Four
Chaplains Day – Seventy Years ago today
On the frigid night of 3 February
1943, the fully laden Allied ship USAT Dorchester, carrying 902 servicemen,
plowed through the dark waters near Greenland.
At 0100, a National Socialist
submarine fired a torpedo into the transport's flank, killing many in the
explosion and trapping others below deck.
It sank in 27 minutes. The
water temperature was 28°F, time of useful consciousness was measured in
seconds, not minutes. Everyone on
board knew that.
The two escort ships, Coast
Guard cutters Comanche & Escanaba, were able to rescue only 231 survivors.
In the chaos of fire, smoke, oil
and ammonia, four chaplains calmed the sailors and distributed lifejackets:
Lt. George L.
Fox, Methodist;
Lt. Clark V.
Poling, Dutch Reformed;
Lt. John P. Washington,
Roman Catholic;
Lt. Alexander
D. Goode, Jewish.
When there were no more
lifejackets, the four chaplains ripped off their own lifejackets and put them
on four young men.
As the ship went down, survivors
floating in rafts could see the four chaplains linking arms and bracing
themselves on the slanting deck.
They bowed their heads in prayer as they sank to their icy deaths.
Congress honored them by
declaring this "Four Chaplains Day."
On 7 February 1954, President
Dwight Eisenhower spoke from the White House in support of the American Legion
Back-to-God Program:
"
And we remember that, only a
decade ago, aboard the transport Dorchester, four chaplains of four faiths
together willingly sacrificed their lives so that four others might live.
In
the three centuries that separate the Pilgrims of the Mayflower from the chaplains
of the Dorchester, America's freedom, her courage, her strength, and her
progress have had their foundation in faith.
Today as then, there is need for
positive acts of renewed recognition that faith is our surest strength, our
greatest resource.
This “Back to God” movement is such a positive
act...
Whatever our individual church, whatever our personal creed, our common
faith in God is a common bond among us...
Together we thank the Power that has
made and preserved us a nation. By the millions, we speak prayers, we sing
hymns and no matter what their words may be, their spirit is the same-”In God
is Our Trust. As a former soldier,
I am delighted that our veterans are sponsoring a movement to increase our
awareness of God in our daily lives. In battle, they learned a great truth-that
there are no atheists in the foxholes."
Quite a distance from that time
and place to “Whatever we once were, we are no longer a Christian nation,” BH
Obama.
Prayer List Notice –
If you have someone on the prayer list and their needs have changed, please let
us know. We’d like to update our
prayers to reflect the need and most important to give thanks!
Travel
Carol is in Australia to be
with her family as they adjust to the loss of their mother. Please pray for her safe travel and
return home.
Loss of Home
Sarah who lost her home and all the
contents when her house caught fire and burned to the ground near the end of
January 2013. Her beloved dog was taken in the fire. Please pray for Sarah as
she has many decisions at this time and help her to know Jesus will be with her
to help to make the "crooked road straight."
Move
Ryan Hopkins has moved to Dillsburg,
Pennsylvania, to study Dressage Riding through June 2013. Please pray for God’s
guidance in his life as he works and studies. Help him to see where God would like him to go from here and
how he should get there.
The Thomas Family is on a short
tour assignment in Guam through August 2013. Please pray for the assignment to continue to go well for
Kurt and for Mary and the kids to make new friends. In particular pray that Kristyna and Mitchell will develop
good friends and schoolmates there so as to further their development as both
Christians and citizens. Things
seem to be going well where the sun rises on the United States, so keep
praying! Give thanks and ask for
continued good developments.
Birthday
Dru Arnold celebrated her 58th
birthday 2 February 2013. It should
be noted while it was a pleasant day, when she went outside first thing in the
morning, she did not see her shadow; thus there will not be six more weeks of
winter.
Marriage
Elizabeth and Gunnar were married on 17 November 2012.
They ask that you pray for God’s guidance in their lives as they move from
being two individuals to a single unit and help them to form their new family.
