Answering His call

God's calling continues and He is calling us back to continue working on homes in the MS area.

It looks like we will be heading that direction sometime mid January and remain there for a few months. We are so excited and anxious to get back into rebuilding lives by rebuilding homes. There will be some new changes, some great changes, added blessings all around and no doubt -- miracles from our Lord!

For those of you who have worked with us in the past, and for those who haven't -- we are letting you know these things so you can be planning your vacations, packing your work clothes, gathering others in your teams, gasing up the vehicles and contacting us with the dates you will be coming to work with us!

If you need further details you can either call us, email us or leave your info in a comment here on the blog and we will get back with you.

God has so much that still needs done in the MS area. He has called us to return and we ask your prayers and for your continued support.

You will see a link above (www.youtube.com/FinishtheJobFund and I encourage you to go to that link. Rebuild Jackson County (Pascagoula, Gautier, Ocean Springs and into Biloxi) have put this video together to raise the awareness of all that still needs to be done after hurricane Katrina. This video is very well done and truly gets the need across. There are still over 14,ooo people still living in FEMA trailers and hundreds still in tents! Those numbers are staggering! And even more staggering when you realize we are nearing the 2 1/2 year mark! The awareness NEEDS to be raised, the reality NEEDS to be seen and the work MUST continue!

YOU---the volunteers are the KEYS!!!!!

God bless you as you pray about this and hopefully start to put things in motion to come to the south.

Until next time . . . Susan and Monty (MS Missions)

Gratitude

We trust all of you are literally "stuffed" from the Thanksgiving dinners last week. I found it amazing that we can eat that much and still be hungry the following day!

Monty and I got wrapped up in the "black Friday" thing. We got up at 4am and headed to Walmart. The thrill of the looking was a blast! From there we headed across town and back again for Menards. We aren't big purchasers but the couple of small items we found made it worth getting up in the dark of the night! Monty thinks we need to make it an annual event, just to be in the midst of it all!

For those of you wondering, Ms Faye did have a holiday dinner at her sisters and then headed home. She had been staying with Joyce the entire time and going home wasn't (and still isn't) easy. She admitted she ended up in Mike Jr's room the first night! Please continue to hold her up in your prayers.

Monty's grandmother is doing great after her hip replacement! An amazingly strong lady for 83 years of age! His uncle was released and is resting as comfortably as possible at home with Hospice by his side.

Yesterday in church Pastor Dave had a message on gratitude. We all have heard the line about "what's in your heart comes out through your mouth". It's true. But he challenged us to make a gratitude journal where we daily record (in writing) 5 things we have been thankful for that day. Now since this is the 2nd time I have received this challenge I thought it might be something I really need to do. I read about this journal in another scriptural magazine that we started receiving from nowhere. So . . . I now have this journal and it's amazing how sitting down at the end of the day and thinking back over that day brings so many blessings to light! We all know we have so many things to be thankful for but we also know how easy it is to get caught up in all the negative that happened during the day. If we really focus on the positive it will change the way we see everything! I would challenge everyone out there to try this journaling thing. You don't have to use alot of words. Just a short word or two will do. You might also find that narrowing the blessings down to just 5 is difficult when you stop to think about the good things instead of the bad.

Thanks for keeping up with us and all that is happening. We are still trying to get some rest while we are home. I think rest is a 4 letter word but occasionally it happens. We have some things in the works and are looking at possibly heading "out" after the first of the year. I just might need to call on some of our past teams and see if anyone is interested in doing some home building??!! Keep your ears tuned in and let's see where God takes us!

Until next time . . . Susan and Monty

Saying Goodbye

At 11:00am this morning Ms Faye, daughter YKeisha, son Mike Jr and grandson Jacquez said goodbye to Mike Sr in what was an extremely emotional service.

I received a phone call from Ms Donna who has stood in for us and continued to keep us updated. Pastor Rick had a wonderful service and was instrumental in getting the entire family through the morning and afternoon.

We know God is holding this family in His almighty hands and thank you for all your prayers. Please don't stop now as now is when the reality of it all will begin to settle in.

Personal updates: Monty's grandmother came through total hip replacement surgery yesterday just fine and the doctors planned on getting her up from the bed this afternoon. When we were there at noon she was a bit groggy from the pain meds but smiled when she saw Monty. His uncle Larry remains in the hospital and is resting as comfortably as possible. Neither of them will be home for Thanksgiving but both of them will be thanking God for their families who are constantly at their sides.

