Joleyn Larson Photography & Design

Jhacie and I went down to the river to throw rocks and ended up watching this mommy and daddy goose.

They sat there eyeball’n us for the longest time, then when we were just about to leave….

…. we noticed the baby goose drifting around in the river behind them.

It was pretty sweet.

from a dear friend….you never know who feels as if their hut is on fire today.

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him. Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions. One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky. He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost. He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. He cried out, ‘God! How could you do this to me?’ Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island! It had come to rescue him! ‘How did you know I was here?’ asked the weary man of his rescuers. ‘We saw your smoke signal,’ they replied.

Moral: It’s easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn’t lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of our pain and suffering. Remember that the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground. It just may be a smoke signal that summons the Grace of God.

Jhacie had another tonsil/gland episode on Sunday night. It’s been a frustrating process…and yesterday wiped me out. Back and forth between the pedia and the ent…both redirecting me to the other. Finally resulting in another visit to our pediatrician, and this time he recommended seeing Dr. Spots….the St. A’s ent. He could get us in the soonest..the last day in May.

I’m torn between just getting her in and settling, and getting the type of surgery I had hoped for with Dr. Wink/Dr. Fichter….even still this would only be the referral…not the actual surgery. I don’t know the wait time after that appointment. ;( We’ve even tried the 4th ent, with no luck, so this seems to be our only option.

The pediatrician had little options at this point so he put her on antibiotics, and another steroid, in hopes that it would help somewhat during the wait.
I’m feeling frustrated at this point, and my discernment has been fogged over.

I ask for prayer for clarity over everything–so that we will have a direct plan, and a guided one.
Thanks again….Jo

ouch…..ouch…ouch…

my artistic take on them….

the not so artistic pic…..

Back from the Dakota Women’s Retreat-2008. It was a wonderful retreat this year. I didn’t expect anything less. The speaker was phenominal and the breakout sessions were amazing. We were blessed with beautiful weather and really good food. This year I traveled and roomed with some friends from my morning bible study and over all had a really wonderful time. I’m so glad that I went…and look forward to going again next april.

Little bit of info on our speaker…Marilyn Wallberg. She is a former flight attendant who has looked out of airplane windows many times in the dark of night, as the moon danced on the ocean far below, and repeated the beautiful words of Psalm 8, “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.” We were challenged and blessed as she related flight experiences to our walk with God.

One last email. We had our appointment and were referred. Good news for us. We got the doctor we requested as well.
We have to wait till June though, but were given medicine for her allergies and sinus issues, which hopefully will help with the breathing while her tonsils shrink down.
She is in good spirits now, and we have both relaxed a bit. We feel really encouraged by the doctor, that we are on the right path.

Thank you for your time spent in prayer for us.
We’ve been all over with the emotions but do feel comforted with our plan of attack.
In Christ….Jo &Tracy

Wow! You all are amazing. Your prayers, your concerns and your information.
Tracy and I have a plan of attack now. She has an appointment w/ the pediatrician at 11 this morning.
We are hoping to get a referral so that we can end this cycle of sore throat for our baby girl.

We as parents—are doing ok. It’s been hard watching her tear up. She is scared right now. Questions why we go anywhere…are we going to have them take out my tonsils…”this day”?

She had a good night. We opened up the window, had her humidifier going right by her bed, and the steroids seem to be shrinking them a bit. We all got some sleep which is good.

Again, thank you for everything. We will keep you posted.
Joleyn

Hi everyone. We have another prayer request for you guys.
Last night we decided to take Jhacie into the ER because her breathing was being affected by her swollen tonsils(3rd time this year). It seemed she didn’t have enough strength to breath. Kind of like sleep apnea? The doctor recommended seeing our pediatrician, and then an ear, nose and throat doctor, to have them eventually removed. I knew this would eventually happen as it does run in our families.

They gave us a steroid to help her for the next couple of days.
My prayer is for discernment over which doctor to go through. Any Bis/Man recommendations?
Also to calm her lil nerves and all fears she may have at this point.

Thanks everyone for your generous time spent in prayer.
Joleyn

“I am going to bring it recovery and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security.”—Jeremiah 33:6

Tracy Sr.’s perfect score in bowling. I swear, what did we ever do before this thing?

When I pray, You answer me…
by giving me the strength I need.

Well prayer warriors…I have some sad news to report. My heart aches for this loss. He was such an awesome kid, as is their entire family. Please lift them up as they go through all of this.
Lord give them strength, peace and most of all your gentle love.
Love
Joleyn

Message from his parents on the caring bridge site:
Our beautiful Drew passed away today.
At about noon, his spirit left his body. We know that he is with Jesus Christ and our Holy Father, now wrapped in their love and light and peace.
We will never be able to find the words to say how grateful we are for your support and prayers and caring and love. The many notes in this journal, the phone calls, the visits all have touched our hearts and given us strength and solace on this difficult journey. Thank you for your love and blessings.
Please continue to pray for our family as we struggle to adjust to life without Drew – always knowing that Drew’s spirit truly is near, and that he is in a far better place, where we know we will one day re-unite with him.
We continue to trust in the Lord with all our hearts.
George and Becky

Hello dear prayer warriors. I wanted to pass along a prayer request for you all.
This is my Mom’s cousin’s family. Their oldest son has been diagnosed with cancer.
Please read the story, it was published in the Billings paper last week.
This is truly one remarkable family who totally relies on Jesus Christ…whatever the outcome would be.

