RV update - praise and prayer

It has been quite a journey, so to speak, with the RV situation. Thankfully, we are confident of God's sovereignty and provision in the situation.

Thank you to so many who have prayed and continued to ask and follow up with us regarding the RV and the results of the repairs. We have been blessed and encouraged by you all and the love you have shared with us during this minor bump in the road.

We are happy and thankful to say that the repairs are almost at an end. Kris was able to pick up the RV on Monday from the engine repair shop. It was a blessing that the engine issue was not as extensive as it could have been. They discovered that the govenor (?) needed to be changed as well as all the belts to the radiator/cooling system. After all was said and done (with a bit of haggling over an inflated statement of hours worked) the bill was a little over $3,000. This was much better than what we thought it might be if the engine had to be overhauled or something.

At this time, the RV is at the other RV shop (where the A/C was fixed and all other repairs done). They will replace the windshields and we should have the RV back by next week - just in time for our July 8th departure to Florida.

So, we are on track to finish our USA RV tour! We are looking forward to the trip...Well, I did have to convince the girls that it would be much more fun now that we would have A/C, we would be able to hear each other talk with the new windshield securely attached, and the engine all fixed so we could go faster than 55 miles an hour. Woohoo!! We are excited to spend time together in "The Beaver".

We are so very grateful to God for allowing us the privilege of trusting Him. It's funny that this all happened just a few days after we arrived back in the states. Having lived overseas, in Albania, where things just don't always go as planned (as a general rule of life you have to plan an extra half hour or more to accomplish things and you plan for the inevitable to occur - fluid flexibility is the rule of our lives), I was beginning to have an idealistic (idolistic?) view of how things go according to plan in the states. Whenever things would break down in Albania or it would take a reallllly long time for something to get fixed, I would think of how much easier it is in America to take care of things and how easily things go along. Well, God really wanted to show me that the issue was my heart. We had not been in the states but a week and God allowed all the RV problems, the uncertainties, the long wait and somewhat poor communication with RV places, and financial strains to keep me dependent on Him. He reminded me that no matter where I live, my heart that idolizes ease, security, order, control, and "my way", needs to be kept humble and dependent on Christ. God knows how to keep my heart in that state before Him and I am truly thankful for His mercy to me to show me these things.

Thank you for continuing to pray for our safety and sanctification along the way.

Day 8 - Houston or bust!

We were on the road long before the sun rose over the Texas hill country. As we drove, the slate- gray clouds raced across the sky allowing us glimpses of the splendid sunrise beyond. As night gave way to day, we saw the variegated greens on the gently rolling hills contrasted with the gray/blue sky as they met on the horizon. The smell of rain was in the air. Wildflowers - vibrant reds, bright yellows and rich purples - lined the strip of highway we travelled. Altogether, this stunningly gorgeous scene caused my heart to rise up and worship the ONE who spoke all of this into existence with a word.

The wonder of this all led me to ponder Psalm 65:8b and following, "You made the dawn and the sunset shout for joy. You visit the earth and cause it to overflow; You greatly enrich it; the stream of God is full of water;...the hills gird themselves with rejoicing...they shout for joy, yes, they sing." If all of yesterday's unexpected delays were soley to allow me the intense pleasure of these moments of worship, it was worth every second. Ahhhh, if this fallen nature is just a mere shadow of the beauty of the Lord, how I long for heaven to worship the glorious splendor of His majesty in all it's true splendor!
I drank in the beauty of the country side. I had forgotten how beautiful Texas country is. It's gently rolling hills, green plains, fence lined roads, content livestock feeding in the pastures, and windmills, made me thankful to be back in Texas (as they say, "I wasn't born in Texas, but I got here as soon as I could"). I have surely missed this land.
The girls continued to sleep contentedly as the miles rolled by. I just love to watch them sleep. Their sweet faces are so dear to me! Thank you God for giving us these gifts, blessings, and rewards (Psalm 127).
Everything is bigger in Texas - including the American flag. You can't really tell from this picture, but this flag is enormous!! I was so thankful to see it, not only because it reminds me of how thankful I am for America, but also because it is in Houston!!! Yeah, we had finally arrived (a day late) to the Houston city limits.

