For constant updates on Timothy Simoneaux...

Please check with this Blog-

on http://www.tsmithconroe.blogspot.com

YOUR prayer makes all of the difference in the world!!

God IS going to touch him-

Cylinda Nickel
Cylinda@upwithmks.com

Timo Just arrived in Johannesburg- 917 AM CST

Here is the update from this am- PLEASE continue to pray for him- His Mother- Vicki, Father- Tremayne, Sister- Lauren, Brother- Micah, Sister in Law- Chelsea
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From Donna Flowers (South Africa): Please continue praying for Timothy Simoneaux as well as Tremayne and Vicki Simoneaux.

[Sent 4:26 a.m. CDT] This is Donna Flowers writing on behalf of Tremayne and Vicki Simoneaux. I just talked to Tremayne who is still in Malawi. I have his permission to write to you and tell you what is happening.
The medical team arrived at the hospital in Blantyre, Malawi and have been working with Timo since 9:30 am, this Wednesday morning. Timo has been put on a ventilator for the trip to Johannesburg. The doctor and nurses have told Tremayne and Vicki that Timo's brain is swollen and he is in much worse condition than they had been told on the phone by the medical staff in Malawi. Tremayne stated that they are almost ready to take him to the airport for the flight to Johannesburg via Lear jet with medical team and Sis. Vicki on board.
Tremayne will call us when they have taken off for the flight and David and I will head to Johannesburg to await the arrival of Timo and Vicki at Garden City Clinic. Tremayne will arrive this afternoon on a commercial flight. David will get him and take him to the hospital.
Tremayne and Vicki need our prayers. We need a miracle and intercession on Timo's behalf.

Thank you for praying, believing and calling on the name of Jesus Christ for complete healing.

At 7:40 a.m. CDT, David Flowers was arriving at the airport to pick you Brother Simoneaux and his wife was waiting at the hospital to meet Sister Simoneaux.--DLB

I need you Jesus to come to my Rescue

You are the source of the life
I can’t be left behind
No one else will do
I will take hold of You

I need You Jesus
To come to my rescue
Where else can I go
There’s no other name by
Which I am saved
Capture me with grace
I will follow You

This world has nothing for me
I will follow You
This world has nothing for me
I will follow You

So the name of the song is rescue. And that is what I want HIM to do today.

I lost a great friend to day. One of my closest. My little girl is named after her.

How could she die in a car crash? How could she be suddenly be gone?

To be instantly taken out of this world?

I know blah blah blah- she is in a better place.

I just want my friend -Renee back.

So Rebecca Renee Pack….. Looking down on us freshly from heaven. I miss you already.

I am trying to be happy for you- but right now I just can’t be-

I want to hear you laugh.

I want us to be silly together, to sing together again, to pray together, and to tell each other that we will be best of friends even though I have lived 13 hours away from you the past 10 years.

I thank you for being a true friend to me.

Jesus touch Tommy, and Thomas and Reagan as today they have lost a wife, and a mother.

Help Jonetta who has lost little Brian- her son and her sister in one day…...

Help us to breathe you in- when we feel like we can’t even breathe.
I love you Jesus. My heart is broken- but I love you.

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Holy, You are still holy, even when the darkness surrounds me life

Sovereign, you are still sovereign- when darkness blocks my eyes.

You are still holy.

Holy, you are still holy, even when I don’t understand your ways

Sovereign, you are still sovereign even when my circumstances don’t change

You are still holy.

-Kari Jobe-

Goal for today?

Keeping my Head Above Water :)

What's in the box God? A Sparrow?

So as of late I have been reading random scriptures and came across a strange on the other day about sparrows-

Matthews 10:29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.

Luke: 12:6 Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?

Matthew 10:31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

So I was on a sparrow roll so I thought I would look up more information on them. Sparrows in the Hebrew refer to “a small bird”. They were sold alive at the open markets during that time period.

Then for a tasty treat on your way home- you could buy sparrows on a spit- kind of like our rotisserie chickens. The going price- 2 for a farthing- the value of 1/8^th of a penny per sparrow OR 5 sparrows for 2 farthings- the value of again 1/8^th of a penny and the 5^th sparrow was thrown in for free. That was their marketing tool.

