momentary afflictions

it's been a busy couple of weeks. hilary's back has gone out like it's not done for years. she literally can't get out of bed without help and can only limp around the house. as most of you know, she ruptured two discs about 15 years ago and had a failed surgery. she has been extremely limited ever since, but has felt much better (energetically) in NM. now she is flat on her back again, but her attitude is amazing. i know it is God's grace. she had to cancel her trip to CA and johnny flew out on monday to help us. when she can get in the car, we'll get her an MRI to see what's going on. we pray it is just muscular and not structural. she has done so much to help us this past year; i don't know what's in store next.

to top that off we have a major mouse problem. a couple of weeks ago one ran across N's foot in the night as he went to pee and nearly gave him a heart attack. we'd just begun to hear them building something (an empire?) in between the roof and the ceiling. the terminators, as we call them, came monday and blocked off all entries to the house/roof. seemed pretty good. we all hoped the mice were out hunting and not sleeping in the ceiling. we were wrong. they ran rampant on monday night and johnny and i were up 4 times taking care of business (killing rodents with flip flops and disposing of ones caught in traps- gross). on tuesday night a mouse landed on N's face as he was lying in bed. we figured out they crawl across the vigas (wooden beams on ceiling). he jumped out of bed only to severly dislocate the rib that was just healing. basically, jd and i shut hils and n up in the guest rooms with towels jammed into doors while JD and i sleep/not sleep on the couch and master intermittently getting up to kick rodent. it is tiring and disgusting, but i do feel God's help which comes in the form of a peace definitely outside myself. thanks for all who have been praying for us. God is good.

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory that is to be revealed to us." Romans 8:18