Fighting Fires Of A Different Variety

I thought that pastor's were supposed to stoke the embers and keep the fires burning.

Here's a pastor who puts them OUT!

Mark has been instated as the chaplain of our local volunteer fire department. In order to authorize his presence on the scene of any emergency or fire, Mark has had to train and qualify to put your fire's OUT!

Though he is not required to go through ALL of the training required of a certified firefighter, he has opted to learn as much and go as far as his current responsibilities will allow.

Our church is proud of Mark and have encouraged his involvement in our community in any way that God should present. And ANYONE who knows Mark, knows that he will NOT hesitate to move when God tells him that it is time.

Our Princess Is Three!

It hardly seems possible that our baby girl is three, but everytime we go back and redo the math, we come up with the same sum! In some regards though, I'm certain that she just turned 30! She is without doubt the sharpest knife in OUR drawer! We had a wonderful party with Nevaeh's church buddies. And Nevaeh was soooo excited!
Watching her strawberry cupcakes baking.

Ready for the birthday girl.

Pretty colors....

Pretty tables....

PRETTY Princess!

Singing Happy Birthday to the birthday girl!

Nevaeh wanted to say the blessing all by herself and so she prayed,

"A,B,C,D,E,F,G.....Thank you God for feeding me! AMEN!

Nevaeh's favorite meal: Spaghetti made with elbow noodles, applesauce, and buttered italian bread!

YUM!

Nevaeh and her buddies...

Bre, Livie, Thaniel, Wyatt, Ethan & Ashlynn!

Checkin' out those "pupcakes!"

Look at those candles!

I'm THREE!

Ready, Set, BLOW!!

Our very happy and beautiful baby girl!

A favorite gift!

You can see what she thinks of THIS gift!! YAY!

And this gardening set is a KEEPER!

I think she loved ALL of her gifts!

Then, instead of playing FUN but rather senseless games, we decided the children would have as much fun making "Thinking of You" & "Get Well Wishes" for the 5 year old daughter of a family friend.

Tiarra Lynn Rachau was very recently diagnosed with a brain tumor which was removed only to learn that she did indeed have cancer on her spine! The children asked many questions about Tiarra and her illness and I was touched by their compassion. Look at how they are concentrating on their work! But it was soooo much fun!

Even Daddy got in on the FUN and helped Nevaeh glue her sequins on the tiara she made for Tiarra!!

She thought that EVERY little girl needed a princess crown!

Our finished loot to send off in hopes of putting a smile on the lips of a sweet little girl!

MY little princess was sooooo tired and within minutes of crawling into her bed, she was faaaaaast asleep!

Being three is hard work!

Hush-A-By...

Don't you cry...

Go to sleep little baby!

We will be eternally grateful that God chose to place you in our family!

Happiest 3rd Birthday,

Nevaeh Re' Fultz~

Health UPDATE!

After what has felt like an eternity, my lab results are finally in and with the verification of a 2nd opinion, they have found NO cancer in the spindle lesion that was growing in the bottom of my foot.

I AM very grateful!

I'm still having quite a bit of trouble with my foot and the healing process is going far slower than I would prefer. I find myself still hobbling around on these crutches which are becoming quite annoying to me. They get in the way of my attempts at keeping after my house and children.

My family is still having to assist me way more than I prefer.

I will NOT post a picture of my foot as its' appearance is pretty nasty right now. It has broken open multiple times and the wound area is getting larger and larger.

The Dr. said that he removed a very large portion of my foot and that the hole was so large in so much that he could hardly close the surgical site.

Since I have been cleared from cancer in the foot, I have chosen to receive personal ongoing care from my oldest sister who is a magnificent nurse AND she knows all of my issues and loves me ta'boot!

It is HER natural born instinct to fix me regardless my ailment or behaviour and so somehow, though it pains me to admit it, I think I'm in the best of hands!!

Let's Talk Turkey!

Early this morning, Daryl dragged himself out of bed and hunted in less than desireable conditions in the hopes of successfully bagging his first turkey ever. He layed on the soggy ground and belly crawled into position. What may seem to some as extreme effort paid off and Daryl was excited to bring this "guy" home for DINNER!
We didn't have a scales to weigh him on here but the guestimate is that this big guy is weighing in around 22 pounds!

