Thank you so much for your continued prayers.  We praise the Lord that the doctors were able to remove all of the tumors in Jonathan's stomach and most of the tumor on his neck after 12 hours of surgery.  The cancer was much more wide spread in his stomach than the CT scan showed so it was a bit of a surprise to all of us.  The tumor in his neck was not completely removed due to possible damage to important nerves.  We were praying that the residual tumors were only scar tissue, but God has a different story for us to tell.  The tumor in his neck came back positive with cancer still growing.  The down side is that we will be going through more chemo in the months to come, but I am so excited to see what God is going to do through us.

Please continue to pray for Jonathan's quick recovery.  The doctor said the pain level will be manageable, and for most patients the hunger pangs are more difficult to endure.  He will not be eating or drinking - even ice chips - for the next 2 - 5 days depending on how long it takes for his body to completely wake up after all the moving they did to his insides.  Your prayers have been the encouragement and support to get me through this long day. Thank you.

It is now 11 pm and I have been here since 6 this morning.  Jonathan is finally being moved to a room for the night and I was able to let my eyes rest on the most beautiful sight - my precious husband.  God is so good.   I am so thankful that He has given men the knowledge and ability to operate and take care of our loved ones.  He is in control and NOTHING is a surprise to Him.  I rest in the knowledge that I am exactly where God wants us to be - safe in the palm of His hand.  There is no place I would rather be.

Those final moments before you rush off to the hospital to have a baby are not that much different than what we are experiencing right now.  The MAJOR difference is that I am the one doing all the running while Jonathan rests.  So my question is - when do I get to rest... oh that's right I'm the Mommy and resting is not part of my job description.  te hee...

Today Jonathan has had the distinct pleasure of drinking all of his food.  If it was not clear liquid then he was only allowed to salivate after it, but not consume it.  What a BUMMER!  Let's just say that by this evening he was pretty tired of anything that remotely resembled jello.  If it looks like jello, jiggles like jello, or smells like jello it probably is jello... what a let down.  I don't think he will want any jello for the next year.  Needless to say, he was pretty tired by this evening since he was not allowed to eat anything of substance.  That is why I am the one running around like a chicken with my head cut off - the only blessing for everyone is that I can't talk very loud since I have a cold.  YUCK.  Benjamin asked me this morning what happened to my voice.  I told him my that my throat was sick and then he did the sweetest thing.  He stopped what he was doing and immediately asked God to help Mommy's throat get better.  Amen.  It is so precious when he does that.  He is going to be proficient with arrow prayers at a early age I just pray it will develop into a deeper abiding relationship as he grows.  So far, everyone that I have talked to on the phone today thought I was Jonathan.   Just give me a couple more days and a whole lot of sleep and I will be back to me.

Tomorrow we start our day bright and squirily at 6a.m.  Jonathan is scheduled in the operating room from 6 am until 5:45 p.m.  I am sure it won't take that long to perform the operations but am thankful the doctors will be able to spend as much time as they need to make sure it is done well.  Please be praying that God would guide and direct the doctors hands and that the tissue that is left is only scar tissue.  We serve a mighty God and we are confident that He only has our best interest at heart.  His peace has surrounded us these last couple of months and will continue to see us through the next couple of hours and weeks.  Thank you for your continued prayer support.

The tasks of a mother are never ending.  Some days I get rather bogged down with the futileness of my work.  Laundry - to wash, fold and put away... are you kidding me? I don't even get it folded much less put away.  It is a sad state of affairs when you are searching through the piles of clean laundry for one matching pair of socks.  Dishes - all I can say is thank goodness for dishwashers!  We went over 6 months last year without a dishwasher and boy was I thankful for that appliance when we finally replaced it. Cleaning bathrooms - let's see, now I do it in shifts... this week I think I can at least get the toilet bowls cleaned out... YIPPEE  I accomplished one thing!  Sweeping and vacuuming - oh for the day that my kids can do it well.  Right now it is cute to see Benjamin and Emily trying to help me push the vacuum cleaner around and one day it will be their job.  Unfortunately, when that day comes they will no longer find it fun.  For now all three of them run circles around the house pretending that I am going to attack them with the loud machine.  It is rather endearing and I know exactly what they are getting into - NOTHING!    Ahh, the list could go on for (I feel) an eternity but I will not bore you any longer.  Just suffice it to say that my job has incredible security, I just wish I was appreciated a little more.  Of course to think of that sentiment I am reminded that everything I do, I am to do as unto the Lord and not for the praise (or appreciation) of man (my spouse or kids).  I bet God was thinking of Mother's when he had Colossians 3:23-24 penned. "Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord, rather than for men; knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance.  It is the Lord Christ whom you serve."

It is all in my focus.  When I put my eyes back on Christ, the tasks I do for my children and spouse are but a way of serving them and making their home sweet.  When Jonathan gets home from work I want him to be able to relax and put the worries of work at the door.  So each day, I will strive to serve him better and make his home a haven from the trials of the world.  Since he runs his own business leaving the worries of the office at the door is a little difficult, but we make it work.  We try to have some down time to communicate about what happened during the day before bedlam breaks out.  Then we just sit back and enjoy our kids - most of the time.

I am so glad God is faithful and doesn't give up on me when I feel like giving up.  No, instead He sends someone to encourage me or gently whispers a verse in my heart that puts my focus back where it needs to be.  He is faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.

Our kids have started a new Sunday night program at our church called Kids4Truth.  We are so excited about the great things they are going to learn about the Bible and more importantly about God.  Tonight when Jonathan was going over their verses and the truths they learned we were given just a little insight into a 5 year old mind.

Jonathan - "How did God give us the Bible?"

Benjamin - "He's got big hands!"  and of course Emily, not to be outdone by her big brother, chimed in with the same thought.

They are so cute in their simplistic understanding of God and their trust in what He says.  Jonathan had to remind  them that God gave holy men His words to write down.  Then they worked on memorizing the Bible verse 2 Peter 1:21b "But holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit."