Wed 4/30

Thank you bloggers for your support. I need to correct a mistake on the time for the Blood Drive. It starts at 8 a.m., I had written 8:30. Everything is about the same with Erin, itchy and stomach ache 24/7. We go to the clinic tomorrow for labs. Erin had an opportunity to write a letter about her experience for the Relay for Life folks in Panama City. Our friend is the anchorwoman on the local news and was the MC for Relay. If you would like to read it, you can access it on their website at: http://www.northwestfloridaonline.com/index.php/blog_jchapin.

"But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love. We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our sheild. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you." Psalm 33: 18, 20-22

We rejoice in the friends God has sent us to help us in this time of need. Thanks for the prayers, love, janet

Tues 4/29

Good day Prayer Warriors. Erin is doing fine, still itchy but her stomach is feeling a little better.

We have an opportunity for everyone to get involved in donating life saving blood and an opportunity to get on the bone marrow registry for FREE. Once a year the Red Cross offers free testing (it is usually $52). It is just a cheek swab, so NO PAIN involved. Isn't that cool? You do NOT have to give blood at the drive to register to be on the bone marrow registry. It is open for folks from 18-60 yrs old. You would then be on the National Registry and if someone needs your specific marrow, you would be contacted with more information. We have been told that Erin does not need a transplant at this time, but of course, things can change down the road, but we pray not. Since Amanda and Laura do not match, we would have to go out to this registry to look for a match. Anyway, I think it is a very giving thing to do and a chance for you to be a life saver. Of course giving blood is also an awesome gift of life. Erin has been transfused at least 14 times and desperately needed each unit. Thank you to all of you regular donors out there! This drive will be on Sunday, May 18th from 8:30a.m.-12:30p.m. at Lawrenceville First United Methodist church. You can call if you are going to give blood (I think they prefer reservations) and just show up if you just want to be put on the marrow registry. 770-963-0386. They will be putting up posters and I will try to get one for L&D, PRHS, and Scientific Atlanta. I hope you will all turn out for this and support the Red Cross and cancer patients like Erin all over the Atlanta area and the U.S. Thank you!

Blessings on you, janet

Mon 4/28

Just back from the Dr, labs were down as expected. WBC 1.4 and Platelets 65. So, normal for this time in the chemo round. Erin's stomach is giving her real trouble so they added another medicine to help her with that. She is not feeling so great so she will probably just veg the rest of the day. We go back on Thurs for more blood work. Thanks for the prayers!

"Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the Lord delivers him in times of trouble. The Lord will protect him and preserve his life; he will bless him in the land and not surrender him to the desire of his foes. The Lord will sustain him on his sickbed and restore him from his bed of illness." Psalm 41:1-3

Thanks to all of you for your love, janet

Sun 4/27

Good Day Bloggers, Thanks for your prayers and concern. We are blessed to have you on the team. Erin is doing fine except for a nagging stomach ache and lingering itches. We go tomorrow morning for labs, so we will see what they say. I figure her numbers will be down and she might need blood products by her Thurs appt. if at all. Erin had a nice visit from her mentor teacher today and got all excited again about getting back to teaching in the fall. It is nice to have something to look forward to beyond all the chemo. Her PRHS friends have been so supportive! Our thanks to all of you as well as our to church family and friends for your love and prayers. They say it takes a village to raise a child. Well, it also takes a village to support a cancer victim and God has blessed us with an awesome village! To God be the glory!

In the book of Acts, Jesus tells Peter 3 times how to show his love for Christ. He says to "feed his lambs," "take care of his sheep," and "feed his sheep." I am not a Bible scholar, but it seems to me that when God says something 3 times, it must be pretty important! You all have gone above and beyond in helping us take care of this particular lamb and I know God is saying, "Well done, good and faithful servants!"

Love you all, janet

Sat 4/26

Happy Saturday, Erin is doing fine. Happy to have Laura home for a quick visit. Erin is still battling nausea but in general she is doing pretty good. She is blessed to be home. Both of our hives seem to have calmed down, although she is still begging for back scratches. Who doesn't? Now we just ask for patience to endure the rest of this time of seclusion before she can get out and about again before round 4. Thanks for your unending prayers!!

