JMC Bytes: Endurance

JMC Vlog Episode 6 New Music, and New Projects

The Smitten Mitten Expedition click link below to learn more and to sign up to be apart of our new Ministry Project
http://jmcminstries.blogspot.com/2010/07/jmcs-smitten-mitten-expedition.html


Want to donate to the Smitten Mitten Expedition Visit our Website below and click the donate button
http://www.jmcministries.webs.com

New Song "The Water Is Wide" We just recorded click link below to download our latest song for FREE
http://www.reverbnation.com/jmcministries

JMC LIVE Show 7-23-10

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Discussing How Public Prayer In America is coming under fire more and more. Today we had a man knock on our door asking for help. We were able to help him and his pregnant Fiance. God can also use you to show his love to strangers in need if we just make ourselves available to be used and get out of our comfort zone. PositiveID (PSID) CEO Scott Silverman says his company has stopped marketing its medical records microchip implant for humans. The reason: No one wants it. Jeremy Shares about his College Essays He wrote about Race, Homelessness, and President Obama. If you would like a free copy of these essays you can email us at officialjmcministries@gmail.com. And Discussing what America needs to do to recover from the economic crisis and what Obama will need to do to win the 2012 Election.

JMC's Smitten Mitten Expedition

Written By Miranda Caverley

How I Came Up With The Idea For The Smitten Mitten Expedition
A few days ago while sitting at home feeling bored. I started thinking if there was something I could do to help others while I am disabled and unable to work. Though my mind and most of my body sometimes does not function, I still have the use of my hands.

My hands can write, play music, record music, and paint. That is good but what can I do to really make a difference? Then it dawned on me, When I was a teenager my Granny taught me how to Crochet'! So I talked to Jeremy and asked him if he thought it would be a good idea to start a ministry project where I make hand made mittens, scarfs and toboggans for the homeless and less fortunate.

Jeremy said it was a great idea and the first thing he said after I came up with the idea was to call this project "The Smitten Mitten Expedition" and that is what we are going to call it. So that night we went to Walmart I got some crochet hooks, yarn, a teach yourself crochet' book, and even a teach yourself knitting kit. I'd never tried knitting so I thought I would get this beginners kit to just see if I can do it. But I already remember some of what my Granny had taught me in Crochet' so that is what I started with. And today after about 16 hours work over the past 48 hours i completed my first scarf!

I remembered quite a bit after practicing a few hours and looking through the crochet' book. I didn't even use a pattern for my scarf I just remembered what my Granny taught me and off I went and made up my own pattern for my scarfs that I will be creating.

Answering Some Questions You Might Be Having And How You Can Get Involved With The Smitten Mitten Expedition.
Q: What is the Smitten Mitten Expedition?
A: It's a group of people who either donate or get together to create scarfs, gloves, and mittens.

Q:What does the Smitten Mitten Expedition do?
A:The items created are given to homeless or poor for FREE!

Q:What if I am not skilled in making things can I still help? Yes!
A:You can assist those who need items or help find those who are in need. Also you can write blogs, stories, take photos, that relate to love, Jesus, poor, homeless, etc. Take ownership of it.

Q: Do I have 2 live near U 2 help the Smitten Mitten Expedition?
A: No! You can start your own in your area to reach those in need.

So anyone can be apart of JMC's Smitten Mitten Expedition. If you know how to sew, knit, or crochet you can start making some awesome scarfs, mittens and hats today. If you don't have anyone of those skills you can either support those who can by helping buy yarn and other supplies they may need. Or you can just buy scarfs, hats, and mittens from stores and donate them to those in need.

I was doing the math today and added up that by crocheting scarfs instead of buying them from a store I can make 4 scarfs for the price of what one costs in a store. That is awesome! I haven't done the math yet on mittens, or hats but the scarfs are the biggest item that I will be making. And will of course use the most yarn so that is why I started with them.

If you are wondering where the money to do this project is coming from. The money is actually coming from JMC's own pocket. We are using some of our tithe and offering to do this project and we are thankful that God has allowed us to have the funds to do this project.

So if you are interested in volunteering for this project click on this link JMC's God Reports To go to our God Reports page and click on the Volunteer Button. You will then be asked to give your email and phone number and in the "message" section please write "Smitten Mitten" and a short message so that we know what you are signing up for. Then as you and JMC make scarfs, mittens, and hats we can email them to one another and then post them on our JMC Ministries Website and other social networking sites so that others can see the fruits of The Smitten Mitten Expedition's labor.

A Look into the Innocent Eyes of a Child

A Look into the Innocent Eyes of a Child

Throughout history, the issue of race and racism has caused turmoil especially within a child’s first experience of it. Here in America, cultures were dehumanized, enslaved, persecuted, or even killed, from different races such as Native Americans to Africans, and it has been going on since the inception of the colonies. This comparative analysis will take a look at two different children who experienced racial conflict for the first time as the veil of their innocence was ripped from their eyes. In Alaina Wong’s (2008) essay “China Doll” she came to terms with her Asian features comparing herself to a Princess Barbie doll, and in Kaela Hobby-Reichstein’s (2008) “Learning Race” she discovered the truth of human interaction when race is involved and how mean and violent children can be.