Departed
Ed Rasimus made his last
takeoff at 1045L 30 January 2013, after a really tough fight with cancer. Ed, who everyone called Raz, was a
retired Air Force major and flew over 250 combat missions into North Vietnam in
both the F-105 and F-4. More than
that, Raz was a true patriot and gentleman. He will be missed by all who knew him. Please give thanks for his sacrifices
on behalf of our country and pray for comfort for his family who remain behind,
in particular his wife Carol.
Nearing
the end of their time here on earth
Richard Campbell had a heart
attack and now pneumonia which is not responding to treatment. It may be he is near the end of his
time here on earth and is in hospice care. Please pray for him as he prepares
to go home to be with his family who have gone before him. Pray for Richard’s faith and that of
his family to build and the transition to be good. Pray also for those he
leaves behind.
Julia has cancer, which has
spread through her body, further treatment seems impossible. She is preparing to go home to be with
her family who have gone before her.
Pray for her faith to build and the transition to be good. Pray also for those she leaves behind.
Polly is in hospice care with
dementia and spinal stenosis.
Please pray for her as she prepares to go home to be with her family who
have gone before her. Pray for the
faith of her family to build and the transition to be good.
Homebound or Infirm
Lou has aspiration pneumonia. Please pray for the infection to be
knocked down and for her continued recovery.
Frank has been coping with various
ailments from older age. He is in his 90s and it has been a difficult year. Pray he will find comfort in God, that
those who provide care to him will pay attention to him, do their best and give
him the love we all desire. Pray
that the coming year will provide relief to him.
Norma, Sara’s mother is in a
state of deteriorating health, both physically and mentally, with both onset
dementia and Alzheimer’s. She is
slowly drifting away, though she still recognizes Sara and prayer gives her a
sense of peace. Please pray for
both Sara and her mother to put their cares and worries on God’s shoulders so
they can deal with the many problems involved.
In need
of a miracle or understanding of God’s Plan
Eugene (in his 80s) was
recently admitted to the hospital for pneumonia where they found he had Stage 4
lung cancer. Please pray for the
medical team treating Eugene to pay attention and do their very best; pray for
Eugene and his wife Gladys to let God carry their worries and cares and to help
them keep their physical strength and put all their trust in Him.
Larry Howes suffered a fairly
severe stroke. 4 December 2012, doctors replaced a valve in a shunt that had
been put in about two weeks ago, and Larry responded very well. He was able to go home. He is now back in Mass General
hospital. Please pray for the medical team treating him to pay attention and do
their very best; pray also for confidence in our Lord for Larry and his
family. Larry needs a miracle,
pray for one. Please.
Colleen has been battling pancreatic
cancer over the last year and it has now spread to one of her lungs. Please keep her and her family in your
prayers.
Christine has cancer of the colon,
which spread to her liver; she is receiving chemotherapy and is having
difficulty eating. Please pray for
the medical team treating her to pay attention and do their very best; pray
also for confidence in our Lord for Christine and her family.
Todd and Kenny have both been fighting osteocarcinoma for over five years
and have been told their time here on earth is nearing its end, absent a miracle
from God. Both are ready to go
home and leave the pain, but would like to stay. Please pray for them and their families.
Colonel Bud Day’s cancer has
returned. The outlook is not
favorable. Bud has been an
inspiration to all of us for years, this changes nothing. He is well at peace with our Lord and
we all hope he stays with us for a while longer.
Treatment
Brian has had lung problems for a
while. Recent tests found small
cell cancer in the upper lung and bronchial area. It appears not to have spread. Brian began radiation and chemotherapy on 26 December 2012;
that seems to be going pretty well. He has had some breathing issues, which seem to be under
control right now; he asks you pray for no more of that. Please pray for peace of mind and trust
in God for Brian so he can rest and gain strength; pray for the medical team
treating him that they pay close attention and do their very best; pray also
that he can quit smoking.