"For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way; bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light." Col 9-12

Love, janet

Fri 4/25

Good Friday everyone, All is status quo here in the world of recovery. Erin is feeling pretty blah but her hives are beginning to settle down. Maybe because they jumped to me! Erin is resting as much as possible. We still have her bed in the middle of the family room so she can stretch out 24/7. Bill is quite envious because he always stretches out on the floor to watch TV. He wishes I would let him have a mattress too. Now when the dogs come home after their 6 month sabbatical at my sister's house, they will also want mattresses to sleep on. You see, she has quite spoiled our dogs and they will require some remedial training! Thank you for your continued prayers! Erin is blessed so much by them. She is trying to be brave in the ongoing treatment and really needs the encouragement!

"May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."Romans 15:5-6

Love, janet

Thurs 4/24

Good afternoon prayer warriors, Erin is still itchy and uncomfortable. She had a 2 Benadryl night and is longingly looking at another little pink pill. How miserable to be sick and itchy all over. She doesn't have much of an appetite either. I am just trying to push the water to keep her flushing out all the chemicals. Oh, but being at home is wonderful. No one waking us up every few minutes for something, vitals, labs, chemo etc. That gets old fast! You gotta know that if I am over it, Erin is WAY over it. So this morning I woke up with hives on my arms. Yes, you who went thru the hive weeks with me last summer know the drill. I figure someone somewhere is getting married, or I have developed an allergy to raspberries, or I just have sympathetic itching for Erin. Go figure. You Moms out there know how we empathize with our kids in every situation. Well I truly have felt nauseous, tired, and achy with Erin all along. Wish I could do all of it for her! Well, God is certainly by her side carrying her through all these side effects and for that we are thankful. We are also grateful to you who daily lift our burdens to God!

"Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens." Ps 68:19

" Carry each others burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." Gal 6:2

Thanks for everything. love, janet

Wed at home

Hello Prayer warriors! God is good. Just got home an hour ago. Thank you Lord for that! Erin had another very itchy night. We love Benadryl! She pretty much itched the whole way home and I had to grab her hands to stop her. I threatened to put her in mittens or a straight jacket. Of course Benadryl works, but it also puts you to sleep, so you don't get to eat or walk, so we are trying to use it in moderation. So far Erin's numbers are good but they should go down over the next few days. So we will not be out and about for awhile. We go back on Mondays and Thursdays for labs. We met a couple of young people her age today that are in various stages of the same disease. It puts into perspective how far we have come and how good Erin will look in a few months. Please add Brie, Adriano, Andrew and Megan to your prayers. So much cancer!! But our God is bigger than all of it and His mercies are unfailing. Thanks for your faithfulness in prayers for Erin and our whole family. We are humbled by your love. Blessings, janet

Tues 4/22

Good morning! Wish I could say all is well, but frankly, Erin had a hard night. She broke out in hives last night from who knows what. So add itching to the nausea to the overall not so good feeling. Yikes. So they gave her Benadryl and that helped the itching, then they gave her ativan to help the overall yucky feeling, so she did sleep a little between interuptions. One more night and then we can go home. Please pray for the hives to go away, the nausea to go away and the overall terrible feeling to go away. Also please pray that she can eat today. Yesterday she only ate a little cup of peaches. She slept so much she only walked 4 laps and that was by force. She is so over all this and I don't blame her. On the bright side, because you know God always provides a bright side, we only have 3 more chemo doses to go this round and then we go home. Come quickly summer, we want to be done. Thanks for all the prayers, we depend on them.


"Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up." James 5:13-15

We are thankful for a God of miracles! And we can testify to the many He has already provided. We know His plans for Erin are mighty and we trust that someday this will all be a distant memory that fuels her testimony. Love, janet

Halfway Home

Good morning friends -

Well we are half-way through round #3. Erin had her spinal tap yesterday afternoon. She had a bout of nausea in the middle of it and felt the affects for a while afterwards but for the most part did pretty well. She was able to eat some dinner and even walked her mile plus 4 bonus laps after doing 2 miles on Saturday (always the overachiever)!! The past two nights Erin has been able to get about six hours of undisturbed sleep which has been a real praise. The nurse has been giving her a small dose of Ativan along with the night chemo which keeps the nausea at bay and lets her sleep. Besides the nausea which is being controlled pretty well, the only other side affect so far has been hiccups. They started up while we were walking last night and they were pretty loud...sort of echoed down the hallway. The nurse saw me jump out at Erin from around a corner to scare her and I was pretty sure she was going to have me taken away...but then she jumped out at Erin around the next corner! It was pretty funny and we had a good laugh...and it seems that Erin's hiccups went away at that point. Erin pointed out to me that they have video cameras covering every hallway and that I might want to keep that in mind next time I decide to demonstrate my "speedwalking technique"....the secret is in the hips you know!

Today's word is miracle and we thank God and praise Him for the miracles that He is doing in and through Erin as she weathers this storm and for the promise of miracles to come!

"Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced"
- 1 Chronicles 16:12
"He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted."
- Job 5:9 & 9:10

Blessings - Bill

Sun 4/20

This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. Erin is now getting her 4th dose of chemo for round 3. She felt pretty crummy last night and they had to give her a sedative to help her sleep. Today she is doing o.k. so far, although she has to have her spinal tap today and is dreading it. Hopefully they will wait until after lunch. Please pray for skill for the PA and good results for Erin. We are thankful for a loving God that hears our prayers and answers with perfect timing in His great mercy! Blessings on you all for your prayers!

"Answer me quickly O Lord; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit. Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord, for I hide myself in you. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground. For your name's sake, O Lord, preserve my life; in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble." Psalm 143:7-11

Wow, does His word ever fail to move? Love, janet

sat 4/19

Blessings, Erin is doing well. Some nausea but not too bad, just trying to sleep and keep herself distracted. We are thankful to be on the 6th floor with the group of nurses who know us. We keep them well stocked in chocolate so they will love us. You would be surprised at how many people benefit from M&M therapy! Thank you for all the prayers!! We are blessed to be surrounded by your love.

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds." Hebrews 10: 23-24

Thanks for spurring us on and keeping us hopeful in Christ! Your comments really do boost our spirits and give us encouragement! Love, janet

Round 3

Hello friends...Bill Here....


It has been a while since I posted the update but I look forward to reading your posts every day! We got the call this afternoon that they had a room for us and to come to the hospital. As I write this, we are waiting in admissions for our room to be cleaned. We're headed back to room 615 with all our round 1 & 2 staff friends on the 6th floor! It may sound funny, but it is comforting to be among the folks that became like family during the 6+ weeks we spent here for rounds 1 & 2.


So, we expect to get started tonight on round 3 of chemo which should take 5 days of treatment and then, hopefully, 3 weeks of recovery at home. Our prayer is for smooth sailing through this round with no nausea or other side affects. The extended break has been a true blessing for Erin as she has enjoyed a taste of getting her life back and being out in the world among all her friends and loved ones. It was a much-needed opportunity to recharge her spirit and ours and we are thankful for it.


As we head into this next round we thank God for the many many blessings he has bestowed upon us....the awesome news of remission is a gift from God that gives us hope for the future and the love, prayers and support that all of you provide is a constant source of comfort and encouragement. We pray God's continued blessings on each of you! - Bill

Thurs 4/17

Hello prayer warriors! Thanks for all the wonderful prayers. Our prayer pager is still buzzing away and it really is a blessing to hear it. You guys get up early! Erin is well today. Resting up for tomorrow. She is not looking forward to chemo, imagine that. I say, bring it on, that just brings us one step closer to being done. You know that motion of waving arms toward you like the Jewish women do over the Sabbath meal? Sort of welcoming the light and warmth into your embrace? That is the signal I use with Erin to say, "we welcome this." This is God's tool to get you better. When there is a hard procedure facing us or another needle, I make that motion silently (I know, you can't imagine me doing anything silently). But it reinforces all the discussions we have had about handling this journey and all it encompasses. So make that motion with us and help us welcome this round of chemo. God works in amazing ways...not just through prayers, but with needles, chemicals, biopsies, spinal taps, and germ-X!! So again we praise God for His providence.

