We Are Nearly Finished With Cancer

Dacula, Georgia (ACN)

Stephanie and I went to the hospital this morning for the second surgery, which was mercifully shorter. We arrived at 7:30am and left at about 11:45am. We stopped at the Chik-Fil-A for a chocolate shake to settle our stomachs after Stephanie's anaesthesia. This is a tradition of ours and I only partake because Stephanie does.

Dr. Jensen said everything went well, but we will not know for sure until after they biopsy the lump that was taken this time. That will not happen until Monday.

I do need to make one correction to a statement I made earlier. I said there would be no chemotherapy and no radiation, but there will be raditation. The raditation will destroy any remaining cancer cells in the breast. The book that the hospital gave us said that it could be as much as 5 daily treatments per week for 5 weeks. We don't know yet as to what Stephanie's treatment regimen will be. We will probably discuss that in two weeks when we visit the surgeon again, or it may be that we will have to wait until we are assigned an Oncologist.

So we are home and doing well. Stephanie is resting and must take it easy for a couple of days. Life is beginning to return to normal.

I give all the glory to Jesus Christ, the Great Healer and Redeemer for the healing that He has done in Stephanie. It was because she noticed it when she did that we were able to catch the cancer early. I don't believe in coincidences, I do believe that my Lord and Savior has been gracious and merciful and allowed Stephanie to find the cancer early and I praise His holy name for this.

On Monday we will begin our 24 hour journey to North Dakota to visit Stephanie's family. The temperatures have been around -17F. There is some snow on the ground and the drifts are waist high. This will be a trip to remember. Stephanie, Nikki (our 87 lb. German Shepherd) and I all in our little Mazda 3 for 24 hours up to ND and 24 hours back. Wanna join us?

We have begun our planning for the next Russia Mission Trip in December 2009. We would be honored if you would go with us. We will be traveling to Novosibirsk Russia deep in the heart of Siberia. Yes it will be cold on the outside, but we will be on the inside silly. So come and join us. You can find more information at http://www.4inthefire.org/ .

Come and join us in The Great Adventure. If you are a Christian you are qualified to go. Your only excuse for not going is your imminent death. We love you and we want you to have a fullfilling Christian experience and what better way than to participate in a mission trip to Russia.

So you are thinking what a stinker, advertising the Russia mission trip in the midst of relating Stephanie's cancer story. Well I dare say, if you ask Stephanie she does not mind. In fact, let me tell you about a conversation she had with a coworker.

Gary, a coworker of Stephanie's asked her if she had any epiphanies from this cancer epsiode, in other words had God revealed anything to her. She said yes, I realize that I do not have any regrets. She said that she is glad that she agreed to go to Russia low these many years ago when Andy first asked in 1994.

So that brings me back to you. When you are too old and too sick to go, and that time will come sooner than you expect, will you have regrets that you did not share the Gospel message with others or will you be in that boat with Stephanie and be able to say I am glad I went when God asked me to go.

When I ask people to go with us on these mission trips I am acting as a messenger for God. You don't actually think He is going to show up in your bedroom one night with a bright light and say go with Andy to Russia. No silly, He tells me to ask and I do. So here is your invitation to go Russia and love on some kids or teens. Most do not have loving parents and most are from broken homes. Come and show what a good Christian parent is like. Come be their role model.

I love you all and I always pray for you. To whom am I writing? To you, those of you who have not yet gone with us. Come let your light shine. Love God by loving people. After all that is what Pastor Jeff preached on Sunday December 14, 2008. Love God and love people.

Andy