We pray all of you have safe and blessed Thanksgiving days. We all need to remember that although we mark one specific day on our calendars to celebrate, each and every day is a day to thank the Lord for waking up and having another day to praise Him!

Please be safe in your travels and enjoy either your family or the one you are blessed to be with on Thanksgiving.

Until next time . . . We are thankful for ALL of you! Blessings, Susan and Monty

REALLY tough decisions

Sometimes in life there are those decisions that must be made. Then there are those that we must make and when we do they rip us apart. Today was one of those heart wrenching ones.

The funeral for Mike Sr is this Wednesday at 11am at the First Baptist Church in Moss Point. Pastor Rick will be officiating.

We cannot possibly make the trip! My heart aches!

It just cannot be done. There are numerous reasons but financing ranks right up there around the top. Gas prices aren't cooperating let alone the time factor with families and holidays. We know Ms Faye and Mike's entire families are there and will be surrounding her with their love and support. Even knowing that -- it still hurts.

We broke the news to her this morning and she understood. She had already told Diane not to make the long trip, just send her a card so she could read it over and over again. I know she will receive ALOT of cards that she will be able to read over and over and over again. If you would like their address please leave a comment at the end of the blog and we will be happy to get it to you.

We also had some more bad news this morning. Not only is Monty's uncle still in the hospital in the end stages of pancreatic cancer, now his grandmother has fallen and broken her hip. She needs surgery to repair it but isn't healthy enough to undergo the surgery at this time. The doctors are working with her and hopefully they can take care of everything, including her hip. We would appreciate your prayers.

On a good note, our Benefit Concert Saturday night was incredible! The local Christian radio station did a live remote from there for the first 2 hours and we know lives were changed by what they saw and heard. Stacey did such a fantastic job getting everything organized and the evening ran like clockwork! There is no way to properly thank her, the musicians and all the donors but we still want to say THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts!

Please remember that this is the time of the year to be even more aware of the blessings we all have, the ones we surely do not deserve. Be sure and thank God for as many as you can think of!

Until next time . . . Susan and Monty

Benefit Concert Bulletin

BENEFIT CONCERT

Gospel music by Vonnie Scott, Matt Hicks, Stacey Bowman Roberts, Joe Hickman, Jackie Nichols and more with food and videos.

Buy a chance . . . win a prize, win a trip, win a cruise . . . and more!

For Monty & Susan Scales

MS Missions Disaster Response

Saturday, November 17th from 4:00pm - 8:00pm

Location: AmVets Post 2000 (used to be The Gathering) at 5227 W. Airport Road in Bloomington, Indiana

For further information please leave a comment on the blog with your information and we will gladly get back with you.

We look forward to seeing you there! Spirit 95fm radio will be broadcasting LIVE from the concert for the first 2 hours!

We would like to thank Jimmie Dean Coffey Auctions & Realty and Kevin Spicer with Hometown Realtors for sponsoring our event!!!

Blessings, Susan and Monty

Dancing with the Angels

This afternoon God called Mike Sr. home!

His struggles in life are over. No more pain, no more dialysis, no more diabetes, no more infections, just peace -- eternal peace!

His is dancing with the angels and rejoicing with the Lord.

Ms Faye, YKeisha and Mike Jr will miss him. Their hearts grieve but their minds know he is with our Lord.

We will continue to hold this entire family up in our prayers. The next days will be difficult. No matter how well we think we are prepared to say goodbye, when the actual time comes we aren't prepared at all.

God bless this family. They are our family and we love them and thank God for bringing us all together as family.

Blessings, Susan and Monty

3:30PM Friday, November 16

Ms Joyce, Faye's sister, just called.

In 30 minutes the family will be gathering at Mike's bedside and the doctors will be removing him from the respirator.

Please pray!!

In God's hands, Susan and Monty

10:00AM Thursday update

I just spoke with Ms Faye. She was taking a break at home, getting ready to return to the hospital. She was taking a minute outside to start Mike Sr's truck. The temps have fallen into the 30s and that is really cold for the south! But she is warm in the house and just talking about being warm made her laugh. She hasn't had the opportunity to use the furnace in their new home and was amazed at how warm it was! She again thanked everyone who had anything to do with the building of their home!

Mike Sr is about the same, holding his own.

Today Mike's sister from Atlanta and his brother from California will be arriving. They are the last family members to arrive.