American girls of all ages have been known to enjoy playing with Barbie dolls as a favorite past-time. But what happens when the color of skin starts to become an issue? Wong (2008) talks about a time during her childhood when she received a doll that was different from her best friend’s and how sad she felt. Wong states that, “Disappointment passed over my eyes as I examined the doll more closely” (p. 252). What she really wanted was the Princess Barbie, “with long blond hair that you could brush and a beautiful shiny gown” (p. 251). She even speculated on what the doll looked liked on the inside and why her parents bought it over others, stating things like it was the only doll in the store (p. 251). Sarah, a white girl, was a true friend to Wong even with this disappointment she tried to cheer up Wong by telling about the pretty flowers. It didn’t seem to work for Wong. Something to her felt strange and was still different.

Each time she was with her best friend, Sarah, the difference of class, family and culture started to become a reality in Wong’s life. When she went to Sarah’s house she felt a peace of mind and was accepted just as she was. Wong (2008) felt that Sarah was better looking than her because, “everyone always said that Sarah would grow up to look like Goldie Hawn” (p. 252). Wong (2008) also dreamed that her home was like Sarah’s family: “Her mom didn’t care if we ate raspberries from the backyard without washing them” (p. 252) and Wong’s (2008) mom was different from Sarah’s as well, “My mother never baked cookies anyway” (p. 252). It was this mentality of comparing Sarah’s lifestyle to her’s that caused conflicts while growing up during adolescence.

Wong and Hobby-Reichstein’s childhood is very similar. When someone befriends another race, the end result may bring confusion and persecution. Hobby-Reichstein’s (2008) earliest memory of the significance in the color of her race was during kindergarten when, “Ms. Oakleaf came around when we had finished our paintings and informed me my painting was wrong” (p. 103). While the teacher had no problem with the blue hair she painted on herself, it was her family being made brown and not peach that ended up causing the conflict. Just like Wong, Hobby-Reichstein had dreams of life with another family. Her best friend Ryan was black, ate spicy foods, listened to loud music and even used slang words. She wished that her home was like Ryan’s (p. 104).

Wong and Hobby-Reichstein were innocent about age, gender, race and even cultural issues. Their minds were still in a pure state of being and had not been tainted by the world’s views and ideology. The color of skin means nothing; and the feelings directed towards each other were as equal. As they continued to view the world and each other in this manner, it wasn’t until a racist came along and tried to inflict their views and beliefs upon the children that changed their world views of themselves and others. While Hobby-Reichstein (2008) was with Ryan, they took a trip to visit her grandmother who lived in Fort Richmond (p. 104). The kids wanted to play outside and they were confronted by a group of racists who called them names and even threw rocks at them (p. 104). It was in this moment that Hobby-Reichstein and her friend met frightening persecution involving race head on.

As heartbreaking and tragic as these events were to both women, they stood the test of time and rose to the occasion proving that friendship, family and life have more meaning than bigotry and demeaning comments. As Wong and Hobby-Reichstein continued to grow up they still remembered these life-changing events. This collision of incidents became turning points in their lives where gender and race clouded their current views. Their first experiences of hatred toward racial differences ended up making them better women in the end. Now, as advocating adults against racial intolerance, they make a difference in children who are just like them by writing stories of their personal experiences to show others that there is hope from the pain.

In conclusion, I have personally experienced and learned about racial issues as a child. But, this never stopped me from being friends with others. In 1999 while I lived in Texas, an African-American male in Jasper, Texas was chained to a truck and dragged down a road until his arm and head were detached after hitting the curb just for being black. This was just thirty miles from my own home! The Black Panthers and KKK showed up arguing about what happened. The court later on found out that the accused were actually connected to the KKK. All men were found guilty of murder and this also brought into law the “Matthew and James Byrd, Jr. hate crimes prevention act.” Only by exposing the truth will humankind ever be set free from these chains of differences that hold them back from peace and unity in the world. If the future children of America don’t start to learn from history we will continue this cycle of hate and malice. William Hazlitt said it best, “Prejudice is the child of ignorance.”

References

Aaron, J. E. (2008). The compact reader: Short essays by method and themes (8th ed.) (pp. 102- 105; 251-255). Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s.

Hobby-Reichstein, K. (2008) “Learning race.” In Aaron, J. E. (Ed.), The compact reader: Short essays by method and themes (8th ed.) (pp. 102-105). Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s.

Wong, A. (2008). “China doll.”In Aaron, J. E. (Ed.), The compact reader: Short essays by method and themes (8th ed.) (pp. 251-255). Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s.

