We Love Hearing from Our Readers and Sharing Their

Encouraging Words with Others

"This is a most wonderful God-inspired site for those of us who are overcoming our invisible disabilities. Thank you so much and God bless you mightily." ~ Reverend James: Texas

"Wow. Finally. A place that understands that although God can heal instantly, sometimes He chooses not too, and it is not necessarily because there is sin or a lack of faith in the the believer's life. What an amazing find. Thank you so much for creating this site." Tena: Arkansas

"I love the site already!  It is awesome and I am a woman determined to use the life God has allowed me to have to make a difference!...You and this website are going to be a tremendous help." ~ Carole: California

"I am Blessed by you and your booklet... I pray for you that God will continue to give you the strength to cope. You are amazing people, and it is heartwarming to know that there are others out there who understand." ~ Love in Christ, Pam: Colorado

"I got the chance to peruse the Where is God site- it's great! It is attractive and has so many neat places to go and things to read! May God bless it to His glory and your encouragement. I was humbled and encouraged reading many of the testimonies."        ~ Donna: Florida.

"This booklet opened my eyes--and I hope opened my heart to care for people around me who are suffering from invisible disabilities. Sherri is herself such a sufferer who lives in a crucible of constant pain. Sustained by God's grace, she offers both helpful counsel to her fellow-sufferers and specific advice to all of us who through her are being sensitized to engage in prayer and care." ~ Dr. Vernon Grounds, author of YBH: Yes, But How? and more.

"Wayne and Sherri Connell are in a unique position to offer desperately needed advice to those who are faced with the challenge of ministering to Christians who struggle with chronic illness. They know first hand what helps and what does not help those afflicted. The insights offered in this booklet might save a friendship or a marriage. Not By Sight is sure to equip the loved ones of the chronically ill with the biblical wisdom and practical skills needed to minister those who yearn for understanding, encouragement, and day-to-day assistance." ~ Dr. Douglas Groothuis, author of Truth Decay, On Jesus and more.

"I recently received a copy of Not By Sight... I just had to write and congratulate you on such a wonderful endeavor. You did such a tremendous job incorporating the quotes from my work and that of the other authors. But the way you pulled it all together, the points you made, the insights you shared... I have never seen a resource that 'nailed' the experience of invisible chronic illness like this one did. I have no doubt that this new booklet will be an invaluable resource to those who minister to people with chronic illness, and an extraordinary comfort to illness sufferers. Thank you both for all you do." ~ Lisa Lorden-Myers, an author who lives with CFIDS and FMS.

"I have lived with many hidden and some not so hidden disabilities all my life and God has always gotten me through the rainiest times. Reading your site was wonderful and uplifting. A positive out look many people need to know about." ~ God Bless, Diana: Massachusetts 

"Loved your website. I am a patient with Multiple Sclerosis and found your site encouraging. I have bookmarked it." ~ Estella: Illinois

"Great site, and a wonderful set of resources for those suffering and those who love them. God Bless you, what a clear indication of how God uses our trials to benefit others." ~ Thank you, Michael: Kansas

"What an inspiration you are! God has given you such wisdom and compassion. I can only pray that He will touch you in a mighty way.  I am so sorry for any hurt others have inflicted upon you. It is especially painful when God's people do not understand. I feel God led me to your site. May you feel the Lord's love in a special way. " ~ Love from a sister -in- Christ, Judy: Washington

A Letter From Tena, Reporter in Arkansas:

     I just checked out your site and read your complete testimony. What can I say. I am awed. I had been underestimating the extent of your illness, which is silly considering the way I felt the first time I found your web site. Your site just "got it" like no one else had. Now I understand why. So many of our experiences are similar. So many people told me I looked good or I didn't look sick, and I never really understood why I took it as a criticism instead of a compliment until I realized that it made me feel like they weren't taking me seriously. I also modeled in high school and college, and one of the first things to succumb to my illness was my long, blond naturally curly hair. With all of the hospitalizations and tests and procedures, and all of them involving my brain, a short, simple style was easy and practical.

     It took me almost a year to stop wondering who that stranger was in the mirror. I've always been reasonably intelligent, going to college on academic scholarships. Yet the drugs I take cause what the docs like to call "cognitive sedation," a big term for the fact that I am now sometimes dumber than the rocks in my driveway. I have no short term memory, and lose my train of thought mid-sentence. We rely on sticky notes and lists around our house, because if I don't write it down, I forget it. Actually, I also forget it if I do write it down, so we also have a bulletin board where all the notes go, otherwise I will forget where I put the notes. I've heard the "your lucky you don't have to work" comments, felt the "I wish I were just tired" sentiment.  

     There is not a word in the English language to describe some types of fatigue, something I didn't realize before I got sick. I've also dealt with the "are you sleeping again?" question. Anytime we change drugs, it upsets my whole system. Back in January, we changed three different drugs over the course of three months. I literally slept more than 20 hours a day for 10 weeks. Real sleep, deep sleep, not just laying there looking at the ceiling.

   It is amazing what people just don't understand, and that is why your website is so amazing. I have a weekly column that I write in my newspaper. My dad pastors a local church of about 350 people, and his church also has a local Christian radio station that broadcasts to our community and the surrounding area.
   I am telling everyone I come in contact with about your website, and I am mentioning it as well as putting a link to it on my personal website where my articles are posted after they run in the paper. I know you hear this often, and I know in the midst of those awful days it probably isn't much comfort, but your website and your struggles are resulting in so many other people being able to understand and to realize what it really means to be chronically ill.
     What an amazing gift you have given to us, to take your experiences and explain them to the world in a way that they will understand and perhaps change and be able to help others struggling with an illness.
I know God doesn't cause people to get sick, but I also know that He uses bad things in a good way. I know that doesn't make your pain any better, and I know that doesn't take away the sorrow for the things you have lost. In the face of your day to day struggles it may be easy for you to forget, but I want you to know that you are changing lives, perhaps more than you will ever realize until you get to heaven. Then, I truly believe Jesus will stand beside your pain-free body, and show you all the souls you touched
while here on earth.
Tena, Arkansas