"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:16

Love you! janet

Wed 4/16

Hello all, God is so good, can you sense that today? We can. We are so thankful to have a faithful God who sees all our needs before we even know we have them. Erin is happy and well. Enjoying her last days before round 3. Please pray for the side effects to be minimal. After all she has gone through, 5 more days of chemo sounds daunting. But knowing she can come home after that is encouraging. I'm sure it will get harder to stay secluded as the weather gets prettier. Thanks for all your love and encouragement. We are blessed by your support. I know this is a long process for all of us, so the prayers are even more precious because of your endurance with us in this journey. I know the Lord will reward your faithfulness!! Love to all, janet

"The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. All you have made will praise you, O Lord; your saints will extol you. They will tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might, so that all men may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom." Psalm 145:9-12

Tues 4/15

Good afternoon, All is well with Erin. We just got back from the clinic. Erin's central line had clotted off so they put some enzyme in it to clear it out. Love that! Don't want to jeopardize her line! Other good news, Erin's hair is growing back. Just in time to get zapped again by round 3. But hey, it's encouraging to her that is WILL grow back in time. She is so blessed. We see a lot of folks at the cancer clinic that look at her with sad eyes because she is so young. (Of course she is at an adult clinic so there are no little kids there. Now, that would be hard to see on a weekly basis.) If only they knew. She is healed by God's grace and we are so thankful. Guess we need to carry our megaphone! We could walk around shouting the good news.

"How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!" Isaiah 52:7

Thanks for the prayers, please keep them coming, we need every one of them. Love, janet

Mon 4/14

Blessings on you bloggers, Thanks for the words of encouragement and prayers. Barbara, we will add your Uncle to our prayers! Thanks for sending us the megaphone sermon to check out Kristie, can't wait to hear it. Erin is doing well today. She was able to go to youth last night and had a very full day of blessings. Today she went to school to see all her teacher buddies. Sorry she missed you Terry, you weren't in your office. Everyone was glad to see her and she is excited to get back to teaching. What a wonderful group of teacher-friends she has. Everyone has been so great about loving on Erin and all of us. Isn't it just awesome how God provides us with just the right people at just the right time to cheer us up?

"May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. " Romans 15:5

Tues is our day for labs and then maybe Friday or Saturday for chemo. Thanks for the prayers! Love , janet

Sun 4/13

Loving friends and family, Thanks for continuing to check on Erin's progress. She is well today. She is hoping to visit her 8th grade girls group this afternoon. She hasn't hung out with them is months. It boosts her spirits to see everyone and catch a few hugs. It looks like our Tues start for round 3 will be postponed a few days. Maybe Thurs or Fri. Please pray for God's perfect timing. We are trying to be patient. We will go in for labs on Tues anyway and see what the timing looks like. Worship was wonderful this morning and we are so happy to be a part of a church that worships with passion!!

"God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." John 4:24
"Bring an offering and come before him; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness." 1 Chronicles 16:29

Rejoice with us in a God of miracles! love, janet

Sat 4/12

Hello all. Thank you for your prayers. We continue to be blessed by them. Erin is feeling well and we are so happy for these days of rest before the next round. I am grateful for the Psalms that have been such a quick and gentle comfort when I am looking for one.

