Loved Ones,
We received this email today from Ray's doctor:
"Scan looks good!" That's all she said! So I can't tell you any more. But we are happy for "good" and we are really happy for "!" We will be sure to pepper her with questions on Wednesday.
Today was a good day. Ray was able to walk with us to the pool and he had some nice naps. His weight is holding steady.
We are thrilled to share Ray's report with you and we are just so grateful for your prayers.
We continue to pray for Ray's total healing and for FREEDOM from any anxiety or fear.
"Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD." Psalm 31:24
not alone and not afraid --
kristin and ray
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Friday, July 11, 2008
Unswerving Hope
Loved Ones,
Thank you for your prayers! We received many emails today and we know that many many people were praying for Ray during his scan today.
Things went smoothly; Ray did a good job swallowing the barium and we were back at home by 8:30 this morning.
He was tired from getting up so early but had a quiet day and was feeling pretty good by this evening.
The girls had a great day. They came downstairs this morning fully dressed, ready to play on the swingset. We spent all day playing! We love underdogs!
We look toward our doctor visit on Wednesday with continued hope for wonderful results from today's scans.
"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess for he who promised is faithful."
Hebrews 10:23
not alone and not afraid --
kristin and ray
Thank you for your prayers! We received many emails today and we know that many many people were praying for Ray during his scan today.
Things went smoothly; Ray did a good job swallowing the barium and we were back at home by 8:30 this morning.
He was tired from getting up so early but had a quiet day and was feeling pretty good by this evening.
The girls had a great day. They came downstairs this morning fully dressed, ready to play on the swingset. We spent all day playing! We love underdogs!
We look toward our doctor visit on Wednesday with continued hope for wonderful results from today's scans.
"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess for he who promised is faithful."
Hebrews 10:23
not alone and not afraid --
kristin and ray
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Fridays Scan at 6:00 am
Loved Ones,
We had a good day. Today our swingset was delivered, a gift from friends in DC and elsewhere. The girls are overjoyed! This special gift in our backyard will always remind us that we are loved. And special friends here helped oversee the set up (and trimmed the bushes!)
Tomorrow (Friday) Ray will undergo a repeat scan of his chest, abdomen and pelvis. I think our East Coast friends will have to cover us in prayer as the scan is at 6 am (!) and I'm not sure if anyone else will be awake!!
We are praying for wonderful and glorious results for these scans!! The scans will particularly show the progress on the liver -- which we are praying will be far beyond any expectation. They will also recheck the tiny spot on Ray's lungs. We are praying that this will be nothing -- as was expected in our last round of scans.
I should say, however, that we will not receive the results of the scans until next Wednesday (7/16) when we meet with our doctor. So it will be a time of patience!
Ray's appetite picked up today (hooray!) so that was great news. And we had a wonderful time of prayer with my family.
We head into tomorrow with trust, hope and faith. We pray fervently for miracles.
We received both these verses today. We thought them both great.
"I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds. Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God? You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the people." Psalm 77:11-14
"But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not "Yes" and "No." For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by me and Silas and Timothy, was not "Yes" and "No," but in him it has always been "Yes." For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the Glory of God. Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." 2 Corinthians 1:18-22
not alone and not afraid --
kristin and ray
We had a good day. Today our swingset was delivered, a gift from friends in DC and elsewhere. The girls are overjoyed! This special gift in our backyard will always remind us that we are loved. And special friends here helped oversee the set up (and trimmed the bushes!)
Tomorrow (Friday) Ray will undergo a repeat scan of his chest, abdomen and pelvis. I think our East Coast friends will have to cover us in prayer as the scan is at 6 am (!) and I'm not sure if anyone else will be awake!!
We are praying for wonderful and glorious results for these scans!! The scans will particularly show the progress on the liver -- which we are praying will be far beyond any expectation. They will also recheck the tiny spot on Ray's lungs. We are praying that this will be nothing -- as was expected in our last round of scans.
I should say, however, that we will not receive the results of the scans until next Wednesday (7/16) when we meet with our doctor. So it will be a time of patience!
Ray's appetite picked up today (hooray!) so that was great news. And we had a wonderful time of prayer with my family.
