Bad Night

OK so I'm having a bad night. It all started when I saw a picture of some friends of mine. They reminded me of my Grandparents as in the Love in their eyes. So I started crying and then that brought up other things and so I started crying about that and then so on and so on. I know I have to allow my self to grieve but what if it's getting in the way of my sleep.  I know I know never mind it comes when it comes and you just have to flow with it.  It just kind of sucks.  

It's also interesting that it brings up other things and other people so you end up grieving again for people you thought that you were done grieving over.  

So this is were I'm at trying to do school and trying to deal with all the loss.  Losses through death and losses of relationships.  

I have to remember what it says in Romans 8:28

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who 

have been called according to his purpose." 

Prayer and praise

Dear Friends and Family,

Yesterday we said goodbye to my Grandma Hennigan she is with my Grandpa and is seeing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Thank you for your prayers over the last week if you could continue to pray for my family during this time. Also more memories please the last round were great and filled with encouragement. So thank you so much.

For those of you who didn't know my grandparent's to well you missed out they were two of the funniest people I knew. They taught us all how to love, laugh and scare each other. They were willing to spend time camping, swimming, and playing games with all who knew them. They liked to eat ice cream and play golf. Most importantly Christ was their Lord and Savior, their rock and fortress. He guided them through the loss of two sons the the gain of many grand children and great grand children.

Thanks so much and much Love to all of you,

Christie and the Mulford/Hennigan Family

Prayer and praise

My Dear Friends and Family,

This week My family and I have had to say good bye to a very dear friend My Grandpa Hennigan passed away on Tuesday after noon. He is now walking hand in hand with my best friend in heaven. He was greatly loved and will be greatly missed.

I know that some of you knew him and some of you didn't. If you did know him and have any special and precious memories please send them to me.

Thank you so much for your love and prayers,

The Mulford family

Dear Friends and Family,
We hope you enjoyed a wonderful Easter. Christ is Risen. Thank you so much for all the prayers and support. We have truly been blessed by all the messages and notes. Josh is doing better he was transferred to Mary Freebed Hospital for rehab last week and was given a great Easter gift from Christie. She came home for the weekend to see him. We will be finding out some time this week when the they can do the skin grafts to close up Josh's right arm. His left arm and hand are completely heeled and his feet are coming along nicely. He is still struggling with his blood pressure. We don't know if its from the accident or if it is genetic.

Christie's visit with Josh was wonderful not only did God use it as a time of joy and encouragement he also used it as a time of heeling and understanding. My sisters Charlotte and Paulette came also and God used the time that Josh was doing his rehab to although us to talk and share. These last few months with family have been an amazing time of heeling and joy. Praise God for what only He can do. We have also had many friends and family who have spent time at the hospital us. We thank Ron and Marilyn Mead, David, Phyllis, and Shawn Lankford, and the many others who have been up.

As we go into this next week We are looking forward to what God has next.

1. Josh-that his blood pressure will go down so that he can continue on the heeling process. That his spirit will continue to rise as he continues to learn penitence in this time. Josh will possibly be able to come home this week we will have drive back and forth to Grand Rapids Mon, Wed, and Fri to get the dressing on his arm changed.

2. Paul and Jan-for rest as we go back and forth from the hospital helping to take care of Josh and Jan's parents. We thank the Lord for all our wonderful Children.

3. Christie-that she will be able to stay focused on her studies for this next month. She is going in a great direction and has made some tough choices to stay at a Northern.

4. Matt-that he will continue to get the rest he needs. He has been a great help and encouragement to Jan, Josh and I.

5. PJ and Val-that heeling will continue in their lives due to the sickness that has been going around. They are a great blessing to us.

You can still email Josh. The new email is

patient@maryfreebed.com after Wed you can email him at
pmulford@lansingchristianschool.org

you just add Joshua Mulford to the subject line

Again thank you so much for the prayers and words of encouragement,

Love the Mulford's
Paul & Jan, Christie, Josh, Matt, PJ, Val, and Peanut

UPDATE ON JOSH FROM MARCH 13

Praise God I was able to talk to Josh yesterday. Well I talked and he mumbled, it was good to hear him. He even asked me to call him today.  Thanks again love ya all, Christie Good morning, Paul called yesterday afternoon with an update. He sounded relieved, grateful, and hopeful. The doctor removed the ventilator yeserday and Josh was able to drink water and juice. (I’m hoping it means he will also be able to be more mobile.) His heart is beating regularly now, he is able to cough on his own to get some of the liquid out of his lungs, kidneys becoming more normal. Skin grafts will begin soon. Continue to pray about the pneumonia and the long recovery period expected. I know they are so blessed by the prayer, financial aid, and also Nancy Fancher, who is donating her time to sub for Paul 2 1/2 days this week so he can be with Josh.  Thank you for your concern. Love in Jesus, Maxine The blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving, the honor and power and strength,to our God forever and ever and ever! Amen. Revelation 7