We pulled up and sounded the horn (which played the song "Somewhere over the rainbow"). What a great joy to see my mom, my sister (a wonderful surprise!!!), my dad, and his wife Amanda all at my dad's house. We laughed, cried, and thanked God for bringing us safely to Houston.
Then we ate a wonderful Mexican feast!
What a supreme blessing it was to look around the table and see the faces of all my dear loved ones. God had brought us safely home again to see their faces on this side of eternity! Praise His mighty name!
Whitney also celebrated (a day early), her 11th birthday. The presents were great, but the most wonderful part of the celebration was being able to be with family.

I love this photo! It captures the sweetness and fun that is all rolled up to make Whitney such an immense blessing to us!

Day 4 - On the road from California to Arizona

* * Due to internet and computer issues this has been post dated**


At 2 a.m. my day started since my body was convinced that it was actually 10 a.m. and I was being lazy in bed. However, what a blessing it ended up to be. The house was still and quiet and I had some sweet time with the Lord. The past weeks have been so full of preparations and meetings that I have felt my intimate time with my Savior lacking. It seems that the expectation and anticipation of seeing friends and family again have overshadowed by joy and satisfaction in the Lord. I have been feeling a bit pressured and so my time with the Lord has been shortened and distracted. What a gracious Lord I have that He gently reminded me of my priorities. Mark 1 was where He brought me this morning. I read of the intense and busy days of Christ – how He was pressured, pulled, and in constant demand BUT He did not neglect the communion and fellowship with His Father in the early morning. He knew that the only way to accomplish all God had ordained for Him for the day was to be energized by the power of the Living God in prayer. Oh, how thankful I was for that loving reminder.

By 7 a.m. we were ready to load up in the RV and head out of LA. The 36 foot RV will be an intermittent home for the next 3 months and we are thankful for it.

Kris’s dad, Arper, was an invaluable help during these last days. We are so grateful for their generosity in letting us borrow the RV this summer.

Kris at the wheel. We both noted how nice it was to ride on wide, well-paved roads. We all enjoyed the gorgeous view of desert shrubs, craggy mountains, and jumbled rocks. What a creative God we serve! The desert hues are stunning and the azure sky seems endless.

Arizona welcomed us with scorching heat – to us at least coming from 65 degree weather in Tirana. Today we make our stop at the Grand Canyon. Chelle and the girls have never been there and are excited to see this “little hole in the ground”.

Ok, so I was totally unprepared for the grandeur and immensity of the Grand Canyon. As we approached the North Rim at sunset we stood amazed at the awesome majesty and power of our God displayed here. All around us the rocks were shouting out that God is, “The ROCK! His work is perfect, for all His ways are just; a God of faithfulness and without injustice, righteous and upright is He.” (Deut 32:4). It made me heart so sad to see so many people standing by this same display of God’s glory and not being moved to worship it’s Creator. Instead, they deceive themselves that this mindboggling beauty was made over millions of years without a Divine, beautiful Creator. Oh, how their minds have been blinded. God open their eyes to see your magnificence

I will say that I was a bit more occupied with watching my children most of the time though. That huge, sheer canyon has no fence or anything to keep curious kids from falling off the edge! Yikes! We were all so thankful that we made it to the Grand Canyon in time to see the sun slide down the opposite rim. What a splendid end to a wonderful day!

Latest update on Whitney's eye

Hello dear ones,

We just wanted to let you know that we arrived home safely from Greece a couple of days ago. Here's a quick run-down on how things went.

The trip down to Thessaloniki was uneventful and rather quick (just under 7 hours). The car is now practically driving itself there since this was our 6th trip in the last 6 months. Kaitlyn was not with us on this trip as she is staying with an Albanian family for at least a week to work intensively on her Albanian language. The other girls did a great job on the drive through all the winding and bumpy (but getting better) roads. The border crossing was very fast. We had prayed about that as we left Tirana. When we drove out of the border patrol area Breanna piped up in the back, "We should tell God thank you that we got through the border so fast." Out of the mouths of babes... Then she prayed.