"Shout with joy to God, all the earth! Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious! Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you. All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing praise to your name." Come and see what God has done, how awesome his works in man's behalf! He turned the sea into dry land, they passed through the waters on foot- come let us rejoice in him." Psalm 66: 1-6

Hope you all enjoyed your spring break. We are loving the rain! blessings, janet

Fri 4/11

Hello, sorry this is late but we just got back from the movies. Erin is trying to catch up on the latest before she goes back into relative seclusion. She feels great, just tired. She has to limit the number of activities per day to keep up her strength. God has been so awesome to her and all of us through this spring break week. We are thankful for all the love. Please keep Erin in your prayers as we head into another chemo round. She is nervous about it and dreading the nausea and pain. We all are, but we know that God is working through this wierd world of medicine and we are grateful. Bill checked in with the 6th floor nurses earlier in the week and told them her good news. They were so sweet and supportive. It is nice to have them on our team! Blessings on you all. Love, janet

Thurs 4/10

Dear friends, Thanks you for continuing to love us with your prayers. There is not one moment when I feel alone in this, not just because I know God is with us, but because I know all of you are there too. God has given us such a overwhelming group of supporters to help us through this. My friend Lisa asked me yesterday what single thing has gotten me through this. At first I said Erin has gotten me through this, but it is more specific than that. Love has been the common factor! My love for Erin, my love for God, Erin's love for God, Bill, Amanda, Kyle, Laura and the rest of our family's love, Erin's love for us, your love for us ... the list goes on and on. One of the first verses God led me to in the beginning of this is from 1 John 4:18 " There is no fear in love." I have said that many times when I start to get down. God's perfect love for us should bring joy, even in the dark times. He loves us all so much more than we can imagine. I am thankful for that and thankful for all of you expressing God's love to us. God is glorified by your sharing your love with us! We love you back. Janet

Wed 4/9

Hello Dear Family and Friends, Erin is doing well today and went to lunch with some of her teacher friends. She is excited to get back to teaching. I don't know many people who are excited to work. Well, I guess perspectives change depending on experiences. Erin will be glad to do anything besides what she has been doing! We praise God she will be able to go back to her normal activities. I am sure she will have lots to teach the kids! I bet she will cut back on homework too! Ha!

"Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place." Ps 28: 2

God has been so merciful and we are truly blessed!! Thanks for your prayers. janet

Tues 4/8

Hello blogger fans, Just got back from the Dr., Erin got good news!! She does not have to have a bone marrow transplant. So basically she will finish up the 3 chemos and then be done!! She should be done by the end of June if all goes as planned. WooHoo! They gave her a letter for work so she can go back in the fall. Watch out PRHS!! We will still need prayer to cover her for 2 years because that is the biggest window for relapse. But we feel like God has totally healed her!!Hallelujah God is good!! Thank you everyone for praying!! Erin is going back in for round 3 on Tuesday if they have a bed. Like every hospital in the metro area, beds are at a premium.

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, His love endures forever." Ps 106

Blessings on you all, janet

Mon 4/7

Hello fellow bloggers. Thanks for all the loving prayers! Erin is feeling well today, a little tired but happy. We have our appt tomorrow with the Dr. It looks like she may go in for round 3 next week. Maybe as early as Monday. She is anxious to get going with it so she can be done in time to play a little before she starts back to work in the fall. We are very thankful for all the blessings she has been given through this experience!

"My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my soul. Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let your glory be over all the earth." Ps 108:1-5

Please pray for good news tomorrow at her appt. and continue to pray for complete and total healing. Remission is a super start but we want to be sure it never comes back!! We know that God has been faithful and will be faithful to see Erin through the rest of this until they consider her cured!! May God be Glorified through this healing!! Love to all, janet

Sunday 4/6

Happy Sunday!
Just got back from church, our word for the day is JOY. Well halleluia, we do have joy!! The joy of the Lord is our strength!! The top of the prayer list at church said "Erin Blonshine is cancer free!" How about that for a reason for joy!! Erin is feeling good today. We are looking forward to talking to the Dr on Tues to get the scoop on the future treatments and plans. As you can imagine, Erin is looking forward to the day she can get her central line out and go swimming! Thanks for your prayers and celebratory cart wheels!! hugs, janet

Sat 4/5

Hello and God Bless you!
Erin is doing well today. She went to the church to see off the youth for their spring break trip. She was so sad not to get to go with them, but looks forward to next year. Everything will seem sweeter next year after all that she has been through. That's the silver lining in the dark cloud right? It's like that allergy medicine commercial where they peal off the fuzzy layer and everything looks so crystal clear. Erin should be seeing brighter colors and sparkling detail in everything for the rest of her life.

