How can you be praying? (11/18/24)

 “It’s me, hi!” 👋 😊

The first time I remember being deeply, personally impacted by cancer was in 2016, when my grandmother Ada (Abuela Ada) was diagnosed with a metastatic cancer, either fallopian tube or ovarian in origin. She passed away 3 months later, having not wasted a single moment of that time, spending it with those she loved, and being loved by those she loved. She was 90 years old.

Abuela Ada’s petite 5-foot frame packed passion, personality, and pizzaz. She graduated high school at 16, left Puerto Rico to attend Longwood College in Virginia where she received her education degree at age 20. Infectious diseases be damned, she received her diploma while recovering in a Virginia hospital from active tuberculosis requiring thoracic surgery (my hero!).  She returned to Puerto Rico to teach English at age 21.

My favorite story about Abuela Ada was when she met my grandfather, Abuelo Pepe. Every year, 70+ Puerto Rican townsor “pueblos” hold a week-long celebration to commemorate a patron saint, called “Fiestas Patronales.” That year, she attended the festivities in the hillbilly country town Jayuya and the week was full of celebration, food and dance. One fateful evening, she noticed a handsome 6’1” gentleman named Pepe, boldly approached him and spent the evening talking and dancing with him. Not deterred by the news of his having recently become engaged to someone else, she returned home announcing that she was going to marry him. And marry they did. Five children and innumerable grand, great-grand, and great-great grandchildren later, she will go down as the most gracious hostess and life of the Sanchez family Christmases, summer pool parties and family reunions that I remember.

But the moment that made the most lasting impression on me was in her response when I asked about her faith. She smiled and asked me if I would like to learn the Lord’s Prayer in Spanish and if I would pray it aloud with her. I remember her reverence for God, her faithfulness in prayer and her loving gentleness in the invitation to participate in this most precious time. I might have been about 9 years old but, somehow understood what a privilege it was to be personally invited to participate with her in direct communication with the amazing Creator of the universe. She left a legacy for many, many people but nothing was more impactful to me than those moments with her.

So as people reach out to me, to David, to our closest loved ones, asking how they can be of help at this very moment while we are in Minnesota undergoing the brutal steps of treatment, please know that your kind words, uplifting messages, YouTube songs, funny memes, photo memories, anecdotes of stage 4 cancer survivors - they are so incredibly helpful and need right now in this very dark directionless valley.

But even more needed (and effective! I double dog DARE you to try it!) are the faithful prayers to God coming from His beloved people. Some of you who have personally messaged me over the last week have gotten this ear-full below already, but I cannot and will not stop standing on God’s promises, especially when people I love are listening!

We can be confident that God’s ways are higher than ours. We can trust Him because He is good. Always good. No matter the outcome with my physical health or your situation. No matter how much longer I have in this life with stage 4 breast cancer. God CAN cure any cancer if He wishes (with known modern medicine and with an inexplicable miracle if He so chooses). AND if He doesn’t, I trust His faithfulness and goodness prevail because He is already working something beautiful in my life (and in you reading this ;-) through this deep and profound suffering. We can trust Him because of His boundless love- He suffered the ultimate sacrifice for us, so that we can be set free and join Him forever if we believe. What a LOVE. What a Savior.

While I lament daily that this diagnosis has come to me at the age of 43 (Gracious God, I really want to see you face to face too, but couldn’t we have held off on this diagnosis until, say 90?) David and I share in our goal to NOT waste a single part of this suffering.  I might need some reminders from you all about that goal when the lows get low.

So, now and in the coming weeks, I would love prayer for strengthening our faith and allowing this situation to cause us in marriage to draw closer to God, to remind us of God’s great lovefor us as we weep, fight and pray, and for this experience to allow us love to others more deeply, more like Jesus- especially with Lyle and Lucia as they process this too, having publicly and beautifully declared their own faith this past year. Will you also pray for us to gladly accept all offered help, especially when we return to Idaho (hopefully on December 3rd), and to clearly find special open doors and opportunities to boldly state that Jesus IS the Way, the Truth and the LIFE. (John 14:6)