Operation Save America -

The Lord richly bless you! Things have been hectic since Liz returned home. Her follow up schedule is busy. A Typical day consists of two to three appointments. We are traveling to and from the hospital in Temple (they are following up on her eyes and feet) physical therapy, (three times a week) and the Bellmead Scott and White clinic (they are doing the lab work to monitor her blood.

God has graciously supplied a temporary car to meet the need of Liz's transportation. Our van is to large for Liz to move from the wheel chair to the van. We have a real need for a regular size car that is good on gas. Friends from Houston may have a lead on a car for $2,500.00. If it is the Lord's will for that car, please pray for the Lord's provision. If any of you know of a car that is reliable and reasonably priced please let us know as well.

March 19, 2005

HOME SWEET HOME!

Dear Champion of the Lord and the Pre-born,

The Lord richly bless you! Yesterday, history for the Thomas Nation was made. After three long months of being at death's door, the Lord in His infinite mercy brought my lovely bride back home. Several friends were here to greet and welcome Liz on her triumphant return home. We enjoyed food, fellowship, and much thanksgiving towards God.

Our house, home, and lives are going through some more changes to adjust to Liz's care. There will be a lot of traveling back and forth to the hospital, clinic, and the physical therapy facility. We have compiled different charts and schedules that deals with Liz's many medications and exercises she must do every day.

Starting Monday we hope to get back to some sort of "normal" schedule for homeschooling, ministry, and family life that we enjoyed before this ordeal hit us. Please pray for a smooth transition and for Liz's full recovery. There is always a danger of a relapse and we do not want to go backwards. We want to, as the Scriptures declare, "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13,14)." Our desire is to press forward, reaching forth till Liz is fully recuperated, walking, leaping, and praising God.

By now, most of you have heard of the travesty that is taking place in Florida. The culture of death stalks yet another prey. This time it is a precious woman by the name of Terri Schiavo. Yesterday they removed her feeding tube to slowly and deliberately starve her to death. Ironically, in that same state, you can be arrested for starving a dog to death. My! my! what incredible folly is this? A dog or even a prisoner on death row has more protection and more humane treatment than an innocent, disabled person.

On word of clarification. Terri is not brain dead. She is not in a vegetative state nor in a coma. She is infirmed and handicapped. She is not on any life support system like Liz was to keep her alive. She just has a feeding tube that supplies what each and every one of us needs to keep alive, nutrition and hydration. Take that away from any one of us and we would all perish as well.

Flip Benham, our National Director of Operation Rescue/Operation Save America has given a call for all good soldiers of Jesus Christ to come this Tuesday to Florida to prayerfully and peacably intervene on Terri's behalf. We cannot in good conscience stand by and watch this poor woman be "legally" mudered like this. It will open even wider the floodgates of hell to devour our nation.

Enough is enough! If you can go, by all means get there. If you can't, write letters, e-mails, make phone calls and please fervently pray that God will intervene and spare her the horror of this cruel death. Believe me, if I did not have to care for Liz, I would have already been there.

IN KING JESUS' SERVICE,

Rusty

P.S. Below is a list of names, e-mail addresses, and phone #s that can help save Terri's life. Let's get on it. Time is of the essence. We must demand the Florida government to intervene and do what is right by Terri. As Thomas Jefferson once stated, "The care of human life and not its destruction is the one and only legitimate object of good government."

We should never forget that everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was "legal" and everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did in Hungary was "illegal." It was "illegal" to aid and comfort a Jew in Hitler's Germany . Even so, I am sure that, had I lived in Germany at the time, I would have aided and comforted my Jewish brothers.

Martin Luther King

April 1963, Written from an Alabama jail

14 March, 2005

Christians of America :

This coming Friday (18 March 13, 2005), the slow, tortuous starvation and dehydration of disabled Floridian, Terri Schiavo, is scheduled to begin. It will be done under a Florida court order. (For more information see www.terrisfight.org). In the same spirit that Martin Luther King showed against prejudice, violence and segregation against black Americans, Christians are now being called to stand against prejudice, cruelty and exclusion of people with disabilities—in the person of Terri Schiavo. Terri symbolizes every disabled person.

Over the next week, you have the opportunity to give witness to Christ's love and concern for every human life. You have been given the great and noble task of defending one disabled American's unalienable Right to Life. By extension, you will be defending the value every disabled American. The killing of Terri Schiavo is a harbinger of things to come for other people with disabilities.

Christians of America ! God is trusting you to bear witness for a cultural ethos embracing one human family under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. What a great and noble task you have! Defend Terri as though she is “the least of these”—for indeed she is. Defend her as though you are defending Jesus—for indeed you are. (See Matthew 25.37-40).

It may be legal to kill Terri Schiavo but it is an affront and offence against God! Please write (and ask people of your diocese to write) to the attached list of legislators urging them to stop the killing of Terri Schiavo. Thank you.

God bless,

Mark Pickup, Christian advocate for people with disabilities & Founder, HumanLifeMatters

www.HumanLifeMatters.com. Email: HumanLifeMatters@shaw.ca

March 16, 2005

Dear Champion of the Lord and the Pre-born,

The Lord richly bless you! Great and Glorious news! I talked with Liz a little while ago and it is now official, she is coming home to stay this Friday. We have two days to prepare. Please pray for us. Both she and our family are overjoyed and we look forward to overcoming the remaining obstacles to Liz's full recovery.

Our house and family are now about to enter a different phase in this ordeal. The worse is certainly behind us, and yet, there are new and different challenges we will now face. The Apostle Paul declared, "Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us (2 Corinthians 1:10)." The same God who sustained us through this trial, the same God who answered our cries and healed my wife is the same God whom we trust will provide the grace to the many adjustments we must make to receive and care for Liz at home.

The film crew was out at Planned Parenthood bright and early. They interviewed several brothers and sisters, plus Pastor Ronnie Homes from Church of the Open Door. They filmed the prayers, praise and worship, the preaching of God's word, and the dynamic work of the sidewalk counselors as they pleaded for the life of these precious children made in the image of God.

For my part, we discussed our work on the streets which I described as a "Church service at the gates of hell." We talked about the politics of abortion and the importance of the church first winning the "battle for life" in the hearts and minds of Americans in the streets and as we do, trust that one day our leaders, laws, and governmental policies will reflect that great change. A dramatic change that will vanquish abortion and will not only make it illegal once again, but unthinkable, just like the abominable practice of slavery previously.

We tackled birth control. I told them unequivocally that with the advent of birth control, fornication, adultery, divorce, child molestation, and abortion have spiraled off the charts. It may have sexually liberated women, but it has condemned marriage, fidelity, and children to death. I then declared the words of our Lord to them, "Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them (Matthew 7:17-20).

Clearly the fruit of birth control has produced some of the most wicked, evil fruit our nation has endured. It was the forerunner to abortion and it serves as its linchpin today. It assures the abortion industry that their so-called "right to abortion" will not fall back to historical America's "Right to Life."

After that, we dealt with all the wonderful works Planned Parenthood performs for poor women. My response was, "90% of rat poisoning is good for the rat, it just the 10% that kills him." Evil always needs the cover of goodness to try and sanitize its wickedness. Planned Parenthood is wolf in sheep's clothing, who in the name of love, compassion, and tolerance is destroying the humanity Christ died to redeem.

They went on to ask about Planned Parenthood's work with youth through sex education. My response was "Planned Parenthood promotes the fallacious premise of 'safe sex.' The problem is there is no such thing as 'safe sex' because there is no such thing as safe sin. There will always be horrific consequences as rebellious, autonomous man seeks to violate the sexual parameters established by Almighty God. Besides, the work of Planned Parenthood to our youth is nothing more than a scam that insures they will have future clients at their abortion mills. Planned Parenthood is in the sex business. It is more profitable and it helps to legitimize their 'services,' if our young people are sexually active. That why you will never find Planned Parenthood sponsoring "abstinence only" programs. It does not serve their purposes nor prospers their business."

Prayerfully these interviews will be used to touch hearts and change minds. We did our best to represent our Lord's heart and message in the midst of this battle for the souls of men, the lives of children, and the future of our nation.

IN KING JESUS' SERVICE,

Rusty

March 15, 2005

Dear Champion of the Lord and the Pre-born,

The Lord richly bless you! During our visit yesterday to see my wife, Liz, she had a lot of good news to share, but also some new challenges we must face as she is heading homeward bound. First, there was talk about her possible return home as early as this Friday. She was beaming at the mere thought of it.

