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Saturday, December 27, 2008
19th Update on Whitney - Greece #1
Whitney with her ophthalmologist, Dr. Brazitikos and his partner, Dr. Sophia. They were so kind to Whitney and she really felt comfortable with them.
Here is Whitney in her pre-op garb. They gave her some "yummy" syrup to make her sleepy before the procedure.
Our family had a special time of prayer for Whitney on the morning of her procedure. Whitney loves to spend time with Kris and his prayer for her was so touching and Christ-centered.
It was such a treat for us to take the girls to Applebees restaurant. We don't have any restaurants with that type of food and it was fun to hang out together.
Faithful prayer partners,
Greetings in the Lord from Tirana, Albania. We are back home from our trip to Thessaloniki, Greece for Whitney's eye procedure. We apologize that we didn't get this out sooner but due to Internet issues and Christmas, we were not able to send an update sooner.
The time that we spent in Thessaloniki for Whitney's medical care reminded us that God is sovereign over history and the intimate details of each of our lives. Watching the sun set over the same ocean that Paul stood by nearly 2,000 years ago inspired us to recall the Lord's tender care for His servants. We even saw some ancient archaeological arches; although the girls were much more interested in the "golden arches" of McDonald's.
On Monday, December 22, Whitney had her first appointment with Dr. Brazitikos, who is a professor of ophthalmology in Greece. He performed numerous tests and even did an IV angiogram of the vessels in her eye (he injected dye into her veins which then traveled to her eyes). We were then able to see very clearly the subretinal neovascular membrane that is affected by the hemorrhage in her eye. The doctor told us that he has high hopes that he will be able to treat her condition with good results because we caught the hemorrhaging in the early stages. We glorify God that He brought it to our attention when He did. The doctor's treatment plan is to inject a medicine for macular degeneration directly into the affected area of the eye for 3 months in a row. We will be driving to Greece again at the end of January and February for this surgical procedure. His hope is to avoid having to perform laser surgery which has the potential to cause more damage because of the close proximity of her injury to the vision center of her eye.
On Tuesday morning Whitney went to the one day surgical center for the first of these injections. The procedure took only a few minutes. However, we spent quite a few hours recovering in the hospital because Whitney did not respond well to the anesthesia she received. She was in quite a bit of pain and was disoriented. Thankfully the anesthesia was out of her system within a couple hours after she was discharged and she was feeling back to normal. Whitney's vision has not improved at this time, but we are praying that the combination of the three shots will reduce the hemorrhage and halt the degeneration of the affected area of her eye in order for her to recover some of the vision that she had two weeks ago. We will follow up with our ophthalmologist here in Tirana next week to monitor her intraocular pressure and to make sure there is not any infection.
Thank you all for your fervent prayers for our family as we travelled to and from Greece. God worked in a mighty way in answering our prayers at the border crossing back into Albania. We had been told that the line is sometimes 1-2 days long during this time of year! We were praying fervently and had a letter from Whitney's doctor that strongly suggested that Whitney be allowed to pass through the border quickly due to her medical issue. When we got to the border there were over 100 cars in line. After Kris spoke with three different Greek border agents, we were able to pass right to the front! We were in Albania in 45 minutes instead of the hours it would have taken. What a powerful God we serve. It was a tremendous opportunity for our girls to witness God's might, and to see first hand that He hears and answers our prayers.
We are so thankful for your continued prayer support. Here are some specific prayer requests regarding this situation.
* Pray that Whitney would not have any latent adverse reaction to the drug injected in her eye (like increased pressure in her eye or an infection).
* Pray that the hemorrhage and build-up of fluid in her eye would decrease, and that the medicine would have its intended results.
* Pray that the subsequent procedures in January and February would stop this degeneration of her macula so that she would not have to have the laser surgery.
* Pray that Whitney would regain some of her vision. Her far vision has not been greatly affected by this hemorrhage, but her near vision is severely reduced which affects her reading.
* Pray that we would have the opportunity to share the gospel with the Greek doctor and his staff since God has orchestrated that Whitney needs this continuation of care for at least the next 2 months.
* Pray that Whitney would not be afraid of or resist the next procedure due to the fact that this last one was rough on her and she remembers the post-op pain quite well.
* Continue to pray for Whitney's spiritual health and salvation.
* Pray that our insurance would cover all the doctor bills and hospital charges related to these procedures.
During our time in Greece, God used the situation to highlight His mercy to us and teach us some important lessons. Waiting rooms are interesting places. They strip away the veneer of our control and reveal our true heart and raw emotions. Hopelessness, fear, impatience, anxiety, relief, and joy are all displayed by those who find themselves in waiting rooms. Even with language barriers it's obvious to see the feelings that are common to human kind. While we were in the surgical waiting room as Whitney had her procedure we heard over the hospital sound system the familiar Christmas song proclaim, "Joy to the world, the Lord is come, let earth receive her King. Let every heart prepare Him room." Looking around at the peoples faces in the waiting room we could see every emotion but joy. At that moment thanksgiving and joy flooded our hearts in light of the reality that Christ had been born for US. He redeemed US through His death and resurrection. The peace that we were experiencing, sitting in the same waiting room with all of these other people, was only possible through Christ. In that waiting room, John 14:27 and 15:11 brought great comfort. "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete." Our hearts were broken for all those "sitting in the darkness and the shadow of death" upon whom the Light of the "Sunrise from on high" has not yet brought peace and salvation (Luke 1:78-79). How undeserving we are to have the right to be called children of the King and co-heirs with the Light of the world (John 1:12), but we praise Him for His sustaining grace that brings us such joy and hope.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support of our family as we have the privilege of watching our great God work through this trial in our lives.
Bondslaves of the King,
The Stire family
Saturday, December 20, 2008
18th Update on Whitney - lessons in trust
All the girls love to help with decorating the Christmas tree. Here is Whitney when we were all done with the tree and the stockings.
Whitney and the rest of the girls did a fantastic job singing and making melody to the Lord for their school Christmas program. Whitney loves to sing.
Loving family and friends,
As always, we are so thankful for your continued prayers for Whitney. We have been reminded again, this week, of how God graciously and magnificently intervenes in our lives to accomplish His will.
On Monday morning, when Whitney was doing her home eye test, we noticed that the vision in her right eye was significantly reduced. Our retinal specialist in Houston had told us to be on the look out for changes of this nature and so we contacted him immediately with this new development. He recommended that we have Whitney checked out by the ophthalmologist here in Tirana as our first course of action. However, our ophthalmologist in Tirana was out of the country for a few days and was not able to check her status until Thursday. During those intervening days God comforted us and encouraged us with Psalm 37:5, “Commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him and He will do it.”
Today, Thursday, Whitney had an appointment with the Albanian eye doctor. He confirmed that her vision had indeed reduced from 20/50 to 20/200 in the past 3 weeks. Upon further examination he noticed obvious hemorrhaging in the eye and some fluid build-up behind the retina. After a thorough exam he recommended that we have a procedure done that would require an injection of medicine directly into her eye. We are unable to have this procedure done here in Tirana because of the lack of specialized care and equipment. The doctor was concerned that we have this procedure done as quickly as we could to avoid further damage to the eye.
Thankfully, we were able to contact the retinal specialist in Houston and e-mail him the photos of the new eye scan performed today. Praise God for Skype and e-mail! He agreed with the Albanian doctor’s diagnosis and treatment. The procedure that Whitney needs is a quite common procedure for adults, but is not done often on small children so there is more risk for her. The doctor informed us that this injection would most likely need to be performed two times, within a month of each other and that she may even need to have laser surgery at the second injection. If Whitney and I returned to the states for this procedure we were looking at a minimum of a 5 week stay. I have to say that I was not looking forward to leaving my family during Christmas and being gone for over a month after we had already been separated for a month just recently. Kris and I brought the whole situation to the Lord and asked for His wisdom and direction. What a privilege to watch the Almighty God at work!
He clearly directed our path to Greece. Our retinal specialist in Houston asked some respected, internationally renowned ophthalmologists if they knew a qualified and specialized doctor in Greece that they could recommend for us. Greece is a 10 hour drive for us and quite a bit less expensive than travelling to America. Those doctors all recommended the same doctor in Thessaloniki, Greece! The doctor in Houston even called the doctor in Greece personally to talk with him about Whitney’s situation and to find out if the doctor was qualified to perform this kind of procedure. Our doctor was able to recommend the Greek doctor with full confidence. What an answer to prayer!
