Monday, April 13, 2009

God works in amazing ways

I received this e-mail from my grandma about our family friend (my Aunts dad), and I thought I should share it with you since I'd been sharing so much, that you deserve to know when God does something amazing!!

"Hi All:

Just got home from a week-end in Pasadena with Karen, her mom and stepdad, Anita and Denny.
There was a lot of laughter but it was also emotionally laden.

I went to church with Karen on Sunday morning and my tent was enlarged. Anita and Denny attended their old church. We had a lot of their families and a few friends come for lunch in the afternoon.

Denny and Anita flew into Houston last Tuesday night. They had put their house up for sale (in Washington state) the Friday before. Monday morning, a young woman rang their doorbell and said she would like to see the house; she and her husband wanted to buy it. Anita explained that they were packing to leave, so she called her husband to come over right then. After walking through it, they bought the house -- and paid full price! About twenty friends from their church were there a couple of days later to pack everything. On Friday, a friend of Karen's flew from Houston to Washington and is on his way back to Texas, driving a U-Haul truck with all of their belongings. (Anita had bought a house in San Antonio last November. Denny was planning to retire soon and they were moving back to Texas.) Karen's best friend from college lives near their new house in San Antonio and is organizing a group to come and unpack and organize the house for them.

But there's more. They had not expected to arrive in Houston until mid-April, but they got a call from the cancer specialist's office saying Denny could be seen earlier if they could come to Houston right away.
They have been in for the initial consultation and he goes for an MRI tonight. Tomorrow they are scheduled to see a radiation oncologist and expect that he will start radiation and chemo treatments soon thereafter. They do not hold out hope for a cure. Median survival time is 14 months. However, there were some good stories (one survivor of 18 years), and some not so good.

To say it has been a physical, emotional and spiritual whirlwind is putting it mildly, and the journey has just begun. However, everyone there for lunch yesterday was in agreement and awed by the hand of God, which has so surely and lovingly opened doors and smoothed their path.

Denny maintains a loving calm spirit, thanks everyone for everything, and continues to crack jokes. It is perhaps hardest for Anita, as she tries to remain calm and strong for Denny, knowing that she will probably lose him.

This has been a rather long message but I but I feel as though I've been to the front lines, watched the battle, and heard a real witness about how good our God is. Your prayers for them are greatly appreciated.

"The Lord watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another." Genesis 31:49

Love, Joyce"



Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers -- this is going to be an amazing journey.

1 comment:

Lisa Christine said...

Thanks for the update KaTrina :)