Attn home school community: Urgent prayers needed for Chris Klicka

Chris Klicka (left) and family

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UPDATE 12 October 2009: Home school community loses Chris Klicka, 48, after long battle with MS.
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~Chris Klicka in hospital in CO - Vickie Farris in hospital in VA~

Prayer warriors from throughout the nationwide home school community are urgently being asked to please pray for Chris Klicka, one of our long-time dedicated HSLDA leaders who is in a hospital in Colorado after taking a turn for the worse during the national Home School Legal Defense Association conference. Chris has suffered from MS (Multiple Schlerosis) for years but had felt well enough to attend the conference.

Home Educators Association of Virginia President Anne Miller has reached out to Virginia home families to please hold the Klicka family, as well as Vickie Farris who is also ill, in your thoughts and prayers by passing along the following:

Dear Friends in Christ,

Two of the Christian homeschool movement's most loved leaders are in urgent need of prayer right now. During our church service here in Maryland this morning a phone call came to one of the men of our church who works at HSLDA. It was Mike Smith, the president of HSLDA, calling from Colorado with two urgent prayer requests.

1. Chris Klicka has been battling MS (multiple sclerosis) for 20 years, and has taken a serious turn for the worse in recent months. You can read details written by Chris's dear wife, Traci, at CaringBridge.

Yesterday's entry from Tracy included the following: "Right now we are at our National Homeschool Conference in Colorado Springs. Chris has not been doing well for a few weeks now, but was feeling good enough and really wanted to come to the conference. We both knew that since he didn't make any progress from the hyperbaric oxygen treatment that he most likely would not be working much longer for HSLDA. So his desire in coming was two fold: One, to make it possible for our children to have one last opportunity to see so many of the friends they have made over the years nationwide and two, have an opportunity for us to say goodbye ourselves to these dear homeschool leaders and friends."

This summer Chris did a ten-minute interview about how the Lord has blessed him and used MS in his life.

Chris is now in ICU. He appears to be nearing the end, but he is probably more ready than anybody I know. Or the Lord may have another round of miracles for Chris's earthly life, which Chris would eagerly use to keep giving glory to God. Please join us and thousands of others in praying for Chris Klicka and his family. His family is gathering around him at the hospital now.

Here is the last part of Tracy's entry at CaringBridge this morning: "We don't know how much time we have left with Chris, but we believe it is not long. As a family, we all knew that Daddy was getting worse; we just didn't expect him to be getting ready to go home to be with his Abba Father quite this soon. We are all at peace with whatever God has planned, knowing that because He is there, it is all good. Thank you for your prayers as we prepare and spend our last days and hours with Chris. May they be filled with many precious moments and sweet fellowship with him!"

2. The second urgent prayer request is for Vickie Farris, the wife of Mike Farris (founder of HSLDA & Patrick Henry College) and mother of ten. She stayed home in Virginia with a serious internal infection. Mike is flying home from the national HSLDA conference immediately because the infection has taken a turn for the worse. Pray that the doctors can discern the right means to stop the infection. More than that, pray that the Divine Physician heals her quickly!

"I was crying to the Lord with my voice,
And He answered me from His holy mountain. Selah.
I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustains me.
Salvation belongs to the Lord; Your blessing be upon Your people! Selah."
~ Psalm 3:4-5, 8 [NASB]

In Christ,
Bernie Beall
Family Mission Int'l
Great Commission Families

Anne also passed along this update from Rick Boyer, HEAV board member:

Many homeschool leaders from the national HSLDA conference visited Chris in the hospital yesterday and today. Christians from the local community are offering themselves in service. The Klicka family has even been blessed with a home in which to stay! Chris's parents and their family life pastor arrived today. Chris greeted his mother with a smile.

Remarkably, he drank some water and broth and will be moved to another floor shortly. He is rather confused right now, so would appreciate your prayers. Also, continue to pray for God to do the work He wants to do within the Klickas and within each of us who know and love them. May He be glorified!

After that came yet another update:

Chris has been moved from ICU to a regular room and Megan Klicka says, "...the doctors said it is miraculous--no medial explanation. Please continue to pray!"

Anne says, "Amen! Please join us as we continue to pray for both Chris Klicka and Vicki Farris."

During my 16 years educating my children at home, Chris Klicka and Mike Farris, husband of Vickie Farris, were there to guide, encourage, and comfort families against legal attacks from school officials throughout the nation. Since HSLDA is located in northern Virginia, we often were privileged to hear one or both of those men speak, either with local groups or at the HEAV conventions held annually in Richmond. They were pioneers ... their leadership was pivotal to the success of home schooling. Vickie was always there to support Mike in his quest to help others.

Across the nation ... those of faith are praying for these dedicated leaders. We will join them and ask others to do the same.

HSLDA Alert: Obama Justice pick a threat to parental rights

From Michael Farris
Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA)

David Ogden has been nominated by President Barrack Obama to the position of deputy attorney general of the United States, the second highest position in the Justice Department. His hearings are scheduled for today, February 5, 2009.

Contact your senators now >>
Note: It would be best to call the local offices of your senators in your state, as phone lines on Capitol Hill are tied up by voters concerned about pending economic incentive legislation.
Home School Legal Defense Association urges all of its members to immediately telephone both U.S. senators from your state to oppose the nomination of David Ogden.

The most important reason to oppose Ogden’s nomination is his belief that the rules found in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child are already binding on the United States under the doctrines of international law.

In the Supreme Court case of Roper v. Simmons, 543 U.S. 551 (2005), Ogden argued in a brief that the rules banning the juvenile death penalty contained in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child were customary norms of international law “binding on all states.”

For background information on this doctrine, see Michael Farris’ article, “A Deeper Understanding of the Threat of International Law” in the November/December 2007 Home School Court Report.

This means that Ogden believes that the legal rules contained in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child are already binding on the United States, even though this treaty has never been sent to the U.S. Senate for ratification.

Homeschoolers have long understood the dangers of this international treaty, which contains the core principle that the government may decide what it believes is best for each child without any proof of wrongdoing by the child’s parents. Ogden promoted the use of this UN treaty in the Supreme Court to reach the conclusion that America’s courts have the power to overrule state law, using international law as their guidepost for constitutional interpretation. Unfortunately, he was successful in doing so in the Roper case.

It also means that Ogden is a proven advocate for the position that international law should be used to interpret the Constitution of the United States and bind the decisions of our elected officials.

If this weren’t enough, Ogden has a history of representing Playboy and other purveyors of pornography in high-profile legal cases. He also challenged the legality of using filters on library computers to protect children from seeing pornography. It would be hard to imagine how Ogden would faithfully enforce the nation's pornography laws if he is placed in this position at the Justice Department.

The United States Senate needs to understand right now that the American public will not countenance the idea of the nation being led by people who believe that international law trumps American law.

Please call both of your U.S. Senators today to register your opposition to David Ogden.

Victory for California home schoolers

From Focus on the Family's Citizen Link:

In an inspiring 3-0 decision today, the California Court of Appeal for the Second Appellate District reversed its earlier ruling that would have required parents to be certified teachers in order to home-school in California.

“This is a great victory for home-school freedom,” said Michael Farris, chairman of the Home School Legal Defense Association. "I have never seen such an impressive array of people and organizations coming to the defense of home schooling. The team effort was remarkable."

Good news, indeed.