A day of prayer and snow.

 I am feeling very humbled at this point... and very much focused in prayer on a small 8 year old boy, who is in the midst of surgery to remove a tumor from close to his brain stem.  Pat and I rose at 7a and spent an hour gathered around a candle doing morning prayer and rosary for the intention of safety and healing for Dawson... Every time I go to read the sharing of his parents on the site - I am moved to tears and marvel at their words of faith!  Not only that, but they say these amazing heartfelt statements in single lines and not the long wordy paragraphs that I would and do write!  Today this was the statement made by his parents after a sleepless night - "Our God is greater, our God is stronger, God you are higher than any other, Our God is healer, awesome in power, Our GOD!"

Today in the midst of the agony of waiting for word from the surgeon... they posted this scripture verse that is amazing.  They mentioned that "he has his Father with him the whole time, and all we can do is wait."  It brings to me a vision of the Holy Father with all the legions of saints and angels gathered around Dawson and protecting him and guiding the surgeon's hands to heal him!  Mark 6:56
"And wherever He went – into villages, towns or countryside – they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged Him to let them touch even the edge of His cloak and all who touched Him were healed.' Just a touch from the Lord and he'll be healed!"

It was very powerful for Pat and I to share this prayertime - remembering the army that surrounded and supported us as we were facing and in the midst of the surgery they did to find out what John's canncer was!  Such a blessing to have that PRAYER - so real and all that we have to cling to and it is truly ROCK SOLID! 

This simple statement blew me away - "We are feeling at peace knowing he is first God's child and ours second and HE knows best."  So beautiful in a concise way saying what I say in so many words - Jesus is in control!  And why fear how a Father will take care of His beloved son?  There is no doubt that all possible and right will be done!  If you would like to follow along in prayer for his young boy and family - I will share his website on caringbridge - http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/dawsonkesteloot/journal/1

We had to change John's appointment at Mayo for tomorrow, because of the weather, and all is up in the air!  The snow is falling, and could add up to almost a foot of snow over today...  Things are on hold and we are called to prayer.  There are many times that my grocery store girl comes to mind.. as the request for prayers come in.  It seems that after coming through our year and a half with John, and now his cancer being gone for a year - people think that we have the corner on prayer.  Wrong!  We simply put all the glory in the Lord's hands, and all the prayer warriors, who stormed the gates of heaven with us for John's healing on all levels... as John says to people when they say that they are praying - "It worked!"  Then he is always quick to tell them to continue to pray.  "Don't stop!" 

I will once again share this story that changed me forever... The Grocery Store Girl    After about two weeks of waiting at John's bedside in Intensive Care to discover what was the tumor in his brain - One day he had all of his sisters there with him - Susan had even come from France.  I decided to take some time away to cook for the family, and needed to pick up some groceries at Cub Foods on Snelling in ST Paul.  I had walked around and filled up my cart, and was in the check out lane of a black lady, who looked to be about my age.  She asked me the usual question about how I was doing, and I just couldn't say the usual answer of... "Fine."  I said with tears in my eyes..."I am not doing that great."  She quickly answered, that I at least had money for groceries unlike the man ahead of me, who had to use food stamps.

I nodded that she was right, and then I blurted out; "My son has brain cancer, and could you pray for him?"  She looked at me with shock and nodded her head... Just at that moment a 20 something girl checking out in the lane next to me said; "Are you from Marshall?  I think that I went to school with a couple of your girls, and did I hear that your son has brain cancer?  Can I pray with you right here and now?"  I was the one to be shocked this time, and hesitantly agreed.  She started praying for John's healing, and the support of his family.  I looked up to see the check out lady, and the man ahead of me, who was bagging his groceries, with their heads bowed with us - joining in prayer! 

After this experience - I realized that saying the empty words of - "I will be praying for you." are just not adequate any more... I pray for them on the spot - email, phone, in the street, in the store... So powerful!  So important!  So Real!  So healing!  So Life giving!  Prayer gets to be all that we have - it our love communication with our loving and forgiving Lord and Savior, and it is so much! 

Jesus, we are forever changed by the Cross - cancer/healing.  We are also very much aware of all that the family goes through as the waiting, and the surgery, and the need we have for the prayer support of all the amazing army of prayer warriors!  WE come to you weak, and brought to our knees, and joined with all those that have only you to look to and trust in!   You are in control, and your love for us is total!  You are our LIFE, our LOVE and our ALL!  Jesus, we trust in you!  Amen and Halleluia!

Bless-bless, Barb

"Go home to your family and announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you."  Jesus speaking to the man whom he had released from a "legion" of unclean spirits... he wanted to go with Jesus, but he told him to go back to his family and share his healing with them...today in the Gospel - Mark 5:  1-20