There are some incredibly awesome highs and very low lows in today’s update. So, if this post feels a bit like a roller coaster, my apologies.
In the last prayer page update we met Terri Carrell. At that point she was lined up to have a highly invasive surgery that would remove her whole left lung, take a very long time and cause her incredible amounts of pain. However, without the surgery she had 2-3 months to live. Well, it has now come to my attention that the cancer has advanced enough that they are no longer able to do the surgery. They have sent in hospice, which is what you do for someone when that person has no medical hope left. The cancer has completely overwhelmed her body, and she can feel the tumors growing inside her.
A newcomer who really needs our prayers is Gigi Cogswell. She has been diagnosed with stage four lung cancer that has spread throughout her abdomen. On top of this, when she was at the doctor’s office going over the diagnosis and discussing options she had a stroke that partially paralyzed her. She was in the ICU, but is doing better now. I have heard rumors she is going on hospice as well.
We also need to be praying for Persephone Reimers. Persephone is only a few months old, and she has been having life-threatening heart problems since she was born. So much, in fact, that she just recently had a heart transplant to try to save her life. The new heart has had some issues, though, and they have had to open her chest at least one additional time, if not more. They don’t think her body is rejecting the heart, but she is nevertheless having many issues and is still struggling to stay alive. She needs all the prayers she can get to survive this.
Also, it is with a heavy heart that I report that we have had three deaths on the list. In case you missed my last couple of posts, both Karen Krsticevic and Bev Marshall have moved on to be with Jesus. Bev was a wonderful woman of faith, and her death came as quite the shock to me as I mentioned in my post “In Our Ruins.” Karen I did not know as well, but Sarah had an amazing experience with her as I talked about in “We are Reborn.” It has also now come to my attention that Tanya, who has been on the list since its inception, has passed away. Let’s pray for these ladies’ families and believe for the peace and presence of God to be with these hurting people.
I further have another newcomer to the list: Debbie Huff. Debbie is starting down the road toward an autologous bone marrow transplant, which is basically the exact same treatment that I had. The big difference is the type of cancer: Debbie has multiple myeloma, which has specifically attacked her bone marrow, kidneys and heart. She is just starting this process and has quite a journey ahead of her, but so far her cancer markers are promising. My prayer for her is that she would go into this process cancer-free (which gives it the highest degree of success), and that her side effects would be non-existent. I also believe that she will have the chance to touch many lives as she has this adventure.
But now, the highs.
Henry Herrera has officially received the news that he is cancer-free. Congratulations, Henry, and many blessings to you in your new life. May God bless you and give you opportunities to share his goodness.
Sally Jo Rehbok-Smiley has also received the all-clear from her cancer. She will have tests for years to come, but she never had to have either chemo or radiation. Praise God!
Sue Westbrook will learn this month if she is cancer-free. Let’s keep believing and praying that she is.
My friend Duane Green, also, has had his very last radiation treatment. He will have many tests ahead of him as well (maybe for the rest of his life), but he is cancer-free. He has used this time to touch the lives of the people around him, too, and has been often surprised at God’s orchestrating hand turning this to good.
Last of all, I am home, and the treatment is behind me. I will have regular appointments and still have a very young immune system, but God has been and continues to be faithful. Thank you for all of your prayers.
I would like to end this post with a question and a thought. How should we pray for some of these people who are in such desperate situations? Should we pray only for peace and comfort? Should we just pray for God’s will to be done?
I am reminded of David, who was told his newborn son wouldn’t last the week. For six days he fasted, prayed, and beseeched God to save his son. Even though he had been told by a prophet that the child would die, he hoped against hope that the infant would be spared. The principal is true even if the outcome was not what David desired. (1) We don’t know the mind of God. But, looking at the Bible, we can ascertain a few things. The Bible says that God desires to heal us in a number of places. So, it would seem that, though we have a limited window on this earth, God wants us to be well during that time. With this in mind, we are aligning ourselves with the will of God as revealed in the Bible to pray for complete healing for people, even when their situation seems beyond hope. In fact, those are the times God most likes to show off. (Let’s not forget, Lazarus was raised from the dead, and any number of people were raised from deathbeds.) With this in mind, I am going to pray for complete healing for these people, and believe that the power of God is bigger than any circumstance in this world. Let’s pray for miracles!
One last thing: the prayer list has a new, easier to navigate format. It’s now divided into urgent prayer needs, current prayer needs, and healings & victories. I apologize for the lack of usability until this was finished, but it’s better now.
God bless you, and thank you for praying.
References
- 2 Samuel 12:1-23
Image (c) Can Stock Photo, 2015