It's here!

What a year. 

Has it actually been that long??

John's Teen Challenge graduation is tomorrow. This is so surreal. The excitement of this day has been here since September of last year. But it still hadn't felt real. Until today. I was in the middle of writing down some paperwork when the reality of what is happening hit me. 

John will actually be around all the time. No more phone calls limited to ten minutes. No more weekend visits home - because he will be home for good. No more two and a half hour visits on Sunday's, because he'll already be with me after church. He'll be a physical part of my everyday life again. 

This is where real life begins again. This year has been like a break of sorts, for us to get back on track and right with the Lord. But it's about to resume rapidly. And although there's a lot to be done in a short time after his graduation, I couldn't be more excited. This year has proven that any adventure, whether happy or hard, is gladly welcomed as long as I'm walking through it with John. 

This season of life has been incredible. At times it was unbearable. At others, the excitement was unbearable. John and I have both grown tremendously in our walks with the Lord and in our lives in general. Seeing the change in John just makes my heart light up. I was there to experience what the drugs did to him: his bad moods, his lying, his laziness, and picking fights over minuscule things. It's brings me such joy to see the opposite qualities in him now. God has made him into a real man. I'm so blessed to get to experience it. 

To everyone who has read this blog and kept up with our story over the past year, thank you. I could say that a million times. You're encouragement and prayers helped me at my darkest time. I'm blessed by every one of you. It kind of makes me sad that not every single person can be at the graduation tomorrow. But if you know my mom at all, you know you'll see enough pictures to make you feel like you were there. Thank you for walking this journey with me. I love you guys!

That's all for this one year of life. 

Onto the next season!

The end is near.

I know it's been forever (as usual) since I've blogged. Since the worst half (the first half) has ended, not a lot happens on a frequent basis. But I've accumulated a couple things that have happened within the past month or two that I haven't publicly talked about. So here are some updates!

• John has decided what he is doing after he graduates. He will definitely not be interning or staffing at Teen Challenge. He wants to start working and saving up for our future. He has a few different job opportunities but nothing is definite yet. Also he has to take a couple classes through the state to get his license back so pray that everything regarding that will go smoothly. As far as his living situation, he will be moving into the apartment above our garage beside our house. For those of you who may be inclined to think that's an awful idea, we have prayed about it and we are putting lots of rules and boundaries in place. 

• I mentioned in our last post that we got the go ahead to start counseling but that's as far as it went. John asked a few times but nothing was done about that but for certain reasons we are glad that it didn't happen. 

• Last month John came home for his 10 month pass. I just LOVED spending time with him. He's the cutest. And even though he has no money or means to do much of anything, he still came home with some exciting surprises in store for me. We were able to talk about some important things that we hadn't got to talk about and it's awesome to see more pieces falling in place. 

• I found out last week that starting in September, I'm allowed to visit John on Sundays, which is visiting day. The only thing is I have to have my Uncle Mark with me. The will be out of town the first visit week so please pray that someone else can come or there can be another way. If I can't, then that only leave two weeks to visit but either way we can FINALLY see each other so it's exciting. 

• Although August 16th was the official 11 month mark, he graduates on September 26th so this Tuesday marks one more month! It's getting so close I can't even comprehend it!

That's all that's new for now. Stay posted for more on his graduation! We're only 33 days away!

3/4!

Hey guys! I know it's been a really long time since I've written anything, but as always, I have a reason. I got some exciting news but didn't want to share it until it was official.

Today is a very special day, just like the 16th of any month, but today marks John's 9th month in Teen Challenge! It's another big mile stone. He is 3/4 of the way finished, 3 months away from graduating. This specific marker, however, is probably the most happy one so far. A few weeks ago, I was told that John and I got permission for me to come into the center once a month for counseling, starting after his 9th month (if you've been paying attention, that means TODAY). 

I don't know what we will specifically going over during this counseling. It could be for marriage, to work through the past, or to get prepared for the future. I'll probably find out when I get there haha. Whatever we talk about though, it means I'll get to see and talk to my love. It also makes these last few months easier because I won't have to go an extended period of time without seeing him again. If the counseling thing hadn't happened we wouldn't have seen each other until mid July for his 10 month break. And then another gap until his graduation on September 26th. Now, I'll see him once a month (if all goes according to plan), and for a weekend in July. 

