Hi Friends,

How are you this week? Sorry this is a day late, but I still wanted to get it out to you!

We've had a fun but crazy week around here. My sister left to go back to Phoenix today. This week she has graciously driven Josh and I all over and participated in everything from taking him to Little Gym with me to the adoption mom playgroup. Thank you so much for your kind emails and prayers. She is still actively seeking work and eager to get back to Arizona (and even the heat!)

I've been checking emails daily and responding to those I can fast or that need prompt attention. If you've emailed or written me via mail about something and I've not yet gotten back to you, my apologies. I will soon! I have nearly 500 emails in my inbox. The great news is Michelle helped me clean my office. I still have a few mail bins of papers to go through, but I can walk to my desk from the hallway without doing any acrobats or odd limbo moves. I wish I'd taken before and after photos for you.

My newest medication (Humera) has not kicked in as I'd hoped or at least with the speed as I had wanted. I am flaring badly and trying to just not complain. I know you all understand how it is when you have family visiting and want to show them a fun time and yet trying to walk around a mall (or Sea World in our case) wipes you out for a couple of days.

We made it to a bookstore and I picked up a copy of "The Shack" --one of the hotest selling Christian fiction books out there right now and one that people keep describing as life-altering. I just made it through a couple of chapters last night before going to sleep but I have a feeling I may be recommending it to you next week. Has anyone else read this and would like to share your opinion or feedback?

Love you all. May you feel His peace,

Lisa Copen
Rest Ministries Director and Founder

Exciting News!

Rest Ministries has been chosen to be featured on the television show American Bible Society Presents. Film crew will be arriving in San Diego from Los Angeles some time in May (date is being determined.) They will be interviewing Lisa and visiting a HopeKepers group. This is a God-sent honor and opportunity, reaching over 400 channels across the country. We will keep you posted on dates/times, etc. but please keep it all in prayer. (Lisa is trying to figure out how to quickly get rid of some of her round prednisone face. If anyone has any quick weight loss/fluid retention tips, she's listening!)

hopekeepers Magazine Updates
Just to inform you...

• People are just starting to receive their magazines (bulk mail takes forever!)
• If you ordered them in bulk for your church, I sent them out last week
• If you are an author of an article, they were sent two weeks ago;
• If you are a foreign subscriber, they were shipped last week.

Wondering if an issue is heading your way? You can click here to see. If you want one and aren't on the list, you can get one by ordering anything in our store (even a $.50 item) and we'll stick one in your envelope.

Did you know our web site has hundreds of pages of information? Lisa is nearly done with a complete overhaul of the web site and we'll use this place to let you know about pages, articles and other resources you may not even know exist on our web site!

Lisa thought this last week would be the week the web site went live, but with her sis visiting she actually slept (from exhaustion!) rather than working all night. So... she is testing a couple of pages right now and by the time your read hopenotes this next week it should be up. She's so excited for you to see the changes!

Have you been to our Sunroom lately? These are just a few of the topics people are posting on and we'd love to hear your feedback!

• Giving the problem to God as soon as it appears
• What are the symptoms that seem to bother you the most?
  
• Lonliness and Illness
  
• Neurostimulator Implants and RSD
• Pets as Therapy
• Favorite Scriptures
• New Ways to Explain Fibromyalgia
  

Be sure to visit our Sunroom to join in for some excellent discussions!

Lynn Finds God’s Faithfulness Despite MS

I was diagnosed with MS in the summer of 1985, although I had experienced some daunting symptoms in the years previous. My balance proved to be faltering during a Frances Schaeffer Christian School Conference in the early eighties. And when we were asked to bow our heads and pray, I commenced to fall.

During that summer, in 1985, my legs started to feel like they had weights tied around them as I would ascend my three flights of stairs in our home in Placentia, CA.

My husband and I were called to minister at Forest Home Family Camp that summer. He would be the camp doctor and I would do the special music. At this point, my symptoms had subsided slightly, but the neurologist still gave me a tentative diagnosis of MS. Aside from memory block a few times that week, I was feeling quite well.

One afternoon I climbed up my favorite rock to pray, but midway through the prayer I fell asleep. In my dream I was in a wheelchair, singing, with my hands raised in praise to God. When I awoke, I was at first troubled that I was in a wheelchair, then dumbfounded that I could be singing praises to God!

