Together Tomorrow

As some of you know, our family has had to say goodbye to a very special little boy, Gabriel Michael Pranger. The world was blessed on June 10, 2012, with his arrival. And early on June 29, 2013, the Lord saw fit to call him home to heaven.

Lately, I have been reading a lot about the promises of God.

Promise "ground for hope, expectation, or the assurance often specified of eventual success." or "A declaration or assurance that one will do a particular thing or that guarantees that a particular thing will happen."

II Kings 8:56 "...there hath no failed one word of all his good promise." 

 The Bible is often called God's Word, in other words it can also be called "God's Promise". God always keeps His word, He can not lie. Simply, what He says, He will do. I'm so thankful that God keeps his promises. It's from His Word, His book of Promises, we find hope and strength in our daily needs. Our family has definitely experienced God's grace and strength in a mighty way this past week. We have clung to many of His promises this week, that have given us hope and peace. 

Gabriel was born with a genetic disorder called Nonketotic Hyperglycinemia. (NKH) is an inherited condition in which the body is unable to breakdown and process some of the building blocks of protein (amino acids). Gabriel and his daddy, Amos Pranger, went to Cincinnati Children's Hospital in hopes to find out some answers as to why he would go a few seconds without breathing. His sister, Annabeth, also has the same genetic disorder, and it wasn't uncommon for them to make trips to the hospital. We had all thought, this was just going to be another trip to the hospital and then he would be back home. 

The doctors concluded Gabriel was having small seizures but they couldn't find out what was causing them. By Saturday, the had him stabilized and he seemed to be doing better. However, over the next 48 hours his little body took a drastic turn for the worst. 

His brain activity had gone down to almost nothing, and he wasn't able to breath on his own. When we heard the news of his sudden decline, we began to pray even harder for his healing. We knew God could heal our little Gabriel if He choose to. 

Tuesday came, and I was praying so hard for our little nephew. His mommy, Liberty Pranger, was on her way to be with her son. He was making some improvements, but not much to make a difference in his fragile condition. The doctors were clueless as to why he was declining so quickly. They could only assume one of the seizures had lasted longer than a few seconds and caused the brain damage. 

By Thursday, his kidneys and liver were shutting down. We were losing our little Gabriel. My in-loves, Jim & Laura Pranger, were on a flight back from Hungary in hopes to see Gabriel before God called him home. Their plane was scheduled to land on Friday. (Unfortunately, a bad storm kept my in-loves from making it on time to see him.) 

Friday came, and we were told if we could, to make our way to Cincinnati to see Gabriel one last time. James and I immediately packed up the car and headed to Cincinnati. I had hopes to take some family pictures for them and to capture little Gabriel's last few moments. 

We pulled into the hospital, and went up to Gabriel's room. There were many friends and family gathered around and nurses in the room. One of the nurses was making "sweet memories" with Gabriel and his three sisters, Annabeth, Deborah, and Breanna. They made some hand prints, and molds of Gabriel's hands and feet. And she was finishing up by taking some photos of the family all together. I was right behind her with my camera. When the nurses all left, the kids were a little restless, so we agreed to take more photos in the morning. I went about taking candid photos of everyone with Gabriel. 

His oldest sister, Annabeth

Breanna, Jacob and Deborah

I got to have some time with Gabriel, kissing his sweet face, holding his hand and talking to him. James came over and was playing with his ear, as he loved on him. Later that night, I went back in the room with Liberty and her sister, Bethany. Everyone else was now gone or in the waiting room. I wanted some photos of Jacob and Gabriel, like the ones we had taken back in December when they first met. I'm so thankful I did, because the opportunity to take more photos in the morning never came. 

As we left that night, I said good night to Gabriel and kissed his sweet face. I told him Grandma and Grandpa were on their way to see him, and to hang in there. 

That was the last time we saw our sweet Gabriel. A phone call later that night told us Gabriel had gone home to be with Jesus. 

My heart felt relief and peace when I heard he had gone home to heaven. Relief in knowing he was no longer suffering, his body was now made whole. Peace in knowing that we would see him again in heaven.

When Gabriel took a turn for the worst, the Lord flooded my heart with promises from God's Word. With those promises I found hope, peace, and strength.

One of the verses God gave me on Tuesday was from Isaiah 40: 29, 31

He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. 

In our darkest of days, we don't have to have strength- God will be our strength. I know this has been true for Liberty and Amos as they said their goodbye's to their son this week. How can someone go through a trial so hard? With God, that's how. 

"O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is the victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

But thanks be to God!! (this gets me excited) which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." I Corinthians 15:55,57

Death has no victory over God's children! Death is merely a stepping stone to heaven for all those who have put their faith and trust in God. God has given us the victory over death through Jesus Christ. How?

