There is no way that one wakes up ready to handle what I can only term, "the onslaught of a new life." This new life includes things you never wanted to see or experience. However difficult it is though, Jess and I are always realizing this one thing - It is God's nature to bless. A summary of today: Jada had chemo at 6:15am and was done before 7. She was given 8 hours of fluids before we could leave the hospital. She ate sparingly while I tried to catch up on some reading and writing (I have been keeping a detailed record of the GOODNESS of God in all this, as well as medical notes). We were picked up around 3:30 to come home.
What greets us as we arrive is the "Welcome Home" sign made by some very special friends, the Endress family (Tom, thanks for the metal reinforcement so they can easily be reused) - we have 8 more times we can read this sign after returning from the hospital over the next 7 months. I sat down with my computer tonight and asked Jessica for her thoughts or if there was anything she wanted to add to the blog tonight.
Jessica's words: "I guess I would describe this whole day as a continual blessing." "Really," I say - "why would you say that?" "A breast pump was bought and delivered for us (ours broke - not like I'm using it, but we are a team you know), we have not paid a dime for groceries in over a week, Maria Imig hung out for a few hours just serving me, and all of us are under the same roof."
Sure the hard times continue. Oliver has a fever and just got done vomiting yesterday, Pierce is adjusting himself to the schedule he's on (and doing quite well mind you), and Jada began vomiting tonight as a result of her chemotherapy. Because Jada had chemo today, I had to wear special gloves, disinfect, and take extra time cleaning everything really well...just after we heard her vomit I turned to Jess in the kitchen and said, "welcome to the next 7 months." But even now, as I type this I look at a painting Jessica did hanging over our mantle in the basement: it reads, "God has done great things for us and we are filled with Joy." Psalm 126:3.
I really wish I had time to list all the blessings we have been showered with, but the coolest thing by far Jess and I are sensing is the power and presence of the Spirit working in the lives of the Local Church (realize that our families are a given. I have learned and grown deeper with each sibling as this trial intensifies).
Dig deep now, click the comment button below this post and tell us what God has done for you that fills you with Joy... Jess and I wait eagerly.
Hi, I'm Anna(22) from Hungary,
ReplyDeletea friend of Ed and Wendi.
I have a little cousin Viola, who is 2 and a half year old now.
When she was born she was without oxigen for over 20 minutes.
After that for 2 days we didn't know if she was going to be totally disabled and/or mentally handicapped or not.
She could have been!!!
God showed mercy on us,
and Viola is now as beautiful and smart as she can be!
I just told my Mom the other day, that every day she lives talks about God, who gave her health and beauty.
She is pure joy to me.
Hi friends! I can't help but continue to be encouraged by you through this entire situation, thank you! I also can't help but be so very thankful for the health of my boys thus far! I'm so grateful and thankful to God for my husband and my boys! So, right now it is just that that fills my heart with joy....my family!
ReplyDeleteShawna Sipes
Hey guys-God has given our 5 year old total healing from an initial prognosis of 50%... and along the way, He has changed our lives. The whole "cancer thing" was an amazing journey. We continue to pray for your family, knowing what you are feeling. Enjoy these days at home. Libby Swearingen (ps-you can get anti-nausea meds that can be given through her central line at home...took me a little while to know that!)
ReplyDeleteThis could be a blog post of its own, but my husband is a bigger blessing to me today than I can put into words.
ReplyDeleteI am waking up praising God for him.
Thanks for making me write that, Doug & Jess.
We continue to look to God for your strength & for ours.
~
Just reading this blog was a huge blessing God gave me today. Only God can give you a thankful attitude in this tough situation, in all things giving thanks! What a example to us all!!! Thank you Jesus, and thank you Doug and Jess and Jada. God is using you more than you know!!
ReplyDeleteWe in Japan are praying and believing with you for Jada's complete healing, in the Name of JESUS!!
Another blessing is how happy our Japanese assistant pastor Yasu and his wife Abbie are that you helped us find such a wonderful Christian home (Fehrs) for their daughter Sarah--a foreign exchange student at Tremont High School!! They can't thank God, you and the Fehrs enough.
So today, at lunch time, Abbie and I agreed in faith that God would provide for another Christian family to take another high school girl from our church. (She is the only one from her family who is a Christian, but even her non-Christian mother wants her to have a Christian host family, because she saw how wonderfully Sarah is being cared for.)
So, just now, tonight we already got the answer!! We just got an e-mail from another Christian family of the A.C. church, and we are soooo excited!!
In Japanese churches in general, it has been a huge, frustrating problem that so many church kids go astray at junior high age, and that's bad because there are already so few Christians here. But in our church, the members are praying daily for each one of our youth by name, and God is also using you all to help answer our prayers, that ALL our teens will serve God, and NONE of them will go astray!!
And that's what God did for us today!!
God continues to answer prayers on his time table not mine. I am sometimes impatient and feel as though they are not being addressed, but each little step that is revealed reassures me that he is there, he listens, and he is good! Being patient is difficult when troubled. I re-learn daily it isn't always about me!
