Merry Christmas!

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star from the east and have come to worship him."

Matthew 2:1-2

Zac and I have had a great day - we had nothing to do today except hang out together. Tonight we went to our Christmas Eve service. Just wanted to share what we heard:

The Psalmist asked: Who is this King?

The Angel Gabriel declared: He will be King.

Pilate asked: Are you the King?

The cross declared: This is the King.

The apostle Paul proclaimed Him: King of Kings.

Revelations proclaims: He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

The Magi asked: Where is this King?

They KNEW He had been born, so they asked: Where is He? Not: Is He here? They had no doubt. And they came with one purpose: to worship. Do you have doubt that He has come? If you believe He has come, will you worship Him?

Merry Christmas to all as we worship the King!

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;

his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Psalm 100:5

We're back from Iowa City...and once again everything is stable!! The LORD is good!

I started out with the normal bloodwork and then the MRI. We had a small break so we stopped at Hope Lodge again to see if Kim was there. It was the first time we had seen her since treatment and it was so nice to see a familiar face. It made me sad to hear that they are completely full and have a waiting list now...way too many people sick with cancer.

We then met with my oncologist who shared the news that the tumor is stable. He was pleased that I'm feeling so good and pleased with the scans. My radiation oncologist actually showed us the scans and we talked him into showing them side by side with the scans from last November (rather than from July). It was exciting to see the changes. Although the tumor is still there, it has clearly changed - true, not a lot, but enough that we could see the difference! They have to take into consideration how my head is positioned each time, however, my doctor agreed that the tumor has changed slightly over the year!!

Thank you all so much for your prayers. It means so much to us to see God's goodness and faithfulness through your prayers. We look forward to what the upcoming year has in store.

You gave me life and showed me kindness,

and in your providence watched over my spirit.

Job 10:12

Zac and I have recently been reading through the book of Job and last week we read the above verse. Although all of us may not be going through the depth of what Job went through, we can definitely relate. And we are so thankful that through our trials, God continues to show us kindness and He watches over our spirit.

I've been experiencing a bit of writers block in the last few months - as you can tell with the lack of entries (I'm also having formatting problems - sorry for one large paragraph!). I used to love writing on here and sharing what is going on with our journey. Since things are going so well, I know I should still be writing about all the praises in our life. But I think you might get tired if day after day I write "Another great day!" But that is truly what's happening here. I continue to experience one great day after another. I was thinking yesterday how it's been almost 4 years since I was first told about the tumor. And how slowly things seemed to get worse shortly after that. But ever since treatment I have been doing great! I rarely have headaches (which is one of our top praises). Two years ago I started getting horrible shooting pains in my head...which have completely stopped ever since the first day of treatment. So we have lots to be thankful for and therefore lots we could be sharing on here. But instead, we are just enjoying each day and thanking God for his many blessings.

Tomorrow we are heading back to Iowa City for my next 5 month check-up. It will be the same as last time - bloodwork, MRI and visits with my oncologist and radiation oncologist. We're not really anxious for the appointments. We are going there with the faith that everything is fine. I feel outstanding and we are hoping that the MRI shows the same. Please pray for safe travels and for a good report. Our prayer will always be that one day we'll hear the words that the tumor is gone.

The Joy that's Coming

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

Romans 8:18

I found this song a few months ago. I thought it was pretty fitting for what's going on in our life, as well as what goes on in everyone's life at some point - hurt and pain. But when we look at the bigger picture and realize that maybe these things are happening to bring a better ending, we're able to press on. If you haven't ever listened to the songs on our website, turn on the speakers, and listen to Before the Morning by Josh Wilson.

Do you wonder why you have to,
feel the things that hurt you,
if there's a God who loves you,
where is He now?

Maybe, there are things you can't see
and all those things are happening
to bring a better ending.
Some day, some how, you'll see, you'll see.

Chorus:
Would you dare, would you dare, to believe,
that you still have a reason to sing
'cause the pain that you've been feeling,
can't compare to the joy that's coming.

So hold on, you got to wait for the light.
Press on, just fight the good fight
'cause the pain that you've been feeling,
it's just the dark before the morning.

My friend, you know how this all ends
and you know where you're going,
you just don't know how you get there.
So say a prayer
and hold on, cause there's good for those who love God.
Life is not a snapshot, it might take a little time,
but you'll see the bigger picture

Chorus

Once you feel the weight of glory,
all your pain will fade to memory.
Once you feel the weight of glory,
all your pain will fade to memory, memory, memory, yeah

Chorus

Surely goodness and love will follow me.

all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the LORD

forever.

Psalm 23:6

We finally made it back from Iowa City. It was a very long day as everyone was running behind. But the good news is - the tumor is still considered stable! My radiation oncologist always shows us the pictures side-by-side with my last set of scans and pointed out that it actually appears slightly smaller compared to February! But he was hesitant to say so until the radiologist submitted his report (which we never got today as they were running behind). However, Zac and I saw with our own eyes - and we could see a very, very slight decrease!

There's not too much to report regarding the appointments. My doctors didn't spend too much time with me, because nothing really is wrong with me! : ) I feel absolutely great. My headaches are rare. My vision and hearing are slightly improved. My balance is good. As we looked around the waiting rooms, we were just overwhelmed by the number of cancer patients that are always there. The children. The people so weak they can't walk. It made me so very thankful that, although I have a tumor, I am doing as well as I am. I'm able to physically enjoy life right now, with my husband, with my family and with my friends.

We got to Iowa City a little early this morning so we decided to stop by Hope Lodge (which is where we stayed last year during treatment). We wanted to say hi to Kim, who ran the place at the time (we didn't get to see her because she happened to be on vacation). As we pulled into the parking lot, I was overwhelmed. Tears welled up. Memories from last year came flooding back (as they have the last few weeks). It's funny how so many things remind me of last year - there are foods I ate last summer that make me sick to my stomach and certain smells that remind me of treatment. As we walked into the radiation clinic, I could distinctly smell what I smelled everyday during and after treatment (Zac couldn't smell a thing).

Zac and I keep praying continuously that this tumor will one day be gone. We pray for the day when the doctors come in and say they don't need to see me again. We pray for the day when I have my last MRI. We pray for the day when I have my last set of bloodwork done at the cancer center. We pray for the day when the only thing we drive to Iowa City for is for an Iowa Hawkeye football game. But until that day comes, as we pray continuously, we also praise God for giving me life these 3 1/2 years. We praise God that treatment is done. We praise God that we have seen improvements in my body over the year. We praise God for who He is - God over All.