When we arrived in Thessaloniki we called the doctors office to see if we could get in on Monday night instead of Tuesday, when we originally had our appointment scheduled. We arrived in the city earlier than we thought because of the quick drive and no problems at the border. The doctor said to come on in and she would try to get us out in under 2 hours. We usually wait at least that long because they are in great demand. Actually, I think that if Dr. Kawly, in Houston, had not referred us to Dr. Brazitioks, in Greece, and called him personally, we would not have been accepted as a new patient. It didn't take 2 hours, only 1. Yeah God!!! We were up and out before some of the people who were there before us were even called in.

So, Whitney's vision was 20/20!!!! Praise God!!! The OCT scan showed that there is no accumulation of fluid behind the retina, which is the best case scenario for Whitney. So far the retina is still damaged (and will always have that damage), but has remained "dry". Once the fluid leaks into the damaged area and builds up under the scarred area, then she has the drastically decreased vision like she did in December. We are so very thankful that God has protected her eye from further complications. Based on these steady results - unchanged since her second appointment with him and after 3 shots - they said that we could begin coming in for the scan every 2 months instead of every month. This is good news. We will probably have to make this trip for at least another year, maybe 1 1/2 years. That does sound a little daunting, but very do-able. We are thanking God for all the ways He has provided financially for these unbudgeted/unplanned for trips. What a great reminder that they were not unplanned for by Him when we created out budget before we even left the USA for Albania. He has it in HIS budget. What a relief!

One other really amazing thing...
On the way back to Albania we prayed, as usual, for a safe drive home and for protection for the car and all parts. About 1 hour out of Thessaloniki, we noticed that the car was beginning to vibrate quite a lot. The roads aren't always great, so we have kind of become used to a not-so smooth ride. We pulled off the highway and Kris looked at the tires (they are old but still have lots of tread on them - he had just had them checked in April). They seemed fine. We got back on the road and had not gone 50 yards when we both realized the vibrating was a lot worse. "It just so happened" (such a God thing) that we were right at the off-ramp for Berea (yes, the one from Acts). Once we pass this city we begin the winding and steep climb into the mountains that have lots of tunnels and hardly any place to care for distressed cars. So we are praying, like we had been since we stopped, that we would find a place to fix our Toyota car with Bridgestone tires. Lo and behold, just down the road was a small Toyota dealership attached to a little Bridgestone tire shop! (Imagine lots of cheers in the car). We pulled up and the old guy at the tire shop didn't speak a word of English, but just then his son rode up on his bike and he spoke great English! (Imagine more hurrahs for God). As it turns out, and was now very obvious, the front right tire was severely distended/bowed out and was causing the car to gyrate. The guy told us that if we had kept driving, within at least 2 kilometers the tire would have exploded! That would have been right in the middle of a narrow tunnel on the mountain! WOW GOD!!!! He said that the tires we have on the car are very strong and durable and that if we had had another, less sturdy, tire it would have already blown. God's care over us is just astounding! (Now imagine tears, cheers and some great big sighs of relief).

So, we got back on the road within 30 minutes and arrived home safely. It is great to be back home in Tirana. Thanks for all your prayers for our safety and for Whitney's appointment. Our Father has been immeasurably kind to us all during this long journey of Whitney's injury (almost 1 year now). We are so very thankful for all the ways He has shown Himself so big and also so into the details of our lives. Our faith has been stretched and strengthened. We are profoundly grateful to Him for these invaluable lessons.

Just to give us even more - we found corn on the cob in Thessaloniki!! I know this doesn't sound too impressive, but we haven't had it in 2 years. I bought some at the store and we had huge ears of sweet corn for dinner that night. They were SO yummy! Breanna ate hers down to the cob and even kept on gnawing on it until it got all mushy. Kris called her a "cornivore". Hahaha!

Just thought I would let you in on all the blessings we received on this trip.

There is no other way to end this testimony of God's goodness but to quote:
Psalm 145:3-7
"Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable.
One generation shall praise They works to another, and shall declare Thy mighty acts.
On the glorious splendor of Thy majesty, and on Thy wonderful works, I will meditate.
And men shall speak in the power of Thine awesome acts; and I will tell of Thy greatness.
They shall eagerly utter (literally "bubble over") the memory of Thine abundant goodness, and shall shout joyfully fo They righteousness."

