Praises to the Lord above all!

Giovanni's 3rd Grade picture. Hmm, retakes?
Our school lets siblings take pictures, so we did Sophia. Yes she is missing 2 teeth. We (George) had to pull them because they kept falling out after she lost them to a tragic fall when she was a baby. Long story. But it makes her so cute!
Ahnika's first year at school. She is a Kindergartener! crazyCaleb is also in 3rd grade. He is very tall. I need to measure that kid. Bets are he will be 6'5".
This was taken last year at the girls' other daycare.


So, guess what? George got a job. Of course, I am such a slacker in the blogger department that no one problem even follows me anymore. He is working for Indian Health Services. It is a Federal job. He really likes it right now. Funny how we both work for tribes. I work for the Coeur d'Alene Tribe. It is pretty cool. Life is pretty good. Busy trying to figure out the whole work schedule. Fall is definitely here and it is getting cold. No snow yet. My dad is doing better but is still very sick. We are just busy with work, kids, church, awanas, home group, kids' disciple classes and homework! Hope you all are well.

Everything

I love this video. It really puts my life and what I am doing in perspective. How do we "miss it" every day. What I mean is, Jesus sacrificed so much for us. He came to earth to live like us and was beaten to death for us and I still question His love? I am not worth His sacrifice, but thankfully I can accepted it always.

My Daddy's update

These pictures are of my Dad in February right before he got sick. Below is a letter I got from him today. Keep praying friends!

Dear friends, family and loved ones,

After battling Nephrotic Syndrome, Idiopathic Glomerulonephritis complicated by pulmonary emboli since April of this year, we believe that we have turned the corner in fighting this rare kidney disease. Since April, I have been pretty much incapacitated and at home. Having no strength, extreme fatigue, dizziness, depression, unstableness in walking, blackouts etc., my recent lab work indicates that the disease is headed towards remission. Once (If) it goes into remission, much like cancer, it can come back later. If remission is not reached the overall outcome is somewhat grim. My lab results still indicate that my levels are still in the dangerous zone, but improving. I’m currently taking 19 different medications to combat this disease and includes some cancer drugs (Even though I do not have cancer) and heavy prednisone (Steroid) doses. This intense combo of drugs is hard on a person’s body, yet it seems to be the best (Only) option to fight this nasty disease.

It is my firm belief that this disease correlates with my other VA disabilities and was caused by exposure to Sarin gas (Nerve agent gas) while with the U.S. Army in Desert Shield and Desert Storm. That and other toxins are probably the cause. We are now currently fighting the VA over medical bills (14 total days in the hospital is not cheap) and have filed a claim over this disease.

We have had remarkable help from Bob and Sandi and their families and friends in the Bozeman area. For you that are out of town, we are very thankful for your cards, phone calls and prayers.

The Doctor tells me that about 4 more months and the drug therapy should be over and hopefully the disease will be in remission. It will be nice to resume normal activities in life and not have medical appointments, hospital stays, lab appointments etc. rule our lives. But we remain positive and are thankful for having a graceful God and so many prayers that have been so generously given.

Thank you everyone for your love, support and prayers,

Bob and Karen

A kid's perspective

While we were in the hospital with my father-in-law, Kevin and Mikaya helped watch the kids at night and all day (bless them!). Well, they forgot Sophia’s blankie and she can’t function without it. George went up to the baby floor to see if he could get a receiving blanket to “fill in”. They found one and she loved it. So last night I sat down to pray with her and she was holding her blankie in her Sophia way and I told her the “Grampa’s blankie” story. She got this look on her face of pure sadness and just said “I don’t want Grandpa to be sick anymore.” So I told her how Grandpa watches over us from heaven’s window. Boy do we miss you Dad.

So, today as I found out the good news that my nephew is finally back in the states after being in Iraq for almost a year, I am still mourning my amazing father-in-law who also served our Country proud. Let us always say thank you to those who have served and remember how much they sacrificed for us. Let us also remember how God sacrificed His Son just so we could gain back our lives and our restore our relationship with him.

Faithfulness

For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God's people, which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven. You have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News. This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God's wonderful grace. Colossians 1:4-6

Well, life has been - life. It has been a rough few months for the Raskell's, but with faith we have survived and we will continue. Early on May 8, 2009, we lost our beloved father, grandfather, husband, friend. We miss Jim/Dad/Grandpa so much, but we are so thankful he is Home with our true Father. So many blessings have come from this loss, and we hold to this. The family is close again, siblings are going to church, other siblings are thinking about it, and we are thankful he is not suffering. My father-in-law was such an amazing man. Words cannot truly describe him. He has 7 children, over 40 grandchildren, many great-grandchildren, a wife, and two dogs. He served in Vietnam proudly for the Air Force and continued his career in the Air Force after Vietnam. Every year he paid for all the grandkids to get haircuts and shoes for school. Every Christmas we had presents under the tree for ALL of us. He donated to many charities. He loved the Shock games and watching his grandkids play sports. There is a huge hole in our lives right now. Last year we were so thankful to hear he accepted Christ. We know he is looking through his window in heaven watching his grandkids grow and play and waiting for all of us to be reunited again.

