Cole has much improved since my last email. He still remains critical. He is still on the jet ventalator with the nitric oxide. His oxygen needs have decreased to 33%. He still has pneumonia and his right lung still shows hazy on xray. He is on his antibiotics but has only 2 bugs growing. He was restarted on the Bactrim which was the drug that he could not handle 3 weeks ago. No major changes will be made in his care plan until Monday. So how do we pray. Cole gets to this place but then does not seem to be able to break through and move forward. It is like one of those night mare football games when your team is right there on the line for the deciding touchdown and game after game the ball doesn't go over. Since we are the people in the stands observing this situation, I asked the Lord what would be our best foot forward to help in the matter. The answer was PRAISE! God inhabits the praises of His people. He is in the midst of these circumstances. He knows what is going on. Through our praise, we are standing firmly in our faith that GOD CAN DO THIS! God loves to see His people believe against all odds.
"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." "By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the WORD of GOD..." Hebrews 11:1&3. God alone will frame Cole's world, situation, life by HIS WORD. All of God's promises are set in HIS WORD. There is nothing we need to invent, create, or make up but ALL is there. We need to only let the TRUTH be revealed, and to take that knowledge into custody. Our faith is built on God's fact not feelings. We have the ability to throw the switch of our willpower in God's direction. We have the deciding vote. We agree with God or we agree with the enemy.
"I WILL restore health unto thee, and heal thee of thy wounds." Jeremiah
30:17 Jesus mission upon the earth was mercy, compassion. He brought healing to all who were sick, Matthew 9:23. "He is the same yesterday, today, and forever" Hebrews 13:8. "The prayer of faith SHALL save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up", James 5:15. "God raised up the Lord and will also raise us (COLE) up by His power", 1 Cor 6:14. We are to seek out the promises of His Word. These promises are God's expressed will. Jesus will heal Cole. Father God sent Jesus to heal; "Who forgiveth all iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases" Psalms 130:3.
"He sent HIS WORD and healed them"Psalms 107:20 His Word is alive and still heals just like He still saves. "Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed, save me and I shall be saved; for thou art my praise", Jeremiah 17:14. God once gave me a picture of the importance of praise. Each time I praise God in faith, a huge stone is placed in the midst of that situation. The more I praise, the more the stones are brought in and set in position. The more stones, the firmer and larger the foundation.
But then in my complete amazement, Jesus comes in and sits on that foundation on HIS throne (that newly build foundational throne!) in His full proud glory and all darkness is dispelled and He reigns and it is now His kingdom. When He Reigns, His promise breaks through into physical reality on earth! YOU KINGDOM COME, YOUR WILL BE DONE, ON EARTH NOW AS IT IS IN HEAVEN. Can you see the number of stones being set as we join together in praise. Can you believe that God has given us this gift to be part of such a miraculous moment. Let each one of us "show the same diligence to the full assurance of the hope until the end, that we do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises", Hebrews 6: 11&12. "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance (to remain constant to a purpose), James 1:2&3. In the Name of Jesus, I bind the spirit of unbelief (lack of confidence), fear (that which pushes you away from God), idolatry (when you focus elsewhere), and rejection (choosing not
to) and I loose faith, hope, the worship of the ONE and ONLY TRUE GOD and appropriation (acceptance, authority in Christ, respect). I ask that the shield of faith covers our mind, emotions, and will- conscious and subconscious. And I praise Jehovah Jirah- for HE is our provider and VISION, Yahweh- the GREAT I AM- faithful to all His promises, and EL
ROI- the God who sees me and knows my circumstances. "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ has come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame them by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony!!!
Cole is now on the descending end of ventilator needs. His nitric oxide is coming down, at 4 today. He is still sedated but is able to express his opinion about his care. He wants to be on his stomach and "everyone" knows it. His blood pressure has remained stable. His lungs are different on x-ray. The right lung has some patchiness to it but only some which is so great. The left has some patchiness also but only some. The less the patchiness the more Cole will be able to wean off the ventilator because the lungs will be able to exchange the CO2 and O2. Cole has hit the 5 pound mark, so he just keeps growing in spite of all that he has gone through. He is eating again, 1 cc every 3 hours.
He remains on his antibiotics, his lines intact and open. Please continue to praise to set that foundation in stone; for our God will not be moved (Psalms 15:5).
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Moving.....