ReplyDeleteWhat fills me with joy? Reading this post and seeing that the two of you praise God through the trials that you are faced. What a testimony you are to so many people (friends, family, strangers...).
ReplyDeleteWhat fills me with joy? My 14-year-old niece who emailed me a couple of weeks back asking if her Aunt and Uncle would be willing to give money for a little girl whom she had never met, but her story had touched her heart (Jada). Her goal (with her three friends) is to raise $1,000 to give to your family. What God has done in her young life and her huge heart for others and giving just speaks volumes to me.
What fills me with joy? This blog. The time put into it to keep people posted. The raw feelings revealed and the glory given to God each and every new day.
Praying for Jada, for your family, for your newest little blessing, and for God's light to shine down on all who read this blog. You are a living and breathing testimony. Thank you for letting God use you.
God has blessed me in so many ways the top 3 being entrusting me to care for 3 of His children my daughters. But 2 weeks ago he blessed me through Dax Locke's mother posting in her caringbridge about Jada. This prompted me to find Jada's caringbridge and read every journal her grandmother had posted and in turn find your blog. Through your posts I have gained renewed joy in His word and a better understanding of the future I have with Him. I pray for Jada and thank God for healing her everyday a little...
ReplyDeleteWe went to church last night at Northwoods in Peoria and it was about strongholds in our lives. The pastor described some of the reasons for them and one of them was ancestral sin. It got me thinking about myself and my marriage and what I believe God has done for me. I believe that He has helped me stick out the tough times and has shown me He is my strength. I didn't grow up as a Christian. My dad has been married 3 times and my mom is on her 4th marriage so my idea of marriage has been when things get hard bail out. I have even had thoughts at some points in my 12 year marriage about what if we didn't stay together but God has shown me it is possible if I look toward Him. I don't have to repeat the cycle of my parents. I can't wait to see what else He has in store for us. Although my husband grew up going to Catholic church, as an adult he has been unsure about God and what he believes about it all. But he has continued to go to church every Saturday night for the past 7 years with our three small boys and I. Praise God! This past year for the 1st time he read a Christian book called "You Were Born For This". I could have never gotten him to do that. Praise God! We have also recenly joined a small group with other couples where my husband can be infuenced by some faithful Christians. Praise God again! I also want more than anything for my boys to personally know God and to put Him first in their lives. I have prayed to Him about this because I am a weak "spiritually single" parent. It's hard for me to be an example to my boys when I am not very experienced on this journey either. But I have seen evidence of His help and I don't have to do this alone! My 11 year old does his Keys For Kids devotional every day without any reminder to from me. I can't even say that I do one EVERY day. God is so good!
ReplyDeleteI think one of the things God has done for me, somehow, someway he lead me to your family. I am a St.Jude prayer Warrior as I have been for the last 3 years. However I am also a faithful daughter of Christ. I am in awe of your FAITH and continued praise for all that is good in your life.
ReplyDeleteGod has lead me to your family, not only to pray for you but it is such Faith as yours that inspires me- to continue on and look at the REAL important pars of life- God's every DAY blessings.
I know that life for my family would have been much different through my brother's battle with cancer had we entered it with such Faith and release to God. Blessings to you and prayers each and every day- for Jada, Ollie, Pierce, Jess and you- Doug. Your family is an amazing proof of what it looks like to live with Christ in your heart and soul.
One Day at a Time...
God has filled our marriage with JOY in ways that have been far over and above what I've ever anticipated. This has been enabled through the great counsel we received prior to our wedding from the both of you! Honestly, God lead us to your counsel for a reason--you challenged us and began some of those 'tougher' conversations that we had on broached. Because of that, we started our marriage in alignment with God's will for marriage and that has given us daily JOY! Thank you and God bless you both!!
ReplyDeleteDoug & Jess,
ReplyDeleteYou don't know me, and I only had one brief but very meaningful encounter with Gary & Mary Rumbold at a Morton High School Career Day in Nov. of 1999. I have kept their handout on parenting all these years.
Since learning of Jada's story, I have been following your and Mary's journals/blogs. I want to thank you for your witness of God's goodness, faithfulness and provision in the midst of trying times.
What God has done for me that fills me with joy: provided loving, encouraging parents who I love more deeply with each passing day; shown me this past month and a half how worthy He is of my trust, for He knows far better than I.
In Christ,
Rachel Steiner
He brought me your blog.
ReplyDeleteI find myself with tears streaming down my face with each post I read, and then my heart overflows with joy because of the amazing, dedicated life with Christ you and your family lead and I find myself challenged to attempt to do the same!
My mum is half way through her chem and she seems to be responding to treatment - that is a blessing
ReplyDeleteDoug,
ReplyDeleteWe have been blessed with you and Jessica. Your words have touched us deeply as God is using you to share His Living Word to us and others through this blog. We are holding all of you especially little Jada in our arms,in our hearts, and in our prayers. When my Doug had his back to back spinal surgery in Dec. 1998, a friend shared with us some words that I would like to share with you. He said, "Through these trials, pain, and suffering, it is only for us to have a deeper,intimate relationship with Jesus." Only God knows what is needed and He is using you, Jessica, and Jada to touch others who may not know HIM. Hugs to all of you. We love you.
