FW: NEWS RELEASE: Flu season hitting hard in Missouri

I guess we'll have to refrain from shaking hands even earlier this year.  Fist bumps it is.  Also, cover your mouth and nose when you cough and sneeze, and stay home if you're sick!


Flu season hitting hard in Missouri


JEFFERSON CITY, MO – The 2017-2018 flu season is off to an early start in Missouri. As of November 25, 2017, there were 1,545 cases of the flu reported to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, compared to 379 cases reported at the same time last year.

These numbers could indicate that flu season is coming early to the Show-Me State or that it will be particularly severe—as was seen in the southern hemisphere where flu season precedes ours. For 2016-2017, there were more than 70,000 confirmed influenza cases in Missouri. If these trends continue, the state could see even more during the 2017-2018 season.


"We know that historically, the intensity or prevalence of flu can vary from year to year. But this year, all indications are that we are seeing more flu earlier in the year and we anticipate more cases," said Dr. Randall Williams, director of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. "Now is the time to get your flu shot if you haven't already. The flu shot combined with proper handwashing are the two most effective things you can do to protect yourself and your loved ones this holiday season."

Flu facts:


How big is the problem? 
Flu spreads every year, but the timing and severity of flu season is unpredictable. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that flu results in between 9.2 million and 35.6 million illnesses, between 140,000 and 710,000 hospitalizations, and between 12,000 and 56,000 deaths annually in the U.S.

 

What does flu illness look like?  The most common symptoms of flu include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, and muscle or body aches. Flu viruses spread by tiny droplets when a person with flu coughs, sneezes, or talks. It's important to remember that certain people are at high risk of developing serious flu-related complications, like pneumonia or bronchitis, if they get sick.  Some of these complications are very serious and can lead to death.  Those at high risk for flu-related complications include people age 65 years and older, people with certain chronic medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes or heart disease), pregnant women and young children.

 

What can you do to protect family and friends?  A flu vaccine is the best form of defense to protect yourself and your loved ones this winter. It takes about two weeks for the vaccine to reach its full protective abilities. Now is the time to get vaccinated so you can protect yourself and loved ones ahead of the upcoming holidays. In addition to getting your flu shot, take these steps to prevent the spread of flu: 

 

  • Avoid close contact with sick people.
  • Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after touching shared objects or surfaces such as door knobs, light switches, remote controls, shopping counters, debit card readers, etc.  If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
  • Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
  • Clean and disinfect commonly touched surfaces.
  • Stay home while you're sick and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

 

It is easy for flu viruses to spread as you travel during the holidays and get together with friends and family.  People with flu can pass the virus on to others a day before feeling sick and sometimes for about a week after feeling better, so it's important to use these steps throughout the flu season.   

 

For more information or to find a flu vaccine location near you, visit health.mo.gov/flu.

About the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services: The department seeks to be the leader in promoting, protecting and partnering for health. More information about DHSS can be found at health.mo.gov.

 

###

 

 

FW: Advent Greetings from the Rabe family in Ethiopia!

 

 

 

Greetings in Christ from Ethiopia!

Advent Greetings from the Rabe Family!


We wish you a blessed Advent Season as we prepare for the celebration of our Lord's Birth!

Please feel free to share our newsletter with your congregation, friends and others who are interested in the spread of the Gospel in Ethiopia.

Your servants in the Gospel,

Mark, Stefanie, Noah, Gabriella, Julianna and Matthias
 

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright © 2017, The Rabes, All rights reserved.
Rabes in Ethiopia Newsletter

Our US mailing address is:
8037 Oak Grove Plantation Road
Tallahassee, Florida 32312-6825

Our Ethiopian address is:
C/O Mekane Yesus Seminary
P.O. Box 1247 SSH 5
Guinea Bissau
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 1000

unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences 

 






This email was sent to revklaus@hotmail.com
why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences
Missionary to Ethiopia Lutheran Church Missouri-Synod · 164 McDonald Ct · Leesburg, GA 31763 · USA

Email Marketing Powered by MailChimp

https://lcms.us11.list-manage.com/track/open.php?u=d5c42bcdcf5555b9b28827a76&id=2f80143d0b&e=9e05376b95

 

Daily Email: Tuesday, December 5, 2017

Isaiah 40:1-11  English Standard Version (ESV)

Comfort for God's People

40 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
    and cry to her
that her warfare
[a] is ended,
    that her iniquity is pardoned,
that she has received from the Lord's hand
    double for all her sins.

A voice cries:[b]
"In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
    make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be lifted up,
    and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
    and the rough places a plain.
And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
    and all flesh shall see it together,
    for the mouth of the Lord has spoken."

The Word of God Stands Forever

A voice says, "Cry!"
    And I said,[c] "What shall I cry?"
All flesh is grass,
    and all its beauty[d] is like the flower of the field.
The grass withers, the flower fades
    when the breath of the Lord blows on it;
    surely the people are grass.
The grass withers, the flower fades,
    but the word of our God will stand forever.