UPDATE ON JOSH FROM MARCH 11

Our Dear Friends and Family,

Thank you so much for all the encouragement and prayers. God has used the visits, emails and phone calls to give us so much joy and peace. Josh is slowly getting better as some of you heard from Maxine Klan he is being treated for pneumonia, he has been running a high temperature and the Doctors and Nurses have been working to keep it down. He also has a rash over most of his body. On Wednesday he accidentally pulled his breathing and food tube out. They allowed him to keep it out for awhile so he was able to talk with Jan until around 10 when breathing again became to much of a struggle for him and he asked for the tubes to go back in. He has been heavily sedated since then. This was pretty hard on Christie because she had to return to Marquette for school Sunday. 

Prayers for this week:

1. Josh continued healing. For strength and courage as he faces each new obstacle. That he will continue to talk with God as he is under this stress.

2. Matt is going up today to spend the night with Josh. Matt has a sensitive and compassionate spirit pray that God uses this time to draw him closer to himself and gives him the peace.

3. PJ returns to school this week pray that he stays focused. He goes to Grand Valley and our hope is that he will be able to see and talk to Josh who was asking for him last week. 

4. Val has also been sick and we ask for healing. Pray that she will be able to stay focused with teaching her wonderful students at Bath Middle School. PJ and Val have been blessed with amazing support from Val's sister and brother in law. Thank God for amazing families. 

5. Christie also returned to school she was blessed with blue skies and great travel weather on the way to Marquette. Pray that she will be able to focus on her studies. She has a great church community who support her but I know will desperately miss the love and hugs from her community here.

6. For Jan and I continued safe travel back and forth that God will continue to provide us with strength and courage as we face each new obstacle with Josh. That God will continue to provide the resources to us to be able to face this with Josh.


2 Corinthians 7:6 

"But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater then ever."

Again if you would to send Josh an email you can do that by going to-

www.spectrum-health.org/Applications/Email/

Fill in the patient name as Joshua Mulford and the location is Blodgett Hospital.

The Hospital address-

Blodgett Hospital
1840 Wealthy St SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49506

Prayer Request from March 6

Our Dear Friends and Family,

2 Corinthians 1:2-7; 1:11
"Grace and peace be to you from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from god. Just for as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also share in our comfort." 
"As you help us by your prayers. Then many give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in the answer to the prayers of many." 

We thank you for all the comfort and prayers you have been sending our way.

As many of you know we have had an urgent need with in our family. Josh had an electrical accident. 

He was admitted to the burn unit at Blodgett Hospital in Grand Rapids on Saturday afternoon March 1. He received 3rd degree burns on both his hands and damage was done to his right forearm muscles. He went into surgery Sat. night to relieve the pressure on his right forearm and hand. The surgery went well and they went in again on Monday to check out the muscle and remove any that had died due to lack of blood flow. They are planing to check the arm again this week to hopefully finish removing the dead muscle and to begin closing the hand. He is also on a respirator because his lungs aren't working properly.

The burns and damage to his arm also caused his kidney's to go into stress so they are functioning overtime and he might have to go on dialysis to clean them out and get them functioning at the fullest potential.

We covet all your prayers and encouragement at this time. 

Here are some specific prayer request.
1. Miraculous Healing 
2. Joy mostly for Josh this is going to be a long road of recovery 
3. Courage for all of us as we face this together
4. Safety back and forth to Grand Rapids

Josh can also receive cards and email. 

To email him go to 
www.spectrum-health.org/Applications/Email/

Fill in the patient name as Joshua Mulford and the location is Blodgett Hospital.
The Hospital address will follow soon. 

Again Thank you so much.

Love,

The Mulfords

You can also reach us by email 

Paul-pmulford@lansingchristianschool.org
Jan-janicemulford@yahoo.com
Christie-christie_mulford@yahoo.com

OK so spring break is coming up and Im going to home March 1-8 and would love to get together with those in town lunch, dinner, shopping, coffee.  So just let me know when you are free and we can set something up.

Love you all,

Christie

Single vs. Married

Why is it that when friends get married do the single friends that are left feel like their problems don't add up to that of their married friends?  Do singles put this on them selves or is there an unspoken rule that married and single people can no longer be the good friends that they used to be?  Also is there a way that married friends feel to?  Help me out ladies I need your help understanding. 

OK so this is a question that has been nagging at me for awhile.  I know at lest part of the answer maybe you all can help me out with the rest of it.  