We have begun the process of moving....filling boxes has been the main objective lately. Since we are going moving 1/2 mile away, we figure we will be able to move one room at a time and place it directly into the house where they belong. Mark and I have also been over to the new house closely inspected every room and finding little things here and there that we would like fixed - nicked paint, little holes in walls, stained carpets, etc. We had a cleaning crew come in on Friday evening and clean the whole house from top to bottom. That made a difference. We had a carpet cleaning company come in on Saturday morning and clean the carpets and they look better than they did before. After contemplating the previous owners paint colors, we figured we would just move in and paint later. Well, my loving husband, surprised me and found a painting crew that will be in the new house today, Tuesday until Friday and paint everything that I want painted. :) YEA! So, with that said, our moving is taking a little longer than expected. We are making the big push to move this weekend. Here are a few pics of the new house
Carry me over the threshold....
Mark and I received the key our new house last week and before we let anyone into the house...Mark picked me up and carried me over the threshold. :)
Mission Complished!!
Yesterday marked the first day of school in Kern County!! My children included....as I watched them get out of the car a tear came to my eyes....not a tear of sadness but a tear of absolute liberation!! I realized at that moment that all but 1 of my children will be gone and away from the house for 6+ hours. The smile was so big on my face all day that people really took notice.
I love school!! Here are a couple of pictures of the first day of school.
Andrew is a Junior, Ryan is a Freshman, Tasha 6th grade, Megan 5th grade, Skyler "Bud" 4th grade, Jade 3rd grade and little Briggor is still at home with MOM!!!
I love school!! Here are a couple of pictures of the first day of school.
Andrew is a Junior, Ryan is a Freshman, Tasha 6th grade, Megan 5th grade, Skyler "Bud" 4th grade, Jade 3rd grade and little Briggor is still at home with MOM!!!
Sunday, August 10, 2008
COLE UPDATE
THis came from my girlfriend Mindy:
Mary,
Cole had a good day yesterday and seems to be responding to the antibiotics. He weighs 5 pounds now.
Mindy
Mary,
Cole had a good day yesterday and seems to be responding to the antibiotics. He weighs 5 pounds now.
Mindy
Our New House....
Mark and I received the keys to our new house. We took the kids over and looked around. Everyone is excited....so if you don't see me blogging - I'll be packing and moving.
AND THE WINNER IS.....
Announcing the winner of the Mendenhall Summer Reading Program.......
TASHA MENDENHALL 625 pages
2nd place Megan 353 pages
3rd place Bud 164 pages
TASHA MENDENHALL 625 pages
2nd place Megan 353 pages
3rd place Bud 164 pages
BIRTH VERSE
I came across this website and thought it quite interesting. Please check out your BIRTH VERSE:
http://www.birthverse.com/mybirthverse.cfm
http://www.birthverse.com/mybirthverse.cfm
Thought of the day
"All our young lives we search for someone to love. Someone who makes us complete. We choose partners & change partners. We dance to a song of heartbreak & hope. All the while wondering if somewhere, somehow, there's someone perfect who might be searchingfor us". Narrator in The Wonder Years (1988)
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Latest on COLE
Hi Mary,
When I got to the hospital tonight the doctor told us that Cole is improving, Praise God! The x-ray of his lungs show pockets that have begun to clear and heal. We were excited though the doctor is quick to tell us that he is still critical we give praise to God for every step forward that he takes. It is amazing how God has shown us His love and compassion these past few weeks through our friends and family. We know that Heaven is being bombarded with prayers for Cole and we are so grateful. We know that God is listening and He has already started to move on Cole’s behalf.
Thanks for forwarding my email to your pastor, friends and family. We know that prayer works, Cole is a testimony to that.
Love ya!
Mindy
When I got to the hospital tonight the doctor told us that Cole is improving, Praise God! The x-ray of his lungs show pockets that have begun to clear and heal. We were excited though the doctor is quick to tell us that he is still critical we give praise to God for every step forward that he takes. It is amazing how God has shown us His love and compassion these past few weeks through our friends and family. We know that Heaven is being bombarded with prayers for Cole and we are so grateful. We know that God is listening and He has already started to move on Cole’s behalf.
Thanks for forwarding my email to your pastor, friends and family. We know that prayer works, Cole is a testimony to that.
Love ya!
Mindy
I received this email from my girlfriend, Mindy, we have been friends since Elementary school. Mindy gave birth by c-section to a beautiful baby boy and her husband, Tim and her named him Cole. Now, Cole came into this world too soon for his little lungs. He was born on Father's Day in June and has been in the hospital since then. He is holding on with the Lord's help and I wanted to share the latest email to all who read my blog. Please pray continually for Cole and his family as they go through this together....
