HOW DEEP THE FATHER'S LOVE FOR US...

Today was a good day.We so feel your prayers for us and the Lord has been so kind to answer them!

This morning all of Chris' vital signs were at normal levels. No pain meds were needed as he had no pain today. His urine output was good; his breathing remained very steady (with only a few bouts of labored, staggered breathing); he was able to get water from the swab we gave him several times today.

In addition, although his lungs have fluid in them, they are not causing him as much of a problem since we stopped hydrating him by IV. The congestion has also settled down.

Chris slept a lot today, but when he was awake, he was able to smile, reply in very short phrases after long pauses to other's questions, and truly enjoyed having the children and me with him.

I was especially thankful that he had NO pain today! God is SO very kind to Chris and to us, to keep him engaging with us a little longer.

I even was able to take a short nap with him, and could only praise my Father for letting me have some precious time with Chris alone, even if he was only sleeping.

Most of the children were able to have one-on-one time with their dad today, and I'm hoping the rest of the children will have that opportunity tomorrow. I am hoping to have some time with Chris tomorrow too, where he is lucid and communicative. I have so much to say to this dear man of mine!

Please pray that God will continue to grant peaceful sleep, little pain, and good breathing to Chris through the night and tomorrow. Pray too, that Amy, Megan and I would all have some meaningful time alone with Chris, and that if he develops pain that requires him being put on pain medication, it wouldn't be until after we have a chance to talk to him when he's lucid and communicative.

Thank you, so very much, for your prayers for us. May God be glorified in your answered prayers.

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning; great is Thy faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22

With deep appreciation and gratitude for your encouragement and prayers; God IS good…ALL the time,

Tracy, for Chris and the Klickaclan

Please continue to lift up Chris Klicka and his family before the throne of grace.. as he plunges into that last river and meets our beloved Savior on the other side.

We want to give you an update on how Chris is doing. He is still with us, but is making a steady transition toward going home to be with our heavenly Father.

Yesterday morning, John and his daddy had a blessed reunion. He spent a long time on the bed with his dad, just resting his head on his daddy's shoulder.

Later in the afternoon, with friends and family gathered around, we sang praises to the Lord at Chris' request. Even in his reduced condition, he was spiritually leading us! Chris was worshipping the Lord with us, frequently mouthing the words to the songs, even saying a loud, clear "Amen" when we finished. His special song request was "Great is Thy Faithfulness".

Starting Wednesday morning Chris was taken off IV fluids, because his body was unable to process them. He has difficulty and his liquid intake is minimal. He's not showing any signs of discomfort or pain at this point and has been able to sleep at peacefully at night.

Although his lungs are starting to fill with fluid, causing him to occastionally cough and have a little difficulty breathing, he is still able to communicate using short, broken phrases.

He is at peace with this part of his journey. He shows no signs of anxiety or fear. God continues to work through Chris' life, even at this stage. He was was able to reminisce with some childhood friends who flew in just for the day, and he spoke of God's goodness even knowing he will soon be leaving us.

As the Lord provides, we will continue to update you.

Please pray for:

1. The Lord's will to be done in Chris' life in these last few days. Chris expressed a desire to finish strong.

2. Chris also asked for prayer for comfort for all of us, especially his parents.

3. The children and I desire that Chris would be free of pain. We would love to see him not need pain medication which would cause him to be less lucid and less able to communicate with us. We want him "here" us as long as possible!

Thank you for your continued, faithful prayers for Chris and all of us! We are so grateful for you. Soli Deo gloria!

Megan Klicka (Second eldest daughter) updated the praying body of Christ on their website this morning:

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Yesterday afternoon, before moving our dad into hospice care, our pastor, Tito Mercado, gathered us all around Daddy.

We had a beautiful, precious, sweet time together as Tito proceeded to commend Mommy and Daddy's marriage which has been filled with grace for 25 years.

We wept together and yet rejoiced as Tito told us all that he had never encountered a couple who had undergone such suffering and trials in their marriage.

We all laid hands on Daddy and prayed for him. The Lord was there with us as we lifted up our precious Daddy and committed him to the Lord's care.

Daddy was at peace. He is at peace...complete peace.

"For better or for worse, in sickness and in health, in life and in death..."

Thank you all,
Megan

- Update -

1. Vital signs are and have been stable for over 12 hours now. We are esp. thankful his blood pressure is up. It was critically low. His temperature which was at a life-threatening 85.8 got up to 96.6, which, while not life threatening, is completely debilitating for someone like Chris with MS. It was around 91 when we left last night which is much better for him.

2. Chris has two infections, both of which, combined with the MS, have put him into a status of critically ill. First, is a urinary tract infection. This has responded well as of last night to antibiotics. Thank the Lord! Two, he has pneumonia. While it is not a severe case for normal healthy people, it is very serious for Chris.

