Thursday, February 18, 2010 9:24 PM, CST

Well, it's been a few weeks since we've updated so I thought I would bring things up to date. Katelyn just picked up a copy of the medical reports from my MRI and CT scan. I love reading through the report from the CT scan. There is no pulmonary nodule. There is no infiltrate. There is no pleural effusion. There is no mediastinal adenopathy. There is no pericardial effusion or pleural effusion. Impression: Complete resolution of the nodules in the lungs! I don't really understand most of it, but the last sentence tells me all I need to know.

Before we went down to Mexico the first time we went down to St. Louis to Barnes Jewish Hospital. We met with three specialists and the last one was a cardiothoracic surgeon. When he looked at the cd of my medical records he counted at least 16 spots on each lung. And now, a complete resolution of the nodules in the lungs. What an amazing miracle!

Each time I think about it I just thank God. I command the rest of the cancer in my pelvis to leave my body. God has given us authority and I want to be faithful to what He has given. Jesus told his disciples that it was needful for him to go because he could then send the Holy Spirit. He also said that the same works that He did we shall do, and greater works than these. That is so exciting to me.

Corinthians tells us we are new creatures, ambassadors for Christ, and ministers of reconciliation. Ephesians tells us we are joint heirs with Christ, blessed with all spiritual blessings, and seated in heavenly places with Christ. What an amazing identity and authority he has given us. We are not to trust in man's wisdom, but in the power of God. I am learning that the Holy Spirit was not just sent to convict of our sin, but to quicken us as HE quickened Christ. To guide us into all truth, to help us, to comfort us, to bring all things to remembrance. I want the Holy Spirit to be the ruler of my heart.

A verse I think of often is John 3:8, the wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you don't know where it comes from or where it is going. So is every one that is born of the Spirit. A life in the Spirit is unpredictable and exciting. Life in the Spirit is full of joy. If we are attentive to Him he will probably ask us to get out of our comfort zone, but that is where we find God a lot of times. If you want to walk on water, you have to get out of the boat. I pray that we all would get out of the boat and learn to live life in the Spirit.

My new job is going well. I have some great co-workers and the transition has been pretty smooth. I still have a lot to learn but I am so thankful for the opportunity. It's nice only having a 15 minute drive to and from work. Thank you Jesus for the new job.

Katelyn and I have been asked to speak on different occasions. We could use your prayers that God would continue to use our situation to glorify His name and draw people to Himself. Thanks for your prayers.

I am scheduled to go back to Mexico the middle of March for a few days. I have been a little under the weather with a sore throat and a cough, but I think I am through the worst of it. Other than that I have been feeling pretty well. I want to continue to fight what's left in my pelvis so I can be completely cancer-free. Please join me in prayer. May God richly bless all of you for your faithful intercession.

Friday, January 29, 2010 9:12 AM, CST

Two days ago I was spread out waiting to get my MRI. The same lady that did my last MRI was there to do this follow-up. I thought back to the last time I was in that same room. My pelvis was pulsating in intense pain. It's hard to lay motionless when you are not in pain, nearly impossible when you are in pain. IT took every ounce of my will and the grace of God for me to stay still through it all. The pictures they take take several minutes, and if you move they start over. You want to move to get some sort of relief, but you know that if you do, you will just have to lay there longer.

The machine is pretty loud so they give you headphones so that you can listen to the radio. I wanted to listen to WCIC. I don't know the name of the song that first played but the words were " this is the chorus of the saints, singing aleluia, OUR GOD IS FAITHFUL. That pretty much hit it on the head. I went into the tests hoping for the best and not knowing what to expect. I knew the tumor in my pelvis was shrinking because I could feel it. The lungs is harder to tell. Really the only time I can notice a tight chest is after chemo when the dead cells are being flushed out of the body. So I knew the pelvis was feeling a lot better but wasn't for sure about the lungs.

I got a call yesterday from Dr. Schock saying the MRI results were in. THere were no new spots. The last test showed a radius of 9 cm and now it was 3 cm. He also said that the bone was fusing back together nicely. So the tumor had shrunk by 2/3 in size and was not spreading. I even played basketball twice this week with no pain.

The results from the CT of the lungs hadn't come in yesterday. Dr. Schock called this morning with the results. They couldn't find anything on the scans. No spots, no swollen lymph nodes. Nothing. What an amazing God we serve? He is so faithful. I just bent over where I was and thanked him.

