Hi all,
Some of you have seen my Facebook/YouTube video updates on Oklahoma’s nursing home/group home ban on visitations. We last saw Chris on March 21 when I dropped him off at the group home, but have regular zoom video calls with him.
A little background for those who don’t know of Chris. Chris was born with the cord around his neck resulting in lack of oxygen. He is 40 years old, but mentally about 4. He was at home his first 24 years, but after his little brothers graduated high school and went on to college, we tried many programs to care for him at home, but they were all horrible experiences for us all.
We made the heart-wrenching decision to put him in a group home, and that about 2 hours away. The first 4 years were horrible, for how do you tell a 4 year old they can’t live at home anymore? Because of the distance and ministry activities, we were only able to see him once or twice a month, and he began going downhill.
He began losing the will to live and largely stopped eating, didn’t want to get out of bed, take his medicines, shower, or anything, which we didn’t realize until visiting him after having not seen him in about a month.
In May of 2008 as I came to the group home and the manager told me he was near his ‘danger’ weight of 140 pounds, and he had given up the will to live.
We realized what was happening, and rearranged everything to visit him 2 days a week at least, and soon he started doing much better, eating again, happy to get out of bed for the staff, and so on. It was the regular visits that did it.
We soon realized we were spending the equivalent of a mortgage payment on fuel, toll road, food and entertainment for him and so on, so prayed about moving closer to him. At that point the Father gave me a vision of a lake-front double wide home in trees, with a wheelchair ramp to the front door in a particular area of the nearby lake, and He told me the price to ask.
I spent 2 days driving around the area purposely avoiding the area I had seen in the vision, so that I might confirm there were no other choices and that I had seen and heard correctly, with no other options. Those 2 days proved there was no property for sale that looked like what I had seen, nor would even meet our needs.
On the 3rd day I purposely went right to the area the Father had shown me, and soon found the house I had seen in the vision.
It had just that day gone on the market by the owners, a Baptist Pastor and his wife who wanted their home to go to someone in ministry. I gave him the price I had been given, and he countered with a bit more, and we settled in between. We’ve been there ever since.
With the Covid ban on visiting residents of long term care facilities, we last saw Chris on March 21 when I dropped him off at the group home. Our pattern when I’m not traveling is to pick him up on Friday morning, spend the day running errands or some fun thing he likes to do, and then home around 3 where Barb has a home cooked meal for him that night. In the morning I make breakfast, he watches some favorite TV shows, and around noon or early afternoon we head out again for a couple more errands and then back to the group home between 2 and 5pm.
Between March 21 when we last saw him to May 21, he lost 52 pounds. We could see that same lack of will to live and depression setting in that I described above. I had to keep insisting they weigh him because in our video calls Barb and I could see that he was losing weight, his demeanor had changed to short calls, lack of interest in our activities and his activities, and so on – we recognized what was going on.
As it stands now, if we were to visit Chris in person, or even if he (or any resident of any nursing home, group home, assisted living home, etc) would have any contact with the outside world, he (they) would face a 14 day quarantine locked in his bedroom for 14 days, 24/7. This is true for any contact with the outside world, even a doctor’s appointment would result in a 14-days locked in his bedroom quarantine.
I just this week submitted a proposal to the State allowing a minimum 14 day home visit, after which when it is time to return, the resident will be tested, and if tests are negative, allowed to return without threat of a 14 day quarantine in their bedroom. Pray they will adopt my proposal, as the need is great.
Chris’ weight has leveled off at about 50 pounds lost – and he is eager to come home. Thanks for praying, it has been very difficult for us all emotionally, and there has been a lot of behind the scenes work on my part contacting officials and educating them on the 14 day quarantine rule upon contact with the outside world. I’ve also done 2 TV interviews which has helped to get the word out about this horrible and cruel policy.
Staff can come and go at will, and in any given day 5 or more people have direct contact with Chris without any restrictions, yet if we were to see him they would lock him in his room for 14 days due to state law. Argh…
Home news: We are nearing completion on repairs of the kitchen from the water leak, and laundry/entry area, and next week the new wheelchair ramps to the house should be started. We are short on funds quite a bit due to surprises that happen with any home repair/remodel that insurance didn’t cover and we just don’t have. But the Father knows and we thank you to all who have given to help us. You have no idea how much your gifts have helped. Chris will be amazed once he is allowed to come home – you’ve been used by the Father to help us. Thank you!
Zoom meetings: Our next ‘Zoom’ web meeting is Thursday night, July 9 at 8pm Central US/Canada. It is on the topic of house church, but will cover a wide range of topics. Those who have made these meetings in the past will know there is lots of room for Q&A as well, so there is always something for everyone.
We will also have one Saturday, July 18 at 8am Central US/Canada that will work well for early risers in the US/Canada, and for our family in the Lord in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia/NZ, etc. You can register by clicking the links in the header above and on my Weekly Thoughts, or by visiting our web site.
October conference – more than 60% full!
It’s only June, but we are over 60% full already for our October 8-11 conference in Tulsa. (About 100 days away) It will be held at the Stony Creek Hotel & Conference center in Broken Arrow (Tulsa suburb), convenient to the whole area. We keep our conferences small so we can get to know one another, spend time with each other, and have the freedom to go in the direction the Lord wants during worship and ministry, so it is filling up quickly.
Consider joining us as it will be a time rich and deep in worship, teaching, fellowship, and meeting lots of instant new friends. Getting to know others on the same spiritual page is one of the intangible special things that happen. Click the link above for more information and to register.
Prophetically speaking
I’ve shared before some of the things the Lord told me in the visitation of early December last year, but now we’re entering the time He shifted His wording when talking about this late summer and fall through the end of the year. He started off talking about the 2nd half of the year with: “As it stands now…” and said if things remained unchanged thus and so would happen, so He said to pray.
It’s a very familiar way He talks, similar to what He said in Matthew 24: 15-20, when He spoke in v15 of anti-Christ entering the temple, but followed it in v20 with “Pray that it doesn’t happen in winter, nor on the Sabbath.” In other words, the event will happen, but prayer can delay it, even changing the season of the year or day of the week.
So because we are entering the days of ‘As it stands now…’ coupled with His command to pray about what He said next, I hesitate sharing. I can say there will be some relative calm this summer, but birth pangs have a time of intensity followed by a time of rest. So enjoy the relative rest. And pray for the last couple months of the year especially. I’ll share more in future newsletters as led.
One of the things He said last year was: “House church would become popular even though much of what they will call house church isn’t. There will come a time in this country where it will be the main way of doing church, for a variety of reasons.”
I think we have seen some of that with the Covid lock down, but as He said, we are just now like a person getting their toes wet on the seashore, but about to walk into deeper waters. You’ll recall He said when the ‘collapse happens conservatives will be in charge’ and we are seeing that, and also that “It will be like the waters of Medano Creek”. You’ll recall I shared how Medano Creek is at the Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado, and has a sand creek bed. When the water flows the sand bed builds up an underwater dam, holding back the flow until the volume of water overwhelms the underwater dam and a wave of that backed up water flows straight downstream. Looks like the wave has started.
Thank you for your faithful giving. At one point about 30% of the nation and world was unemployed or under employed, but many of you have remained faithful in your gifts, which have sustained us. It’s been an emotional roller coaster with Chris, the water leak last winter that followed the tornado last fall, Covid, the fast growth of home based church and such, and you are truly appreciated. Thank you for remembering us in your giving!
Thank you for praying for Chris and a good solution.
Praying for you and yours,
John & Barb.
