Writing from Sudbury (posting a few days later)

I am so blessed for having the Lord watch so closely after me. I have been having light nausea for the last 10-15 days; it’s been getting worse, so last week I called my oncologist. They set me up for an appointment Wed (squeezed me in before the holiday) Well thanks be to God, after a lot of testing they found that the calcium level in my blood was way up high in the critical level, usually people are in a coma at this level. They immediately admitted me to start getting it lowered and to re hydrate me. Bad things happen to major organs if this doesn’t get resolved quickly. So as I write today (Thursday) these things are getting resolved quite nicely. But now the next and bigger question is why did my body do this? So far we just treated the symptom. He is now sending me for a bone scan, abdominal, lung and brain scan. These should indicate what caused this…we hope. It’s typically a sign the cancer is active somewhere in my body.

Its always so exciting to write down some of the providential things that happened, you just cannot deny that Gods hands are in all this…..we were planning on a trip to Ohio for the long week end so I would have been a lot farther along in the critical state…..I got an appointment before the weekend….I got admitted, they had a bed…….I am in the hospital so the scans can get done here and now…. I would have had to wait a lot more in North Bay to get these tests done…..and on top of all this I got a private room….God is so amazing…

Again we ask for your prayers. We know you are praying and that’s why we ask because God is faithful and He answers His children’s prayers. Not that this is an easy place to be but His grace just keeps coming every morning and lasts well into the night. Then when we wake up it’s a whole new batch of fresh grace and He is not stingy….He just pours it on. We are having awesome days as a family full of laughter and giggling….the peace that God put on every inch of this household is mind-boggling....Nandor is busy doing some projects around the house, children are busy and having fun with all the summer activities…

“Therefore we do not lose heart, even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.” 2 Cor 16-18

Also please pray that this would be more and more true of the whole family. I wish I could explain it but the real me “inward man” is so full of hope and joy that sometimes I just break down and cry and ask God why me? Why am I your child? But the good news is that is can be any of yours that are reading this blog….God loves you and wants this for everyone who believes in Him… John 3:16.

And please pray for this “outward man” also, I have been feeling touch and go..one day good next not so good. Pray that the Lord would intervene and heal my body, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt He can do it if its His will and plan.

We love you all,
In His Hands
Miriam

Gods Unfolding Plan

Our trip to Europe was awesome…we visited Verona and Venice in Italy and then we went over to Hungary. I have some pics and more to write about so stay tuned I’ll get that on soon. I have been and am feeling really good.

Since we got home its been very busy…Monday I went for a CT scan and Thursday I went to see my oncologist in Sudbury….the scan shows 3 spots on the liver…at this point they recommend we wait and see what they are and what they will do…I will get another scan done in 2 months and then we will know more…Its so neat to experience the perfect timing and plan of God…He is unfolding it so graciously, lovingly, carefully (like an expert surgeon with his scalpel) I feel so at peace, secure and safe in His arms.

HE KNOWS THE WAY THAT I TAKE;
WHEN HE HAS TRIED ME,
I SHALL COME OUT AS GOLD.
Job 23:10

I know how concerned many of you are, I just encourage you to trust in the Lord, seek Him and He will show you more of Himself…

“Trials are neither random nor unplanned. They prove us, testing what we say we believe about God and revealing whether we actually believe it. All of creation shouts the existence of God, but the one who perseveres under trial brings that shout to a crescendo ---for in that shout His full glory is displayed!” James MacDonald

Please continue to pray that we would all see His Glory
In His Hands,
Miriam

Big 40

March 9th was my big 40. I thank God for letting me enjoy it...I think I was the happiest 40 yr old....After this year, there is no complaining of getting old.... just thanksgiving...Thanks Ray and Aniko, what a surprise!!! just wanted to show you how the flowers looked....beautiful...

Its growing but still extremely curly....lol

I had to kick back and relax all day and that evening my family brought me out to a Mexican Restaurant for dinner yummm. Then on Friday morning as if my bday wasn't enough I got a note saying I have to go shopping til 5:00pm (as commanded by my children and husband) and be at The Callander Wellness Spa at 1:30...I didn't know who sent me for that...while I was there my sister Christina called....she got me a 1hr pedicure....thanks so much sis... Then as I get home after a hard day of shopping and going to the spa there are cars everywhere.....They totally surprised me... 26 people were over celebrating my bday....wow....what a shock...I am still speechless... thank you everyone...

Celebrating life,
In His Hands,
Miriam

Another Update

Its been 2 months since I last wrote…wow time sure flies….I am still feeling really good overall. The regular numbness/pain in my hands and feet caused by chemo nerve damage are still there but I guess I am getting used to it and its really not that bad. Some days I feel so good that this whole cancer/chemo/radiation thing seems like a dream and the only evidence I see is when I look in the mirror…I have really curly short hair…
I am back to my regular life…it feels so good to be able to do all the normal things…like cooking, cleaning, shopping, teaching and on and on. We are really busy with school, work, hockey, traveling, church etc.
Before I forget…I went back to Sunnybrook a few weeks ago to see my radiation doctor for a follow up. Everything seems to be going well. My next appointment is in May to see my oncologist. Its still kind of a tough place to be because we still don’t know if any of this treatment worked. Time will tell…And as this time passes many times I get thinking about the what if’s but the Lord is constantly teaching me to TRUST in Him and not my circumstances, tests etc. My constant prayer is that He would fill my heart with love, trust and delight in Him so that my mind has no room for fear ….This is where my battle lies…please pray to that end for me.
Last week I met for lunch with 3 ladies that were in treatment with me in Toronto. We went out for Chinese food in Barrie and just enjoyed each others company. I try to keep in touch with several of people I met during treatment. It’s a really neat connection to have and keep.
Another really neat thing is Nandor and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary on Feb 3rd….yes that is 20....I still can’t believe it…..God has been so faithful…

