We had our Christmas in July event on Tuesday, August 2. It was postponed due to air duct issues on the unit, so it ended up being Christmas in August. It was our first time doing this event, and I think that for the first time it went well.
We passed out toys and talked with about 10 children receiving treatment or undergoing procedures in the OMO (Outpatient Medical Observation) at Kosair Children's Hospital. There were a few kids who really enjoyed their visit from Santa. One little guy, upon realizing he had received a large container of PlayDough and cookie cutters, began yelling, "Open it! Open it!" and grinning. His nurse walked into the room to check on him and when she left she grinned at me and said, "I guess he's good!"
Another little guy was just coming out of sedation when we entered his room to give him a toy truck. He lay flat on the bed, held the truck inches from his face, and tried to make sense of his surroundings. When Santa bent over to talk to him and see if he liked it, his face lit up and he said, "Santa Claus!" He was very excited to get a visit from Santa!
One of the unique things about our ministry is that we aim to serve, support, and encourage siblings as well as parents and patients. We definitely accomplished that! There was one little girl whose sibling was receiving treatment and she was spending the day there too. The look on her face when she realized that Santa held a gift for her too was priceless! She clung to it and her smile was, well, as big as Christmas!
We were able to pray with one family, and make almost everyone smile.
Thank you to those who gave to make this event possible - whether you ran errands, let us borrow your Santa suit, gave financially, helped sort toys, cleaned out bins, or prayed for us. You all made a difference!
Please keep us in prayer as we brainstorm and plan other upcoming events in our quest to show Jesus to these families by loving hard. Thanks.
Hoping, Believing, and Never Giving up,
Sarah
Friday, August 5, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Christmas in July Postponed - Until August!
As we were preparing to pack up and head out for our Christmas in July event this morning, the child life specialist from Kosair Children's Cancer Center called. The OMO is closed due to an air duct issue, so all the OMO patients were moved over to 7 West. We elected to reschedule the event so that we can make the most out of it for our OMO kiddos. The event will now take place next Tuesday, August 2 at 11:00 am.
The good news is that leaves more time for all of us to pray! Please continue covering this event in your prayers - for the volunteers and for the families with whom we will come in contact.
Speaking of prayers, please storm heaven's gates for Patrick McSweeney. Reading his mom's update this morning made me all the angrier at childhood cancer. Patrick is 12-years-old, and was first diagnosed with leukemia at age 5. He endured 3 years of treatment, and then enjoyed a few years cancer-free. His cancer returned last April, and, while still in the middle of his intensive relapse treatment protocol, his family received the news last week that his cancer has come back a third time. This also took place the week of the funeral for Patrick's grandpa (his dad's Dad).
Please pray for wisdom and discernment for Patrick's family and his medical team. Please pray for peace, comfort, strength, courage, grace, hope, and joy for the McSweeney family.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support.
Hoping, Believing, and Never Giving up,
Sarah
The good news is that leaves more time for all of us to pray! Please continue covering this event in your prayers - for the volunteers and for the families with whom we will come in contact.
Speaking of prayers, please storm heaven's gates for Patrick McSweeney. Reading his mom's update this morning made me all the angrier at childhood cancer. Patrick is 12-years-old, and was first diagnosed with leukemia at age 5. He endured 3 years of treatment, and then enjoyed a few years cancer-free. His cancer returned last April, and, while still in the middle of his intensive relapse treatment protocol, his family received the news last week that his cancer has come back a third time. This also took place the week of the funeral for Patrick's grandpa (his dad's Dad).
Please pray for wisdom and discernment for Patrick's family and his medical team. Please pray for peace, comfort, strength, courage, grace, hope, and joy for the McSweeney family.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support.
Hoping, Believing, and Never Giving up,
Sarah
Friday, July 22, 2011
Christmas in July
Around this time last summer, we put on an event called Hoops for Hope. It worked like a walk-a-thon, but instead of walking laps participants shot free throws. We had a great time and raised roughly $1,000 to help us continue to fulfill our mission of sharing the love and hope of Jesus by serving, supporting, and encouraging families facing childhood cancer or other life-altering illnesses.
We wanted to do another summer event, and came up with Christmas in July. The elementary students at Christian Academy of Indiana did a fantastic job supplying us with toys for our winter parties; so much so that we have extra! We have a couple who has agreed to be our Santa and Mrs. Claus, so we're going to dress up and take the extra toys over to Kosair Children's Hospital. Instead of going to 7 West, the inpatient kidney/cancer unit where our winter party takes place, we are going across the hall to 7 East, also known as the OMO (Outpatient Medical Observation).
The OMO is an outpatient unit where kids go to receive outpatient treatments, infusions, procedures, and check-ups. The oncology patients go there for chemo, blood products, spinal taps, bone marrow aspirations, blood draws, etc. The OMO is where I received IVIG for 4 months immediately following my immune deficiency diagnosis, and I spent a lot of time there for kidney treatment growing up. During my treatment time there, I met lots of kids being treated for a variety of chronic conditions.
The other thing about the OMO is this: it's boring. Very boring. The kids don't spend the night on the OMO, but many of their treatments take hours on end. I was usually there for 5 or 6 hours total for IVIG, and have spent as long as 8 or 9 hours on those kinds of units getting treatment before. Many kids are there all day - from 7:00 or 8:00 am until 7:00 at night. The child life program at Kosair Children's is wonderful, but they are often so busy with the inpatient children that they don't have time to bring distractions to the outpatient children.