1/2 the answer:  Within Christian friends I think that part of it is that Satan knows how the friends have supported each other so far in their lives.  He knows that those friendships were strong before that they had prayed together getting things done for God and helping each other stand firm.  Satan knows that this is an amazing bond and he screws with it placing thoughts within each person saying that they no longer have any thing in common, that there problems are not the same and that there is nothing to talk about.

I know that I have been feeling at lest half of this.  So right now I want to publicly say I am sorry to all my married friends that I have neglected some of my friendships based on thoughts that haven't been true.  That I haven't wanted to fill people in on my life due to a lot of reasons, thus I haven't aloud my friends to be the blessing that they are.  And I haven't aloud myself to be a blessing to them.  

So here goes this is what has been going on in my life for the last 9 mouths.  First off I came home for the summer in June.  June went good for the most part I was able to spend time with my family and started working with the youth at church again.  I didn't go back to Family to work because my boss Mike was fired right before I came home.  July started out good until my Grandma Hennigan flipped due to the stress of having to take care of my Grandpa for the last 5 years.  She told my Mom that my Grandpa had to go some wear so she could get some rest.  So mom put him into respite care and after two days alone.  My parents and I knew that my Grandma couldn't be left alone any more, because of her having Alzheimer's.  So we talked  and I decided that I would go live with Grandma until we figured out what we would do.  It was that night that my Grandma fell and broke her hip.  She laid of the floor until we got there the next morning.  My mom and I went to the Hospital with her I was there before she went into surgery I held her hand, and kept her calm.  This was so hard for me my Grandma was like a child.  Little did I know then that, that would be the side of my grandma that I would end up seeing most of the time.  July ended with Grandma in rehab, Grandpa in respite care, and my parents and I in Petoskey.  We had a blast we went sailing for the first time and we also learned how to jet ski.  God blessed us with a great time together and with friends.  

August started bad and ended worse.  My aunt and uncle took my grandpa on vaca and almost didn't bring him back they tried to take my grandma out of rehab and take her up to their cottage.  They didn't secede, but there is allot to this story.  My mom ended up having to ask the court for full guardianship of my grandparents.  My uncle fought her on it he wanted co guardianship their were many reasons that my grandparents didn't want this and they were totally a wear of everything that was going on.  The court sided with my mom and grandparents in September.  And started the long proses of have to say goodbye slowly to them.  This has been so hard my Grandpa and Grandma Hennigan have always been the grandparents with the most life.  They have lived their life fully and with gusto so to have to watch them slip away slowly has been one of the hardest thing I have ever done.  (there was one thing that got me through it you know the story of Mary and Martha were Mary chooses to sit at Jesus feet while Martha stands working well Christ taught me how to sit at feet by having me sit at my Grandpa's feet and listen.  It has been very amazing for me to be able to sit and listen and feel that love.)   This has also taken its toll on my bothers, Josh helped for as long as he could bare it.  PJ helped once two years ago and feels that that is the only thing that he can do.  For Matt thou his heart breaks every time he sees them.  Grandpa had always been someone who understood him someone who he could talk to that would play his favorite game with him.  They have been a major part of our lives going on vacations with us and celebrating all our highs with us.  They have also been there to encourage us when we have been down.  

So Oct. went by with my mom figuring out schedules and getting to caregivers for my grandparents I was there with her helping with the day care kids mostly Rio and Bella.   Nov. was much of the same until Thanksgiving, neither Matt or Josh showed up.  This was hard on my mom for many reasons.  We found out the next day that Matt had been at my Grandpa and Grandma Mulfords and that my Grandma had had a small heartache, she was fine but this just added more then we received the news that my Uncle Mark had gone unresponsive and was rushed to the hospital my dad went with his parents and sisters Char and Colette to the hospital to be with sister Paulette and Mark.  (back story my uncle Mark is dad to my cousin's Jordan and Heidi.  And my dads brother in law.  He was diagnosed with Leukemia a couple years before had a bone morel transplant and was fine until this thing called graphs vs. host hit it doesn't affect everyone.)  So my uncle ended up with it went unresponsive on Nov. 23 and passed away on Dec. 9 soon after my family finished celebrating his daughters birthday.  

It was right around this time that I was feeling the need to go back to Northern and finish school.  So I talked with some people prayed about it, and things just fell into place.  I received an apartment my finical aid went back through and I moved back up the weekend before classes started without any classes and still with some big questions.  Which at the last minute God took care of.  So I'm here in Marquette until I'm finished summer and all no breaks except the ones that are small.  I figured out I left more this time than I did the first time stronger relationships and brand new relationships.  But it also gives the opportunity to rekindle others.

I love my family and friends so much you have all had an amazing impact on my life.  I love you.  And miss you all so much.  I will try my hardest to keep people informed on my life so that we can continue to be blessings to each other.  And please keep me informed to.

Love ya again, 

Christie