Joe & Debbie's Lovin' 'em Back Fund
Donation protected
We are Joseph and Debbie Brown's three daughters, Jamie, Jennifer and Jessica. They have loved us so well and we feel beyond blessed to call them our parents! But I guarantee if you know them then you have been loved well by them at some point too!
A little background first. Debbie was a stay at home mom who took care of everything at home while Joseph worked long hours. One thing she always told me that she loved about being at home besides being there for her kids was how she wanted to be there when anyone else needed her. As she got into her 40s, her health began to slowly decline and they had a hard time figuring out exactly what was happening. She had a heart attack in 2006 and just a few short years later was diagnosed with Lupus. By the time she was in her 50s her health was declining dramatically and quickly. She suffered from a heart attack, daily pain, weakness and depression. As her physical limitations grew, so did the depression. All of the things she was able to do for others in the past were suddenly no longer a possibility.
Joseph worked incredibly hard to provide for his family for many years. However, the WAY he provided had to change dramatically after suffering from a heart attack requiring triple bypass open-heart surgery when he was only 42 years old! Although this was a hard and horrible time, God was doing great things! To make a long story short, after suffering from debilitating panic attacks for almost 20 years, God healed him! Debbie prayed when he was in surgery for God to heal his heart and she knew then that God healed more than just his heart!! But we never imagined that the years following his heart attack he would stop managing grocery stores and pursue full time ministry. He has been traveling, singing and sharing the gospel through music for the past 15 years! He has sacrificed SO much but always felt that he was doing what God had called him to do. However, doing this was increasingly hard with Debbie's health decreasing and him wanting to be home with her. They were blessed with an RV and it was a HUGE answer to prayers. We thought she could travel with him and see something besides the walls of her room.
When things were already difficult, Joseph's gospel group decided to make a change which meant he couldn't continue with them. So thankfully they had this RV and so they made the decision to move in to it full-time. In the process of trying to downsize from their apartment to an RV, Joseph began to have chest pain, nausea and weakness. This past week he had a heart cath which showed that one of his old bypasses were blocked but that it had been blocked for a long time. This would not cause him to have another heart attack but would cause him to have those symptoms if under too much physical strain or emotional stress. Well that is exactly what this past month has been! Lots of emotional stress and physical strain! Now our parents are both in a depleted state physically and under huge financial strain. Devoting yourself to ministry most of the time has its financial difficulties but that is when we humbly ask for support and when our family, friends, and church have the opportunity to give back. We know our parents are loved by so many! We also know that so many of you have offered to help and wondered how you could help. The most difficult things right now are needing financial support for medical bills, medicine, and living expenses while Joseph is out of work (also continuing to pay rent until Joseph can recover and move into and drive the RV). If we could start "lovin' 'em back" by giving financially, it would not only make a huge impact for the obvious survival reasons, but it would also help lift them up spiritually and emotionally to see how well they are loved!
A little background first. Debbie was a stay at home mom who took care of everything at home while Joseph worked long hours. One thing she always told me that she loved about being at home besides being there for her kids was how she wanted to be there when anyone else needed her. As she got into her 40s, her health began to slowly decline and they had a hard time figuring out exactly what was happening. She had a heart attack in 2006 and just a few short years later was diagnosed with Lupus. By the time she was in her 50s her health was declining dramatically and quickly. She suffered from a heart attack, daily pain, weakness and depression. As her physical limitations grew, so did the depression. All of the things she was able to do for others in the past were suddenly no longer a possibility.
Joseph worked incredibly hard to provide for his family for many years. However, the WAY he provided had to change dramatically after suffering from a heart attack requiring triple bypass open-heart surgery when he was only 42 years old! Although this was a hard and horrible time, God was doing great things! To make a long story short, after suffering from debilitating panic attacks for almost 20 years, God healed him! Debbie prayed when he was in surgery for God to heal his heart and she knew then that God healed more than just his heart!! But we never imagined that the years following his heart attack he would stop managing grocery stores and pursue full time ministry. He has been traveling, singing and sharing the gospel through music for the past 15 years! He has sacrificed SO much but always felt that he was doing what God had called him to do. However, doing this was increasingly hard with Debbie's health decreasing and him wanting to be home with her. They were blessed with an RV and it was a HUGE answer to prayers. We thought she could travel with him and see something besides the walls of her room.
When things were already difficult, Joseph's gospel group decided to make a change which meant he couldn't continue with them. So thankfully they had this RV and so they made the decision to move in to it full-time. In the process of trying to downsize from their apartment to an RV, Joseph began to have chest pain, nausea and weakness. This past week he had a heart cath which showed that one of his old bypasses were blocked but that it had been blocked for a long time. This would not cause him to have another heart attack but would cause him to have those symptoms if under too much physical strain or emotional stress. Well that is exactly what this past month has been! Lots of emotional stress and physical strain! Now our parents are both in a depleted state physically and under huge financial strain. Devoting yourself to ministry most of the time has its financial difficulties but that is when we humbly ask for support and when our family, friends, and church have the opportunity to give back. We know our parents are loved by so many! We also know that so many of you have offered to help and wondered how you could help. The most difficult things right now are needing financial support for medical bills, medicine, and living expenses while Joseph is out of work (also continuing to pay rent until Joseph can recover and move into and drive the RV). If we could start "lovin' 'em back" by giving financially, it would not only make a huge impact for the obvious survival reasons, but it would also help lift them up spiritually and emotionally to see how well they are loved!
Organizer and beneficiary
Jessica Mendoza
Organizer
Cedartown, GA
Joseph Brown
Beneficiary