Whitney's second surgical procedure in Greece - lessons in the fog

Precious friends and prayer warriors,

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23

Yesterday morning, as we drove out of Thessaloniki, Greece, we saw a spectacular sight. It was dawn, and the mountains surrounding the valley that Thessaloniki lies in were visible in the distance. The plane in front of us was lush green. In the distance the land was covered with a low-lying fog that ended as the purple mountains jutted out of the ground. The mountains were covered with sparkling white snow and behind these mountains God was painting a gorgeous sunrise with rich oranges and vibrant pinks. It was a breathtaking view! We all commented on how creative and magnificent God’s power is. Not long after that we drove into the mountain pass. Almost immediately we were surrounded by dense fog. We kept going on and on in this thick, cold murkiness. We began to discuss how easy it would be to think that the sun was not shining at all because the fog was so dark and we could hardly see the road in front of us. Every so often, the sun would penetrate the clouds allowing us a quick glimpse of the blue sky. We were thankful to know that the fog would end and that eventually we would come out on the other side of the mountain range to a sunny valley.

While we were in that fog, God reminded us of an important truth. These past months have been like that heavy, dark fog. There have been so many uncertain times and unknown endings. We have been moving forward in the vehicle of God’s protection, energized by the power of the Holy Spirit. We have not questioned that we were on the highway of His perfect will, but it didn’t change the fact that we could not see what was in front of us. It was even difficult at times to remember the majestic displays of God’s power that we have personally seen in our lives. Often we would find ourselves focusing on the dreary “sameness” of this small trial and our spirits would sag and match the grayness around us. But then God, in His lavish love, would break through that fog and pierces us with His Light at just the right time. It may just be for a short time and then we are back in the God ordained fog of a trial, but how merciful is that refreshing reminder that He is with us. His Light is still guiding us and He will bring us out of the darkness and into His glorious Light in His perfect timing. The profoundness of this visible lesson left us worshipping God, in tears.

This trip to Greece, for Whitney’s second surgical procedure on her right eye, has been like one of those breaks in the fog from God. We are overjoyed to be able to share with you what God has done! When we visited the doctor here in Tirana 2 ½ weeks ago the results of the visual acuity tests that he performed were not so encouraging. Although the hemorrhage was gone from her eye, Whitney’s vision was still at 20/200, the same as before the first procedure. We were told that Whitney’s vision might return to 20/50 where it was before the hemorrhaging began in early December. When we arrived at the ophthalmologist’s office in Greece on Monday, they performed this test again. How amazed and speechless we were when Whitney’s vision was confirmed at 20/30!!! This is the best vision she has had since the initial injury in August.

When the doctor performed the OCT scan of the retina, she said that Whitney’s results were very close to a normal, healthy scan. We sat there and looked at the healing power of God with tears in our eyes. Whitney’s retina and macula are still damaged and will always have residual problems (humanly speaking), but at this time she only has a slight myopia, or near-sightedness. And just to let Whitney know that He heard her prayer (she was the only one who prayed it), the doctor said that Whitney did not need that IV dye test this time. We all praised God right there in that office!

Whitney did have the second injection of Lucentis into her right eye on Tuesday morning. Thankfully, she also responded better to the anesthesia this time. We are praying that the combination of the three shots will continue to sustain the healing that God has brought about. We do not know how long these shots will maintain this level of eyesight, but we are thankful for the mighty work of God at this time in our lives.

Thank you for your faithful and fervent prayers for Whitney and for our family during these past months. He has answered your prayers in ways that are beyond all that we asked or imagined. We proclaim with David, “Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom. One generation will commend Your works to another; they will tell of Your mighty acts,” (Psalm 145:3-4).

We are scheduled to return to Greece at the end of February for the last of this series of procedures. During the intervening weeks we will take Whitney for a follow-up visit to the eye doctor here in Tirana and continue to monitor her vision.

