Devastation...

Flooding in Southern Louisiana

Many of you know about our good friends who have a child named Jude that has Mitochondrial disease. You may be thinking, "I've never heard of that disease", but it is really not as rare as you may think considering most people are unaware of it. 1 in every 2,000 children are born or will develop mitochondrial disease by 10 years of age, but many cases go mis or undiagnosed so the number is probably much higher. Jude's mom Julie has made it her mission to promote awareness of this disease since Jude was diagnosed. She has led all kinds of creative fundraising efforts for the UMDF (United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation) & has spoken at many public forums to tell Jude's story & explain the symptoms & affects of Mito. Most recently, she & her mother have devoted this past year planning & preparing for a fundraising event called "Jude's Fai-do-do for Mito" to raise money for UMDF. If you are not cajun & unfamiliar with the term "fai-do-do", as I was not, it is basically a big dance with lots of cajun music & cajun food. Anyway, due to the devastation of Ike on the town in Louisiana where the event was to be held & to Julie's mother's house in southern Louisiana, the event has been cancelled. Their energies have been re-focused to getting her mom's (& other family in the area) house cleaned up and fixed from the damage of Ike. So please pray for Julie & her family as they struggle through this trying time of devastation & the dissappointment of planning for this event for so long only to have to cancel it. Also, you can read about Jude's story on the website where there is also a link to donate to UMDF if you feel so led.

Devastation seems to be the theme in those lives around me lately, whether due to natural disasters such as hurricane Ike & Gustav, loss of family & even children unexpectedly, or diagnosis of illness among adults & children we know. So through all of this I have been pondering over how God works through these devastating events in our lives and I read a letter this morning from another of our friends who has recently been devastated (I'll post later) who wrote "I do know that this is where the real living comes. Without risk (or trials or challenges), there is no real joy." (italics added by me) That is so the truth & exactly what God teaches us:

Romans 5:3-5 .... "We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love." (New Living Translation)

Over & over in the Bible God speaks to & through His disciples & prophets using examples of joy admidst trials & hardships & He promises to always "...work for the good of those who love Him..." (Romans 8:28) So if you are facing trials, challenges, risks & devastation right now, be joyful admist it, even praise God for it, knowing & trusting that God will bless you & bring you joy on the other side of it!