Surgery
Mike is in the hospital for emergency
Rotator Cuff surgery. Please pray
for the medical team treating him that they pay close attention and do their
very best and that he will have a rapid recovery.
Ralph who recently had surgery on his
sinuses, he is without faith in our Lord and Savior and is fairly naturally
feeling fearful and depressed.
Please pray for his physical recovery and that he might come to know our
Lord and gain complete spiritual health more importantly.
Thanksgiving and Continued Healing
Dick’s left arm was amputated after
treating for Merkel Cell carcinoma over a year. He is now believed to be cancer free and is waiting to be
fitted with an artificial arm. Please join Dick and his family in giving thanks
to Our Lord Jesus Christ for his recovery as well as for their trust in God.
Sasha a young lady with a husband and two
children had diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer whose cells were thought to
have spread to her spine. After
radiation and chemotherapy, which is continuing through the end of January
2013, she is regaining her stamina and does not have any detectable cancer
activity. The tumors in her skin are gone and the large tumors in her breasts
are gone. She and her family ask
that you give thanks to our Father in heaven. She also gives thanks to all who have prayed for her.
Traci had surgery colon cancer on 27
December 2012. The surgery went
very well and she appears to be cancer free. But, she had a pulmonary embolism and another clot in the
artery to the spleen which will keep her in the hospital for at least several
days. Traci is beginning to be weary of her medical situation. Please pray that
she will not become despondent.
Pray that she will open her heart to God’s Grace that He might enter in
to her heart and strengthen her.
Liz Strauch had surgery for a pineal
cyst on 4 December 2012. The
surgery was very successful, she was having nausea and pain from the surgery,
which has now subsided. Please
pray a prayer of thanksgiving for the successful surgery and the cessation of
the nausea and for continued recovery.
Bob Smouse had shoulder surgery
on 28 November 2012. He would
appreciate your thanksgiving prayers.
While the surgery apparently went well, he is still in pain and would
also appreciate prayers for continued healing and the pain to subside. He promises to work very hard on
recovery therapy.
Tore, of Oslo, Norway recently
had a kidney transplant. Unfortunately
his body rejected the kidney, infection had set in. Without God's healing touch he would soon die. According to his wife Inga, shortly
after the prayer request, he began a prompt recovery and is now home. Tore and Inga give thanks for God’s
Grace and your prayer.
Carol Stone, the sweet wife of Mike
Stone, seems to have recovered far better than expected from a severe brain
bleed. She thinks she can walk, etc., even though she cannot. She has improved and is nearly able to
stand up by herself; this makes it almost certain that she will have another
fall. Presently she can stand and
walk a little with a great deal of assistance. Hopefully this means she will ultimately be able to walk, at
least with the aid of a walker or cane.
What's holding her back at the moment is her cognitive deficits and they
are trying to find a place to get her more therapy
Please pray for peace of mind and trust in God
for Mike, guidance for the medical team treating Carol and strength for Carol as
well as faith and trust. No one
can ever understand the why of these things here on earth. Sara who passed this request on asks
that you pray in both faith and hope.
Muriel Pappin broke her hip in a fall
and had surgery on 21 November 2012. Muriel was home, but has had complications
and went back in the hospital.
She is now back home.
Please give thanks for her return home and pray for her continued
recovery.
Healing
James had surgery the afternoon of 10
February 2012, to remove two small, but cancerous tumors, from his intestines. On 14 January 2013, James was found to
have bladder cancer. On 28 January
2013, he underwent surgery. The doctor
felt she got all of the tumor. They still are waiting on the results of the
tissue samples she removed. The
result of the report will decide the treatment options. Please pray that the
cancer was confined to the tumor alone and that it has not invaded the bladder
walls. James is a minister with
the AOC in Savannah, Georgia. He
made it through the first hurdle, he and his family ask your prayers for this
second trial. Please pray for the
medical team treating him to do their very best and pay attention, pray for the
treatment to go well and result in remission. Pray that James and his family will be able to put their
cares and worries on God’s shoulders during this trying time.