Thank you for continuing to pray for us. It has been a tremendous thing for us to see and experience God’s answers to all of our prayers. We are so grateful to God for each of you.

Bondservants of the King,
The Stire family

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

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)

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 31^st 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

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

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)

12th update on Whitney

September 15th-16th



Whitney and I had a relaxing, but very long, flight to America. We flew from Albania to Munich, Germany and had a few hours in the Munich airport. Then we boarded a jumbo jet and flew to Washington D.C. Whitney thought the best part was having her own TV screen on the seat in front of her.



Here was are on American soil (the Washington DC airport) for the first time in 14 months. The first thing we did after we got off the airplane was stop at a Dunkin' Donuts and get a chocolate sprinkle donut and soda with ice. Woohoo! You can see the sign, "Welcome to the USA" in the background. It was great to be back in a place where I could understand all the conversations and read all the signs.



The day after was arrived in Houston we went to see Dr. Khawly. He is a retinal specialist. Whitney did a great job at the appointment and enjoyed playing in the exam chair.

Dear friends and prayer partners,

As I write this e-mail, Whitney and I are in Houston, Texas. We arrived here late Wednesday to see an eye specialist about Whitney’s eye injury.

Last week, when we left Turkey, Kris and I began praying about the possibility of taking Whitney to the states for follow up on her condition. We prayed that God would make it very clear if was His will for us to make this journey. Once in Tirana, we followed up with an eye doctor who has studied and practiced abroad. He actually performed an eye scan that was not done in Turkey that showed us very clearly the injury to the middle part of her eye and the hemorrhage involved. At the time of her appointment with him, 3 days after her last visit with the doctor in Turkey, Whitey’s vision had not improved at all. The doctor in Turkey had hoped that her vision would continue to improve past the 40% in the peripheral vision as well as the blindness in the center part of her eye that she had at discharge from the hospital in Turkey. After examining her, the doctor told us, with quite a lot of certainty on his part, that she would never recover any more vision than what she has. He also said that because of the “break” in one of the membranes in the macular (vision) area of her eye, that the membrane was weakened significantly. This type of injury (traumatic coroidal rupture) has the danger of further vision loss as the underlying membranes begin to push through the healed “break” causing macular degeneration, cataracts and other eye issues. He was also concerned about the hemorrhage and stated that she would not be able to play sports again. Actually, he said she could play the vigorous game of chess. This was quite disheartening for Whitney because she is the most athletic of all our girls. With all of this information building on what we learned in Turkey, we began searching out options for further care in the states.

In a way that only God can work, He had already moved in the heart of a family friend in Texas to pursue getting us in contact with the “best of the best” ophthalmologist in the Houston area. He said that if we got Whitney to Texas, he would make sure that we got in to see this doctor that he knows through his wife’s own extensive eye surgeries. While Kris and I were, and are, content if it is God’s plan for Whitney’s eye sight to remain at 40% or even to worsen, we also want to make sure that we being wise stewards of the daughter that God has given us to care for. Our prayer for clear guidance about whether we should leave immediately for Texas was very definitively answered by the severe hurricane that hit the Galveston/Houston area on Saturday, the 13th.

Well, on Tuesday morning, the 16^th, Whitney woke up and informed me that the blind spot in her eye was bigger, darker, was “blinking”, and that everything else was blurrier. After a whole day of praying, contacting doctors in London and Texas, and seeking the counsel of our family and our mission organization, Kris and I decided that Whitney and I should go to Houston for further care. Just to remind us of how intimately He is governing all our ways, God allowed us to get a special airfare because of Whitney’s medical situation. We had been looking at spending quite a bit on next day plane tickets from Tirana to Houston. To add blessing upon blessing, Whitney and I are thankful to able to stay with my family while we are in Houston to cut down on costs of food, transportation and housing. God is such a tender Father and our lavish Provider!

Yesterday morning, Thursday the 18^th, Whitney and I went to see the retinal specialist. He gave us a very encouraging prognosis.