The hospital is scrambling trying to figure out the best possible course to take in order bring her home and make our house functional to accommodate Liz's therapeutic recovery. She is still in a wheel chair and may be in one for a few months barring a miracle. Thus we may have to enlarge doors, get different kinds of bath apparatuses, different shower heads, work out equipment, and things of this nature.

The other possibility is they may put Liz's feet in a cast, which may help alleviate a lot of the different renovations the hospital is recommending. We are praying for God to speed up her recovery process and heal her eyes and feet. That soon and very soon she will rise up and walk in Jesus' name!

Due to Liz's vast improvements, our family will continue to fight the battle for Liz's life specifically and get back to the battle for life in our culture. I want to extend a special invitation to local pastors and Christian brothers and sisters in the Central Texas area to come join us tomorrow at the local "gates of hell," the Planned Parenthood abortion mill. It is located at 1927 Columbus Ave. Please arrive about 7:45 am. A PBS film crew from Austin will be filming a documentary of the battle that is raging for the souls of men, the lives of children, and the future of our nation at our local altar that Planned Parenthood dedicates to Molech and Baal. It is important they see a vibrant, healthy, and committed church that speaks the truth in love to a people who are ensnared by the powers of darkness.

Pray that we represent the cause of Christ, His love, His wisdom, and truth in such a way that the gainsayers will not be able to resist nor refute the rightness of our actions compared to the evil of abortion and sexual immorality that Planned Parenthood exploits for blood money.

IN KING JESUS' SERVICE,

Rusty

March 14, 2005

Look What the Lord Has Done

Dear Champion of the Lord and the Pre-born,

The Lord richly bless you! The old praise song says, "Look what the Lord has done, look what the Lord has done! He healed my body! He touched my mind! He saved me just in time and I'm going to praise His name..." And praise His name, we shall!

Yesterday, another major step in Liz's recovery transpired. She came home for a day and what a glorious reunion it was. The weather was perfect, our family spirits were soaring, and Liz was greatly blessed by the celebration.

Her sister, Michelle, called this morning from the hospital declaring how Liz dramatically improved over night just by being home for one day. Her skin was better. Her eyes were clearer and her prospects for the future secure in the knowledge of God's great goodness and healing towards her.

Her visit yesterday is part of the rehab. They hoped it would inspire her and motivate her to want to come home as soon as possible. It worked and she is working hard at the physical therapy. She is lifting weights and moving about. She is improving in strength and coordination. We still have a ways to go for her feet and legs, but after yesterday, we are believing that will be conquered soon as well.

The doctors mentioned possible surgery on her eyes and legs. We are praying and actually are observing the "Great Physician" going before and taking care of business, like only He can.

Liz's testimony and witness continues to increase and spread. Entire communities, churches, families, other hospitals, and friends are sharing, praying, and uniting behind Liz and the miracle they are witnessing. To God be the glory!

Prayerfully, the next major communication will be to announce Liz has triumphantly returned home for good. Pass on the good news and continue to pray for her eyes, legs, and soon return home. Thanks!

IN KING JESUS' SERVICE,

Rusty

March 9, 2005

Dear Champion of the Lord and the Pre-born,

The Lord richly bless you! Liz continues to improve. She is scheduled to undergo another round of chemo tomorrow. This is the third round. After the fourth round, they will check to see if she is in remission. If so, she will only have two final rounds to go. Praise God!

One of her doctors made the suggestion that she might be able to come home for one day this weekend. Obviously, the Thomas Nation is ecstatic at the prospect. We have missed her so much. I asked if she could come home on Sunday. I wanted to wheel her into church and have the place erupt as they witnessed first hand God's manifest goodness towards us. Their policy is Saturday, so we will wait on the Lord's timing. After all, He does make everything beautiful in His time (Ecclesiastes 3:11 ).

I dropped my oldest daughter (Shekinah) at the abortion mill at Planned Parenthood this morning. Denise Bagby was there along with other faithful Christian/Pro-lifers. Denise had graciously agreed to drive Shekinah from the abortion mill to the hospital in Temple. Shekinah will stay the night with mom. I couldn't drive all the way to the hospital because our van needed some overdue repairs.

Right after we arrived, Denise came over and blessed us with a great testimony on how the Lord used her to minister to a young lady. She chose life and Pastor Ronnie Holmes from Church of the Open Door followed up with much needed help. Denise will write up a full report later.

Today, we were also contacted by a producer from PBS in Austin. They plan on coming to film next week at Planned Parenthood's abortion mill. They want to interview us about the ministry. If you are in the Central Texas area, would you prayerfully consider coming next week and invite others as well. It will start at 8 am at 1927 Columbus Ave. It is important that the world see concerned Christians interceding and intervening on the behalf of the least of these. The following is her communication to us. Please pray the truth will be told, no spin, and the powers of darkness will be exposed.

IN KING JESUS' SERVICE,

Rusty

Hello Rusty and Liz,

I'm Diane Zander, a producer for the public affairs program SPECIAL SESSION from KLRU-Austin PBS. We will be coming up to Waco next week to shoot a short documentary piece documenting inside and outside the Planned Parenthood clinic in Waco . I was hoping I could speak to you about it and get an idea of what we should expect next Wednesday. I'd be happy to give you a call at your convenience. Many thanks.

Kind regards,
Diane Zander

--
Diane Zander
Department of Radio-Television-Film
University of Texas at Austin
512/471-4952

March 5, 2005

Dear Champion of the Lord and the Pre-born,

The Lord richly bless you! This just in, "Liz has left the oncology department and our prayer is the cancer has been left behind as well. It was a tearful departure. Many of the nurses who cared for Liz during her stay with them wept. It was a bitter/sweet departure for most of the nurses. They have been touched by Liz's plight and grew to love her. One of them by the name of Jennifur confessed, "Liz, I just wanted to tell you that even though I have not known you that long, the first time I saw you, I honestly did not think you were going to make it. So this is truly amazing! You go girl!!!

In fact, when Liz was at death's door, a Mormon nurse with 31 years of experience pretty much dismissed Liz's chance for recovery. She was cold and in disbelief. Some of our ladies and our children became concerned because her belief system translated to what they considered some ill-treatment towards Liz. Orthodoxy (right teaching) should produce orthopraxy (right behavior).

After a couple of complaints, I, like Jesus of old, removed the doubt, unbelief, and the indifference from Liz's care. The Scriptures declare, "And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly. And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying. And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise. And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment. And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat (Mark 5:38-43)."

The nurse was removed and Liz, though deathly ill, began to dramatically improve. Yesterday, Liz was moved to the Rehab department of Scott and White. This is the staging area for her triumphant return home. There, she will have to undergo 4 hours of intense physical therapy a day to regain her strength, agility, and ability to rise up and walk in Jesus' name (Acts 3:1-9)! We need to pray for this process and also one more prayer of concern. Liz's eyes have suffered through this ordeal. The combination of the lesions and chemo have done some damage to her eyes. Her tear ducts are scarred and closed. Because of this, tears constantly drip from her eyes and she suffers with much burning and itching. The doctors cannot treat this condition until Liz has completed her chemo treatments which may take a few more months. Let us go to the "Great Physician" who is not bound by time, matter, or space and beseech him to heal Liz's eyes now.

Saints, we are on the verge of every prayer being answered and Liz 's full recovery. News of this has traveled far and wide. Many lives have been touched and changed. We are so grateful. Recently, a Chrsitian film company contacted me and they too have been moved by this miracle. As a result, they want to do a documentary that will prayerfully continue to give God great glory and continue to touch and change lives as well. We love you all!

IN KING JESUS' SERVICE,

Rusty

March 1, 2005

Dear Champion of the Lord and the Pre-born,

The Lord richly bless you! There have neen numerous brothers and sisters that have contacted me proclaiming how Liz's ordeal has improved and increased their prayer lives. Your prayers, my friends, have not been in vain, but splendidly answered. To where Liz once was, to where she is now, is nothing short of a miracle. This is not just my opinion. I talked with one of the Oncology doctors and asked his "professional opinion." He also admitted Liz was an "amazing case" in so many ways.

Liz is talking. No longer a whisper, but substance and strength have returned to her voice. She gets out of bed and uses a wheel chair. Yesterday, she actually made it outside the hospital twice. The second time was to greet and surprise me. It worked!