"But God commendeth his love toward us, that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

Jesus Christ paid the penalty of death for our sins so we can spend an eternity in heaven. 

"...I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." John 10:10
"Every good gift and perfect gift, is from above..." James 1:17a

Our Gabriel was truly a special and perfect gift from the Lord. He is now experiencing life more abundantly with Jesus Christ. He has whole and perfect body now and is leaping on the streets of gold. Sure our hearts still hurt from losing him here on earth. "...weeping may endure for a moment, but joy comes in the morning." Psalms 30:5b 

We rejoice in knowing that we will see our Gabriel again in heaven. We will get to spend an eternity with him which far outweighs any time here on earth. Gabriel along with his mommy and daddy would want nothing more than for his death to bring about life more abundantly. If you have never placed your faith in Jesus Christ, won't you make sure of that today? Gabriel's short life is a testimony, that we are not always promised tomorrow. Death may come at any moment. Are you ready for eternity?  

We would love to share how you can know for sure that heaven is your home. Please feel free to email me or message me. 

Lastly, this is my favorite promise. 

"...one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." 2Peter 3:8

It's because of this promise, that we can say to Gabriel, We sure do miss and love you but we will see you tomorrow. 

Together Tomorrow. 

Here is a post I wrote about when little Gabriel was first born. May it be a blessing to you. 
http://simplysiberia.blogspot.com/2012/06/uphill-battle.html

Gabriel when he was just a couple weeks old. 

Before it's too late...

As I was out on my morning run, my mind reflected on all that God has done in my life this past year. What an incredible life changing year this has been. Who knew becoming parents to the most adorable little boy would be the highlight of 2012 for us! That little 7 pounds 7 ounces that was placed in my arms on October 31, has changed my life in the best way possible. I would do anything for my son! I would give my life for him in a second without thinking twice. Unconditional love, I believe is what they call that. As a parent, I desire God's best for his life and well being. I never knew my heart could hold such love. I believe I now know a small portion of God's love for His children.

Our finite minds will never know just how much our heavenly Father cares for us. I believe if we did, we would all be much more motivated to give our lives completely to Him. How could One give His only Son to such a wicked world. A world that was created by Him and for Him. I wonder how God could create a beautiful perfect world knowing that one day it would become filled with wickedness. God knew that His very creations would reject Him and yet He still created mankind. (If I were God, I think I would have left mankind out of the equation! What heartache that would have saved Him!) But God still gave each of us life and a chance to choose Him.

As Christmas has come and gone, may we not soon forget the true meaning of it all. God knew that mankind needed a Savior. "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:" Romans 5:12 Sin had entered into this world. The punishment for our sin is "death" not physical death but a spiritual death- separation from God. "For the wages of sin is death..." Romans 3:23a God can not let sin enter into heaven because heaven is a perfect place. God knew that a perfect spotless sacrifice was required. "...but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 3:23b That gift is the very reason we celebrate Christmas, Jesus Christ. The Bible says that eternal life is through  Jesus Christ our Lord. We can not obtain eternal life through our own good works or through church or through the priest but only through Christ. We are imperfect and nothing we do can take away our sins. That is why we need a Savior to save us from an eternity separated from God. (Insert God's unconditional love for us yet again.)

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16 

A very "familiar" verse to most of the world, but do those who read the reference "John 3:16" really know the truth behind it? I would hope so. Maybe they do but they choose to reject its meaning. They think if they choose to ignore the truth of God's Word that they will be fine. To many the story of Christ birth, crucifixion, burial, and resurrection is nothing more than a nice story or a fable. However, rejecting the truth won't change it. Truth remains true whether you believe it or not. There will come a time when Christ will return to this earth to call His children home. There will be a judgment day where we will give an account for our sins and our life.

"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." 2 Corinthians 5:10


God's gift of salvation and eternal life in heaven is simple. "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:9,10,13

First acknowledge your sinful condition and need of a Savior. Next, confess your sins to God and repent. To repent means to turn from your old way of living and to put on a life lived for Christ. Believe  in all that He did for you on the cross of calvary. Put your faith fully and completely in Christ alone to save you. Simply call upon Christ to save you.  

What do you have to lose? Nothing in comparison to what you will gain- eternal life, hope, peace, true joy... Won't you accept His free gift of salvation before it's too late?


May those of us who know Christ as our Lord and Savior live each day for Him. Before it's too late, may we go and make sure thy friend. Our life is but a vapor that appeareth for a little time then vanisheth away. 

It is for this reason we are going to Russia. To spread the gospel of Christ to those who have not heard and give them a chance to accept or reject Christ. Won't you pray with us that God would prepare the hearts of the Russians even now before it's too late.

