Day 1 - 31 Days of Prayer for My Prodigals

Day 1.  Yes, I know.  I haven't been here in a while.  So much has been going on.  Life continues, and takes a lot of time, doesn't it?  As you may know, the last time I was here, one of our daughters was home.  Helping her get settled, and get on her feet, took a lot of time.  Not to mention that there were still developments with our other prodigal.  Life just keeps going, and we try to stay caught up.  But I have missed being here.  I didn't feel like I was making any progress.  I wanted this blog to be an encouragement to others who may be living this same life.  But I didn't get feed back that I was helping.  I knew people were coming by to peer and ponder, but was it the "car wreck" kind of thing?  I didn't know.  Well, I have been away for about five months.  A lot has changed, and things are better for my girls in some regards.  But I did get a few emails from some of you.  I thought they were comments, and I had planned to answer them when I returned.  Well, I apologise that I didn't look closer and get back with you immediately.  I am thankful that you took the time to reach out to me.

I will fill you all in on some of what has been going on.  But now for the Day 1 Prayer.

Day 1 - Prayer for my Prodigals.

Dear Lord,

As I do every day, I pray your thorny hedge of protection around my daughters.  All three of them.  I pray that Courtney will be safe in her new home in a state so far from us.  I thank you Lord, for helping her find a job, Friday.  Six weeks is a long time to be dependent on others.  I know your timing is always perfect, and it was this time as well.  The person who helped her move so far from us, had told her that if she didn't have a job in a week, she would have to leave.  So now she just has to get transportation to get her health stuff done so she can begin working in the restaurant and training for a management position.  God, please continue to walk with Courtney daily.  Help her get her life together one step at a time.  Keep your arms around her tight, Lord.  Keep Satan and his angels away from her.  Help her to avoid the temptations that have troubled her in the past.  Help Courtney find believing people who will help her stay on Your path.  Help Courtney grow her faith, Lord, and be the woman of God that you would have her to be.  Please keep her healthy and safe.  Take the desire to hurt herself away, Lord.  We know that desire is of the Devil, Lord, and doesn't come from you.  Let Courtney feel Your presence when she needs comfort.  Let Courtney be brave for you.  She says she hasnt met any Christians there, Lord.  That no one knows you.  Help her find believers, and let Courtney be a light for you.

Lord, I also pray for Molly.  She is being led down the wrong path.  I realize that young girls think that the world is such a fun place.  Much more fun than their mothers are.  I pray Lord, that you will keep your hand on Molly's shoulder.  Take the "friends" who are leading her to the Devil, out of her life.  Remove them.  Help her to find friends that will lead her to you.  Just two weeks ago, as I sat in church, she texted me and said she wanted to find a church.  A church that she liked, that would help her to find a new life.  Please Lord, make that happen.  I pray Lord, that you will show her the man that you have chosen for her, that she can have a good life with.  I pray that you will take the bad men away from her.  Let them lose interest in her.  Let them find new women and take their drugs and alcohol with them.  And let the bad men leave my daughter and my family alone.

Let Molly develop such a desire for You that all else pales in her life.  That she will not desire the bad things anymore.

I pray this all in Jesus' name.  Amen.

NOTE:  A new post will be added each day the for next 30 days.  To view the newest post go to the bottom of the page and click on "older" or look to the right and click on the next day's post.  Thanks for stopping by! 

Progress from Here! One of Our Prodigals is Home.

A lot has happened in our home in the last month, but mostly in the last week!  My husand and I both said our last week had been unbelievable.  Our prodigal daughter, Courtney, is home.  She came home Friday.  She called me friday at work and wanted to talk, but that is hard to do when you are on the clock.  So I had to keep hanging up, and telling her I would "call back". 

The other female who was living in the apartment my daughter was in, left town.  She told my daughter she needed to leave too, but Courtney didn't listen to her.  Well, Thursday night something happened.  I'm not sure what, but her boyfriend became dangerous and my daughter was fearful for her life.  It was either call me, or her sister, and she called her sister at 2:00 friday morning.  Somehow things settled down, but my daughter knew that she needed to make other arrangements.  There were three men living in the apartment, and her. 

She called a friend to help her pack, because she was afraid to be alone there.  The friend came, and Courtney put all her worldly belongings in her car, and left.  She had wrecked her car a week before, and had only been driving it about a mile down the road to work and back.  But she drove to our home about 30 miles away and made it!  We are trying to sort everything out, but she is here and safe.

Courtney has lost about 18 pounds in the 12 or so weeks she has been gone.  She says she is moving  out of state when this semester is over in June.  So I guess we will see.  I'm glad she is safe.

Our other daughter Molly has had some developments in her life this week, too.  But that will wait for another day.  I can't believe how much has happend for us this week.