• Whitney does NOT have a retinal tear as we had been told in Turkey.
• Whitney will, more than likely, recover more of her central vision once the hemorrhage fully dissolves in the retinal area. Based on where the injury occurred in the eye, he thinks that she will not ever recover full vision, but that it will be more than she has now.
• Whitney WILL be able to play sports as long as she has protective eye gear on.
• The doctor told us that the injury she sustained was a severe one, but that if the eye was to have this kind of injury the placement of the tear and the angle at which the stick entered her eye was the best possible scenario. The tear is only a millimeter from her eye’s vision center and if it had been any closer she would have been permanently blinded. No one can tell me that God isn’t sovereign in the details!
• Whitney does not need surgery at this time. There is actually no surgery that can help fix this eye injury.
• Whitney is very likely to have cataracts and some other eye issues, later in life, due to the tear in her membrane, but those can be treated if they are detected in time. He suggested that I do a monthly eye test, at home, to make sure her vision is not deteriorating and have her see an ophthalmologist every 4 months or so to watch out for any change in the membrane tear.
• Because Whitney’s eye is still more prone to be re-injured, she must wear eye protection at all time (glasses, sports glasses, sun glasses).
• In the next 4 months or so her eye should have recovered and healed as much as it will and at that time we will know what her life-long vision will be. Corrective eyeglasses will not enhance her vision, but may “crisp up” some of the blurriness.

WOW! We are just speechless at how God has answered all our prayers in such a magnificent and gracious way! And, just to be super extravagant in His blessing to us, God moved on the heart of the doctor to see us free of charge! I just stood in the office and cried. He is SO good to us!

As we were travelling to the states, uncertain of what was happening in Whitney’s eye, I read this verse in Psalm 17, “Keep me as the apple of Your eye, Hide me in the shadow of Your wings.” (v. 8). The apple of the eye is a reference to the pupil of the eye. Although I have read this verse many times, it has taken on greater meaning to me now that we are dealing with Whitney’s eye injury and I have learned so much more about the eye itself. God used this verse to comfort me immeasurably that He is protecting us and caring for us as carefully as He created the whole body to care for the small and most delicate part of the eye. We are in the center of His watchful care! Although we can’t see clearly all the purposes of God in this situation we can rest securely with the knowledge that He sees and directs with perfect omniscience ALL our steps. I just love how God uses His Word to speak to us so specifically!

Our family has been so blessed by your faithful love and prayers in these past weeks. I know that God has used you in our lives to strengthen, comfort, encourage, and remind us of His special care through His body. Thank you for continuing to pray as we move forward with Whitney’s care. Here are a few specific requests to pray for:

• Continue to pray for healing – whether that be through the medical care given or through His miraculous touch. Our greatest desire is for God to be glorified and for His power to be magnified in our lives.
• Pray for Kris and the girls as they remain back in Tirana. The doctor told us to plan on remaining in Texas for 3 weeks so that he can keep watch on her hemorrhage and her vision recovery. It was very difficult for me to leave my dear husband. I know that God is giving Kris the extra strength and ability to care for 3 girls, but I know he would appreciate your prayers on his behalf.
• Continue to pray for Whitney’s spiritual eyes to be opened and that God would use this “trial” to bring her to repentance and salvation.
• Pray that the doctor and all care givers involved would see Christ in us. I don’t have a language barrier this time, like in Turkey, and look forward to taking every opportunity to share the hope that I have in Christ!
• Pray that Kris and I would learn all that God desires for us to learn during this time. We know that God never wastes pain. He has already used this to refine our faith and to recall us to focus on eternal things. He is not done working yet and we want to reflect Christ’s character more fully at the end of this time.
• Pray that Houston would have it’s power restored and that the city would recover quickly from the hurricane. It’s kind of ironic that Whitney and I are leaving Albania, where we are used to frequent power outages, to go to Houston where we will not have power at my dad’s house.

We will continue to keep you updated about Whitney and what God is doing through this circumstance.

Held in His grip,

Chelle (for the Stire family)

8th Update on Whitney

Monday, September 8th


Well, Whitney did a super job at the 3D scan of her eye. As a special treat we got to stop and get a Starbucks. This is an extra special thing because we do not have Starbucks in Albania. I have to admit that I was really glad to have a Pomegranate Peach Frappechino. YUM!!!



