1 Peter 1:3- Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Fighting cancer is definitely reminding Stew and I that we are not in control of the circumstances we face, and it is foolishness for us to even presume that we are. The past few days have continued to drive home the truth that even though it is a tremendous blessing to have skilled doctors and caring professionals in our lives, our hope can not rest in what they say, who they are, or what they do. Believe me, it is an easy trap to fall into, but when we do, hope becomes something we have to fight for instead of Someone to rest in.

When all of this began three months ago, we truly believed that at this point (over half way through) we would be on the rejoicing side of cancer with indicators of remission or cure. But, we're not there. That doesn't mean we're not going to be, just that the time hasn't yet come. It appears that, if we agree, a different chemo protocol will be tried once this cycle of treatments ends.

So, while we are still waiting and believing, please know how thankful we are that you are in God's waiting room with us...praying, praising, and waging warfare. It strengthens us.  Thank you!

Prayer Requests:

*Stew: White blood cell count and neutrophils to return to an acceptable range, and bone pain to be gone.  Chemo was to be given yesterday, but both counts were critically low so it has been delayed till next Monday. Neutrophils are only at .22 which means filgrastim injections are being given. They can have a side effect of bone pain which he is experiencing.
*Dr. K.: Favor on her new job, and that others will be blessed by her as we have been. She will no longer be at the cancer clinic after the end of the year. Honestly, this news set us back at first as she has not only been Stew's doctor, but also a source of encouragement and prayer.
* New hematology oncologist: To be expertly skilled, operate in wisdom, and one who sees Stew as a person, not just as a patient.
* Healing!
* Opportunities: For us to make a difference in someone's day each time we are at the clinic.

Praises:

*Special moments with family.
*Encouragement from friends
*God's love and strength
*Hope
*Music
*Rainy days
*Laughter
*Stew's smile
*A man named Samuel (more about him in the next post.)
*You!

With hearts filled with gratitude and HOPE!
Stew and Deb
Romans 12: 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, and constant in prayer.