Today is a big day for Liz. The doctors have decided to remove two of the remaing tubes that Liz has endured for quite some time. The feeding tube is coming out and the side tube that drained her liver bile is also being removed. Another clear sign she is recovering through the great mercy of God.

We are hoping that through God's touch and intense physical therapy Liz will regain her strength in her feet, ankles, and legs. From being so long in a hospital bed, her body has atrophied. Please pray as the word declares, "Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ancle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God: And they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him (Acts 3:1-10).

Two things will hasten Liz return home, nutrition and exercise. Rejoice with us and continue to pray till God completes what He has certainly begun in our lives. We are grateful to each and everyone of you who have stood with us, prayed, cried, believed, and supported us. We owe you a debt of love. May God return to each and everyone one of you a double portion in your time of great need. Thank You!

IN KING JESUS' SERVICE,

Rusty

February 21, 2005

Bothers and Sisters,

I talked with Rusty about three hours ago, 7:30pm EST, Monday, Feb 21.We had a great talk for a few minutes. Then he said, "I have someone that wants to talk to you". I thought that David Lackey had finally made his way down to Texas , like he said he would, and that I would hear his rasping, grating, irritating voice. But no, it wasn't David Lackey I talked to, it was Liz Thomas! Can you believe it was Liz Thomas! I was talking with Liz Thomas! I could hardly breathe. I asked her the brilliant question that most of us in OR/OSA would ask, "Is that really you, Liz?." She said, "Yes it's me."

The first thing she told me was, "God is so good." She spoke slowly and articulated each word carefully. I was overcome by joy and screaming the good news to Faye who was seated next to me in the car. She whooped and I whopped and we just had a time in that car. Joy exploded in our hearts as the truth was rapidly becoming more clear. We were actually speaking with Liz Thomas on the telephone.

The miracle is now in progress and your prayers are touching the very heart of God himself. Miracle, after miracle, after miracle, are now common place in the hospital room that contains our precious sister, Liz Thomas. Hallelujah! Thank you, Jesus!

In Christian Love,

Flip

PS- I asked Rusty about the chemo and the fact that it was supposed to make Liz worse because it kills so many cells. He assured me that that's what is supposed to happen, but in Liz's case she is getting better and better every single day. This is astonishing, not only to Rusty and to all of us, but to the staff at the hospital as well. God answers prayer.

"He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust; His truth shall be thy shield and buckler." Psalm 91:4

February 18, 2005

Dear Champion of the Lord and the Unborn,

The Lord richly bless you! A few days ago Liz took a downward swing. She became immobile, listless, and non-responsive. Her eyes went back into her head and the situation looked dire. I remember grabbing her shoulders and telling her firmly that there were 11 good reasons (I was referring, of course, to our children) for her to live and not die and declare the wonderful works of God. "Don't give up, don't give in, fight girl fight!"

Afterwards Flip Benham and John Reyes came in and we decided to bring the entire family to see Liz. It had been about 40 days since our children had seen their ailing mom. Since Liz was struggling, I had second doubts about the children seeing her. Flip encouraged me to press on and allow it. It was a good call. Two by two the children came in and as they did the Lord reconnected our children to their mom. For most of them, they had become detached and the suffering of their mom was not quite real. The realness became established and the sweet release of many tears flowed.

It seemed right afterwards Liz began to improve dramatically. In fact, yesterday she stood up and her heels touched the ground. This is the first time in about two months. The doctors and the nurse were amazed. They did not expect this to happen for another two weeks.

Then something extraordinary transpired. Yesterday the doctors came in and said that Liz's skin condition was related to the Lymphoma. I was blown away. For weeks they had told me it wasn't. They claimed it was a form of herpes. I decided to verify this claim. For if this was true, we were witnessing a miracle of a far greater magnitude. Indeed, the doctors verified she contracted what is called Paraneoplastic Pemphigus, a technical name that carries with it a deadly consequence. The skin turns on itself and devours itself. There is a 90% mortality rate. For Liz to be improving under these conditions is even a greater testimony of God's power then we first imagined.

PRAYER ALERT

There are two prayer requests as we enter this next phase of treatment. Liz has not been aware of what she has been through for almost two months. She is now awakening and beginning to realize the toll it has taken upon her. She is somewhat frightened by it. Her appearance has dramatically changed and it is now a daunting battle for her mind. She asked me to pray for her because "The devil wants to drive me crazy." We rebuked that lie and prayed that every thought would be brought under the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).

Secondly, Liz has taken her second round of chemo. In a few days her system will take another dip. We need to prayer that the Lord will carry her through and the chemo will do its awful, yet wonderful work with no ill side-effects.

Liz needs to eat and get more calories digested. She also needs to exercise. The more she does, the quicker we can get her home.

P.S. Our children's behavior has ministered to the staff of this hospital. It has opened more doors to witness for the Lord and the importance of homeschooling. Some are listening with greater intent to the Word of God.

IN KING JESUS' SERVICE,

Rusty

February 17 2005 Update and Testimonies

Dear Champion of the Lord and the Unborn,

LIZ's UPDATE

The Lord richly bless you! Liz continues to improve. Yesterday, her nose tube was removed, she is breathing on her own, and she even ate pizza. (Flip was so proud!) She is also beginning to speak, and after two months, she has a lot to say. It is so amazing to witness this transformation and we are so very grateful to our Lord for bringing her back from the shadow of death to the land of the living.

We still need to pray for her due to her receiving her second round of chemo yesterday. She handled it initially like a champ, but there will be some difficult days ahead as it performs its awful and yet wonderful work. Our prayer is though Liz may drink something deadly, it shall not harm her (Mark 16:18 ). May the chemo just do what it was sent to do, destroy the cancer and leave well enough alone.

TESTIMONY # 1

My sister just called and related an outstanding testimony that touched her life. I'm not completely sure where my sister is with the Lord, but I'm sure He is moving upon her life through Liz's ordeal. My sister works at a fairly fancy restaurant. A Christian family came in, whom my sister served. Michelle was impacted by their polite, respectful behavior. Before eating, the family was getting ready to say grace when all of a sudden one of the daughters went to Michelle and ask her if she had need of any prayer for herself or a loved one. Michelle told me that she was literally frozen by this offer. She said, "she had goose bumps on her goose bumps" as tears began to flood her eyes. She shared with them the plight of her sister-in-law and the family prayed fervently for Liz's recovery.

My sister was impacted greatly by this gesture. The family left her a sizable tip, along with a note on a napkin. It was written to encourage her that God knows and cares for her and for my wife.

TESTIMONY # 2

Yesterday at our local Planned Parenthood abortion mill, the faithful came to the gates of hell to stand in the gap and to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. Because of their willingness to reach out to those who find themselves in a place where they ought not be, God moved to spare the life of precious baby made in His image.

This is how it happened. As Christians were making up the hedge around Planned Parenthood, a young Hispanic man pulled up and asked our brothers and sisters, "Is there any other abortion clinic around here?" They replied, "This is the only one." He responded, "The reason why I am here is because I just found out that my sister has a 9:30 appointment to have an abortion. I thought maybe if she sees me here, she might just change her mind." He was visibly upset.

The saints gathered about him to stand with him, pray, and to trust God for a miracle. As they were seeking the Lord about this crucial situation, lo and behold, her car pulled out of the Planned Parenthood parking lot. Seeing his sister leave the young man stated, "I'm just going to wait a little while longer just in case she decides to come back."

A little later on, he received a phone call from his wife relaying the joyous news, "Your sister is at our house and she wants to keep her baby!" With tears streaming down his face he passed the message unto those who stood with him during this trial. He personally shook hands and thanked every person who cared enough to be out there for him, his sister, and her pre-born baby.

Afterwards, Pastor Ronnie had the opportunity to minister to him and give him follow-up information that will help his sister bring the baby to term.

The saints found out later that the main reason why this woman decided to keep her baby was because she didn't want to face all those people who stood on the sidewalk representing Jesus, righteousness, and the plight of her child. Praise be to God!

IN KING JESUS' SERVICE,

Rusty

February 16, 2005 Report 2

NOW HERE THIS, 7:25 EST February 16, 2005 LIZ THOMAS IS SPEAKING!

You heard it right! She is speaking! Not only that, she had some pizza earlier this evening. Rusty told me "OSA would be proud, but welcome to CiCi's "(a pizza place where Flip and the whole crew go when they break their fast on Tuesday). Liz weathered the chemotherapy well this afternoon and we appear to be on the road to complete and total recovery.

THANK YOU JESUS!