The Dirty Truth about Homelessness: My Personal Story of Life at the Shelters

The Dirty Truth about Homelessness: My Personal Story of Life at the Shelters

Have you ever felt alone? The state of solitude has always been a debatable subject and decisive to one’s own mind. It is relative to perception and actual concrete evidence. The “Box Man” by Barbara Lazear Ascher argues that this homeless man is really content with being alone and doesn’t want any help. She compares two lonely women, one that eats soup with crackers everyday and the other with her high life with plants and cats. Personally, I see no connection of these women to the secluded man found within the text because she also fails to even speak with this man to hear his reason of why he was homeless. But, this story isn’t about how Ascher sees this homeless man, but my own reflection with the issue of homelessness. Yes, I, Jeremy Caverley, have been one of those who were on the streets and lived in shelters. Here are some of my details while living at two different shelters I will call “hotel can’t afford you” and the “scarlet letter” to protect the innocent. My journey takes me around the long walks to find work, friends, and the many partnerships and tragedies that occurred.

It all started in January of 2000. For me, being a young naïve non-street smart 19yr. old boy, the world seemed rather small and large all at once. I too felt times of loneliness and exclusion from what the rest of the world was doing. I have been asked was this a personal choice or not, and I would tell them that if I could have had it any other way I would’ve changed it. Because of a drunk and violent step-dad I couldn’t stay at home any more. After deciding at the one of many police and hospital visits, I knew this couldn’t go any longer. Nevertheless, my journey into the lifestyle of a homeless man began.

The first place I lived while homeless was “hotel can’t afford you.” This shelter had a limited amount of clothing, but usually served good food. The sad thing was that every night you had to be back by 7 P.M. to attend Bible study. Those who had a job couldn’t be working at this time for fear of eviction. Now, I did enjoy the Bible studies, but it kept me from taking many jobs that required work in the evenings. Days would start around 7 A.M. and we would have to leave to find work or another place to live. So, off I went searching for the new adventure day after day. Work was something I enjoyed, but seemed to have a hard time getting hired. Unlike the “Box Man” who refused help, I welcomed it. I would ask around town where the jobs were and walked the miles to them. I can remember several employers where I would enter the door and ask for an application and then to speak with the manager on duty. Most applicants would expect a great interview to come. But, imagine me homeless walking around in all temperatures looking for work. I didn’t always look or smell the greatest. I would finally meet the manager and show him my filled out forms. Then the management would get to my address. Most companies knew of the shelters address and looked down upon those who lived there. This was something I didn’t know until the resentment, excuses, and the dirty looks began. Followed by more questions and concerns about the “who, what when, where, and why.”

I was introduced to a Christian radio de-jay because I was an acquaintance of his son. He led me to a job and helped me get hired. The long journey towards employment was finally reached as I walked the five miles it took every day to reach my job. In the “Box Man,” the Mayor even offered this guy a chance to stay at a shelter and others seemed to offer him work, but no way would he take the assistance. Sounds like a personal problem to me, one I just couldn’t lower myself to. Now let’s take a turn towards my stay at the “scarlet letter”.

While at the “scarlet letter,” it was an experience I will never forget. For a pure face doesn’t need a mask to cover it so I will reveal what happen to me while I was here. It was much of the same dealings as the other one, but on a more massive scale. This facility always had a long list of rules. Residents had to leave around 7:30A.M. for work and had to be indoors by 9P.M. This facility held recovering drug addicts and those just out of prison ordered here by the court. Some were just down on their luck and were laid off or transitioning to a new location. But, there were even more strange weird reasons I feel uncomfortable to describe. Some of these residents became my friends and others became enemies. They sought out my destruction either through the use of their words or fists. As time went on, I saw many people die, became injured, or get kicked out for various reasons. Now, I will share a story about one of them.

“Randy” was a young black man I met while at “hotel can’t afford you.” Later on he arrived at the “scarlet letter” for whatever reason. I never asked him what happened, but he told me a short version of it. Times were hard and he got caught up into drugs again. I can remember this morning more than others. Every day we would have administration announcements and a short prayer with a Bible study stuck in there for good measure. The rules were very clear not to talk, but “Randy” spoke out against the officer and was told to leave. We found out later he moved back to Lufkin and got a job driving a truck that carried large pipes. As he was tying them down he slipped or something and they all fell on top of him. So, this event of “excommunication” of another man from the shelter was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Many residents began to hear about what happened to “Randy.” This wasn't the first person kicked out. Others who didn't want to attend "church" were told to leave as well. This in turn brought even more resentment towards the white officer because most of them were minorities. They were looking for any excuse to get mad at the officers, but I would have to agree most of their “rules” were wrong. As “Randy” came back in a wheelchair paralyzed from the neck down, he told me that he forgave the officer and said if it wasn’t for this accident he wouldn’t have built the relationship with God that he now has. The calloused hearts of those in charge started to crumble as the tears and repentant words came out of their mouths as “Randy” and I listened. Even still, it wasn’t enough to make real change as the shelter kept doing their daily activities as normal.