She said Mike Jr and YKeisha are doing okay, under the circumstances. Everyone is a bit tired but they are also getting some rest when they can.

I had the chance to tell her about the benefit concert that is being held for us this Saturday. One of the musician couples playing, Joe & Stacey, will be playing Amazing Grace to the tune of House of the Rising Sun. They are dedicating that song to Mike and Faye and photos of them will be running on a big screen in the background while the song is being sung. She was so excited and wanted to make sure I had good photos of Mike! She has no idea just how many good photos I have, and am using, of the both of them!

It was good to hear her laugh and to feel her smile over the phone. She is thankful to all the people who are praying for them. She has no idea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We also thank you and ask that you continue praying. God is the one who is in control of all of our lives and we should thank Him for each and every moment we have.

Until the next update. . . . Blessings, Susan and Monty

8:15PM update

Late this afternoon the doctors had a visit with Ms. Faye. They told her that Mike's kidney dialysis could not be done because he isn't physically able to undergo the treatments. They normally do the procedure every other day. They did not do it yesterday or today. They also informed her that this could lead to heart failure and she agreed to a DNR (do not resisitate order) in case that happens.

Just about 10 minutes ago I received another call from Donna and Glen who have been by her side continuously. Ms Faye requested they return to the hospital as the nurse just came in and said Mike's blood pressure is dropping.

He has never come out of his coma.

We continue to plead for your prayers for this entire family.

Until the next update. . . God bless all of you. Susan and Monty

12:45PM news

They are awaiting the arrival of the doctor.

The family is at his side.

They are all in our prayers.

Blessings, Susan and Monty

URGENT UPDATE Tues 10:30AM

Just heard from Ms Faye and the family has been called to Mike's bedside. The doctor phoned her just a few minutes ago and said "if the family wants to see him they should get there asap."

I wish I knew more, knew what happened during the night, but . . .

Right now we just need to hit our knees and pray for this family. Ms Faye is really struggling. Mike Jr is begging her to NOT make the decision she might be faced with. There are unsaved family members who are not going to support her as they could.

Pastor Rick and about 6 others from church are also on their way to the hospital to be there with the family.

PLEASE pray not only for God's will but for God's arms to be wrapped around the family, for His supernatural strength to hold them up.

Blessings to all of you for your hearts of love. Susan and Monty

Update at 5:30pm Monday

You really did step it up a notch in your prayers!

Pastor Rick just called. When Crystal, the church musician, went into Mike's room and called his name Mike opened his eyes and looked directly at her.

Just then a family member also came into the room and turned on the TV. When it came on Mike then turned his eyes away from Crystal and to the TV!

The doctors are going to run another brain scan before the night is over.

God is still in the business of performing miracles and we need to remember that!

Thank you for those prayers and once again, lets all intensify them even more!

As for Monty's uncle Larry, he is still in the hospital. Today they implanted a port in his upper arm where they can get the meds directly into the artery and also give him nutrition. He is unable to keep anything in his stomach so this port should help. The doctors told him to plan on remaining in the hospital through this week. His weight seems to drop daily but maybe with the port . . .

We thank all of you for your prayers! YOU are God's special angels!

Until the next update. . . Bless you. Susan and Monty

9:30AM Monday Mike update

Just got a phone call from Pastor Rick.

Mike seems a bit better this morning. His blood pressure has stabilized and the doctors have removed him from those meds. His seizures have stopped and they have also removed him from those meds.

His brain scan shows "some" brain activity but the doctors call it "slow".

Last night when Ms Faye was leaving his room and going home she leaned in to tell him goodnight and his eyes fluttered and his vital signs "jumped" leaving the doctors and nurses to believe he recognized her voice. Since they have been together since they were in the 7th grade I would imagine that her voice would definitely be the one he would respond to!

Miracles still happen. God is always in control and everything is in His hands and His timing. We pray that His will is done as His will is always best.

Thank you for the continued prayers. Maybe it's time we all step them up a bit?!

I will continue updates as we get them. Blessings, Susan and Monty

Sunday 5:30pm update

Ms Faye just called and both she and Mike Jr were on their way to church. She felt it was where they both needed to be and she had promised Pastor Rick she would be there.

When Ms Faye makes a promise she will most assuredly keep it!

The doctor was in today and said the results from last nights brain scan "didn't look good" but they are planning on doing another one in the morning.

She seemed in pretty good spirits and felt comfortable leaving the hospital as she left Mike Sr with a room full of people.