There is no set date yet as to when we will start, but even the fact that it's allowed is exciting. If you've talked to me about the whole me coming in for counseling and to visit thing in recent months, I've just been saying "I keep praying for The Lord's favor in that area." It's so incredible to see how God has blessed us since we've turned our lives back to Him and gotten back on track. I really can't tell you how ecstatic I am about it. When I found out, I cried on the phone with my mom, and I don't cry in front of people (aside from when I saw The Fault In Our Stars, but we won't talk about that or I'll cry again). It wasn't something I was expecting or trying to find out answers about. I just let God handle that part and trusted in His will. And even if something should happen and we can't do the counseling, I'll still have peace about it, because God is in control. 

Thank you to everyone who continually prays for us, checks in on us, and asks about us! It means so much to me, even the littlest things. A lot of BIG things are going to happen in the next 3 months and even after that. I can't wait to let you all know! Love you guys and happy 9 months!!

q&a.

A little while ago I asked you all if you had any questions for me pertaining to this whole situation...and not one of you asked anything. Good job everyone! (Yes, that was sarcastic) Outside of that, I get asked a few questions on a pretty much regular basis. I'll go ahead and answer those because, if you're like almost everyone else, you're probably wondering too. 

• (This is one people ask me all the time.) Are you still getting married?

Yes, we are still definitely getting married. I didn't stick around and go through everything in the past seven months just to be friends with John and I surely didn't do it because it's fun. Before John and I even entered into a relationship, God had showed we would get married. So in some ways, I sort of view him as my husband already because I know he will be. The Proverbs 31 woman does her husband good all the days of her life, including before their marriage. I am here to do whatever I have to to support him, encourage him, and help him continue to live as he is right now. I am not worried about past hurt, broken trust, chances of relapse, or all the criticism we are sure to receive (and already have). I am confident this is what God has called me to do, so if I follow the Lord's leading, He will take prefect care of every little thing. 

• Similar to the first question, Have you set another date?

No. And setting a date is not a priority. The first time around, we were so excited to get married that we didn't properly prepare in many areas, and the stress of it was a big contributer to John using drugs. He and I didn't talk about it about this issue as much as other things, but I know for me, my first priority is to make sure John stays strong in The Lord. I don't want him rushing to get established after his graduation. I want to make sure we keep our focus on God and do things the right way. The lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. (Psalms 37:23 NLT) He is more than able to guide us where we need to go and show us the right time to get married. 

• What is John planning to do when he graduates?

He isn't sure. God hasn't showed that to him yet. He has a couple different options for where he can live and work. What I do know is that he wants to have time where he can meet with certain men he's met while in Teen Challenge on a regular. And it's clear that John is going to be in ministry at some point. But as of right now, no definite plans. 

• How can I be praying for you?

Well that all depends on what day it is. When I asked John that question, he said the hardest part about the program is being with guys and only guys all the time. I know he would really appreciate prayer for direction and wisdom for what to do after graduation. Recently he has been struggling with missing me and getting bummed out, knowing that other guys who have graduated come to our church and get to hang out with me and my family. He's also a bit upset that he can't do fun things with us this summer, like go to the beach. For us as a couple, pray that we would just keep growing and letting The Lord guide us in every area. This time in our lives has been incredible and I don't want it to be for nothing. 

So that ends our q&a time. But seriously if you have any questions, you can ask me. I love sharing about this situation because I know how it's encouraged and helped people. 

I'll finish with this exciting thought:

It's that point in time where we are planning certain things that John will actually be here for. Our family takes a trip to a Spruce Lake every year around New Years. The other day my dad was telling me that he put the deposit down for this year's trip. And it hit me - John will be there too. I've gotten so used to John not physically being in our lives, it's so exciting to imagine him being around all the time. But I'm more excited for him to be here for the little things. Sitting beside him in church, him genuinely laughing when I try really hard to be funny, hearing and seeing that perfect giggle of his, calling him when I have an awful day. Instead of just being a part of our lives, he'll be in our lives. 

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

^that's an understatement. 

*4 and 1/2 more months left you guys!!

1/2!

As of March 16th, John is half way done with Teen Challenge! This is super exciting (to say the very least) for a ton of reasons. And now, I will share those reasons:

John only has 6 more months to go! We are closer to the end than the beginning. It's still difficult for me to wrap my mind around the fact that it's been a whole half of a year. Since what seemed like hell, since I last saw John, and since this miraculous journey began. To me, this first half has flown by. To John, sometimes it feels like forever and a day, but other times it seems like it's been a short time. 

"But wait, how do you know what John thinks about it" you may ask. Fantastic question. Let me answer that for you. :)

BECAUSE I FINALLY SAW HIM. 