At the start of this new year we as a family just started declaring "all things new." Jesus makes all things new. I mainly starting saying it because Jaycee had bumped her tooth when one of her aunts was playing around with her. The tooth was starting to turn gray and we thought it looked like it was starting to rot. I just started prophesying all things new. When you verbalize something it seems to align your heart to truly believe what you are saying. Now when I say "all things new" Jaycee says "all things new, my tooth." Last night I checked it and her tooth is coming back to life. It is no longer that gray color but is almost as white as her other front tooth. Another amazing miracle.

Through all those declarations God decided to be the one who answers exceeding abundantly and give me a new job as well. Monday I will be starting a job at Plattner Orthopedic in Peoria. I will be working in the back on various things and eventually could help with some of the management. It was an answer to many prayers and I am excited to start. I have enjoyed my years farming and have learned many things over the past few years.

Also, we have been praying about buying a house in the Peoria area. He is continuing to make all things new so we will trust that he will do the same and provide a place we can call our own.

No matter what happens, God is faithful. He makes all things new. Thanks again for your continued prayers. I pray that each of you would trust in an almighty God. He is worthy of all of our praise. We need your continued prayers so that last little bit of tumor in the pelvis will be destroyed and flushed out. May each of you be encouraged to give God your all.

Arawen's 1-year Birthday. This picture makes me smile.

She went from the huge pink spica cast to a diminutive little leg brace last Friday and is delighting in her liberation! She crawls proficiently, pulls herself up, and even attempts to stand alone.

Jordan goes into Methodist hospital tomorrow at 11:45. He is getting his port wound checked. Then an MRI and a CT scan of his lungs. Since his diagnostic tests back in July, this will be the most comprehensive follow-up tests we've pursued.

I'm dreading the waiting period. Brings back memories.

The "What if?" demons are always poised to strike...


By God's grace, I'm choosing to dwell on Truth.

"I am the Way and the Truth and the Life" -Jesus



Once again, thanks for praying. We will let you know the continuation of our Glory Story!


Please pray for Mark and Carolyn Hoerr. She also has cancer and was with us in Mexico. They are in extreme need of a miracle.

While lugging my coat-laden girls out of the van, hefting the diaper bag, jostling my keys, heisting everything into one arm so I can shut the van door, side-​stepping the ice, and hauling ourselves inside, I had this thought: "I hate winter." But, since I'm trying not to complain, I simply stated out loud into the frosty, sub-zero air: "I love summer!"

The other night I went to sleep thinking of some other things I love. I'm now recommendin​g it as an excellent anti-compla​int exercise.

I love that Jordan is back safe from Mexico, his reports all came back well and his energy levels stayed up.

I love that his port removal on Monday w​ent well, and today when he returned to the hospital for a bandage re-dressing​, he was told it's healing excellently. I'm also thankful he can continue his treatments intravenous​ly and doesn't need a re-insertio​n.

I love that Arawen's followup x-rays last week revealed her bone is healing normally and that she gets her bodycast off in just 2 more weeks. She then goes to a full leg brace for another couple weeks. Thanks for all of your prayers.

I love the Body of Christ and knowing that people are praying for us. I now take greater pleasure in lifting others up to the Throne of Grace.

I love how well our baby is handling everything and that just recently, has become fairly proficient in moving her body along on the floor. It's pretty hilarious and when the cast comes off, her arms are going to be bigger than her legs!

I love the way Jaycee crawls in bed with me in the morning and makes me warm her feet up.

I love the way Arawen grabs her blanket and buries her face in it.

I love 'it's-so-go​od-to-see-y​ou-after-fo​ur-long-day​s' hugs.

I love how Arawen goes crazy when she sees her daddy.

I love that my girls have a healthy daddy to be crazy about! I love our miracle story and the boldness we've been given to proclaim God's power.

I love Roots Photography and Design! I love all of the gorgeous pictures they took, the Christmas card they designed, the prayers they solicited for us on their blog, and the inclusion of my family in the shoot. I love how they glorify God with their incredible talent and how amazingly they work with you. I love looking at our pictures hanging on our walls and thanking God every time. I love the Ebenezer benchmark they are and how we'll always be able to tell our girls about the miracle and generosity behind them. I love Tater and Haley and the huge blessing they are to us! Kiesers​- again, thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

I love how our household name for ketchup is "chep-it-uh​," underwear "wonder," a​nd pizza "peezzee." I'm not changing this until I have to.

I love the way Arawen wakes up so super happy every single time. It blesses me every single time.

I love having a husband that prays with me as we seek God for direction in our future. I love the confidence that our Father God will direct our steps even though the waiting is hard.

I love this recipe I found. Of course, we use organic ground venison that my hunter-gath​erer, bow-hunter husband brings home. :) Try it out! (If you want to tone the spice down- use stewed tomatoes instead of fire roasted.)

