Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Confirmation, Cancer, and Hope

This past weekend we packed up our car and headed out of town, leaving behind the dark cloud of cancer.  We went north to celebrate our granddaughter's confirmation.  A time of affirming her baptism and confirming her faith.  We are so proud of her.  Her statement of faith still resonates with us.  So very grateful that God is the center of the lives of our children, in-laws and grandchildren. 
It was great to hug on some of our kids, snuggle with grands.  We are so blessed. 

Daughter Bethany and Mom
(our confirmation family does not allow their pics on here 
so they are absent in photos but not our hearts!)


Granddaughter Abbi and Grandma

'
Grandson Noah

What a wonderful time it was!  It ended too quickly.  God has continued to give me different scriptures that are letting me know He is fighting my battles.  Seeing some of the family has helped me to understand that there is a whole team who are leading the way in prayer. 

Sometimes we can only stand firm and let God fight for us.  The endless appointments, tests, labs, and diagnoses have been more than challenging.  In the midst of the cancer journey a problem with my kidneys surfaced through the PET scan.  We saw the urologist Tuesday and each kidney has a very large stone and in the rt one is is causing some blockage.  So tomorrow morning I will have day surgery to have a stent put in my kidney.  I also saw the oncologist and he has shifted his plan to be a powerful neo-adjulent hormonal therapy, hoping to avoid chemo for my body.  We are digesting this and will decide if we are on board 100%.  IF it does not shrink tumor on skin and inside in 4 weeks he will then go to chemo for 3 months.  Surgery will still be around March, doing chemo or hormonal treatments first since it has invaded the skin.

My emotions are up and down and all around.  Sometimes I feel strong and sometimes not.  During the latter times I ask Joel to remind me of what we know for sure..............That God is with us.  That He fights for us.  That we know that we know that no matter what comes, the victory is ours.  Even in death the victory is ours.  Yet we declare as scripture says, "I will live and not die, and declare the works of the Lord."

Which brings me back to our granddaughter who confirmed her faith in God this past weekend.  A step of faith and commitment in our grand, who knows where her help comes from.  So grateful we were able to be there celebrating with family and their friends.  Let hope rise! 

 What I woke to Monday morning in Minnesota
Sunrise of Hope!

2 comments:

Anita Johnson said...

You remain in my prayers...so thankful for the faith of our kids and grandkids. We have experiences many losses at our church this year. I thought this message from our pastor was a good one...for losses AND the trials we face. I’m keeping you in my prayers!
——————-
As you are well aware, our church family has experienced quite a bit of loss over the past year. Wave after wave of sadness. Our sorrow is like that of the patriarch Job, not so much in its intensity, as in its relentlessness. I remind us today of one of his responses in the midst of his grief, as he again and again declared his resolve to cling to his faith, "I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last (end), He will take his stand on the earth. Even after my skin is destroyed, yet from my flesh I shall see God" (Job 19:25-26).

We face despair relentlessly clinging to our hope in Christ. Job's words powerfully declare the eternal truths of the rescue we have through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. They plainly direct us to the truth of our own resurrection at the
end of all things when Jesus Himself comes.

We cling to Jesus.

Pastor Roger

Tammi Muterspaw Rhoney said...

So sorry to hear this news Renee! You had breast cancer once before right? We'll definitely be praying for you.

Tammi Rhoney