My Dear Ladies,
It has been *so* long since I have written on this blog. WOW. Things have been so busy at work and around the Fitzpatrick house but today I got some news that compelled me to get on the blog immediately. Joanne Heim, a dear siesta, suffered a stroke this morning. She is the thirty-eight year old wife of Toben and mother of Audrey (12) and Emma (9). Some of you around here may know her as the Simple Wife. Joanne has inspired me countless times with her witty and profound comments. She is a brilliant student of Scripture, an amazingly devoted wife, and a fun and creative Mom. The last time I heard from her she told me that she was teaching her girls Greek. My heart was pierced when I heard the news a few hours ago and I have not been able to get the Heims out of my mind. Please hear me when I say that I know nothing except that Joanne has been in surgery, they located a blood clot, and she is out of surgery. I have been stalking news about her on Twitter, and apparently she is still sleeping but has been responsive by squeezing her husband’s hand. The family will not know anything substantial until she wakes up. I am not an authority on what is going on as I have very few details (and the ones I do have are from Twitter!), but Mom, Amanda and I do want to invite you to pray for our dear sister Joanne. If you feel inclined, please use the comments on this post as prayers for Joanne and family. We have been told that there is a call to prayer tonight at 6:00 CST. Check Twitter (@joanneheim/#prayingforjoanne) because the last we heard, they were going to try to Skype. No matter when, no matter where, let us all join together and pray for all things concerning the Heim family.
Love to you all,
Melissa
Dear Lord, we pray your Kingdom and River of Healing Grace to flood Joanne. God please comfort her husband and children and give them a miraculous peace. I ask that you give Joanne’s loved ones a concrete encouragement regarding her recovery. Please heal this young woman, your faithful servant. In Christ’s great name
Praying with full assurance that your needs will be met by our father. Our Father is intimately knowledgeable about every cell in your body and He WILL heal. I pray that you, Joanne, and your family will feel God’s presence during this crisis and that that will give you peace.
From Joanne’s sister to me (I sent this post to her to read to Joanne): “We saw it and read it in the hospital….she squeezed 3 times when she found out!!!!”
That’s awesome! Thanks Holly for sharing this.
Amazing, Holly! Still praying …
Oh my I want to cry!
Praise You, Lord! You are the God of hope and healing. Lord, I pray that you will be this family’s Comforter and a Shield around them, O Lord, that no weapon formed against them may prosper. Great Physician, we pray healing and wholeness for Joanne, in the mighty and powerful and precious name of Jesus, for Your glory, Lord! Amen.
Godbumps all over my body Holly. Thank you for sharing this. Give Joanne’s sister a hug for us for stopping and sharing when she has a hand to hold.
Was just with our dear Siesta Joanne at the hospital. We told her that everyone is praying for her. Lots of sweet squeezes from her hand.
As I read some psalms over her, she tried to move her lips. Even in her semi-unconscious state she was trying to praise HIM.
We will read her your love, comments and prayers. She can hear all we say even if she is not “awake.”
Janna,
I left a comment at the bottom here. YOU start a http://www.caringbridge.org site. It’s free, it’s SIMPLE, you can make it so no log-in or p-word is necessary; and it can be updated as often as the creator of it, or whoever has the login to site info wants as Joanne recovers. !!! It has helped us TREMENDOUSLY in the past 6 months and God’s been glorified through it 1000-fold! I started ours right from Richard’s ICU room! Everyone gets updated and family cell phones don’t get overloaded with voicemails or lose their charge quite so fast if everyone knows what’s happening!
Also, 420-character update through a “praying for….” COMMUNITY PAGE created on Facebook is a huge help as well!!!!
Father I ask for your peace and healing for this dear child of yours. Be with her family and comfort them as she has so many of us with her inspiration. Thank you Lord for sisters to share with and those who have answered your call to help bring us all together. I thank you for the Moore girls and the power of siestas in prayer. In your precious name I ask – Amen
Oh I got a text from a Siesta today… have been praying… will not stop!
Emmy, if you get this please message me at [email protected]. I have thought about u tons and want to touch base. <3 you sweet Em.
Lord, we come to You thankful. Thankful for Your timing, Your care, Your love for my sister, whom I love so very much. Be everything she needs in every moment. Let her feel Your love and care for her. Grant her doctors wisdom in all aspects. Hold Toben fast. Hold Toben fast in Your peace. Thank you Father. It is an honor to call Joanne, friend. I love her dearly, Lord. Please continue to surround her and heal her.
In Jesus’ Name I pray,
Amen
Praying.
Lord I pray for a miracle of healing and peace for Joanne and her family and friends; wisdom and discernment for all the doctors, nurses and others responsible for her care. Above all Lord, that Your Name will be glorified and Your Will will be done.