I love how Jaycee says hilarious new things every day like, "Mom, it's darking outside."

I love how she throws her hands up and says "Praise Jesus" and "Ha-lay-lu-​lee-a!"

I love my newest sibling that we haven't even met yet. Can't wait for July!

I love all of your encouraging comments.

I love Jesus!​

We love Him because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19

Here are our girls on Christmas. (Yes, that is the best one.)

We hope all of you had a blessed holiday season! We were so thankful to get to be with all of our family who ​were so instrumenta​l and supportive and prayerful in helping us through last year. Contrasted against the dark times we endured, the blessings of sacrificial family and prayerful friends shine bright!

I'm trying to memorize this verse:
Throu​gh Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. Heb 13:15.

My sweet husband gave this verse to me last week. It wasn't a subtle hint. It was direct acknowledge​ment to my complaint that all I had been doing latel​y was listen to myself whin​e and complain.

S​o, trying not to transfer my whine through the keys, I'll commence with our update.

Jord​an is feeling well. Even after our diet went from occasionallyy making exceptions to the exception being the rule over the festive feasting season, his energy levels continue to be excellent and his pain level nearly non-existen​t. But, we're continuing with the gradual process of replacing our cupboards with good-for-yo​u-anticance​r foods.

The Monday before Christmas we went to the hospital because Jor​dan's mediport (the implant used to access his bloodstream with medications​) is essentially causing his skin to tear from the inside out. The obvious big concern here is infection, which is why they wanted us to come in right away. The doctor that implanted the port saw us, told us to keep it very, very clean and to come back if the hole gets bigger. He said this isn't a common occurrence, but happens more often in thin people because the layer of fat is almost non-existen​t so the mediport st​retches the skin to the point of tearing. We were in and out in an unexpectedl​y short amount of time. The poor girls spent over an hour solid in the back of Uncle Josh's car. He was so gracious as to come and get them for the day with the reasoning t​hat the doctor most likely would adjust or remove the port. I called him when we were walking out, he turned around in his driveway, drove them back to our home, and patiently waited for us in the parking lot. After we discovered (the hard way) that our gas gauge is very faulty, pushed our van down War Memorial, and refueled, we were able to relieve him of his charges.

O​n Christmas day we went to the hospital after Arawen took a tumble onto the tile floor in my parents' kitchen during our Christmas party. After x-rays in the ER confirmed a spiral fracture of the femur (read: broken in 2 pieces), they admitted us for the night. The next day, she was sedated and got all decked out in a bright pink body cast. Why a body cast for just one broken leg? The nature of the break and where it is required both legs to be immobile fo​r the healing to be optimal. Originally, we were told that she'd likely require surgery. We were so thankful to discover that because the fractur​e didn't enter her growth plate, surg​ery wasn't necessary.​ After an exhausting and emotional day, we were finally discharged around 8 p.m. We were in and out in an excruciatingly​ longer-than​-expected amount of time.

The girls fought off a cough at the beginning of December, but Arawen's has stuck around, so a doctor's visit the following Thursday sent us home with a diagnosis of excessive mucous production ​in her upper respiratory tract. The constant reclining position that her cast places her in is probably aggravating her cough. We were thankful that her lungs are very clear!


Ara​wen turns 1 tomorrow! We'll celebrate with our families in a cupcake sweater and a huge pair of pink pants.
Jorda​n leaves for Mexico on Wednesday for his third followup since we've been home.
My parents are generously opening their home to the girls and myself for the remaining of the week. While taking care of in immobile and significant​ly heavier one-year-ol​d and a very active 2 1/2 year old by myself is probably not entirely impossible, having my family around to help will be extremely helpful in my fast from complaining.​

Please pray for the travels to and from Mexico for Jordan. He will hopefully be bringing lab results back to show to the doctors here and pursue getting more scans in the upcoming weeks. Unfortunate​ly, his mediport wound is enlarging. While it's not ideal, we're thinking of just having it removed and continuing his treatments through temporary IVs when he's in Mexico. Pray for wisdom in our decisions about his healthcare. Pray for the next 5 weeks of Arawen bein​g in her cast and for "only-God" healing of her bone.

Thanks for keeping up with us. May the fruit of your lips be continual t​hankfulness and joyful praise! This is my prayer.

My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips. Psalm 63:5

Here's sweet little Arawen in her new get-up. She really is being a trooper about the whole thing and has retained her joy and easy-going nature.

Friday, November 13, 2009 7:52 AM, CST


This picture was taken the day we got back. I posted one of all of us (plus Timmy) taken right before we left. There were tears after that was taken when we had to leave Jaycee. There were tears before this one was taken when we got to hold her in our arms again at the airport. Funny how tears go with happy and sad.

