Play List


Thursday, July 31, 2008

Update on Raelynn

Good news below!

------------

Dana and Wes,

Raelynn did very well Tues night and Wed morning. Her fever broke and she was able to keep pedialyte down which really helped her because they never did get an IV started. Anyway they ran some more tests on her Wed morning and the labs came back really good and since she didn't have a fever and she was able to drink both pedialyte and formula and keep them down they let us go home with her. She's had 3 antibiotic shots and is now on an oral antibiotic but she has really made a big come back and is once again acting like herself. Thank you to you and everyone else who prayed for her because she has made a very impressive recovery, even our Dr. was very impressed with the speed at which she recovered. It must have been God's hand at work! Thanks and we will see you all later.

Brian and Jill

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Prayer Request for Raelynn VanZee

Friends:

Please read the note below from Brian and Jill. Thank you for praying for Raelynn. I'll keep you posted as I hear more from Brian.

We're praying, Brian and Jill!

Wes

-----------

Wes,

We are in Missouri on vacation but we ask that you please keep Raelynn in your prayers. She is still suffering from ear infections plus she is now running a fever, coughing, congested and throwing up. We went to see a pediatrician yesterday who took x-rays of her chest and did some blood work and it looks like she is in the early stages of pneumonia and since she hasn't been able to keep anything down we fear they may admit her to the hospital to re-hydrate her. We will know more by days end. Thanks.

Brian and Jill

Sunday, July 27, 2008

News, Prayers, and, Wait, Is Anyone Hot Yet?!

Friends:

Good afternoon, everyone! I don't know about you, but I could use a trip to Montana or something at this point. Oh well. Look at it this way. 103 degree heat in July in Texas is better than -75 degrees in South Dakota in January (sorry VanZees!)

First off today, we need to say a big welcome to Doug and Gayla Dwyer. They were guests in our class this morning. Great to have you, Doug and Gayla! I do hope that you will come back and see us again next Sunday. We'll be looking for you!

Us Nulls brought the goodies this morning, so thanks to us! Next week, Shawn and Shelley Buhner are in charge. Thanks, Buhners!

As seems to be the case this time of year, we have lots of news, prayers, and praises today. For the Block Party, we are officially signed up to help with the Big Bull (that's right; the Big Bull, not the little one). I have officially agreed to ride the beast. I was told the crowd would need a standard by which to judge everyone else. Look out, baby. I'll be bustin' out my cowboy hat for this.

Let's go ahead and get to our prayers and praises

PRAYERS AND PRAISES

There are quite a few people from our class who are traveling this week. These are the travelers that I know about:

Hudsons (Houston, I think)
VanZees (Missouri for a VanZee family event)
Ramsdells (off to an Ag teacher conference)
Shawn Buhner (fly-fishing in Montana; can you believe that?!)
Nicholsons

Please pray that God will watch over all of our travelers this weekend and throughout the week.

We also have a praise for Matt Ramsdell! He has accepted a 6th grade English teaching position with Waco ISD. He also will be coaching and helping some with the Waco High football team. Congratulations, Matt! Please pray that God will be with Matt as he prepares to begin his teaching and coaching career.

Mary and Vince have asked that we pray for two of their friends--Todd and Beth Evers. Todd and Beth are also adopting a baby from China and, sadly, their home was broken into recently. They lost numerous possessions, including lots of important passport and citizenship papers for their adopted girl from China. Please pray for God's strength for the Evers family during this difficult time.

Also on the Erickson front, Mary has asked that we pray for her grandmother, Ella. She has been struggling with colon cancer and may be moving to a nursing home soon. Please pray for health and decision-making for Ella and for everyone else who is helping her at this time.

Bernie Hookham would like for us to pray for Kay Bailey, the wife of one of the partners at Bernie's architectural firm. Kay will be having surgery soon. Please pray for a successful surgery and a quick recovery for Kay.

Bernie also brought a praise that Sarah Dudley, the wife of another partner, had a successful surgery last week. Please pray for continued good days of recovery for Sarah.

Doug Dwyer has asked that we pray for Amy, a lady he knows from work. Amy has had multiple brain surgeries for brain cancer and will be going in for another procedure soon. Please pray for strength and recovery for Amy.

Doug also would like for us to pray for him this week as he makes some important decisions at work. Pray for wisdom, discernment, and guidance for Doug.

Christina G. would like for us to pray for her Aunt Lisa. Lisa's home experienced some damage last week due to Hurricane Dolly. Please pray for Lisa as she goes through this time of rebuilding.

Christina also has asked that we pray for a friend of her Mom's. His name is Mr. Cobb. He is battling cancer and needs our prayers for his strength as he goes through chemo treatments.

