Week One, Done

We have one full week behind us, many to go. For everyone who has walked through a healing from cancer or disease, you know it's a long process.

I flew home on Monday, a heart torn in two, but I am so thankful for the week I was able to be with Michael - a week made possible by our incredible community. And I'm equally grateful that his good friend, Matt, flew in to be with him this week. We're counting our blessings!

The doctors and medical team seem to be constantly checking in and adjusting things for him. We met with his doctor again before I left. Due to the type of cancer he has, he will need to return for several sessions after the initial three weeks. We knew this was a possibility going in, but it was definitely a hard thing to share with the kids.

This week, he has a small procedure to activate his cells to target and kill cancer cells more effectively, and he is also starting low-dose chemotherapy. The hospital administers several IVs alongside the chemo to help direct it into the tumors and cancer cells, as well as to help mitigate side effects through detox support.

Please be praying over these adjustments in his care, for wisdom of the medical staff, and for protection against side effects, especially long-term ones.

I count it all joy...

Aside from simply getting the privedlge of being with Michael last week, I also loved having the chance to encourage and pray for and with many patients and their loved ones. There are several that have been an encouragement to us as well.

From staff to visitors to patients, I don’t think there’s a single person he’s interacted with who doesn’t know that Michael has a strong faith and a close, personal relationship with Jesus. He has a unique ability to share openly in a way that never feels forced or out of place.

I wasn’t always able to be in the room with him, but at times I could listen from just around the corner. In one conversation, he spent nearly an hour with a staff member sharing about the beauty of biblical marriage and family in the context of living selflessly and serving Jesus.

In another, with someone who is spiritually seeking, he seamlessly answered a personal question and shared the gospel in a beautiful, almost poetic way - and in under three minutes nonetheless.

While I’m now, like you, waiting for updates on how he’s doing physically and whether his tumor markers are continuing to go down, I’m also looking forward to hearing more about the community being built there. It’s a remarkable thing to be part of and I know the Lord is moving, healing, and restoring.

Jehovah Shalom, I thank you for Your presence and Your provisions. You are "a stronghold in times of trouble" and "do not forsake those who seek You."