• Please pray for Derick. He is becoming confused as a result of the brain cancer. Pray that this new procedure will extend his life far beyond the three months the doctors’ predict. Pray for his mom to be encouraged by Derick’s love of God and the assurance of his eternal life with Christ.

• Pray for Anthony Harper, publisher of the Intermountain Christian News. He will receive his journalism degree from BSU this weekend. Today he presents a paper on Jesus and C.S. Lewis to his class. Pray that it will have a dramatic influence.

• Please pray for Alex and Amanda to know the love of Christ and surrender their lives to Him. Pray that He will be the Lord of their home and family.

• Pray that Jack and Rachel will surrender their lives totally to the Lord and that they would worship Jesus in all that they do and always seek to know Him more.

The following are anonymous requests:

• Pray for my wife’s back to be healed.

• Pray for a friend who lives in Phoenix and needs to be healed of an aneurism.

• Commissioned Week kicks off this Friday May 4 with the Citizens and Saints Concert. Pray that the event will unite Christians from throughout the valley to bring revival and a renewed commitment to reach the lost.

 Please continue to pray for the National Day of Prayer Rally. Pray that thousands will turn out on the State Capitol steps Thursday, May 3, at noon. Pray for Pastor Tucker as he prepares to lead the group in prayer for the church. Ask God to stir the hearts of people from throughout the valley to unite in prayer. Pray that at least 50 people from every Bible-believing church will attend.

NEW UPDATE ON ADDIE:    APRIL 30, 2018 UPDATE FROM THE ABERNATHY FAMILY

Please keep them in your prayers. Some of you follow Hope for Addie on Facebook. You may have already read this most recent post regarding her condition. It’s worth reading again and again. Praise God for this family’s ability to trust in Him in the midst of this incredibly difficult journey. Please continue to support them in prayer.

Each day is a gift. Every smile, laugh, cuddle, or the simplest of things- holding her hand are moments we hold on to. They are so precious. Spend extra time today appreciating the little things in life and really pause and soak them up, there is so much to be thankful for even in the times of our lives that are the hardest.

The last couple weeks have continued to show us how strong Addie is but also the reality and heartbreak of watching her little body grow tired of fighting. We have very hard days with pain that is relentless and consuming more areas of her body. We continue to increase her IV pain meds and the narcotics make her so irritable. She is no longer wanting to eat, no longer wanting to get out of bed, drinking very little and is pale and tired. It’s hard to watch and I so badly want to make it better. We have also been blessed with good days, like going on an adventure to pick out her favorite flowers to plant, a walk around the block to enjoy the sunshine, lots of snuggle time watching movies, reading Pinkalicious books, soaking up the best hugs and kisses, and enjoying every sweet smile.

Thank you to everyone for the incredible support and love you have endlessly showed our family. In the midst of sadness and heartache we are still experiencing so much love and joy. Nothing goes unnoticed... being continually surrounded by family and friends, prayers, phone calls and messages of encouragement, amazing meals, special princess guests, her fav Dutch Bros drink being delivered, flowers, gifts, heartfelt acts of kindness by cleaning up our yard or even bringing by baby goats, piglets and bunnies just so Addie could pet them. I could go on and on. We are so humbled and thankful for all of you and for continuing to walk beside us on this journey. We feel at peace knowing that soon Addie will be free of suffering and no longer confined to her limitations here on earth. She will be dancing free in heaven with her loving father who has a greater love and plan for her than any of us will ever be able to understand. 

 My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:8-9 NLT

Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influence on us.