So, on Sunday afternoon our whole family (yeah, we don’t have to be separated!) will drive to Greece. On Monday Whitney will have her pre-op check up and then on Tuesday morning she will have the surgical procedure at a superb eye clinic. The doctor said that if everything goes as planned and she has no complications, we will be able to leave on Wednesday morning and be back home to celebrate Christmas at our house. Wow!
We would ask that you continue to pray for Whitney. Here are some specific things to pray for:
• Pray that God would protect Whitney’s eye from further trauma and from increased pressure in her eye until we can get to the doctor in Greece on Monday.
• Pray that the hemorrhage would cease bleeding into her eye and that the fluid build-up behind her retina would not cause any problems between now and the time of her surgery.
• Pray that we would have safe and quick trip from Tirana, Albania to Thessaloniki, Greece. The roads in Albania are not very good and crossing the border can be notoriously difficult.
• Pray that God would give the doctor wisdom and skill to perform this invasive and dangerous procedure without any complications.
• Pray for Whitney’s spiritual redemption. Kris and I have been praying more and more for her as we see a general lack of spiritual interest in her. It seems God is drawing her with cords of loving kindness to Himself. Pray that she would submit to His call. What a tremendous Christmas it would be to see the life of Christ born in her!
• Pray for the salvation of the doctor and his staff in Greece. It seems that God has opened the doors many times for me to share the hope of the gospel with Whitney’s care givers. Pray that they would have sensitive hearts and that Kris or I would take any opportunity God presents to share the gospel. We will be in the ancient city of Thessalonica, Greece where Paul preached and a large number of Jews, Greeks and prominent women were saved (Acts 17). Hopefully, we won’t be run out of town like Paul was. :-)
• Pray that we would use this situation to highlight “God with us” for our girls. Kris and I have been praying about a way to refocus our family’s eyes on Christ during this season when it is easy to find satisfaction in things rather than in God Himself. God has answered that prayer.
Thank you so much for remembering us in your prayers during the next few days. We will send you an update after Whitney’s visit with the doctor in Greece.
“Morning by morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; morning by morning I lay my requests before You and wait in expectation.” Psalm 5:3
Resting in Him,
Chelle, for the Stire family
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
17th update on Whitney Stire
Dear praying friends,
Thank you all for your faithful intercession for Whitney and for our family. We have been encouraged by so many of you that have e-mailed us in the last month asking about Whitney’s condition and letting us know that you are continuing to pray for her. You are ministering to us in a mighty way. Thank you!
Last Sunday, November 30th, Whitney had her first check-up with the eye doctor in Albania since we returned home from America. Over the past 2 months we have been checking her vision every couple of weeks with a home eye chart and monitoring the blind spot in her central vision. The retinal specialist in Houston told us that Whitney’s eye would continue to heal from the trauma in the 3-4 months after the injury. His hope was that these past couple of months would bring increased vision and that the blind spot would disappear. It has been a little over 3 months since her accident and we are thankful that Whitney has the ability to see at all. However, her vision has not improved much since we left the states in October. She still has only about 50% of her vision in her right eye. This is such a blessing and we are truly grateful to the Lord for this mercy in her life because she could have been blinded so easily.
We praise God that although Whitney’s blind spot has not gone away, it is lightening up more. She says that in the light she can see some things through the spot. In low light it is still dark and obstructs her vision fully in the center of the eye. However, the ophthalmologist was encouraged that the hemorrhage in the retina seems to be dissipating, although slower than we had anticipated.
The eye doctor here in Tirana also took a fundus scan of the inside of her eye. The scar that is clearly visible in this scan has changed some since her last scan in Houston. The scar has thickened and widened some and is closer to obstructing her vision. At this point it is not causing impaired vision, but the doctor here and the retinal specialist in the states are recommending this scan to be done every 2 months in order to watch it closely for further activity. Thankfully, the scan is digital and we can send all the results to the specialist in the states for him to review. God is so good to allow us that extra measure of confidence in her care. Both doctors are encouraged that her vision is as good as it is, but want to maintain a constant watch on that scar in the macular area of the eye. We will also need to travel to Greece or to Turkey in April to have a specialized eye test done that we do not have available here in Albania.
All in all, we are happy to report that Whitney is doing great and her decreased vision is not dampening her activities or her spirits at all. We praise the Lord for how He has shown Himself to be our Sovereign Father and
Faithful Solace. We do appreciate your continued prayers for Whitney’s recovery. Here are a few things to pray about:
• Pray that the scar in Whitney’s eye would maintain its present size and density. If it remains as it is, Whitney will not have any repercussion from it. However, if it continues to grow or if any of the tissue grows up through the scar then she will have immediate decreased and distorted vision. This would require surgical care.
• Pray that Whitney’s eye would continue to heal and that her vision would improve.
• Pray that God would continue to use this situation in Whitney’s life to draw her into an intimate and saving relationship with Him.
• Pray that we would have the opportunity to share the gospel with the eye doctor here in Tirana. We will be seeing him every couple of months and do not want to waste this “appointment” from the Lord to share the hope of the gospel with the doctor and his staff.
Psalm 107:22, “Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of His works with songs of joy.”
On Thanksgiving I was reflecting on what things I was most thankful for over the past year. It may sound odd, but Whitney’s eye injury was right up there at the top of the list. God used these circumstances to remind me in tremendous and obvious ways how BIG He is and how sovereign He is over ALL circumstances and the plans and thoughts of man. I am truly grateful for the privilege of seeing Him work in my life and in the life of our family in such intimate ways.
I was reading in Hannah Hurnard’s book, “Hind’s Feet on High Places”, and came across this great quote. “As Christians we know, in theory at least, that in the life of a child of God there are no second causes, that even the most unjust and cruel things, as well as all seemingly pointless and undeserved sufferings, have been permitted by God as a glorious opportunity for us to react to them in such a way that our Lord and Savior is able to produce in us, little by little, His own lovely character…Every acceptance of His will becomes an alter of sacrifice, and every such surrender and abandonment of ourselves to His will is a means of furthering us on the way to the High Places to which He desires to bring every child of His while they are still living on earth.”
Joyful in the journey,
Chelle Stire (for the Stire family)
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Building Leadership and friendship in Albania
Core leadership team for Young married and family ministry
A couple of weeks ago we invited to dinner the two Albanian couples who will be joining Kris and myself in starting up a young married and family ministry in the spring of '09. What a splendid time we had talking (in English, thankfully) about how we can glorify God in this new, and necessary, ministry at our church. Lenci, one of the young men who just graduated from SETS, and his wife, Alta, are a passionate young couple that want to make a difference in their country for the Lord. Nick, an Albanian man who studied in the states and has returned to Albania to reach his country with the gospel, and his wife Lizzy (an American MK who I met in 1990 in Nepal - another whole story in itself)are an amazing couple who have been serving faithfully in the church.
The purpose of the new small group ministry at church will be to establish spiritual friendships with the 15 or so couples that fit in this category at church. Kris has been teaching a discipleship class to the various small group leaders for the past month in preparation for a church wide small group ministry that will kick off in January of 2009. We are going through C.J. Mahaney's book "Why Small Groups?"
I am looking forward to the small group format where we will be able to focus in on applying the Sunday message and keeping each other accountable to taking the truth that we hear each Sunday and living in out through the week. I especially look forward to deepening the sweet friendships that God has begun with Lizzy and Alta.
Kris teaching at CCL
On November 10th, Kris had the privilege of speaking in a chapel service at the Center for Christian Leadership. This undergraduate Bible school, here in Tirana, offers a two year Bible degree for Albanians in Albanian. Their purpose statement is "Glorifying God by equipping spiritual leaders to become disciple-makers". It was so encouraging to see 6 young Albanian men and women committed to studying the Scripture and taking it back to their villages to serve in their local churches.
After chapel we had such a sweet time of fellowship together over a fabulous lunch in the schools dining room. Kris and I had a super opportunity to practice our Albanian over steaming bowls of Albanian chicken lemon soup and homemade bread. The body of Christ is an amazing thing. I love the fact that we can meet someone for the first time and immediately experience the bond of fellowship in the Spirit. We look forward to building on these new relationships.