She thanks everyone for their prayers and thoughts and love. She is preparing herself to make a decision if things come to that. Pastor Rick has spent some one on one time with her and she said it has really helped.

Please continue to keep the entire family in your prayers.

Until the next update. . . Blessings to all. Susan and Monty

9:30PM Update

I spoke with Ms Faye just about an hour ago and she is holding up as well as can be expected.

She was at the hospital, where she has been since this morning. Pastors Rick and Vickey had been there along with Glen and Donna from church. She realizes that people are praying for them but I don't think she fully realizes just how many!

She did go home last night, alone. She admitted that she was frightened and slept in the recliner instead of the bed. I asked her to go to her sister, Joyce's house for tonight and she agreed.

She realizes that she may be forced to make the most difficult decision of their lives. She also realizes that God is with the both of them and is just taking things minute by minute.

The doctors did run another EEG, brain scan, today but the results weren't in when I spoke with her. There has been no visual change in Mike.

If you haven't seen it, please refer to the comment on the last blog. Diane wrote some very powerful words that we all should take to heart! Bless you Diane, we miss you and know your heart is breaking the same as ours and many others around the nation.

Some more sad news this evening. I called our Convoy of Hope leaders, Fory and Cindi, to let them know about Ms Faye and Mike. They are back home in Minnesota. Fory's father passed away a few days ago. He was 94 years old and although he was ready to go it still makes it difficult on family members. Both Fory and Cindi could also use some extra prayers. They will be remaining up north for a couple more days and then heading back to the coast to continue working on churches going up both in AL and MS. God be with them as they travel.

We also visited Monty's uncle Larry today. He remains in the hospital and was having a very rough day. He was medicated and sleeping while we were there and we are thankful that the doctors have managed to control his abdominal pain better.

As you can tell by these past blogs, our spirits have been taking a beating these past days. We know God has a time and a season for everyone and everything and we continue to pray that His will be done!

We hope that all of you will be attending your church (or visiting another) come tomorrow and each of us counting our blessings! Life is so precious and not to be taken for granted, not even for a moment!

Blessings, Susan and Monty

UPDATE 7:00PM

We just received a phone call from Pastor Rick. He had been at the hospital with the family when they met with the neurologist. It seems there is a bit of brain activity although the doctors also said Mike was deprived of oxygen for a long time and does have severe brain damage. He is also suffering with seizures.

Pastor Rick was able to spend some one on one time with Ms Faye to discuss some decisions she may face. She understands what is going on and knows what Mike's wishes would be. Mike Jr is at his father's side and isn't leaving.

Today is also their daughter, YKeisha's 30th birthday! Her son, their grandson, Jaquez also understands what is happening and he is only 6 years old.

Pastor Rick will be keeping us updated as well. He knows we are posting the news here on the blog just as quickly as we receive it.

On another side note, Monty's uncle is remaining in the hospital. They are trying new measures to see if he can keep food down. He is constantly hungry yet nothing stays down. We all just sit and pray.

On yet another note, our next door neighbors found out that he, Tony, has cancer in his esophagus. The doctors say it is the worst kind to have but also in the beginning stages. They will be traveling to Mayo Clinic in a week and possibly facing extreme surgery. They also could use some prayers.

As you can tell, today has hit us pretty hard. We are so thankful that all of you are out there and praying for all these situations. We place each and every one in these families into the hands of our Lord and pray His will be done in each.

Blessings to all. Susan and Monty

MIKE UPDATE AT 2PM

Ms Faye just called me with an update.

She, along with Pastors Rick and Vickey, met with the doctors. They confirmed that there is no brain activitiy and he is on life support at this time.

The plan is to continue the life support over the weekend to allow all out of town family to arrive. Most of the families are there but some are coming from states aways away. Please pray for their safe travel.

Ms Faye is in a bit of a daze at the moment and appreciates all supportive prayers.

I plan on keeping all of you updated through the blog. I will do my best to add an entry each and every time I hear from her, with the time included.

Thank you for your prayers. God is an awesome God and Mike knows that deep in his heart!

Blessings, Susan and Monty

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST

PLEASE pray NOW!!!

I just received a phone call from Ms Faye.

Mike Sr. suffered a heart attack in the middle of the night last night. They tried to revive him for over 45 minutes, on the floor of their home---no success.

At this time the doctors have told her he is brain dead.

At 11:00 am this morning she is to return to the hospital to make the decision of leaving him on the life support or not.

