Monday, June 30, 2008, 4:55 a.m., D.S.T., Nashville, TN~

Dear Journal~

It's just me, Louisiana, writing.  I'm afraid I'm not doing too well at the moment:  too upset.

Nothing wrong with me or my family; it's Audrey Callaway I'm worried about.  Her daughter, Susie, is having problems again, serious emotional trauma, that's pulling the family apart.  I don't know how much more she can stand:  she's already been through far too much than any one person has a right to go through!

Susie, as you know, has been raped, molested, used for pornographic doings that no child/teenager should ever experience.  She's been forced to do some terrible, horrible things; she's been forced to grow up way before she was ready to become an adult.  It's a terrible, awful, heartbreaking situation for not only Susie, but for all involved.

Well, it's like Susie's gone back into her own little world again:  she won't talk to anyone, and she's been having secret conversations with someone lat at night on the computer.  Her mother (not to mention, her friends) are extremely worried.

I am going to have to do some heavy duty praying over this family.  It's like Satan is attacking them from every angle, and it's terrifying to see.  I have told our church staff about this situation; they reassured me that they will be praying for Audrey and her family.

I get so scared of my own kids whenever they go on the computer:  there's so much evil, so much bad stuff out there; you don't know who's on the other side of the screen, particularly when chat rooms or instant messaging are involved.  There's so many kooks out there, so many bad people just waiting to prey on innocent little children (or teens) who don't know any better. 

This is why whenever they want to go on the computer, I have to clear it first, and they have to ask permission from both their father and myself.  Our computer is also filtered:  they can't go to questionable sites, and if there's anything bad on a place like You-Tube or MySpace, it'll let me (as well as them) know.  We are very strict with what the kids do when they're online.

While the Internet can be a wonderous place, it can also be nothing but pure evil.  One has to be so careful, especially nowadays.

And I'm afraid it's only going to get worse.  God help us!!!!

Anyway, moving right along...Let's talk about something more pleasant; have to go to work in an hour; don't need that to start my day!

On Saturday, our family helped with the Angel Food ministry, which is where our church provides food (as well as prayer) for our neediest citizens.  We just started this only six months ago; already we're up to fifty families.  The demand is great, especially since there's so many families (like ours, as an example) struggling to make ends meet each and every month.  The list of families may very well grow; too many people can't afford food since the cost of gas and food is so high.

It seems that everything's going up in price--excepting for the paycheck.  We (and many other people) are having to pinch every penny, every bit of money we do have; there's no room for luxuries; too many people have had to forgo their vacations or have decided to stay closer to home because they can't afford to go anywhere.  Gas, plane fare, food:  all have gotten way out of line in prices.

We met many sweet people; they appreciated the food and prayer time.  So many sad stories, so many misbegotten people, people with little bitty babies, frail, elderly folk, illegal citizens trying to assimilate themselves into our nation, disabled veterans who feel they've been kicked around by life.  People who have lost jobs, are on the verge of losing their homes, or people who don't have a friend in the world.  It's enough to break your spirit.

As an example, I met this elderly lady named Millie who lost her husband of fifty five years; she is absolutely devastated.  She is on over twenty different medications for a whole host of health problems, and the cost doesn't leave her with but a few dollars to last her the month.  She's often had to resort to eating cat food because it's so cheap; she can't afford much else.  She is extremely cachexic; she definitely looks sick. 

Millie came up to me for prayer; she just found out that her daughter in Iowa has been sleeping with another man, and she has two small children to raise.  She often leaves the kids home alone, so she can be with this fellow.  Her husband, as you can imagine, is broken up.  So is Millie.  She was crying so hard; all I could do was love on her, and offer my prayers for this dear woman up to Heaven.

I felt so bad for her.  I pray God gives her (and all the hurting folk) the peace, the comfort that passes all understanding.

Well, I am going to have to shut this down.  Time for me to eat, get ready to leave in less than a half hour.  I will write in here again soon; until then, take care, and God bless!

~Love, your friend, Louisiana Mayrah Sandusky. :( >tears!<