Woo hoo!

We experienced 3 particular blessings during the past day and a half at my house.

 

First, after nearly 7 full days without electricity, the power finally was restored at about 4:20 PM yesterday afternoon.  That is cause for great rejoicing.  Please continue to pray for others in our area who do not yet have power.  The building our church meets in is still without power, so tomorrow's worship service has been cancelled.  At least one family (and presumably more) in the church is still without power, and I have many co-workers at my place of employment who are still without power.  One of them was told it would be another 2 weeks before the power company got to them.

 

Second blessing - our furnace has been giving us fits.  After about the sixth call from a service technician, and the second major part replacement, I think we finally have the problem solved.  Of course, without power, we had no furnace for the past week anyway.  But prior to that, it was working only sporadically.  Thankfully, we can heat with wood in fireplace inserts, and had done so quite a bit preceding the week without power, and of course totally during the week without power.  I am also thankful for the family in our church who permitted us to cut firewood on their place.

 

Third blessing.  This is an agrarian blessing, for which we have waited about 22 weeks or so (I don't remember exactly) -- the hens began laying during the last 24 hours.  Well, at least 3 of them did.  I expect the others will follow suit very soon.  We were out moving the pasture pen, and found 2 eggs where it had been yesterday.  And then in the 10 minutes or so after we moved it, while we were cleaning the watering pans and buckets and getting fresh water, another egg was laid at the new location of the pasture pen.  Excitement abounds!

 

On another note, I have a prayer request.  Actually a couple.  My father was taken to the ER on Thursday with blurred vision and double vision, and the MRI he got showed a greatly enlarged pituitary gland.  One of the doctors thinks that it was pressing on a nerve causing double vision, other doctors are not sure.  There are 4 doctors involved, and they differ greatly as to their diagnosis and suggested course of action.  Everything from a simple infection to cancer has been talked about.  We are still in the dark as far as what is really going on.  However, we are totally in the light as far as knowing who is in control.  My father was very strong in his profession of faith in his Father as the one who was taking care of him, no matter what the outcome.  It is a faith that nourished me as a child, and he continues to be an example to me.  Pray for him that God would use the work of the doctors to clarify the situation, and to bring healing.  The second request is for my father's cousin, who fell from a ladder and broke his hip, and suffered a stroke in the same incident.  Some of you will remember my tribute to my great aunt Edith, who died this past autumn, who was the means by which God mediated much grace and good to our family.  This is one of her sons.  Pray that God would bring him speedy healing also.