We head into tomorrow with trust, hope and faith. We pray fervently for miracles.
We received both these verses today. We thought them both great.
"I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds. Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God? You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the people." Psalm 77:11-14
"But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not "Yes" and "No." For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by me and Silas and Timothy, was not "Yes" and "No," but in him it has always been "Yes." For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the Glory of God. Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." 2 Corinthians 1:18-22
not alone and not afraid --
kristin and ray
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Filled With Hope
Loved Ones,
Ray had a pretty good day. While his appetite has still not rebounded, he did his best and he was also able to go with us to Nora and Maggie's swim lesson to witness Nora's first jump off the diving board! That was pretty exciting for all.
And, though Ray is not eating as much as I try to get down him, he is eating wonderfully healthy things (like beet risotto). I have some tricks up my sleeve to try for tomorrow but don't tell him!
We were so encouraged by our parish priest who came to pray with us today. Each day we have had a prayer time like this. These times give us such assurance of God's healing power and his love for Ray.
After writing the verse for last night I just felt so amazed. We are so encouraged by the scriptures! Daily we find exactly what we need to hear -- we have renewed understanding of this rich treasure.
"For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope." Romans 15:4
Only one more day until Ray's scan! We are filled with hope!
not alone and not afraid --
kristin and ray
Ray had a pretty good day. While his appetite has still not rebounded, he did his best and he was also able to go with us to Nora and Maggie's swim lesson to witness Nora's first jump off the diving board! That was pretty exciting for all.
And, though Ray is not eating as much as I try to get down him, he is eating wonderfully healthy things (like beet risotto). I have some tricks up my sleeve to try for tomorrow but don't tell him!
We were so encouraged by our parish priest who came to pray with us today. Each day we have had a prayer time like this. These times give us such assurance of God's healing power and his love for Ray.
After writing the verse for last night I just felt so amazed. We are so encouraged by the scriptures! Daily we find exactly what we need to hear -- we have renewed understanding of this rich treasure.
"For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope." Romans 15:4
Only one more day until Ray's scan! We are filled with hope!
not alone and not afraid --
kristin and ray
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Trusting and Hoping
Loved Ones,
Ray had a little bit better day today. We had some wonderful visits, which really lifted our spirits!
All in all, this week he has taken a bit longer to bounce back from the chemo -- just a lot less appetite. He did however, fold some laundry today so perhaps we're onto something.
We are trying not to get so fixed on the scale -- something any dieter knows! Otherwise it is just too easy to be disappointed with weight loss.
We are praying for miraculous impact of the chemo this week. Perhaps lack of appetite is part of that. So we don't want to be discouraged.
We are continually reminded through emails and prayers of God's healing power. This is our encouragement.
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
Romans 15:13
not alone and not afraid --
kristin and ray
Ray had a little bit better day today. We had some wonderful visits, which really lifted our spirits!
All in all, this week he has taken a bit longer to bounce back from the chemo -- just a lot less appetite. He did however, fold some laundry today so perhaps we're onto something.
We are trying not to get so fixed on the scale -- something any dieter knows! Otherwise it is just too easy to be disappointed with weight loss.
We are praying for miraculous impact of the chemo this week. Perhaps lack of appetite is part of that. So we don't want to be discouraged.
We are continually reminded through emails and prayers of God's healing power. This is our encouragement.
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
Romans 15:13
not alone and not afraid --
kristin and ray
Monday, July 7, 2008
More Than All We Ask or Imagine
Loved Ones,
Ray had a good day today. When Ray says he wants broccoli and cauliflower for a snack at 9:30 am, I know the appetite is coming back! Of course, I can't help myself, I made cancer fighting cabbage rolls. That sort of put him over the edge a bit and he's fighting a bit of nausea tonight. Oops. We'll keep it a little bit more bland tomorrow.
We had some wonderful news today. News that lifts our hearts!
Our friend Amy's 3 year old son is battling bladder cancer. After chemo and radiation, scans showed that his tumor had been reduced but not eliminated, something they were told chemo could not accomplish.
This morning his surgeon went in to biopsy the tumor and determine what type of surgery would be possible.
