14 of 14

Tomorrow (Monday, Aug 3) is Janie's last out of fourteen radiation treatments. Speaking of which, in that photo a few posts ago that showed a radiation machine and the table the patient lays on, I noticed there is a face mask just like the one that Janie has to wear. (Scroll down or see it here.) Anyway, we so much appreciate your praying for us and we have known God's closeness to us in the last two weeks. He's holding us in His hands.

One thing you may not be aware of is that
Janie's latest chemotherapy drug (called 5-fu for you information junkies) has had a side effect of making her taste buds not work right. So she has a minimal appetite for food and when she does eat (out of obligation rather than desire like the rest of us), the food tastes funny - "like metal." How she knows what metal tastes like I don't really know. She still cooks for the family, though...what a saint. Please pray that her taste buds would return to normal. Thanks!

Also, the 5-fu can cause her eyes to water, so no, she's not overcome with, joy (or grief) when she sees you...........

And of course if you have seen her to talk to lately, you will have noticed her voice is kind of laryngitis-ish. That too is a result of chemo and now exacerbated by the radiation. I am hoping that since radiation is over, she might get some of her voice back again. It's a bit of a strain on her voice to talk alot, especially in crowds, so please don't be offended - we're not avoiding you!

She has begun losing some hair but there's still a good amount on her head...I'm personally praying that with radiation ending, so too will the hair-loss.

Pastor May preached from Isaiah 45 today. What a soaring chapter of the bible! Pastor, thanks so much for the encouragement. Using the visuals of a hammer, a coffee cup and Playdough, he pointed us to the Sovereignty of God.

"Woe to him who strives with him who formed him,
a pot among earthen pots!
Does the clay say to him who forms it, 'What are you making?'" Isaiah 45:9

We, the creation, have no right to call into question God's reasons for doing what He is doing...and this is meant to include calamity too.

"I [the LORD] form light and create darkness,
I make well-being and create calamity,
I am the LORD, who does all these things." Is. 45:7

This is a stretching scripture ("I create calamity?" Really?) for any of us who would like to put God in a box and limit Him to only doing 'nice' things, while the bad guys, like Satan and demons, are the only ones who do the 'bad' stuff.

Anyway, go read all of Isaiah 45. And couple that with Romans 9 while you are at it if you dare...

In another post, I'll mention what Pastor JohnPiper prays before reading the bible during quiet time. It has been very helpful for me personally.

God bless you and thanks again for praying.