We have also been praying for my father, Bob, who is suffering from a kidney disease and multiple other health problems from exposure during the Gulf War. His kidney disease has really set him back and we keep praying he gets better and back to his active self. I was so blessed to spend a couple of hours with him over the 4th of July on a mountain horse back ride.

The kids continue to grow and have fun with life. They are all at home with Dad this summer. He is still unemployed, but truly enjoying his time with the kids. I admit I am a little jealous. I am working for the Coeur d'Alene Tribe as their Project Engineer. I LOVE my job. It is so fun and different.

We are getting excited for Camp this year. It is our family time that we don't get much each year.

I am hoping to update more often. This last year has been a kicker for us, and I am praying and hopeful the rest of 2009 will be a little more calm. Well, as much as it can be with a family of 9!

Urgent prayer

Please pray for my father-in-law, Jim. He is in ICU and not doing well. He has multiple complications from Vietnam. Please pray for him and our family and we struggle through this time. Above are pictures of him at Christmas Eve family night. He is such an amazing man. He love his family so much and does so much for him. Every Christmas Eve we get together and have dinner, we open presents he has bought for all of us (over 30 grandkids and great-grandkids), and just love on each other.

We love you DAD!!!!!

Wishing you a Magical Day!

In February we received the most amazing blessing ever - a trip to Disneyworld for our whole family. It truly was a gift from God. Words cannot describe how amazing our journey was. We had VIP passes to get to the front of the lines for everything. We met Aerial, all the Superheros, Alice, Aurora, Sponge Bob, Squidworth, Mickey and Minnie, Mary Poppins, Mayor and Mrs. Clayton, Goofy, Pluto, Curious George, Rose Petal, and saw so many others. We rode roller coaster after roller coaster. Our favorites were Rock n Roller, Hulk, Space Mountain, Everest, and the Mummy. The best simulator - Simpsons. Men In Black was the best interactive. Sophia didn't do to well with ET or Spiderman 4D. Although, a private meeting with him was her favorite. We were splashed by Shamu, fed the penguins and George and I had a tour and met Fisher, a king penguin. We had ice cream the first and last thing of every day. We went on an African safari. Giovanni was in the Disaster movie, too!

Those were just highlights.

I will never forget the gift of Make-a-wish and Give Kids the World. My family has never been so happy as we were when we went to Florida as the Raskells Party of 10 (with the grandparents).

Here are some pictures of our trip. They are all over the place, but I just wanted to get them up before I got more comments about not having them!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Update

"Show me your ways O Lord, teach me your paths." Psalm 25:4

Just to update. I know it has been since December since I posted. Yes, I finally did get a job. I started work at the end of January. George is STILL unemployed. I am a little discouraged by it all, mostly the financial part. It gets kind of old not being able to pay bills! Yet, I am so thankful George is at home with the girls. Our house runs so much smoother with him home. He is so much more patient, organized and motivated than me. J

Not much has really happened, but here is a quick rundown. Nick is home from Butte. He has huge car issues and is trying to save up for getting it fixed. Kevin is still in school. George was in the hospital for a few days because of some clots in his lungs, but thankfully through meds he is better. We are working with the hospital now because he was 2 days away from getting insurance through my work. L Giovanni is working hard on a story he is submitting for a contest (sneak peak is he gets penguin feet). Caleb is being tested into the gifted kids program at school. Both boys are almost done with hockey. They had a tourney last weekend and each scored a goal or two! Ahnika is on her way to Seattle for her Dr. Ann appt. George is taking the girls (didn’t I say how cool he is). She is doing really well. Sophia is growing bigger and bigger and is slowly learning her numbers and letters. I am plugging away at work. Enjoying reading again, meeting with friends and finally reading my bible more regularly. I am currently studying the life of David. What a great story!

Our biggest news was our FREE trip to Disneyworld. I’ll post soon enough about the trip, but it was amazing. We received Make-a-Wish for Ahnika and she wished to play hockey with a princess. It was truly the best time I have ever had. Our WHOLE family got to go. It was so amazing. I will put together a slideshow of the trip once I finally get the pictures downloaded.

So just keep praying for our finances. We are struggling and honestly that is our biggest problem. Pray for wisdom with our work stuff and that God’s grace continues in our lives.