We are so thankful that God has allowed us to begin new areas of ministry now that our first year of language learning is behind us. We look forward, with keen anticipation, to what God will do in us and with us for the sake of His kingdom.
A couple of weeks ago we invited to dinner the two Albanian couples who will be joining Kris and myself in starting up a young married and family ministry in the spring of '09. What a splendid time we had talking (in English, thankfully) about how we can glorify God in this new, and necessary, ministry at our church. Lenci, one of the young men who just graduated from SETS, and his wife, Alta, are a passionate young couple that want to make a difference in their country for the Lord. Nick, an Albanian man who studied in the states and has returned to Albania to reach his country with the gospel, and his wife Lizzy (an American MK who I met in 1990 in Nepal - another whole story in itself)are an amazing couple who have been serving faithfully in the church.
The purpose of the new small group ministry at church will be to establish spiritual friendships with the 15 or so couples that fit in this category at church. Kris has been teaching a discipleship class to the various small group leaders for the past month in preparation for a church wide small group ministry that will kick off in January of 2009. We are going through C.J. Mahaney's book "Why Small Groups?"
I am looking forward to the small group format where we will be able to focus in on applying the Sunday message and keeping each other accountable to taking the truth that we hear each Sunday and living in out through the week. I especially look forward to deepening the sweet friendships that God has begun with Lizzy and Alta.
Kris teaching at CCL
On November 10th, Kris had the privilege of speaking in a chapel service at the Center for Christian Leadership. This undergraduate Bible school, here in Tirana, offers a two year Bible degree for Albanians in Albanian. Their purpose statement is "Glorifying God by equipping spiritual leaders to become disciple-makers". It was so encouraging to see 6 young Albanian men and women committed to studying the Scripture and taking it back to their villages to serve in their local churches.
After chapel we had such a sweet time of fellowship together over a fabulous lunch in the schools dining room. Kris and I had a super opportunity to practice our Albanian over steaming bowls of Albanian chicken lemon soup and homemade bread. The body of Christ is an amazing thing. I love the fact that we can meet someone for the first time and immediately experience the bond of fellowship in the Spirit. We look forward to building on these new relationships.
We are so thankful that God has allowed us to begin new areas of ministry now that our first year of language learning is behind us. We look forward, with keen anticipation, to what God will do in us and with us for the sake of His kingdom.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Oh great, Chelle's 38 (and 32)!
Every year, when November 9th rolls around, I praise God for giving me life. You see, not only do I celebrate my physical birthday, but my spiritual birthday as well. On November 9th, 1976, my 6th birthday, God opened my spiritual eyes to my sinfulness and granted me repentance leading to my salvation. I still remember telling my mom, whose influence in my life was instrumental in that decision, that I had TWO birthdays to celebrate on that fall day in 1976. I am so immensely grateful that God chose me and drew me to Himself at such a young age. So, does that mean I can choose which age, either 38 or 32, that I want to tell people when they ask me how old I am on my birthday? LOL :-)
Another special thing about my birthday is that I share it with my father. The photo above is of me and my dad on my 5th birthday and his 40th. I was born on his 35th birthday. It is always a joy to remember all the fun daddy-daughter birthday dates we had while I was growing up. By the way, one of the most memorable ones was the year I turned 11. I was so excited that we were going to a restaurant called "The Top of the Rockies". This fancy restaurant sat on top of a tall building in downtown Denver and it rotated. However, I was combating a stomach flu bug and the fast elevator ride to the top did me in. All the way up to the top I was getter greener and greener and the second the doors opened I lost it. Sadly, I did not get to enjoy the excellent cuisine that year. Oh the memories... I am so thankful to God that He ordained that "unexpected" trip to the states with Whitney's eye injury last month so that I could celebrate my birthday with my family a little early this year.
This birthday brought it's own special memories to treasure. The girls woke up early on Sunday morning and decorated the kitchen with a birthday sign for me and ballons on my chair. Pictured above is my birthday flowers from Kris and the cards I received. Thanks everyone for all the cards you sent by snail mail and e-mail!
This is the first year that the girls MADE me a birthday meal, ALL BY THEMSELVES! Yes, it's true. Kaitlyn, Whitney, Sierra and Breanna all worked together to make delicious pancakes from scratch for dinner! I just sat and watched the fun as Kaitlyn (in typical first born form) read the recipe and gave directions. As I sat and watched these precious girls that God gave me I was brought to tears. God is so good to me! The memory of watching them work together and talking with the girls was the best gift I got all day.
Here is my expert pancake flipper, Kaitlyn, hard at work. She did a phenomenal job and all the pancake turned out perfectly.
Here I am with Sierra and Whitney, enjoying my birthday chocolate chip pancakes. I am also wearing the shell necklaces that they made for me. I am a blessed woman indeed.
Romans 6:4b - "...offer yourselves to God, as those who have brought from death to life..."
Another special thing about my birthday is that I share it with my father. The photo above is of me and my dad on my 5th birthday and his 40th. I was born on his 35th birthday. It is always a joy to remember all the fun daddy-daughter birthday dates we had while I was growing up. By the way, one of the most memorable ones was the year I turned 11. I was so excited that we were going to a restaurant called "The Top of the Rockies". This fancy restaurant sat on top of a tall building in downtown Denver and it rotated. However, I was combating a stomach flu bug and the fast elevator ride to the top did me in. All the way up to the top I was getter greener and greener and the second the doors opened I lost it. Sadly, I did not get to enjoy the excellent cuisine that year. Oh the memories... I am so thankful to God that He ordained that "unexpected" trip to the states with Whitney's eye injury last month so that I could celebrate my birthday with my family a little early this year.
This birthday brought it's own special memories to treasure. The girls woke up early on Sunday morning and decorated the kitchen with a birthday sign for me and ballons on my chair. Pictured above is my birthday flowers from Kris and the cards I received. Thanks everyone for all the cards you sent by snail mail and e-mail!
This is the first year that the girls MADE me a birthday meal, ALL BY THEMSELVES! Yes, it's true. Kaitlyn, Whitney, Sierra and Breanna all worked together to make delicious pancakes from scratch for dinner! I just sat and watched the fun as Kaitlyn (in typical first born form) read the recipe and gave directions. As I sat and watched these precious girls that God gave me I was brought to tears. God is so good to me! The memory of watching them work together and talking with the girls was the best gift I got all day.
Here is my expert pancake flipper, Kaitlyn, hard at work. She did a phenomenal job and all the pancake turned out perfectly.
Here I am with Sierra and Whitney, enjoying my birthday chocolate chip pancakes. I am also wearing the shell necklaces that they made for me. I am a blessed woman indeed.
Romans 6:4b - "...offer yourselves to God, as those who have brought from death to life..."
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Whitney's Patch
Well, there has been a lot of talk in the past few months about Whitney and her eye patches. Thankfully, this blog post is NOT about an eye patch. It is about Whitney's new dog named Patch!
As you know, while Whitney and I were in America, Whitney's puppy, Oreo, that she got for her 9th birthday ran away. It was quite a distressing thing for Whitney since one of her big passions in life is dogs. The whole circumstance was a wonderful opportunity for us to talk about God's purposes in our lives during painful things and how we are to respond. We have been praying for the return of Oreo, but God has not seen fit to bring her home. A few weeks after we returned to Albania, God brought Patch into our lives.
He is "patching" up the hole left by Oreo in Whitney's heart.
The photo above includes Whitney, Sierra, Breanna, and me with the family that we got Patch from. They are from America and are here with an international aid organization. God has given us many opportunities to talk and spend time together at each others houses because our girls met on the street a few months ago and have struck up a fun friendship. I thank God that I have had the privilege to talk about Christ with the wife, Sundus. Since we have taken Patch into our family, we have had even more opportunities to interact with their family. Pray that God would soften their hearts to the gospel and that we would use this God-given bridge into their lives for His eternal purposes and glory.
Patch is a totally different kind of dog than Oreo was. Oreo was a hyper little yappy puppy that wanted attention the second you looked at her (she was a female, what did we expect). Patch, who is a male by the way, is pretty laid back and quiet. Kris is happy to have another male in the family. All the kids just love him and he fit in the first day we brought him to our house (Patch that is).
Patch, A.K.A. Pudgy, just soaks up the love and the sun on our back porch with the girls.
