Prayer Requests and Updates from 09/12 – 10/02/24

10/02/24 Prayer Request (from Ken Swiger, pastor, SDCA) Wanda Brown’s brother, Jim Moffette, is in the ICU at Parkwest Hospital in Knoxville, TN. Jim is a Vietnam Vet and has had serious health issues for a long time. Now, he is also suffering from dementia. Please join me in lifting Jim and his family up in prayer. Let’s ask for God’s merciful touch in his life.

10/01/24 Prayer Request Update – (from Scott Hoefker, pastor, CGM) Barbara Shanks (Montgomery, AL) [From her sister Diane Bagley Carmichael] “I know it’s been a few days since I’ve written an update on Barbara and I’m sorry about that. These updates are difficult to write. I had written an update earlier yesterday that was pretty depressing. To be honest, Barbara’s condition was not good when we got to rehab on Saturday afternoon. She was lying in her bed with her eyes shut, not eating, not talking much, not able to move around at all. She still doesn’t have much strength or control of her body but yesterday afternoon we saw improvement in some areas. It seems that getting to rehab on a Saturday afternoon is not a good thing because the staff is weekend staff, which is slim and things are not what they normally are. We arrived at about 4:00 and got Barbara settled in as best as we could and stayed almost as long as was allowed (8:00). It was our first night leaving her alone, which was hard. Sunday morning, we were there at 8:00 sharp and at 8:15, Barbara’s awesome OT person, Kim, came in and all by herself got Barbara out of bed and into a chair made of PVC with wheels and rolled her into the shower where Barbara got her first shower in nearly three weeks. Next was a PT evaluation and then speech therapy evaluation, which Barbara was too tired to complete. By noon, she was exhausted, didn’t eat much of anything yet again, wasn’t talking much and was mostly still just lying there with her eyes closed. We arrived Monday morning at 8:00 and breakfast was already on her bed table. She had not eaten much at all. Two aides came and gave her a bath in bed, then the speech therapists came to try to finish her cognitive evaluation. Barbara was so weak that she couldn’t think to answer much of anything. One question was “If your lamp won’t turn on, what are two possible reasons why it won’t turn on?” She thought and thought and finally said “power.” That little answer took quite a while but at least she did come up with one of two answers. When the speech therapists saw how tired Barbara was, they left and said they would come back later. Barbara had a group PT session which was a yoga class on a video and then it was “dance class” with more upbeat music. There were 15 or so patients in wheelchairs trying to move their various body parts. The group PT/OT sessions are not Barbara’s thing. Next was lunch which Barbara didn’t eat again. After a nap at lunchtime yesterday, Barbara woke up and was quite feisty and very insistent that we get her on the toilet. After a bit of back and forth and not understanding why Sharron and I couldn’t get her out of bed and on the toilet, her handsome PT guy, Dalton, came in and got her in a rolling potty chair and moved the chair over the toilet. He was so incredibly patient! She was happy the rest of the evening. That seemed to be the start of an upturn. Since then, she has started eating more and is awake again. Today was one-on-one PT from 9-10:00, speech from 10-10:30, one-on-one OT from 10:30-11:00 and the group PT and OT until noon. Barbara was completely exhausted by the time she got back to her room. She ate a decent amount of her lunch, then at 2:30 – 3:00, she had speech therapy again. This schedule seems to be what she will pretty much have for her stay here. Visitors are welcome to watch PT – she actually had a friend come this morning who watched some of PT. She is getting kind of stir crazy now in the afternoons so visitors would be a welcomed site! Thanks again for all the prayers and concern! It’s going to be a long road to recovery…” Reach out to CGM if you wish to know which hospital she is in there in Montgomery, AL.”

09/30/24 Prayer Request Update (from Ken Swiger, pastor, SDCA) Many of you have asked about the status of our prayer request for David Davis [#18 Sickness & Suffering – blood clot in LVAD heart pump]. David has been sent home from the hospital under Hospice end of life care. He is back in Tennessee now. The LVAD doctor told David and Sheila that David might survive the surgery associated with replacing his LVAD. But he has already had two open heart surgeries that cracked his chest, and another one that went in through his rib cage. So, David has lots of scar tissue to get through. And if he survived the surgery to clean out the infection in his chest and heart, they would have to remove a lot of tissue in the process. David would face a very difficult and miserable six months of trying to recover. Having weighed the options, David and Sheila chose to skip the surgery and come home to Tennessee and be under Hospice care. We anointed David [and also the LVAD unit] today, and we have faith that our God and Heavenly Father absolutely is able to resolve the blood clot in the heart pump and protect David from the dangers of the clot moving into his body. Please join me in praying for God to find it in His will to do just that. David is in good spirits and is at peace with whatever God’s will holds for him. David and Sheila are at home at this time and I would request that you respect their need for some family time and privacy. If you wish to reach out it might be best for them if you communicate via text message. Or you may email them at this address [prayer.ken@gmail.com] and I will be sure to forward your messages to them.

09/30/24 Prayer Request Update (from Ken Swiger, pastor, SDCA) Joanna Carroll provided this update on her son, Mark Medina [#49 Sickness & Suffering awaiting kidney transplant, home-dialysis]. Here is text from her email: Mark went to the hospital again last Thursday. There was a clog and his dialysis machine so we had to go to the dialysis place and they sent him to the hospital got him fixed up. He returned home and in the middle of the night, his blood pressure went extremely high. They had to go back to the hospital as of now, he is home, he’s weak. He needs prayer. Thank you so much.