The right spur was 15/16 of an inch and the left spur was broken but still measured at 3/4 of an inch!

He sported a 9 inch beard.

So happy for you, Daryl! Though sometimes even your mother rolls her eyes at what seems to be an all consuming passion, your hunting efforts are most times quite successful. I love your pride in providing meat for your family and I know that God can even use some such gift as this!

CONGRATULATIONS!!

Update!

For those of you who think these pics of my surgical sites are nasty and would rather not see them, I apologize. However, THIS is how I am easiest able to communicate with some of my family to whom I do not have the privilege to live close. Please just scroll past quickly.

I have had my follow-up visit back to the surgeon who performed my surgery. He is very pleased with the site on my leg where the skin cancer was removed. It has healed very well and in time, there will barely be a scar. The surgical site on my foot, however, is not responding as well. It is pictured below. The skin on either site of the incision died so it would not bond or heal in a way that would satisfy the surgeon. He is NOT pleased with the appearance of this site though there is not any sign of infection and it seems to be healing from the inside.

I have received clearance to try walking on my foot, but it is quite painful and the wound tends to bleed from the pressure. Thus, my walking is more of a hobbling limp. I do have a special gel pad the fits in my instep and surprisingly protects the incision quite well inside a shoe. I find that a pair of Crocs is the most comfortable choice of footwear right now. The surgeon wanted to try to stitch again to salvage the appearance but he could not find any loose skin to even make an attempt. I assured the surgeon that I do not care WHAT it looks like as long as the bad "stuff" is gone. It's on the BOTTOM of my foot and no one is going to see it unless I show it on purpose. He grudgingly left it alone and wants to see it again in a month. I am still waiting on lab results as the pathologist requested permission to seek a second opinion. This doesn't make me feel encouraged but I suppose I would rather know any bad news now. I've learned that ignorance is NOT bliss!

Immediately following my surgery, the nurse suggested that I get myself through this "thing" by thinking, "Cute flip flops! Really cute flip flops!" Several of my friends and family agreed with my nurse and suggested that I shop as soon as I was able and buy myself a pair or two to celebrate. I found these flip flops today and Nevaeh just thought they were beautiful! She wanted a pair to match! Of course, I've never seen matching mother/daughter flip flops unless you consider just plain colored ones. Nevaeh begged to wear them this evening and I was planning to wear them to Bible study here in the fellowship room. I told her that I needed them for a little while but that I would let her wear them later if she still wanted. She did NOT forget and as soon as I returned home after Bible study, she said, "Mom, if I take my socks off, can I wear your flip flops?" I said, "Absolutely NOT!" Are you KIDDING??!! I didn't say THAT! As you can see in the picture below, I just might have to go buy myself another pair of flip flops!! Now THAT would be a shame!

My "Who" From "Who-ville!"

Nevaeh used the potty all day and then did the worst part in her dry pull up tonight. I faked bawling and through my "tears" I wailed, "WHY didn't you put THAT in the pot??!!"

In extreme seriousness, somewhat distressed that Mommy was crying, Nevaeh said,

"But it would have made your pot ruined!"

Spiders?!

I uncovered the surgical sites to apply clean dressings today.

Nevaeh stepped in and took a close look at the stitches.

"MOMMY!" she freaked out. "Do you have SPIDERS on your leg??!!"

Update

Nevaeh wanted to wear Mommy's shoes, especially the one that she calls "the funny shoe."

I have been pretty sick and in a lot of pain so Mark and Nevaeh went to get some medicine to counteract the dizziness and nausea. Little Miss Sunshine came back with this beautiful bunch of flowers!

Such cheerful posies! AND they did get me some meds and I am feeling better again. I was able to eat a little for lunch. Surgical sites still look great and are healing well in spite of the pain.

So I guess I'm feeling like that little train who struggled to climb the mountain to reach the other side.

"I think I can! I think I can! I think I can get through this pain to the other side of my mountain!"

Thanks again for your prayers!