Richard an elderly gentleman has severe
pneumonia. Please pray for the medical team treating him to do their very best
and pay attention, pray for the treatment to go well and result in recovery.
Lee has Arterial Fibrillation; the
medical people are not sure how to help her. Please pray for guidance for the team treating her and for
Lee and her family to make the right decisions regarding treatment..
Nell recently adopted two children and has
just been diagnosed with multiple myeloma.
Sarah is recovering from a stroke, but
fell and broke bones. Please pray
for her peace of mind and rapid and full recovery. Pray for trust in God for her and her family.
Inez’ blood pressure is back down, but
she needs surgery for a torn leg muscle.
Please pray for guidance for the medical people treating her, as well as
peace of mind and trust in God for her and her family.
Kathleen has spent the last two weeks in
the hospital. She has been
diagnosed with colitis, shingles and possibly colon cancer. Pray she will be
comfortable and begin to heal.
Rachel has Mitochondrial Myopathy. This is a hereditary disease of the
muscles and they do not have a cure for it. Part of her pain is her family does
not believe she is indeed ill, as she appears to be just fine. Please pray her
family will learn the truth and be supportive of her; pray also the medical
people treating her will find the right measures to minimize the disease. Most particularly pray for Rachel’s
trust in God.
Donald went into ICU the night of 22
December 2012, for unknown reasons.
Mrs. Tucker has had recent surgery as a
result of bleeding on the brain. Please pray for trust in God and a full and
rapid recovery.
Jesse a 27 year old man from Nebraska
has had emergency brain surgery for bleeding in the brain. Please pray for trust in God and a full
and rapid recovery.
Zoie a little 10 year old girl is having
problems with one of her kidneys. Please pray that she will be comfortable soon.
Nicolas is in the hospital with serious
symptoms of a heart disorder. Please pray for peace of mind for him and
guidance for the medical team looking for the cause and cure.
Mrs. Baek an elderly women fell and
injured her spine. Doctors cannot
repair the spinal injury due to her age. She fell again the morning of 12
December 2012, breaking her collar bone which is also untreatable. Mrs. Baek is
in severe pain and will appreciate your prayers.
Gil Garcia is hospitalized with a slow
healing skin injury at the Long Beach Veteran’s Spinal Cord Injury Center. Please give thanks for Gil’s incredible
attitude, as well that of his wife Mary and their family. Pray for the rapid healing of the skin
injury so Gil can go home soon.
Juanita is a young girl who was in a
coma because of a blood disease.
She has not come out and is gaining strength. They are awaiting results
from blood samples. Her family
thanks you for your prayers and asks that you continue.
Barbara had a accident while cooking and
the pressure cooker blew up in her face, causing second and third degree burns
over her face and upper body. Because of this she has incurred kidney problems
and may need a transplant.
George had foot surgery. Please give thanks for the surgery and
pray for a full and rapid recovery.
Nellie is in the emergency room of a
hospital in a great deal of pain. Please
pray for peace of mind for her and guidance for the medical team looking for
the cause and cure.
Lauralee Meade underwent a lumpectomy on
Friday after Thanksgiving. A
further anomaly has been discovered and she had additional preventative
radiation treatment. Please pray
for a complete remission of the cancer.
Pray also Lauralee will maintain her great attitude and trust in God.
Kevin Gerhart discovered cancer on his
neck. He underwent radiation and
chemotherapy. Please pray for the
medical team treating Kevin that they might pay attention, do their very best
and find the source; that the treatment might be successful and he might live a
long and healthy life to His honor and glory. Pray also for trust in God and peace of mind for Kevin, his
wife and family.
Bill, Sara’s husband, had a third
abdominal surgery on 22 November 2011, to remove a tumor. Bill is doing better keeping the
doctor’s instructions, for which we are all grateful, including taking chemotherapy
once a day for two more years. He has
radically decreased the consumption of alcohol and eating at least mostly
properly. Please pray for help for
him to continue do all this.