Hi Mary,
Here is an update written by my aunt who has been a NICU nurse at Kaiser for 37 years. It explains in simple terms what is happening with Cole.
Cole remains critical but continues to show improvement. His oxygen (02) need has changed from 92% on Friday to 79% on Saturday to 35% today. His lungs remain as "white out" on xray. This is not a good thing. Lungs should appear black on xray which shows the air can move freely. Cole's aveolar ( grape like clusters) which make up the lungs are not all open round grapes. Many are collapsed like a balloon is without air in it. There are many areas of these collapsed balloons. As the pressure is pulsed into the lungs through the jet ventalotor , the object is to open, and fill the aveolar. As they fill and take up their space in the chest cavity, the xray will become more clear. The amount of secretions has dramatically decreased. (Praise the Lord). 1)Pray Cole's aveolar remain intact , strong, open up and stay open, the air moves through; aveolar continue to develop, resist harm, heal from infection, and establish an independent ability to support life. Cole has 4 infections in his lungs. He does not have any infection any where else, Thank you Jesus. The 4 infections he has are very bad ones. He is battling fungus which takes a long time to treat and the medications to fight them are very harsh. 2) Pray that his body can handle the medications and that the organisms respond to the medications quickly and thoroughly. 3) Pray that there is a protective guard to keep any other type of infection from entering. Cole had to go back on vaso pressors because his blood Pressure (BP) dropped again. The doctors haven't figured out why Cole does this every couple days. 4) Pray that the doctors as well as all staff have God's wisdom to treat him the most effective and efficient way. 5) Pray Cole's blood pressure would remain within normal limits and there would be stability maintained through out his body. Cole's right foot has had trouble with circulation, turning blue, becoming cold and then returning to normal, then turning white and cool, then turning warm and normal. Doppler check showed no evidence of clots. 6) Pray his circulation in foot would be normal. Cole has periods of fighting the ventalator, so he has been medicated to paralyze him. That medication as well as the side effect of the jet ventalator cause Cole to be very puffy. Cole has been started on a sedative that will make him not fight, but the medication has a severe additive quality to it so it must be increased slowly and then must be decreased very slowly to prevent withdrawal symptoms. The paralyzing medication will be discontinued when Cole is adequately sedated. Other medications are being used also to try to decrease the puffiness. These medications have side effects also. Cole's ability to produce urine has been impacted at times but is functioning ok now. Some of the medications can decrease bone density. 7) Pray that what ever the medication that is used in Cole will not impact him negatively or have lasting affects but would quickly and effectively meet it's objective. Cole's digestive system is not being used while on this type of treatment. He receives his nutrition by interveneous fluids. While Cole's gut has been resting, it has not given him any problems. What was aggravating his gut and causing concern, has passed. A huge reason for praise and thanksgiving. 8)Continue to pray Cole's digestive system would be an open passage way to receive, and distribute the nutrition that the body requires, as well as to eliminate the waste products effectively. 9) Pray Cole's interveneous line stays open, intact, without infection. 10) Pray Cole be covered by the blood of Jesus, a fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit be upon him and that God would place an angel at every point of entry into Cole's physical, emotional, and spiritual being. 11) Pray God will continue to hold Tim, Mindy, Allysa, Cole and the grandparents up in angels' wings for He alone has the power to keep them! The prayer list has become longer but if you were to speak to the nurses who had Cole a few days back and then compared what Cole is doing today, you would be as they are WOWED by his progress. Cole is moving in the right direction. Thank you for reading and praying through these points of prayer. The Lord hears and answers our prayers and is waiting for us to ask so He can move in mighty ways. Cole's name means Victory of the People. We are the people who will see the victory.
Talk to you soon,
Mindy
Hi Mary,
Here is an update written by my aunt who has been a NICU nurse at Kaiser for 37 years. It explains in simple terms what is happening with Cole.