Oh my, those men running the shelters should put an enemy in their heads to steal away their caring. Every day that I would go out the townsfolk would stare at me, or would just drive on by as I walked in the cold, hot, rainy weather. Even though I wasn’t a drug addict or ex convict I was still homeless. How does that make you feel knowing I was different from the rest? When volunteers showed up at the shelters I could tell who was seriously filled with love and compassion and those who were fake and all filled with pride.

I feel that something is rotten in the state of the mind of humankind. From my experiences living in Texas, California, and Ohio, I have found that the subject of homelessness is something not to be mentioned without receiving a negative reaction. Addicts that come to shelters, at least those that I saw, don’t need to wait until they are clean to get help, they need it now! A paradigm shift must come so that we can fight against the mainstream solution towards homelessness. Sharing the Gospel is one thing, but encouraging "false conversions” and forced ministry lectures in order to eat or be housed is not Biblical. Just giving residents a temporary place to stay or a meal is not enough because more work must be done to reach out to the community. Transitional housing, training, actual assistance for medical problems, clothing, and educational programs are needed in today’s society. I am not here to say that everything current shelters are doing is wrong, but it’s time to look at the situation as a whole and see things from the view of the homeless. Take my personal account into effect and you can have a chance to walk in my shoes. For true love and servant hood has no stipulations or requirements.

References

Aaron, Jane. The Compact Reader: Short Essays By Method And Theme. 8^th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2008. 8-11.

Ascher, Barbara. The Box Man. The Compact Reader: Short Essays By Method And Theme. 8^th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2008. 8-11.

JMC LIVE 7-16-10 The Controversial Servant

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We posted a question on Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter that was controversial to a lot of Christians Our Question was "If a homosexual couple knocked on your door and asked for help because they were in need, could you look past your differences to help them? Could You still show them the love of Christ? The responses we got from some professing Christians were quite shocking. Plus we covered How Army Military Suicides are at an all time high, and how one 11 year old girl is helping the homeless in her community by growing vegetables.

Friends Wes and Lindsey Gallaugher In Local Paper About Their Baby Isaac

From The Chillicothe Gazette
It didn't take long for the new Level II nursery at Adena Regional Medical Center's Women and Children's Center to be needed.

Lindsy and Wes Gallaugher, the parents of three admittedly young and rambunctious boys, said they never imagined their newest son would need to be admitted to a special care unit after his birth.

After 23 hours of regular labor, Lindsy was ecstatic when her newborn son, Isaac, was brought to her.

"He looked good initially," she said. "Then, all of a sudden, his face started to turn blue."

The newborn was quickly quickly to the Level II Nursery for closer examination. In the meantime, Lindsy developed some complications that required additional care.

Eventually, she and her husband were reunited with Isaac in the Special Care Nursery -- the first of its kind at Adena and in south-central Ohio. By that time, an IV was inserted in Isaac's 6-pound 4-ounce, 19-inch-long body and he was placed on continuous positive airway pressure support. CPAP is a type of respiratory support used in babies needing extra help after birth. It also is used in adults with any number of respiratory conditions.

Shortly after arriving in the Level II nursery, pediatricians at Adena began "live consultation" with a neonatologist at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus.

By way of telemedicine video conferencing, the Columbus neonatologist was satisfied that Adena physicians and nurses had everything under control.

"There had been some talk about the possibility of needing to transfer Isaac to Nationwide Children's," Lindsy said, relieved at the outcome.

Living 40 minutes away from the hospital, she and her husband hoped Isaac would not need to travel to Columbus for care -- a distance made emotionally longer by the fact they would need to leave their other three boys behind, at least temporarily.

After four days in Adena's Level II nursery, two days of which Isaac was on CPAP and the other two days on oxygen, Isaac's respiratory complications turned around very quick, said Jackie Stansberry, director of the Women and Children's Center.

Since being released from the hospital, Isaac is home and doing well, his parents said.

Isaac was both the first baby to be admitted to Adena's Level II nursery and the first baby to receive CPAP at the hospital, Stansberry said.

Earlier this year, Adena was certified as a Level II nursery, enabling the health system to provide more advanced capabilities for babies who need close observation or extra help after birth, including CPAP.

The 20-bed Adena Women's and Children's Center houses a special labor triage area, advanced labor and delivery rooms, C-section suites and a well-baby nursery, as well as the Level II nursery. Its opening was celebrated with an open house in late May.

_______________________________

JMC Ministries Response

Written By Miranda Caverley

Wes Gallaugher has been a close family friend of mine since I was a little girl. So when my grandma called the day little Isaac was born asking us to pray for Isaac and the entire Gallaugher family we started right a way sending out prayer requests and praying for little Isaac to be healed.

Many of you came through responding with in minutes of our posts saying you were praying for Isaac. It is clear that God worked a miracle because in just a few hours Isaac started to improve. We are so thankful for all of you who lifted Isaac and his family up in prayer. God Bless you.

Vitatoe Family Reunion 2010 Video "I Saw The Light"

Vitatoe Family Reunion 2010
Jam Session at the family reunion....My Dad Singing I Saw The Light While My Poppy, Cousins and I play backup. Had a great time and good food as you will see. Lots of fun playing music and spending time with my family.

