Prayers for the Week and Foundation

This is a big week for prayers, so please fill the heavens with echos of these requests. In addition, if you have any prayers I can join you with, please comment or email them. It helps if you send the person's name (first only is fine), and updates as they occur.

Alison: The woman we prayed for a few months ago is having a scan tomorrow (Tuesday), then going to Shands to see an expert on Wednesday. She is the one who had the really rare intestinal sarcoma issue. Several years ago she was diagnosed with it and when they opened her up to do the surgery, it looked like someone had thrown handfuls of cancer (like salt) all over her insides. It was really bad but disappeared for years, thanks to much prayer. More of it showed up in May though and she had a surgery, followed by a clear scan. This is the type of cancer that they say can just keep coming back like that and surgery is the only helpful treatment. Please pray this scan is clear and that EVERY scan continues to be clear. Forever. Not one more diseased cell is permitted in her body. It is the temple of the living God and there is no room in there for cancer or other illnesses!

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body," (1 Cor. 6:19-20).

Jessica: On the 19th she is having her next scan. She is the one a little younger than me who was suddenly diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. She is on an alternative type of treatment and with every scan there has been much less cancer. But let's pray that this one shows NO cancer. Since her diagnosis maybe 6 months ago, her father had brain cancer recur and he passed away a few weeks ago. It is a lot for her and her family, much more than anyone can deal with. She is casting the burden back to God and He will help carry her. But I know it's time for some good news. Pray for her to be entirely cancer-free. We are not accepting improvements, because God does His work fully. There is no mention of a partial miracle in the Bible, and we are not looking for anything like that. We are looking for those amazing signs and wonders Jesus promised were coming. This is that time!

John 14:12," I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father."

Psalm 77:14, You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples."

Me: In one week I have my regular appointment with Dr. Rassam. I have no complaints to report to him but he will likely do the blood marker tests. I am praising God already that they are lower than ever before!

Psalm 106:8, "Yet he saved them for his name's sake, to make his mighty power known."

Debora: She is the one diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer, and in about 6 weeks she'll have another scan. I know she has been healed already, and that liver scan (the one of concern) will show evidence of that. Also pray for her fundraiser, which will either be at the start of December or mid-January. We are working out the details but it will be awesome.

“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,”Colossians 1:9 NIV

Cancer Foundations: During my trials with cancer, Yaacov was editing a textbook with a few friends. One of them is an awesome man named Don Compton (from Vanderbilt), who has decided to donate his royalties to a cancer foundation of our choice. First of all, isn't that one of the nicest things you've ever heard? I don't think I've ever even met him. Second of all, we will be praying about which foundation to recommend. I think it should be a national group because he lives in Nashville and we are in Florida. I am so sick of cancer I want to support research in preventing or curing it. Susan G. Komen is obvious but there are pros and cons. FORCE is a group that deals with genetic breast cancer, so that is another. Anyway, if anyone else has thoughts please let me know.

2 Thessalonians 3:5, "May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance."

Prayer Requests

I will have my breasts removed on Friday.

I recently heard mention of how in biblical times people would tear their clothes at the chest as a physical sign to others that their hearts were broken. When I would read that someone did it in the Bible it seemed more like an outward sign than a passionate cry for help. But now I get it. If my mutilated chest wasn't the exact thing I was trying to hide, I would tear my clothes too.
As it is, I will have tons of gauze and bandages compressing me tightly, as if to hold the pieces of my heart from flowing out. The bad news is that it will take me one more (hopefully, final) step away from the person I was just a year ago. Mentally and physically. If you hadn't seen me since before cancer you would not recognize me at all, and I will not grasp at straws to claim there is a silver lining to the loss of my physical beauty. The good news is that, after a few tears I have gotten it all back in perspective and I hope to keep it that way. I will (try to) wear my fuzzy head, scars, wrinkles, and drawn-on eyebrows with pride because my God upheld my inner self despite the outer turmoil.

 For "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever". Ps 73:26. I would much rather lose my outsides than my insides, and I believe God has done that for me.

Gracious God, Lord of all, I don't understand all the reasons why I must go through this. But I don't need to. I recognize you in it, and am covered in your peace. Your love. I feel you. I trust you. I thank you. Psalm 16:5 says, "Lord, YOU have assigned me my portion and my cup; YOU have made my lot secure". You do these things for me. I will do what you ask of me. For your glory. Your fame. Your honor.

I would appreciate prayer for my upcoming surgery, as well as for the biopsies, tumor markers, and PET/CT scan that I have over the next two weeks. Please pray that everything will accurately show that I have absolutely no cancer anywhere in my body. I am taking it a step further and praying that reports will say there is no evidence of disease, and no evidence that there ever WAS a disease. And pray that Dr. Crooms and the other workers will be well-rested and every single cut and decision they make will be correct and perfect. Also, please pray for a friend from church who is the second woman who prayed for my healing that has since been diagnosed with breast cancer. The first has already been deemed cancer-free since the diagnosis. Many thanks, I love you all!