What about the updates?

I have several new things to report:

First - The Bentham Household is Busy, Busy, Busy.

Second - I have many prayer requests.

Third - Well, we are three... count them... Yes, I said, Three! Days from moving to our new home.

So on the first front: I have at least three doctor's appointments in the next three or four weeks. We are leaving for a fun-filled and inspirational vacation with my parents, my brother and several children on July 12th. Scott and I have much planning and work to do to get ourselves in line to finance our new home. AND... We will be remodeling in the future. Oh the joy of it. I can't wait. I don't know how or if we will survive the journey, but I so long to do it. A room that I design and my husband and I build together. I guess I am more my father's daughter than I ever believed I would be. (That is a long and tedious story I will tell at some point in the future about the years of my life from age seven to about fourteen when our entire family was consigned as labor to build what is now our family home.)

The Doctor's Appointments: Please pray for little or no surgery at all. I have three areas of concern. Two are topical (as in on my skin). They could be anything from scarring to well... Let's just pray the alternatives are not the option. I don't believe the latter is the case, and I have a peace that what the initial reports about the second area of concern said... A Benign Area that needs to be examined by a general surgeon.

The second area is my back. I have had issues with my back as far reaching as 1993 when I first injured it and had to do physical therapy and medications to recover. Years of dancing and activity with young children probably kept it from being worse back then. But as I got older, AND rounder, my back started to develop problems. None of which was helped when I fell at work in 1997 and broke my sacral plate in half.

I learned in 2005 when sudden onset back pain dropped me to the floor that I had a couple of discs or concern in my lower back. A little physical therapy and chiropractor has helped me remain pain free until this last few months. I knew the day was coming when I had to ask my doctor what we should do next - and that day was June 10th. The truth is for years I've known that my back issues were worsening and involving my neck and mid-spine as well, but I also knew that therapy might involve a number of treatments I was hoping to stay off as long as possible. I see the Ortho/Spine Doc on June 30th.

Please pray that God's plan for this would be fulfilled, for wisdom for myself and the doctors and
pray that healing is swift and complete in this season of my life. Can I be so bold as to ask you to pray in agreement with me specifically for NON-Invasive and Non-Surgical treatments?The great news is that I HAVE LOST A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF WEIGHT SINCE JANUARY 1. Like 19 pounds.

Pray for our vacation. Scott's children, Megan (age 15) and Travis (age 18), are going with us to Arkansas. We are seeing the Great Passion Play and visiting Eureka Springs one day out of the eight we will be there. It will be a great time for us to share the gospel with Scott's son and share why our faith is so important to us. Please pray for God to give Scott a heart to minister to his children and not to be afraid of rejection. Pray for me to be wise and silent if necessary and support my husband as we take this adventure. Also, pray for my parents and my brother as they will likely be driving us the several hundred miles north to ARKANSAS. And, pray for the blessed little people going along - Eva and Ben. I am so excited to spend a week with them and my family. Please pray for peace, harmony and family unity to be the order of that particular week. (JULY 12-19/20th)

Pray for both my daughters and our nerves as we FINALLY get them licensed to drive. The eldest is just about ready to pass her road test and since the younger will be driving from out of district to finish her Senior Year at the school here - I would appreciate your prayers as we do Parent Taught Driver's Ed and get her ready to drive before School Starts.

Finally, in the busy category. I am not only moving this week, but on Thursday I have my first interview for a job I would love to labor for the Lord in... And, that is all I am going to say about that. Just pray the Lord's will because I truly do not want the position if it is absolutely not the Lord's will that I have it. But, you could add the extra about peace and guidance in the occupation direction. I need to find gainful employment and so... Prayers there appreciated much.

There are some hiccups in our housing... Hiccups, not major earth-shattering tremors. Scott is speaking to the man we are buying the house from today - probably around lunch time and so prayers for favor and blessing would be much, much appreciated my friends. This is a big step for us --- Scott taking the lead in this. So, pray for him to be bold and assertive as he makes our concerns known. AND, Yes, we are still moving on Friday - so pray for all of those who are coming to assist, for backs to be protected and nerves to be soothed. It's kind of nice to have everything packed so all we have to do is load up, deliver and unpack. WHOOO HOOO!

Love you guys and thanks so much for all the prayers being lifted on our behalf. I told you there were a few!

:) :) :) :) :0) We are truly blessed! :o)