We all know this would be a nightmare decision for any of us and for Ms Faye it's the same. Her sister, Joyce, is with her and Pastor Rick and Vicky will also be there with her.

PLEASE pray for this entire family and I will update this blog as often as necessary to keep you informed.

Blessings, Susan and Monty

We're back . . . Again!

What a whirlwind trip!

We returned from our WV and PA trips on Friday night, turned around and left Sunday morning for WV and returned last night.

Why? You would ask that! :)

As most of you know, while we were in the south we lived in a borrowed camper trailer which was all of 144 square feet of living space. I dare you to step off that space in your home and then stay in that space! It will be a matter of minutes before you realize just how small of a space that is. And we "shared" it with our 2 small dogs!

When we returned home a few weeks ago we needed to return the camper to my brother. That left us looking for something we could actually live in AND afford! Not a small feat but as usual, God stepped in and annointed the entire process.

While in WV and traveling from point A to point B we passed a camper sitting on the side of the road with a for sale sign in the window. We stopped, called the number in that window but also realized that it was WAY out of our price range. The couple showed up within minutes and 3 hours later we had a trailer! We shared our mission with them, they shared their lives with us and God bound the two together in a way only He could do.

We returned Sunday and Monday to bring it home. I wish I could show you just how equipped this thing is! It's complete with bed linens, bath linens and more kitchen equipment than we have in our home kitchen! I even found a hair dryer in the bathroom and a vacuum cleaner under the bed storage area. All we need is to pick up our clothes and we are ready to respond to any disaster out there. Like I said, a God appointed meeting and a blessing beyond measure! Now we are ready to hook up and roll! Thank you to Wayne and Annette for also hearing God speak to them and following His words!

We are so excited about the directions God is leading us. Opportunities seem to be around many corners and we are just praying for His guidance to lead us.

Two special updates:

1. Mike (Faye) had his leg surgery delayed until this coming Monday. He needs to be off of his blood thinning medicine for a week before they can do anything. Please continue to keep them in your prayers.

2. Monty's uncle, Larry, was admitted to the hospital this evening. He is in end stages of pancreatic cancer and needed hospitalized tonight. He is receiving meds and was resting a bit more comfortably when we left. We would ask for prayers for the entire family.

Thank you for all your prayers, for us and for our families. We pray God's blessings on all of you.

Until next time . . . Susan and Monty

Itinerating in WV and PA at peak colors

Sorry for the lapse of entries. I was so rushed getting prepared for our trip I couldn't give advance notice.

You can see for yourself how beautiful it was as we drove through West Virginia, through the Cumberland Gap into Maryland and on to the east side of Pennsylvania. Outstanding!

We visited our team that designed and built Ms Faye and Mike's house back in March. You can refer back to there in the blog if you missed anything. It was so fantastic seeing everyone and getting to know their families. It was a quick trip but one that refilled both Monty and I with love and laughter and God.

From there we traveled on into the eastern side of Pennsylvania to visit with Pastor Tony and Angela and their family. We were blessed to speak at a Bible Study they hold at one of the senior centers. They were filled with questions (and a few tears). We then spoke again at the evening worship service. Once again we were able to see our old friends and meet their families and make them into new friends.

The hospitality shown to us with both of these families was wonderful. They opened their homes, their lives and their love and we feel refreshed and yet sad that we had to leave and say goodbye.

I must admit that one of the highlights of our trip was that we now have our first church supporting our mission! What a huge step for us! Pastor Tony and Angela and their church pledged to support us on a monthly basis and make it possible for us to continue to follow the Lord's leading into disaster ministry. This is what we have needed and we pray more will follow. We are SO thankful to them for their love, their support and their encouragement and ability to see our hearts!

We thank all of you for your support and if you would like to support us on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis or just with a gift donation you can do so by sending it to our sending agency:

International Gospel Outreach (IGO)

PO Box 1008

Semmes, AL 36575

Please enclose a SEPARATE note with our names on it. This sending agency is a not for profit and thus the good ole' IRS requires the separate note.

We do have a very special prayer request: It appears that Mike (Ms Faye's husband) is facing the amputation of his other leg! Yes, the doctors have determined that his big toe is dead and that the infection in spreading. He will be undergoing extensive testing Monday but they told him to come prepared for surgery. Please keep them both in your prayers. This news has been devastating to both of them. They know God is in control but facing the loss of both legs is a bit hard to take. Thank you for caring.

Thank you again and may God bless and keep you . . . Monty and Susan