Cassia is taking care of Liz along with Miss Rhonda (one of the Thomas family friends). Cassia understands every Word mom speaks.

Enjoy! Amen.

Flip

February 16, 2005 Report 1

Saints,

Just talked to Rusty this morning, 11 am EST, he told me some great news. They have taken Liz off the oxygen and she actually sat up for almost six hours yesterday. All of the doctors are very encouraged by this. The mass on her pancreas, the issue we spoke about almost a month and a half ago, is no longer there. The doctors are amazed at this miraculous turn for the good. She will be undergoing another chemo treatment today.

Rusty said he sang about eight choruses out of a song book to Liz. He said that the presence of the Lord filled the room and their eyes filled with tears. Liz attempted to mouth the words of the song. As a matter of fact, she tried to get one of the nurse's to sing with her. I said "Rusty, I know why Liz's eyes were filled with tears. It's because her ears were filled with pain from listening to you sing."

The older girls are taking turns watching over Mom. Hope these words of encouragement are as much a blessing to you as they are to all of us. Thank you for your prayers, keep contending for the full and complete healing of Liz Thomas.

Be greatly encouraged in the name of King Jesus,
Flip

"The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble,. He cares for those who trust in Him. " Nahum 1:7

February 14, 2005 Report 2

The Lord richly bless you! Brother Flip Benham and John Reyes came for the weekend to minister to Liz and bless our children. Their presence was a joy and comfort to our family. Liz, though very weak, was encouraged and touched by their love, prayers, and support.

This weekend much has transpired on Liz's road to recovery. Flip sent out a couple of updates. There is one other testimony that is worth telling as well. During one visit by our favorite nurse Christene, a German lady who is definitely old school in her approach to treating Liz (she is a drill sergeant) began to ask about our faith. This opened the door to minister the Gospel of the Kingdom and the Christian faith that has the power to save her soul. She asked a lot of good questions and we directed her to God's word for the answers. At the end, I gave her a tract we wrote that utilizes the Ten Commandments to convict her of sin. It reveals the desperate need for man to repent and acknowledge the truth, so we can be birthed into God's Kingdom and be added to His Church.

After she left, Liz became a little agitated and tried to communicate something to me. Our good friends, Denise Bagby and Rhonda Williams were present, so I called them over to try and decipher what she was saying. Finally, we began to understand what she wanted. Liz heard the testimony and wanted us to pray for Christene. I was floored. Here she was needing as much prayer mankind could offer and her concern was for Christene.

Once again, Liz in a state of weakness witnessed the strength of the Lord to others. She is one remarkable women and she continues to minister in spite of this ordeal.

Thanks to all who continue to stand in the gap and make up the hedge for Liz. Though she is out of the ICU, there is still much danger abounding. This is not a bad confession. Faith does not deny fact, it just has the power to change fact. We are not Christian Scientists who practice mind over matter and pretend reality doesn't exist. The Bible tells us that many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers us out of them all. The afflictions are real and no magic words can deny that, but so is God's deliverance. We know of the affliction and we are seeking God for Liz's deliverance. He is answering our prayers one step at a time. I pray you continue as well.

IN KING JESUS' SERVICE,

Rusty

February 14, 2005 Report 1

Brothers and Sisters,

Just finished our wonderful visit with Rusty, the kids, all the brothers and sisters in Waco, and Miss Liz. It was truly a magnificent time in the Lord, I will tell you about that in just a second. Tomorrow morning they are going to begin radical chemotherapy on Miss Liz. The cancerous lymphoma is virulent (it attacks everything and it must be killed). Rusty told me that this was the second "commitment" move. It must be taken if Liz is to live.

Now let me backup and tell you what happened this weekend. When I first saw Miss Liz she recognized me and we just had a wonderful time together. Yesterday we brought all of the Thomas Nation to Liz's room. For the first time in forty days the kids were able to see their mom and what a memorable moment it was. The first to see Miss Liz were Torah Grace and Jeremiah Flip. Liz rose up and starred lovingly into the eyes of her two youngest children, no words were spoken. She couldn't speak. But love has its way of making itself known. It was as if she was taking pictures to remember them forever.

Then all the rest of the kids had an opportunity to see Mom. There were tears and laughs and joy unspeakable as each one had an opportunity to tell mom that they loved her. What happened next was a God like moment. The girls began to sing, then the boys began to sing. The music and praise to Jesus filled that little room. As the songs continued the nurses opened the doors of the other rooms so that the patients in the other rooms could hear. It was as if the angels in Heaven themselves were singing over this wonderful mother, this precious wife, this powerful woman of God. The name of Jesus was lifted up. Destiny read over her mother Psalm 34, Shekinah read for her mom Psalm 121. We prayed, we laughed, we sang. Miss LIz was reunited with her family once again, and for this we give all praise and glory to our Father who is not only in Heaven but here with us right now. WE LOVE YOU JESUS!

Engaged in the Battle for Liz Thomas,

Flip Benham

February 11, 2005

At 10:43 CST I had the most glorious opportunity to see Liz Thomas face to face. In our Bible reading schedule in the Old Testament, I recalled a Scripture in Genesis 33:10, "...For to see your face is like seeing the face of God...." I looked into Liz's eyes and she saw me. She really saw me. She pointed to the picture of all the kids. There were several pictures there and I lifted them up and asked her which one was her favorite. She pointed it out to me.

Back to Gen 33:10. When I saw Liz, I saw the very face of God. She is on the mend and in miraculous ways. God's handiwork is so evident that it made tears come to my eyes. Rusty, John Reyes, and I were in awe of what our God is doing in our sister Liz. I shared that Scripture with Liz and told her that Jacob was equally amazed when he saw the change in his brother's countenance.

Esau had for years consoled himself with the thought of killing his brother. God changed his heart - only God could. Instead of killing his brother, he threw his arms around Jacob's neck and wept.

Yes, indeed, seeing the face of his brother Esau and the changed countenance upon it, was like seeing the very face of God. Jesus Himself is healing Liz Thomas. Rusty reminded Liz that she was going to be alright. That Jesus is bring her through this refiners fire. Liz, on several occasions as we spoke, had tears in her eyes.

But listen to this brothers and sisters, she recognizes us. She is with us. And God Himself is going to complete the marvelous work which He has begun in her body.

Rusty has some faithful ladies that have stayed by Liz's bedside and helped with the kids. They have done everything you can imagine and beyond. They are here with us this morning with smiles on their faces. We are all smiling and laughing and rejoicing in the Name of King Jesus.

There's a long way home to complete healing for Liz, but we wanted you to know this truly remarkable miracle. She is with us because He is with her, and with us.

We will be celebrating three of the Thomas kiddos birthdays tomorrow having hamburgers and hotdogs. The kids will be able to see their mom for the first time in more than a month this Sunday afternoon.

Thank you for your continued prayers,
Flip

More on Liz

Flip called with a little tid bit of what is happening at the hospital today. They are all very encouraged!

The nurse comes out while we are sitting by the elevators. She motions for Rusty and says, " I want to show you something." He goes in and Liz is SITTING UP on the bed. At that point, Rusty says, "Will you marry me?" Liz just gives him a look and Rusty says, "You know Valentine's Day is just around the corner." Liz lifts her eyebrow to her husband. She also gave us a thumbs up when we told her that her children would be able to visit her on Sunday.

February 10, 2005

Liz came off the respirator today. This is a major answer to prayer. She is still somewhat struggling, but holding steady. Hopefully she will be removed from ICU in a day or two. Keep praying. It is certainly working. We love you all!

IN KING JESUS' SERVICE,
Rusty

Febuary 9, 2005

Saints,

I just got good news from Rusty last night. Not only is he looking into Liz's eyes and speaking with her but she is doing her level best to communicate with him. It appears that in every area Liz is improving and has been for the past five days. We are all guardedly optimistic about this wonderful answer to prayer. They have run a tube down her throat and found her lungs and throat clean. This may mean that she will be off the ventilator by tomorrow. Praise God. Please keep praying and we will keep you updated.

In Christian Love,

Flip

"Now thanks be unto God, which ALWAYS causeth us to triumph in Christ, ..."

2 Cori. 2:14a

P.S. Liz came off the respirator today. This is a major answer to prayer. She is still somewhat struggling, but holding steady. Hopefully she will be removed from ICU in a day or two. Keep praying. It is certainly working. We love you all!

