Plese pray for the family of Sierra LaMar, some of you may remember she is the California teen who was abducted as she was going to catch the bus for school. That was two months ago and she has not been seen since. Yesterday a young man was arrested and is charged with her kidnapping and murder. She has not been found.I do not know this family, personally but my heart just goes out to them. I would ask that you keep them in prayer that they will be able to find peace in this terrible thing that has happened to thier daughter and the heartbreak it has brought to them.

Prayers for all concerns....

I also have several and will post them later.

These are terrible times we live in.

Prayer request....we live in a very small town of about 6,000 and we run an auto repair business. It is hard going with so few in town for customers. There is one other established repair shop in town, which works to keep us busy most of the time. There is also a service station across the street, which when we first took on our business, was an older man who only wanted to sell gas and do light mechanic work. He sent the big stuff to us across the street. He sold the place to a young guy, who started to do all the auto work. Unfortunately for him, but good for us, he didn't treat his customers very well at times, and eventually closed.

Fast forward to today. The above man's father, has a thriving business in a town about 15 minutes away. He has decided to move that business to the shop across the street. DH and I know that those customers will most likely not move with him. He came over and talked to DH awhile ago and asked if DH thought people would come here. Of course DH said No, because we know that to be the case with our business. This guy also looked around DH's building and started saying how much he could use the building and has asked in the past to buy it, and so I believe he wants to put us out of business, buy our much larger building and move his business over to it.

Please pray that I can believe God for our business. People are funny that when someone new opens (he isn't open yet), they flock there for awhile. If rumor is right, he may have a hard time winning back the customers his son scared away, but yet, he is a real threat to our business because he has the capital to advertise and keep everything looking new and up to date. So more than likely, he will steal our customers. He is refreshing his building, and adding up to date equipment. Ours is run down and needs paint( we are working on it slowly, 1 gallon of special paint for our tin roof is $90 and it will take 10, we have 4/10 done).

We need the Lord's help more than ever. We can barely keep going as it is. I don't know when he expects to make his big "move" but....things are taking shape over there. This man does have cancer, but he is looking well as far as we can tell right now.

auntnelly, praying for God's intervention in this matter, remember "He can make ways when there are no ways'".

Bargoo ~ yes, sending up prayers for Sierra LaMar's family and all those that knew her & loved her.

You know, I was praying about that young man last night, and GOD gave me a word of comfort about these kinds of tragedies -- that He can bring treasures out of tragedies & troubles, blessings out of burdens, glory of out grief, love out of loss, and salvation out of our sorrows ...

And, that our Sovereign GOD can and will bring treasures of new found faith, love, peace, comfort, and even hope out of these crushing circumstances. That we should encourage people to honor the memory their loved ones by living their lives to the fullest; by believing in the possibilities that life offers; by having the faith to achieve all that we can; by having the courage to succeed in all that we do; and by seeking out ways to better our world.

I've seen people meet their future spouse at the funeral of a friend; those in need helped after a family member passes; plus friendships created and renewed; relationships healed and restored; spiritual blessings and wisdom bestowed; personal growth and independance gained; unexpected gifts and legacies received; new opportunities are found; people turning back to GOD, renewing their faith; and some who come to know the Lord for the first time, after the death of a loved one or friend (I've seen this many, many times).

But, there is no better way that we could honor our loved ones than by giving to others and to the world, on their behalf. All the while -- remembering the beauty of their spirits; and the profoundly positive affect that knowing and loving them had on us. Continue on, and do your best for them, do your best for you; and everyone will reap the rewards of this shared faith, love, peace, comfort, hope, and yes in time, even joy can be found once again ...


NELLY ~ continuing prayers for your DH and his business as always. Has he ever tried to secure a "fleet contract" -- they can be very lucrative and offer more steady income long-term. If you need more info on that, just let me know. Meanwhile, trust GOD, for He is quite well aware of what is going on, just like He was when the son was there. GOD must have something planned. You know we live in a town the same size and we have many more garages than that and they all seem to be very busy. I'd bet there is really enuff business to go round. I think the quality of service and friendliness of a business is much more important than fancy paint and appearance.

PS ~ some of that man's business may just follow him, and that's a good thing. It depends on how far away it is and how much they liked his work & the service he provided. We have 5+ garages in town, and a few more in the country (there was more, but some closed becuz of people passing, retiring, or moving on). And, that's not including what we call "back yard" mechanics, and licensed or experienced mechanics that work for companies & dealerships for a living but do their own repairs at home. The economy in the US has been hit hard, and when things are tight, some people may put off repairs for a while, but many others still need their vehicles for work & pleasure.

