Please pray with Gianna Rose Pepe

I love the following message sent to us by Lynn Pepe, and can easily relate to her experience with Gianna. Being a parent to any child is one of God's greatest blessings...but a child with special needs brings a unique connection to God. Their insight and spirituality provide numerous moments of awareness. I have learned much from people with disabilities. Suffering, rejection and pain bring us to our knees...but they also give us empathy and understanding. ~Harriet

MESSAGE FROM LYNN PEPE...
I thought I would share what just happened to me at 6pm, 5/2/2011.

I’m getting Gianna and Kara ready for bed. Sarah and Daddy are at Sarah’s softball game and Sophia is already in bed. As I’m helping Gianna, Kara comes beside me and says, “Mommy. I want you to have another heart attack.” She is smiling so sweetly when she says it.

I said, “Really, why honey?”

“Because I want to come to see you with Miss Monica.” Kara says this with this little, sweet, I’m-so-cute grin.

“Honey, if you want to have a play-date over Miss Monica’s, I’ll set up a play-date for you. Is that what you want?”

“No, I want to come visit you. I want to always be with you.”

I tell Kara while Gianna is still next to us on the floor, “Sweetheart, you don’t want Mommy to have another heart attack. If I have another heart attack, Jesus may take me Home and then you won’t have me down here to be with you all the time. You want Mommy to be healthy so I can stay here with you all the time and you can always have me.”

Kara gives me a hug and says, “Then, I want you to have an ‘unhealthy heart attack’. That means to not have a heart attack, Mommy.” She gives me some love’n and I feel Gianna tugging.

I look over and Gianna makes the sign of the cross, brings her hands in front of her to pray for two seconds, makes the sign of the cross again and grabs my head. I let her bring my head down; she kisses me on the forehead and hugs me. I ask Gianna, “Oh, my Gianna, did you just pray for Mommy?” having had many opportunities to realize how very smart she is even with her syndrome and she nods ‘yes’ with her ‘yes sound’.

I think this Little Prayer Warrior knew exactly what Kara was saying and what I was explaining about how it would be if Jesus took me Home. I am so blessed to have this Little Prayer Warrior under my roof and here to ask Our Lord Jesus to help me be healthier. God is so good, so much so that sometimes it truly is beyond our human understanding.

Thank you for letting me share with you.

God bless you all!

~Lynn, Mom to Sarah, 71/2 yrs; Gianna-RTS, 51/2 yrs; Kara, 4 yrs, Sophia, 1 yr and married to my wonderful husband John in Helena, AL.

Date: June 12, 2010

I received the following message from Vicki today and it touched my heart. The message reminded me that even in the midst of the storms of life...God is with us. The reality of who He is..and how real He is...shines through in Vicki's words. We have so much to praise Him for. Thank you for sharing your story with us Vicki, we will be praising Him with you! ~Harriet


Early last Sunday morning, we had a tornado go thru here, and we had God with us. It was the worst our county had ever had...1/2 mile wide, on the ground for over 13 miles. Damage was in the billions.

We had about 5 minutes notice. My daughter Leslie and her 2 boys live less than 1 mile from us. She called and was so hysterical that I had to keep trying to slow her down so I could understand her. The phone kept breaking up, the noise on her end was so bad she couldn't hear me and I could barely hear her. She kept crying " mom " and I kept yelling for her to get the boys and get under the bed. The bed is too low so they were in a hallway. She lives in a very old mobile home, in a park. The last thing she said was pray! I did and I knew that they were too. Jayden ( 9 ) kept talking to God and said that God was his friend. I know that God heard him. Fifteen minutes can seem like an hour.

We had Lisa & Tayler here and got them into a walk-in closet as we have no basement. Jake & Danielle live about 3 1/2 miles from us and he called and he had gotten Danielle into a closet under the stairway. He was watching out the window and remembered to open some windows. He said the noise was horrible, like he had never heard before and then the wind went crazy. He got in the closet too. The trees were horizontal, their blinds were all torn, things thrown around in the rooms. But, praise the Lord, they were ok. I had no idea where Matt was, but I trusted God to take care of him.

After it was all over I got thru to Leslie. The three of them were so upset! It was so bad there that they thought they were all going to die. It took a long time for them to settle down. The boys were afraid to go to sleep, fearing another tornado. The next morning they went out to look around. There was a part of a huge tree on her shed, right between the shed and the house. Directly over the center of her house, exactly where Les & the boys were during the tornado, was another huge part of a tree. It was right there, right over them, but not touching the house! Praise the Lord!!!

There are those that think God does not exist. They are so horribly wrong! There are those who wonder if God hears and answers pray. Oh does He ever! Not always this dramatically, but He does hear and He will answer, in His time and in His way.

Again I wonder why God continues to bless me so very much, and seldom can I find a different answer than this...not because of me, but because of who He is. God is the most fantastic God, there is no other! No matter who you are, or where you are, or what you are facing or dealing with, I can tell you this...as surely as the Lord lives, He is right there with you. Stop and think of that for a moment, that right there with you is God. It is an awesome thought! The One who created you. loves you like no other. In the end, He will explain it all and it will all make sense. In the meantime, hang in there with the assurance that God really does love you and He will do what's best for you. May God bless you all. Love, ~Vicki

January 1, 2010

Greetings Dear Friend,

Little by little over the last twenty years I have lost bits and pieces of myself. The aging process, accidents and disease have created a comical version of the woman I used to be...but one thing remains constant...my belief in God...and the need to serve. The ability to find a sense of purpose and direction in this journey called life.

The more I learn, the more humble I feel...and the less inclined to judge others. I know the rejection that comes from looking or being different...and cry silent tears for my lost youth. It is only when another soul touches mine, and we share a moment of understanding and compassion that I feel complete. The world for people with disabilities is colored by the attitude of the people around them...negative comments made by friends and relatives can be devastating. Well meaning advice...often causes pain. They don't realize that there isn't much left to give...but we still need to do so. There has to be a way to serve...our gifts need to be given...our feelings shared...

Every day hundreds of messages from people around the world flow through my computer...and I marvel at the stories they tell me. The sound of my friend Mike’s voice on an audio file makes me smile. He may be homebound and have physical limitations...but he also has the grit to find a way to inform and educate others...he is an advocate for people with disabilities and nothing will stop him. He knows the pain...and the desire to make a difference.

I see the Turner family and their positive influence on everyone around them. Their compassion, understanding and acceptance is only shadowed by their passion for life and love for each other.

Jim Busby, and his ministry of words, I believe that God holds Jim's hand as he writes. He serves the public at the McDonalds in Arkansas...and makes a difference. He has a sense of purpose, as does his wife Debby.

Bill Medlen, creating and maintaining our web site, while he had massive health and vision problems. I can only imagine how frustrating that must be at times. Every day for Bill has new challenges and responsibilities. And he stays true to the course God has given him.

The list goes on and on...each person finding a way to serve God and others as they gain a sense of purpose...knowing that with purpose comes hope...and fulfillment.

We have become a family, connected by email messages and the internet. What started out as a simple newsletter has taken wings and developed a life of its own. We have discovered the power of God and the importance of prayer. Now it’s time to step it up a notch. With the advent of the new web site and this page…I will be able to share some of the journeys that God has taken me on…and you will be able to travel with me.

God bless you good and faithful friend,
Shalom, peace be with you!
Harriet