It's been a while....

Well, it's been a while since I've posted anything, hasn't it!!

And the end of chemo is nearly here. Incredible. Only one more session left....11 down, one more to go.

What has this journey been like? Well, I take a lot of naps in the afternoons. And I've been cranky sometimes. My stomach has cramped, my fingertips and toes are numb most of the time so I drop lots of things and knock things over. My eyelashes are mostly gone. But I do have a head full of hair. And I haven't been nauseated. Not even once!!

What else do I have to be thankful for? Oh my, how to list it all. One day as I was laying down for an afternoon nap, Matthew laid down beside me and sang me a lullaby. And Mark washes the dishes for me when he sees I'm really tired. And Madylanne plays with Micah when my energy runs low.

Church family and blood family have kept us stocked with meals, have stopped by to check on us, and have played with the kids.

And then there is Jesus. Yes, my loving Savior who has been through all this with me. My favorite part about chemo is the time it has allowed me to spend in the Word of God, and journaling. What a blessing that is. Thank You Jesus, for loving me and loving on me through Your Word.

Thank you for praying. This has been so much better than what I imagined when I first heard the word "chemo." I know it's because God has been answering the prayers you have been lifting up on my behalf. Thank you.

Having cancer or knowing someone personally who has cancer opens a whole new world. Thank you for what you have done for me or my family to help us through this. Now I pray that God will use this for His glory, and to help others going through similar experiences.

There sure are a lot of silver linings in this. Being the closest to my grandparent's that I have been since I was a child. Having Micah here in the States, in Kansas, for family to get to know him as an infant. A local swimming pool, splash park, library, park. Tball, softball, swimming lessons, mutton busting. Meals and time spent with parents, siblings, nieces and nephews. Fellowship with the body of Christ.

Things around us may have changed a lot. (Things have changed a lot since the last time we were in the States!) But one something has NOT changed in the least....the enduring love and salvation Jesus offers everyone. How grateful I am for Him and His unchanging nature. I can't imagine trying to make it through cancer without Jesus. I pray for those fighting cancer right now, facing death and wishing for life. Lord, may these people accept Your gift of love, forgiveness, and salvation. May they call You Friend. May You be their Good Shepherd, as You are mine.

I am the Good Shepherd. I know my own and my own know me....John 10:14

a family photo

We have a family shot at last...it's been a few months and you can see how much Micah has plumped up!

love my kids!

Of course I'm biased but I sure love my kids! Thanking God for these beautiful blessings.  :)

Chemo started last week. Had some rough days but I know Who my Savior is and He's seeing me through.  :) Thanking Him for loving family and friends who have checked on me. Thanks everyone for praying.

Sovereign

Sovereign   http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/christomlin/sovereign.html
by Chris Tomlin

this song means so much to me right now....
thank you all for praying.

we are still waiting to find out if I need chemo.

but I can trust in the never failing love of Jesus
and waiting is ok.

Sovereign in the mountain air
Sovereign on the ocean floor
With me in the calm
With me in the storm

Sovereign in my greatest joy
Sovereign in my deepest cry
With me in the dark
With me at the dawn

In your everlasting arms
All the pieces of my life
From beginning to the end
I can trust you

In your never failing love
You work everything for good
God whatever comes my way
I will trust you

Sovereign in the mountain air
Sovereign on the ocean floor
With me in the calm
With me in the storm

Sovereign in my greatest joy
Sovereign in my deepest cry
With me in the dark
With me at the dawn

In your everlasting arms
All the pieces of my life
From beginning to the end
I can trust you

In your never failing love
You work everything for good
God whatever comes my way
I will trust you

God whatever comes my way
I will trust you

All my hopes
All I need
Held in your hands

All my life
All of me
Held in your hands

All my fears
All my dreams
Held in your hands

All my hopes
All I need
Held in your hands

All my life
All of me
Held in your hands

All my fears
All my dreams
Held in your hands

In your everlasting arms
All the pieces of my life
From beginning to the end
I can trust you

In your never failing love
You work everything for good
God whatever comes my way
I will trust you

God whatever comes my way
I will trust you

God whatever comes my way
I will trust you

Bible School 2014

Here is a great picture of the men who gathered for Bible School in December. Pastor Dominic is in the orange shirt on the right side. A home missionary named Austin helped teach- he is kneeling, in a navy collared shirt. We praise God for this training that lay leaders and pastors are able to receive to help them lead their churches in many places in the Western Province.

Jesus is our Anchor

We have great news from the pathology report- even though the masses came back positive for cancer, my margins are clear, which means that all the cancer was removed from my body at the time the masses were taken out. All of the 116 lymph nodes that were removed were also free of cancer.

YEAH!!! We are so very thankful to God for this incredible news!! I stand amazed that God in His mercy allowed this cancer to be caught at this early stage before it got any worse and spread. ALL THANKS to GOD for this miracle!!

Truly we have seen God’s hand of provision over and over and over again throughout this entire journey. And not only did He provide for me, but He has provided for our whole family. He got us to Lusaka where I was able to get some medical treatment for the initial awful pain, He got us to Johannesburg to get a glimpse of the first mass, and He got us to Kansas to get the cancer removed. And He did all of this in about 6 weeks.

We have more medical appointments ahead of us as we wait for a follow up appointment with Dr. Porter on January 23^rd. Dr. Porter is the GI Surgeon who performed my surgery. We have lots of questions for him such as what stage was the cancer and what further treatment is he recommending.

Thank you all for standing alongside us in prayer and support. So many of you have emailed with words of encouragement and I can’t thank you enough for this!!

I have been reading in Hebrews lately, one of my favorites, because it talks about how Jesus is our Prophet, our Priest, and our King. And He is an anchor for our soul. My soul has been clinging to Him, who is worthy to be praised whatever the outcome. 

…it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul…Hebrews 6:18b-19a

Praying Jesus is your anchor too!!!

thank you for praying

Thank you all for praying for us this last month- it's been a crazy journey- since the day after Thanksgiving life has been a whirlwind. We went to Lusaka for the week of Thanksgiving and while there Melynda had terrible abdominal pain. That resulted in a weekend long stay in the hospital and a CT scan which indicated something wrong with Melynda's colon. Following that information we flew to Johannesburg for further testing, which revealed Melynda had a large mass in her colon. Following that shocking news we flew to KS. Since then Melynda has had surgery - two large masses and two feet of her colon were removed. Melynda is recuperating well in El Dorado and waiting to hear if the masses are benign or malignant. She is so thankful to the Lord that the whole family has been with her throughout this adventure!

Through all of this we have had the overwhelming sense of peace what we know comes from Jesus. At every step of the journey we have seen the Lord's hand providing for us and keeping us safe. Family, friends, and church family have rallied around us, reminding us of the love and care of the Father. Mark has been doing a great job taking care of Melynda and the kids, with help from family during and after the surgery. Madylanne loves being around cousins and extended family so much. Matthew is hanging in there and beginning to get the hang of things- having cousins and family has helped him adjust. Micah is growing by leaps and bounds and laughing!

Please pray for the Baptist Mission of Sesheke Church, Pastor Dominic, Bo Teresa, and everyone there in Sesheke. This is shocking for them too and we are praying for them to trust the Lord to see to their every need.

We were certainly not planning this trip to the US and we don't know how long we'll be here- it all depends on what we find out from the pathology report coming this week. And we know ultimately it's in the hands of the Lord.

The Lord is good! He is mighty to save. He is with me. He loves me. He created me. He put me together and He knows how to help me. These are the things that have been holding up my heart.

We love all of you so much!
Melynda, Mark, Madylanne, Matthew, and Micah