Category: Prayer & Updates

This is an update to a previous prayer request for retired GCI pastor Willi Mandel and his wife Ingrid.

Willi Mandel got the results recently of a biopsy on his parathyroid gland that had been surgically removed. The results indicate that the growth on the gland was benign, so that is good news. An infection on his hand due to the IV is healing, but he still has problems with swelling in his legs and ankles.

Willi is recuperating at home and is in good spirits. The next step is to determine what to do with the growth under his chest bone.

Willi and Ingrid thank everyone for their prayers and support.

Cards may be sent to:

Wilhelm and Ingrid Mandel
747 Tanner Drive
Kingston, ON K7M 9G7
CANADA

Prayer is requested for Ninfa Rigatuso, widow of Montreal (English) congregation elder Tony Rigatuso who died recently, having served faithfully for many years as an elder in the Montreal English congregation. Ninfa has been feeling bad for about two months and entered the hospital about three weeks ago. It appears that she is suffering with hepatitis C and bladder cancer. The severity of these conditions is not yet known. Please pray for Ninfa and for her adult children Sandra and Carmello.

Cards may be sent to:

Ninfa Rigatuso
103-8600 Raymond Pelletier
Montreal, QC H2M 2W7
CANADA

Warren D. Wilson, pastor of GCI’s congregations in Summersville and Mineral Wells, West Virginia, requests prayer for his wife Lorraine. Recently, she had a large nodule removed from her thyroid. The pathology report showed the presence of follicular thyroid cancer. She is scheduled to have the rest of her thyroid gland removed on July 24. That will be followed by treatment with radioactive iodine to kill any remaining thyroid cancer cells. Warren reports that he and Lorraine are experiencing peace, trusting in the mercy and healing of our Lord and Savior.

Cards may be sent to:

Lorraine Wilson
220 Waverly Way
Clarksburg, WV 26301

Here from his daughter Becki (Halford) Brown, is an update concerning John Halford who is battling esophageal cancer. This update is an edited version of what Becki posted on Facebook. John had a PET scan on June 24 and Becki reports here on the positive outcome.

The results of Dad’s scan have just come in. I can hardly see as I am typing through happy tears. The oncologist said that the tumor in his esophagus has shrunk to less than half its original size and there is no cancer that is showing up anywhere else in his body! This means that they can do surgery to remove the tumor. I am so thankful for all of your thoughts and prayers, for all of the many emails, phone calls, cards and the overwhelming comfort that you all have given us.

Dad’s surgery will be within the next two weeks as long as the surgeon feels he is strong enough to proceed. Please continue to pray for him.

Cards may be sent to:

John & Pat Halford

5836 South State Road 129

Versailles, IN 47042

Mike and Juli Rasmussen send their thanks for the prayers for Mike, who serves as a GCI pastor, camp director and associate regional pastor. Mike and Juli live and minister in the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma area.

On June 19, Mike successfully underwent cancer surgery. He now is recovering at home, awaiting lab results, which will indicate if the cancer has spread beyond his prostate gland, now removed.

Cards may be sent to:

Mike and Juli Rasmussen
12012 Surrey Ln
Yukon, OK 73099-8139

This prayer request is from Tom Pickett who pastors GCI’s congregation in the Fort Worth, Texas area.

I had to call 911 last Thursday night for my wife Adrienne. She was having a hard time breathing and was dehydrated. The paramedics took her to the ER at Harris Hospital in downtown Fort Worth. She was put on an oxygen machine and connected to a saline bag to rehydrate her. Within minutes she began to look better and soon was looking like she felt good and was at peace. She was then monitored over the weekend to see where her cardiologist wants to go from here. Adrienne has suffered for a number of years with the results of congestive heart failure and this recent incident seems to be a result. Your prayers are much appreciated.

Cards may be sent to:

Adrienne Pickett

1206 Sproles Drive
Benbrook, Texas 76126-3332

Retired GCI pastor Wilhelm (Willi) Mandel has been in and out of the hospital since May 18. His system seems to have rejected the high blood pressure medication and has caused some serious health issues.

