Last Monday (2 days after returning from Ecuador), I told my husband, "I need a ministry here at home."
*Disclaimer - I know my husband and my children are my ministry along with some other opportunities (teaching, loving on babies, etc.) I've been blessed with. But, what I am talking about is working with people who are in dire need/crisis/despair. Getting out of my comfort zone & the walls of the church and going out into a lost and hurting world. "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. DO WHAT IT SAYS." James 1:22 We are called to take ACTION and OBEY GOD'S WORD!!!
It is REALLY hard to go from pouring out like we did in Quito to only giving out dribbles here at home. There are just as many needs here as there are in Quito, but I'm not as sensitive to (or aware of) them as I should be. Maybe I'm not as bold either. So, I've been praying for God's guidance.
The other thing I feel very strongly about is getting a part-time job to earn money for missions. Last week, a job offer crossed my path that could be a ministry as well as a business. This week, a second job offer presented itself that would be better for my family. So, I've been praying through that too. Then, throw my biopsy into the pot for some added seasoning, and things have been heating up!
Today, God began answering my prayers and bringing things into focus through my biopsy results.
The doctor came in and said, "I have the best bad news I could possibly give you. All 12 of the calcifications we removed came back negative. But, we did find a 2mm DCIS in the surrounding tissue. I've never seen one this small in all of my years in radiology."
My response: "Can you translate that into English for me please?"
Basically, I have stage 0 (never knew such a thing existed) breast cancer - based on the biopsy alone. A tiny, tiny spot was found. God used the non-cancerous calcifications to lead to the actual cancer!!! The radiologist said the spot did NOT show up on the mammogram. It was only found at this stage because of the biopsy. ONLY GOD!!! ONLY GOD!!! HE IS SO AMAZING!!! THANK YOU FOR PRAYING FOR CLEAR, CONCLUSIVE RESULTS! GOD HAS ANSWERED!
My first thought was... "Consider it pure JOY, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4
I've been praying for JOY for about 8 years now. God gave me James 1:2-4 several years ago when my husband lost his job after being wrongly accused of misconduct, and things turned really ugly. God's joy supercedes any circumstances and makes you turn cartwheels when most people think you should be devastated! Only God!
My sister gave me this JOY bracelet Thursday night,
and I've read James 1:2-4 several times in the past 2 weeks. God was reminding me and preparing me.
Surgery is the next step, and I have an appointment with a surgeon on Wednesday morning. The results from surgery will reveal if there are any other spots and what specific treatment I will need.
As crazy as this may sound.....I feel like this journey will be a HUGE opportunity for me to meet and minister to other women battling the same disease! Remember Nurse R (I talked about her in my last post) who helped me through my biopsy? Well, she had stage 3 breast cancer and has been cancer free for 4 years now. She leads a breast cancer support group and is part of an organization dedicated to raising the awareness and treatment of breast cancer in other countries. She has been to Africa twice this year already. She said she would help me minister to others any way she can. God is up to something. (I'm not ruling out a trip to Africa either!)
As I was pulling out of the parking lot at the doctor's office, something caught my eye...
Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
He is my God, and I trust Him.
For He will rescue you from every trap
and protect you from deadly disease.
He will cover you with His feathers.
He will shelter you with His wings.
His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,
nor the arrow that flies in the day.
Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
Though a thousand fall at your side,
though ten thousand are dying around you,
these evils will not touch you.
Just open your eyes,
and see how the wicked are punished.
If you make the Lord your refuge,
if you make the Most High your shelter,
no evil will conquer you;
no plague will come near your home.
For He will order his angels
to protect you wherever you go.
They will hold you up with their hands
so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.
You will trample upon lions and cobras;
you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!
The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love Me.
I will protect those who trust in My name.
When they call on Me, I will answer;
I will be with them in trouble.
I will rescue and honor them.
I will reward them with a long life
and give them My salvation.”
I will protect those who trust in My name.
When they call on Me, I will answer;
I will be with them in trouble.
I will rescue and honor them.
I will reward them with a long life
and give them My salvation.”
Psalm 91 (NLT)
Beautiful promises from my Heavenly Father at the exact moment I needed them! That is my God! I hope He is yours too. If not, simply call out to Him and invite Him into your life. The Bible says in Romans 10:9-13,
"That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and
believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and
it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in Him will never be put to shame."
For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—
the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on Him, for,
"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
Thank you so much for your prayers. Obviously, you can't stop praying now! We are just getting started on this new journey together - for the display of HIS splendor!
Loving HIM with all my heart,
Nancy
awesome!
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