Please share this post with praying people.
The family appreciates it more than we know.
Read the 1st PDATE here.
Read the 2nd UPDATE here.
Read the 3rd UPDATE here.
I remind my children,
“When we love someone, we make important to us what is important to them.”
Some of my eldest beauty’s greatest life-joys are her friends. Her friends are beautiful precious gifts. They are important to her, so they are important to me. Today, I want to use this place I have here to make known one of those friends — Joanna. She is a Junior in high school. She has a beautiful heart, full of faith and devoted love to God. She encourages me with her strength. I know she will encourage you.
This is a CALL to PRAYER for her — she needs God to show up strong on her behalf.
Precious, faith-filled community, will you join me?
Joanna is in the hospital. My daughter has told me that this beautiful young child of God has not been able to keep food down since April 1, 2012. She is on a feeding tube, and has lost over 20 pounds in less than two weeks. After a myriad of tests, the doctors still do not know what is wrong.
Here is a note from her mama about her condition.
I can give you a brief overview. On Sunday, April 1st Joanna had come home from a weekend with her sister and friends. We ate hamburgers on the grill as usual. Later that night Joanna threw up all that was in her stomach. We thought it was maybe food poisoning or the flu. But it continued. That was her only symptom – no nausea, diarrhea, fever. She could keep down water and a gatorade-type drink, but not gatorade itself. She was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease 7 years ago, so we thought that was why. Two weeks of this and missing 7 days of school, she was getting very dizzy and not keeping down water either. During this time she had seen the pediatrician, an opthomologist (burst eye vessel), and a gastroenterologist twice. Now we knew Joanna needed to be in the hospital to get IV fluids. Two weeks later she is still there. She has had an endoscopy, upper GI, two ultrasounds, an MRI of her head, Gastric Emptying test, and lots of blood work – nothing that would explain he symptoms has been shown. Today we have another gastroenterologist coming to see Joanna and give us a second opinion. If he doesn’t have any new insights we will have to seek help at Mayo or Johns Hopkins. Please pray that we have answers soon!
All of the pictures and statuses are from Joanna’s personal Facebook page. Here is one of her status updates from a few days ago — desiring to bring God glory, even in the midst of her suffering.
Will you join me in agreeing with her —
believing God with her for strength and healing?
Father God, our Faithful Lord,
we pray and believe You for strength and healing
for your daughter, Joanna.
We believe Your promises — You are our God.
You will strengthen Joanna, You will help her.
Surely, You will uphold her with Your righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10
You suffered the things we should have suffered.
You took on Yourself the pain that should have been ours.
You were punished to make us whole again.
By Your wounds You have healed us.
Isaiah 53:4-5
We pray You will give wisdom to the doctors and Joanna’s parents.
We pray that You will provide for their every need. We pray for favor.
And while we wait for You, we believe,
Your Spirit is right alongside, helping Joanna along.
If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter —
You do our praying in and for us,
making prayers out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans.
You know us far better than we know ourselves.
Your Spirit knows our condition,
and keeps us present before You, God.
That’s why we can be so sure that
every detail in our lives of love for You, God,
is worked into something good.
Romans 8:26-28 MSG
You are the God who heals.
Exodus 15:26
We cry to You in our trouble, and Lord, You save us.
You send out Your word and You heal us — You rescue us
Let us give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love
and His wonderful deeds for mankind.
Psalm 107:19-21
May Your joy be her strength. Thank you for Joanna’s joy.
It inspires me and humbles me.
I pray that You, Lord, would redeem the time.
You promised that You’ll show up and take care of us.
You promised that You would bring us back home.
You know what You are doing.
You have it all planned out—plans to take care of us,
plans to take care of Joanna.
Plans not to abandon us, plans to give us
and Joanna the future we hope for.
Jeremiah 29:11 MSG
I pray that as Joanna draws near to you, that You would draw near to her.
Thank you for your loving kindness and mercies that endure forever,
and that nothing can separate us from Your love.
Nothing is lost that is offered to You, God,
and Joanna offers even her struggles for Your glory.
When I asked her permission to write a post on her behalf, here was her response.
Joanna,
His grace, His favor, His loving-kindness,
and His mercy is enough for you.
His strength and power are made perfect
and shown most effective in your weakness.
2 Corinthians 12:9
I know as you seek the LORD, and He will answer you,
And delivered you from all your fears.
As you looked to Him and you will be radiant.
He will save you out of all of your troubles.
The angel of the LORD encamps around you and rescues you.
You tasted and know that the LORD is good —
How blessed you are because you take refuge in Him!
For to those who fear Him there is no want.
You who seek the LORD shall not be in want of any good thing.
The eyes of the LORD are toward you,
and His ears are open to your cry.
You cry, and the LORD hears,
and delivers you out of all your troubles.
The LORD is near to the brokenhearted,
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
But the LORD delivers him out of them all.
Adapted from Psalm 34
We love you Joanna Marie,
and we are believing God with you and for you
for your complete healing.
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This is for you, Joanna.
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