The Greatness of God

Go on up to a high mountain,
    O Zion, herald of good news;[e]
lift up your voice with strength,
    O Jerusalem, herald of good news;[f]
    lift it up, fear not;
say to the cities of Judah,
    "Behold your God!"
10 Behold, the Lord God comes with might,
    and his arm rules for him;
behold, his reward is with him,
    and his recompense before him.
11 He will tend his flock like a shepherd;
    he will gather the lambs in his arms;
he will carry them in his bosom,
    and gently lead those that are with young.

 

What a wonderful word is that word "comfort".  It brings peace to all who hear it.  When you think of comfort, what comes to mind?  Is it not physical comfort?  Especially on a cold day like today, we are thinking of a warm house, even getting on the couch or the lazy boy and covering up with a nice warm blanket.  We think of comfort food, food that just makes us feel good.  

        The only trouble is that these kind of creature comforts, these physical comforts are only temporary and they provide no real comfort for the soul.  The real, lasting, and full comfort that we really need and desire doesn't come from anything on this earth or from a human being.  Real lasting comfort comes from Almighty God!  It comes from a real, living Lord Jesus!  Jesus is alive forever, and one day he will come down from heaven again and bring his eternal life with him to all who believe!  He will bring salvation!  He will gather all of his people to himself and give them the everlasting comfort of his love!  

        Trust in the comfort of Jesus!  Trust in His promises of life and salvation!  Trust in His everlasting mercy and grace.  Trust in the incarnate son of God, born in Bethlehem for you!  Trust in Him and rest in His grace!

 

Prayer: Lord, thank you for giving me the comfort I really need.  Amen.

 

 

 

___________________________________________________________

CALENDAR:

Tues- Board of outreach 8am; Quilting 9-2

Wed- Ladies Aid Christmas party at Denny's noon; Supper 5:30; Worship 6:30; Choir 7:15

Thurs- Alzheimer's Support group; Confirmation make up 6; No karate

Fri- Sunday school Christmas program practice 5:30-8

Sat- Basement reserved 4-8pm; Worship- 5pm

Sun- Worship 8:30 and 11; Adult Bible class and Sunday school 9:45; Stephen Ministry 9:45; Choir practice 9:45; Elders noon; Little Lambs Christmas program 1 and 3

_____________________________________________________

WORSHIP WORKERS: 

Acolyte- Wed- Cierra Figura; 8:30- Addie Hoelscher; 11- Loren Howard

 

Ushers- Wed- Alan Hofeldt, Tim Linke, Rich Talbert, Don Turnure; Sun- Bob Linke, Tom Linke, ????, ????

 

Altar- Wed candles- Don Hance; Sun, Set up- Jodi Baldwin  Clean Up- McKenzie

 

Elder- Sat- Randy Fischer; 8:30- Don Turnure; 11- Steve Robine
 
Greeters- 8:30- Dave and Hope Tinnin; 11- Marv and Molly Hendershot

Lay Reader- Sat- Sandra Perricone; 8:30- Erv Yoder; 11- Karen Benton

 

Pianist Sat- Kathy Barrow

 

Organist- Ned Quest


Projectionist- Sat- Perricone; 8:30- McKenzie; 11- Dulci Rahn


________________________________________________________________

YESTERDAY'S QUIZ:   Who was Apollos? A learned Jew and Christian convert of Alexandria, who became a preacher and friend of 

Paul.  Acts 18, 1 Cor.3,  and Tit.3

(Thanks Don!)

__________________________________________________________________

TODAY'S QUIZ: Who was Titus?

_____________________________________________________________________

NEWS:

OUR FIRST ADVENT DINNER WILL BE TOMORROW AT 5:30!  EVERYONE IS INVITED!!!

All in elder groups 1-3 are responsible for bringing either a side dish or salad and a dessert!  Fried chicken will be the main course for all three meals!  Worship will begin at 6:30!  We'll hear different voices proclaim the coming of Jesus!  Zechariah (The Benedictus), Gabriel (the announcement to Mary), and Mary (the Magnificat) will proclaim the birth long foretold!

_______________________________________________________________

LADIES AID CHRISTMAS PARTY WILL BE AT DENNY'S TOMORROW AT NOON!

Please sign up on the sign up sheet on the counter in the narthex or call Terry to rsvp!

__________________________________________________________________________________

SUNDAY SCHOOL CHRISTMAS PROGRAM SPECIAL PRACTICES ON THE FOLLOWING DATES:

Friday, Dec. 8 5:30-8pm

Sat, Dec. 16,  9-Noon

 

All parents and kids should plan on being there for these practices!  VERY IMPORTANT STUFF!

 

THE PROGRAM WILL BE ON WEDNESDAY, DEC. 20 at 6:30 during our regular midweek Advent service!!