Last but certainly not least on the Christina front, Christina was accepted into Baylor's Master's degree program in the School of Social Work. Congratulations, Christina! Please pray that everything will go well for Christina as she begins her graduate school career.

Let's be sure to continue praying for our expectant mommies (at least the ones I know about!): Mary Erickson, Elizabeth Nemec, Amy Nicholson, and Dana Null (oops, wait!; that was a joke, mainly to reward those of you who are still reading; the Nulls are not having another baby, but the other three ladies listed above sure are!)

Finally, please pray for Dana. She is still experiencing some pain from having her wisdom teeth removed. Pray that Dana will have a good week.

---------

I think that's all for this afternoon, everyone. Don't forget to put the Erickson shower on your calendars (see last week's blog post for details).

We hope that all of you have a great week. We look forward to seeing you again next Sunday morning!

Wes and Dana

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Lots of Updates, Prayers, and Plans

Friends:

Good afternoon! I hope the weekend is going well for everyone. Now that August is approaching, we have lots going on, so let's get to to it.

First off, let's say a big welcome to Christina Gilliam! She visited our class this morning. We were delighted to have you with us, Christina! I do hope that you will come back and see us next Sunday. I promise the jokes get better! (just ask anyone; they'll tell you)

Next, thanks to Teresa Sullivan! She brought our donuts this morning. We appreciate you doing this for us, Teresa, on top of everything else! You are a hero Mom! Next week is open. Any takers out there in blog land for donuts next week?


PRAYERS AND PRAISES

We have lots of prayers and praises today. For starters, the Ericksons now have the date of September 12-27, 2008, as the window when they will travel to China to get little Maliah. Is this exciting or what?! Please keep praying and thanking God for how everything is playing out for Vince and Mary. Pray, also, that God will prepare Maliah for the special, but challenging days that are head. You guys are heroes, Vince and Mary.

IMPORTANT DATE!!: On that note, we will have a Co-ed Baby Shower for Mary, Vince, and Maliah on Sunday, August 24th, at the VanZee home. Please plan to attend and bring a gift for little Maliah! Thank you, Brian and Jill, for hosting us at your home. We appreciate you very much! I'm thinking that this can serve as a great "back-to-school" event for our class as well. So, be sure to put August 24th on your calendars! The shower will most likely take place in the afternoon, but Jill and Mary are in charge of that. Details to come.

There are a number of people from our class traveling this week. Please pray for safe travel for:

The Goolsbys
The Nicholsons (I think they leave either later this week or early next week)
The Mays

We need to pray for little Raelynn VanZee, who continues to struggle with ear infections. Please pray that they will find an antibiotic or get some tube work done that will help Raelynn do better. The VanZees also are traveling to Missouri for a family get-together for Brian's family. Pray for their safe travel later this week and next week.

The Hudsons are having a sleepover tonight for Hannah's birthday party. Pray for Greg, Courtney, and the eight young ladies they will have with them tonight. Pray that God will be there for this special event for Hannah.

Let's continue to pray for the Coltrains. Khalil has been doing lots of work and traveling to be with Leslie and the kids. They are also still trying to find someone to buy their home. Pray that God will give Khalil and Leslie the patience they need as well as a buyer!

Vince has asked that we pray for his colleague, Brandon Davidow. Brandon is driving up north for the Big XII media day soon. Pray for safe travel for Brandon. This is his first trip to the Great Plains!

We also need to Pray for Christina Gilliam (our new guest today!). She is trying to decide what her next steps should be. Pray that things will work out for her to begin Graduate School at Baylor soon. We're praying for you, Christina!

Brian Harris and his wife visited our class today with their new little baby, Severus! Praise God for little Severus! Please ask God to continue to be with him and the Harris family.

Last but certainly not least, I'd like to say a praise for my lovely wife, Dana. She seems to have made it through her wisdom teeth extraction just fine. She had a couple rough days on Wednesday and Thursday, but, at this point, she seems to be making great progress. Pray that Dana will continue to heal quickly and completely.

I think that's all for now, folks. I hope that all of you have a great week. As you can see, life is busy, and it will only get busier in the months ahead. That reminds me. We signed up to work the Baby Bull at the Block Party, which will take place on September 10th. Don't miss it!

Dana and I look forward to seeing all of you next Sunday.

God bless,

Wes

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Don't Miss the News This Week!

Friends:

Howdy! Hope everyone's had a good weekend. We have lots going on in our class these days, so let's start with the exciting news!

David and Elizabeth Nemec are having their third baby! Yep, that's right. Woohoo, Nemecs! Let's be sure to pray for Elizabeth and the little baby-to-be. This youngster on the way can be added to the impending Nicholson baby and the soon-to-be-with us Erickson baby. We continue to expand every 9 months or so!

