S.O.S Prayer Requests

 Dear Friends, Family Members and Readers I may never have the privilege of meeting,

A post with honesty more brutal than anything previously stated is forthcoming, but for now, our little family needs some intense prayer. Whether you would like to take a moment to bring our needs before the Father as you read, upon remembrance of someone in our family, or every day for the next two weeks is up to you. Brandon and I agree--we are both completely overwhelmed, and we need your help!

If I could paint a picture symbolizing how we feel, it would resemble Brandon and I on a beach during a hurricane, being tossed and torn by harsh and heavy winds, pelting rain, raging surge and flying debris. We are in trouble. We need a rescue of supernatural proportions. Fortunately, that is one of our God's areas of expertise. Would you pray with us?  I have listed our needs below:

1) I am having an incredibly difficult time coming off of Cymbalta. I was only on the medication for two weeks, but coming off of it has been a nightmare. I have experienced horrible, uncontrollable nausea, dizziness, headache, blood pressure problems, and depression. My depression is severe. I will offer details at a later time, but for now simply ask that Satan will not be allowed to take advantage of my weakness.

2) My pain has returned, which worsens my depression. Today was especially bad pain-wise.

3) We begin moving one week from today. We will be moving September 21-23, and I have not been well enough to pack boxes, much less do the de-cluttering, downsizing work that must be done. I'm running out of time, I'm hurting, I'm hungry, I'm sleep-deprived, and I am depressed. Do you see how this poses a problem?

4) Brandon and I are horribly sleep-deprived. Sara wakes every night, usually more than once, and sometimes stays awake for hours at a time. My children do not often nap, much less at the same time. My mom stayed last night, and Sara magically slept through the night as she usually does when we call in reinforcements. I fully expect to get up with her at least once tonight, and I will be up for at least half an hour if the current trend continues.

5) Sara has been incredibly fussy. She may be teething. She may be sick. And even at 10 months old, she may still have colic. We don't know what's up, but her sleep has been more disturbed than usual, she isn't eating as well and she is terribly fussy in the evenings. She basically cries from the time she wakes from her afternoon nap until we put her to bed. Her cry is loud and angry, and it completely stresses me out while I'm trying to prepare dinner and tend to Micah, who is always revved up by dinnertime.

6) Brandon is stretched to the max, which stretches me to the max. In addition to his incredibly long hours at work, he has spent every day he has off working at the property, getting the land and trailer ready for our move. It has been a LOT of VERY. HARD. LABOR. Imagine working a high-stress job in which you hold the lives of patients in your hands for 10 hours a day, several days a week, then spending all of your "off" time bush-hogging land, digging holes and trenches, building porches, laying flooring, painting rooms, etc. And that's just half of it. Then imagine having a sick wife, an ornery infant, financial concerns and health concerns of your own to worry about. Yeah, the man has a lot on him.

7) I am lonely and exhausted with Brandon being away so much. I have difficulty getting out of the house because if you don't have the energy to pack boxes, chances are you don't have energy to pack children and their necessary paraphernalia to go anywhere.

8) I have become photosensitive. We believe this is a side-effect of the Cymbalta, which is why I have discontinued using it. I am PRAYING that it's a side-effect of the Cymbalta because if it's an allergy, I think I may literally fall apart. Please pray that the photosensitivity disappears as the medication passes from my system. If it is unrelated to the Cymbalta, I will begin to seek a referral to John Hopkins or some other out of state facility that can help me.

9) Please pray that our house sells quickly. We are under a bit of financial strain. We aren't going to starve, but we need the house to sell before I begin my diet. My diet is going to cost more money than we currently have to spend on groceries. I need to begin the diet as soon as possible. 

10) Micah is feeling the effects of not being as high on the priority list as he once was. Pray that the Lord will provide me with creative ways to make him feel special. He also continues to struggle with anxiety. While his anxiety has improved recently, we expect him to experience some with the move.

12) Brandon and I desperately need the Lord to fortify and grow our faith. We believe. We have tasted and seen that the Lord is good. We don't doubt God's love or kindness. However, this season has been unbelievably long and arduous, and it seems to be getting harder without the end anywhere in sight. We are human and frail. Our faith needs prayer.

So, here I am, attempting to rally the troops. YOU are the troops! We need our brothers and sisters in Christ to engage in battle with us. The enemy is real and powerful, and the stakes are high . . . . . higher than they've ever been. The good news is that our God is as powerful as He's ever been, and He is ready and able to do what needs doing! Thank you in advance for your love and prayers. We NEED you, and we appreciate your part in our story! I can't WAIT to tell you what God does in response to your prayers!

Love,
The Keaster Family