From the Desk of Jill Keenon, Operations Director:
THIS IS FROM LAST
WEEK, BUT COULD NOT BE SENT OUT BECAUSE OUR COMPUTER GOT A VIRUS. WE
JUST UPDATED SOMETHING ABOUT BONNIE - THE REST IS STILL RELEVANT.
I've been thinking a lot about the strongholds in my life and my view of God. I started thinking about what I want for my children in comparison to what God
wants for His children. I certainly want them to be doing well in all
areas of their life. The most important being their relationship with
their heavenly Father, then their health, finances, integrity, their
own families doing well, their marriage and emotional health. I believe
that is true for our Father. He wants us well in every area of our lives.
The problem is we live by sight and not by faith. We need to know and claim the Lord's promises and tell Satan where to go. In Hebrews 10:35-36 it says, "Do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord,
no matter what happens. Remember the great reward it brings you.
Patient endurance is what you need now, so you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that he has promised." God
promises us rewards, not just the final reward of heaven. There are
rewards from what we sow. But even as the farmers have to wait for the
crops to come in, they come in every year not just when the
farmer dies. Know those promises and patiently hold on to them and wait
for the Lord's reward. He is faithful no matter what happens.
QUICK HOME
- Another call, another placement did not happen.
- Paul and I had a good talk about what is going on, and we
think we have a good idea about what to discuss with our board and what
we should do. I am getting that excited sense that we have had every
time a change has come. I am anxious to see God's hand at work. Please pray for wisdom and a full agreement with all. We don't want to step ahead of the Lord so we count on our board to balance us.
- One of our board members, Dennis Bentz,
found out he has cancer. Please pray for him to know the treatment to
follow and for healing. He was operated on this week but we don't know
the outcome.
KEENON HOME
- I thought that Bonnie could
stay here peacefully while the caseworker got the transitional group
home set up but that night she decided to be belligerent and told the
caseworker more lies about us before she left with a family member. She
still has her stuff here, so she will be back for that, but I guess she
is gone. I wish someone could leave normally for once. Once again it is
so sad but we are not too broken up about it for some strange reason. Pray for reconciliation to happen even if she lives somewhere else and healing. Four
years is a long time to live with someone and to have it end this way
is wrong. I need to get all her paper work ready. Please pray I get it
done correctly so they can see what all was done and that our
reputation for integrity stays in tact. She threatened to close Open Door down. Pray for protection.
UPDATE ON WEDNESDAY: Bonnie's case
worker called and said that she understood what was really going on,
and that if we would take her back she needed to be here with us. She
could not stay where she was according to DCFS. We felt validated, and
I got all the paperwork done. Bonnie came back and was just very quiet.
Pray for reconciliation. They are working on getting her into transitional living. - I (Jill) loved school this week.
- Margie
seems like she did better with Bonnie gone. Pray for her as she has to deal with her again.
Have a great week. Remember to learn what God promises and live like you believe them.
In Christ's Service for the Community,
Paul & Jill Keenon
Open Door for Teens, Inc.
