Two Dire Pleas

1) Please pray for my sister and her husband who live in Brownsville, TX. They are in the path of the oncoming Hurricane Rita. They have no children, but 2 horses, 2 dogs and a few cats to take with them if they evacuate. ANd I sure hope they do evac.
I put in 2 calls to Andrea yesterday, and one email. None have been returned. I only hope that means she's either on her way out of harm's way, or too busy getting ready to be on the phone. My other sister,Rachel, who lives an hour from San Antonio, has a house but no stalls (like most of us). Rachel has been volunteering at a shelter helping people locate surviving relatives from Katrina. They are really both in kind of scary places.

2) Please pray for my dear friend Barb, in Kansas, had back surgery Tuesday for a complex (double) herniation of discs. Surgery should have lasted not more than 2 hours. It took 5. She thought she'd have immediate relief. Instead, the herniation or the doctor (we haven't found out which) caused a tear on her spinal cord. Thank the Lord she has feeling in her legs and feet!!! The doctor said it was the worst herniated disc problem he'd ever seen. Barb thought she'd be coming home today or tomorrow. Instead, they won't even let her stand up until tomorrow. I talked to her last night for the world's record shortest conversation ever between the two of us; I heard so much pain and discouragement in her voice. I said I'd call again today, and she really tore at my heart when she said, "Why don't you wait till I get home. I just can't talk here, can't find a comfortable position." She had a terrific headache from the leaking spinal fluid, she thinks. She has to be either on her side or back, can't sit up or get up. I do believe I will be able to comfort her as I was comforted after I ruptured all my pelvic ligaments giving birth to Joel. But it's killing me not to be there serving her. I had my mom here every day taking care of me and a church bringing my family dinner for 5 weeks. My dad did whatever he could. Barb's parents are no longer living. She has one sister, one brother, a husband and two teenage sons. She lives in a little town and goes to a little church. I just pray that those who know her will minister to her and her family in ways she can't fathom now.