Here is Kris in the dog house. LOL! Kris is actually quite handy at building things (I think he's pretty good at almost anything he puts his hand to) and decided to build Patch a dog house for the cold winter months. Since we don't have plywood here in Albania, he had to make it out of 2 by 4's. He says that Patch's dog house is more sturdy than our house. He did a fantastic job! I will have to post a photo of the finished product later.
Anyhow, I knew that many of you had prayed about Oreo and prayed for Whitney and I wanted to let you know that God blessed us with Patch. Thank you for your prayers. He is so faithful to care for all the details of our lives, even the small ones like dogs. By the way, Whitney's eye is doing fairly well. We praise God that Whitney's vision has not gotten worse, although we have not seen any improvement either. We will be going to see the eye doctor here in Albania the first week of December. I thank God that I have been able to be in contact with the retinal specialist in Texas during these past weeks. God continues to provide for and protect us in spectacular ways. Praise God!!! Lavdi Zotit!!!
As you know, while Whitney and I were in America, Whitney's puppy, Oreo, that she got for her 9th birthday ran away. It was quite a distressing thing for Whitney since one of her big passions in life is dogs. The whole circumstance was a wonderful opportunity for us to talk about God's purposes in our lives during painful things and how we are to respond. We have been praying for the return of Oreo, but God has not seen fit to bring her home. A few weeks after we returned to Albania, God brought Patch into our lives.
He is "patching" up the hole left by Oreo in Whitney's heart.
The photo above includes Whitney, Sierra, Breanna, and me with the family that we got Patch from. They are from America and are here with an international aid organization. God has given us many opportunities to talk and spend time together at each others houses because our girls met on the street a few months ago and have struck up a fun friendship. I thank God that I have had the privilege to talk about Christ with the wife, Sundus. Since we have taken Patch into our family, we have had even more opportunities to interact with their family. Pray that God would soften their hearts to the gospel and that we would use this God-given bridge into their lives for His eternal purposes and glory.
Patch is a totally different kind of dog than Oreo was. Oreo was a hyper little yappy puppy that wanted attention the second you looked at her (she was a female, what did we expect). Patch, who is a male by the way, is pretty laid back and quiet. Kris is happy to have another male in the family. All the kids just love him and he fit in the first day we brought him to our house (Patch that is).
Patch, A.K.A. Pudgy, just soaks up the love and the sun on our back porch with the girls.
Here is Kris in the dog house. LOL! Kris is actually quite handy at building things (I think he's pretty good at almost anything he puts his hand to) and decided to build Patch a dog house for the cold winter months. Since we don't have plywood here in Albania, he had to make it out of 2 by 4's. He says that Patch's dog house is more sturdy than our house. He did a fantastic job! I will have to post a photo of the finished product later.
Anyhow, I knew that many of you had prayed about Oreo and prayed for Whitney and I wanted to let you know that God blessed us with Patch. Thank you for your prayers. He is so faithful to care for all the details of our lives, even the small ones like dogs. By the way, Whitney's eye is doing fairly well. We praise God that Whitney's vision has not gotten worse, although we have not seen any improvement either. We will be going to see the eye doctor here in Albania the first week of December. I thank God that I have been able to be in contact with the retinal specialist in Texas during these past weeks. God continues to provide for and protect us in spectacular ways. Praise God!!! Lavdi Zotit!!!
Friday, October 24, 2008
While we were away...
What was going on in Albania while Whitney and I were in Turkey and America? Kris took a few photos of some of the events that we missed out on.
The Rock Jump and Swimming Hole
Kris took the girls to a cool river nearby for a day of adventure with some other kids from our church. This cold river flows down from the mountain range nearby.
This deep swimming hole has a rock that juts out over it and is a popular spot for rock jumping. Kris said that Kaitlyn was the only girl that jumped off the rock into the pool. He said that he had to jump off after she did because it would have looked bad if he was shown up by his 11 year old daughter. LOL! She is definitely not afraid of heights.
First day of school
Whitney missed the first day of school while we were in Turkey. Kaitlyn, Sierra and Breanna are pictured here on the stairs of GDQ, the K-8 evangelical school here in Tirana.
Here is Breanna on her first day of Kindergarten. She was so excited to be going to school with her sisters. Daddy and Kaitlyn helped her get ready for this big day. She had her big girl backpack all ready for a couple of weeks before school started. I can't believe that my baby girl is off to school.
Here is Sierra with one of her best friends, Abby Doci.
Seminary graduation
On October 5th, the Southeastern Europe Theological Seminary, where Kris is a professor, held it's first graduation. There were 5 Albanian men that graduated with their Masters of Divinity degree. This event and some details about it will be highlighted in our upcoming newsletter.
Although I was very disappointed to miss out on the girls' first day of school and the graduation, I am thankful that Kris took some photos and that he was here to make those events special for the girls. We are even more appreciative for God's design in creating a family unit after these weeks of being apart. I am more aware of and grateful for the stability and leadership that Kris brings to our family and Kris is more aware of and grateful for the day-to-day duties that I do that help him focus on his job as provider for our family. God certainly used this time to grow our marriage and family. Thank You, Lord for this lesson in love.
The Rock Jump and Swimming Hole
Kris took the girls to a cool river nearby for a day of adventure with some other kids from our church. This cold river flows down from the mountain range nearby.
This deep swimming hole has a rock that juts out over it and is a popular spot for rock jumping. Kris said that Kaitlyn was the only girl that jumped off the rock into the pool. He said that he had to jump off after she did because it would have looked bad if he was shown up by his 11 year old daughter. LOL! She is definitely not afraid of heights.
First day of school
Whitney missed the first day of school while we were in Turkey. Kaitlyn, Sierra and Breanna are pictured here on the stairs of GDQ, the K-8 evangelical school here in Tirana.
Here is Breanna on her first day of Kindergarten. She was so excited to be going to school with her sisters. Daddy and Kaitlyn helped her get ready for this big day. She had her big girl backpack all ready for a couple of weeks before school started. I can't believe that my baby girl is off to school.
Here is Sierra with one of her best friends, Abby Doci.
Seminary graduation
On October 5th, the Southeastern Europe Theological Seminary, where Kris is a professor, held it's first graduation. There were 5 Albanian men that graduated with their Masters of Divinity degree. This event and some details about it will be highlighted in our upcoming newsletter.
Although I was very disappointed to miss out on the girls' first day of school and the graduation, I am thankful that Kris took some photos and that he was here to make those events special for the girls. We are even more appreciative for God's design in creating a family unit after these weeks of being apart. I am more aware of and grateful for the stability and leadership that Kris brings to our family and Kris is more aware of and grateful for the day-to-day duties that I do that help him focus on his job as provider for our family. God certainly used this time to grow our marriage and family. Thank You, Lord for this lesson in love.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
16th update on Whitney
Our flight left Houston at 6:10 a.m. on Sunday, October 12th. We enjoyed one last McDonald's in the airport and then boarded a plane to Chicago. The Chicago airport has a really cool children's museum and play area. That was a blessing for us because we spent 5 hours at that airport. I had a great opportunity to talk with a woman and her husband, Michelle and Jim, in the seating area of that playground. He is a pilot and she is a pediatrician in the states. They are not Christians, but asked a lot of questions about why we chose to move to Albania.
Here is my first sight of home. Albania! After a super long delay of 7 hours in the Munich airport I was so glad to see Tirana. It looked so small compared to some of the other cities that we have flown into recently (Istanbul being the most massive - 12 million people!). I could not wait to get off that plane and into Kris's arms!
Here we are all back together again. After 34 days of being separated, we had so much to catch up on. Whitney got right back to school the day after we arrived. We took some time to go walking in the park down the way from our house. (Not the typical American park though - no playground equipment, broken hypodermic needles on the ground, used condoms in the brush, shattered bottles on the path, lots of trash around, animal and human feces to watch out for, and packs of dogs to beware of - just a nice walk in the park. LOL. Really, it is kind of pretty if you just don't look down too much. However, we are thankful for it because it breaks up the concrete jungle of the city.)
Kris was so happy to have all the girls back in his loving arms. They spent lots of time having daddy/daughter tickle time. He is such a super daddy! I pray that each of my girls marries someone as godly and terrific as their dad.
