News from February 2009 Tuesday, February 10, 2009, 5:00 p.m. It is with great sadness that I tell you that precious Niamh passed away yesterday. After a long and difficult battle she passed away peacefully in her mom and dad's arms. I asked you to pray for a miracle and for God to display His hand in Niamh's life for the sake of her family's salvation. I trust that God is at work. I know that because of my plea, many of you were lifting her up before the throne of grace. God heard our cries, He knows her name, and He loves her, His precious creation. I hope and trust that God's grace covers her with His salvation, for a little one that could never cognitively understand. My heart is so burdened knowing that I have truth and hope that others do not have. Most of the families that I have connected with who have children like Micah do not know Jesus. Every time another child dies I wish I could have had a better opportunity to share salvation and hope that we have in God's eternal perspective. Developing a website and resources seem the best way to do this, but absolutely overwhelming. Micah has been sick this week again. He seems to be feeling better today. I took him to the doctor yesterday to be safe. His lungs were clear, and there was no sign of infection. As always, please pray for protection and health for him and our family. Monday, February 2, 2009, 6:00 p.m. Well since I last made an update, Micah has a couple rounds with illness. He is finally breathing clearly and not coughing. God has continued to protect him from pneumonia or any other serious illness. Praise God! He is really loving school. It is so sweet to watch. There have been several times where he will have a grumpy morning or seems to be lethargic and out of it. Sometimes when he is like this, more stimulation is annoying. However almost every time I take him to school in this state, he snaps out of it, and they tell me what a great day he had at school. He had one day last week where he was fussy and keeping his eyes down all morning. He had a big fit because of constipation right before we went to school. But when we walked in the door and he heard the other kids, he immediately opened his eyes wide and changed his grumpy face to one of contentment and awareness. We are so grateful for his wonderful teachers and therapists and all the support staff that give so much to making sure Micah has every opportunity to succeed. Even though he has had a lot of changes this year with school and providers, the transitions have been smooth, and I really feel like he is still getting great care. I wanted to update you on little Niamh whom I asked prayer for. She is still fighting, although struggling. I still ask that you lift her and her family up in prayer. Pray for healing for her and salvation for her family. She is now going on 4 weeks of not being able to have anything in her stomach and is surviving on 15 calories a day. That is miraculous in itself. She has also developed problems with her heart this last week. Her seizures are under better control and she is resting more peacefully. Please check out her site. You will see how much she looks like Micah. You can leave a message for the family. I would love for more followers of Jesus to be an encouragement to them. God is able to do what we think is impossible. I pray that they will see God's mighty hand because of Niamh. Also church, remember to keep praying for Amelia Alford. Amelia is part of our church family. She is 2 years old with Tay Sachs disease. This is a neurological disease with seizures, global delays, and many other complications. Amelia has been sick which has made her breathing worse. She has had to be on oxygen and breathing treatments. She too runs the fatal risk of pneumonia. Please be praying for healing for her and strength for her mom Sarah. Please visit her site too. Thank you as always for your continued prayers. We are always reminded of how powerful they are when we see how well Micah is doing.