Then I read in Psalm 102 about David. He was going through a lonely time in his life. You know you have been there. You are in a crowd but yet you are alone. You smile through you are crying inside. You are surrounded by people but can’t call a one of them in the middle of the night. That is how David felt. He looked out and saw a sparrow and said “I watch and I am a sparrow alone on the rooftop”.

Sparrows are loners. They do not hang out in groups. Don’t tend to be the confetti throwers at the party, the horn blowers, and the ooh and aww makers.

But then I keep going back to that poor fifth sparrow that was thrown in for the marketing tool. What was his value? He was thrown in for free? He didn’t even have a price tag. What if that 5^th sparrow was me? Was that my value?

Is that how you feel? Maybe you are going through a season of aloneness, a time of financial difficulty, a time of misunderstanding, maybe a time of separation from a spouse, or even a divorce. Maybe your friends that should be standing by your side have joined the sidelines to thrown in their opinions as you turn round and round again on the spiritual rotisserie fire that you feel will be the end of you.

You feel like you must be that fifth sparrow. That this scripture has got to be about you. How can you have value when you were just thrown in for the deal? How can He care? How can he know the pains that keep you up at night, the questions that you alone face, the way you feel in your very inner core?

How does he feel? I will tell you how he feels about you.

-He has plans to prosper you.

-You are mighty through the pulling down of strongholds

-You are more than a conqueror through Him.

- He formed you in your mother’s womb.

-He sought you out.

-He shields you even as the apple of his eye.

-He holds you in the hollow of his hand.

-He knows your coming in and your going out.

I love the last part of Matthew 10:29- “and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.” He is at every one of their funerals.

I can just see it. He hears that one of his friends has become ill. That they don’t have much time left. He gets another message from Mary- come quick master. Martha insists by another messenger- get here now. If you really love him you will come.

Jesus quietly ignores the messengers, the pleas, and goes to gather a tiny box. For today one of his own has fallen. One of no value to others- but one of value to him. Today a fifth sparrow has fallen. With gentle hands he picks him up, he brushes back the waxy feathers, and closes the tiny beak again. He then gently lays him in the little box. For your see His very closest friends were bidding him to come- but he had an important obligation- he was tending to the fifth sparrow. Lazarus would arise in time. But right now the master had time for the fallen sparrow.

Where are you today? How are you feeling? Maybe you are in a holding period, a period of change, or a period of hurt. The Lord is calling out to you today and letting you know- You are HIS. He sees you. He is caring for you. He will uphold you- even in his right hand of power. Rise up today! You are not alone, and you are not forsaken.

I cry as I type today because I have been there before. I have felt alone. I have felt battle-torn and ragged. I have had times when I couldn’t get up. But in those times I knew the Master had me in his hands. That all I had to do was stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.

Today arise. Breathe him in. The fifth sparrow had so much value to the master that the business of the world stopped. He will tend to you today. You are his!

Hug a dented can....

I don’t think that dogs are smiling at us- it is just that their lips are stuck to their teeth.

I love Diet Coke

I think everything should have a place.

I feel sorry for dented cans in the Grocery Story so I bring them home.

I always root for the underdog.

I wonder if Ice is scared as it comes out of the chute in the freezer.

I love to read.

I think that I would have dated Joseph in the Bible even though he had a prison record

I can’t live in Chaos

I have to have at least 8 hours of sleep a night to function

I wonder how clams dust their houses.

I sometimes feel lonely even when I am with a crowd

I know that He has plans that He is yet to unfold in my life

I secretly think I am a secret agent. Does that mean my secret is out?

I wonder what cows would look like with a French pedicure. Do they want a spa retreat?

Who created cardboard?

Does anyone write in cursive anymore?

I have written 187 words so far in this blog

I sometimes will get the orange on the bottom of the bin so it feels accomplished that it got to ride in the grocery store buggy too. I can imagine the other ones on the bottom cheering for it as I wheel it away.

I am married to an engineer who is not creative- but who amazes me more than the most creative people around.

I think Kari Jobe has the most incredible voice.

I think it is funny when people secretly check themselves out in store window displays while pretending to window shop.

I think that this blog is filled with I- so I must stop!

Happy Tuesday- Go hug a dented can. It just might need you today!

Late Night Thoughts, Prayers, and Burdens

So I sit and type

Why?

I don’t know

My heart is feeling so many things today

Frustration, Hurt, excitement, tiredness, expectation, strength, weakness

I remind myself that He is God

I am his child

Even when I hurt- he is there

Even when I don’t understand he does

I guess I can only equate it with Paul in Acts 16:17 – Where the scripture says that his spirit was stirred in him.

