Please indulge me with the two parts of this prayer request letter. First, I have attached two files of our “Year End/Christmas” mailing. They are in PDF files. You may have received them in the mail but many of you are not on our snail mail list. Second is our regular “Prayer Requests” in the body of this e-mail.

 

The prayer requests have been long coming because of numerous factors. We are remiss in going first to the giver of life and all that is needed for life by not sharing our needs with believers who pray to the one and only God.

 

ODFT:

1.     We are suffering again from poor fundraising, or a bad economy, or just as likely an aging support base. Many of our long time supporters are retiring and are on fixed incomes. Please help us with regular donations or large donations to support us annually. We are hurting enough that our CPA asked me several weeks ago, “What are you going to do next year?” If he sees it, we are in trouble like never before. We will leave many young people without experienced confidant counsel and many without housing. Please help us! Our budget is $150,000. We received around $69,000 last year and we are burning through the reserves from the sale of one of our homes.

 

2.     We are in need of Christian couples to apply to be ODFT board members. We have lost four members recently due to retirement – Jim and Diane McGovern, and due to sickness – Dennis and Jackie Bentz. Both of these couples have been members of the board for over ten years. We miss them!  We need an infusion of ideas and funding. You may have one or both; please consider the needs of families and hurting children.

 

KEENON HOME:

1.     Our revolving door continues from when you heard from us last. Around January 15th, two of our daughters, McKenzie and Carmen (with her two children) will be moving each to their own homes. They will need lots of prayer for preparations and for appropriate relationships with those they may move in with. They need resources for paying their own bills, babysitting, utilities, etc! We have done what we can for them. Now they are out of the nest on their own.

 

2.     Jill has gotten a job working in private duty nursing. The company is Independence Plus. She will start in January. Jill has had her orientation and started training. She will work about 36 hours a week. With ODFT falling short on funding she must work to cover the short fall for our family. We do not receive a raise annually as some do. We have had three raises in almost 24 years. We will still do all that we have been doing for ODFT.

 

3.     Not to be a lazy person with nothing to do, Jill has started back to school and has completed her first class toward her BSN in nursing, then she is going on to get her masters. She will be a Nurse Practitioner when she is done. She will be able to diagnose and prescribe medicine. Yes, she is going back to work and going on with school. It has become her desire and passion to help underprivileged people and women who need to know about their bodies and hormonal balance.  Money is a great motivator when coupled with a passion. We do need more money and ODFT cannot support us.

 

4.     Jenn our longest resident and therefore a “pseudo family member” has been going through trying times for several years now but she has also accomplished a couple of very important spiritual milestones. She just celebrated her second anniversary as a believer in Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord. A few weeks ago her family came to celebrate her baptism at Wheaton Bible Church. This was her desire to follow what she learned in the scriptures to declare her faith in Jesus before family and world.

5.     Jenn has not been responding to medical procedures or medicines to regulate her seizures. The seizures have been so frequent (over 150 in the last 11 months) that we must employ some more formal, serious medical help on a daily basis. We have raised the money to purchase an evacuation chair not evacuate her from fire of such but to get her out of buildings and up stairs when she seizures. Pray that this will allow her to be more mobile. She is practically house bound unless those she goes out with are large enough and experienced enough to protect and move her. Next will be some home health care help from professionals. Pray for the funds or insurance to pay for this. She has had many falls in and out of the home that have scared her and bruised her over and over again.

 

6.     Molly has had some job changes and is now unemployed. She is a good worker who was at her last job for over five years. Pray she finds a new job soon. She is getting married in May. She and Brandon are in pre-marriage counseling.

 

7.     One young man who has lived with us on and off for many years has been in a rented room for about a month. Some people came to his home and tried to accost him. He responded with a pellet pistol and was arrested. He is out of jail after 8 days. Please pray that those who attacked him are brought to justice and that he gets the meds he needs for asthma and bi-polar.

 

8.     Our daughter Marta and her husband Al had a daughter, Michelle (Ellie) Joy Cedeno, born two weeks ago. All are healthy and she is our 22^nd grandchild. Praise God!

 

9.     Our daughter Tina married Paul Thomas on the day after Thanksgiving. Never a dull moment in our family. Mr. & Mrs. Paul Thomas reside in Batavia. We have two children yet to marry. Hurry up girls!

 

Quick home:

1.     As you know, if you have been following our prayer request for the last four years, the Quicks foster a baby who has become a spitfire toddler. They have been in the process of adopting her for three years. The Supreme Court of Illinois has founded against the district attorney of DuPage County in the regards of notification of termination of the father’s rights. The process must start all over again to notify him and then to wait for his response. Please pray this is a quick formality.

 

2.     The oldest of the three foster sisters in the Quick home has moved out to be on her own. Now she resides in Chicago. She was a College of DuPage student. Now she will attend school in Chicago. She is a little lonesome. Pray for her, her sisters and the Quicks.

 

3.     The other two girls have their ups and downs. One is visiting the hospital today (Sunday) to look into some of her thought processes. Keeping the emotions and behavior of our teens under control is a twenty-four hour a day job.

 

4.     Allison’s grandfather (her grandparents raised her. They are like her parents to her) who had heart problems last month is currently back home. Her grandmother continues to struggle with walking and balancing hormones from a long sickness.

 

Much to pray about! Please pick those needs the Holy Spirit lays on your heart to pray for and to respond to in His leading.