Most of you blog readers are local, so you already know all this. But for my friends across the world I'll explain it all quickly. 

(In Teen Challenge after you've completed 6 months you get a pass to come home for the weekend. John was also granted an additional day home for meeting a certain goal on door to door fundraising. He came home on March 21-24. So now you're up to date.)

I could honestly write for days about that weekend. But for the sake of this post, I'll just focus on the most important things. 

So gather 'round folks, you're about to hear one of the best stories there ever was. 

When we first saw each other it was nothing like what I expected. But then again I had been dreaming up about 500 different scenarios during the past 6 months apart. I had been very worried that things would be awkward between us. I mean we hadn't spoken to each other in such a long time. I worried things would be different, that we wouldn't be as comfortable around each other. 

As we hugged for the first time, I felt and heard a loud heartbeat. I didn't know if it was coming from him or me when I heard him say "is that your stomach or mine"? Ah, I knew we were still in sync. After some awkward-in-a-good-way giggling and staring, it was as if we never spent more than a few hours without being together. Everything was so comfortable with him. And everything was even better than our relationship before. 

I was filled with so much joy to just watch the new John. There were times he would share a story of something dumb him and the guys did, and I would go to say "what were you thinking". But then he would say what he learned from it and why he doesn't want to do that again. In many ways I saw growth and change in him. His heart for people has grown even bigger than it was before. He is more mature and respectful in situations where there's conflict. And he is so passionate about spending time with Jesus and reading the Word. 

Throughout the weekend we had quite a bit of time to talk. Just plain talk. And I'm so thankful for that. Have you ever had to hold a half a years worth of questions to a drug addict in your head and not get answers? If you haven't, let me tell you, some days it can turn into torture. I've told you all about a lot of the things I worried about in my previous posts, but I had so many more concerns on top of that. "Was he shooting up? Shooting up can easily give you HIV. How am I gonna be married to someone with that? Did he ever steal things from me or my family? Was he cheating on me too?" My list went on and on. And yes there was an actual list (come one guys, it's me we're talking about), which I crossed off with sighs of relief in the middle of Applebee's. We wanted to get past the hard stuff so we could spend more time doing fun stuff. 

Relief and restoration. Those two words best describe the talks we had. I found relief in knowing that certain things I worried about weren't issues. He hadn't been shooting up, never stole from me or my family, never cheated on me. And I also found relief in finding out things he did while using, and knowing that it's all finished. It was hard for me to grasp the fact that John tried to take his own life. But it made me all the more thankful in a million ways. I just hugged him for a long time after that. 

We talked about how things were before and how things will be in the future. It just felt so good to know we are doing things the right way now and letting God lead us. 

Aside from all the necessary seriousness, we had plenty of time to be the silly lovebirds we once were. I've never enjoyed holding hands, being tickled, giggling at each other's giggle, or being kissed on the forehead more in my life. I cherished every one of those moments, fully realizing that if the devil had his way, I would have never been able to do that with John again. For a while, I got used to being alone and independent. I almost forgot what it felt like to be so adored and in love. For someone to genuinely laugh at your attempts to be funny. And the feeling of perfection when you're on the couch watching a movie (Frozen and Pitch Perfect to be exact), just being next to each other. The weekend my love was here, I was reminded of what all that felt like. 

Inevitably, we had to say goodbye. But this one was far better than the last. 

When John and I said our goodbyes the first time, we didn't know when he would even go into Teen Challenge (which ended up being the next day), we didn't know we couldn't have contact for the whole year, and we didn't know what would happen with our relationship. Although it was crappy to have to go back to being without each other, this time things are different. We have adjusted to spending this time apart, and we know that our relationship has grown stronger and we will be together when he graduates. When all is said and done, every single thing we've been through will be worth it. 

I want to thank everyone who came to youth group and church to hear John share his testimony and his heart. Sunday was such a happy day. In my mind, I compared it to the first Sunday I went to church without John there. People hugged me, encouraged me and prayed for me, and rubbed my back as they walked by. It was so special to see those same people give me hugs of excitement and the biggest of smiles, knowing that what I had waited for had finally come. 

Thank you to everyone who has ever said a prayer for us. Thank you for the encouragement. Thank you for asking and checking in on me. Thank you for asking when my next updates will be. Thank you for sharing songs with me. Thank you for sending me long messages sharing your heart. Thank you for everything my friends. There is a great man of God now as a result. 