I have been so burdened by many things – so many

Many MKs

My heart has cried, rejoiced, hoped, been filled, and overwhelmed this past week with what the Lord has done. It would take pages to tell you all of the details.

The Lord is doing such a work with MK Ministries. It is overwhelming. What a difference 6 weeks makes.

We have 62 MKs coming to the Retreat.

We still need to find sponsors for 9 of them.

The way the Lord has moved in this- is mind blowing.

Today I sat and prayed and wept for these MKs

These unsung heroes

Who did not ask to be chosen

But were

Did not ask to be often times miss-understood

But are

Who don’t want to have to live 1000’s of miles from their familes

But Do

Who miss the land that they are not currently living in

But still smile

Who act like they fit in with any group

But don’t

Who have a calling on their life

Who love fully

Who give of themselves

Who expect nothing in return.

These are the MKS that I think of daily

That I am obsessed with

That I will help

That I must help

That demand all of our help

That call out to me even as I sleep

That the enemy tells me HE has their souls

I remind him that they are HIS

That I will battle for them

Even at 11:42 at night

I will pray over them

Because they are His Children

They are my calling

They are MKs

There is no one like them

Just for today Lord

Just for today Lord

I will love through the next 12 hours and not try to tackle all of life’s problems at once.

I will improve my mind. I will learn something useful. I will learn something that requires effort, thought and concentration.

I will be agreeable. I will look my best, speak in a well-modulated voice, be courteous and considerate.

I will not find fault with friend, relative or colleague. I will not try to change or improve anyone by myself.

I will have a program. I might not follow it exactly, but I will have it. I will save myself from two enemies….hurry and indecision.

I will do a good turn and keep it secret. If anyone finds out, it won’t count.

I will do two things I don’t want to do, just for the exercise.

I will believe in myself. I will give my best to the world and feel confident that the world will give it’s best to me.

Author Unknown

I was given that bookmark 16 years ago. Tonight as I searched for answers, for strength in the Word of God- it’s tattered little rectangle fell out in front of me. I was given this bookmark by a man of God- when I felt all hope was gone. When I was questioning everything, and had not a clue of my life’s direction. Finding it today reminded me afresh to inhale deeply. Inhale Him. He has all answers.

To lay back and breathe Him in. Rest in his shelter, in his arms, and in His love. If I seek him- his face. I shall find HIM. When I find HIM. I find strength

The Kiss that Caused Lizard Breath

Last night while driving in the car- my seven year old daughter and I were talking about the virtues of frogs. They are soft, they jump, they have great toes, and if you catch the right one and kiss it – they just might turn into a prince.

That conversation brought me back to when I was her age- 7 and living in the islands as an MK. I had no friends to play with (all together- awwwww) and I had a huge imagination so I didn’t care most of the time. But this particular day I wanted to have a playmate. I played with my dog Tiny who chased lizards all day. He would get on one side of a tree and I would get on the other and we would chase the lizards around the tree. When I caught them I would hold them by their belly, or open their mouths and place them on my ear lobes, or just talk to them. But on my lonely day- I had a new idea. I was going to kiss one on the mouth and see if it would turn into a prince- or better yet- a playmate. No one was around to see so I closed my eyes held the lizard and planted one on right on its tiny green lips. I kept my eyes shut and did not feel the lizard changing within my fingers. I opened my eyes to see the lizard still in place squirming, and my Dachshund, Tiny, staring at me. It didn’t work. Disappointed I realized that all I had gotten out of that transaction was lizard breath.

How many times in our life have we wished away our circumstances? Wanted an instant fix to a situation? Took matters into our own hands? I think of times when I was a teenager and even an adult where I wanted to hear a word, a direction, a piece of wisdom from him -anything. I would close the Bible, close my eyes, and open the Bible up- eyes shut- would point to a place on the page. I would open my eyes up and read that verse. More often than not- it had fallen on a section like 1 Chronicles 4:17 “The sons of Ezrah: Jether, Mered, Epher and Jalon. One of Mered's wives gave birth to Miriam, Shammai and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa.”

Come on God. Don’t laugh –you have done it too!! We do this when the direction, the answer, the situation we are facing has already been answered by the Lord. He has already given us the answer in the pit of our stomachs.

