WE ARE FINALLY HOME!!! Elizabeth and I came home Friday afternoon. We are both so excited and a little nervous.

Christian people say the most sweetest and precious things!! We have gotten the most uplifting letters from all of you!! When we read each letter it is so obvious that God's hand and love is written and expressed to our Elizabeth!! Thank you so much!

Please continue to pray for Elizabeth's emotional state in all this. Although she was so excited to come home -- she has new fears now! She's worried that something may happen and I won't know what to do! Even though I tell her that everything is fine - she still has that anxiety!! PLEASE pray with us that just as God has helped her deal with her pain - HE WILL TAKE THIS FEAR AWAY FROM HER!! Our God is so good - WE HAVE FELT HIS PRESENSE THROUGHOUT ALL OF THIS AND WE HAVE SEEN HIS HEALING HANDS AT WORK!!

Elizabeth had a total of three surgeries! All of them went just fine! The doctor did have to re-do one of the grafts on her left thumb - but he is pleased with it now. He told Elizabeth that she is a lucky girl - because she could have lost some fingers on her right hand!! Lucky? No - Just our Heavenly Father taking care of one his precious children! Thank you God!! We will be going back to Shreveport once a week at first. They will assess her skin grafts and will be fitting her for her compression suit!!

It's still so amazing to me that we read words from others that I have said to Elizabeth myself - I know that God is still in control! Thank you all so much for the words of encouragement!! It's difficult to read these to her sometimes because they are so moving! When it gets a little hard to handle - just sitting down with her book and reading these over and over - just gives me such peace!

GOD CONTINUES TO LET US KNOW THAT HE IS IN CONTROL!!

LIZZIE WANTED ME TO SEND THIS FROM HER TO ALL OF YOU!

Well, today is Saturday, January 29th. I got to come home last night. All day yesterday and all night last night I was very worried. Tonight has been especially bad. The feelings of being scared all of the time and worried have just overcome me tonight so bad. It's 3:00 a.m. and I could not sleep for worrying. Just a few minutes ago - I prayed and asked God to re-assure me that everything was going to be okay! So, I asked my mom to bring me my bible. I just opened my bible up and the verse that was underlined in my bible was Proverbs 3:5&6, which reads:

The moment I read these verses, it seemed like all of my worries and fears were lifted!! GOD IS AWESOME!

You see, many times we forget that all we have to do is TRUST IN THE LORD! We don't always know why bad things happen - BUT - one thing I've learned this past month is that God did not cause this bad thing to happen to me - INSTEAD - He has used this situation to remind me to put ALL of my Faith in Him!

Before this happened, I had began to drift away from God. But, now my life is back on track and I have 100% faith in our Almighty God!

I just wanted to thank everyone who has been praying for me and sending all of the e-mails. You people have the most caring hearts and have such a way with words. It is really uplifting to know that all over this country there are people praying for me right now and I love you all!!

Your Friend in Christ,
Elizabeth

Thank you Lord for the change in my Elizabeth. After we read the bible I heard her all night just praying to God and asking him for his healing touch on her! She's not sleeping at all at night!! But I know that God will take care of this too!! He has been so good to us!!

God bless you all!
Marian Riles