I love you guys!

-Allison 

Just an FYI, the next time we will see each other is in July, when he will have another pass after 10 months. Then he will be 2 months away from graduating! I'm already so excited I could burst. 

growing together.

I've been learning so much about the Lord lately. So I want to share some of it with you!

At church for the past few weeks, my uncle (the pastor) has been preaching on spiritual warfare and getting set free from bondages and strongholds. It has been my favorite sermon series yet. I feel like it applies to my life right now in an incredible way. It will be the thing that brings John and I to victory over what has happened in this past year.

I'm a big note taker. Especially so when the sermon really speaks to me. I'll have a "wow, that's good" moment and instantly, I miss John. And not in the "boo-boo he's not here" sense. But the "man, I wish he was here to hear this" sense. I wish we could talk about it, dig deeper together, sends texts of encouragement about it, and pray about it. I get so excited for the day we can do all that together. You see, we didn't do that before. There were a few times we read the Bible together or prayed when we were starting to fight, but other than that, we didn't make an effort to grow together spiritually. Everyone always commented on how cute and perfect of a couple we were. And we had a lot of those moments, mostly due to how thoughtful and romantic John is (#winning), but below the surface, we fought. A LOT. It was mostly little things that we got over quickly. But there was so much conflict, and that was due to us not making Jesus the center of our life together. Now I've realized, and from what I've heard, John realizes too, the importance of all of the above mentioned things. I can't wait for the day I get to spill all I've learned to him. And I can't wait for the day that he just talks non-stop about everything he learned and went through while in Teen Challenge. LIKE SERIOUSLY YOU GUYS. Can't. Contain. The excitement.

Since for the time being, John isn't here for me to share all this with, I want to share it with you guys. You've been an extreme encouragement to me, so I want to encourage you as well. :)

Here are some bullet points that I've written down during this sermon series and this past weekend at the More Conference my youth group went to. *Side note real quick. Last year at the conference, John and I were sitting together waiting for the service to start. He just thought this conference was this coolest idea ever. He leaned over and whispered to me in his big-dreamer way and said "babe, wouldn't it be sooooo cool if we could do something like this when we're youth pastors?!" That was the first thing I thought of as I sat down in my seat at this year's conference. I just love him. So yeah, the bullet points.

-Satan is always looking for windows of opportunity. When we allow openings for the devil to enter our life, it's like being in your house and a thief knocking on your door, and you unlock the door, leave it cracked open, and walk away thinking he won't come in and cause harm. A lot of Christians are prideful because they feel they can dabble in sinful things and it won't affect them. (The example here was witchcraft such as Harry Potter, psychic shows, even in cartoons. The bible is clear that we are to have NO part in witchcraft or things of the sort.)

-When we are in bondage, we are often blind to the fact that we are in bondage. Just because you sin, does not mean you are in bondage. Bondage means that you purposefully plan to sin/habitual sin. When you bring that stronghold to the light, satan cannot hold it over you or use it against you anymore. Your body is a temple, and just as Jesus drove out the thieves and robbers from the temple, He wants to drive them out of your life too.

-Once we are aware of the tactics of the devil, we can learn how to overcome them. Satan studies us and looks for our weakest areas. Just like a wolf, he comes peacefully, sizing you up for the attack. The more harmless he seems, the deadlier he is. He watches us and comes up with a temptation plan that is designed just for you, and won't work for the person next to you.

-Contrary to some beliefs, God IS always in control. At times, God allows the devil to "sift" us to bring us back to Him. He gives him permission, but with boundaries. (With Job He told satan he could touch everything except Job's life.) Other times, it is us that gives satan permission to enter our lives. Don't open a door for him to get in!

-Lust always masks itself as love. It can never be fulfilled in a Godly way. But lust is not just sexual desire. It is anything we crave outside the will of God. The spirit of lust lies to us and says it's okay because you can repent later. Be so in love and desiring God, that you don't even have time for earthly desires.

-Sin always leads to death. You may not die immediately, but something within you will; things around you will start to die as a result. *Let me tell you, THIS IS SOOOO TRUE. (See my previous blog posts to prove it haha.)

-Stronghold: a place dominated by a particular group or marked by a particular characteristic. A stronghold is not necessarily a bad thing. Think of a stronghold as a train of thought. The more you think about something, the more it will control what you do. Make Christ your stronghold.

-Our minds are the battlefield. The problem is not our circumstance, it's how we think about that circumstance. Take your thoughts captive and tell them to obey the Word of God. You can't take a thought out of your mind, you can only replace it. When we quote the Word, we take that evil thought captive and replace it.