After so many weeks and months not able to go anywhere due to my illnesses it was such a Blessing to be able to finally go and spend time with Family and friends for a little while.

The Importance of Staying Connected to Your Family

As a man whose immediate family has passed away, I have been on a quest to find what a good family relationship looks like and through analyzing different people's traits. I have dreamed of what my life would have looked like if I was closer to those that are still alive, and how things in the past could have been different. This story is a piece that I have revised for over 10yrs. now; a journey about redemption, forgiveness, and peace.

God's word clearly states that your worst enemy will be from your family.

Proverbs 11:29
He who brings trouble on his family will inherit only wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise.

New Living Translation (©2007)
A wise woman builds her home, but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands.

So with this mind, I searched for what I would find as the "imperfect family" because only God is made perfect and we see an example of that with Jesus in the human flesh.

From reunions, to different people I have dated, I have met close and extended families over the last 10yrs. And God has shown me something different from each of them. Let me share with you a group of men who became my "father figure" growing up.


My band teach Mr. Banks was a solid man. Able to control us kids in band class and still had time for personal things. When he first found out about my lack of a car ride to go to band camp he offered to take me himself. Now here is a man that took charge and solved problems.

Next is one of my favorites! My first memory of Clint. He was a strong man with his own family. He played guitar and sang tenor in church. This man was the first real role model in my life. Later on he taught me guitar and even worked out with me. He was a deacon at church and also helped with youth group so I would see him often.

Then the men at the Salvation Army. These group of uncouth individuals came from all kinds of backgrounds. Some rich others poor. But all saw me as an non-street-smart naive 20 something boy. So each taught me their own ways and together I formed my own way of thinking through the various things done. Now I can't mention them all but I will try and share one. An ex-priest was the piano player at two churches! Yes, two churches. We would have Sunday morning service, and then he would leave via van to another church half-hour later.

Since he was a piano player, he would arrive at the center early and eat breakfast with us. He would offer to play. It was here I met him and started working on my piano skills. Later on he befriended me invited me to the 2nd church service. At this location I was offered to play lead worship leader for Sunday service right along side with him.

When I got transferred to the book room at the Salvation Army he was right there with me, until he retired. I learned about from the music, books, and people around me, but I learned even more from this ex-priest than I was even old. My head was always filled with thoughts, questions, answers, and visions of the future.

I have to stop here and ask this question. Are you wondering why I haven't mentioned about a "mother figure"? The answer is quite simple. I didn't have this great mother role model besides those connected to the ones above. Later in life I met friends who helped me along life's journey toward what God has intended for me.

So I will leave you with this. Everyone you meet in your life is there for a reason. It is up to you to figure out why they are there. Are you missing a family member? Spouse? Friend? God is always there right by your side. He never leaves you.

I read these lines in the Bible...."I will never leave you or forsake you". Such a power statement this is! God is wanting us to trust in Him. And then I read another...."His grace is sufficient for you."

Why are we always searching for something? The "who are we and why are we here?" God answered that question in the beginning and He is still answering it today! Look around and what do you see? God's creation from the smallest microbe to the largest elk. God is found in everything. It is us humans that have taken God out of the equation. You might be asking yourself,"why is Jeremy talking about creation and looking for something?" Aren't we all going down some path where there are many choices? And are some of us missing people in our lives we wish were still there? We are a flawed people. Capable of destruction beyond the imagination. But even in this chaotic world, God chooses us to have free will and gives His son, Jesus Christ, to die for us. It is in Jesus Christ that we can find the strength to forgive those who have done us wrong in our family. It is in Jesus Christ we can seek peace during the storms of our life.

By choosing today who you will serve will make the ultimate decisions in your life if this journey will be on solid ground or sinking sand. Remember the devil is out to destroy your life. To take away everything that is precious to you just to have you fall even that one time. We need to take into effect that Jesus Christ is the cure to this plague known as Satan. Jesus took all of his power away on that day when He died for us. The devil's time on Earth is very short.

So learn to praise God when you miss lost family, pray for those relatives who don't know the Lord.

God calls us the "body of Christ" for a reason. It is because we are family. And if we are family then the weight of the world is lifted. In this text I found my peace since I lost most of my immediate family. Time on this Earth is too short to go around "searching" for something you may never get. I had to give up my earthly treasures for treasures stored up in Heaven. Meaning I told the Lord that if I never have someone like my "mom" or finally meet someone I could call my "dad" I would still serve Him. Can you say that today? Will you give Jesus your burdens and your cares? I did and it made the whole difference for me.

Psalm 27:10 (New Living Translation)

¹⁰ Even if my father and mother abandon me,
the Lord will hold me close.

____________________________________________________________________

Written by: Jeremy M. Caverley

JMC Vlog Episode 5 Miranda's Sick

Miranda Has Been Diagnosed With An Incurable Illness

Normally by this time in the week we would have done our JMC LIVE show, and even had our weekly vlog posted. However, the past 2 weeks have been some of the hardest days we have faced all year so far.

