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NCCAA
Prayer Requests & Praise Reports
5/7
Please
pray for the family of NCCAA Board & Pro-Am Committee member, Terry &
Connie Metzger. Connie’s father, Paul Gordon, passed away yesterday
following a battle with cancer. All the family was with him singing
hymns and choruses as he passed. Pray for them as they not only mourn
the loss of Paul, but celebrate a life well-lived.
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Please
pray for Paul Berry, Athletics Director of The Master’s College and
elected President of the NCCAA. He was admitted into the hospital
yesterday for heart problems. An EKG is showing an irregular heartbeat
and they are running tests to determine the cause of the problem.
Paul, Carolyn and the family covet the prayers of the NCCAA family.
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Prayer
Update: John Wheeler called the National Office yesterday to say how
much he appreciates the prayers of the NCCAA family. Following
six-bypass surgery last week and some subsequent complications, the
last 24 hours have been much better and there is a chance he will go
home later today. If his irregular heartbeat returns, then the doctors
will probably try a pacemaker to control that. John’s goal is to be
able to attend the NCCAA Annual Convention and Board of Directors
meetings at the end of this month!
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4/29
Praise report re:
John Wheeler’s surgery:
Thank you for all
your calls and emails on behalf of John Wheeler. The surgery ended up
being only six-bypass instead of seven. The doctor reports that it
couldn’t have gone any better and that
the surgery
went much quicker than they had originally thought.
Continue to
pray for John as he recovers that all will continue to go well.
They family
reports that they have received so much prayer support from people
that they
both know and
don’t know
that it truly reminds them of how special the NCCAA family is.
You are ministering to them in a very special way.
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Prayer Update: Mandee Craft's
(Geneva College Women's Tennis Coach) grandmother learned yesterday
that the cancer in her bladder has penetrated into the surrounding
muscle, which indicates at least Stage II cancer. Surgery is
being scheduled to remove the bladder and is a dangerous procedure,
but the recovery is complicated now by the spread of the cancer.
Mandee and the family appreciate your continued prayers on Eva Craft's
behalf.
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4/24
John Wheeler met with
the cardiologist today regarding his heart condition and they have
scheduled surgery for Monday, April 28, 7:30 a.m. at Christ Hospital
in Cincinnati, OH. However, it will now be seven-bypass surgery.
John, Jody, and the entire Wheeler family covet your prayers on John’s
behalf for the days and weeks ahead. The Wheelers and the National
Office have received numerous calls and emails from the NCCAA family
and they appreciate your encouragement and well wishes for John.
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4/22
Please pray for NCCAA Board
Member, John Wheeler. He had a heart catheterization this morning and
learned that he needs six-bypass surgery right away. It appears that
the outgoing artery is the most serious issue they are dealing with.
They are trying to schedule surgery for this Thursday. John says he is
not in pain but is just plain disgusted! J
He and Jody appreciate the prayers of their NCCAA family.
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4/21
Prayer Update: Thank
you for your prayers on behalf of my grandmother, Eva Craft, and I ask
you to keep her in your prayers. She had her surgery 4/18/08,
and it did not go as well as we had hoped, although the results are
not totally conclusive yet. We do know that they are going to have to
do a second operation to remove her bladder (they only removed part of
a tumor with this surgery). But we won't know for a couple of weeks
whether the cancer may have spread. Part of the tumor was up behind
her kidney, so they weren't able to get it all, and will get that out
in the second surgery as well.
She is planning to come home to Ohio at the end of April, and was able
to schedule her surgery at Ohio State, which is supposed to be one of
the top cancer centers in the country. So she is very happy about
that, and really seems in surprisingly good spirits overall. I'm sure
all of the prayers are helping! Again, thank you so much for your
prayers.
God bless,
Mandee Craft
Geneva College Women's Tennis Coach
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4/14
Please pray for the
family of NCCAA Board Member, Dave & Connie Spilman. Connie’s mother,
Margaret Lyman, passed away Friday afternoon following a long battle
against cancer. The funeral will take place Tuesday, April 15, in
Ottumwa, Iowa. The Spilmans thank you for your prayers and
thoughtfulness during these weeks and months.
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Hello NCCAA friends.
I am coming to you on behalf of my grandma, Eva Craft. She just found
out Friday that she has bladder cancer. It was very unexpected--in
fact, she and my grandpa were already packed up to come back up to
Ohio (they spend winters in Florida) this past weekend, and now they
are stuck there dealing with this news. They are really hoping that
she will be able to get in for surgery this week, and we're obviously
also hoping that the surgeon can get all of the cancer out and that it
hasn't spread. The doctors seem hopeful that that will be the case,
but we would definitely appreciate all the prayers we can get. Please
pray for peace and comfort as well for my grandparents, because I know
they're very scared (as we all are).