-The Word of God and our meditation on it is our strongest weapon. When He was being tempted, Jesus combatted the devil with only 3 verses. When you take in the Word, you will reproduce truth and eliminate error. Get the Word into your spirit! Write it, read it, repeat it, sing it, etc. Make sure you are dwelling on it.

-The four times of the day the devil will attack the strongest are (paraphrased): lying in bed at night, lying in bed in the morning, sitting around your house, and when you're traveling. Take those opportunities to train and equip yourself and your family in the Word.

-The Bible is no good in your hands if it's not in your heart.

-There are 6 weapons God gives us for battle: The Blood, the Word, and the name of Jesus, worship, fasting, and intimacy with God.

-The devil is not just after us, we need to go after him. Run into battle equipped with the Word. When you feel a push from the enemy, push back with the Word.

-Adam and Eve were given authority and power over the earth. When they sinned, they handed that power to satan. Then, Jesus died for our sins and restored our power and authority. Through His blood, he took away satan's power! We have Jesus' authority and satan MUST obey that. We need to walk in that authority. 

-Jesus' blood is like a forcefield. The enemy cannot touch what is covered by the blood. (The story of the Passover) As my grandma always says, usually when we're in car "plead the blood of Jesus!" :)

-1 Samuel 16:23 - The evil spirit left when David played and worshipped. Acts 16 - Chains will break when we worship. When we worship, our focus is put on God and satan loses his power.

-Psalm 91 - When we are close to God, we are safe.

I hope you were strengthened by hearing these messages as I was. I've written some of these down and put them around my room. I'm gonna walk in His authority. It's pretty cool that it's so easy to do that.

Until next time…

a long recap.

It's been over a month since my last post. No, I haven't quit. I still love to let all of you know what goes on through this journey. I think the biggest reason I haven't written recently is because every time I go to write, I don't know how to put my thoughts into words. Half the time I didn't even know what my thoughts were. But I'm way past due, so I'll try my best. 

The last time I posted, I told you guys my mom wasn't allowed to have contact with John anymore. Since that happened, I don't receive many updates on him anymore other than "he's doing good". So the lack of updates is due to my lack of updates. 

He really is doing fantastic though. Through talking to some people who volunteer/staff/intern etc., I've been very encouraged by what they say about my John. I tend to ask everyone who has spent more than ten minutes with him how he is; if he takes it seriously and if he's actually growing. My favorite reply was: "Not all the guys in the program take it seriously and make the most out of it, but there are those certain guys that really apply themselves and put a lot into it, and I consider John one of those guys." And if you know me, my reply was "Good. He better." :)

Since the new year started, there have been more difficult days than before. I went from getting detailed updates twice a week to brief and vague ones. If there was a question we had for him, my mom asked. Now, if we find out new information or things he did from before, I can't get an answer about it. I'm the type of person who needs to get things resolved as quick as possible. I'll give you some examples:

I found out recently that John lied about a job he had years ago. But when he made up this story, it was before he was using drugs again. It was even before we dated. It made me wonder if he lied about something that didn't even matter, what else had he lied about? Are there other things he told me about himself that were false? It really made me question if I knew him at all. 

Another thing that happened was we found an old voicemail letting him know he got approved for a loan. The message was right around the time we got engaged. I assume it was for the ring but I can't be sure because I can't ask him. I had thought he was getting his priorities straight and saving the money. But now I have no clue if that was true. 

These incidents caused too many questions in my mind. I had to seriously consider if I want to deal with these kinds if things in my life. After much prayer I know that unless God tells me to end our relationship, God will restore that trust. When it comes down to it I just want to go where The Lord leads me. If I do that, He'll take care of it all. 

I've realized lately that when God does something, it's never just that one thing. He makes a million other things happen with it and because of it. I've made a lot of friendships these past few months with people who have been involved with Teen Challenge one way or another. It's incredible to me that I never would've met any of them of John hadn't fallen into addiction. God does crazy things. I love it. 

If you're still reading, thanks. I know this is probably super time consuming and it's my fault it's so long cause I haven't posted in forever. Keep reading my friends. Press on! Cause now I'm gonna talk about something very important. 

Last week, Josh Watts, the boyfriend of one of my friends died. He had been addicted to heroin. Their story is similar to mine and John's. He had a past with drugs, got saved, and they fell in love. They were going to spend their lives together.