09/29/24 Prayer Request Update – (from Scott Hoefker, pastor, CGM) Chrispine Odhiambo Ogwel (CGM – Migori, Kenya, East Africa). “I thank God for His healing, as my eye is improving though I can’t use it to see bright light.  Thanks to everyone for your prayers, please continue”.

09/19/24 Prayer Request Update (from Ken Swiger, pastor, SDCA) Michael Mayfield [#47 Sickness & Suffering] reports that his most recent brain scan indicates that the cancerous tumor is growing again. He will have another MRI soon and the doctors will make their prognosis. Michael is determined that he does not want to do radiation treatments again. He is at peace with the idea of possibly dying, but has anxiety about the physical pain and suffering he may have to endure as the cancer takes its toll on his body. Please join me in praying for Michael to have peace of mind and to make the right decisions regarding his health.

09/16/24 Prayer Request update – (from Scott Hoefker, pastor, CGM) I so appreciated your prayers for surgery on my right knee completed on Tuesday morning 08/20. I am recovering normally, and getting stronger day by day. Also, after a MRI that I had with contrast (injection of dye prior) for my injured right shoulder I met with the same orthopedic surgeon and I will have shoulder surgery on November 5. My bicep is torn, rotator cuff torn, and several tendons shredded. I will have several months of rehab before the shoulder will be back to normal.

09/12/24 Prayer Request update – (from Scott Hoefker, pastor, CGM) Pam Kimmons (Boque Chitto, MS) “September 12, 2024 – 2:51 p.m. “This morning (9/12), Pam underwent an ERCP procedure as an outpatient to remove the temporary stent placed in her biliary duct 6 weeks ago. It involved full anesthesia but no surgery. The GI specialty doctor that performed the procedure was the same one that did the original stent. We talked with her both before and after the procedure today. We advised her that Pam has decided to not do chemotherapy and surgery rather choosing more natural and less invasive treatments. The GI doctor then advised that instead of replacing the temporary stent with another designed to last for 6 months we could elect a replacement designed to be permanent. Pam chose that option. We explained the monitoring, testing, and treatment process we plan to pursue under the supervision of Pam’s doctor in Texas. We offered and she agreed to be kept updated on Pam’s progress and be available should we need further assistance. The GI doctor reported that the procedure was successful with no complications. She did not notice any changes from what she observed in the original procedure 6 weeks ago. The procedure took about 90 minutes including time in recovery. Pam was then released and we have returned home. Thank you for your continued prayers and support on this journey to healing. (On a side note: The hurricane passed directly over us in Brookhaven and Jackson. MS with no noticeable damage. For us it was a complete nonevent. 😎 (In spite of what the weather channel reported.)” – (Anthony Kimmons).”

Ongoing Previous Requests

09/17/24 Prayer Request Update – (from Scott Hoefker, pastor, CGM) I spoke via WhatsApp video connection today with Noé Monsanto (CGM – Guatemala City, Guatemala). August 16^th’s court proceedings went overall very well. He requests continued prayers regarding a very serious situation he is still facing and needs God’s intervention and will to be done. The legal decision has been extended again (after the meeting today, September 17) to December 11 at 1:00 p.m. Please continue to join my wife and me in prayer lifting Noé before our Father in heaven that His will be done in this situation with divine intervention as needed.

09/05/24 Prayer Request Update – (from Scott Hoefker, pastor, CGM) I spoke with Patty Graham this afternoon and she asks that we continue to pray for her husband Stan Graham. “Our condition here remains difficult. Several weeks ago Stan fell, and ended up having them go in through the back of his neck to staple, screw, and wire several vertebrae in his neck that were broken. He is just starting to walk again. Stan also has cirrhosis of the liver and is very sick, continuing to decline daily. He basically sleeps, watches a little TV and goes to treatment for 5-6 hours.  I truly believe trials are for the testing of our faith and when endured gives the peace and strength needed to endure even harder times.  Without them, we would not need to rely on God”. The Grahams live in Pensacola, FL.

05/31/24 Prayer Request Update – (from Scott Hoefker, pastor, CGM) Wanted to give a brief update on my left eye that I had surgery on in September of 2023. For the last 8 months I’ve had no problems. However, last Sabbath I experienced some very disturbing symptoms that lasted through Memorial Day. After an extensive exam on Wednesday of this week it was determined that there is no detached retina. However, a “glob” of some type of liquid has separated and is floating through my vision, which gives me headaches trying to concentrate around the opaque film. I was told “it may clear up in a week or take as long as a year…” No further surgery is required at the present time. I’d appreciate prayers for it to clear up as I do need my vision to continue with this calling God has called Gayle and me to. Our Father’s will be done.

05/11/22 Prayer Request – (from Scott Hoefker, pastor, CGM) From Larry Field, (Nebraska). “I would like to ask for continued prayers – it’s my back/pelvic area. I was badly injured in 2016 when a machine fell on top of me, breaking my pelvis in 4 places, and severing a bunch of nerves. It also cracked my tailbone and came extremely close to severing my spinal cord. I would/should have been paralyzed, if not for God’s intervention. Lately the pain in my pelvic area has ramped up to extreme levels, and it is very difficult to walk. The strongest non-prescription drug, Tylenol, is no longer effective. My body just is resistant to pain medication, for some reason. I’m not getting much done at all, and I’m falling seriously behind on everything here…please pray that there be some relief, at least for this pain, if it be God’s will”.

(These prayer requests and updates listed are partial, as there are a large number received each week, so we simply cannot list them all. These come from several fellowships of the body of Christ throughout the U.S. and world.) Any prayer requests or announcements to be shared on the CGM website and/or this weekly update should be sent directly to Scott Hoefker by Wednesday of each week, (via e mail if possible). You may also use the “contact us” page on the CGM website to do so.)