Father, Healing is in Your Hands. We are asking that you touch Joanne at this very hour. We believe this in Jesus Name.
Amongst it all Jesus I ask for the girls- Audrey and Emma- that you would fill their young hearts with a keen awareness of your presence- that you would line up the nurses and doctors and encouragers along the way. As Joanne wakes up- i ask that she would wake up thinking about you and KNOWING your presence in a sweet peace filling way. Oh Jesus may she KNOW you’ve got her!!!! May she KNOW it and then may she rest as you lead her these next steps of the journey.
Lifting Joanne in prayer. I pray for healing for Joanne, peace for Tobin, her girls, and family and that the Lord be glorified. She has been such a blessing to me through her books and blog.
Then your light shall break forth like the morning,
Your healing shall spring forth speedily,
And your righteousness shall go before you;
The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
Isaiah 58:8
Joanne is a great lover of God’s word. To send Joanne a card with a scripture/prayer, check this post for mailing info.
http://mustardseeds.typepad.com/my_weblog/2011/01/joanne-update.html
Let’s wallpaper her recovery room with God’s promises.
I prayed just now and will continue as she enters my mind. Mothers are so very important. I pray especially for her children on their behalf. Dear Lord spare her life so her little ones will have her on earth for a long long while longer!!!
AMEN
Father God, Maker of Heaven, Maker of earth and Maker of Joanne. Thank you for her. Thank you for the way you have and are using her to draw others closer to You. You have used her to touch my life. I come to You now, knowing that You were not taken by surprise today. Nor are You sitting idle. You are still on You throne and You are very much at work. Be near her, heal her and restore her to complete health. Comfort and strengthen her precious family. Sustain them as they endure. And may You receive all glory and honor due You Name.–Amen
Precious Father,
Your Word tells us that every day of our lives was written in your book before one of them came to pass. As sad and shocking as the news of Joanne’s stroke is to us, we know that it did not take you by surprise. That alone is worth praising you for! We know that you can take better care of Joanne than any doctor on this earth, and, so we ask our Great Physician to perform a mighty work of healing. We entrust our siesta to your hands Lord, and we humbly ask that you would heal her. We thank you for her faith and testimony, and we pray that it would shine even brighter through this time of suffering. Intercede for us Holy Spirit when we don’t know exactly how to pray best for her. Draw near to Joanne’s precious family. Give them the peace that passes all understanding. And, most of all, Jesus, we thank you that we have the hope of eternity with you because that is the only thing that makes these moments bearable. We pray everything in the mighty and powerful name of our Savior Jesus Christ!
Amen!
Amen!
Jehovah Rapha…pour out your healing over our siesta Joanne. Be with her family and with her girls during this trying time. You work in the midst of our pain and suffering. Work in the midst of the Heim’s pain and suffering right now Lord. Give them peace and comfort them as only you can.
We trust you Lord that your will is soverign. And that you will make yourself known. I pray that you make yourself known as healer Lord.
Sweet Lord, you’ve heard prayers lifted up for Joanne from women all across the country today — maybe even from further away than that. As aggravating or distracting or overwhelming as technology can sometimes be, thank you for using it to connect your children in powerful ways.
We don’t know much, but you know all. We have limited information about what’s going on, but you know every minute detail.Please hold Joanne and her family in your loving arms and give them the strength to get through this time. We ask you to bless her with healing, Father, and that you would restore her to wholeness. But if that isn’t your will, if that doesn’t fit into your perfect plan, we know that whatever does happen will be exactly what’s right. Give strength, give courage, give faith.
Thank you for being our healer and our hope. We love you and want to honor you with all our hearts.
Definetly praying!!
Heal me, O Lord and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise. Jeremiah 17:14
May God use Joanne’s situation for His glory!
Shannon
Praying!!
Sweet Sister in Jesus…..His mercy is new every morning…..may the LORD bring rest and healing to your mind and body. May the LORD bring comfort and peace to your family. May the LORD bring knowledge to those caring for you. May you and everyone around you feel HIS presence and be comforted. Nothing about us escapes HIS knowledge…how HE loves us. You will be in my thoughts and prayers. Christina-KY
Praying for you Joanne!
Dear FAther,
we lift our dear siesta Joanne to you. We know Lord you are the healer and while we may not understand this now…you do. You are there wtih her and her family. YOu are loving and holding them each step of the way. We pray for healing and rest for her and that you hold them in your continued presence. she is a treasure to us here and we love her dearly. We thank you for your love to us.
amen
Dear Heavenly Father we pray you lay your healing hands on our sister Joanne. Show the world the power of the Great Physician! Only You are in control. Only You can heal. Only You can answer the cries of our hearts. Please comfort Joanne’s family and guide and give wisdom to the doctors. In Jesus name. Amen.