> read more here

> Click here to submit your own story

"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." -James 1:5

The National Day of Prayer
This event is celebrating 57 years, and for the first time ever, will be broadcast Live from the USA's Capitol on May 1, 2008. GOD TV will air the program live in its entirety on DIRECTV, channel 365. Speakers include: Sec. Condoleezza Rice, Mrs. Shirley Dobson, Dr. James Dobson, Rep. Mike McIntyre and Judge Janice Rogers Brown. See the web site for more info. You may also be interested in the events the Presidential Prayer Team is organizing for this date. And the The U.S. Capitol Bible Reading Marathon which begins April 27th will be webcast around the world at www.DCBibleMarathon.org

What Should I Make For Dinner?
If you're like most of us here at Rest Ministries just figuring out what to make for dinner is the hardest part. Well, let your computer do it for you! Just go to SuperCook.com and enter in whatever ingredients you have. It can be as simple as entering "ground beef" or you can start adding in items as you shop to have a full listing. Then hit "add" and bingo! It gives you dinner ideas. It will also ask you, "do you have...?" and you can add the items you know you have on hand. Your family may miss those beans and wiener days, but hey, it's an easy way to get healthy.

Are You a Woman in Pain?
All too often, when women are in they are told they are being "emotional", psychogenic or it's "all in their head", and therefore, not real. Women are more often prescribed sedatives to "calm their nerves" while their male counterparts are prescribed painkillers. If you're interested in signing an online petion that is being addressed to the American Medical Association about a Women In Pain Bill of Rights click here: http://www.petitiononline.com/winpain/petition.html

> Have something silly to share?

People are always asking, "How can I help Rest Ministries?" With the internet, it's easy to help spread the word. With just a few of us working together to write a review someone or "Stumble Upon" an article, Rest Ministries can gain tons of exposure without having to spend a dime! We'll share a suggestion here each week, where if you can take a minute it will help us reach more people!

Okay, we are sticking this one in again from last week because not one person was able to make it over to the YouTube area where our video is featured to write a little note. Pretty please with spinkles on top... could you drop by and write us a little review?

If you could head on over to our video at the YouTube web site and write a brief review and write a brief review about Rest Ministries and/or our video, that would be great!

It helps us rank higher when people put in certain key words so when they are searching for videos on how to cope with illness, ours is easy to find. Who knows how many lives we can touch through the video! Thank you!

We're going to stick with last week's question... we're still looking for more feedback!

Take the Poll - you could win a prize! We'll announce the weekly winners here too.

Have You Found a Secret to Weight Loss with Illness? "Extraordinary Health" is a new television show featuring the ministry of Jordan Rubin, the popular Christian health and wellness expert and author of The Maker's Diet. It began airing on Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) March 24. Hosted by America's Biblical Health Coach Jordan Rubin, the series will focus on his successful weight management program Perfect Weight America (also a book) as well as highlights of his bus tour to more than 200 cities. Extraordinary Health with Jordan Rubin features interviews with guests who have succeeded with Rubin's Perfect Weight America weight-management program. Guests share tips about how they overcame common weight control dilemmas and learned how to eat more organic, living foods to nourish their bodies. The show is called Extraordinaory Health: Change Your Diet, Change Your Life, Change Your World PS: Although we usually avoid books that claim "Bible cures" we've found Jordan's material to be helpful and it acknowledges that we can all live "as healthy as possible despite illness." After trying more than 70 alternative nutritional therapies to treat "the worst case of Crohn's disease his doctor had ever seen" he changed his diet to whole foods consumed in Biblical times. We've found his books to be more "health-oriented" not "cure-guaranteed." Have you found a weight loss program that has worked for you despite having a chronic illness and perhaps being on "weight-gaining" medications? Will you share your story and tips with us? > Answer

Did you know we really need your prayers? In the last few months we've had volunteers who have suffered heart attacks, lost their home, lost a loved one, had additional illnesses diagnosed and more.

Our ministry is blessed, but at the same time we have computer crashes, administrative issues and all kinds of things that just remind us that though God is in control, the enemy desperately wants to slow us down! We have a great list of things you can pray for us about for 2008. Print it out here and stick it in your Bible or on your fridge, and remember us, okay? It's very appreciated!