Last week I went to the doctor for the 3rd time in 6 months because I keep having a very bad staph infection that keeps popping up on my body. They are giant sores that cover both sides of my body, my armpits, stomach and now they have come up on my breasts. The doctors have diagnosed me as a carrier of STAPH and there is no cure for these sores. Other than putting me on extremely strong antibiotics that so far only gets rid of the sores for 2 months. Then they come back and I am put on another round of antibiotics.

We have tried conventional and non-conventional medical remedies to try and heal me from this STAPH infection. But, we have not succeeded the sores have now come back 5 times in less than a year. My body is covered with scars from the sores that look like small to large bruises all over my body. It is horrific to look in the mirror at myself and most of the time I just burst into tears. Jeremy keeps telling me that he thinks I'm beautiful and he doesn't care about the scars. But it is very hard to deal with and even writing this now I am crying. So clearly doing a video blog about all of this would be close to impossible.

What makes this even more horrible is that the STAPH is contagious. So I have to limit visiting people/being visited by people. The antibiotics also make it where I cannot be outside in the sun and so I am inside all day until sundown when Jeremy and i take a walk down our little road just so that I can be outside for a little bit everyday. Aside from the antibiotics I have to wash 3 times a week with this extreme antibiotic soap called "hepa-cleanse" which is the soap that surgeons scrub down with before they do surgeries to kill all the bacteria good and bad on their hands and where they will be touching the patient. This is what I wash my sores with. It literally dries my skin out and makes me smell like a hospital. This also does not help other than to keep the sores from getting worse.

Our fears are that sooner or later due to having to constantly be on these antibiotics. That my body will begin to become immune to the medicine and that the STAPH will not go away. If this happens the STAPH will continue to spread to the rest of my body and I could even die. What do you do when the doctor looks at you and says, "there is no cure for what you have"?

Honestly you start to fall into a depression and begin to lose all hope.

On top of having this incurable illness, 2 years ago I was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Over the past 13 years of my life I have been stalked by a guy who threatened to kill me. Had a nervous breakdown at the age of 17 because of this. Then 2 years later, married a man who turned out to be a monster who beat me, raped me, and held me prisoner for 6 months before he would let me go and get a divorce from him. Worked in Nursing Homes where I was nearly raped twice by a patient. Abused physically by patients and mentally abused by some of the nurses I had to work with. Cleaned up dead bodies and even helped put them in body bags. Then on November 22, 2008 had another breakdown at the age of 27.

I am haunted by flashbacks, black outs, and night terrors where I relive all the abuse and trauma I have been through over and over again sometimes for days on end in my sleep. Which in turn makes my body feel like I have not had any sleep at all. Some of these night terrors are so bad that I scream out in my sleep and Jeremy has to hold me and shake me awake out of the night terror.

Just this week for example, Jeremy left to go to college and for 2 and a half hours I sat in a chair rocking and don't remember how I got to the chair. Had no idea that I had sat there 2 and a half hours until Jeremy came home. I lost 2 and a half hours of my day and have no idea what happened. The only thing I remember was that I was thinking about being a little girl laying out on the grass looking up at the sky at the clouds and finding different shapes and animals in the clouds.

I have been in counseling for almost 2 years seeing a counselor and psychiatrist. I have made much progress in 2 years but I still have a long way to go. I keep fighting and taking it day by day that is really all I can do.

Through it all we have continued to have faith in God and continue to pray for guidance and understanding through these trials. We have a support system when things become unbearable to help Jeremy and I.

We go to church every time we can and are in contact every week with some of the people from our church to keep them updated on my condition.

The STAPH is incurable and they say the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder could be incurable. But we just keep praying that God will have mercy on me and touch my body and heal it. Because with out his mercy and grace we have no hope. His Grace and Mercy is sometimes all that keeps me going.

I will admit that in the past 2 years I have attempted suicide 2 times. But after they changed my medication I have not attempted it anymore. The doctors found out the medicine they put me on was making me worse rather than better. Thankfully the suicide attempts were not successful and I am still here.

Then while all of this is going on with me, Jeremy is a full time college student trying to get a degree in Computer Science and continuing with JMC Ministries. I help when I can but mostly as most of you see I am working behind the scenes of our Ministry and Jeremy is in the forefront taking care of everything else. Including the social media sites, emails, telephone calls etc.

It is very hard on Jeremy and almost everyday he cries because he is so broken seeing me so sick all the time day in and day out. He will just hold me and say "I want my cuddlebug to be better." And that just breaks my heart to see him cry. We love each other so much and this sickness has taken such a toll on our relationship at times to be completely transparent. Even our pastor told us that most couples would have already separated and gotten a divorce in today's society.

To be honest if we tried to deal with my sickness on our own we would have already been divorced. But we are leaning upon the Lord for Strength to help us and that is the truly the only reason we have made it this far and have no thought of separating EVER.

