Eleventh Month Anniversary Today

July 11, 2011

Today it has been 11 months since a doctor walked in our room in NYC and told us that Mark had no hope. Yes, there have been days of trials but in everything we see God prevailing. Having two ostomy’s has not easy to adjust to but the Lord has given us Grace. In NY we were able to share about the works of the Lord in our lives. Many people have testified that Marks illness has not stopped him from proclaiming the Name of our Lord. God told him, “Get out of that bed, I am not finished with you” and Mark knew that he better get up. Then when God told us both “no chemo” we knew that our Hope was in God alone. The Doctors told us that Mark would swell back up with fluid if he didn’t have treatments but it never happened. God told us to trust Him and we did and we continue trusting Him, giving each day to the Lord no matter what happens.

The week after he got out of the hospital he was back in church. These days had their challenges but we continued to trust. A month after he was dismissed from the hospital he developed a stomach virus and dehydrated so badly that they were having a hard time finding a pulse so back to the hospital we went. We again were able to testify and share the Lord with many people. A week later the doctors came into our room and said, “We don’t know if it was viral or bacterial but it seems to be resolving itself”. No it had not resolved itself the Lord had resolved it. The Lord had brought us back there to proclaim that we only trusted the Lord.

In September we returned to AR for me to have a stint removed that had been placed in me during a gallbladder surgery in June. The stint was only supposed to stay in 6 to 8 weeks and it had been 3 months. I was not able to have it removed because of Mark’s illness. Two weeks before we returned to AR I was in a lot of pain and ask one of the ladies on our healing team at church to pray for me. The next morning the pain had subsided. When we returned to AR we were able to share at 3 different places about the things that God had been doing in our lives. On Tuesday I went to the hospital and was proclaiming to the doctors and nurses all that had happened with Mark and that my pain had gone from my back after someone had prayed for me. They had prepared me for the stint removal, IV was in and I was ready to go. When they took me back I was still proclaiming the works of the Lord. The nurse said they had to x-ray me to make sure the stint was in place before putting me under anesthesia. When they did the x-ray she was surprised. The stint was gone. The doctor said he guessed I had passed it, but I would prefer to believe that God had removed it. Why, because I know He is in Control.

In November we were able to go on a vacation to Disney World with some of our family and God had given Mark energy to do all these things. Going to church in NYC isn’t easy it takes an hour to get there and requires lots of walking, a subway ride and a bus. In December Mark was in a musical call “Hope Has Come” with a church in Queens.

Our mission in Manhattan was almost established. It had seemed such a short time when Mark had a vision of seeing thousands of people being mobilized out of the MNYBA building and we were seeing that vision come to life. It had all began last November when we felt that the Lord was moving us from NYC we began praying, Lord where do you want us to go? We spent many hours in prayer seeking to know just what the Lord wanted us to do. Now the move was also becoming a reality.

In February we came back to AR because our 6^th grandchild had been born and to speak in a few churches. This was a grandchild that the doctors thought Mark would never see. We also met with the board about the Granny Davis House. We found out that our Non-profit status had been approved and that Harmony needed a prayer coordinator. Now we knew that this was where the Lord was leading us. The Granny Davis Mission house had been completely remodeled by many wonderful people and we were ready for this new chapter in our life. Moving back to AR was where we knew the Lord wanted us. As the months moved on in April before we moved back to AR Mark preached our last Sunday at Graffiti Church again proclaiming the works of the Lord.

Upon returning to AR we knew that our life would be filled with new challenges but we know that God is in control and the all things are for His glory. Mark had lost some weight but we had not made it a big concern of ours except trying to find him comfortable clothes. Two weeks after we moved back we were going to go visit our daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren in Kansas. The morning we got up Mark told me he was tired and he laid down on the couch and went to sleep. I was surprised although sometimes he did get tired easy. When we got in the truck to leave we didn’t get down the road far until he told me he was going to have to lay down in the back seat. The next few days were very hard. God gave him enough strength to go to our grandson’s pre-k graduation and our granddaughter’s dance recital but the next morning we had to go home. He looked like he had lost 10 pounds in just a few days and we were not sure what was happening.

He continued to lose weight over the next few weeks then he told me he thought it was time to see a doctor. I put a note on facebook and several people recommended the same doctor then I called a friend of mine and she said she had been praying and she recommended the same doctor who just happened to be a member of her church. She told me she would get back with me. About 20 minutes later the doctor called me. I told him our story and told him he could go online and read Mark’s surgical report. He was going out of town and would be back on Tuesday. I wasn’t sure we could wait until Tuesday but by the Grace of God we were able to wait. When we went in he told us that it was obvious there had been some sort of divine intervention because these tumors don’t just stop producing fluid but Mark had no signs of fluid. He scheduled Mark for a CT scan at Baptist on Friday. Thursday night was rough. Mark was sick all night and about 4:00am he got up to go to the bathroom and thought he pulled something in his groin area. Then about 5:00 he told we needed to go to the hospital. I got things ready and called my daughter who went with us. His leg had gotten hard like he had a Charlie horse from being partially dehydrated. When we got to the hospital and he was getting out of the car his leg had swollen. We checked in the hospital and the doctor came in and ask us if we were there for Mark’s leg, we said no he told us that Mark had a blood clot in his leg. Of course we were thinking, Lord what are you doing now? The CT scan and scope showed that he has severe gastritis, erosive esophagitis, and a small bowel obstruction and blood clots in the lower part of his right lung plus the colt in his leg.

During our hospital stay the Lord gave us many opportunities to share what the He is doing in our lives. Some of these things which I hope to share later made it obvious why God had brought us to the hospital. We saw the Lord working mightily around us. I think the hardest thing is not being able to understand about the suffering. Mark is a servant of God so why would God in His infinite Wisdom want this for us. I then reflected on the many sufferings of people in the Bible like Job, Daniel, David, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Then the question comes to mind this is a testing of our faith, can we stay faithful while we are going through such trials knowing that all of this is for the Glory of God. Yes, I know that we can because in the end when we stand before Almighty God we will know that we will spend eternity in a place called Heaven where life goes on forever. I do my best not to ask why or be mad or upset but to stay focused on scripture from the Word of God.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-23 New International Version (NIV) ¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.¹⁹ Do not quench the Spirit. ²⁰ Do not treat prophecies with contempt ²¹ but test them all; hold on to what is good, ²²reject every kind of evil.²³ May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Is this what I am living? I can’t if I am sad all the time living in a pity party of my selfishness or continually concentrating and complaining about bad things that are happening in my life. I must look to eternity and know that this life is temporary.

Today I sit here writing this and tonight Mark and I are going to speak at a Mission Awareness meeting in about an hour and a half. Mark doesn’t feel well; he has thrown up a couple of times today. The blockage keeps the fluids that build up in our bodies from going down so it must come up. Will God give us Grace to speak for Him tonight? I believe He will. I am putting my trust in Him and Him only. People say that I am strong and that I have been so strong through all this. I tell you that in my flesh I have been weak but through his Word and Grace I am strong.

Philippians 4:6-7 New International Version (NIV) ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

For through His word I have received that peace that passes all understanding and oh what a joy it brings to my heart knowing that it all comes from a living God who gave his life for me and suffered more than any of us have ever suffered. We both cry out to God and wonder how long must this go on but continue to reflect on His Word, His Promises and His Grace knowing that it is all for His Glory.

Well, Praise the Lord! Mark and I did speak at the meeting. Once again God has prevailed. Please continue to pray for us as we seek to go where He calls us to go. May God bless you and fill your life with his wonderful blessings.

Amanda