Cole remains critical but continues to show improvement. His oxygen (02) need has changed from 92% on Friday to 79% on Saturday to 35% today. His lungs remain as "white out" on xray. This is not a good thing. Lungs should appear black on xray which shows the air can move freely. Cole's aveolar ( grape like clusters) which make up the lungs are not all open round grapes. Many are collapsed like a balloon is without air in it. There are many areas of these collapsed balloons. As the pressure is pulsed into the lungs through the jet ventalotor , the object is to open, and fill the aveolar. As they fill and take up their space in the chest cavity, the xray will become more clear. The amount of secretions has dramatically decreased. (Praise the Lord). 1)Pray Cole's aveolar remain intact , strong, open up and stay open, the air moves through; aveolar continue to develop, resist harm, heal from infection, and establish an independent ability to support life. Cole has 4 infections in his lungs. He does not have any infection any where else, Thank you Jesus. The 4 infections he has are very bad ones. He is battling fungus which takes a long time to treat and the medications to fight them are very harsh. 2) Pray that his body can handle the medications and that the organisms respond to the medications quickly and thoroughly. 3) Pray that there is a protective guard to keep any other type of infection from entering. Cole had to go back on vaso pressors because his blood Pressure (BP) dropped again. The doctors haven't figured out why Cole does this every couple days. 4) Pray that the doctors as well as all staff have God's wisdom to treat him the most effective and efficient way. 5) Pray Cole's blood pressure would remain within normal limits and there would be stability maintained through out his body. Cole's right foot has had trouble with circulation, turning blue, becoming cold and then returning to normal, then turning white and cool, then turning warm and normal. Doppler check showed no evidence of clots. 6) Pray his circulation in foot would be normal. Cole has periods of fighting the ventalator, so he has been medicated to paralyze him. That medication as well as the side effect of the jet ventalator cause Cole to be very puffy. Cole has been started on a sedative that will make him not fight, but the medication has a severe additive quality to it so it must be increased slowly and then must be decreased very slowly to prevent withdrawal symptoms. The paralyzing medication will be discontinued when Cole is adequately sedated. Other medications are being used also to try to decrease the puffiness. These medications have side effects also. Cole's ability to produce urine has been impacted at times but is functioning ok now. Some of the medications can decrease bone density. 7) Pray that what ever the medication that is used in Cole will not impact him negatively or have lasting affects but would quickly and effectively meet it's objective. Cole's digestive system is not being used while on this type of treatment. He receives his nutrition by interveneous fluids. While Cole's gut has been resting, it has not given him any problems. What was aggravating his gut and causing concern, has passed. A huge reason for praise and thanksgiving. 8)Continue to pray Cole's digestive system would be an open passage way to receive, and distribute the nutrition that the body requires, as well as to eliminate the waste products effectively. 9) Pray Cole's interveneous line stays open, intact, without infection. 10) Pray Cole be covered by the blood of Jesus, a fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit be upon him and that God would place an angel at every point of entry into Cole's physical, emotional, and spiritual being. 11) Pray God will continue to hold Tim, Mindy, Allysa, Cole and the grandparents up in angels' wings for He alone has the power to keep them! The prayer list has become longer but if you were to speak to the nurses who had Cole a few days back and then compared what Cole is doing today, you would be as they are WOWED by his progress. Cole is moving in the right direction. Thank you for reading and praying through these points of prayer. The Lord hears and answers our prayers and is waiting for us to ask so He can move in mighty ways. Cole's name means Victory of the People. We are the people who will see the victory.
Talk to you soon,
Mindy
Thought of the day
"The most wonderful of all things in life is the discovery of another human being with whom one's relationship has a growing depth, beauty and joy as the years increase. It is a sort of divine accident, and the most wonderful of all things in life." Sir Hugh Walpole
Saturday, August 2, 2008
THE MENDENHALL"S ARE MOVING!!!
TO ALL WHO READ THIS blog.....
The Mendenhall Family is in ESCROW to buy this house. We are scheduled to close escrow on August 15th. This house is 5 bedroom/3 baths. 3023 sq ft. and sits on 1/2acrea lot. (HINT to Mark: BIG ENOUGH FOR A POOL AND THEN SOME) It also sits on a cul-de-sac which the kids are looking forward to. The great thing about this up and coming move is that the house is only .5 miles away from our current house. :) Down the street and around the corner.
The Mendenhall Family is in ESCROW to buy this house. We are scheduled to close escrow on August 15th. This house is 5 bedroom/3 baths. 3023 sq ft. and sits on 1/2acrea lot. (HINT to Mark: BIG ENOUGH FOR A POOL AND THEN SOME) It also sits on a cul-de-sac which the kids are looking forward to. The great thing about this up and coming move is that the house is only .5 miles away from our current house. :) Down the street and around the corner.
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