I was looking through all of my e-mails a few minutes ago and I decided that I would sit down and write a letter to let everyone know how I am doing. Mom prints out all of the e-mails everyday and keeps them in a binder, and I like to read them when I am alone and the house is quiet! Mom is at baseball practice right now with my brothers. I wish that each and every one of you could meet my mom. She is an amazing woman. As many of you know she has 4 kids. I am 18, my sister Leah is almost 21, Matthew is 11, and Nathanael is 10. My dad drives a truck for Georgia Pacific, so he is only home one or two days a week, so she has all of us by herself. Right now she has to help me do almost everything, but she never complains. Please continue to pray for her. I also ask that you pray for my siblings. I love them sooooooo much, more than I could ever explain through the letters on this keyboard. I know that it must be difficult for them, so please pray that the Lord will continue to wrap them up in his loving arms. I also ask that you pray for my dad . Like I said, he doesn't get to spend as much time with us as he would like to and it is very hard for him, especially now. Pray that the Lord will continue to watch over and protect him. I could sit here all day and write about what a great family I have. I thank God everyday for blessing me with such wonderful people who love me so much.

I am still going to therapy everyday for both hands. The scar tissue on my hands is forming a lot faster than it does on most people. So no matter how hard we work with them, the scar tissue is taking over the tendons and making it hard for my fingers to bend. We went and saw a doctor here in Bastrop the other day. He said that he is worried about the ring finger and middle finger on my right hand. He said that if they don't start moving, that I may lose them. But actually, I am not worried about that, because I know that our Lord God Almighty has a plan for my life, and I trust that he will help me through, no matter what happens.

Matthew 6:34 says: Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

I do ask that you continue to pray for me during this time of my life. It is still hard not to wonder why this happened, but if we spend our lives wondering why bad things happen to us, we will be miserable people. If nothing bad ever happened to us, we would never realize how gracious our Lord is, and how much we have to be thankful for!! I pray that I do not lose faith in God, but instead that my faith will be strengthened because of this. I thank each and every one of you who send your stories, prayers, and words of encouragement. They are truly a blessing to read, and share with others!

Love in Christ,
Elizabeth Riles (Lizzie)
Proverbs 3:5-6