Visiting my brother and vacationing in St Louis from March 21 to 26

Most people who read this go on a vacation 1 to 3 times a year. That includes holidays with family, spring break trips, and nonbusiness travel to vacation locations.

I have had a tiny family. I am single and never married. I do not have a current or former wife. I never had any children or grandchildren. My parents were only children so I have had zero aunts, uncles, or cousins. My mother died decades ago of emphysema. My relationship with my dad was always strained. We would talk on the phone briefly every few months. My brother is 3 years younger and he is divorced with one son that is 28.

The last time I went on a vacation was 16 years ago in 2003. My dad paid for me to fly to visit my brother Jim and my nephew Trevor for his 12th birthday. It was in Aurora Colorado that is near Denver.

Before that my dad flew me to visit him in Hawaii where he lived near Honolulu where he had retired. He brought me there for my 40th birthday on April 23, 1993.

The vacation before that was in 1976 I was 23. I was in residential drug rehab. Our household went to the beach house of a friend of the ministry.

That is a total of 3 vacations as an adult.

During high school and college, I enjoyed sailing. I sailed in the Bahamas for 3 summers. Those were the those golden years for vacations.

As a child, we went on a four family vacations until I was about 9.

I have gone to about 7 weekend church retreats over these past 42 years.

I went on one time on a mission trip that was to NYC.

SO for me to go to Saint Louis from March 21 to 26 to visit my brother and nephew is a HUGE event in my life.

It is ONLY possible because of anonymous supporters offered to sponsor this.

BACKSTORY

There is more to this story. The gracious sponsors offered in the fall to send me to visit my brother for Christmas. But he was too busy then. And he has been busy since. I feel that he can just fit me in during March.

Jim has always had a corporate job and I never did. Most of his life he has also been working on ways to get ahead financially through a side business. He is smarter than me and harder working. But he has never gotten much ahead.

For the last few years, he has been studying a system called Clickfunnels https://www.clickfunnels.com/ . This is a proven system that has led all sorts of people to build home-based businesses in a wide range of industries. He has read books, attended workshops and more.

I studied that system last year and I have returned to study and apply it this year to the online business I hope to launch soon.

So internet marketing will be a major topic of conversation during my visit there.

I am very grateful for the relationship I have with Jim. We talk on the phone for 1 to 2 hours every few weeks. I can talk about anything with him but about Christianity.

Jim was married briefly and has a son named Trevor who lives in St. Louis too. He is 28 years old and a computer programmer. Trevor is single and has a long term girlfriend. When I look at his Facebook page I cannot identify with ANY of his posts for the last few years. I have not talked with Trevor in 16 years. So I request special prayers for this relationship in general and our possible meeting next week.

My brother does not want me to stay with him. The hotel where I will be staying is near a huge park that I am told is as big as Central Park. So that is where I will be when I am not with my brother. I love to walk and observe nature.

WORK

Most mornings I participate in a conference call for Workaholics Anonymous http://www.workaholics-anonymous.org/  I have gained much from hearing and contributing to this group. I have noticed that my workaholism manifests as what they call work avoidance. I plan, research, and prepare yet repeatedly fail to gain the needed focus to implement. This has been going on for decades so that I could not afford to go on vacations.

I talked with a man that has been working the workaholics anonymous program for many years and he pointed me to a group that has helped him and others named Underearners Anonymous https://www.underearnersanonymous.org/  I just learned about this recently. The guidelines on the website indicate it might be helpful. https://www.underearnersanonymous.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/about-ua-2018.pdf

PRAYER

While I am writing about the subject of vacations and requesting prayers let me share the kinds of vacations I would enjoy.

May God open these doors for me to somehow go on these kinds of vacations in the coming years and provide the funds.

Where I grew up there was a large woodland nearby. I would go and walk there for many hours. I miss walking among big trees.

As a kid, I enjoyed it when we visited National Parks.

The times I went to an arboretum and botanical gardens I felt close to nature and to God.

I miss sailing.

I would like to explore kayaking.

Please pray for God to prosper my online business so that I can afford vacations as well as other costs.

The generous sponsors will also give me a prepaid debit card and that is AMAZING.

Plus if you want to contribute to this adventure and future adventures, then here is my Paypal link https://www.freewebs.com/jsohub/give.htm

THANKS again for all your prayers.

Shalom

John

Seeking Foot Doctor

I met with my primary care provider today.

The main subject of discussion was my feet and especially my cold toes when in bed.

Her assistant took a basic test of my circulation by attaching a clip device from the laptop to my toes and fingers. That test did not reveal anything special.