>October 17th
Faithful praying friends and family,
We are so thankful to God for His tremendous mercy to us these past weeks. We are so happy to be back home in
- Praise God that the doctor’s visit Friday the 10th was quite encouraging. Whitney’s vision tested at 20/50 (compared to the 20/100 when we first visited on Sept. 19th)! She still has the “blind spot” from the hemorrhage, but the doctor believes it will dissolve over the next weeks and is not in danger or re-hemorrhaging at this point. Although she may recover some more of her vision in the next 3-4 months, corrective lenses will not help her see any better. The damage to her eye was to the retina and glasses will not help the vision impairment in this area of her eye. Thankfully, Whitney does not seem affected by this “disability” in the least. I praise God that He is giving Whitney the strength and maturity to handle this life change.
Pray that her eye would continue to heal and that the hemorrhage would dissolve quickly. Pray that Whitney’s vision would continue to become clearer in the next few months.
- Praise God that Dr. Khawly, the retinal specialist, will follow up with Whitney’s condition via the internet. It was so gracious of him to offer his time and expertise, free of charge, to confer with the ophthalmologists here in
Pray that the steroids will protect her eye from developing any dangerous blood vessel growth to the injured area of her eye. The doctor said that if she begins to have some blood vessels develop in her scarred area in the macula that her vision would be affected immediately. If we can catch that soon enough we can have it surgically repaired in the states.
- Praise God that we made it back home to
- Praise God that I was able to give a copy of C.S. Lewis’s book, Mere Christianity, to the nurse Michelle at the doctor’s office in
Pray for the salvation of Michelle and Monica.
- Praise God that Whitney is back at school and is settling in just great. Thankfully, we were able to keep up with her homework while we were in the states, so she is not too far behind her class. She was especially excited to get back to P.E. I talked with her P.E. teacher and it doesn’t seem that her vision problems are causing her too much difficulty with depth perception in sports. We are so thankful to God for allowing her to be able to be involved in something she really likes and excels at.
Pray that God would protect her eye from any further injury during her day-to-day life. We don’t want her to live in fear of vision loss, but to be aware and careful at the same time.
- Praise God that we can continue to monitor Whitney’s eye condition with daily updates on the blind spot and blurriness, monthly eye tests at home, visits to the eye doctor her in Tirana every 3 months, and a visit to Turkey every 6 months to see the retinal specialist. We are just so thankful that Dr. Khawly gave us some concrete things we can do to follow up with her recovery.
Pray for wisdom as we monitor Whitney’s vision. Since I am not a trained eye doctor, I need that extra wisdom from God to discern the slightest changes in her vision that could be really detrimental. Also pray that we would have a spiritual impact on the lives of the doctors and care givers that we will be interacting with often in the next months.
- Praise God that I had so many opportunities to talk with Whitney about God’s character and share the truth of the gospel with her. She does seem to have more spiritual sensitivity than before this “accident”.
Pray that God would continue to work in her heart and that she would become a young woman radically committed to the Lord and sold out for His glory to be known in the world.
Donald Grey Barnhouse once said, “Jesus is the God of detailed circumstances. Nothing has ever happened that has not flowed in the channel that God has not dug for it.”
I just love that! It has given me such comfort as I have reflected on its truth in our lives over the past few months. What a mighty God we serve! He is so deserving of our passionate and whole-hearted worship and thanksgiving.
God has called us to a new level of thanksgiving in the days of uncertainty, loss and pain. I have been meditating on these words in Psalm 50 recently. “Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving…Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me…He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me” (14a, 15 & 23). Many times it has been a hard and painful thing to thank God for Whitney’s eye injury. Sacrifice always costs something. What I “sacrificed” (self-pity, the distorted view that Whitney deserves to have good eye sight, a false feeling of control, a fleeting sense of security that comes from relying on human strength or wisdom, etc.) was a pittance with what God lavished on me in accepting my meager (and often weak attempts at) thanksgiving. The amazing thing is that what God commanded of me (“offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving”), He also gave me the strength and desire to do (II Cor. 9:8). Then, He rewards me with peace, joy, intimacy with Him and a confidence in the unchanging character of God. Wow!
There are really so many things to thank God for regarding Whitney’s eye injury and the circumstances surrounding it. As I look back at all the ways He provided for us, directed our paths, answered specific prayers, gave us amazing opportunities to share about Him with others, comforted us through His Word and the body of Christ, and grew our faith in Him I rejoice that He brought this “momentary, light affliction” (II Cor 4:17) into our lives. We certainly have seen that “He inflicts pain, and gives relief; He wounds, and His hands also heal.” (Job 5:18). His purposes truly are for our good and His glory. Blessed be the name of the Lord!
Well, I will not be sending out any more updates about Whitney unless something changes in her condition. Please feel free to e-mail us at stirealbania@gmail.com or check out our blog at www.stiretestimonial.blogspot.com for further information or just to keep in contact with us. Of course, you can hear about our whole family and ministry here in
Thank you again for all your faithful and loving prayers. We thank God for you and for the way He cared for us through you.
Seeking Him,
Chelle Stire (for the Stire family)
Photo journal of our last week and a half in America
Fellowshipping in Montgomery - October 4th-5th
I was so thankful to get together with a handful to dear friends the last Sunday that we visited our home/sending church, Lakeside Bible. Our pastor and his wife, Ken and Kelli Ramey, we so gracious to have us in their home.
Whitney remembers this day as one of the best of the whole trip because she got to jump on a trampoline. She is such a sweet blessing from the Lord!
Here is Whitney with some of her little girl friends on the trampoline.
Amy Jacobs and I are caught on film (or jpeg or whatever digital cameras do) laughing at something funny. I am so thankful that God gave us this refreshing time with friends that challenge me spiritually as well as rejoicing my heart with lots of fun and laughter!
Benihana with the Drumms. October 9th
Whitney and I were honored to have dinner at Benihana (yeah!) with Claire Drumm and Katie Drumm (and their husbands who are brothers). God has knit our hearts in a special way because I was privileged to disciple each of these women and see them grow from new birth as Christians to mature, committed disciples of Christ who serve Him faithfully in the their families and at church. What a joy to see them flourishing in the faith.
Last days with Poppy and Meme. October 10th-11th
One of the places that Whitney frequented the most was the local Shipley's donut store. It was a morning routine for Poppy and Whitney. There are on better donuts in the world (in my opinion).
I made sure to get lots of hugs from my dad to tide me over until I see him again.
Whitney loved spending time with Meme. They talked about all sorts of things and had a great time together. Whitney is blessed to have such amazing grandmas and godly women in her life.
On our last night out on the town we had a yummy Mexican meal and caught a movie on the big screen. It was a real reminder of how different things are in the states. Despite all the comforts and neat things about being in America, I was ready to get back home to Albania.
I have a mental picture in my head of me, age 9, sitting on my dad's lap driving our old Oldsmobile down the dirt road to our house in Colorado. It looks so much like this photo of Whitney sitting in my dad's lap driving the last bit of road to his house in Houston. Dad was so comfortable with her driving ability that he even took a call on his cell phone! She did a super job. However, she will NOT be driving in Albania any time soon!
I was so thankful to get together with a handful to dear friends the last Sunday that we visited our home/sending church, Lakeside Bible. Our pastor and his wife, Ken and Kelli Ramey, we so gracious to have us in their home.
Whitney remembers this day as one of the best of the whole trip because she got to jump on a trampoline. She is such a sweet blessing from the Lord!
Here is Whitney with some of her little girl friends on the trampoline.
Amy Jacobs and I are caught on film (or jpeg or whatever digital cameras do) laughing at something funny. I am so thankful that God gave us this refreshing time with friends that challenge me spiritually as well as rejoicing my heart with lots of fun and laughter!
Benihana with the Drumms. October 9th
Whitney and I were honored to have dinner at Benihana (yeah!) with Claire Drumm and Katie Drumm (and their husbands who are brothers). God has knit our hearts in a special way because I was privileged to disciple each of these women and see them grow from new birth as Christians to mature, committed disciples of Christ who serve Him faithfully in the their families and at church. What a joy to see them flourishing in the faith.
Last days with Poppy and Meme. October 10th-11th
One of the places that Whitney frequented the most was the local Shipley's donut store. It was a morning routine for Poppy and Whitney. There are on better donuts in the world (in my opinion).
I made sure to get lots of hugs from my dad to tide me over until I see him again.