I have been praying so long, and it is startling when it all comes together!

Tough Week

This has been a tough week.  We have not heard from Courtney since Tuesday.  I thought she might come to church today, but she did not, and I still haven't heard from her.  Since Thursday she has been living alone in an apartment with two men.  The other female roommate went out of town, and told Courtney she should find somewhere else to stay.  She shouldn't be alone there.  But Courtney didn't listen.

Our other daughter, Molly, was been on a roller coaster.  One minute she is through with her boyfriend, the next she thinks they will get back together.  She spend all week here until last night.  The she called at about 11:00 and said she was coming down because she didn't feel good.  She and the baby came.  Today, she has been with the boyfriend all day, and says he is moving back in.  All I can do is pray.  I'm praying a lot.

Once again

OK.  Let's just cut to the chase.  Courtney is not coming home.  She was suppose to talk to her Dad and I this afternoon, and move home.  She is off Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and she would have had plenty of time to do this.  Today she texted me and said she wasn't ready to leave her boyfriend yet, and until she was it wouldn't work.  He had told her he is ready for this to be over.  In the ten weeks or so she has been gone, she had pawned her car, taken out a signature loan, and given these people every penny she has.  The other girl living in the apartment is leaving thursday night to go out of town, and told our daughter she should leave and go home.  The girl plans to move out of state in August, and that will leave Courtney alone in the apartment with two men.  I know this is not going to end well, but there is nothing I can do because she is of age.

Many people she respects are trying to tell her this is a mistake and she needs to leave the apartment and the people she is with.  Courtney also asked me to text her some photos from last year when she was beaten up and I had to take her to the hospital.  She couldn't remember what happened, but we always felt her boyfriend did it.  So maybe this means she is thinking about what she needs to do.   I don't know if she will or not.  I just don't know.

On a better note, our other daughter drove up this afternoon with a car full of her's and our grandchild's belongings.  She told her boyfriend to leave and he refused.  So she will stay here until he is gone.  This was a welcome surprise, but I don't know how long it will last, either. 

Praying that our youngest remains strong, and that our other daughter realizes she needs to respect herself!

Maybe Tomorrow

A lot of things have been happening in the last few weeks.  We have been in touch with Courtney.  She has visited several times, and has been in church with us the last two weeks. 

She called me today and asked if we could meet to talk.  I met her at a restaurant, we talked.  She cried almost the whole time we were there.  She said she has lost 15 lbs, is tired of being depressed, and wants to come home.  She is coming over tomorrow to talk with us.  So we will see if we work something out.  She said it will be hard to leave someone she loves, even if he is mean to her.  I said that it is never wise to let your heart rule your life.  She didn't like that too much and just believes I am wrong.

The people at her new job are encouraging her to move home and start over.  We will see where this goes. 

April is Here

Well, I'm sure you all realized that April is here.  Last month was such a busy month for many reasons.  Our daughter, Courtney didn't move home.  She asked to.  Told us she was going to.  Told us the day and time.  Then, at the last minute she decided that she would tell her boyfriend.  He told here he didn't want her to leave.  After being "mean" to her all month, per her sisters.  She told him she had devoted too much time into a relationship that was never going to change.  That she wanted a different life than the one they were living.  He told her he wanted a new life too.  He wanted to change.  Courtney told me he must mean it, otherwise why say it?  I told her he said it because it was what she wanted to hear.  Now that she got a job and is working 50 hours a week, he finds it a lot nicer to have her and her paycheck around. 

So things around here continue as they are.  We do know where Courtney is working, and I can contact her if I need to.  Her boss at work told her to tell her Mom that she, Courtney, is the "prodigal child" and wants to come home.  This kinda threw me for a loop, for a minute.  Then Courtney said, "My boss said you would know what that meant, and who that was".  I told her that I did know what that meant."  I went by her work one day, and met her boss and co-workers.  They all seemed very nice, Christian people.  I have been praying that believing Christian people would be in her life each day, and encourage her to change her life.  It looks like that is coming to pass. 

After I left, Courtney's boss asked if she was moving home.  Courtney said," probably, but I'm not sure yet".  Her boss told her they would talk later, but she really needs to make this change.

Sunday at church we had an egg hunt and lunch.  All my family was there.  All my daughters, and my husband, as well as myself and my grandchild.  It was wonderful for us all to be together. 

Tomorrow I will tell you about the call I got from a church elder this week.

Didn't See Her

She didn't come.  Courtney called and said that all her room mates were sick, and she didn't want to give us anything.  Said she would call later in the week.  Both of her sisters asked this morning where Courtney was, why she didn't show up.  So something was going on, but I guess it changed.  I don't know what is going on now.  I guess we'll see.