Please pray also that Bill might turn his heart outward to help those
around him, as well as live a long and healthy life to the honor and glory of
God. Pray also for peace of mind
for Bill and his wife Sara.
Kay Denton (Mrs. Kay) hip has
deteriorated to the point walking is a slow and painful process, but she
manages. Please pray for
continued peace of mind for Mrs. Kay and her family. Give thanks for her trust in the Lord and her positive
attitude.
Steve Sundberg had a heart attack after
Easter 2011. After some time, the
medical team treating him decided he was not a candidate for stents and a
five-way heart by-pass was performed the week of 6 June 2011. Please pray for his complete recovery
and for his three children and family who are very worried about him, pray also
for his trust in our Lord and for both him and his family to let God carry
their worries while he recovers.
Matt Alcantara, age 15, has Osteosarcoma
(bone cancer), a very rare and often lethal form of cancer with limited
treatment options. This is a
disease that is about 90 percent fatal in a couple of years. He has no hip joint on one side, but he
walks and swims! Courage? Guts? You bet! Matt and his mom just came back from Houston
at the Cancer Center for what was hoped to be a routine every four month bone
scan. The scans were done on
schedule, but a couple of new spots showed up. After Matt’s San Diego doctors conferred with the
Houston doctors to figure out what these spots mean, it turned out they are new
and old injuries with no bad meaning.
In effect they are CLEAN SCANs.
Matt and his family ask you to give thanks for the super results. Please also give thanks for the great
faith of Matt and his entire family.
Their faith and trust is a wonderful example for each and every one of
us. But, now is not the time to
stop praying. Actually, it never
is the time to stop praying!
Judith Clingwall, is afflicted with
Multiple Sclerosis (MS). She is
currently in Laurel Place, an extended care facility in Surrey, British
Columbia. Judith's condition has
worsened recently. She is no
longer able to stand, in fact she has a lot of trouble sitting upright. Judith
is depressed and wants to go home to watch her birds, which given everything
seems unlikely at present. Please
pray for her to take an active part in her own life, for her strength, peace of
mind, trust in God and remission of the disease so she might return home to her
family. Pray also for strength for
her husband Martin as he deals with all the problems and stress of Judith’s
situation.
Becky Madden is paralyzed from the neck
down as the result of a tragic shooting accident. Her husband is doing his best to take care of her; it is
hard and he is learning the best he can.
Please pray for further recovery for Becky, as well as strength and
guidance for her husband.
Vince (age 15), reoccurrence of
Osteosarcoma, recent testing found a nickel sized tumor in his lungs. The doctors are consulting with a
specialist in Houston. Please pray
for guidance for the medical team and for peace of mind for Vince and his
family.
Obra Gray
continues to take day by day.
Please continue to keep Obra in your prayers, and give him the strength
of knowing the Lord is with him and will never forsake him. Obra needs security
of what lies ahead of him, and only the Lord can grant the solace to answer his
prayer.
Business
Mark’s business is in difficulty. He works in a shrinking field, of which
he is one of the country’s true masters, but there is little work
available. He asks that you pray
that he can find a way to survive in his industry, which he loves and needs his
talents. Pray he can find new
sources of business and new ways of doing things, perhaps someone to partner
with to better use his talents.
Pray also for those who work for and with him that they might do their
best to help.
Employment
Lori is considering a potential change
in her employment. Please pray for
God’s guidance in considering all aspect of her potential work.
Rodriguez Family are looking for work.
It seems many obstacles have been put in their way of finding employment. Please pray they will find employment
with a firm that will be able to use their considerable skill and hard work to
benefit both the firm and the family.
Sarah is concerned about the
future with her company. She would
appreciate prayers for her continued employment and that her firm might find
more and better ways to use her considerable skills.