IN KING JESUS' SERVICE,

Rusty

February 7, 2005

From Flip:

Just got the news today that when Rusty came in to see Liz this morning, she opened her eyes. Rusty was startled and began to rejoice. That is the first time he has looked into those eyes in weeks. The redness and burn-like conditions all over her skin, and especially on her back, seem to be clearing up. They are wanting desperately to get her off the respirator. It appears everything is a go except the sores around her mouth and throat that make it very difficult for her to cough. Please pray for that situation today. Rusty is greatly encouraged. He wanted us to get this news to you ASAP. Thank you for your prayers.

I will be going down to see Rusty and to spend some time with the kids at the end of the week.

February 1, 2005

Dear praying and fasting brothers and sisters,

I Just got off the phone with Rusty. The skin biopsy they did on Liz has returned without a trace of lymphoma. This is good news and Rusty was greatly relieved. Now this doesn't have anything to do with the lymphoma she is fighting in her body. Chemo is dealing with that and her white blood cell count is rising. The problem now is with her lungs. The doctors believe that Liz may have a staff infection in her lungs. It is so difficult for her to breathe. She is on the respirator and in critical condition. For those of us that are fasting today, allow your hunger to draw you right into the presence of Almighty God as you battle in the heavenlies for our precious sister Liz!

Rusty was able to make it home to be with the kids yesterday. They were listening to some praise and worship music when one song came on that traced Jesus through every book in the Bible. Rusty said, "It was as if all heaven broke open. Tears began to freely flow. Destiny ran up and threw her arms around me. All of us wept and loved on one another. The very presence of God descended upon that room and upon all the kids." Hallelujah! JESUS IS VICTORIOUS! Jesus is victorious in every book of the Bible - we don't have to wait until the end to see who wins. He wins on every single page. And if He does, so do all of us who place our faith in Him!

Our road may be rough. Our companions may be few. But He is always there to bring us through. Jesus, please be especially close to Liz, Rusty, and all the kids today.

In Christian love,

Flip

January 28, 2005
From Flip:

Liz is still on the respirator. Praise Jesus, her white blood cell count is coming up. Rusty was able to spend the night with their children last night. He is encouraged. Thank you for your faithful prayers on behalf of our sister Liz.

January 26, 2005
Just received a call from Rusty this morning 10:30 EST, January 26, 2005. They're taking Liz back to ICU. She can't breathe. She needs to be back on the respirator. This is not a good turn. Rusty is really struggling, but he told me, "the Anchor holds." He said that as he was singing praise songs over Liz just a few minutes ago, she lifted her hands and then gave the Lord a clap offering. Rusty burst into tears. This girl he married is still praising the Lord. What a witness of our Lord's marvelous grace is Liz Thomas. Please pray. We know you have been.

January 25, 2005
From Flip:

I spoke with Rusty last night, January 24, 2005. Liz is gaining strength and is alert. Rusty said that she is frustrated because she is still unable to speak due to the respirator being down her throat for so long. One of her greatest concerns is that she is wondering if she resembles the person she knew herself to be. Of course, Rusty assures her that she is. She is still swollen from the fluids due to the infection. She asked for a mirror, but Rusty thought that might not be a good idea at this moment. Be encouraged! Please continue to pray for her complete recovery. God is doing a miracle!

January 22, 2005
From Flip:

Today, January 22, 2005, it looks as though Liz is able to stay off the respirator. The doctors believe they may be able to move her into a private room. Rusty is very encouraged and all can see the hand of God at work. Let's continue to pray for Liz's full recovery and thank our Heavenly Father for the encouragement today.

January 21, 2005 - 2 pm
From Flip:

Just talked to Rusty at 2:00 CST, January 21, 2005. Liz has been off the respirator for the past three hours, breathing well. She is conscious but she can't open her eyes. An eye doctor came to see if her eyes were alright. They are. Then the eye doctor left for about a minute and then returned. He asked Rusty, "May I please pray for you, for Liz, and for your family?" Rusty, weeping now, said, "Yes, Go for it." The doctor prayed an anointed prayer over him.

Rusty has been noting that many of the hospital staff, doctors, nurses, and technicians have been stepping out of their professional vocations to speak to him as Christian brothers and sisters and to pray. This is not a Christian hospital. People have simply been emboldened to lift up the name of Jesus, not worrying about professional consequences.

Today, I am in St Louis with Daniel and Angela Michael. At the gates of hell, in Granite City's Hope Clinic for Women, the assistant director of the abortion mill, Allison Hile, stopped and for the first time in five years, spoke to me. She asked, "How is Liz?" I was stunned. I asked her if she really wanted to know and she said she did. I told her the whole story and I could see the compassion and concern on her face. I asked her if she was a Christian, she just pointed to the place she worked in and said, "I can't deal with this now."

You see, Liz is having a powerful impact upon so many people though she lays in a hospital bed. Her witness, though she can't speak, her life, her testimony, and her family speak volumes. Even to the enemies of the cross. Perhaps through all of this, many who are enemies of Christ will become friends of His. Remember, all of us where once enemies of Christ and now He has become our very best friend.

The doctors are desperately trying to get her into a private room because her immune system is very low. Pray the Great Physician will bring her full and complete healing.

Rusty, through all of this, shared with me today, that God is bringing him into such a rich understanding of His Word that his heart is overflowing with joy. He knows that Liz is in just the right hands. And his faith in Almighty God and His provision has grown and brought him to places that he has never seen.

January 20, 2005 - 9:45 am
From Flip:

I spoke with Rusty around 9:45 EST on January 20, 2005 . Liz is still in ICU. Rusty was just apprised that Liz has received chemo for the past five days. The magnitude of the cancer is far greater than we knew. The doctors are trying their very best to get Liz off of the ventilator. She was taken off for two hours the day before yesterday and then two and a half hours yesterday. They want to get her into a private room, but cannot until she is able to be completely off the respirator.

In my human eyes, I cannot imagine what this family is going through, but I know this one thing to be true - that God's grace is sufficient. "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9.

January 17, 2005
From Flip:

I spoke with Rusty yesterday morning, Monday January 17. Liz continues to recover well and they are hoping that they can move her from ICU and bring her into a private room. This is good news. Rusty is greatly encouraged and so are all of us. Please keep Liz in your prayers. Our God is an awesome God.

January 16, 2005 - 2:30
From Flip:

I spoke with Rusty at 2:30 est on Sunday, January 16, 2004. He is guardedly
encouraged. For the first time in six days he was able to look into the
eyes of his wife Liz. He said that it caused him to weep as he was able to
communicate with her and her eyes flooded with tears. At first she thought
she was paralized for they had her strapped down. Rusty assured her that
everything was allright and then asked a series of questions and though she
can't speak, she nodded in answer to every question. Rusty said she was
remarkably coherant. He saw something new in his wife. Not only is she a
remarkable mother, a loving wife, and an encourager beyond compare, she is a
fighter! She is battling with everything in her. And she is aware that
there are those storming heaven, battling on her behalf and praying for her
healing. We leave you with this report and dare not say more. Keep Liz in
your prayers. We love you all and thank you.

January 14, 2005 - 10:30 & 11:30 am
From Flip:

I spoke with Rusty this morning (10:30 am EST). The doctors decided they need to start immediately treating the cancer in Liz. Though Liz's vital signs are not good, they believe that this is the only option that they have left. In the exploratory surgery yesterday, they found nothing except an increased growing of the cancer. Believe me when I say, we do not know what is going on and neither do the doctors.

Rusty is going home for a short time now in order to take care of the family. Liz's mom is with her in the hospital. As we read our Bible schedule today we were providentially directed to the Bible verse that Liz has laid claim to in Matthew 9:21 "For she said to herself, 'If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.' Let us all pray and intercede on Liz's behalf that she may indeed touch the hem of Jesus' garment.

I just talked with Rusty again (11:30 am EST) and they have decided to do chemo immediately. They have no other options. The next week will determine whether or not Liz will make it through this. I reminded Rusty of Liz's verse in our Bible reading schedule today. Rusty reminded me, "Flip, sometimes we can't reach out for His garment, we are just too weak .... and Liz is so weak right now. We have to ask God to spread His garment over her. Sometimes we are just too frail to reach out any longer."

Let's all pray that the Great Physician himself will reach down, spread His garment over Liz and bring healing to her in Jesus mighty name.