Thanks so much for your prayers.
God bless,
Mandee Craft
(Women’s
Tennis Coach, Geneva College)
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3/31
Please continue to
pray for Ashley Bickerstaff, wife of NCCAA Board member Lindsay
Bickerstaff. Ashley was severely beaten when someone broke into their
home during the night when Lindsay was out of town. Lindsay reports
that Ashely is doing “okay”, and that emotionally this event has been
very traumatic for the entire family, including their two young
children who know that a “bad guy” hurt mommy. It will take a long
time to truly heal from it. Their request is that the Holy Spirit
will keep them focused on Him and each other as well as the many
blessings that they have. Two men are in custody without bond at this
time.
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PRAYER:
Please be in prayer for the Ashley Bickerstaff,
wife of NCCAA Board member Lindsay Bickerstaff. A man broke into their
home over the weekend while Lindsay was out of town and assaulted and
beat Ashley severely. She was able to sound their security alarm and
escape to a neighbor's house, with the Lord's help, and draw him out
of their house. All the while, their young children slept in the
house, but God's hand of protection was on them. Ashley's physical and
emotional condition is very serious and she will have a very long road
of recovery. Please lift this family in your prayers as they navigate
through this crisis. ----------------------------
Dear NCCAA Family,
Thanks so much for praying on behalf of my
mother and family. Upon returning from Florida on Sunday, I traveled
to Mansfield, Ohio to be with my mom. My sister and two brothers were
there as well. My mother has been transported to Charlotte, North
Carolina where she has been admitted into a skilled nursing facility.
My sister, Sharon, and her family live in the Charlotte area and will
be a tremendous comfort to her in the days ahead.
We met with the neurosurgeon to discuss my mom’s
condition and review the test results of the CAT scan and MRI. The
tumor, which is located in the right backside of her brain is large
and highly malignant. She is being treated with high doses of steroids
which are providing some temporary relief by controlling the swelling
around the tumor. Unfortunately, this is only a temporary help as it
does not change or alter the growth of the tumor or the ultimate
outcome of her condition.
I have received personal calls and emails from
friends around the country for which I am extremely grateful. It means
a great deal to me personally.
Sam Riggleman
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Little Karson Cabe, battling leukemia, was
admitted to the pediatric hospital last weekend with a high fever. His
blood counts were very low (his white blood count was 400), they were
having difficulty getting the fever to subside even with Tylenol. He
tested positive for influenza. The family is requesting your prayers
as they go through another bend in the road. Karson's father is Kraig
Cabe, Northern Indiana Director of Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
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Sam & Sylvia Vander Gailen, friends of the
NCCAA, thank you for your prayers on behalf of Sylvia who is battling
breast cancer. Following her surgery last week, doctors report that
her lymph nodes were clean and that they got all the cancer and feel
it has not spread. They praise the Lord for this report. Sylvia has 9
weeks of treatments ahead of her and appreciates your prayers during
these days.
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Please pray for the family of Terry (Pro-Am
Committee & Board of Directors) & Connie Metzger - Connie's father,
Paul Gordon, has been battling cancer and just learned it has now
spread to his lungs. Pray that the Lord will be very present in the
days ahead as this family walks this path.
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PRAISE:
Dr. Gary Cook, President of Dallas Baptist
University, was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) in
October. This week, both the pathologist and the doctor report they
can find no cancer cells. "I feel that the Lord has healed me and that
He has done a miracle in my life. I will let you know when I receive
the final report, but for now, it’s looking good, and I am so
relieved. By the way, thank you for praying for my white blood cells.
They went from 1.9 six days ago to 2.9 today, inching ever closer to
the 4.5 normal range." Continue to lift Dr. Cook and the DBU family in
your prayers.
Updates can be followed on the DBU website at
http://www.dbu.edu/pr/.
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Dear NCCAA Family,
Thank you for sending us the prayer responses
from around the nation. My wife, Michelle, gave birth to our first
son, Caden Corder Duke, on February 28th
at 12:34pm. He was 9lbs. 6oz. and 20.5 inches long. He and
Michelle are both doing great.
I guess I do have a prayer request as well. I
would ask for prayer that Caden would grow up knowing that God’s hand
is upon him and that we, as parents, would raise him up to always
acknowledge God as LORD of his life.
Thanks
and have a great day.
Jason
Duke ('03)
Director
of Athletics
Men's
Soccer Coach
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The
National Office reports a very successful Pro-Am held over this last
weekend in Florida. Not only did the Lord bless the association
through generous friends of the NCCAA, but lives were changed for
eternity at this event! We praise God for His favor and for touching
lives.
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