I have had a fungus infection on the big toe of my right foot for about a year. I have used tea tree oil. It has not gotten worse or better. She prescribed additional medicine.

She said I need to visit a foot doctor that is called a podiatrist.

I told her of my desire to seek the most holistic doctor possible. She did not know of which one to recommend. So we agreed that I will do the online and phone research then she will contact the doctor I pick. They will get my data before I visit.

Here is what concerns me about this matter. Last night I was wearing several layers of clothes. The room was a moderate temperature. The bed had 2 blankets, 1 comforter and the electric blanket was on. My body felt so warm that there was a light sweat on my upper body. BUT the middle toes on my right foot were cold.

Today as I look extra closely at my feet I noticed more blue veins showing on my right foot than ever before and more than my left foot.

So please pray for me as I do the search for a foot doctor. There are several to pick from in the area where the minibus goes.

Shalom

John

Hands, Toes, and Specialists

Last night my hands fell asleep several times. It happened on both sides. That has never happened before and it concerns me.

I sleep on my sides. I cannot sleep on my back or front.

Thankfully the weather got warm recently. The thermostat says it was 77 degrees inside without the heater. Yet my toes were cold.

I wear many layers of clothes plus 2 pairs of socks and a stocking cap to bed.

I pay for my electricity as I use it so the bottom line is that I do my best to keep my energy bill low. That means that when it is cold outside I set the thermostat at about 70 and in the summer I set it at 81. I like it when it is warmer.

I have been in Ennis for 20 months. So I have experienced cold winters and hot summers.

Last winter my toes did not get cold.

Weeks ago I requested support and God made a way for me to receive an electric blanket and instant heat blanket and insulated socks. Yet my toes were cold. There are a pair of compression socks on their way to me and hopefully, they will help.

I had set an appointment at my primary care doctor long ago and it is for this Wednesday, March 13. I have used the portal to keep her up to date about my condition. Surely she will run tests.

It is probable that she will refer me to one or more specialists. It might be a foot doctor and or a heart doctor. This is where my concerns and prayer requests come up.

From the time I was 12 until 60 years old, I was healthy. I would visit a doctor every 5 or more years with a minor complaint.

Then when I lived in the homeless shelter for 3 years I had various respiration and skin rashes. I was sharing close quarters with more than 100 men. The medicines from Parkland knocked out the minor symptoms.

Most of my neighbors these days are in their 70s and 80s. Lots of them go to heart doctors and other specialists. It is likely they would not be alive today if they did not. But the stories of the side effects of some of those strong medicines concerns me. It can impact their thinking, appetite, and sleeping.

Every day I take various nutritional supplements.

I do not want to take prescription drugs unless absolutely necessary. I do not want those artificial chemical compounds interacting with the wise ways God made my body.

Now I was OK to take some antibiotics to knock out an infection. But those who get into heart medicines can last for the rest of their life.

Plus if a drug will change a major function of the body then I have witnessed where other organs get out of balance. So a different specialist is needed who prescribes other powerful medicines. These can interact in ways that lead to complications. Maybe this is an overreaction and a fear of the worst case.

Thankfully I have good health insurance. My cost to visit my primary care doctor is zero for me. The co-pay for specialists is reasonable.

But here is the kicker. Every doctor is not covered by my insurance company and that is normal. I want to work with doctors that are more holistic. They will recommend nutrition, exercise, physical therapy, and other options.

I am not against prescription drugs but I want that to be the last option and not the first option.


PRAYER
Pray for my doctor and me to locate the best specialists for me.

There will be tests taken. May God make a way for me to afford those tests.

May God grant wisdom and insights to the doctor and me based on the test results as to how to keep moving forward.

A  few months ago I had minor foot pains that came and went. Then I requested prayers and the pains have not returned.

I had felt pains and stiffness in my neck and right shoulder. I requested prayers and that is 90 percent better.

Over the decades I have experienced a great many healings in my body just due to answered prayers.

God can hear and answer prayers to address these symptoms and their causes.


NEXT
By the grace of God my retirement income plus food stamps plus section 8 housing allow me to live a modest lifestyle without needing to have a job.

This has granted me much freedom to conduct much online research as well as plan and prepare for online ministry possibilities. I was able to take time to go deeply into my grief work related to the death of my dad.

None of those online ministries became a reality for the public. I have shifted gears so that now I am preparing got make and market an online for-profit business that I will share more about later. 

It is my hope that in the coming months there will be increased income streams. Then I can afford to visit doctors that my insurance does not cover.

May I trust in the Lord with ALL my heart during the coming weeks.

May Jesus Christ guide my path to wellness.

THANKS again for all your prayers.

Shalom

John