January 13, 2005 - 10:10 am
From Flip:
I just received a call from Rusty about 10:10 am, on Thursday January 13. Liz is going in to exploratory surgery this afternoon. The doctors are not yet able to get a handle on what is causing the infection. Rusty has shared with me that he can always rely on the Word of God for it never changes or varies; it is always just and true. Not so the words of men.

The doctors think they have this infection figured out, and then they realize they don't have it figured out at all. They are doing their very best. But they are realizing more and more that they are but men. They are realizing that they are not the ones that could bring healing to Liz. Only God can do that. Today they are doing exploratory surgery in Liz to attempt to find the cause of the infection.

Liz is doing much better with her vital signs, thank God. We need to continue to pray that Liz can touch the hem of Jesus' garment and be healed. Rusty says he can feel the prayers and knows you are lifting his hands up on behalf of his precious wife Liz. Keep praying. Don't be discouraged. Fight the good fight in prayer and stand in the gap on behalf of Liz Thomas and the entire Thomas nation. And thank you all so much for your faithfulness in this difficult battle. I know that Rusty would say the same.

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God , the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day......Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:1-5,10 (NIV)

January 12, 2005 - 2:30pm
From Flip:
I just got news from Rusty 2:06 EST January 12, that a miracle is taking place. As we have been fasting, praying and apprehending the heavenlies on Liz's behalf, her request to touch the hem of His garment is being answered. A miracle is in the process of taking place. As we have been doing everything that we know to do, believing the Great Physician, whose name is Jesus. Every symptom, every culture, every vital sign on Liz has shown dramatic improvement.

Temporarily, the whole idea of exploratory surgery has been put off, thank God! The doctors are giving her a couple of days of recuperation and they are going to insert another tube to clear the fluids from her lungs. Rusty was even laughing with me on the telephone as he recounted this wonderful occurrence. He is beside himself in joy, giving all praise to our Father in Heaven. I asked Rusty if he was able to speak with Liz, he told me, “We sing, we pray, we talk to her all the time. All the folks in the hospital say 'this is crazy' and it is crazy! But the personnel in the hospital are seeing our mighty God at work."

Liz is still going to have to deal with the cancer. They are looking at giving her a first chemo treatment this week.

Rejoice in the Lord. Thank you for your prayers and thank King Jesus for His answer to our prayers.

Just got a call from Denny Green, one of the Philly Four. They have been praying for Liz, along with multiples of people from across the nation. I told them we are praying for them too, and to give them Heaven in Philadelphia . Rejoice in the Lord all ye saints and give Him praise.

January 11, 2005 - 10:10pm
From Flip -
We just received a report from Rusty this evening at 10:10pm eastern standard time, Tuesday Jan 11. The doctors reported to Rusty that Liz is in decline. They do not know what is poisoning her body. They are going to perform another surgery tomorrow. We don't at this time know what that will encompass. As you can imagine Rusty was in tears as he made the report. We were in tears when we received the report. We are certain that many of you are in tears right now. But we cannot despair. We must fight this battle in the heavenlies by faith through Jesus Christ the Great Physician. When all this was at its beginning stages, Liz shared with Gib and the kids the Scripture verse found in Matt 9:21 : "...If only I could touch His cloak, I will be healed." That is Liz's desire and let us all pray that Liz is able touch His cloak and be healed.

January 11, 2005
Our dear sister Liz Thomas is in ICU in respiratory distress. She is desperately in need of our prayers. Many of us fast and pray from sundown Tuesday to sundown Wednesday. It is my prayer we will all join together and every time the hunger pain hits we will pray and lift up Liz to the mercy seat of God. Time seems dire now. Let us intercede on behalf of our sister and place her in the hands of the Great Physician. Doctors, as wonderful as they all have been, do not know what to do. Our brother Rusty is shaken to his very core. He was traveling home this evening to speak with the kids. Liz's mother caught the 4'oclock bus this afternoon in Georgia and is traveling quickly to see her daughter. Pray for the healing, mercy and grace of Almighty God to be poured into Liz.

In His Service,

Flip

January 10
Fellow believers in Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

It is with a very heavy heart that I ask all of you to fast and pray once again for our dear sweet sister Liz Thomas. She was supposed to have bone marrow surgery today. They were unable to do that but had to do another surgery to help her breathe. We have no explanation as to why her lungs and heart cavity are filling up with fluid. She is now on a respirator. She needs a touch from Our Lord. Please pray. Liz is a very special young woman. For those of you who don't know her, you're missing a great deal. Her selflessness, her glow for the Lord is evident in her speech, and life. When I talked with her last week, her first words were, "Hello, sweetie, how are you?" I want to tell her I'm broken, I'm so sorry, I wish I could hold her, I wish I could take some of the pain. We're talking about the Mother of 10 children. She's been so strong, so loyal. Saints, step up and storm the gates of heaven for the Lord's mercy.

Thank you,
Your servant of the Most High God,
Donna Lippoldt

January 9, 2005
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.“ Psalm 46:1-2.

Dear Champion of the Lord and the Unborn,

The Lord richly bless you! I have purposely held off from sending updates because the news was happening so fast and furious. Where it used to be from week to week and day to day, it is now moment to moment.

My precious wife has overcome so much to be with us still. I'm convinced it is the prayers of the saints and the mercy of God that has spared her to this point. The doctors are simply playing catch up. Many dangerous, life-threatening conditions have come upon Liz without the doctors being fully aware of what is transpiring. This is no slam against the doctors. Liz has received exceptional care, but man is a limited creature despite all of our knowledge, experience, and technology.

The following list can give you an idea of what our Lord is bringing Liz through. Liz was readmitted back into the hospital due to shortness of breath. Through the process of elimination they narrowed it down to three possible causes. A: Fluid around the heart or in the lungs, B: Huge blood clot, where particles may have broken off and settled in her lungs, and C: The Lymphoma weakening her immune system.

Liz's blood clot is located in the right internal jugular vein. The clot reaches from her elbow to her shoulder and neck. This alone could have killed her, but she is still fighting.

Her lungs are filled with fluid. The doctors are not sure if it is double pneumonia or not. The bottom line is we are still battling the fluids. At one point a heart specialist came in concerned about fluids compressing upon Liz's heart. She almost had to have another surgery to open her chest in order to drain any excess fluids around her heart. Thankfully, it was not necessary.

Liz is battling extreme fatigue. As a result, we had to limit and in some cases cease hospital visitations. Many care and want to do something to show their concern. We all need an outlet to demonstrate the compassion of the Lord towards Liz. The best way now is to continue to pray. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of your prayers. I truly believe it has been Liz's life line. You may also encourage folks to send cards with notes of encouragement, Scriptures and prayers. I'll be sure to read them to Liz. Our mailing address is P.O. Box 3126, Waco, TX. 76707.

The next battle is with increased amounts of white blood cells. She is running between the 50-60,000 count. It is suppose to be about a 10,000 count. The doctors think this condition is cause by either fighting off infection, which Liz has had to struggle with almost constantly, or they possibly thought it was Leukemia. Thankfully they ruled out Leukemia and believe it is her body trying to fight off the Lymphoma.

Liz has had to struggle with constant blood withdrawals. Her veins are wore out and hard to find. She gets stuck 3 to 4 times in a very limited area each time. They can't draw from one arm due to the blood thinner that runs through the IV. This deals with the blood clot. And the arm with the blood clot, they have to confine themselves below her elbow. Her arms are badly bruised and infected.

Her initial bilinary drain was dislodged. This caused toxins and fluid to build up once again in her abdomen. They had to do another and has caused frequent pain for Liz. This has caused some more infection for Liz to deal with. Thankfully, she is draining once again.

Liz has urinary tract infection, trush, yeast infection, virus in eyes, and extreme dryness of hands and feet. They are literally cracking and bleeding. To top it off, Liz has difficulty in eating due to abdominal pain and bloating. She also has inflamed Hemorrhoids to contend with as well.

All this has transpired in the last couple of days. Prayerfully, the worst is over and we can begin to concentrate on the culprit Lymphoma. Tomorrow will be another tough day for Liz. She has to go under to put in a port that will be the facilitator for chemo treatment and she will have a painful bone marrow biospy. This, I believe, helps them to determine the type of Lymphoma which in turn will determine what type of chemo treatment.

This has been the ride, my friends. We are hanging on to the Lord. Though life is throwing much at us, the Lord Jesus Christ is the anchor that holds.