My mom was talking to someone who works for the health department the other day, and she told her there have been 37 deaths due to heroin laced with fentanyl on the eastern shore since September. You all know what happened in September right? God intervened and John entered Teen Challenge. He has THE BEST timing. For those of you who don't know, fentanyl is what they give to people to put them to sleep during surgery. And those 37 deaths don't even include overdoses of just plain heroin. 

John would be dead. No doubt about it.

Josh's memorial service was last night. I had spent a lot of time mad and frustrated that John would go to church, do devotionals with me, etc. all while being addicted to the deadliest drug out there. It disgusted me that he used all of that to cover up his struggle. But hearing about Josh's life last night made me realize something. Even though he was struggling, he still had a heart that loved God. It's strange to think about but it's true. We all have struggles, but that doesn't necessarily mean our heart for God changes. David was an adulterer and murderer, and he was a man after God's own heart. I never looked at John like that before. He wasn't using God as a cover up, he really was trying to live right. One thing is for sure though. I am so grateful now more than ever that John made the decision to change. I can't say it or explain it enough. 

One final thing:

John has been in 5 months and 1 week. He's only 3 weeks away from his halfway point. I've never been so proud. 

some ups and and a down.

Hi everyone! It's pretty cool to me that this is my first post of the new year. This is THE year. Most likely my favorite year of life. By the end of this year so many incredible things will have happened. My favorite? John will be graduating Teen Challenge on September 26th. All are invited. And I mean that. 

There are quite a few things to tell all of you since my last post, so I won't write them in any particular order. Here we go!

-As of today, there are roughly 10 weeks until John comes home for his 6 month break. 10 weeks. 2 and a half months. There used to be 6. Time really has flown by. *knocks on wood*

-John has consistently been working out and gaining weight since he entered the program. He started at 150 and at Christmas he got up to 180. He is allowed to have a disposable camera so he has been taking pictures of his progress. 

-He is starting off the new year not drinking any pop (or soda as he calls it ;)). This is mainly because his teeth are bad and he doesn't want anymore cavities, and he's also hoping it will clear up his face. 

-He recently mentioned to my mom how sorry he feels for putting so many people in danger. There were a lot of times he was high and drove people around like his nephew, my brother, our friends, and me. He said he thinks a lot about everything bad that could've happened. 

-Teen Challenge does a lot of ministry and helps with outreaches. Before Christmas they helped hand out presents and give food to the poor. John really enjoyed that. He said I need to get prepared cause he wants to do a lot of that when he gets out of the program. 

-The guys also go and share at The Stevenson House, which is a juvenile detention center. One of his friends shared his testimony and then said "John's gonna pray for you now, he's our prayer warrior". You may have heard in the news about a girl who rode around for a few days with an old woman in the trunk of her car. Well, John got to talk to her, share his story, and pray with her. 

-I mentioned before about the possibility of Teen Challenge starting a ministry going into schools. They are starting it up this year! They went over all the details the end of December and John is ecstatic. This is something he has wanted to do for a long long time. He is so passionate about sharing what God has done for him. 

Now, for the unfortunate part. 

I woke up this morning and read the daily devotional in the book Jesus Calling:

"I am able to do far beyond all that you ask or imagine. Come to me with positive expectations, knowing that there is no limit to what I can accomplish. Ask My Spirit to control your mind so that you can think great thoughts of Me. Do not be discouraged by the fact that many of your prayers are yet unanswered. Time is a trainer, teaching you to wait upon Me, to trust Me in the dark. The more extreme your circumstances, the more likely you are to see My Power and Glory at work in the situation. Instead of letting difficulties draw you into worrying, try to view them as setting the scene for My glorious intervention. Keep your eyes and your mind wide open to all that I am doing in your life."

This was preparing me for what I was about to find out. I went into my mom's room to talk and found her teary eyed. I got a little scared. She said something bad happened but it wasn't about John. 

Teen Challenge has banned my mom from visiting John now. There are reasons we were given that are likely not the actual reasons. They said that because she is an "in-law" and not technically family that her, my dad, and my brother can't visit, write, or receive calls from him now. When my mom found out, John still didn't know yet, so please pray for him as well as my mom. John looks at my mom like his own mom and loves getting to see her and talk to her. 

It's a very unfortunate situation. But things could be way worse. God is able to do far more than we can imagine. 

"Instead of letting difficulties draw you into worrying, try to view them as setting the scene for My glorious intervention. Keep your eyes and your mind wide open to all that I am doing in your life."