The only thing that I can say to end this weeks blog is that God Said, "My Grace Is Sufficient" Please pray for Jeremy and I as we face my illnesses and continue to do our ministry in the face of these adversities.

JMC LIVE 6-29-10 Unemployment and The Recession

JMC shows how the unemployment stats are really like! Jeremy logs into the Ohio unemployment site and shows that people who are over the 26 weeks can NOT apply for benefits! So where does this put the stats? Will the unemployment ever be extended again? What will happen to those who lost their benefits? Although Unemployment has run out for me and I am still unemployed inspite of applying for jobs every week and going to job interviews when I am called for them. I am fine, because I am a veteran of the U.S Coast Guard I am now enrolled full time in college and have my GI Bill. To allow me to further my education and get a degree so I will be able to get a job prayerfully easier than without the degree. But our worries are for those who didn't have a plan B if and when the unemployment benefits ran out and they are still without jobs. It is for those men and women and their families we made this video. To show that even though it says right there on the website that you can continue to apply and show that you are still unemployed after your benefits run out, so that you can stay in the system in case Congress does change their minds and give more benefits. That is a lie as you see when I log in and it says that I cannot submit anything. Which kicks me and all the other people who have lost their benefits off the unemployment list and onto the "employed" list.
If you are thinking that we should just call unemployment and try to apply that way. That doesn't work either. A friend of mine who lost his job the same time I did called when he saw that he couldn't apply anymore online and was told he could not apply anymore via phone.

Our hearts and prayers go out for those who now have no way to support themselves and their families due to this ruling in Congress. We pray that God provide for your needs and that you will find a job soon. Through Christ All Things Are Possible. Hold tight to that and keep the faith. We are praying for you.

JMC LIVE Show June 29, 2010 Discussing Unemployment and the Recession


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Testimony From a MySpace Friend

I liked the status comments you put up yesterday about how the church has changed. I left the church just for the very reasons you listed. I was different, don't have allot of money, ( don't even own a car), was an outsider and was made to feel unwelcome and unwanted. I had been going to that church for over 20 years hoping things and people would change but they never did. It got so bad that no one would sit with us (my daughter and I) during morning worship and if I attempted to sit with someone they would either move to another seat or ( and this really happened) moved MY stuff to an empty pew.
A friend told me a while back that instead of the church changing the world the world has changed the church and I can vouch for that from first hand experience! Its become more "social" than spiritual and the messages are intended to comfort and reassure rather than to convict. Oh heaven forbid if you "offend" anyone. We had a pastor years ago that would say every Sunday "I hope you got your steel toed boots on this morning. I'm gonna step on some toes". Well those same toes kicked him out and not on a nice way either.
I don't have a very high regard for Christians right now. I have to be honest. But I know CHRIST still lives and reigns in my heart and I don't need a bunch of people to validate that, only HIS WORD! I am accepted by HIM and that's more than good enough for me. I don't need to be part of a clique or "in crowd" to know Jesus loves me.
I ain't perfect and I am the first to admit that. But what I wont do is to pretend I'm perfect just because I'm saved by HIS grace! He knows my heart and knows my shortcomings and don't condemn me for them. I just wish more Christians would follow that example instead of trying to be politically correct and unoffensive.
Anyway I just wanted to say how relevant your statuses were in MY life and how I can relate to them. I'm glad someone had the guts to speak the truth. Maybe it will wake some people. Thanks again for being real and honest enough to post those.

Please understand I have no bitterness toward my former church though. Just sadness that the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been so "sanitized" by the world we live in now. I believe that even though we're saved we still need some good old fashioned preaching too. Just to keep us focused on HIM and not compromise our faith. The devil is waiting for a foothold and every turn and it doesn't take much for him to get his claws into us. I for one don't want to give him that opportunity!
Thank you so much for reading my message and for understanding my situation. Thank you again and God Bless you and your ministry!

The Catalyst of Irritation: How People Who Get on My Nerves Changed My Life

The Catalyst of Irritation:

How People who get on my Nerves Changed my Life

What do you do when a person gets on your nerves? How can society learn from the daily interactions that are usually considered negative interactions? I personally want to share my chronicles dealing with my irritable temper. Let’s take a look at the disturbance in the force in the realm of my feelings ; the U.S. Coast Guard brings me perspiration from my vexation, and how my grandmother constantly pursued unhappiness.

From the moment I walked into the room, I knew something was wrong. It’s just ask if I can sense a disturbance in the force in the realm of my feelings. I have this keen sense an almost a prophetic ability to foresee that something bad is going to happen. These people just make you feel uncomfortable from the moment they enter the room. Maybe they are yelling about their day, or have this long frown upon their face, but these people take everything that is wrong with them out on you! For example, while driving in California, I could see a car was racing ever closer behind me. Now I have no problem with people who are in a hurry. Who knows if it is really an emergency? Sometimes, I ignore these people, but this time it was different. My internal warning signal went off and told me to slow down and get into another lane. As I did this, the car sped up and slammed into the back of the semi truck that was in front of me. If I hadn’t listened to my intuition I could have been injured. It is these people that really get on my nerves! Always in a hurry, usually sweating the small stuff, why not slow down and enjoy the day so they don’t end up like this guy dead on interstate 80 in California!