The tumor was gone!!!
We are rejoicing with our friends!!! What an incredible reminder that our God -- the one who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine -- is more powerful than any prognosis.
Amen and amen. We are renewed by this example of answered prayer.
We press on toward Friday's scan with our hearts filled with hope. We pray for miraculous progress and for the day of rejoicing when Ray is healed.
"Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD." Psalm 27:14
not alone and not afraid --
kristin and ray
Ray had a good day today. When Ray says he wants broccoli and cauliflower for a snack at 9:30 am, I know the appetite is coming back! Of course, I can't help myself, I made cancer fighting cabbage rolls. That sort of put him over the edge a bit and he's fighting a bit of nausea tonight. Oops. We'll keep it a little bit more bland tomorrow.
We had some wonderful news today. News that lifts our hearts!
Our friend Amy's 3 year old son is battling bladder cancer. After chemo and radiation, scans showed that his tumor had been reduced but not eliminated, something they were told chemo could not accomplish.
This morning his surgeon went in to biopsy the tumor and determine what type of surgery would be possible.
The tumor was gone!!!
We are rejoicing with our friends!!! What an incredible reminder that our God -- the one who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine -- is more powerful than any prognosis.
Amen and amen. We are renewed by this example of answered prayer.
We press on toward Friday's scan with our hearts filled with hope. We pray for miraculous progress and for the day of rejoicing when Ray is healed.
"Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD." Psalm 27:14
not alone and not afraid --
kristin and ray
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Prayers for This Week
Loved Ones,
Ray had another quiet day today. He had appetite for a few things and we know the end is in sight. He usually rebounds on Monday. So the Sunday after chemo is sometimes a matter of simply enduring until the better days of the following week.
Several weeks ago a good friend sent us a song. The song was How Firm a Foundation. The song closes with the lines:
"That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I'll never no never no NEVER forsake."
I find this refrain goes through my mind often. Most days I am focused on the NEVER. When I was running Saturday morning, I felt the absolute confidence of it.
Today I felt the first line. There are days, often Ray's quieter days, where the anxiety and fear are stronger. Days where we miss our old life. Days where we feel tired.
On those days we are so thankful for the constant support of our friends and particularly our families. We could not do this without the tangible help and without the prayer support.
As we head into this week we have our eye on Ray's scan on Friday and on his 4th chemo round the following week. We know that this scan will give important guidance to our doctor who we will meet with before the fourth round. We are praying for clear evidence of a miracle -- progress beyond what is expected. Then, we pray for wisdom and guidance for us and for Ray's doctor on the path for continued healing. I send these prayers now because we know that even as he sleeps the chemo is still working in Ray's body. We pray that it works miraculously!
We are most thankful for our God who promises aid even when we are tired!!
"Come to me all you who are weary and heavy- laden and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28
not alone and not afraid --
kristin and ray
Ray had another quiet day today. He had appetite for a few things and we know the end is in sight. He usually rebounds on Monday. So the Sunday after chemo is sometimes a matter of simply enduring until the better days of the following week.
Several weeks ago a good friend sent us a song. The song was How Firm a Foundation. The song closes with the lines:
"That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I'll never no never no NEVER forsake."
I find this refrain goes through my mind often. Most days I am focused on the NEVER. When I was running Saturday morning, I felt the absolute confidence of it.
Today I felt the first line. There are days, often Ray's quieter days, where the anxiety and fear are stronger. Days where we miss our old life. Days where we feel tired.
On those days we are so thankful for the constant support of our friends and particularly our families. We could not do this without the tangible help and without the prayer support.
As we head into this week we have our eye on Ray's scan on Friday and on his 4th chemo round the following week. We know that this scan will give important guidance to our doctor who we will meet with before the fourth round. We are praying for clear evidence of a miracle -- progress beyond what is expected. Then, we pray for wisdom and guidance for us and for Ray's doctor on the path for continued healing. I send these prayers now because we know that even as he sleeps the chemo is still working in Ray's body. We pray that it works miraculously!
We are most thankful for our God who promises aid even when we are tired!!
"Come to me all you who are weary and heavy- laden and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28
not alone and not afraid --
kristin and ray
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