IN KING JESUS' SERVICE,

Rusty

January 6, 2005
Dear Saints,
We are now being told that Liz did not have double Pneumonia. The breathing problems began because a blood clot formed in her jugular vein and traveled to her lungs. The doctors have given her Hepron to thin the clot. The blood clot certainly formed as a result of all the surgeries Liz has undergone. Her heart is also now enlarged. The reason for this is unknown.

Rusty told Flip that the tests that were performed on Liz today were grueling. Faye spoke with Liz on the phone and said she was very weak and able to speak only a few words. Sometimes we simply don't know what to pray, but please keep Liz in the throne room of God. The Thomas family needs us to hold up their arms and bear this alongside them.

Wednesday, January 5, 2005

Liz went back into the hospital January 5. She now has Pneumonia. Please pray for our dear sister. She is struggling with all her might as weak as she is.

Dear Saints,

I just talked to Cori and Charity Thomas. Please continue to pray for Liz Thomas, she is back in the hospital now with double pneumonia. Liz is the wife of Rusty Thomas, a courageous prolife national leader (for those of you that don't know him). Liz had trouble breathing last night. They went to the doctors this morning and she was admitted again because of pneumonia in both lungs.

I can't say enough about this family. They have ten children. They love the Lord and would do anything to serve and be obedient to Him. My heart breaks for what they have been going through now for the past month. A miracle is needed to bring Liz back to health. Thank you for praying.

We need to stand on the promises of God for this precious family.

Marilyn Carroll

"But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds, " declares the Lord. Jeremiah 30:17

Monday, January 3, 2005
From Flip:

I just received a report from Rusty and Liz and was able to pray with both of them over the phone. The report that we have is not good. It appears that Liz is dealing with a virulent form of lymphoma. It is cancer and the doctors are going to begin radical treatment as soon as Liz is able. Right now, as you can imagine, Liz is very weak. We have to pray for her strength and nourishment that she might be able to undergo the treatments that stand before her. It also appears that the doctors are going to have to remove some of her bone marrow from her hip.

The message for the Thomas family is "There are seasons in our lives. Winter has come, but God's grace will meet you at every point."

We know we have given you conflicting reports. We are simply reporting information as we get it. This has been a difficult illness to diagnose. I am sure this is an emotional roller coaster ride for the Thomas family. Please pray for Liz to regain her strength so that she can begin these treatments immediately. And of course, continue to pray for her complete healing in Jesus mighty name!

Sunday, December 26, 2004
Dear Champion of the Lord and the Unborn,

The Lord richly bless you! Liz continues to progress, to the point, the doctor with a big smile stated Liz can come home today. We are rejoicing. It will be so good to have what Psalm 128 declares, "Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee. Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table. Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord. The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life. Yea, thou shalt see thy children's children, and peace upon Israel."

The doctor seems relieved and is very positive about Liz's future. Our prayers and encouragement for Liz is now exercise, nutrition, and get ready for future treatments for the lymphoma on her pancreas. One point of clarity. This is not pancreatic cancer, but a lyphoma on the pancreas. The latter is much more treatable than the former. For this we give God all the praise, honor and glory!

Thanks to all who have prayed, wept, and stood with us. Your labor of love has not been in vain. May God return to you all the blessings you have bestowed upon us in Jesus' Holy and Mighty name. May you all have a prosperous New Year in God's Kingdom!

IN KING JESUS' SERVICE,

Rusty

Friday, December 24, 2004
Dear Champion of the Lord and the Unborn,

The Lord richly bless you and Merry Christmas! The mysterious saga continues. We are back on the roller coaster. The doctors, bless their hearts, are doing the best they can. Their prognosis changes from day to day, depending upon different tests, procedures, and second opinions. With that dilemma comes conflicting reports almost on a daily basis.

We have gone from the most serious of diagnosis to reports of Liz being cancer free and everything in between. I can not begin to tell you what this has done to our family emotionally, spiritually, and practically. Through it all we have run to the mercy seat of God and cried out to Him for help. Many of you have joined with us and we are sincerely grateful.

Liz is recuperating from the operation. There is some pain, infection, sleepless nights, but thankfully her bowels are functioning once again. This is the good news. The bad news came to us yesterday. Our doctor took several biopsies during Liz's operation. Though he could not find any trace of cancer, he sent it out for a second opinion. Yesterday, he told us the report is back and they found Lymphoma cancer on Liz's pancreas. Our hearts sunk. It was difficult to digest, especially after we were told she was cancer free.

We want you to know we never meant to mislead anyone or give a false report. We simply have passed on what the doctors have told us. Unfortunately it has changed from day to day. Quite frankly, we are struggling with how much stock we should invest in this latest report.

In some ways, this latest report, if true, brings some relief and closure. We can't fight an enemy who is a phantom. If this is Lymphoma on her pancreas, then a declaration of war is warranted. God's Word and prayer will now be specifically applied to the danger zone.

For those of you who are not wearied by the different reports, we invite you to continue to stand in the gap and make up the hedge for Liz and our family. if not, believe me, we understand. We love you all in Jesus' wonderful and holy name!

IN KING JESUS' SERVICE,
RUSTY THOMAS

Monday, December 20, 2004
Dear Champion of the Lord and the Unborn,

The Lord richly bless you! It appears the worse is over. The doctor who operated wants to be sure there is no cancer, so he sent out the several biopsy reports to get a second opinion. I guess it is difficult to include a supernatural element in the realm of hard science. Plus, I'm sure he just wants to be thorough and make sure he didn't miss anything.

Today, they will do one more procedure. They will sedate Liz and through her esophagus an instrument will place a stint in her closed duct. This will help to alleviate one more tube that she is connected to. She has had up to six. Prayerfully, this will be the final procedure and Liz will completely recover and soon will be home. Our hope is she will be home by Christmas. What a wonderful gift that will be.

Whatever this turns out to be, there is no question that Liz was on the threshold of death. God miraculously intervened. Again, thank you for the many prayers, letters, and phone calls that you sent to encourage the Thomas Nation. It girded us up during a very difficult time. God's word declares, "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers us out if them all Psalm 34:19)." His word remains true and faithful. Our response, "For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone (Psalm 86:10)."

IN KING JESUS' SERVICE,

Rusty

Friday, December 17, 2004 #2 Rejoice with the Thomas family

Dear Champion of the Lord and the Unborn,

The Lord richly bless you! He who is mighty has done a great thing! Every doctor that examined Liz was convinced she had some form of cancer. They opened her up today in surgery and searched. They found no trace. The euphoria of praise, thanksgiving, and worship our family is experiencing is exhilarating. There is no God like our God! He is Lord and there is no other! He is the God of miracles! (Yes, He still performs miracles today.)

To all who stood in the gap and made up the hedge, God heard our cries and was merciful. In fact, He answered our prayers exactly to the minute details. For a month Liz had been saying she wanted to trade in her torso and receive a new stomach (Who wouldn't after having 10 children?). Our prayer today was, "God let this surgery be it. No cancer, no need for treatments, and please no more procedures for Liz." Well, it came to pass and we give our Lord all the praise, glory, and honor. To top it off, it looks like Liz may have that new stomach she was asking for. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ is so good!

Please pass this on, shout it from the roof tops, and rejoice! This is the season and no doubt about it, Jesus is the reason. Please tell Him how much you love Him and Merry Christmas from a grateful and relieved family.

IN KING JESUS' SERVICE,

Rusty

Please continue to keep liz and the Thomas nation in prayer.

Friday, December 17, 2004 #1
Liz is being taken into surgery this afternoon. They are going to open her stomach, take out some lymph nodes (for testing I assume) and attempt to reroute some of her digestive organs so that she can get nourishment. Even though her coloring is better, she is still not able to hold down food. Please keep Liz in your prayers today as this is a fairly major surgery.

Thursday, December 16, 2004
Dear Champion of the Lord and the Unborn,

The Lord richly bless you! We still have not received a definitive report from the biopsy yet. The doctors, though, seem convinced it is lymphoma. Liz, as I write, is undergoing two more procedures. A "central line" is being placed in her upper chest area. This should help with nutrition, drawing blood, and if need be, chemo treatments.

The good news is Liz ate a little without throwing up and she even had a bowel movement, which she hasn't had in a couple of weeks. Something must be happening in order for this to be going on. We praise our Lord.

This morning I read to Liz Matthew 8 and 9. As we read of our Lord's healing, delivering, ministry, we prayed over each word, thanking God that he sent His word to heal us and to deliver us from destruction. Right after that a Christian radio station from St Louis called to get an update on Liz. The radio show is known as the Tim and Al show with KJSL. Our good friends Daniel and Angela Michaels have a show on this station as well. Anyway, we did the interview and then brother Tim prayed. He just happened to pray Matthew 8:1-17. The very words I just read seconds prior to the phone call.