Though Willi’s heart continues to work effectively, his calcium count is high and he is waiting for surgery to remove one of his parathyroid glands (the parathyroid glands control the amount of calcium in the blood and bones). That surgery was scheduled for June 17. During recent exams, doctors discovered that Willi also has a lump under his breast bone. They will do a biopsy and possible further (potentially major) surgery once Willi has recovered from the first surgery.

Continued prayers for Willi and for his wife Ingrid are requested. Ingrid continues to suffer from severe back problems, made more serious by Willi’s recent health crisis.

Cards may be sent to:

Wilhelm and Ingrid Mandel
747 Tanner Drive
Kingston, ON K7M 9G7
CANADA

Dishon and Afrika Mills, GCI church planters living in Randolph, Massachusetts (near Boston) request your prayers. On June 6, Afrika’s older sister, Clarissia (Dee Dee) Russell died tragically. This loss is especially difficult because Afrika’s other older sister, Sandra (Ronnette) Russell and her unborn child also died tragically in 1993, while Afrika was a student at Ambassador University.

Please pray for Afrika and the other members of the family, especially Dee Dee’s four children: Richard, Kevin, Sabrina, and Zack.

Cards may be sent to:

Dishon and Afrika Mills

2 Junior Terrace

Randolph, MA 02368

This prayer request is from GCI pastor Rand Holm.

A couple of days ago, I was shocked to learn on TV about a tragic accident at Port Heuneme First Assembly of God church where the congregation I pastor meets in Southern California. An elderly member of the Assembly of God church who deals with disabilities was leaving the parking lot in her car. Evidently she confused her accelerator with the brake or had some sort of episode that sent her car through the retaining wall surrounding the church parking lot. In a profoundly sad and unbelievably painful accident, one of the other members of the church was killed and another was critically injured.

I called the First Assembly of God pastor and both of us were choking on tears as we spoke. I struggled with what to say to him as he struggled with this unspeakable horror. He told me that nothing in his 45 years of ministry had ever hit him like this. That’s quite a statement, knowing that he has seen a lot as a chaplain serving in New York City following 9/11 and serving with the police and fire departments in Port Hueneme. But this was different. This was home. I told him that I am grateful he is their pastor in this time of great pain and that I believe his whole life prepared him to help his congregation through this worst moment in its history. I also told him that we are united together in the body of Christ and that our prayers and hearts would be and are with him, with the families, with their congregation and community.

Please join me in praying for these brothers and sisters in Christ. Here is a prayer that I’ve offered:

Father in heaven, where do we go, what do we do when something like this happens in our body? Where do we put our emotions, our losses, our sight, and what do we do with our hope which feels so battered? We come together at the foot of the cross—the only event and place that can help us through this. Hear our pleas, hear our cries for healing for the injured, for comfort for those who have lost a member of their family and for a reason to live for those who are in shock. Please help our brothers and sisters, Lord. As they lift their hands and hearts to you, please comfort them with your presence and heal their wounds and heal their hearts. And for the ones who are right now too weak to reach out their hands to you, well, I’ve been there before too. Please reach down and don’t let them go. They need you. We all need you. Thank you for great faithfulness. In Jesus’ name, amen.

This update on John Halford is from his daughter, Becki Halford Brown. The original message was posted in Facebook on May 31.

According to dad’s oncologist, he is responding well to his treatments, though he has lost a signficant amount of weight. Following another week of chemotherapy and radiation he will finally get to rest for three weeks before having surgery. The doctor will be setting dad up with a feeding tube in hopes of building up his strength. We are praying that he is able to put on a little weight once that is done.

Thanks for your continued prayers. They are certainly felt and have given dad an extraordinary sense of peace about his condition.

Cards may be sent to:

John & Pat Halford
5836 South State Road 129
Versailles, IN 47042