joy is love-Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls. A joyful heart is the inevitable result of a heart burning with love. ~ Mother Teresa

Happiness depends on happenings, but joy depends on Christ. Anonymous

May Day

May Day was a beautiful day! The temperature on our thermometer showed 73! It was gorgeous. I got the day off from work, so decided to go out to Hauser Lake to look for goslings. I pulled in to the boat landing and dock and it was empty so I let Maddie out to go for her first swim of the season, except for her brief visits in mom and dad's backyard pond. I was leisurely strollng along the shore looking for a stick to throw for Maddie, walking her on her leash, enjoying the yellow-headed black birds sqwacking in the reeds, watching an osprey and numerous ducks fly by, when I finally spotted a stick. I picked it up, and Maddie got so excited, she bolted to the water, dragging me behind! I'm yelling at her to stop as I'm trying to get my hand out of the loop of her leash, but she kept running with a huge smile across her face. I finally got my hand out of the loop, just as we hit the waters edge. My feet and the bottom of my jeans got a bit wet, but not too bad. Of course, after she got out from her 20 minute swim, she shook all over me, jumped on me with her muddy feet, and got me almost as wet as she was. This would not have been too bad, but I was heading to Coeur d'Alene after our lake visit. I decided to dry off a bit, so I drove around the lake to see if I could find any goslings, and saw quite a few at a distance. I also enjoyed seeingblue herons, a couple of grebes, many mallards, and on the way out there was a coyote in a field hunting mice.

While in Coeur d'Alene, I went to Camera Corral and took another plunge. My zoom lens has seen better days and the motor in it is really acting up, so I went in to check on a new zoom. The price wasn't too bad, at least if you are a camera buff, and I would be upgrading from a 100-200 zoom, to a 75-300, so I tried to keep justifying the price for the upgrade. I called Thane and talked it over with him, and fifteen minutes later was back making my purchase. After arriving home, I had to see how well it worked so took pictures of my May Day Flowers.

Thane came home from work and wanted to try to go fishing. It was clouding up and a little breezy, but we thought it would be fine to run out to Hauser and give it a try. We should have taken a hint from those with big boats who were coming in, but we didn't. We even had a lady who was holding her boat while her husband got their truck and trailer, tell us they just got beat up so bad out on the lake they had to come in. They had a big fishing boat, with a cover and rocking chairs inside, and two motors on the back, unlike our 12 foot aluminum boat, just big enough for the two of us. We put our tiny fishing boat, with oars, out in the lake. It was quite windy, and very cold, but we braved it. We had on every coat in the truck and were still freezing. The wind got worse, and we started to drift straight towards some angry geese who were not happy that we were coming closer to them. We decided it was too cold, and it just wasn't worth tipping over so went back to shore before we had to call may day to get some help because we had capsized and had angry Canadian geese chasing us because we got too close to their babies.

On the way home, the moon was rising over the mountains in Coeur d'Alene. When we first got to the highway, it was huge, but there wasn't anywhere with a good view to pull over to take a picture. Once we got back to our neighborhood, it was still beautiful, so snapped a few pictures. What a beautiful end to another wonderful day.

Self Evaluation

Laugh at yourself. You will always be your greatest source of humor. Don't ever take yourself so seriously that you can't find humor in the things you say and do.

Isn't it great to watch little kids and see how they haven't been ruined by what they are supposed to think and supposed to do in life, but that they just enjoy life and enjoy being who they are. They do silly things and laugh at themselves because it was silly. They enjoy discovering new wonders all around them. My niece, Lizzie, spent the night with grandma and grandpa last night. I was just talking to mom and they were outside planting flower seeds. Lizzie got very excited and mom went over to see what she was looking at and it was a slug, but unlike mom, Lizzie thought it was a really neat discovery. Mom just saw it as a predator to her flowers and told Lizzie she would have to squish it. Lizzie asked why so mom explained that it eats all her plants. Lizzie seemed to understand but still said she liked to watch it. Kids just have a different take on life and it's too bad we lose that somewhere along the way. I am challenging myself today to look at life through a kids eyes and to really enjoy creation (except knapweed, slugs, mosquitos, and wood ticks!) and to look at it as if I'm looking at it for the first time and to get excited about it. I'm also going to laugh at myself, and not take life so seriously because it's just too short to not enjoy it. We have a choice to make each day-to be bitter or angry and make others not to be around us or to enjoy life, be happy and be a pleasure and a blessing to those around us. I'm going to try my best to be the blessing to those I encounter along the path of life.

It is of practical value to learn to like yourself. Since you must spend so much time with yourself you might as well get some satisfaction out of the relationship. ~Norman Vincent Peale