From the heart,
Amber

Seeing God on the Road

James and I have been on the deputation road now for five months. Time truly has flown! I wanted to share how we have seen God provide for us beyond our imagination since we have stepped out on faith. Living by Faith is the theme of my blog, and it is amazing how God has blessed us. It amazes and humbles me each time God does something for us. I feel so undeserving of His blessings and provisions.

"Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. Unto him be glory..." 

Ephesians 3:20-21a

Before we started deputation, we took a survey trip to Russia (so I could see what I was getting myself into!) We booked our tickets and put them on our credit card. This was certainly a step of faith. I hated having that money sit on our card. So I prayed, that the Lord would provide the money for our trip that month. James didn't know I was praying this way, and about a week later he called me to tell me about this huge blessing. I had a feeling it was our tickets being paid for and it was! A pastor and friend felt the Lord leading him to take care of our tickets, and wrote James a check for the whole amount. I couldn't believe it! I had heard of stories like this happening to other people but never personally witnessed it. This was God reassuring me that going to Russia was indeed His perfect will for our lives and He was going to take care of us. I couldn't help but tearfully praise Him for taking care of us and giving me peace about this new journey.

Before we hit the deputation road, we really needed a new vehicle. We had an Isuzu Rodeo but it had just hit the 200,000 mile mark and we had just found out we were expecting little Jacob. So we began to pray and search. The Lord closed some doors, so we kept on the hunt. We came across a small dealership with two Honda Pilots (what we were wanting). The man was from Ukraine, so James closed the whole deal in Russian, which was pretty neat. The price was a little over what we had wanted to spend, but the Lord allowed us to borrow from some friends what we needed to pay cash for the vehicle. We believed the Lord had provided this car for us, and we could pay it off in a few months. As you know I hate debt, so I began to pray that we could pay this off within two months. Again the Lord amazed us. We had a man in our church who wanted to give us $3,000 towards our car. We were in shock that someone would be such a blessing to us. God's provision again amazed me!

About a month ago now, we were in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee for a week long meeting. James and I were out shopping for some maternity clothes (for me not him :) at consignment stores. Our last stop was a cute boutique called Feather Your Nest. As I was looking I could tell there wasn't a maternity section, but a dress caught my eye. It fit my pregnant self with room to grow (added bonus) so I went to purchase it. The shop owner, Sarah, was so sweet. I was telling her why we were in town and about us being missionaries. As I was paying her, she gave me back the $20 bill I had handed her. I was really confused because all I was suppose to get was cents back. She said it wasn't much but she wanted to help us on our missions journey and raising support. I was speechless and thanked her for being a blessing to us. This was yet another humbling experience for me- that God would show His love to me through this stranger. It was such an encouragement and reminder to me that God loves me more than I can imagine.

About a week ago as James and I were driving up to Alaska, we stopped at a tiny motel for the night. James was talking to the man (the owner) about our trip and why we were driving to Alaska. He shared with him our burden for souls in Russia. He said his church supports a lot of missionaries around the world and would be happy to pray for us. After our nice chat, we headed back to our room to unpack for the night and relax. We heard a knock at the door, and James went to check on it. At the door, his wife stood there with cash in hand and gave it to James. She said your stay is on us tonight, we want to be a blessing, and smiled and walked away. James was in shock, he couldn't believe that a complete stranger would show God's love to us. We just knelt down right there and thanked the Lord for taking care of us. I was really thankful that James got to experience the same kind of kindness from a stranger that I had experienced just a few weeks earlier. It was just amazing to see God provide for us.

There are many more ways the Lord has taken care of us, but these are the stories that I wanted to share. I have to admit before we got started on this journey, I was concerned with how it all would "work" out. From the very beginning, God showed me He was in control and would take care of us. His Word promises He will provide our every need. By the time we started deputation, I was so excited to see how the Lord was going to provide our every need. We don't have a physical home to go home to while we travel, but the Lord has always provided us a place to stay and has met our needs above and beyond. I believe this is only the beginning of things to come!

"But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:19

May I encourage those of you afraid to step out on faith to simply trust your heavenly Father. He won't call you to a place and then leave you there. He will only bless your faith in Him and take care of you beyond what you could imagine!

" If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?  And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you." 

Luke 12:28-31

The most important decision of faith is that of your eternal destination. If you have never placed your faith in God concerning eternity, may I encourage you to get that settled. God tells us we can know without a doubt where we will spend eternity. We can live a life of peace and comfort with Christ. If you have any questions or want to know more about how to put your faith in Christ, I would be more than happy to share that with you. It's the best decision I ever made!