This is a photo of one of the MANY mosques that we saw from the window of the taxi as we drove to the other hospital to get the test. I was amazed at the amount of mosques there were. It was sad to see.


This is one of the side streets in Istanbul. The traffic was really bad and there are no seat belts in the taxis. I was just praying that God would keep us safe as we raced down these small streets in between bumper to bumper traffic. It was a really funny thing - we saw about 15-20 mannequin stores. There were just so many naked mannequins in the windows. Whitney and I thought it was pretty hilarious.



Beloved in the Lord,

Our family continues to be so thankful to the Lord for your loving support, encouragement and prayer during this past week (it seems like a month). Each day we are reminded of the beauty of the body of Christ as we experience the comfort and strength that you bring to us through Christ, our Head.

Thank you for your fervent prayers for Whitney and the specialized eye test that she had today. First of all let me give you a picture of what Whitney is seeing out of her right eye. Since yesterday she has been able to use her right eye some. After a whole week of darkness, it took a while to adjust to light and colors again, but soon she was looking out the window and in all the cabinets of the room. When I asked her what things look like from her right eye, she said that if she looks directly at something she just sees a big black spot, but that she can see things out of her peripheral vision. The doctor, in our visit with him this afternoon, said that the black spot that she is “seeing” is the hemorrhage. Thankfully, the vision around the outside of her eye is improved a little. She has about 25% visibility if she looks at something from the side. Basically, Whitney has just compensated with her left eye to see anything directly in front of her and is not using her right eye to see things in her direct line of vision.

The test that we had done today was a painless procedure that provided a cross sectional imagery of the retina. It was quite an adventure getting to get the test (we had to take a taxi by ourselves across the city and back with my 3 words of Turkish that I’ve learned in the last 5 day to help us – hospital, please and thank you). Praise the Lord, He directed us the right place and we got right in to see the eye specialist at the other facility. Once we had the test performed, we came back to our hospital to have the doctor look at the test results. Here is a run down of what he said:
1. There is definite damage to the middle and retinal area of her eye.
2. He does not think that she will need surgery AT THIS POINT.
3. He will keep her in the hospital for another 3-4 days to monitor the hemorrhage in her eye and make sure that the infection has totally cleared up. He will continue to follow up on the enlarged iris as well.
4. He will need to see Whitney back in Turkey in two weeks time. The purpose of this appointment is to see if her eye is absorbing the hemorrhage. He had hoped that by this time the hemorrhage would have diminished, but he has not seen that occur yet. He does not want to do any invasive procedures/surgery unless he is sure the eye will not heal by itself, so he will wait for another 2 weeks to be on the cautious side. In two weeks, if the hemorrhage is not decreasing he will consider the possibility of surgery to clear out the hemorrhage so that Whitney would be able to see out of the center of her eye (ideally).

So, at least for the next few days Whitney and I will remain in the hospital here in Istanbul. If he permits her to fly home, we will go back to Albania at the end of this week. Then, we will return (either by plane or a 15 hour car ride) to Turkey to see Dr. Oram in 2 weeks. I have to admit that I was hoping for something a little bit more definitive with the results today, but then I remembered a quote that I have hanging on my desk at home that says,

“Lord, I am willing to-
Receive what you give,
Lack what you withhold,
Relinquish what you take.” Author unknown

Obviously God, in His infinite wisdom and grace did not see fit for us to have the knowledge that we thought we needed (i.e. Is the hemorrhage going to dissolve on its own?, Is her vision lost permanently in that area of her eye?, Will surgery correct or at least enhance the vision that she has?, Does she have a rupture or a hemorrhage?, Is the retinal damage going to heal?).

BUT ---
“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are Him judgements and unfathomable His ways!” Rom 11:33

Holding on to His hand,
Chelle

7th Update on Whitney

Sunday, September 7th


Here is Whitney having Sunday School with her stuffed animals. It was so precious to hear her talking about Jesus getting baptized and the Spirit coming down as a dove. She taught them some verses and prayed too. I loved it!



