Thursday, May 28th update

Dear Firends,

I'm not so good at keeping updates on this blog. Please forgive me!

Good news and Praise to God for working out the insurance situation for the kids. They were finally approved and this will dramtically help my sister, should they need to go to the doctor or hospital for any reason. What a load off of her back!

Nancy is doing well and we are presently praying about a positive development that could help her financially. I do not want to be too specific but please pray that God will grant her favor in the eyes of the ones making the decision!

She meets with some more financial people and deciding what to do with the finances she currently has from life insurance. Please pray for wisdom in sorting through the different advice as she makes some of these decisions in the following weeks. It is tough to think about it as this is the money that will help them to make it these next years as well as the funds that will help her down the road later on. Pray also for her to be able to find a low cost life insurance for herself also as she seeks to provide for the kids if anything happens to her.

The kids are still struggling, please pray for them. They have another meeting with the counselor today so pray that it would go well. They have some trouble wanting to communicate with her so it is hard to make much progress in helping them work through their grief and concerns. Unfortunately, when that occurs, it can be hard as that comes across in their behavior at times. Pray for wisdom for Nancy how to both discipline them but also love them through this tough time!

Praise for their church that continues to come beside them and really help and provide in many ways! It's a marathon, like I've mentioned to you before, so pray for them also!

Thank you so much!

Wednesday, May 20th

Greetings friends and prayer warriors! Sorry I haven't sent too many updates. I'll try to do 2-3 a week when I can.

God has been gracious to my sister. Praise God that she was able to refinance her mortgage at a much better interest rate, saving hundreds of dollars a month! It seems that the insurance issue with the kids has been sorted out but she is still waiting for official confirmation, so we are cautiously optimistic at this point. She has been getting some good advice from some sources and we are encouraged as her situation is looking better.

I spoke to her today and she was busy writing some thank you letters. It was a hard night last night for her but by thinking of all the graces given by the loving family of God, she was again reminded of His goodness through the church and it helped lift her countenance. It seems like ages ago that Brian was taken home to heaven but a simple comment in a conversation or a simple reminder can bring forth a lot of emotion and sadness in my dear sister. Please pray for her. As many know, the intial response is so encouraging but as time wears on, people forget and many things sink in.

Thank you for lifting up my sister, dear friends!

Thursday, May 14th update

Dear Friends,

Your prayers are a blessing from God! Please continue to pray for my sister's sleep. She is just not consistently sleeping well and therefore very tired. Praise that the meeting with the financial planner went well. She has to think through some things but it was more hopeful.

The biggest concern today is that the kid's insurance did not go through correctly. For some reason, although Nancy followed the exact direction of the person she spoke with, it was rejected. She called back and the superviosr is goimg to examine it and Nancy should know more within a few days. Please pray that they would approve it.

Friday, Nancy meets with the mortgage representative. As I mentioned before, we are praying that she can lower the rate and get it more manageable. Please pray for clairty and the representative's helpfulness there.

Now, I do not just want to share the struggles but also testify that God's grace has also been so evident. Whether it is the men who show up every week to mow the law, the folks who are taking the boys to a professional soccer game this weekend, or the wonderful kindness of people dropping by or sending a gift certificate, we are awed by the love of God's people! God is truly looking after my sister and meeting all her needs, even exceeding them in many areas. Please praise him as you pray!

Monday, May 11th update

I hope you had a great weekend. It was both a good and hard weekend for my sister and her family. The last week was wonderful to have my aunt and uncle visiting. They were a great encouragement to the family! It was hard to see them leave early Sunday morning. The hard part of the weekend was of course celebrating Mother's day without Brian. Father's day will be much harder but it was so special to celebrate with Brian in the past years and it just wasn't the same without him. Please keep my sister in mind on her birthday, anniversary, and other holidays.

However, the boys were a great encouragement as they woke Nancy up a little early (5:58am) to bring her breakfast and their gifts. They were so excited and although Nancy had one less hour of sleep it was so sweet! My parents celebrated with Nancy in the evening and it was nice to be with family.

Please pray for good news as Nancy tries to refinance her mortgage on Friday. Pray that she can get a good rate and qualify. Also, tomorrow Nancy meets with a man from her church who is a financial planner. Please pray for great wisdom. Especially in these uncertain economic times, wisdom is necessary with the resources she has.

Thanks for your prayers. They are blessings from God and I know that God is blessing them as he works through the prayers of his people!

Thursday, May 7th update

Today, my sister and my parents are working on gathering paperwork. It is amazing what needs to be done in times like this. Nancy and our family are so thankful to the kind contributions of people who have given to the fund set up at Nancy's church. It has been so wonderful as these contributions have helped in some important ways.

Pray for Nancy as she meets with a financial counselor next week. Pray for wisdom to know what financial steps to take and finding a way to help the resources she currently has now to stretch over the years. She also asked for prayer for patience with the kids.

Thanks for your prayers!

Monday, May 4th update

Greetings everyone! Nancy and the kids had a good weekend, especially with the Swiss Chocolate high! It truly was encouraging for Nancy and the kids to see Nancy's Aunt & Uncle! We also really enjoyed being with them and I was able to hard a signficant talk with the boys about a few issues.

Please pray for the kid's insurance application to go through without any problems - it is a special program that should work well for them. Please also pray for Nancy as there are so many reminders around the house and some hard things coming up like selling Brian's truck, which he was so excited about.

Thanks for all your prayers and support!

Saturday, May 2nd update

Hello folks! I am writing to you from the Hall family home. Nancy and the kids had a wonderful visit from her dear Aunt & Uncle from Switzerland. They are here for about a week and it is such a encouragement for Nancy. Plus, they came with Swiss Chocolate!!!

Thank you for all the cards. Altogether, Nancy has received well over 100 cards of sympathy and love! It is going to make a wonderful Scrapbook!

Please pray for the kids. Nancy is trying a few things with them which should help them but we need your prayers! Pray also for rest for my sister. She just isn't sleeping well, even with medicine.

It has been a little over 3 weeks but it seems so much longer. Pray that as each signficant day comes where something was celebrated, that Nancy will know the comfort of God as she misses Brian. Thanks friends!