More Chemo.

No, it's not for Steph. As you know she is taking a break, but her Papa....is not. He was recently diagnosed with cancer. I wish I could tell you what kind but I can't, for the life of me, remember what I was told. But today was his first chemo treatment. So Steph decided that it was VERY important to be there with him today as he experienced for the first time what is all too familiar to her. She spent the day with him, her Granny and her dad. It was hard for her but as she was leaving he told her that he had, "had the best day." I hate it for him. I hate it for his family. BUT, I am so thankful that he is not one of the people sitting by himself as poison courses through his veins. Please add him to your prayer lists. Pray that he tolerates chemo and is cured. Pray for their family as they do this....again.

Happy Birthday Edna!

Since I didn't get a birthday wish posted yesterday...I wanted to make sure it was extra special! HAPPY BIRTHDAY Edna! Hope you had a wonderful day!!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Good News.

More later...but things are looking good!!!

**It's later! I have talked to my mom and we got good news today. When the doc looked at the scan...for the first time this afternoon as he was sitting in front of Steph, he read it out loud. "Stable. Hmm." For those not up on the cancer lingo...stable=NO GROWTH!!! This is amazing news! They are still looking into some clinical studies in Bethesda, MD that she is a candidate for at this time. HOWEVER, after looking at her scans today, Dr. Hoos decided that it would be okay for her to wait just a little longer on those since the CANCER IS NOT GROWING!!!!! She would have to be gone a lot for those and in case you hadn't heard...IT'S LADY CHIEF SEASON BABY!!!! He wants to continue to scan her because her cancer has been very aggressive in the past.

We feel very strongly that Steph's devotion to her diet and nutrition played a huge role in this positive development. She will continue doing what she is doing. But ALL the glory and ALL the praise goes to God. This is HIS plan and HIS will is being done here. I mentioned in my previous post that maybe we can't change God's mind by praying. I also meant to mention that he always answers our prayers. Sometimes he doesn't answer them in the way we WANT Him to.

But sometimes he does.

Thank you Jesus. Thank you.

Results Tomorrow

Is there something you do in the evenings that is a complete time suck? For me, it's the computer. I sit, play games, shop and waste time on facebook. I enjoy it. It is my reward for working hard all day. When the kids are in bed and all is quiet, I like to sit and do mindless "junk" on the internet. Sometimes I blog and catch up on other blogs, but mostly...I waste time. Tonight I am going to give up my computer time because there is something so much more important to do. Pray. I have a list of things that need some serious attention. At the top of the list is Steph. So would you please join me tonight? Steph has an appointment tomorrow to discuss the results of her scan and a new plan of action. This is a big one.

But guess what??

God already knows the outcome. He knows her story. He knows exactly what is going to be said at that appointment tomorrow. Then why pray?? Well, I recently read a VERY lengthy blog post HERE about that very question. Long story short, she suggests we cannot CHANGE God's mind by praying...we can only draw nearer to Him so that we may be at peace with the results that HE has chosen. So I will pray. Please join me!

Scan Tomorrow!

If you are like me, tonight you will crawl into bed with a million things running through your head. What didn't I get done? What do I need to do tomorrow? Does my husband have clean underwear? Did I lock the doors? How long has it been since I washed my hair? And so on. But tonight, I am asking you to take a few minutes from your list and pray just a little extra for Steph. Tonight she has one thing and one thing only on her mind. She is thinking about her scan tomorrow. It's kind of a big one. We NEED this to be good. We NEED to hear that the cancer is shrinking...better yet we want to hear that it is GONE!! Steph told me today that she is fighting the devil daily as he tries to convince her that this cancer is never going away. Lets lift her up in prayer. Our prayers are so much more powerful than anything satan could come up with. Continue to pray tomorrow and the days that follow as we wait for the results. I will let you know as soon as I am able!

Fundraiser!

On Monday October 26th, we will be having a fundraiser to benefit Ozark's Care to Learn program. I have mentioned before how important this cause is to me. Care To Learn provides immediate funding and action to meet any emergent health, hunger or hygiene issue a child might have; addressing a physical need, restoring respect, and getting that child back in the classroom. We also are participating in the backpack program which will send home backpacks stocked with snacks and easy to prepare meals for children who may not get meals outside of school.

So please join us at McAllisters in Nixa Monday October 26th from 5-9!!

Prayer Request

WAAAAY back in the old days, I went to high school with Kasey White. Two years ago, through the wonders of myspace, I learned that he and his family had been dealt the devastating blow of a cancer diagnosis. Every parents nightmare...his beautiful daughter Megan had a six pound tumor that had basically swallowed her kidney. They headed straight to St. Jude where she fought the fight and came home cancer free. She is a beautiful and talented young lady that you may have seen or heard on TV or the radio.

They recently returned from St. Jude's after a routine scan (IF you can even call a scan to check your child's body for a life threatening illness routine) with "mixed reviews," as Kasey said. There is a spot on Megan's lung but her brain scans were clean. I am asking you ALL to add sweet Megan, her dad Kasey, her mom Kandice and her brother Danny to your prayer list. Lift them up and pray that God will heal her body. From what I understand, they are going to "wait and see" and then rescan her in six weeks. Please also pray that Megan's family can find peace and rest in our Father's arms.

We are such strong believers in the power of prayer. We see it work everyday and FEEL your prayers all the time. There is SO little I can do for this family so I wanted them to be covered in YOUR prayers. I know personally how comforting those prayers are. To follow Megan's journey click HERE for her caringbridge site. To fall in love with this sweet girl, go HERE to hear her story and watch the video below that aired at Thanksgiving time. (The same time she was on the Today show!!!) She has become quite the little star!