Thank you for your prayers…Joleyn

Friends, neighbors step up to help family
By ED KEMMICK Of The Gazette Staff

For many years, George and Becky Murray have been known as the couple who would do anything for other people.Now that the Murrays are the ones in need of help, it has been flooding in from family, friends, members of their church and parents and teachers from their children’s school.”It makes me cry when I think about it – all the goodness,” said Debbie Sorensen, Becky Murray’s sister.Sorensen came down from Great Falls to tend the Murrays’ other five children after they were called away to Chicago to be with their 19-year-old son Drew, who is gravely ill at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

It all happened quite suddenly. Drew joined the Navy last July and was serving at Naval Station Great Lakes in Illinois. The day before Easter, March 22, he told his 17-year-old sister Ali that he was unwell and had been vomiting.He checked into the naval infirmary the next day and told his family on the 24th that he was mostly feeling very tired. Doctors at first thought that Drew had pneumonia, but the Murrays learned on March 25 that it was much more serious than that.

They got a phone call that night, saying they needed to be in Chicago immediately.They learned that Drew had acute myeloid leukemia, a form of cancer in which malignant white blood cells displace or interfere with the reproduction of healthy blood cells in the bone marrow. After Drew was transferred to Northwestern, the medical staff told his parents he was probably the sickest person in the hospital.

George and Becky Murray have been at Drew’s side for the past two weeks as he has undergone chemotherapy and other treatment. It has been a trying vigil, with Drew sometimes making progress and then slipping back.At least they don’t have to worry about their children at home. In addition to Ali there is 14-year-old Collin and the Murrays’ three adopted children, 11-year-old Maddie and 8-year-old Stuart, both born in Cambodia, and 3-year-old Gilean, a native of China.George’s sister, Lynette Lynch of Billings, said her brother spent time in Nepal when he served in the Peace Corps in the mid-1980s.”He became very passionate about the kids there,” she said. “He made a commitment to himself that he would help out children when he could.”To no one’s surprise, Becky was just as willing to help.

Allison Nys, a fifth- and sixth-grade teacher at Pioneer School, an independent elementary school a little northeast of Billings, has taught most of the Murray children, who live just down Dover Road from the school.Nys said Becky “doesn’t ever think of herself. She thinks of everyone else first.”In addition to serving on the PTA and cooking at the school, Becky, a talented pianist, has taught music at the school and performs all the music for the school’s Christmas programs. A former teacher, she also substitutes at the school, and all her services are on a volunteer basis.Nys said Becky has helped out in other ways. She was always the first one in line when there were fundraising sales of any kind and occasionally she’d give the school money to buy supplies for needy children. And even though she and her husband didn’t always have everything their own family needed, she would donate clothes and other goods to children who needed them.”I cannot tell you how many times myself and other people around here have called her our angel,” Nys said.

Nys said George, who works at the power plant in Hardin, had to work a lot to provide for his large family, “but if there was something at school and he was not working, he was here.” She said he was recently disappointed when he was called in to work on his day off and had to miss the school’s science fair.And while she has good memories of all the Murray children whom she taught, Nys said, she had a soft spot for Drew.”Drew is a very, very smart kid, very capable,” she said, and he had “a very dry sense of humor that a lot of the kids his age didn’t get, but the teachers did.”

After the Murrays flew to Chicago, parents and teachers at Pioneer got together to decide how they could help. In addition to establishing a fund for the Murrays at Beartooth Bank, they teamed up with people from St. Bernard’s Parish, the Murrays’ church, and came up with a rotation for delivering home-cooked suppers to the family. Nys said they have meals planned through April 12.

Sorensen, who has been staying with her nieces and nephews, said people also have been dropping by on their own with donations of groceries, canned goods, household supplies and money. Others gave the family a new stove and repaired some plumbing problems.Sorensen has five or six envelopes going, collecting money for specific needs, including a new mattress for Drew.”We know that if, God willing, Drew comes home, there’s going to be a lot of needs,” she said. Although the Navy is paying for Drew’s treatment and the Murrays’ stay in Chicago, the general fund at Beartooth Bank will cover all the family’s other expenses, which are mounting now that George isn’t working.Sorensen said it has been a challenge for Drew’s siblings, “but they’re all troopers.”

She said “the God squad,” as she calls all the people who have been helping the family, have been amazing.When they find out how much help the family has received, Sorensen said, “I know Becky and George are going to flip their wigs. It’s just a humbling thing.”Like many family members and friends, Sorensen also continues to pray.”I don’t know what I hope for,” she said, and then added: “That Drew will live and his parents will get some rest.”

Published on Monday, April 07, 2008.Last modified on 4/7/2008 at 12:38 am
Copyright © The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises.

A fund has been established for the family of George and Becky Murray at Beartooth Bank. Checks can be made out to the Drew Murray Medical Fund and mailed to Beartooth Bank, Drew Murray Medical Fund, attn. Jan Humpherys, 4130 King Ave. W., Billings MT 59106.For more information on the fund, call the bank at 294-6500.