happy birthday katie.

thank you to all of you who came to the BBQ last night and those that have donated to Katie and her family. last night was beautiful. we were gifted with the surprise of skyping Robb, Alesia, Robert, and Kelli into the party. there were shouts and tears of joy when we got to see their faces. today is Katie's 19th birthday and extra prayers would be greatly appreciated. today, pray for a good report. pray for an opportunity to celebrate. pray that the Stubblefields would be filled with joy and hope. pray for a pain free day. pray for a huge leap in her recovery. pray that today something miraculous would happen that can only be explained by Jesus. pray and ask for the impossible. what do we have to lose?

last night, i was given the opportunity to speak about the impact Katie's story has had on friends and myself. i asked a few people how Katie had impacted them and the resounding theme was awareness. people have become more aware of the workings of the Holy Spirit, the lies that young girls are told everyday, and the pain that girls are feeling. what I have taken from this tragedy is that as believers we need to rise up and fight. we need to take back what the enemy has taken. i am guilty of sitting back and coasting through my day. its time for us to lean into the Spirit and partner with what He is already doing. Katie's family believes that her attempted suicide was not premeditated and that she was in a spiritual battle. Hallelujah that the Lord was victorious. He has great plans for Katie!

between last night and money donated online, $7,324 has been raised! thank you, thank you, thank you to those who have invested and sowed into this family. your donations are literally allowing Robb and Alesia to live and be with Katie. last night Katie's uncle spoke and said that every time Robb feels like he can go apply for jobs, something happens that requires his constant presence. so thank you for allowing these parents the gift of staying their child. no parent should have to choose between time with their child who is fighting for their life or a job. in the near future, Katie will begin an outpatient rehabilitation which will require the Stubbies to move out of the Ronald McDonald house and into an apartment. so brothers and sisters, here is the need. the money raised is not for frivolous or material things, but shelter, food, and some warm clothes. so I want to challenge you to cook at home and skip starbucks. literally  e v e r y  penny counts! you can give by going to Hope for Katie. A trust fund has been opened in her name so the Stubbies receive everything.

as mentioned before, toady is Katie's 19th birthday. please join Praying for Katie Stubblefield and leave her a Happy Birthday message. the Stubbies read all the messages and notes received to her. let us bless her and let her know how loved and accepted she is.

to see pictures from last nights event, click here:  BBQ photos
to donate, click here: Hope for Katie

below is a message from Katie's father, Robb, that was recorded specifically for last night. what a testimony of HOPE! i encourage you to watch and share this far and wide!

thank you for joining the fight and sowing into this family. again, I pray that the Lord returns and blesses you eternally and financially now times 100!

Xxo,
B

hope. help. healing for Katie.

have you ever had something so dear to your heart, but somehow you have no words to convey it? i find myself struggling to write this morning because I want my words to inspire you, challenge you, and empower you. I want you to become passionate for helping a family that is in great need.

meet the stubblefields: 

Robert, Robb, Brad (Olivia's groom), Olivia, Alesia, Katie

Robb, Kelli (Robert's bride), Robert, Alesia

beautiful family, right? This family is resilient and has been going through the hardest season of their lives. in short, their youngest [Katie] attempted to take her own life by means of a gun in March. Since that day, they have been fighting and pleading for their daughter. i could go on and on about the trials Katie and the Stubblefields have been enduring, but i refuse to let despair win. just try to imagine the unimaginable and that is what they have been dealing with (who knew face transplants were a thing?)

its a beautiful thing to see the church come together and intercede for a family that is so transparent in their needs. however, the only thing they never do is tell you their financial needs and that is why I am writing to you today. today is a celebration and I want to invite everyone to celebrate with me. Katie's birthday is this month and what a better way to celebrate than by having a BBQ and fundraiser. today, from 5-7, at First Baptist Church at the Mall, we will be celebrating Katie and raising awareness and support for the Stubblefields. The Stubblefields would never write or ask for financial help, but i will. I love this family deeply. 

so i am pleading with you today to come to the BBQ and give to this beautiful family. you can purchase tickets at the door ($10) or give donations through the website Hope for Katie. Our goal is $20,000. I realize this is a large sum to raise, but I am believing that it will be raised. I choose to believe in the kindness of others. I choose to believe that what Jesus says is true, that we reap what we sow. So today, sow into the Stubblefields, whether you know them or not. I pray that the Lord returns and blesses you eternally and financially now times 100!  

see you there. 

