Prayers for a Friend

We had the opportunity to get away this week. What a treat for all of us! (I'll share more about that later).

While we were gone we found out that a friend of ours was in a life-threatening accident. He's the husband to Jill, daddy to Kylie, and friend to many. The accident has affected his vertebra and spinal cord at L-1 (just below the rib cage) and has caused burns over 30% of his body. He's in critical condition right now and is in and out of surgery and physical therapy each day to care for his burns and his range of motion. His name is RD.

Please, pray for him. Pray for his family and loved ones who are ministering to him and to each other. God's presence is there and His power and love has been revealed, even in the midst of these circumstances. If you know RD, you can find out more information on his Caring Bridge Web page. He posted a video to thank those who have been praying and those who have been taking care of his family, and to encourage us to continue. In the midst of his pain he is giving glory to God! What a testimony to RD's faith and God's love!

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Hear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.
Guard my life, for I am devoted to you.
You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you.
Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long.
Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you.
Hear my prayer, O Lord: listen to my cry for mercy.
In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me.
Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord;
no deeds can compare with yours.
All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord;
they will bring glory to your name.
For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God.

Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth;
give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.
I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart;
I will glorify your name forever.
For great is your love toward me;
you have delivered me from the depths of the grave.

Psalm 86:1-13

Camp Compassion

Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Luke 6:37,38

My family was blessed this week. I mean REALLY blessed. Seeds of compassion were sown into our lives by an unlikely group. About a dozen 6th, 7th and 8th grade students, along with 3 brave adults, came for a few hours on Thursday. While they cleaned my home and entertained my children, I was able to go to a doctor's appointment.

These young men and young women came with arms ready to serve. And they did it with a cheerful spirit. My family wasn't the only recipient of their 'good measure.' They were part of Camp Compassion. For an entire week, they (and two other teams) have been ministering to people in our church and in our community.

I just want to send out a special thank you to Pastor Rob and Pastor Rhonda for putting it all together. What a wonderful way to see Luke 6:37,38 in action!!! And THANK YOU to the White Crew! You Rock!

God is faithful. His promises are true. He has provided for me and my family in so many unique and unexpected ways during this journey! Thank you, Lord.

Spiritual Windows

About 3 years ago, Sean got an idea in his head......the kind that inspires him to charge full steam ahead. Within 6 months we had a new home sitting next to our existing home!

During the construction process, before dry wall was in place, I would sneak over after school or during naps to write scripture on the 2 by 4's. I picked out different scriptures for different areas of the home (kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms, office, school room, entry....you get the idea). As usual, God's timing is perfect. I wrote these verses down a couple of years ago (both in a notebook and all over my new home) and then tucked them away and forgot about them. While cleaning out one of my dresser drawers a few weeks ago, I discovered my notebook of verses. God used these verses once again to speak life into my spirit at a time when my soul was downcast.

Here are some of the verses written over my windows......verses that speak of the light of God in our lives.....verses that speak of our reflection of his light in this world. May the spiritual windows to your spirit be encouraged today! May His light dispel whatever darkness you are allowing to reside in the recesses of our mind, body, and soul.

The Lord is God, and he has made his light shine upon us. Ps 118:27

The Lord is my light and my salvation--whom shall I fear? Ps. 27:1

You are the light of the world, a city on a hill cannot be hidden. Mt. 5:14

Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. Isa. 60:1

And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. Gen. 1:3

You are my lamp, O Lord; the Lord turns darkness into light. 2 Sam 22:29

Let the light of your face shine upon us, O Lord. Ps 4:6

The unfolding of your words gives light, it gives understanding to the simple. Ps 199:130

For God....made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 2 Cor 4:6

God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 1 John 1:5

Latest Praises and Prayer Requests

Thank you so much for your continued prayers for me and my family! Thank you for the encouraging cards and emails, too. They're treasured in my heart and filling up my love tank! Here are some updates:

Belly Button: My blues are over! I should have mentioned this awhile back, but all is well with my incision from my oophorectomy. Those two last pesky stitches that my GYN took out did the trick!