If you would like your children to be in the program, they need to be at Sunday school! 

_____________________________________________________

SIGN UP SHEET TO BUY A POINSETTIA FOR CHRISTMAS EVE AND DAY IS ON THE COUNTER IN THE NARTHEX!  COST IS $13.50

It is a wonderful way to honor the memory of someone or just someone you love!

NEW YEARS CELEBRATION ON NEW YEAR'S EVE MORNING!!

We will have one service on New Year's Eve with a potluck afterward!  Our main dish will be sloppy joes and we'll have chips there as well.  Please bring a side dish or dessert to share!  Bring all your leftover cookies!!  There will be a sign up sheet to let us know you're coming on the counter in the narthex, but even if you don't rsvp, please come!!  We'll have plenty of food! 

 

We're going to plan our personal "goals" for 2018!!

_______________________________________________________________

 

LITTLE LAMBS IS SELLING CANDY BARS AND COULD USE YOUR HELP!

If you'd like to help sell a box or two of candy bars as a fundraiser for Little Lambs preschool.  Let Terry or one of the preschool ladies know.  They'll hook you up right quick!

_________________________________________________________________________________

VOTER'S MEETING RESULTS FROM LAST SUNDAY

  1. The voters nominated President Lee Hagan for district president and VP Ron Rall for another term.
  2. The voters voted to keep the same mission project, Rev.. Micah and Dorothy Glenn in North County, for 2018.
  3. Larry Schulze, Jim McRae, and Teresa Brockfeld all volunteered to be on the board of trustees!  Thank you to these three volunteers!
  4. We are still in need of two board members for the board of education, and four members for the board of elders. 
  5. The voters approved the budget for 2018.  Thanks to Alan Hofeldt for putting it together.
  6. Since we continuously have trouble filling our boards and committees and since things could be done a whole lot better and more efficiently with a different structure, the voters approved the appointing of a task force to study changes to our governance structure so that we can tap into all the unused potential, so that people who want to do good in the congregation don't have to commit to boards and committees for 9 years, and so that the work of the church can be disbursed among those who actually want to do it!  PRAISE THE LORD!!
  7. The voters approved changing the overflow accordion door to a permanent wall with doors and windows in it to convert the overflow to a cry room.
  8. The voter's also approved a budget of $450,000 for our building project so that we can move forward with hiring an architect.

 

As you can see, a lot is getting done in and around St. John's.  It may be slow going at times, but God is definitely moving!  I'm excited to see what God has in store for 2018!!  It's gonna be a great year watching A LOT of people come to Christ and become members of St. John's!  If you'd like to volunteer for our task force to look into structure changes, please reply to this email.  Please look for lots of wonderful stuff to be happening in the near future, and PRAY, PRAY, PRAY for St. John's that we can grow in making disciples in, out and together!!

_______________________________________________________________________________

SUNDAY SCHOOL MEMORY VERSE IS: "Hosanna!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!  

_________________________________________________________________________

DO YOU HAVE A THRIVENT FINANCIAL ACCOUNT OR POLICY?

You may be eligible to receive money for Little Lambs or Good Shepherd!!  Go to www.thrivent.com/choicedollars to check it out!

________________________________________________________________________________

OPERATION BACKPACK DONATIONS FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER IS INDIVIDUALLY WRAPPED SNACKS AND PACKETS OF OATMEAL.

____________________________________________________________________________________

PRAYERS: 

For PEGGY TALBERT who is having knee replacement surgery today.

 

For TONI MAUCH who is having hip surgery next Wednesday, Dec. 13.

 

For RON HEITGERD, son of Donna Heitgerd, who is hospitalized after a fall, but is also dealing with many other health issues.

 

THANKSGIVING for the birth of a grandson to the Burmeisters.  He was born three weeks early so is spending a few days in the NICU, but is doing well.

 

For our CHURCH, as we begin to make some big changes to both our governance structure and our building, and as we move forward to make disciples of all nations.   

 

For JENNIFER RAHN, who is recovering from heart valve replacement surgery at home.  

 

For LINDA CALLIES, who is recovering from infection at home.

 

For GEORGE HOELSCHER, BUCK HAMPTON, DENISE HOOKER (betty Tameler's daughter) as they continue to deal with cancer. 

_________________________________________________________________________

 PRAYERS FOR OUR MILITARY PERSONNEL:

For COLTON FIGURA deployed to Turkey, SAM HARGROVE deployed in Kuwait and DAN DREYER deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan, that the Lord would keep them safe from harm during their service and bring them home safely.

 

For DAVID TATE stationed in Japan, and ALEX WALTERS, stationed in Tennessee.  That God would bless their service to our country and keep them safe as they all await possible deployment.

 

For CALEB FIGURA AND VINCE MASTERS who are both serving our country in the National Guard and take time out of their lives, jobs, and families to go on duty several times a year.