Whitney loved spending time with Meme. They talked about all sorts of things and had a great time together. Whitney is blessed to have such amazing grandmas and godly women in her life.
On our last night out on the town we had a yummy Mexican meal and caught a movie on the big screen. It was a real reminder of how different things are in the states. Despite all the comforts and neat things about being in America, I was ready to get back home to Albania.
I have a mental picture in my head of me, age 9, sitting on my dad's lap driving our old Oldsmobile down the dirt road to our house in Colorado. It looks so much like this photo of Whitney sitting in my dad's lap driving the last bit of road to his house in Houston. Dad was so comfortable with her driving ability that he even took a call on his cell phone! She did a super job. However, she will NOT be driving in Albania any time soon!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
The Path of Suffering
This is an article that Kris wrote for our church's bulletin on October 12th.
The Path of Suffering
There are many subjects found in the Bible that Christians enjoy studying. Unfortunately, suffering is not one of them. I say unfortunately because I believe that many Christians lack a biblical understanding of suffering. They don’t like suffering, they don’t want to think about suffering, and so they aren’t prepared when they find themselves on the path of suffering. On the 31st of August, my daughter Whitney threw a stick into a tree to knock down some beautiful flowers high amongst the branches. As she looked up to see if any flowers were falling, the stick struck her right eye causing substantial damage. Whitney has visited many doctors in three different countries to receive medical care. Currently, she only has 40% of her peripheral vision in her right eye, and five weeks after the injury her vision has not improved.
This has become a significant trial in the life of our family as we consider the health and future wellbeing of our daughter. I must admit, I have been tempted to wonder why my good and loving God would allow such a horrible injury to happen to my child. Why would He allow our family to suffer like this? How easy it is for me to praise God when the circumstances of life are good, and yet I know from God’s word that God is just as good and just as worthy of my praise when He purposefully allows and even causes the circumstances of my life to bring suffering (Job 2:10). Even Christ acknowledged that a man was born blind so that “the works of God might be displayed in him” (John 9:3). Jesus did heal this man’s blindness, but God used the path of suffering in this mans life to prepare him to place his faith in Christ alone. This eternal blessing of salvation far outweighed the suffering of a life of blindness.
God also brought Joseph along the path of suffering. He was sold into slavery, falsely accused of assaulting his masters wife, and left to rot in a jail cell. Genesis 50:20 records how years later, Joseph realized the Lord had taken him down the path of suffering to prevent the death of thousands from famine. What Joseph’s brothers meant as evil, “God meant it for good.” When God places us on the path of suffering, we must remember that He is still in control, still good, and still able to use the trials of life for our good and His glory. I may never know why God allowed Whitney’s eye to be injured, but I do know that I must embrace suffering, trusting that my sovereign God will cause “all things to work together for good” (Rom 8:28). May we strive to “consider it all joy” as we travel the path of suffering. “Knowing that the testing” of our faith will produce an endurance which will perfectly result in us becoming more like Christ (James 1:2-4). May the Lord use suffering to drive us closer to Him (1 Pt 4:14; 2 Cor 12:10).Kris Stire
Monday, October 20, 2008
15th update on Whitney
October 8th, 2008
Whitney and mommy outside the surgery center on Wednesday, October 8th. We were all ready for this outpatient procedure that would help protect Whitney's eye from complicating factors of her injury in the next few months.
While we waited for her turn in the surgical room, Whitney worked on her homework. She has been able to get class work from Albania via the internet. Thank God she will not be too far behind her class when she returns. She has only been in school 2 days this academic year.
Here is my little trooper after her surgery. She did a great job. I don't think she will ever want an IV again though.
Dear prayer partners,
I just wanted to give you a quick update and let you know that Whitney’s surgery went very well today. Thank you all so much for lifting us up before the throne of God in our time of need.
Praise God that Dr. Khawly did not find any other injury during his examination of Whitney’s eye during the surgical procedure. He was able to inject the steroid into/behind the retina without any problems. She did have a decrease of heart rate during the surgery and needed a medication that boosted her heart rate, so she had a pretty nasty head ache in the recovery room. We are so grateful to the Lord that He protected her.
At this time she is resting on the couch with doctor’s orders to lay low for the day. He will see us for a post-operative appointment on Friday. During that appointment we hope to see that her vision continues to improve. We are still planning on heading back home early Sunday morning. Yeah! We can’t wait to be re-united with Kris and the girls. We have been away from them for 34 days during the last 5 weeks.
However, we can say with full assurance that “there is no one like the Lord, indeed there is no one besides You, nor is there any rock like our God.” (I Sam. 2:2). We are so thankful for this time of testing because we know that God has used it in all of our lives to conform us more to the image of His Son. There is a poem that has had a mighty impact in my life over the years and He has used it again in the past two weeks. I hope it encourages and challenges your heart during times of difficulty like it has mine.
“When God wants to drill a man,
And thrill a man,
And skill a man
When God wants to mold a man
To play the noblest part;
When He yearns with all His heart
To create so great and bold a man
That all the world shall be amazed,
Watch His methods, watch His ways!
How He ruthlessly perfects
Whom He royally elects!
How He hammers him and hurts him,
And with mighty blows converts him
Into trial shapes of clay which
Only God understands;
While his tortured heart is crying
And he lifts beseeching hands!
How He bends but never breaks
When his good He undertakes;
How He uses whom He chooses,
And which every purpose fuses him;
By every act induces him
To try His splendor out-
God knows what He's about.” Author unknown
“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen” (Jude 24-25)
Held in His grip,
Chelle Stire (for the Stire family)
Whitney and mommy outside the surgery center on Wednesday, October 8th. We were all ready for this outpatient procedure that would help protect Whitney's eye from complicating factors of her injury in the next few months.
While we waited for her turn in the surgical room, Whitney worked on her homework. She has been able to get class work from Albania via the internet. Thank God she will not be too far behind her class when she returns. She has only been in school 2 days this academic year.
Here is my little trooper after her surgery. She did a great job. I don't think she will ever want an IV again though.
Dear prayer partners,
I just wanted to give you a quick update and let you know that Whitney’s surgery went very well today. Thank you all so much for lifting us up before the throne of God in our time of need.
Praise God that Dr. Khawly did not find any other injury during his examination of Whitney’s eye during the surgical procedure. He was able to inject the steroid into/behind the retina without any problems. She did have a decrease of heart rate during the surgery and needed a medication that boosted her heart rate, so she had a pretty nasty head ache in the recovery room. We are so grateful to the Lord that He protected her.
At this time she is resting on the couch with doctor’s orders to lay low for the day. He will see us for a post-operative appointment on Friday. During that appointment we hope to see that her vision continues to improve. We are still planning on heading back home early Sunday morning. Yeah! We can’t wait to be re-united with Kris and the girls. We have been away from them for 34 days during the last 5 weeks.
However, we can say with full assurance that “there is no one like the Lord, indeed there is no one besides You, nor is there any rock like our God.” (I Sam. 2:2). We are so thankful for this time of testing because we know that God has used it in all of our lives to conform us more to the image of His Son. There is a poem that has had a mighty impact in my life over the years and He has used it again in the past two weeks. I hope it encourages and challenges your heart during times of difficulty like it has mine.
“When God wants to drill a man,
And thrill a man,
And skill a man
When God wants to mold a man
To play the noblest part;
When He yearns with all His heart
To create so great and bold a man
That all the world shall be amazed,
Watch His methods, watch His ways!
How He ruthlessly perfects
Whom He royally elects!
How He hammers him and hurts him,
And with mighty blows converts him
Into trial shapes of clay which
Only God understands;
While his tortured heart is crying
And he lifts beseeching hands!
How He bends but never breaks
When his good He undertakes;
How He uses whom He chooses,
And which every purpose fuses him;
By every act induces him
To try His splendor out-
God knows what He's about.” Author unknown
“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen” (Jude 24-25)
Held in His grip,
Chelle Stire (for the Stire family)
14th Update on Whitney
Written on October 7th
Dear prayer warriors and friends,
“Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.” Hebrews 13:15
It is with a heart overflowing with joy and thanksgiving to God that I write this update. God worked in amazing ways at Whitney’s doctor’s appointment today. We have so many things to offer up as a sacrifice of praise.