Next, we need to thank the Jacques for bringing our donuts this morning. We appreciate it, Russ and Kayla! (By the way, Corbin and Raegan appreciated the leftovers.) Next week, Ben and Teresa Sullivan are in charge. Thanks, Sullivans!

MORE PRAYERS AND PRAISES

We have several prayers in addition to those above. Let's keep praying for Vince and Mary as they plan their trip to China. Keep up with their story at their great web site! We're praying for you, Vince and Mary.

http://www.journeytomalia.com/

I know that lots of people from our class are traveling this week. Please pray for the following folks. These are the people I know are traveling:

Hudsons
Goolsbys
Shawn Buhner
Nemecs

Let's say a praise for Jackson Jacque. He turns two this week! Pray that God will be with Jackson on his special day.

Hunter Sullivan also celebrated a birthday recently. Let's say a praise for Hunter!

Vince has asked that we pray for one of his co-workers, Larry. Larry has made some bad decisions lately. Please pray that things will get better for him soon. Pray that God will protect Larry from any harmful effects from the decisions he's made.

We need to continue to pray for Shawn Buhner as he works with his parents and their move. It looks as though Shawn's mom may be moving to Waco. Please pray for good decision-making and for strength for Shawn as he works with them.

The Mays brought a praise today that their visit with Jennifer's dad and young Lewis went well. Praise God for a great visit!

Also on the May front, Steve's brother has gotten good news on his skin cancer scare. It looks as though the surgeries took care of all of the melanoma. Pray for continued good news for him.

We need to pray for the Saxon family. Believe it or not, tomorrow is the one year anniversary of Paul Saxon's death. You can keep up with them at the following web sites. Please pray for God's strength and compasion for the Saxons during these difficult days.

http://www.saxonreport.blogspot.com/


http://theolderigetthelessicare.blogspot.com/


Please pray for safe travel for my Dad. He's driving to LaGrange, Texas, today for a funeral. MY Dad's uncle, Parker, passed away yesterday. Pray for all of Parker's friends and family.

Last but not least, Dana will be having her wisdom teeth removed on Tuesday morning. Please pray for a complication-free surgery and a quick and speedy recovery for Dana.

------

I think that's all for now, everyone. I would like to send along links to two articles that we discussed this morning. You can find them here and here. I hope those of you who weren't in class today will enjoy reading them.

Have a great week, everyone. See you next Sunday!

Wes and Dana

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Tomorrow Morning

Friends:

Just a quick note about tomorrow morning.  For those of you who have the Tony Jones book (The New Christians), we will be taking a look at roughly pages 45-76.

Also, just in case you might be wondering, Dana and I are teaching Kindergarteners during the 9:30 service this month.  So, when you don't see us in the 9:30 service, don't think we've disappeared.  We'll see all of you at 10:50 in our regular spot!

See you then,

Wes

Friday, July 11, 2008

Malia Faith Erickson--With Photos!





Friends:

Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Malia Faith Erickson. I am delighted to share these pictures with you! Let's thank Mary Erickson for sending them along!

Things are moving along great with Vince and Mary. Be sure to read all about their story here.

http://www.journeytomalia.com/

Let's keep praying for them and for Malia!

Wes

Hunter Sullivan's Birthday Party!

Please see the message below from Teresa Sullivan. Happy Birthday Hunter!

Everyone is invited.

Wes

-------

From Teresa Sullivan:

Woo-hoo! Hunter is turning 6 on Friday and we are having a cowboy party for him on Saturday at 2p.m. Y'all are invited to join in on the celebration, although chaps and spurs are optional. We are having it at our new home at 507 Brook Circle in Hewitt. We do have a 4 foot deep pool, so come ready to swim if you would like. Directions are as follows:

From Hewitt Dr.:
Turn left onto 1st street (first left after the Sun Valley Rd light - road entrance directly across from IGA)
Follow 1st street to Chapman Dr. and take a right - you will see the old Chapman homestead on the right (a large two story white house)
Follow Chapman Dr. all the way to the end and take the last right before the bend, this will be Brook Circle
The house number is 507 and we will be on the left at the beginning of the circle.

From Old Temple Rd.:
Take a left onto 1st St. and turn left onto Chapman Dr.
Follow the rest of the directions above.

From I-35:
Take the Hewitt exit from 35
Take Sun Valley towards Hewitt.
Take a left at Old Temple Rd. (light with the storage place on the corner)
Follow Old Temple Rd. to 1st St. and turn right.
Follow 1st St. to Chapman Dr. and take a left.
Follow Chapman to the end of the road and take the last right onto Brook Circle
The house is located on the left side, number 507

We look forward to having y'all there! Please, no horses parked in the yard!