Radiation: Although radiation is over, my skin is very irritated in my armpit. In the last couple of days, the irritation has grown. So I continue to use some special cream and pray that will do the trick. If not, I might have to try something else.

Cast: Praise God! Trevor got his cast off today!!!! Poor little arm. It looks like it's not seen the light of day in 6 weeks....Oh, that's right...It hasn't! Although new bone has grown to connect the breaks, it may take another year or two for the bone to remodel itself back to its intended shape. In the meantime, Trevor has a skinny, bumpy, weak forearm. He's not allowed to ride anything with wheels or to run. He could easily rebreak it if fell. The orthopod reassures me that within the year, Trevor's arm will be strong and less bumpy again. To celebrate, we went to my sister's pool. The first time Trevor got in he said he couldn't breathe. I think the shock of the cool water was a bit overwhelming to the neglected skin on his arm. He didn't stay in very long. After some time, he tried again and ended up staying in for 2 hours. Oh, I was so glad! Please pray that common sense resides in his 8 year old brain!!!

Work: I've been very patient waiting for strength to return in my arms, stability in my shoulders, and energy to my body. I miss my second job (or maybe it's my third.....mom...homeschool....PT). I miss working with patients, helping them regain their independence and strength. And I KNOW my co-workers have missed me since they've had to pick up more weekends than usual over the last 8 months. So, although I'm still not going full speed, I decided to slowly ease myself back into my 'paid vacation days.' Pray that I will be wise.

Fundraiser/Softball Tournament: My team is ready.....The Chellebugs!! The tournament is set for Saturday, Sept. 13th. There are four families affected by cancer who are benefiting from the event. If you get hungry next week, eat at Papa Joe Jr's on August 5th, 6th and 7th Papa Joe Jr's will be donating a portion of their sales from lunch and dinner.....Check out Saturday's Flyer for more details. Members of the Sweet Melissa Foundation have been working very hard to get things ready. Please come out to the tournament in September and support their efforts.....and come and give me a hug!!! I'll be on the red team.

Thanks again! God is moving. He's faithful. He's sovereign.

Don't Give Up

When I was first diagnosed a friend gave me a thin hot pink book. On the cover is part of the hand of a woman holding a sword. The book is Warrior Chicks: Rising Strong, Beautiful and Confident, by Holly Wagner. Although I had plenty of other important things to do while I received my Herceptin treatment today, I decided to finally take a peak between the covers of this book.

I was not disappointed!!!

Holly describes the difference between a soldier and a warrior. 'Soldier' is a position and 'Warrior' is an attitude. A soldier signs up to join the fight; a warrior stays until it is finished. I needed this encouragement as I round the bend of my primary treatment and find myself growing weary of the battle. Only 6 months to go....but it seems like an eternity. Holly writes, "Others are watching to see how we handle this battle. They want answers. And they are hoping we have some."

Most of us don't sign up for the battles we face. Yet there we are in the midst of them. We can face them as soldiers OR we can face them as warriors. To rise above it all. Rather than try to re-phrase Holly's words from pages 35-36 I want to share them with you. As you face the battle that is before you, I pray you will be encouraged to be the Warrior whom God has created you to be.

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What battle are you in the middle of now? (If you are not in one right now, your turn is next week!)

Is it your marriage?

Well, there are those watching who need to see how to have a great one, so don't give up.

Please.

Is it raising children?

Well, there are those watching who need to see how to raise healthy ones, so don't give up.

Please.

Is it feeding the hungry?

Well, there are hungry people who need to be fed, so don't give up.

Please.

Is it coming out of an abusive relationship?

Well, there are those watching who need to see how to get out, too, so don't give up.

Please.

Is it overcoming depression?

Well, there are those watching who need to see how to do it, so don't give up.

Please.
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Please, don't give up.