3. He had to be on oxygen 20% midday, but as the afternoon progressed, they continued to up that to 100% and finally had to resort to using a bipap machine, which is a mask that forms a seal on the nose/mouth area and pumps oxygen into the lungs. By last night, his oxygen levels had come up, and held steady so that they could remove the bipap machine.

He came very close to having to be put on a ventilator if the bipap machine failed to get his oxygen levels up. This is a serious step to take, and not one to make lightly. We are thankful the doctors did not have to do that.

Concerning interventive measures, Chris and I talked quite a bit in the last two months about what he would like to have done and what he would not want done should the need arise to visit this issue. Chris, who was never one to want a lot of medical intervention, decided that he did not want to be artificially prolonged.

If the doctors had told us they needed to put him on a ventilator, even though Chris said he did not want to, I would have asked them to do it, but only so that our children could be with their daddy before he goes home to be with the Lord.

Chris is close to going home we believe. He is fairly unconscious, non-responsive and has had no nutrition since Thursday except hydration and electrolyte and glucose supplementation.

He is not stable or responsive enough to move from the ICU unit here at St. Francis Medical Center in Colorado Springs. With almost complete certainty, he will not be coming home to Virginia.

Because of this, we flew Bethany, Megan, and John out here to be with their daddy. Chris parents just flew in early this morning. In addition, our family life pastor is flying in today at noon.

We don't know how much time we have left with Chris, but we believe it is not long. As a family, we all knew that Daddy was getting worse; we just didn't expect him to be getting ready to go home to be with his Abba Father quite this soon. We are all at peace with whatever God has planned, knowing that because He is there, it is all good.

Thank you for your prayers as we prepare and spend our last days and hours with Chris. May they be filled with many precious moments and sweet fellowship with him!

The Klicka Family

Hello Brothers and Sisters,

Dear Brethren,

I just received word that our brother in Christ, Gao Zhisheng, has been released and is now on parole. Thank you for joining in prayer on behalf of this warrior for the Kingdom of God.

Please continue to pray for healing for him and his family, and for religious freedom for the church in China.

Ceira
(If you are unfamiliar with the story, you can view the previous request, http://rejoiceinprayer.blogspot.com/2009/04/prayer-for-brother.html)

Dear Friends,
We are praising the Lord! Jessie's injury was not as severe as had been thought, and her projected recovery time has been shortened to 2-5 weeks. Our Lord is so good and gracious!

Ceira

Please pray for Jessie, as she injured her shoulder this last week, and it looks like it could be a while in healing. May our gracious God heal her quickly, and restore her strength.

Josiah went to be with his LORD at 10:00 am.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Please be praying for healing for Josiah, and for strength for his family as they are lead through this soul-wrenching trial. We praise the Lord that they are His children, knowing that He cares tenderly for His own.

The request from Josiah's aunt is below.
In Faith,
Ceira

"Dear Friends,

I am so full of sorrow as I write this email to you all.
At midnight, Bob and I got a call from my sister, Sarah, in Tennessee with the news that her 18 year old son had been in a terrible car accident. They were at the hospital at that time but were not yet allowed to see Josiah.
She asked at that time if I could ask my friends to pray.
Later at around 5am Sarah called back. Both she and her husband, Steve, had spoken with two Doctors. One was hopeful, the other offered no hope at all. His skull fractured and severe head trauma had occurred.
I spoke with my parents who live in southern calif. a little while ago. Steve's brother had called and given the news to my dad just minutes before I phoned. It was heartbreaking to even be talking to my mom and dad of such an unthinkable event. I asked my dad what information Steve's brother had given him, knowing it would be the most up-to date. He replied that it was going to take a miracle.
Sarah told me at 5am that she is believing God for a miracle and I know that she would want us all to pray the same.
My sister's entire family are Christians. My brother in-law is a pastor of a Calvary Chapel in TN. I am sure their entire church knows by now and is praying. Please pray as you are led by the Lord for my sister's entire family and my parents. This is so, so hard for them and being such a long distance away makes it even tougher.
Whatever be the Lord's will we say, "Blessed be your name."
Thanks so much,
Liza
P.S. I will send updates as I receive them"

" But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish. "
Psalm 9:18

Please pray for Carrie* & her husband, James*, who had to return her 2 year old baby 4 months ago by court order to his birth mother after having him for 2 years. The court did not see the danger. The mother, Sharon, is not mentally stable, she is very poor (not her fault), her boyfriend (the father) is in and out of Jared's life, the house is filthy. Sharon cannot cope (prior drug and alcohol addict) so she is calling and visiting (bringing the child) to the foster mother, Anne, which is tearing her heart out. There are a lot of family members praying but the stress on both mothers is great. God is able, we know, but the heartache is so great right now.

The foster mother is my niece and I can see she is suffering so not wanting to turn away the birth mother but knowing it's not good to keep in touch.
Any prayers said for the situation will be so appreciated. Thank you so much.

* - names changed