I remember times when I already had the WORD- I just was fearful to stand on it. Sometimes (gasp) I didn’t want to do what the Lord was leading me to- Now that would be a whole other topic- and really who has the time?

Bottom line- Do what He is leading you to do. Stand strong in Godly Decisions. If you are still unsure- seek Godly council from your Pastor, your family, and Godly mentors in your life.

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Don’t go kissing lizards for a change- look around you. Now for the rest of the story- as a famous radio personality would say. All the while that I was wishing for a playmate, that I was lonely, and getting tired of playing with Tiny the Dachshund, there was a little boy the next house right down the hill that was lonely too. He had braces on his legs, he couldn’t run far distances, he was shy because he was tired of being laughed at, he was frail to others- but strong in heart to me. Troy and I became fast friends. Even inseparable friends to the point that I still have his number on speed dial 33 years later.

I had to choose to let go of the lizards- and go beyond my comfort zone to find him. To open myself up to HIS DESTINY for my life. Now back to you….get out there and go where he is leading you today!! Great things are ahead and remember anything is better than lizard breath!

It's not all about you....the Dr, the Inhaler, the memories!

I either have too huge of an imagination or empathize with people too much because I don’t do hospitals or sick children very well.

Seanna has had a non productive cough for the past two weeks. Since we are going on vacation Sunday, and her cough has been getting worse- not better, I thought- time to take her in.

We get to the Drs office (I have my handy disinfectant wipes ready) and sit in the “well room”. I really thought maybe she has developed allergies all of a sudden. She is taken into the Drs office and they ask her to breathe. She is starting to wheeze and cough. I feel like I am going to wheeze and cough. She does it again and I start feeling like I can’t breathe. I tell myself to pull out of it and start reading the stimulating Highlights Magazine next to me. This does not work.

Mrs. Nickel- I think she has walking pneumonia and I am going to give her a breathing treatment here and then see how she is doing with her breathing- says the DR.

I flash back to my allergy attacks at the ER when I have breathing treatments after accidentally eating fish and I feel my chest closing in. Stop Cylinda- this is in your mind. Focus- this is about Seanna not you. She is looking scared. They come in with the nebulizer and set it up. I tell her it will be fine. Just breathe in and out with your mouth and it will be done before you know it.

I flash back again to the waiting room in Puerto Rico. I had just eaten shrimp, my brother had rushed me to the ER and I couldn’t get air in my lungs. Being Christmas Day there was not a Dr or Nurse in sight. I felt the room spin as finally my brother found a Dr who gave me a shot with an epi-pen in my leg. The adrenalin rush brought me back. I then had a breathing treatment.

Emma hits my leg. Why do you look so weird Mom? Seanna is fine. You said so. I know Emma. I am Just thinking. Seanna is staring at me with worried eyes.

You are fine Seanna I tell her. This will open up your lungs so that you can breathe. The Dr returns. Listens again. She is not completely happy but agrees to let her go home. I have to check back with them tomorrow- give her two medications, and then discuss getting her on a steroid.

We stand up to leave after the inhaler demo and the Dr says now you might feel weird (I am thinking yes) and you might feel weak in your knees (yep have that too) and you might feel sick to your stomach (gotcha) but that is because of your breathing treatment. Okay I pull out again realizing that she is talking to Seanna.

Really I am out of control. I am just like that old Jerry Lewis movie “The disorderly Orderly”. It’s not about me. It’s about my daughter J

Now if you know me you know that I truly love my girls and would do anything for them….but this story was too good not to pass up but spiritually thinking it is a different story.

How many times have we been in a situation where God places someone in our lives that we need to help and we in turn vomit all of our problems out on them. They need help …and we are so focused on ourselves that we take over the conversation, close our ears and open up our mouths.

Have you ever been around someone like that? You really need encouragement, help, a small word, and they turn it around to be again about them? Do you go back to them? Absolutely not!! The Bible tells us to bear one another’s burdens, to listen and help others. That even giving a glass of water in his name will be rewarded – how much more 30 minutes of listening and helping someone.

When was the last time you had a conversation where you sat and listened? Without interrupting? That you actually were there for someone? Giving someone your undivided attention is best gift in the world.

I need to go. Seanna and I need to go get a new inhaler at the Drs office – I mean I have to take Seanna in to get a new inhaler :)