The Apostle Paul is credited with writing a lot of the books of the Bible, but to me, perhaps his best words are left for 2Timothy, when he writes to Timothy about persevering even in the face of difficulties. The letter from Paul to Timothy is full of depth, full of emotion, full of passion, and full of reminders of what Jesus will one day do. For many of us, the words in 2nd Timothy can be truly uplifting, reminding us of why we are Christians, and what the ultimate reward is for our faith. For Paul, near the end of his life, he had no doubts about what was to come, and what would happen, as we find out in 2Timothy 4:7-8 (ESV):
7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. ~ The Apostle Paul to Timothy, 2Timothy 4:7-8
The prize Paul speaks of is not just for him, my friends, it is for all of us that follow and believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior! What a beautiful promise that is! Take these words to heart, make them your story, live them to the fullest, and at the end, see the reward that is waiting for you. Now, please pray for all of our prayer requests and praises this week, and remember, you can email your prayer requests to prayer@mydreamsofdisney.com.
Prayer Requests and Praises…
- My friends Torri and Tia, and all of their family, are in need of prayer. They lost their Grandmother Mary on the 19th, a Godly woman whose very life exemplified the words that the Apostle Paul wrote for all of us. The prayers are not for Mary, for she is in the loving arms of Jesus right now — no, please pray for Torri, and for Tia, and for all of their family, prayers of Peace, prayers of Comfort, prayers of Strength, prayers of Love. Pray for their memories of their Grandmother to never fade, and pray that they all would walk the walk that Mary did, even more so than they do already.
- Here is the latest update from my friend Amanda about her husband Daniel:Let me start by apologizing for the lack of an update last week about Daniel’s discharge. Things have been a little crazy with everything that is going on!
Daniel recovered from the surgery phenomenally! He was ready for discharge on day 6 but picked up a GI infection that caused us to have to stay for 1 more day to get fluids and antibiotic started. He was discharged Wednesday, 8/6. He is still having some pain and low energy levels but mostly it is the infection that isn’t behaving at this point! It’s one of those infections that can go away quickly or last for a while so it’s a day by day thing! We had a follow up appointment with the surgeon on 8/11. The staples came out and the incision looks great. They ended up leaving him with about 25% of his liver so I’m especially thankful his recovery went so well. We got great news about the tumor – negative margins and a large part of the tumor was necrotic (AKA dead!) from the chemo and embolization. So while it didn’t shrink like we wanted, it was working!
We saw the oncologist last Friday to determine where we go from here. We will have 8 more rounds of chemo starting 9/2. It will be the same regimen and strength as before but they will also add Avastin into the mix on the 2nd or 3rd round. Avastin targets the cancer cells differently that the current regimen but with no additional side effects. So if everything were to stay on track, which we know won’t be the case because there are always delays with chemo, he would start his last round on 12/9.
There is still some other procedures that need to happen as well. He still needs to get his EGD and Colonoscopy to double check his digestive/intestinal tract for any polyps/tumors – that will likely be scheduled in the next 6-8 weeks. He needs to get his incisional hernia from the colon resection fixed but that can’t occur until at least 6 weeks after chemo has ended. And there is the matter of the polyp in his sinus that they found on PET scan. It is not of concern but we probably want that handled at some point as it’s one less thing to worry about becoming cancerous.
We want to let you know that we pray for each and everyone of you every single day – that God brings you what you need as well as peace, understanding, strength and seeing His presence in your lives. We are so thankful that He has put you in our lives to help us get through this journey. It is a little weird to say but I do thank Him for trusting our faith with this journey. If any of you EVER have a special prayer request, please use us as your prayer warriors!
Now, for my usual prayer requests! Please pray that Daniel continues to heal, that the infection rights itself quickly so that he may have a few days of “normalcy” before starting chemo again, that he is completely cured with no relapse, and that we are able to easily “fix” any other thing that pops up during this final stage of treatment. I also ask that you pray for Cate, that she continue to be the amazing kid she is handling this all in stride but that she also seek someone to talk to if she needs. One of our main worries is she tries to deal with it all herself instead of letting it out! We’ll send another update after we have started chemo unless something changes before then. Have a great few weeks! God bless you all!He is doing really well, so please keep the prayers going for them! Thanks everyone! - Please pray for my friend Amy. Her cousin has had a series of strokes, and her lungs are filling up. Here is what was written on Facebook:Oh my gosh I really never thought it would get to this. Brooke was put on life support last night because her lungs filled with fluid. They did another MRI. SHOWED more strokes. Today I will be sending her on a journey of a life time. She will be going home to Jesus and my mom and dad. Robert had gone to get Heather and Makayla to say goodbye then they will turn her life support off. Please pray for a peaceful journey. I love you all and thank you for all the prayers and kind words through this sad journey we’ve had to travel. If I don’t respond to you for a few days forgive I just need some time to take this all in. God bless you all. Tell your children you love them today and everyday.Amy, I am so sorry for the loss and pain you all must be feeling. Know that my prayers go with you now and always for God’s Peace, Comfort, Strength, and Love to descend upon all of you. Rest in the knowledge that she is with Jesus and that there is no more pain and suffering for her.
- My friend Kuleen has seen one of her friends face the unthinkable. Katy, who we have been praying for, passed away last week. She was 6. It seems like God is taking so many children to Him these days. Dustin, Katy, Ella, the list goes on and on. In every case, the one thing that I’ve learned from the indescribable horror of facing the loss of a child is that the child has shown us, much like Torri’s Grandmother Mary, what it truly means to fight the good fight and finish the race. As was described of Katy, “Although her heart was fragile, her strength and courage was and will continue to be an inspiration to all who knew and loved this funny and sweet little girl. Katy’s illuminating smile and spirit will remain in the hearts of all those lives she was a part of. She was a Rock Star in every sense of the phrase.” Please pray for Katy’s family, that they would know the Peace, Comfort, Strength, and Love of God in their sorrow and grief.
- Lastly, I learned last night yet another story of Robin Williams and his selfless giving towards others. It seems that just before his passing, Robin left a message for a woman in New Zealand who has terminal cancer. She is 20 years old, and has an 11 month old girl named Sophie. Her name is Vivian, and she is in Hospice at this time. Please pray for her, for her salvation, for her healing if it is God’s Will, for her daughter and new husband, and for all her family. Continue your prayers for Robin and his family.
Now, please pray the prayer that Jesus taught us to pray:
Our Father, who art in Heaven,
Hallowed by thy name.
Thy Kingdom come, thy Will be done,
On earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,
For thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory, forever and ever.
Amen.
My friend Sylvia needs to prayers, please. Here is what she wrote on Facebook:
My daddy was brought home yesterday from the rest home. Hospice and Ruth will be helping us with daddy. Today has been hard.
So much of what’s going on reminds me of Joe. I just have to shut my eyes and breath to keep from crying. I really miss Joe so much!
Please pray for Sylvia and her family, for God’s Peace, Comfort, and Strength to descend upon them. Thank you everyone!