Father, what a privilege and an honor it is to come into your Holy presence. You are Faithful and True. You are the Almighty God, Maker of Heaven and Earth. You are the Great Physician!
Right now I lift up this precious child of yours up to You in prayer. Father I do not know her, but You know her and that is what matters. You know what her condition is and you know what she needs more than anything. You know. We rest knowing that your perfect will be done in her life. We rest knowing that You held the answer in Your hands long before we knew anything of this stroke.
I lift up to you the Heim family. Grant them strength and peace as only you can. May Your presence be felt by them wherever they are tonight and in the coming days. I pray that they would deliberately lean on You and be strengthened by You.
I lift up to you the physicians and nurses who are providing care for her. I pray that those who surround her in that hospital would be amazed by You. May her life, even in this time of sickness, bring You all the praise, honor and glory that You are worthy of!
We trust You for this Father. We ask that you do it Lord – or something better! Oh how we love You! In the precious name of Jesus we pray, Amen.
Praying !
I do not have any clue on how to Skype, though …
In Christ, Jennifer
For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. Romans 9:15
Oh, Lord, I pray for this dear sister and her family. Lord I pray that you will give this family comfort that You, Almighty God, are in control. Lord, I pray for Your mercy and healing. I pray for these little ones who I’m sure are very frightened about their momma. Lord, give the doctors wisdom and the family peace. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
Father, thank You that hear our cries of healing for our Siesta, Joanne. We ask You, Lord, to personally attend to all the details of what is happening and do what only You can do. Astonish us, Father, with Your work in this situation. We lift up Joanne’s husband, children, and other family and ask You to be so present with them that they feel as if they are literally wrapped up in Your arms. We pray for full and complete healing and full and complete restoration, Lord. And we pray Your name would be magnified and that You would be glorified in such amazing ways through this current trial. Bring about that perfect result, that they would be complete and lacking in nothing at the end of this. Rise up, O God, and be glorified. We pray this in the name of our Healer, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Daddy, I lift my friend up to You, fix her. You are the greatest surgeon, the only Healer. Bathe her in Your presence tonight. Please give her family peace knowing that You have everything in control.
In Jesus’ name.
O You who hold all things by the word of your power, hold Joanne and her family close! Comfort, our Father, as only You can. Minister Your peace to her children and all those who await her recovery. Speak peace to Joanne in the place you tenderly look over her. Heal and restore her body Lord, we ask. We put our trust in You, for You are good.As the eyes of the maid look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to You, Lord, until You have mercy….Amen
Dear Father – I praise You for being our faithful God and the Creator and giver of all life. I ask You to heal and restore our sister Joanne to full health. We ask for peace for her husband and daughters, and for her parents and siblings. Wrap Your arms around them all and hold them tight. We give You all praise Almighty God and thank You for loving us. I thank You for Your tender presence and for the wonderful love and support in this community of women who are following after You with all our hearts. Keep us ever near You Jesus. Oh God – touch Joanne’s body and heal her even now – You made every cell and sinew and You alone can put everything right. We ask for Your grace and love to surround that hospital room – touch all that are ministering to her. I love you Jesus. In Your Mighty and Saving and Healing and Delivering Name I pray, Amen.
Amen!
Have been praying for a complete healing for Joanne, and that the Lord will give her family peace. Will keep her in my prayers.
Joanne I have never met you this side of heaven BUT I know that you are my sister in Christ! I am talking to our Father on your behalf and asking Him to heal you in His MIGHTY POWER! I am asking Him to give wisdom to your physicians, peace and strength to your husband and an ABUNDANCE of Grace to your children! You are worthy of MIGHTY PRAYERS because you were created in His image!
All my love and prayers,
Tabitha Lewis
Bringing this dear sister to you, O Lord, Who even when her mind seems to us asleep can hear Your voice. I am also asking that you give Audrey and Emma comfort and peace as they wait for news on their mother. Let today be a monument to them all their lives that you are in control and can be trusted.
Dear God,
We ask for a complete healing in Joanne. We ask that you sustain her and her family through this troubled time. Allow your love to POUR into them so that they feel your love and your peace and your hand upon them as they suffer, endure and persevere. We thank you that we have the opportunity to pray IN YOUR NAME, Jesus. You are able to do far more than we can possibly ask or imagine. And you are GOOD. Come and heal your servant, Joanne.
In Jesus name,
Amen
Father, I ask that you wrap your loving arms around Joanne’s family. May they feel your presence and your peace. I ask that you bring healing to Joanne’s body. Restore her health so that she can continue to mother her precious young children. I pray that they will see you at work and trust you even now! In Jesus’ Name!
