A praise and a request.

Last night Dad hosted the men's fellowship, "Band of Brothers", out at the Ranch again. This was the first time that he was able to be there since the surgery. They have met out at the Ranch since the surgery, but Dad was in the hospital in Houston and not able to attend. What a blessing for him to be there again, and to have all those men out there worshiping the Lord, and hearing the good saving news of Jesus Christ.
(Once again, for those that do not know Him as their personal savior, He is it! He is the reason for any of us getting up in the morning, He is the reason that Mom and Dad have been able to push through, and continue to believe that God is good no matter what. Even if Dad never gets better, He has done enough for him by dying on the cross for his sins, and saving him for all eternity.)
Please, if any do not know this saving truth, send us a comment and we will call you and visit with out about it!! It is why we do this blog and why Dad and Mom continue to want to minister to others in spite of their own suffering and pain.
Anyway, 98 men came out to the ranch last night, and Mom said it was great. Dad worked a little too hard all week trying to get ready, so he was very tired by the time the evening arrived. Praise God that some of the men stayed after and helped Mom clean up, while Dad went on up the the house to rest.
Our praise, besides the men's fellowship, is that Dad's gut has seemed to have gone back down almost to normal. He is able to even get some of his old jeans on. So we are very thankful for this. Dad is too, besides looking pregnant, and making jokes about letting Ray do a sonogram on him to see if it was a boy or girl, he was also in much pain with the bloating.
Our prayer request is that Dad would have the strength and whatever it is he needs to make himself eat enough, protein, calories, etc. As of today, he has lost 30 lbs. The Dr.s told us before the surgery to expect him to lose 20, but he has moved beyond that, and they are telling us he will have to be very careful to not continue to go down any more. Mom asked specifically for everyone to pray for his appetite to return, and for him to have the desire to make himself eat what he needs to.
Thank you also for all your sweet comments on the blog. I am encouraged and appreciate knowing that you all are reading and praying because of this. I needed the encouragement this week myself, so thank you.
In His amazing grace, JJ