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers….it seems like I keep saying it but I really mean it…without the support of my praying friends and family I don’t know what I would do…I leave you today my favorite Psalm…I remember memorizing Ps 27:4 as a little girl….not even having a clue of what it meant....but through the years it has become very precious to me…

PSALM 27

1- The LORD is my light and my salvation
Whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the strength of my life
Of whom shall I be afraid?

4- One thing I have desired of the LORD
That will I seek
That I may dwell in the house of the LORD
All the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the LORD
And to inquire in His temple

5- For in the time of trouble
He shall hide me in His pavilion
In the secret place of His tabernacle
He shall hide me

14- Wait on the LORD,
be of good courage,
and He shall strengthen your heart,
wait, I say, on the LORD…

In His Hands,
Miriam

Celebrating...

My Dear Praying Friends and Family,

Just a quick update…The Lord has sent us a time of refreshment… I have been feeling wonderful, the extreme tiredness and heaviness after radiation has lifted and I feel like myself again…well almost. I still get tired a lot but that just comes with the territory. Now its “wait and see” time….Its a hard but sweet place to be, I get to be close to my Jesus like never before…constantly going to Him for comfort, strength as the needs come up...and He is always there in power and love, He knows what I am going through because He has been there…And that brings me to how special this Christmas season is.

As we celebrate how Jesus came as a baby let us never forget that that is just half the story… He came to die…That is the “Joy to the World” that we sing about. The one who made the universe and the one who gives each one of us the next breath came as a baby, grew up and lived among us. When the time came He went to the cross to do what He came for…(For God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16) to make a way for us to get back into relationship with Himself…without which we are all hopeless, naturally we run from God not too Him….Because we all mess up (sin) at one point or another in our life…some of us more than others…we need to pay for it with our life…But have you heard???…we don’t have to die for our sins because Jesus did it for us….all we have to do is believe Him….and then the perfect life he lived gets put into our account so at the end when we meet God (which all of us will) He will see a perfect life and we will get an entrance into Heaven that only perfection can enter….Wow what a deal is that!!!!!! And then on top of all that the moment you believe you start eternal life… this is really living….EVERYTHING that comes your way is for your benefit and good because its all designed to make you like Jesus and prepare you for heaven. In this season of my life this everything has included some bad things like cancer etc but ultimately these are all GOOD Rom. 8:28. This is the reason I can rejoice and celebrate the birth of Jesus this year like never before because I know a little bit more about how much I am loved by the King of the universe. My wish for you is if you don’t know Him seek Him and the ones that know Him bask is His love and give it away. Have a wonderful Christmas and a blessed New Year.

On a lighter note my hair is growing back CURLY….

Thank you all for your prayers.
In His Loving Hands,
Miriam

Nandor....arrow...foot...deer

Last time I wrote about Nandor he was still in hospital waiting to be stitched up. It turns out that his tendons were all in tact so the surgeon stitched him up the next morning. He stayed in hospital 2 nights but by the second morning he was getting pretty insy to get out of there. I picked him up Mon morning so at least we got to spend the day together before I had to go back to Toronto. He is off the crutches and moving around pretty well. It still swells sometimes by the evening but that is normal when he has been on it all day. He also went hunting with Jakob the last week of the season so that gives you an idea how he is doing….again...thanks be to God....

This is a picture of a hike we all took that weekend.

Radiation is Finished!!!

These past 7 weeks just flew by. As you can see I haven’t been keeping the blog updated. I was just too tired most nights. Going through this treatment was very exhausting. The nurses get us up at 7:00am, there is no time to sleep in or take it easy. Most of the day was traveling to the hospital, waiting for the treatment, getting treatment, blood work, traveling back to the lodge. After the first 2-3 weeks I was just too tired to take my walks to TBS. But remember one of my worries at the beginning that I will be all alone? Well the Lord made sure that did not happen. I was surrounded by people all the time. I met several believers and all kinds of wonderful people at the lodge and the hospital. The neatest thing is we were all going through cancer and we could all support each other in our battles.
I also sensed the prayers of you all….some days when it was especially difficult and all I wanted to do is stay in bed and mope, someone was praying and I had the strength to get up, put one foot in front of the other and go… God works in mysterious ways through the prayers of His people. I not just felt the prayers but was reminded of them practically by the phone calls, little gifts that I opened everyday from the ladies at church, the verses my husband would text me, cards and emails. I feel saying thank you is just not enough but…Thank You!!
These next 2 weeks will be a bit hard, they say some symptoms will be worse before they get better. I am experiencing bowel issues, burns on my lower back and lack of appetite.
I have learned so many things in these past weeks but one of the biggest lessons is how much my Father in Heaven loves and cares for His children!!!!

Through the LORDS mercies we are not consumed,
Because of His compassions fail not
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
The LORD is my portion says my soul,
Therefore I hope in Him!!

In His Hands,
Miriam