1. God gave me the privilege of sharing the gospel with one of the nurses, Michelle! Thank you for your faithful prayers for the opportunity to be a witness and for the hearts of the doctor and care givers. Michelle is a non-practicing Catholic. She has just recently bought a Bible, but has not begun to read it yet. It was a true joy to be able to share the hope of the gospel to her and to encourage her to read about the Living God in His Living Book. She had such a receptive and hungry heart.
2. Whitney’s vision was improved today! She was able to read most of the letters on the 3rd line and some of the 4th as well. God is exceedingly good to us!
3. The doctor was very encouraged by Whitney’s recovery up to this point and is anticipating that the procedure that he will perform tomorrow will greatly reduce her chances of developing the most dangerous problems associated with this injury – increased vascularization to the back of the eye that causes pressure, glaucoma and cataracts. I feel so relieved and much more confident to return to Albania on Sunday knowing that Whitney’s eye has this extra bit of protection for the next 3-4 months. Those months are the most important time of healing and would be the most probable time that she would encounter the vascular issues. The procedure tomorrow will involve injecting a steroid behind her eye, into the retina, while she is under general anesthesia. At this time, he will also be able to perform a more careful examination of her retina to ensure that she does not have any damage that has been overlooked.
4. God is again providing for us so graciously by having our insurance cover the cost of this surgical procedure. After the billing lady at the doctor’s office told me that piece of good news I was just having a little praise session in the room. When the doctor came in, and saw me in tears, I was able to share with Him how extravagantly My God had provided for us during this whole situation and how God had used him to be a part of His provision for us. I am praying that the Lord would use that testimony of the sovereignty of God to draw the doctor to Himself.
5. Whitney and I had a superb conversation today about sin and prayer. I was so encouraged that she began to specifically name what she had done today that was sin and then to ask God to help her know her sins so that she could ask God to forgive her. I am so thankful that God is opening her eyes to see who God is and who she is and how she should relate to Him.
We are so thankful for your faithful prayers. As we see God answering these prayers so specifically and spectacularly it causes us to say, “You are great and do wondrous deeds; You alone are God” (Ps 86:10). Please continue to pray that:
1. God would protect Whitney during her procedure tomorrow. She is scheduled to be prepped for this out patient surgery at 9 a.m. and then undergo the procedure at 11 a.m.
2. Pray that she would respond well to the anesthesia.
3. Pray that God would give the doctor wisdom as he performs this very delicate procedure and that he would be able to determine if there is any other injury that needs attention.
4. Pray for the nurse, Michelle. Pray that God would grant her repentance and that she would respond to His call on her life with faith in His saving work on the cross.
5. Pray for Kris’s health. He is feeling some better, but continues to struggle with the flu. I am so thankful that God has encouraged Kris’s heart and taught him so much during these days of separation. I can’t wait to go home and learn from him all that God has been doing in his life.
6. Pray for Kaitlyn, Whitney and Sierra. They are definitely going through “mommy withdrawals”.
7. Continue to pray for Whitney’s heart to be soft to the Lord.
My own heart has been so impacted by this situation. God has cared for me and taught me about His love in such intimate ways over these past 5 weeks. I think that one night in Turkey will stand out in my mind for the rest of my life. As I watched Whitney wrestle with her pain, my heart mother’s heart cried out to the Lord. I knelt by her bed and wept and begged God to take away her pain because it was so hard to stand by helplessly as she writhed in pain. I wanted to take that pain on myself if she could be spared. It was as that moment that God’s perfect love for me became so real. I recognized that He watched His own Son in unspeakable agony on the cross. God the Father could have spared Christ from that pain in His absolute power, but He didn’t. He didn’t rescue His own Son, in order to rescue ME! That just rocked my world. I don’t know if I had ever realized before how great His love was for me, a totally unworthy and depraved sinner. It was a profound moment for me. I think it was even more amazing because over the course of this past year God has been stripping away the veneer of spirituality and self-righteousness in my life. To be honest, this past year has been a tough year for me spiritually. I have felt dry and isolated and it seemed that not only was I physically in a foreign land, but spiritually as well. It was God’s abundant mercy that brought me to my knees in Turkey that night. When I look back over the e-mail updates that I wrote during those days I have thought to myself, “Who wrote those e-mails with such trust and hope and joy because I know, more than ever, that I am riddled with unbelief, doubt and discontent.” It was God alone! He carried me and has continued to carry me through these days. If anything good or praiseworthy has come out of this time I am certain that it was “from Him and through Him and to Him…To Him be the glory forever. Amen!” (Rom 11:36)
At the foot of the cross,
Chelle Stire
Dear prayer warriors and friends,
“Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.” Hebrews 13:15
It is with a heart overflowing with joy and thanksgiving to God that I write this update. God worked in amazing ways at Whitney’s doctor’s appointment today. We have so many things to offer up as a sacrifice of praise.
1. God gave me the privilege of sharing the gospel with one of the nurses, Michelle! Thank you for your faithful prayers for the opportunity to be a witness and for the hearts of the doctor and care givers. Michelle is a non-practicing Catholic. She has just recently bought a Bible, but has not begun to read it yet. It was a true joy to be able to share the hope of the gospel to her and to encourage her to read about the Living God in His Living Book. She had such a receptive and hungry heart.
2. Whitney’s vision was improved today! She was able to read most of the letters on the 3rd line and some of the 4th as well. God is exceedingly good to us!
3. The doctor was very encouraged by Whitney’s recovery up to this point and is anticipating that the procedure that he will perform tomorrow will greatly reduce her chances of developing the most dangerous problems associated with this injury – increased vascularization to the back of the eye that causes pressure, glaucoma and cataracts. I feel so relieved and much more confident to return to Albania on Sunday knowing that Whitney’s eye has this extra bit of protection for the next 3-4 months. Those months are the most important time of healing and would be the most probable time that she would encounter the vascular issues. The procedure tomorrow will involve injecting a steroid behind her eye, into the retina, while she is under general anesthesia. At this time, he will also be able to perform a more careful examination of her retina to ensure that she does not have any damage that has been overlooked.
4. God is again providing for us so graciously by having our insurance cover the cost of this surgical procedure. After the billing lady at the doctor’s office told me that piece of good news I was just having a little praise session in the room. When the doctor came in, and saw me in tears, I was able to share with Him how extravagantly My God had provided for us during this whole situation and how God had used him to be a part of His provision for us. I am praying that the Lord would use that testimony of the sovereignty of God to draw the doctor to Himself.
5. Whitney and I had a superb conversation today about sin and prayer. I was so encouraged that she began to specifically name what she had done today that was sin and then to ask God to help her know her sins so that she could ask God to forgive her. I am so thankful that God is opening her eyes to see who God is and who she is and how she should relate to Him.
We are so thankful for your faithful prayers. As we see God answering these prayers so specifically and spectacularly it causes us to say, “You are great and do wondrous deeds; You alone are God” (Ps 86:10). Please continue to pray that:
1. God would protect Whitney during her procedure tomorrow. She is scheduled to be prepped for this out patient surgery at 9 a.m. and then undergo the procedure at 11 a.m.
2. Pray that she would respond well to the anesthesia.
3. Pray that God would give the doctor wisdom as he performs this very delicate procedure and that he would be able to determine if there is any other injury that needs attention.
4. Pray for the nurse, Michelle. Pray that God would grant her repentance and that she would respond to His call on her life with faith in His saving work on the cross.
5. Pray for Kris’s health. He is feeling some better, but continues to struggle with the flu. I am so thankful that God has encouraged Kris’s heart and taught him so much during these days of separation. I can’t wait to go home and learn from him all that God has been doing in his life.
