May

Hello from Shanon's House of Compassion,

May has been a very busy month here at Shanon's House. We've had guests from, Tn, Georgia, Ohio, Kentucky, Russellville, Decatur and Florence, Al.

Some of our guests have had newborns in the NICU and we also have had several guests with loved ones in the main hospital. We had one guest whose wife is terminally ill. It's hard to know what to say to help in cases like these. Most of what we do is listen. This guest was so appreciative of a place to stay. Most of the day he spent with his wife and we would only see him when he came in at night. We would try to stay up and visit with him each night. He brought his mom and dad over to show them the house. He commented to us that he prays that his wife will get well but if God decides to take her, he would want to do a house like Shanon's house in her memory. Please keep this family in your prayers.

One of the sweet memories we had this month was with a Aunt and Uncle of the family whose daughter was injured in the wreck coming back from Florida on their way home to Kentucky. We had many friends and family stay with us and this Aunt and Uncle were some of our favorites. We enjoyed sitting down with them and having breakfast one Saturday. It was like we had been friends for a long time. They sent a very kind thank you note. Johnny and I often comment that we really receive more than we give. The people we meet, that we would never meet otherwise, really enrich our lives.

People ask us what is the hardest part of this work. One of the hardest things is saying good-bye. When we have shared a small part of peoples lives in praying with them, visiting and sharing meals with them, it's hard to say good bye. One guest, an older gentleman, brought back memories of my Dad. He had a quick wit about him and I found myself remembering how much I miss my Dad. When we said good bye all of us had tears in our eyes. He called a few weeks ago to tell us how he was doing and promised to come back to see us soon. We enjoyed one young couple so much we asked them if we could adopt them. It will be hard to say good bye to them also.

One week we didn't have any guests, so we invited some friends over for supper. That evening we got a call from NICU about a couple with a newborn baby boy. The baby was born at 27 weeks and weighed about 2 pounds. The couple arrived just as we were about to eat so we invited them to join us. The couple we had invited brought their 5 year old with them. She had been born at 27 weeks and weighed less than 2 pounds. The couple with the newborn could see this healthy 5 year old and it gave them hope. We thanked God for sending encouragement to this young couple in the form of a active 5 year old. God is good!

The hospital security provides rides back and forth to Shanon's House. This is a great help for our guests. To say thank you we had a cook out for them. We had about 30 come over eat hamburgers with us. Several wanted to see the house. They also wanted to learn how it came about. Some thought that it was owned by the hospital, so this gave us the chance to share with them how Shanon's House came to be and how this is a ministry of the Mayfair church of Christ.

We have received several pictures of the newborn babies whose parents have stayed at Shanon's House. I keep them on the refrigerator. One of the pictures is of the first family who stayed with us. They had triplets. The triplets have all gone home now and are doing good. Many times parents will make a stop by Shanon's house on their way home to show us their baby. One couple stopped by and said "we will never forget how you helped us."

We are amazed every day how God is working in this ministry. God is so good to send us people and also to give us a few days rest between guests. Next month it will be six months here at Shanon's House. Sometimes Johnny and I think back on how God has worked and all the prayers that have been answered and are continually being answered. We thank Him for all the good people He has put in our lives through Shanon's House. Thank you for your prayers and your help in this work. Thank you also for the encouragement that so many of you give us. Please come by and see us. Remember, when the door is open there's a pot of coffee on.

In Him,
Johnny and Christy