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Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. Isaiah 60:1-3

FEAR (Part I)

I've been thinking about fear for awhile now, but have been afraid to share my thoughts!! :) Today, I had a pretty scary thing happen to me. It opened my eyes again to the fears that can consume us.

After church we went to lunch at Fazoli's. When our order was up, Spencer and I picked up the two trays. I wasn't in any hurry, but as I started to unload the bowls of fettuccine alfredo and spaghetti, the tray tipped and two of the dishes started to slide down. In my attempt to counterbalance the falling food, much of the hot pasta and sauces dumped onto my left hand. I've been burned before, but the fear that gripped my heart during this incident was like nothing I've ever experienced.

The fear was so real and so unsettling that my heart felt like it was transferred to another reality. I stood frozen for longer than I should have (at least it felt like an eternity). I didn't make a sound. I didn't even scream. I just stood there with burning hot pasta sitting atop my hand. All I could hear were the words of my physical therapist......Now that you've had your lymph nodes removed, skin care is of utmost importance. You have to take care of your skin. Avoid burns of any kind. Any kind of trauma to your arms and hands can be a precursor for lymphadema. And once lymphadema begins, it will be a chronic issue.......Finally, I was jarred back to my present reality. With images of lymphadema in my mind and with tears streaming down my face, I quickly wiped the food away and headed to the bathroom to run my skin under some lukewarm water.

To the passerby, I'm pretty sure it didn't look so bad and that my reaction was minor. I wasn't hysterical. I wasn't screaming or shouting or blaming. But the fear in my heart was real. It was all-consuming. It literally stopped me in my tracks. I couldn't move. This fear had a power over me.

When I returned to the table, the skin on the back of my hand was pretty red. It hurt. I told Sean about my fear and how I'm supposed to avoid burns for the rest of my life. This is why I'm so thankful that God gave me such a sensible, logical man!!! He said, "It's going to happen, honey. You can't avoid being burned for the rest of your life. Sooner or later it's going to happen. You can't worry about it, just accept it. And when it happens, we'll pray God's protection over you." It was as simple as that for him. It took awhile for that truth to soak into my spirit. But finally, the tears stopped coming and I rested in that truth. By the time we left the restaurant, my skin color was back to normal. There was a minor tenderness in the area of the burn, but no blisters. More importantly, I was no longer consumed by my fear of lymphadema.

Lymphadema is still a real risk for me, but I'm not afraid of it anymore. I won't be controlled by that fear. I will make wise choices, of course, and try to avoid burns, but accidents like today are bound to happen again.

Maybe I'll have more courage to share the other thoughts I have on fear in the next few weeks. There are so many fears that can consume us. There are many fears that control us, causing our hearts to stay in a perpetually unsettled state. These fears limit us and keep us from living the life of freedom that God has given us. Freedom to love....Freedom to give.....Freedom to receive.

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So do not fear, for I am with you: do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Psalm 34:1-4

Round-Up is Almost Done

Just prior to my final submission to having radiation I had a discussion with my medical oncologist and husband. It went something like this:

Me: It's not so much that I don't want to do radiation, it's the surgery to remove my port and put another one in that I'm dreading.....all because of a suspected 15% chance of local recurrence.

Sean: Why do we need to do radiation? What does it do?

Me: It's like weed killer on a garden, Sean. It's supposed to keep the weeds from coming back....well, not the weeds....the cancer......you know what I mean.......that's just how I see it.

Dr. M: Hmm....Round-Up for the Chest Wall.....That's one way of looking at it.

Well, one port surgery and 27 radiation treatments later......and I've just about finished my round-up. Only one more to go!!! As much as I'd like to celebrate, I really can't yet. Sure it's great that my final radiation treatment is on Monday, but I still have my Herceptin treatments through January. That's when I'll be ready to P..A..R..T..Y!!

Help me, Lord, to stay positive. I'm really getting tired of it all. Help me to run this race with your strength and your peace. Continue to give me courage and boldness. May I continue to rejoice in you and give you praise, for GREAT is Your faithfulness!!

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Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7