6. Pray for Kaitlyn, Whitney and Sierra. They are definitely going through “mommy withdrawals”.
7. Continue to pray for Whitney’s heart to be soft to the Lord.
My own heart has been so impacted by this situation. God has cared for me and taught me about His love in such intimate ways over these past 5 weeks. I think that one night in Turkey will stand out in my mind for the rest of my life. As I watched Whitney wrestle with her pain, my heart mother’s heart cried out to the Lord. I knelt by her bed and wept and begged God to take away her pain because it was so hard to stand by helplessly as she writhed in pain. I wanted to take that pain on myself if she could be spared. It was as that moment that God’s perfect love for me became so real. I recognized that He watched His own Son in unspeakable agony on the cross. God the Father could have spared Christ from that pain in His absolute power, but He didn’t. He didn’t rescue His own Son, in order to rescue ME! That just rocked my world. I don’t know if I had ever realized before how great His love was for me, a totally unworthy and depraved sinner. It was a profound moment for me. I think it was even more amazing because over the course of this past year God has been stripping away the veneer of spirituality and self-righteousness in my life. To be honest, this past year has been a tough year for me spiritually. I have felt dry and isolated and it seemed that not only was I physically in a foreign land, but spiritually as well. It was God’s abundant mercy that brought me to my knees in Turkey that night. When I look back over the e-mail updates that I wrote during those days I have thought to myself, “Who wrote those e-mails with such trust and hope and joy because I know, more than ever, that I am riddled with unbelief, doubt and discontent.” It was God alone! He carried me and has continued to carry me through these days. If anything good or praiseworthy has come out of this time I am certain that it was “from Him and through Him and to Him…To Him be the glory forever. Amen!” (Rom 11:36)
At the foot of the cross,
Chelle Stire
13th update on Whitney
Written on October 3rd, 2008
Dear praying friends,
Yesterday Whitney saw the eye doctor again. After two weeks of healing time, he wanted to see how the hemorrhage was progressing and if her vision was improving. I went into the appointment confident that we would have a great prognosis. In the intervening days she had returned to her normal level of activity (playing with friends, doing school work and even swimming with the doctor’s OK). I have been asking her every day about the blind spot’s size and density and monitoring her level of vision. I was really encouraged that she seemed to be regaining her vision. I was even thinking that we might be able to return to Albania a week earlier than we had anticipated. Therefore, I was really surprised when the doctor tested her vision and instead of having 40% vision or better, she actually could only see one letter on the second line of the vision chart (about 20%). In order to check into this further, he had us go to another facility to receive a specialized test. The results of this test showed that her hemorrhage was smaller than two weeks ago. We praise God that when the doctor did his office exam he was encouraged that her eye actually looked better than it had at the last appointment and that the test corroborated this. It seemed that everything was pointing to better vision, not worse.
I have to admit that at that moment I began to wonder what God was doing. In God’s extreme goodness I had read these words from Jesus, to a parent whose child was sick beyond human intervention, “…All things are possible to him who believes. Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, ‘I do believe; help my unbelief.’”(Mark 9:23-24) I still don’t understand what God is doing in this situation, but I am so thankful that “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knows those who those who take refuge in Him.” (Nahum 1:7).
In response to this change in Whitney’s vision, the doctor has decided to give her an ocular steroid shot on Wednesday. This is an outpatient procedure that will require her to be under general anesthesia while they inject steroids behind her eye into the retina. The steroids will cushion the area of hemorrhage and inhibit increased blood flow and pressure to that area over the next 3-4 months. We will then need to go back to Turkey to have the OCT scan performed in order to make sure that the retina is fully healed. Next Tuesday we will see Dr. Khawly, in preparation for the procedure, and he will retest her vision to see if there has been any change.
God has been using other things, as well, to cause us to lean on Him and trust Him during these past two weeks. Ever since I left Albania Kris has been sick. God has been blessing Kris with extra strength to handle sickness, an intense work schedule, the girls’ schoolwork and carpooling, as well as all the housework. Thank you for your extra prayers for him.
In addition to these things, Whitney’s dog, Oreo, ran away from home last week. This was an especially hard blow for Whitney because she was so looking forward to going home to Oreo’s kisses. I praise God that I could use this loss to remind her that God is actively trying to get her attention. He has continued to pursue her and to call her to Himself. It is encouraging to hear her pray that God would bring Oreo home. I am praying that God would answer her prayer so that she would know that He loves her, He hears her, and He answers her prayers.
We do have a major praise and answer of prayer to report. The insurance company IS going to pay for the air ambulance to Turkey! This is a really big deal because they were originally not going to pay for this large expense because it was not a “life or death” situation. They will also cover the doctor bills and hospital charges, minus our deductible. God is our extravagant Provider!
We would appreciate your continued prayers for our family.
1. Pray that God would heal Whitney’s eye and restore her vision.
2. Pray that God would protect Whitney during her procedure on Wednesday. Pray for her to respond well to the anesthesia and the steroid shot. Pray that she would not have any adverse reaction to the invasive procedure.
3. Pray for our witness to the doctor and to his staff.
4. Pray that God would heal Kris and continue to be his support and strength.
5. Pray that Whitney would submit to the call of the Lord on her life.
6. Pray God bring a little lost dog home and magnify His glory to a little lost girl.
We continue to thank God for your love and support during these past weeks. We have been so encouraged by your faithful prayers for us and for the ways you have loved us so practically. Thank you.
Amazed at His goodness,
Chelle Stire (for the Stires)
Dear praying friends,
Yesterday Whitney saw the eye doctor again. After two weeks of healing time, he wanted to see how the hemorrhage was progressing and if her vision was improving. I went into the appointment confident that we would have a great prognosis. In the intervening days she had returned to her normal level of activity (playing with friends, doing school work and even swimming with the doctor’s OK). I have been asking her every day about the blind spot’s size and density and monitoring her level of vision. I was really encouraged that she seemed to be regaining her vision. I was even thinking that we might be able to return to Albania a week earlier than we had anticipated. Therefore, I was really surprised when the doctor tested her vision and instead of having 40% vision or better, she actually could only see one letter on the second line of the vision chart (about 20%). In order to check into this further, he had us go to another facility to receive a specialized test. The results of this test showed that her hemorrhage was smaller than two weeks ago. We praise God that when the doctor did his office exam he was encouraged that her eye actually looked better than it had at the last appointment and that the test corroborated this. It seemed that everything was pointing to better vision, not worse.
I have to admit that at that moment I began to wonder what God was doing. In God’s extreme goodness I had read these words from Jesus, to a parent whose child was sick beyond human intervention, “…All things are possible to him who believes. Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, ‘I do believe; help my unbelief.’”(Mark 9:23-24) I still don’t understand what God is doing in this situation, but I am so thankful that “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knows those who those who take refuge in Him.” (Nahum 1:7).
In response to this change in Whitney’s vision, the doctor has decided to give her an ocular steroid shot on Wednesday. This is an outpatient procedure that will require her to be under general anesthesia while they inject steroids behind her eye into the retina. The steroids will cushion the area of hemorrhage and inhibit increased blood flow and pressure to that area over the next 3-4 months. We will then need to go back to Turkey to have the OCT scan performed in order to make sure that the retina is fully healed. Next Tuesday we will see Dr. Khawly, in preparation for the procedure, and he will retest her vision to see if there has been any change.
God has been using other things, as well, to cause us to lean on Him and trust Him during these past two weeks. Ever since I left Albania Kris has been sick. God has been blessing Kris with extra strength to handle sickness, an intense work schedule, the girls’ schoolwork and carpooling, as well as all the housework. Thank you for your extra prayers for him.
In addition to these things, Whitney’s dog, Oreo, ran away from home last week. This was an especially hard blow for Whitney because she was so looking forward to going home to Oreo’s kisses. I praise God that I could use this loss to remind her that God is actively trying to get her attention. He has continued to pursue her and to call her to Himself. It is encouraging to hear her pray that God would bring Oreo home. I am praying that God would answer her prayer so that she would know that He loves her, He hears her, and He answers her prayers.
We do have a major praise and answer of prayer to report. The insurance company IS going to pay for the air ambulance to Turkey! This is a really big deal because they were originally not going to pay for this large expense because it was not a “life or death” situation. They will also cover the doctor bills and hospital charges, minus our deductible. God is our extravagant Provider!
We would appreciate your continued prayers for our family.
1. Pray that God would heal Whitney’s eye and restore her vision.
2. Pray that God would protect Whitney during her procedure on Wednesday. Pray for her to respond well to the anesthesia and the steroid shot. Pray that she would not have any adverse reaction to the invasive procedure.
3. Pray for our witness to the doctor and to his staff.
4. Pray that God would heal Kris and continue to be his support and strength.
5. Pray that Whitney would submit to the call of the Lord on her life.
6. Pray God bring a little lost dog home and magnify His glory to a little lost girl.
We continue to thank God for your love and support during these past weeks. We have been so encouraged by your faithful prayers for us and for the ways you have loved us so practically. Thank you.
Amazed at His goodness,
Chelle Stire (for the Stires)
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