Prayer Request

I got a request for prayers today from some South Carolina friends today for some dear Christians named Fred, Dot, and their daughter Melissa. Each time I think of them, some strong memories come flooding back. Fred was a Chief Master Sergeant in the Air Force when my first husband and I were in our mid-twenties and living in Sumter, South Carolina. My ex was not living the way a Christian should live, and Fred did all he could as both a superior in the Air Force and as a fellow Christian to help him. Fred impressed me more than just about any Christian I have ever met, and I will tell you why. He was not afraid to get his hands dirty. You see, sometimes, when a member of your family is not living as they should, it makes people in the church uncomfortable, and rather than be uncomfortable and help you, they turn their backs and shun you. This is an unfortunate and unscriptural response. Fred was not that way. He would walk into a bar and haul a drunken airman out and drive him home so he would not kill anyone on the way home. It did not bother him to get out of bed in the middle of the night and deal with a volatile situation that could not wait until morning. He would gently counsel and teach and try to lead that poor soul back to the Lord. He would exhort and encourage, and often rebuke, but there was never any question that he did it with love. The beautiful part was that when one repented, Fred could forgive and forget and still treat that person as though they were valuable instead of giving the cold shoulder and treating them like they were "damaged goods." The church in Sumter has always been small and has struggled through the years, because unlike other places, the preacher stays and the congregation goes. The airmen and women in the Air Force stay for a little while and then get transferred on somewhere else. Fred and Dot have been an integral part of that church for all these years, keeping the work going with their financial help and their "elbow grease." I can remember Fred growing vegetables in his beautiful garden and taking them to the nursing homes, quietly and without any praise, just so the residents could have good, tasty, and healthy things to eat. There are no telling how many things he did like that that I never knew about. He was a very modest man. Speaking of love, he loved his wife more than just about any man I have ever beheld. He still does, and he has nursed his wife Dot through the last 10 years when she has been really, really sick and bedfast most of the time. In the earlier years, you had better not ask Fred and Dot to do anything on Friday night, because it was a standing "date night" for them, and nothing was more important except the Lord. Their love has been an example for many young Christians who have cycled through the air base at Sumter, SC. Dot is not doing well as of this writing. She has had dialysis since her kidneys went bad some years ago during cancer treatment for breast cancer. She is tired. She cannot tolerate even another treatment. Without dialysis, the toxins will accumulate in her body. Fred and Dot have one very precious daughter, Melissa. Dot did get to see her first grandchild born into the world. She had prayed the Lord would give her enough life to see that. Fred has selflessly been at her side continually through it all. Please pray for them, and if you have just a moment to drop an email to Fred and Dot and Melissa, make it encouraging and uplifting, give them some love, and offer your prayers. I will be happy to send you the email address if you need it and email me!