Father, you placed each of those vessels in Joanne’s body. You designed the heart that pumps the life giving liquid through her. We trust you completely to speak the word of healing over her. Give Joanne’s family the grace and comfort so that during this time when they do not see your plan,they can trust your heart. Give her children peace. Bless her husband with calm. Flood her hospital room with your presence and let it spill over to everyone who passes by her room. Guide the doctor’s and nurses hands as they care for Joanne. Father, thank you for the healing you have given already. We rest in your control and protection of timing. In the name of your son, Jesus, I ask all these things.
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for answering our prayers. I pray that You will wrap your healing arms around Joanne and give her family comfort. In Jesus’ name, Amen
Lord, Joanne is a beloved siesta that I have never met or talked to and i am a rare one that has never even visited her blog. But glory to you, that does not make her a stranger. She is a sister and I come before you asking for you to do Your thing! All things are possible and I am believing for an amazing, miraculous work to be done. May your peace that passes all understanding filI the hearts of all who love and care about her. Thank You in advance for the way You are and the way you will be working in Joannes life. In your mighty most powerful name, Amen
Dear Heavenly Father,
I boldly approach your throne and ask that you place your healing touch on Joanne. Lord, I pray that right now, Lord, she would feel your healing power through her whole body, Lord. Dear Jesus, comfort her husband and children and parents and friends and loved ones. Lord, let them not be afraid. Lord, as Joanne walks through this valley, Lord, let her feel no fear or anxiety. Let her only feel confident that you are with her and she is not alone. Lord, give her doctors and nurses supernatural wisdom on how to properly care for her and open their eyes to anything they may have missed or forgotten. Give them steady hands, Lord. Again, I lift up her children. Lord, give them your peace … the peace that passes all understanding. Lord, give Toben that same peace. Let him be comforted during this time of discontent and un-knowing and waiting … to know that your timing is perfect, Lord and that you are in control. Thank you, Jesus, for the gift of life and for our miraculous bodies. Thank you for the little bit of knowledge we do have in putting them back together. In Jesus’ precious and Holy name! AMEN!
Abba, We lift up Joanne to you right now. Please heal her completely and give her a full recovery. Please surround her with Your love and care. Please strengthen Toben and comfort their daughters.
In Jesus’ most holy name, Amen.
Lord God,
Thank you that you are Jehovah Rophe, our Healer. Father, please lay your healing hand on our sister Joann. Father, hold her close to you and let her feel your Presence. We know you have a perfect plan in this situation, even if we cannot see it. Father I ask that Your Peace be with Toben and Audrey and Emma. Let them know without a doubt that you are with them and you have Joann firmly in hand.
Thank you for this community and the opportunity to stand in the gap for your kids. To You be all the Glory, Honor and Praise.
Amen
Praying for Joanne!
April
Father God – You are the ultimate healer. You are the lover of our souls. You are the author and finisher of our faith. You are good and faithful and kind. You are love. You hold Sweet Joanne in Your hand. Today, as we stand with our jaws dropped to the floor in shock, You said to us, Girls, I already knew. As we beg You to be near, You say to us Girls, I am already there. As we ask You to bring Your peace, You say Girls, it is already yours. And, as we ask for Your healing hand on our dear freind, You say Girls … I already am.
Father, You are good and we place our friend in Your faithful hands and claim Your healing touch for Joanne and Your peace for her family. Lord, be oh so near.
In the mighty name of Jesus! Amen
Holy Father, I pray that out of Your glorious riches You will strengthen, heal, comfort and provide for these dear chosen children Yours. You alone are Master, Healer, Comforter who is able to do immeasureably more than all we can ask or imagine. Bring glory to Your name through the miracles You provide to Joanne, her family, and her friends. We lift this family to You and praise the perfection of Your timely answer. Amen
Praying for Joanne!
Lord, how awesome to read these prayers and to know that you hear and ‘see’ everyone of them. Your love is better than life and going to heaven is the ulitimate healing, but I can read and see in these posts that perhaps Joanne’s work here is not done, for that Lord – heal her completely. Lord, grant peace to her family and may this event show many around her that you are a miracle working God and Lord, thank you.
I love you Lord and I love the fact that you know that – and I love the fact that I can read all of these prayers and know that I know — you already knew what I was going to type. YOu are my true hero. Thank you for sustaining Joanne. In your strong name, amen.
Precious Heavenly Father, You are the Creator of all things and You are the Great Physician. You can make the dead rise just by speaking. I pray that You will reach down and touch this dear Siesta with healing. Comfort and strengthen her husband and her children. Above all, Your will be done in her life. We can’t praise You enough for all that You have done for each of us. All praise and glory to You- In Your sweet Son’s name- Amen
Praying…
Lifting up Joanna to you Father, this hits home because she is my same age, and has children near the same age. Please make her well and be with her husband and children and bring them hope and comfort.