We're all doing well. We're delighting in the Lord and the pain-free, energy-reco​vering health that Jordan's experiencin​g! Thanks for all of your prayers during his followup. He is back to being hard at work for his girls during the busy harvest season. The girls and I are slowly adjusting to the pool-less weather. I'm also getting my toes wet with the new diet change and wading through recipes and a plethora of information. Jaycee and I have a new "carrot juice" routine- prepared da​ily for Jordan's (and our) consumption. We're enjoying it with only tiny little panic attacks at the grocery store when it seems like EVERYTHING has high fructose corn syrup.


I pray for a little boy named Stellan because I read his mom's blog. Stellan has a rare heart condition that makes his heart go into super fast rhythm. This past week he had a heart surgery that went far and beyond what all of his doctors and specialists hoped. Post surgery, they actually tried to make his heart go back into tachycardia by going through his esophagus and sending electrical pulses and guess what, after the doctor "tried very aggressivel​y," Stellan's heart did NOT begin to beat fast. That means he's fixed. It means God heard all those people praying in faith and blew the doctors out of the water with how well their attempt to fix a 10-month-ol​d's heart went. Praise God!!!

But, the day before Stellan's surgery, his heart relap​sed into the dangerous rhythm and gave out. He flatlined, lost oxygen to his brain, and had to be electrocute​d back to life. They thought he was dying right there on the ER table.

My thoughts while vacuuming yesterday: Why did God have to put his parents through that? Why did they have to go through all of the wrenching emotions of thinking they were going to lose their son? Why did they have to worry about brain damage and his ability to even get through a surgery? Wh​y didn't God heal him right when the prayers started when they found out about his heart condition in the womb? God knew He was going to heal him- why did He have to put his family through that horrible day before they got to the wonderf​ul outcome? It's like God was just flexing His muscles. Like he wanted to show off, to put on display His power by contrasting it against how bad it could be. Is God theatrical, have a flair for drama?

And then I remembered that verse in Isaiah: The LORD will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God. Isaiah 52:10
Can't you just see it? That divine sleeve being rolled up revealing the huge, divine arm and the declaration of strength that doesn't even require speech- it's simply seen- by all nations. God does flex His muscles. He does show off. God is God. He gets all the glory and He knows it. He designed it that way.

He's also sovereign.

He's also the Master Teacher and I know that even though Stellan's folks are still reeling from the tidal wave of emotion and the speed with which they're going through it, they're learning things. God is teaching them and has taught them a lot through this trial. Stellan's parents still have questions and are confused, thankful, relieved, jittery, worn out, and are wondering what's next for their family.

It sounds so familiar. What an epiphany I'm having.

I got to be you- all of our amazing blog readers and prayer warriors. I got to sit on the sidelines, look at it objectively​, sympathetic​ally, pray for someone that I don't know but care for and with whom I only have a cyberspace relationshi​p. Ok, some of you (a lot of you) have much more than a cyberspace relationshi​p with us, but I enjoy the parallelism.​

I am giving God the glory and magnifying His name because a little boy in Boston no longer has to have a permanent central line and receive medication 8 times a day. I am praising Him. I am in awe of Him. Is this how you all feel? I'm so happy for you!

I love this feeling. I love answered prayer. All I can say is "Hallelujah!" and "Praise Jesus!" and "Yay God!"

I don't have to deal with that reeling feeling, the disorientin​g vertigo, the "what just happened?" sensation. I'm not feeling my way through a labryinth of guilt and confusion for still questioning a Heavenly Father that just did what I was begging Him to do. I'm not shaking off lies from the enemy that God just went "Psych!" and then set us right back down where we were. I'm not being tempted to tiptoe around an omniscient Savior because I don't want Him to notice how little I've progressed and trigger another, more colossal test of faith. I'm not ashamed of my pleas for wanting to know the "why" and the "what now?" I'm not disappointe​d in myself for having gone through a transformin​g miracle and seeing the same old ugly inside.

Nope. I'm just praising God and relieved and excited for my brother and sister in Christ. I count it a priviledge to be a part of the prayer task force, the Body, and a wisp of sweet aroma in God's nostrils. I learned a lesson. And it was fairly pain free. Sure, I spent a little emotional energy on this family, but at the end of the teary blog posts, I shut the laptop and went to bed.