My vexation brings me perspiration! While in the U.S. Coast Guard recruit training program known as TRACEN Cape May, I experienced the sweat producing moment of the century for me. These officers, enlisted, or former reservists, known as Company Commanders were tough, rugged, strict men and women! It didn’t matter if you were right or wrong. If it went against their order I was always wrong. My days consisted of about 12 to 18 hours of classes, meals, and beatings. These beatings were known as physical fitness training or punishment known as incentive training or “IT.” IT wasn’t about computers anymore but an acronym for torture! Several times the recruit company would come back from class or the mess hall and we would find our belongings in the locker were thrown out and the walls in the bathroom were marked with permanent marker! Every single tile on the floor and walls covered with this black marker. We were told that humor was not allowed in class and that this was our punishment, or that we failed to speak up loudly enough. And other times it was just to mess with our minds. Their was no reason as to why we had to have our belongings thrown around or given incentive training. We were told to clean up this bathroom so sparkling clean that this Company Commander could eat off the floor. One morning we were told to get showered, shaved, dressed, and ready to go all 50 of us in 10 minutes! This led to the disorder of the recruit company as a whole unit, working together. For the military wants order, discipline, and teamwork. Well this group of “individuals” these recruits were all for themselves at this point, not willing to assist others with uniform inspections, polishing shoes, or learning the nomenclature of the m1 garand rifle. So I came up with a plan, my counter defensive against this mainstream rebellion of recruits! I would assist my fellow recruits with polishing shoes, learning the Coast Guard history and more. Over time while in the bathroom, I taught myself to brush my teeth, shave, and relieve myself all at once! No one else had the hand-eye coordination to accomplish this because they were too afraid or just didn’t think it would matter. I was so proud of myself thinking, this will cut my time in half. Was I so wrong! The company commander came into the bathroom and asked me what I was doing. I confidently explained to him I was trying to get ready on time and help others! His eyes began piercing into my gaze. His voice became stern and deeper. Then, the yelling started getting louder. “Recruit Caverley, what do we have here? Our own ‘MacGyver ¹’ is here to save the day!” At first I took this as an insult, and of course I received IT training for it. You can never make a Company Commander satisfied if they don’t want to be! Over time the recruits started to call me MacGyver for my cleverness and even the company commander told me later on it was really a complement for my actions and that I should never give up and will become a great Coastguardsmen one day. He was right! When I was leaving the Coast Guard I received several awards from volunteerism, honor, and devotion to duty. The captain of my unit, the comanding officer as they are called, has written me a letter of recommendation that I still use today!

In my life, as I try to find a balance with the internal struggle of emotions I am put through, it seems that I can never avoid the next type of person who bothers me. These people have a goal of pursuing their unhappiness. They always find fault in everything they do. It’s the doom-and-gloom people who use the glass half empty versus the glass half full mentality. People like this are never satisfied or feel their work was in vain. For instance, my grandmother would always talk about her physical pain and how the world around her is falling apart. Time after time, this is all I would hear and it was starting to rub off on me. I was told one day by my youth pastor that I sounded like an old grumpy woman. When I was asked how I was feeling, I would mimic how my own grandmother spoke. This plague of cynicism is like a virus with no cure and I was diagnosed with it! Hearing this kind of banter, which my grandmother thought was just small talk and had no effect on herself or others, inflicted pain beyond what I can bear in my own mind. I cannot remain silent; I must say something that will halt the oncoming pessimistic attitude. Even if I can come up with a good come back, it is to no avail in my efforts to reach her. It is these people who truly get on my nerves. Why not look at the bright side of things? I guess they have gone so long acting on their unhappiness this habit will never change.

The resolution in my life is very clear to me. Since childhood, I have been told be keep my life transparent because others are always watching to see when I would fail. You may ask how this relates to people who get on your nerves. It is quite simple really. Without my intuition, this internal protection device, I may have not lived as long as I have. It really saved my life that day against the manic driver. How about the health and endurance I learned from recruit training? I ended up in better shape, and now can resist and think more clearly before I respond to anything asked of me. Let’s not forget that because of my grandmother I now can see the positive things in life. Now I don’t have to side with the negative; even though things do get bad I can see a way out. This following statement sums up my whole being: adversity is overcome when you let the hottest of fires in life forge you into the strongest of steel.

1 Plot Summary for
"MacGyver" (1985)

Angus MacGyver is a secret agent with a difference. He is quiet, mild mannered, deeply principled and refuses to carry a gun on his missions. Fortunately, the last detail is unimportant when compared to his astounding mind. Drawing on a vast practical knowledge of science, MacGyver is able to make use of any mundane materials around him to create unorthodox solutions to any problem he faces. The enemies of world peace and justice continually learn that underestimating this man is a fatal mistake for their plans. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088559/plotsummary