Xxo,

B

P.S. for a detailed update on Katie and her rehabilitation, click here:  update

P.P.S. to stay up-to-date on Katie, hear from her family, and see her prayer needs, click and join here: Praying for Katie Stubblefield

abundance of prayers.

i'm writing to you with both trepidation and joy. this morning, someone i have grown to love has gone in for surgery to battle her cancer and i am asking all of you to intercede with me.

this season has been one of unique adventures. i often laugh at how different my life is than i pictured at 25. i imagined brunch, saturdays in death valley, greenville or birmingham, spontaneous road trips, cookouts, monday night supper clubs, and the like. i did not picture potty training, grocery shopping with 2 toddlers, lakeland, paw patrol, avoiding land mines in the dark, packing lunches, living at home again, or cancer.

i moved home a year ago to spend time and invest in my baby sister because we had a relationship, but not a friendship. my plan was to return to greenville in january, but a week before christmas, i received a call from a woman named marsha who was searching for help for her daughter, kristin, and two grandchildren, grant and drew. i gladly accepted the nanny job [both tom + tammy were elated]. since that call, my life has never been the same.

the details of kristins journey to date have been lengthy. just imagine anything that could go wrong, went wrong: her tumor was not benign, her cancer is usually found in kids ages 6-10, her port failed, she had an adverse response to one of the drugs, her liver burst. then tact on a trip to MD Anderson for a week, 6 rounds of week long in-patient chemo treatments, missing her sons 3rd birthday, teaching your three year-old the difference between the hospital and the doctor, and letting go of all that you know. i knew cancer was invasive, but i didn't realize everything it tries to take.

today, kristin went in for what I have been coining her "hail mary." the surgeon is going to attempt to cut all the sarcoma cancer out on her liver and in her abdomen. here is the kicker, the sarcoma cells that are in her abdomen are essentially (from what i understand) floating around and these are the dangerous cells. to fight these cancer cells, the surgeon wants to "shake and bake" them. meaning he wants to pour hot chemo in her body and "shake" her to get it everywhere to "bake" the cells. in order to do the "shake and bake" certain things need to happen: her blood pressure has to be good, the cell wall of the floating cells has to be less than 2 millimeters thick, and I'm sure many other medical things.

brothers and sisters, please keep us in your prayers today. please pray for:

• the doctors to have wisdom, eyes to see the unseen cells, steady and quick hands, strength to finish the strong
• the cell walls would ALL be less than 2 millimeters and the surgeon to get it all
• nothing unseen would pop up while in surgery
• zoran [hubby]: peace of mind, supernatural rest and strength, stress free work weeks 
  
• marsha [kristins mom] and doug: that no fear would overcome them, overflow of rest, sound mind to make decisions, strength to care for each others needs
• grant and drew [nanny kids]: that they would have a peace about the constant changing of their lives; that they can communicate their feelings and needs; that they would become better sleepers for themselves and for us; that they would remain healthy.

  

  grant

  

  drew

• a speedy recover for kristin and infection free
• kristins mind. a peace that surpasses all understanding and 
• jason and kerrie [bro and sis-in-law]: to feel comforted 

  

  jason

• diane and rudy [zorans parents]: remain healthy and rested when helping with grant and drew
• me: continued grace to emotionally process everything, patience with grant and potty training, supernatural rest when the days are long and the nights are short, strength, overabundance of love for grant, drew, and marsha, renewing of my mind, grace to run the house smoothly, energy to keep up with grant and drew

  

  orange smiles 

  

  his joy is infectious 

  

  snuggles with drewbee

  

  birthday hugs 

  
  
• kristins friends or more commonly know as the lovely ladies of lakeland: no fear would plague their minds, grace to speak the perfect words to encourage, brighten, and empower kristin

  

  LLL

• nurses caring for her while at moffitt
• a CANCER FREE scan after the surgery and recovery

Miles for Moffitt 

thank you from the bottom of my heart
xxoo,
B