It was like I was in Calculus class and then went down the hall to Spanish. I love learning to speak Spanish. I could live in Spanish class. I'll take 20 credit hours of Spanish, please. Math, Science, Social Stud​ies, History? No, thank you. I'm not good at those. Thos​e do not come easily to me. I don't enjoy those subjects. B​ut, at some point, God calls us to learn how to calculate equations and where to put punctuation marks. Before I get lost in an analogy with which I'm not even that familiar, (homeschool​s don't have halls or classrooms- my Mom learned me at the kitchen table- Thank you Mom, you're the best! pleas​e notice that I have not ended any of my sentences with a preposition as of yet), I will digress.

Som​ething else I've been pondering lately; If I really believe God is who He says He is, will the striving to do things in my own strength cease? I believe it will. If I believe that God is Savior and He saved me, -not myself, or the Sunday ​School teachers, or even the godly parents that brought me up in the knowledge o​f the Word- not even a sliver of a portion of my salvation credits to anyone else, then the sanctificat​ion and the teaching, and the instructing is also all of God's doing. God saves. God sanctifies. Period. I have been trying to rest in the fact that God is Rabboni- Master- Teacher. If God's the Master Teacher and He's got me in Calculus class in the Fall of 2009 -as horrifying ​and terribl​y hard as derivatives and integrals are- then God knows thats what I'm supposed to be learning. I also have to believe, that if God is who He says He is- my Father- then He's not wasting breath. He's not getting up in front of the class for no reason. His lessons aren't poorly planned, or timed. They're exactly what His student needs, and if anybody can get His student to learn anything, it's the Master, the Designer, and the Father of that selfsame student. It's indisputabl​e.

So, I am learning.​ I am sanctifi​ed. I am being made holy. I've got to be. If God is who He says He is- and I believe it- there's no way God's plan for me is not working. Even though it feels that way sometimes. ​

I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day. -Me (2 Timothy 1:12)

I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. -God (Ps 32:8)

Thursday, October 29, 2009 12:54 PM, CDT

I can't believe that it has been so long since we updated but I guess time has been flying. Things have been going pretty well. I am getting a lot of my strength and energy back, especially in the last week or two. I have been working 3/4 days and have been doing lots of bowhunting.​

Our talk at the high school retreat went well. God really blessed it. It was neat going back through all we had been through and seeing how faithful He was each step of the way. We have learned so much and have seen God's miraculous power through it all.

I got back down here to Mexico on Tuesday afternoon. They did all my detox, gave me some chemo, and did the vaccines. I think they will do chemo each day until I leave. I do not have to go to radiation, though. It has been going pretty well. I have been staying in a hotel the past two nights because the clinic has been full. Tonight there is a room open here so I will get to stay here at the cancer center, and then I come back home tomorrow.

Th​e doctor said my blood levels look really good and when he examined my pelvis he thinks the tumor has gone down in size by 90%. He said to keep doing what I'm doing and come back in a month. If things continue this way he said that I won't have to come down as often which would be great.

It has been neat to come back and see how some of the patients are doing that we met when we were down here. Most are doing really well. It has also been neat to meet the new patients. We have a great time and have lots of laughs together during meal time.

Thanks again for your continued prayers and intercessio​n. Thanks also for all of the support and nice things that have been done on our behalf. Katelyn and I have really been praying that God would reveal to us where He wants to use us. To whom much is given, much is required and we just Him to have His way with us. Pray for wisdom and revelation for us. Please pray for the other patients down here as some of them are in pretty rough shape.

Thank you God for manifesting your goodness and love to us. We are forever grateful and are excited to share what He has done in our lives with others. May we declare His works and the glorious majesty of His kingdom to all those we encounter.




Tuesday, October 6, 2009 7:34 PM, CDT

It's great to be home. Things have been going pretty well and we are so grateful to be back home and be together as a family again. God is continuing to bless us and we are constantly amazed as we look back and see what he has done. At the time when certain things happen you don't always understand, but you can look back and see God's hand each step of the way.

My energy level has come back quite a bit in the past few days. I started back to work on Wednesday and have been working about 3/4 days. I realized that I lost a fair amount of strength in the past 4 weeks but I am trusting that it will come back quickly. Deer archery season also opened last week and I have been thankful to get back out in the stand and spend some more alone time with God. There's nothing like watching the sun rise on those cool October mornings. I haven't gotten one yet but I am excited for some organic venison!

We continue to be overwhelmed by love and support, and we thank God for each one of you. We called down to the cancer center today and it sounds like I will go down for 3 days of treatment t​he last week of October. I will probably just go down by myself since it is just for a short trip.

On Saturday Katelyn and I are supposed to speak to a group of high school kids about our journey. We would greatly appreciate your prayers. Pray that God would give us boldness and that he would use our experience and testimony to encourage others to trust in an almighty God. Thanks so much for your prayers.