Prayers for all concerns.

AuntNelly- re your situation, trust in God. The business I work for is owned by a husband/wife who are Believers, and last year they had to let an unethical employee go. When he left, he did his dead level best to steal our business and at first it looked bad. But then, though the Lord's blessings I'm sure, we picked up new accounts and new product lines to sell and business is up 40%. I will keep you in my prayers but have faith the Lord will look out for you.

Thank you for your prayers. It is a tough business here in this town. It is mostly wealthy people who would take their cars to a dealer for repairs. Then there are the retired community, and they don't drive much. The rest is just not enough to keep DH busy.
I expect the Lord has a plan. It is hard to know what it is.

As far as a fleet....there isn't any around here that I know of. DH does do some vehicles (all 2) for our post office, and a few for a couple other businesses in town, but it isn't anything like a fleet that would keep him busy.
Part of it is that the equipment to fix newer cars is outrageously expensive. It includes lots of computer software and machines that we don't have. He mainly has to do the older stuff, and after cash for clunkers a few years back, the used car market here is really low.
We have always trusted the Lord, and without Him, we would have folded long ago. He better have a good plan, that is all we can count on at this time.

Dwight L. Moody, the American evangelist, once used a glass as an object to teach that the love of God overcomes our evil nature and controls our lives. He asked his audience, “How can I get the air out of this glass?” One person said, “Suck it out with a pump.” But Moody insisted that this would create a vacuum and break the glass. He listened to a couple of other suggestions and then picked up a pitcher of water and filled the glass. There,” he said, “all the air is removed. We cannot overcome evil and enmity, bitterness and temptation , simply by fighting against it. We must let the Holy Spirit fill our hearts, let Him pour in love until it overflows.”

WOW, GARY ~ that is a great analogy; gonna remember that one -- by the Holy Spirit, the Love of GOD is poured into our hearts, overflowing, until it pushes out all evil, temptation, and sin ... love it!!!

Nelly: I will keep you and DH and your business in my prayers!

Our youngest son and wife moved out of the rat race down here, into the mountains, 6 hours away, into a small community of 250 - 300 permanent residents. He is a mechanic and loves working on the older vehicles and machinery (not computerized). We were very concerned but trusted God to help him get established... it was rough for a while. He has a small shop in their house and does everything from re building transmissions in his front yard if necessary, to swapping engines in someone garage, he has been instructing/teaching a few guys up there. There is a large influx of summer and winter sports enthusiast, because of the isolation (it's a 2 hours drive to a town) he is fixing the ATV's and motorbikes in the summer and working on the Snowmobiles in the winter. Someone was moving out of town and he purchased their old Air Compressor and tire changer, so now he is the "go to guy" if you need a tire blown up or changed. He even was asked to fix the dishwasher and toaster ovens in the Bar and Restaurant several times.

God has been faithful to answer our prayers for our son to have work in this small community... he has had to be open to changes. DIL cooks in the restaurant, cleans in the 12 room motel, works summers is the Museum, and teaches Belly Dancing... they are both busy and happy up there!

I say all this to give you hope that God is in control and I believe He will make a way for you.

I am new to the forum..but my prayers go out to all....
I dont know if I am placing this in the right place...but my grand daughter has been badly burned by a hot water bottle that exploded over her...and is in the burns unit of a childrens hospital...she will be going into surgery on Wednesday for skin grafts...Please please..a prayer would be so appreciated..thank you all so much

You are placing this in the right spot Cuddlebug...

how very sad, our prayers are with your family and granddaughter as you go through this.

cuddlebug, praying for your granddaughter.

Cuddlebug... Prayers going your way for your Granddaughter, daughter, you and your whole family during this horrible ordeal. Yes, I am saying a horrible ordeal, because I experienced this first hand with my own daughter when she was six years old and her gown caught on fire and she was burned over 38% of her body. Thank God they had learned a lot by the time she was burned, but they have learned sooooo much more now. My Daddy burned his arm when burning trash about 8 yrs ago and the way they treated him was so different from the way they did my daughter and honestly you wouldn't know he was ever burned if you didn't know it.

The main thing we were told is that her seeing our faces all through this and our support of love was what would get her through it. I will definitely keep all of you in my prayers and please keep us updated on her progress.

Prayers sent for Cuddlebug's grand daughter. God bless!