Healing

Above is the cancer site. Doc had to take a big enough "chunk" that my leg is indented quite a bit though it doesn't show in the picture. I'd rather him get everything the first time around though. This area is not causing me any pain at all and only has those itchy sensations that accompany healing.

This is the surgical site of the lesion, which is another form of diseased skin tissue. The Doc said that the hole was so huge, he could barely get it closed. There are somewhere around a dozen stitches here. This surgical site is causing me quite a bit of pain and I am having to take full dosage of the medication. That, on the other hand is making me dizzy and nauseous so I am struggling with eating. Would appreciate your continued prayers.

Update!

Surgical sights. Skin cancer removed from just above right ankle and a large lesion removed from bottom of left foot.

I'm not having any pain or problems with the area where the skin cancer was removed, but the lesion area is causing me quite a bit of pain. I'm not one to take a lot of pain meds, but I am relying on these meds quite heavily for now.

The Doc is still somewhat concerned as the lesion left such a huge hole that he could barely get it closed. Using crutches and a really ugly shoe for 2 weeks.

With a nurse like this, I should be better in NO time!! Letting nurse Nevaeh remove my IV tape!

Examining the patient!

The sugical nurse thought that I should encourage myself by thinking, "Cute flip flops! Really cute flip flops!"

I really hate surgery, but I did pretty good this time with the anesthetics. I'm really glad that this is over. We can remove the bandages in 24 hours after surgery to apply clean dressings.

Thankful for God's help and keeping my nerves under control. Mark was with me all the way!

I love you, Babe!

UPDATE!

Just a quickie! I am to report to the surgical center at 11:20 a.m. tomorrow, the 29th!

This is my CANCER B-GONE campaign!!

Remember, slather on the sunscreen "B4" you go out!

Jesus Was A Fisherman

Thought I would share some shots of one of the things that has kept us busy. You are about to experience Tabernacle Rod and Gun Fellowship. Separate from our Senior Adult class at our church, the Adult Class concentrates on Christian Discipleship and reaching out. Discussion turned into the Rod & Gun Fellowship as a means of outreach.

How do we reach the people who won't come to church because, "...the roof will fall in if I step inside your sanctuary!" among a host of other excuses! In the surrounding areas, hunting and fishing is a widespread and avid interest among the members of our community.

Since Jesus himself was a fisherman and He communicated with his followers by sharing fishing stories, we felt that it would be pleasing to Him for us to reach out to our community through this avenue.

With much help from our church family, we were able to plan and share an amazing event in our fellowship room. We had a trophy wall, picture board, displays from various vendors, archery shoot, fishing derby for the kids, prizes, workshops and speakers. Last, we fed a simple dinner to everyone present. This was a free of charge event. Some people loved the event so much that they asked if they could support us with a donation.

Great and solid contacts were made as we met people from our surrounding community for the first time. On the other hand, this event has created a problem for us. Our fellowship room was maxed out in occupancy and if we opt to carry over this function to another year, we are going to have to look for another building! But, that's a good problem to have, right?!

A lady from a local business embroidered hats, t-shirts and sweatshirts for our staff and some of the prizes. The emblem was designed by Rebecca Faust, a member of our congregation. We all love it and have decided that it's a keeper.

We'll use it again. Thanks, JoAnn from Stitchin' To Go!

Leslie was a great help in our kitchen.

Jeff is our Minister of Outreach here at Evangelistic Tabernacle and his sister Linda is the head of our Fellowship and Care Committee.

Our registration booth

Our registrars Rebecca & Dawn

Photographer for the event, Robert.

Assistant photographer for the event, Anna.

Asking the Greatest Fisherman to bless our meal.

Special event speaker, Darryl Quesenberry.

Shell Display

Archery Shoot

*I would add that our son Daryl, won the archery shoot!

Casting Contest

Successful fisherman Austin & Ashlynn!

Nathaniel & Mommy

Bri & Uncle Joe

And look who caught the whopper!!

Abby Whitmer

Beautiful fish!

Congratulations Abby!

Catching the last elusive few at the end of the day.

I think Daryl and Rob enjoyed this part immensely!

*SIGH* It was a long, tiring BUT profitable day!

Jesus said, "Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men!"