Afterwards a nurse came to our room and asked if I would be a "witness" to a patient signing a document. After the patient listened to the document and signed, I put my signature on the document to bear witness that she signed it. As I was writing my name under the witness section, the Lord reminded me that in spite of this trial we are still His witnesses. Subsequently, I took the woman's hand and asked her if she was spiritually ready for death? Had she made peace with God through the merits of His Son, Jesus Christ? Was she ready to step into eternity? She responded with some fairy tale about paradise with a light over a lake.

I promptly told her what the Bible teaches about Jesus being the light of the world and the lake of fire. I told her there really was a heaven to gain, a hell to shun, and there really is a Savior who came to earth to redeem the souls of men by His precious blood. I pleaded with her to call upon the Lord, repent of her sins, and receive the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

With tears streaming down her face, she beseeched God to save her soul and to write her name in the Lamb's Book of Life. It was glorious to witness the love of God touch her life to give her a future and a hope for eternity.
Though the struggle is real and it pains me deeply to see my wife suffer,

time would fail me to write how much God is moving and using this situation for His glory. It is overwhelming to experience the outpour of God's love through His people. Thank you all so very much for being there for us with your prayers, love, and support. It means more than the feeble words I write through this message. We love you all!

IN KING JESUS' SERVICE,

Rusty

From Flip - The doctors still cannot nail down the root of this problem. Liz is beginning to do better. Her color is better. Her organs are functioning better. The doctors are baffled, but we are not! We serve the One who is our Healer!

Wednesday, December 15, 2004-
Many of you have been praying for Liz and we are seeing the very tangible results of that. Thank God! It is such a blessing to know that believers from all over the country are praying and interceding on her behalf. I remember when Rusty first called me with the news, he was shaken to his very core. His faith didn't waiver one iota but, as he is just a man, he was shaken beyond that which words can describe.

He is doing so much better now, and so are all the kiddos who are on the mend in the Thomas household. They got hit with a "roundhouse right" by life. It was totally unexpected. It had them reeling, but their foundation was sure and true. "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever!"

Many have offered advise on whether the "wholistic" approach or chemo would

be most advisable in Liz's case. There are probably a lot of other approaches that could be included in this. We don't even know what the diagnosis is yet. Believe me when I say that Rusty does not have a clue as to what God would have him do in regard to these approaches to treating cancer. He has never thought about the various treatments for cancer. So please don't be upset if he doesn't go your way.

I'm afraid that, in our good intentions to do the very best for Rusty and Liz, we might be burdening them with guilt over which approach to take. It is important for us to share with them information that God has given us that might help, but we want to be careful not to make them choose sides. They love you and need all of us to pray with one mind and one heart for Liz's complete healing.

God bless you all and thank you for your prayers,

In Christian love,

Flip

Tuesday, December 14-
Dear Champion of the Lord and the Unborn,

The Lord richly bless you! I just returned home last night to check in on our kiddos. Our baby Torah is the last to get hit with the stomach virus. It appears the house will be finally cleansed soon. Thank you Jesus!

As you know, Liz has been transferred to a new hospital called Scott and White. She is in room 422. Liz underwent another procedure yesterday. It is similar to the ERCP she experienced the other day. The difference is they have an ultra-sound mechanism at the end that is able to take more accurate pictures of her stomach. At the same time they performed a biopsy. From what we have heard thus far is Liz's Lymph Nodes are swollen and are restricting her small intestines. This accounts for the nausea, the inability to keep food down, and the jaundice. They are not 100 % sure, but the doctors suspect Lymphoma is the cause. We will have conclusive evidence once the report from the biopsy comes in. We are expecting that tomorrow.

Including in this report is a small explanation of Lymphoma. Our prayers right now need to focus in on nutrition for Liz. She hasn't had food stay in her for 13 days, plus no bowel movements. The choices are difficult, but some how they have to hook up a line either in her neck or side that pumps in the nutrition she needs to help her body fight this thing. Secondly, if this is Lymphoma, they will have to perform a bone marrow biopsy to determine what kind it is. From what my doctor told me, it is a painful procedure. After determining what type, they plan on scheduling chemo and/or radiation procedures to shrink the Lymph Nodes.

The bottom line is our prayers need to be: God shrink those Lymph Nodes. Obviously, it would be great if God performed the miracle and thus save Liz the painful ordeal of treatment. Sometime the cure can be worse than the disease.

Thanks to all of you who have stood with us during this trial of fire. We pray Liz and our family will come forth as gold. We love you all and wish you all a Merry Christmas!

IN KING JESUS' SERVICE,

Rusty

What is lymphoma?

Lymphoma is a form of cancer -- a disease of the body's cells. Normal, healthy cells grow, divide and replace themselves in an orderly manner. When cancer is present, the cells grow abnormally and may continue to grow out of control, forming too much tissue -- a tumor.

Lymphoma encompasses a variety of cancers specific to the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system is an important network of glands and vessels which make up the body's main line of defense against disease (immune system). This network manufactures and circulates lymph throughout the body. Lymph is a clear, watery fluid that contains white blood cells that fight infection and disease called lymphocytes. Along the network are bean-shaped organs called lymph nodes or glands. The nodes are responsible for the manufacture and storage of these infection-fighting cells. Lymph nodes are clustered in the neck, under the arms, in the groin and abdomen and may swell and become tender when the body is fighting infection (such as mono or strep throat).

When lymphoma occurs, some of the cells in the lymphatic system grow abnormally and out of control. Eventually, they may form a tumor which continues to grow as the cancerous cells reproduce. If all the cells are the same, they are called malignant or cancerous, because they will continue to grow and eventually harm the body's systems. Because there is lymph tissue throughout the body, the cancer cells may spread to other organs, or even into the bone marrow.

For more detailed information on the lymphatic system please visit:

www.lymphomainfo.net/lymphoma/lymphsys.html .

Monday, December 13, 2004-
They moved Liz to another hospital yesterday that is better equipped to deal with her condition. Her body is clearing somewhat. She is not as yellow, but now she has a staph infection where the IV was inserted. They will be doing the test on the mass in her pancreas today at 3:00. The family is doing better. Cassia and Charity are the only ones who did not get the virus that hit. It even hit Gib, but they are all doing better. Please continue to pray. As a missionary with a family of 12, we need to pray that God will provide financially for all that is taking place and that Rusty will be full of God's strength as he fights all the turmoil that must be going on inside.

Saturday PM, December 11-
Liz has come through the surgery to clear the ducts from the pancreas. She is still jaundiced and very sick, but the doctors think this should be clearing in the days ahead. During this operation, they performed what they call "brushings" on the organs where they were working. They could not find any cancerous cells from these brushings. That is tremendous news! Rusty says to tell everyone, he knows we are praying and can sense the Lord's strength because of it. They have not been able to get to the mass as of yet. It has been imperative that they get Liz out of the jaundiced condition she is in. Please continue to pray for Liz that the Lord will heal her completely and that if there is any cancer in her body, it be eradicated. Also, pray for the family. The children are coming down with something. Gib is there to help them.

Friday, December 9-
We have just recieved word from Rusty that Liz is being taken into surgery. He was pulled off the phone quickly, but here is what we know. The doctors attempted to use a scope through Liz's throat to clear the blockage to her liver, bladder, and kidneys. The blockage was too severe. They are now attempting to clear her through surgery. Her body cannot function due to the blockage from the mass in her pancreas. She is severely jaundiced. We are still waiting on tests results to tell us what the root problem is. They have not ruled out pancreatic cancer, but they are saying that it might be lymphoma (which is more treatable) or pancreatis.

Wednesday, December 8-
We just found this afternoon that Liz Thomas, wife of Rusty Thomas, has been hospitalized. They have found a mass on her pancreas that the doctors suspect is cancerous. This mass has blocked off the function of Liz's kidney, liver, and bladder by blocking the ducts to these organs. She has become jaundice and is not even able to keep fluids down. We will find out more tomorrow. Please pray for her healing and pray for Rusty and their ten children ranging in age from 17 years to 8 months.

Rusty has prayed many times for those that were sick. Many have been healed because of his fervent faith. The prayers of a righteous man availeth much. It is now our time to lift Rusty and Liz up to the One who is our Healer.