"You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you and all the trees of the field will clap their hands." Isaiah 55:12

We are still a little giddy around here with Erin's remission. I hope we never lose that feeling!! Praise God for all the blessings we enjoy!! love to all, janet

Fri 4/4

Hello friends and family, Thanks for continuing to check in with us. I know it seems like we don't need you anymore now that she is in remission, but nothing could be farther from the truth. We still have a long way to go, so please keep praying. Erin is feeling well today and we just got back from several errands. She loves getting back to shopping and normal activity. However, she is still germphobic and reminds us all on a regular basis to wash our hands. Sounds like good advice for everyone since the flu is still out there!

"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit with in me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me." Ps 51: 10-12

We are so thankful for all of you and your love, janet

P.S. Happy Spring Break Gwinnettians!!

Thurs 4/3

Well, I can't top the remission note, so I won't try. Thank you all for rejoicing with us!! God is Good all the time. We give Him all the praise and Glory for this milestone in Erin's treatment. She still has 3 more rounds of chemo to go. We go to the Dr on Tues to discuss the rest of the plan of care. Everything from here on out has got to be easier to go through because of the knowledge that we have the leukemia wiped out. Hopefully she will have an easier time with the side effects too. So please don't stop praying, we have a few more months to go through. She is walking on air though and we can't stop smiling!! Your support and encouragement have been an incredible comfort to us on our journey. We love you all, janet

REMISSION

REMISSION!! We just found out! The PA says it doesn't look like she needs a bone marrow transplant but that they would review the protocols and let us know. They told us before that since her sisters don't match they would not reccommend it. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!!! REMISSION!! Woo Hoo!! It has been a long wait but well worth it! Thanks for rejoicing with us!! WOW!! What a relief!! in tears of thanksgiving, janet

Wed 4/2

Hello and thank you friends for all your encouragement!! Erin is doing well today and filling her "feel good" days with friends and fun.

Susan is right, Erin is a soldier in this battle and will be strengthened by the fight. Not having a son, we thought we would be spared the fear of sending our child to face the danger of war. Wrong, this is a war too. It's an ugly gorilla type war. Hidden dangers, microscopic opponents, chemical warfare! But like every soldier, Erin has a full battalion of people behind her supplying her with equipment, supplies and encouragement. And the best "General" in the universe in charge of the plan of attack. Praise God for being in charge!!

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. " Ephesians 6:10-20

What strength God's word provides!! love to all, janet

Tues 4/1

Happy April Fool's Day!!
Erin is feeling good today except for her biopsy spot. She is very sore there and has to move slowly. We give thanks to God that He is seeing her through all these uncomfortable procedures with grace. She really is so good about going through all this. It is amazing what you can get used to under these conditions. She is still enjoying her break, going out with friends and feeling a little bit normal.

Erin and I were talking about trust this morning and about how this experience has shaped our faith and our trust in God. What do people do without faith? What do they cling to? We can't cling to science, there are no guarantees there. We can't cling to our families, they are as desperate for strength as we are. How can we not see the love of God all around us, providing for us and strengthening us? Praise God that He gave us faith to carry us along this road, because without it we would be lost. We find that this experience has really opened our eyes to the details of our beliefs, and the details of God's provision. A day doesn't go by without some reflection on faith and our trust in God.

"But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things-and the things that are not-to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God-that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."" 1 Corinthians 1: 27-31

"He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe." Proverbs 28:26

"The Lord is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made. The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. The Lord watches over all who love him" Psalm 145:17-20

We are thankful to have a God who watches over us!! Blessings, janet