Angie and Doug Shull
God's goodness...no matter what, God's faithfulness...no matter what, the fact that He is the One and Only God, for these attributes of Him, I am filled with joy. The fact that you all are going through a low, low valley, and are still loudly proclaiming God as Sovereign and Good, for that I am moved and inspired! Thank you for encouraging all of us to look beyond our own discouragements and pains, to see the way that God refines and blesses us, often right in the middle of our hardest times. We love you! Wendi
ReplyDeleteGod has filled our family with joy because during trial after trial after trial that we have faced over the last two years, we feel God's presence with us constantly. We've learned our lives are not for our enjoyment but to bring glory to God in whatever we do. He has revealed that through the trials we've faced, He was and is still preparing us for the ministry he has called us too. Thank you to your family for this blog and for sharing your struggles and testimony during this trial in your lives. We love you guys!
ReplyDeleteGod's goodness in my stupidity. That would be the best title for this missionary...and while I'm at it...aren't missionaries supposed to be almost super Godly. I took on the term missionary to help 'level the playing field':) Today I jumped in my van to make the short drive to church and it did not start again for the third time in three months. I chuckled at first until the reality of trying to fix this van on a rainy day on the edge of our road set in. Now mind you, I religiously tell my kids that you cannot change the situation, but God gives you a choice in your response %100 of the time. I like being the teacher not the learner, at least that is what I found out this morning. I abruptly told my kids to get back in the house and sent Wendi on her way to church, walking. She could sense my frustration and simply said, "you know you teach the kids to always respond Godly, but yet you don't want to do that now." Why does she always have to be so Godly when I am not? God knows why...to show me His goodness in our family life today. I do always tell my kids and Wendi that it is in your response to the situation not the situation that counts, but today as I was asking each of my kids for forgiveness for my actions that teaching took on a whole new light for me and them. In Philippians 3:10 Paul says,"I want to know Christ and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death." Today my family just moved a little bit closer to being like Him through a very 'easy' suffering and Doug my prayer for you (my beloved brother) is that you and your family continue to see the goodness of God in the 'fellowship of His sufferings.' Life is not easy...but then God never promised that it would be. Hang in there and continue to glorify Jesus through your responses to your situations. Love your Bro - Ed
ReplyDeleteSomedays the blessing that God brings to my mind are simple, like my dishwasher or my piano from great Aunt Betty, or snow (now I could go on and on about how much I'm amazed at God's creation of snow)! Other days God's blessings are the fact that I get to watch my three sons grow up and mature as they figure out how to say no to their desires, and say yes to God's. The honor of being a part of that is priceless. Not to forget that God dropped a big blessing a year and a half ago and much by surprise placed our 8 yr. old daughter into our laps from Brazil. Watching God work in all our hearts through her being here is mind-blowing. This christian life is not for the weak, it is THE wildest ride there is. Let's all hold on together as we wait to see what kind of turn is up ahead next!
ReplyDeleteDana Ann Stuber
I thought all day about what gives me Joy after reading your blog. Outside my window the trees were sparkling as the sun hit the ice that had formed on them, and it gave me joy. My husband sweetly (as always!) brought me coffee, and I read the Sunday paper in peace-and it gave me joy. Pastor Dave was moved by the Spirit to give an inspiring, convicting sermon, and it gave me joy. I got to visit with friends that I love at lunch-and it gave me joy. Our family all came over for dinner-all of the hubbub and laughter gave me joy. We partook of communion at church-and were again reminded of what Jesus did for us-giving us freedom, a new life, a promise of heaven, a promise of ever present help, an open door of communication with our maker-and it gave me JOY.
ReplyDeletePraying for you all-tell Jada that Miss Dianne says "Howdy!" and that she must get feeling better before I start teaching again in February.
You're message is super inspiring. It brings tears to my eyes and makes me feel like Satan is losing! I love how Jesus is shining through you at this hard time. After all he is the way, the truth, and the life! And only he will understand why things happen the way they do. I hope you find love in family and strength in prayer! My prayers will be with you and you're family through your difficult times. God bless each and every one of you.
ReplyDeleteNow to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Eph 3:20-21
ReplyDeleteYou asked us to share our Joy - - it has been a great blessing and source of joy to watch my precious granddaughter grow in her love and commitment to the Lord! Doug and Jessica, you have been used in His plan of doing far beyond what I could ask or imagine. God bless!
Your family is constantly in my prayers.
Your blog humbles me every time I read an entry. I am blessed by so many things, but the one thing that I feel blesses me the most is having an amazing relationship with God. I pray every day for those people and families who do not know God. I can't imagine that! Thank you for sharing your faith in the best and worst of times. We continue to pray for Jada and your family.
ReplyDelete