ann kiemel

In speaking with Ann tonight, she wanted everyone to know that she feels your prayers.

after heading to rehab last month, 
God used this time to reveal the multiple blood clots 
in my lungs and infection in my body.  
i've been leaning hard on Jesus 
and on my fellow warriors' prayers.  
please stay with me in prayer as 
i continue to fight this illness. 
would you keep my sons in your prayers, 
as this has been a difficult time for them 
while i've been so ill.  love, ann

"Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah,
Lead me through this barren land.
I am weak, but Thou art mighty;
Hold me with Thy powerful hand.
Bread of Heaven, Bread of Heaven,
Feed me till I want no more;
Feed me till I want no more."

Ann enjoyed hearing the following story that was posted on her FB page and wanted to share with all of you.

Grace Dwyer

• Some of you have heard our story...some of you were there...others may not know...
  
  GOD Did It!
  
• I was the typical single girl living in Dallas in the '80's, 
• working in downtown Dallas at an oil company by day, 
• going to the numerous bars and dance clubs by night. 
• I remember several people asking me during these years: 
• "Grace, when are you going to start living for God? 
• When are you going to stop looking in all the wrong places to meet men?"
• 
  My reply was always, "I am having too much fun right now, I will one day…
• Don't worry about me!" God was working on me, though. 
• He used heartbreaks and other disappointments that always left me feeling alone and empty. 
• I see now how He kept calling me to Himself. He even used a sweet lady at my job. 
• She came to me one day and said, "Grace, they need people 
• to sing in the choir at First Baptist down the street.” 
• I replied: “And your point is?" "Well,” she said, 
• “I know you like to sing and I just thought you might like to go to the practice. 
• It's Thursday."
  
  “Fine,” I thought, “I will go.” I don't know why, but I did. 
• It was pretty funny after the practice when some of the friendly members said, 
• “See you Sunday morning, Grace!" "What? Why?” 
• I stuttered. “Sunday,” they replied, “you know,
•  the day we sing in church all the songs we just practiced!"
• 
  So I joined the choir and began attending the church, where the beloved pastor, 
• W. A. Criswell, would often shout, “And GOD did it!” 
• after recounting remarkable deeds of the Lord. 
• Months went by and I started going to a Singles Sunday School class. 
• I remember seeing the tall, funny seminary student teaching. 
• “He seems nice, cute, and has a great personality,” 
• I thought, “but...he could never be interested in a girl like me.” 
• Through a small group Bible Study, lead by another great seminary guy, 
• and the choir's amazing Easter play, I finally understood what Christ did, for me, 
• for MY sin. I truly became repentant and sorry for my life, for my sin—
• I finally got it. He wanted ALL of me.
  
  Slowly the "fun" at the clubs became less and less appealing. 
• My heart was focused on God. Oh, and that tall, funny seminary guy! 
• But that guy was not interested. I tried everything…making him dinner, 
• hosting the Bible Study, showing up on the visitation nights to church 
• visitors that he would always go out on, and conveniently needing a ride home 
• from downtown back to my car. Almost two years went by and…nothing. 
• A good friend knew my frustration and suggested I tack a Scripture verse, 
• Psalm 37:4, to the wall in front of me at work to read when I was down, which I did.
  
  FBC had great speakers and one of them, Ann Kiemel-Anderson, 
• came and told us how when she was 35 years old, 
• God had put together her—an independent Boston marathon runner-author—
• and an Idaho potato farmer in marriage. “Hmmm,” I thought, 
• looking I across the room at tall seminary guy, 
• who was fiercely taking notes as she spoke. I closed my eyes at that moment and prayed. 
• "Lord, please find ME a husband, 
• OR, please make me content with being single. 
• Surely, it must not be ‘him,’ but if you can find that lady a husband in Idaho, 
• surely you can find me one Dallas!" 
• FINALLY I let go of it and started resting, trusting in His will for me.
  
  Not long after this, tall seminary guy and I were at a Wednesday night service.
  He turned to me and asked, "Do you eat lunch after Church on Sunday?" 
• "Eat lunch?” I said, “yes, why?" "Well would you like to go?” he said.
•  "You mean, like a DATE?" I said, clarifying the offer! 
• "Yes,” he said. I remember going to the ladies room with a friend, 
• and literally screaming, "John Dwyer just asked me out on a date!"
  
  He took me to lunch on May 8, 1988 and we spent as much time together 
• as we could during days and evenings from then until June 24th. 
• That night, he asked me to go to the top of Reunion Tower for dinner. 
• All the time we spent together, he had never kissed me. 
• We had both done relationships the wrong way in the past 
• and he said he wanted to do this one different. 
• As the sun was setting that beautiful June evening, 
• I asked how he started "having feelings" for me. 
• "It was that day when that lady Ann Kiemel-Anderson spoke,” he said.
•  “I just looked across the room 
• at you and started ‘liking’ you.”
  
  He then told me for the first time that he LOVED me and recited First Corinthians 13 to me—
• the whole chapter. Right then the waiter delivered a dozen yellow roses to the table 
• and John asked me to marry him! I replied, "Only if I get to KISS you first!"—
• which I did, outside on the Reunion breezeway 560 feet over Dallas. 
• We were married on August 13, 1988 in the beautiful sanctuary of 
• First Baptist Church of Dallas. Happy Valentine’s Day, tall, funny seminary guy!
  
  “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.”
  —Psalm 37:4

If any of you would like to share a story/memory of how Ann's ministry has touched your life, please post on Ann's FB page and we will use in some of her blogs while she is fighting this battle with her health.  Ann would love to read your stories.