Financial
Guidance and Healing
David and Lorna are having
financial problems. They are
trying to find a smaller home which may be more affordable. Lorna
has had an ongoing battle with brain cancer, her trips back and forth to the
hospital have drained their finances to the point they sometimes struggle to
have enough food in the house.
Pleaser pray for Lorna’s healing and guidance on how they might handle
the financial difficulties in which they have found themselves.
Guidance
Daniel and Danielle are experiencing
family strife as a result of custodial issues with a daughter. Please pray they and those they strive
with might look to the child’s best interests in their time of difficulty and
disagreement; to work for her best interests and not use her as a weapon
amongst themselves.
Abigail is a teenager who has behavior
problems. She feels she is in an
area of mental darkness. Please
pray that she might look to God for help and not within herself.
Sara asks that you pray for guidance for
her as she deals with the stresses of her family and life. Pray that she can separate those things
which she can affect from those things which she cannot and give her grace to
accept that she cannot do everything and can only change those things within
her control. She asks for God’s
help to grow her business while keeping up with the needs of her mother and
husband and healing her own problems.
Jacquie to open her heart to God and
accept His Love and Grace.
Hap and Ryan both ask you to pray they might be able to trust God will help
them make the right decisions at the right time and not to worry uselessly, to
change those things they can change, accept those things they cannot change,
sleep well to be able to do the correct things with a clear head and that they
will open their hearts to the Holy Ghost.
New Congregations
New AOC congregations have been established in the Temotu Province of the
Solomon Islands. This is in the
Eastern end of the Islands and a ways away from the established congregations
in these islands. Please pray for them as they bring souls to Christ as they
establish His Church.
Guidance for Ministers
Ken Howes
has been invited to St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada to
preach. There is a possibility of
a call to that church, a 600-member church with weekly services in German and
English. His ability to speak
German was what prompted their interest in Ken; he preached in both languages last
Sunday. Please pray for Ken, his
family and St. Peter's. Pray also
for Ken to not worry about his brother Larry.
Rev LTC Al Ryan has been appointed
Deacon-In-Charge of the mission parish of St. Augustine of Canterbury Anglican
Church, Anglican Church in America (ACA) parish in Old Orchard Beach,
Maine. It is a small but growing mission, which has been plagued by
clergy change. Al, the diocesan
pilot, has been appointed for one year, during which time he is to help them
identify what their needs are for a vicar. He has done this before and asks you to pray for God’s help
one more time; not only for himself, but for the parish.
Armed
Forces & Contractors
Airman Donny Patton (Kadena AB,
Japan), Jordan (USMC – Fleet Marine Force - Pacific), Trevor (USAF - KC-10 Boom
Operator), Trevor (USN – Whidbey Island, EF-18 Pilot), Kurt Thomas (USN – Guam)
Persecuted
Around the
world, Christians are under attack, not only in the Muslim world, but from
Hindus and others in India. Also,
they are under continual attack in the name of “Separation of Church and State”
in the western world, as it becomes actively atheist or pro-devil buddy. Please pray for God’s guidance and
protection for all persecuted Christians and those around them.
Thanksgiving
Hap Arnold gives thanks for
safe travel this week.
Bobbie was born prematurely in December
2012 and is now home from the hospital.
He and his parents give thanks to God and thank you for your prayers.
Ernest had a successful angiography and stent
emplacement on Saturday 15 December 2012.
He is now home and doing very well. Please give thanks for the successful surgery, the medical
team doing a great job and also pray for his continued full recovery.
Various
Special Requests
We ask that
you pray, please ask God that the Holy Ghost might give you insight into how
you might make the lives of your friends and family better. Remember helping others is not just
those who you don’t know!
Please join
us in praying that the Free Teen Guitar
Class will be continue to be an opportunity for God to work in the lives of
the kids and their families.
Please ask God to guide the class to new opportunities to make Him known
to others. Help us to let the love
of our Lord shine through us into their lives, putting Him first, so that He
might enter in to their hearts and lives.
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