We had such a beautiful and special day from the Lord. Whitney was so glad to be able to do a little bit more activity with her eye. Here she is coloring. Whitney loves to draw and is a really great artist. She made a beautiful picture of a horse and we hung it in the window.



Since I have been working on Whitney's blanket she has been asking me to teach her how to knit. She was so excited to learn that she got two pencils and began her own project. I have to say she is a natural knitter. She is doing really great, especially with pencils!





Whitney was so looking forward to visiting the flower shop downstairs. We went in and smelled the fragrant aroma and picked out our favorite arrangements. The man in the shop gave Whitney a white lily. It made our room smell so great! Whitney was so excited to save the flower and give it to the nurse, Eylem.





Dear friends and family,

“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.” Eph 3:20-21

Whitney and I have just returned from an appointment with the doctor. Praise God that we are able to report that:
* Whitney’s vision is just a little better than it was on Friday. She can see one letter on the third line of the eye chart now. The doctor is encouraged with this.
* He was also happy to see that her iris is responding a little bit more to the stimulus of light.
* He said that she could begin to open her right eye for a small amount of time to allow her eye to acclimate itself to use again. She has had it closed for one week today and the muscles are pretty weak.
* Whitney was very excited that he gave her permission for me to take her in the wheelchair to go on a little tour of the hospital. She is especially looking forward to seeing and smelling the gorgeous flowers in the flower shop.
* A missionary woman from the states, serving here in Istanbul, called our room this morning. We had a sweet time of fellowship and she prayed with me. I loved that! Best of all, she is going to bring a Turkish New Testament for me to give to the nurse, Eylem. I had praying that God would provide something for me to give to Eylem when we leave. I didn’t want to tell her about the One True God and not give her His Word. Yeah God for bringing a Bible to our room!!! He is the Great Provider.
* Whitney’s little heart is becoming so sensitive to the hurts and needs of others. She heard a little boy down the hall crying. She came to me and we decided we should pray for him because he doesn’t know (most likely) that God loves him and can comfort him in his pain. We prayed that God would bring someone into his path to share the gospel with him.
* We finally opened the curtains and the window in the room today and are enjoying a cool breeze. We both noted that God’s light is so much better than the lights in the room. We are feeling so refreshed by the air and the light! I wish that all of you could come and experience the joy in our small room. We are listening to Seeds worship songs for kids – although I think they are for adults too because I find them really worshipful and a great way to learn Scripture. The one playing right now is “Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You…” Ps 63. We are just singing, praising God, feeling the breeze on our faces, and Whitney is coloring – which she loves to do because she is a super artist. God is sustaining us in such a sweet and intimate way. Walking out the door to our room and into the hall is like walking from one world to another. I pray that everyone who walks into our room realizes the difference as well.

“O taste and see that the Lord is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!” Ps 34:8

We will go tomorrow afternoon (morning in the states) to the other hospital to have the 3D scan. Please continue to pray for a really great result. I am praying for the doctors to see a completely healed eye – perfect in every way. I would love to see the look on their faces at that. What a display of God’s power that would be! So, we wait with great expectation for Whitney’s test tomorrow. Even if we have to have surgery or learn that she will not recovery any more of her sight, we have learned so much about God and His mercy in this past week, that we will rejoice that the Lord is a Great God and He is working mightily on our behalf.

Well, we missed being at church today, but that didn’t keep Whitney from having Sunday school. She was the Sunday school teacher for her stuffed animals. I have to say they were a very attentive class. She taught them about Jesus getting baptized by John the Baptist and how the Holy Spirit came down from heaven like a dove. She even had them memorize some verses - Matthew 3:13-14. You can see Whitney and her “class” in the attached photo. I just wanted to stop time, watching her on her knees by the couch with the Bible open in front of her and talking about Jesus. I am so thankful for this sweet time together. I will look back on these days with such fondness because I was able to spend this uninterrupted time with Whitney. God is so good to us!

Thank you again for your faithful prayers, your e-mails, your e-cards and the love you continue to pour out on us. We are so very honored and grateful. I look forward to sending you a good report tomorrow.

Tasting and seeing that the LORD is good,
Chelle Stire