That's where we come in. I know it's boring, from personal experience. The movie, game, and snack selection is limited, and the space is cramped. So we're going to come bring a little joy and distraction - Christmas cheer, if you will - to the kids who have to spend a summer day cooped up in treatment.
We're taking Santa and Mrs. Claus with awagon sleigh full of toys from room to room to spread some Christmas cheer on Thursday, July 28!
Where do you guys come in? Our event is less than a week away, and we still need the following:
1. A suit for Mrs. Claus. If you have a Mrs. Claus suit or know how to obtain one, please contact us.
2. Christmas cookies. We would like to take treats to the kids when we go. However, they must be store-bought due to infection control regulations. If anyone knows where to obtain Christmas cookies in July, or has connections with a bakery that would be willing to donate Christmas cookies, please contact us.
3. Prayer! As always, we need our event covered in prayer! Please pray for the volunteers as we go to serve - pray that God would prepare our hearts, that He would give us boldness to share His love and hope, and that all of the logistics would fall into place. Please pray for the families that we will encounter - pray that God would prepare their hearts ahead of time to receive His love and His hope. Please pray for opportunities to share the Gospel - and that we would be willing and bold to recognize and take those opportunities.
Thanks again for all of your support! What you do makes a difference!
Hoping, Believing, and Never Giving up,
Sarah
We wanted to do another summer event, and came up with Christmas in July. The elementary students at Christian Academy of Indiana did a fantastic job supplying us with toys for our winter parties; so much so that we have extra! We have a couple who has agreed to be our Santa and Mrs. Claus, so we're going to dress up and take the extra toys over to Kosair Children's Hospital. Instead of going to 7 West, the inpatient kidney/cancer unit where our winter party takes place, we are going across the hall to 7 East, also known as the OMO (Outpatient Medical Observation).
The OMO is an outpatient unit where kids go to receive outpatient treatments, infusions, procedures, and check-ups. The oncology patients go there for chemo, blood products, spinal taps, bone marrow aspirations, blood draws, etc. The OMO is where I received IVIG for 4 months immediately following my immune deficiency diagnosis, and I spent a lot of time there for kidney treatment growing up. During my treatment time there, I met lots of kids being treated for a variety of chronic conditions.
The other thing about the OMO is this: it's boring. Very boring. The kids don't spend the night on the OMO, but many of their treatments take hours on end. I was usually there for 5 or 6 hours total for IVIG, and have spent as long as 8 or 9 hours on those kinds of units getting treatment before. Many kids are there all day - from 7:00 or 8:00 am until 7:00 at night. The child life program at Kosair Children's is wonderful, but they are often so busy with the inpatient children that they don't have time to bring distractions to the outpatient children.
That's where we come in. I know it's boring, from personal experience. The movie, game, and snack selection is limited, and the space is cramped. So we're going to come bring a little joy and distraction - Christmas cheer, if you will - to the kids who have to spend a summer day cooped up in treatment.
We're taking Santa and Mrs. Claus with a
Where do you guys come in? Our event is less than a week away, and we still need the following:
1. A suit for Mrs. Claus. If you have a Mrs. Claus suit or know how to obtain one, please contact us.
2. Christmas cookies. We would like to take treats to the kids when we go. However, they must be store-bought due to infection control regulations. If anyone knows where to obtain Christmas cookies in July, or has connections with a bakery that would be willing to donate Christmas cookies, please contact us.
3. Prayer! As always, we need our event covered in prayer! Please pray for the volunteers as we go to serve - pray that God would prepare our hearts, that He would give us boldness to share His love and hope, and that all of the logistics would fall into place. Please pray for the families that we will encounter - pray that God would prepare their hearts ahead of time to receive His love and His hope. Please pray for opportunities to share the Gospel - and that we would be willing and bold to recognize and take those opportunities.
Thanks again for all of your support! What you do makes a difference!
Hoping, Believing, and Never Giving up,
Sarah
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Reach the Day
The Children's Oncology Group (COG) is one of the biggest names in the childhood cancer community. They are the ones who do the research and come up with clinical trials. In fact, most of the current treatment protocols for pediatric cancer have been developed by COG.
Their fundraising branch is called CureSearch. CureSearch is actively involved in advocacy, awareness, and fundraising for childhood cancer. I believe something like 97 cents out of every dollar donated to CureSearch goes directly to fund the research behind the top children's cancer treatment protocols in the US.
CureSearch has a slogan that they use for one of their advocacy and awareness events in Washington, D.C: "Reach the day: conquer kids' cancer." The slogan refers to "reach[ing] the day when every child with cancer can be guaranteed a cure."
Having walked alongside many families enduring childhood cancer with Break the Grey, I long to reach that day. I long to reach the day when I won't attend another funeral for anyone under age 18; I long to reach the day when I won't hold a sobbing parent, choking back my own tears and offering only silence and a shoulder because words are simply not enough; I long to reach the day when I won't ever hear the words, "because my brother/sister has cancer" uttered by a child ever again; I long to reach the day when every child has hair, all their major organs and limbs, and no scars, lines, bags, pumps, or tubes.
This summer I am working as a nurse extern on 7 West - the kids' cancer and kidney unit at Kosair Children's Hospital. Shifting roles to work in that capacity (where previously I was a patient, and then a volunteer with Break the Grey) makes me long to reach the day that much more. I now know medically what is happening to these precious children, and of what I am having to do to stop it or to ease their suffering. And so I long even more to reach the day when I will not be asked for pain or nausea meds; when I will not wear special protective equipment to handle the chemicals about to be poured into a child's chest; when I will never again stand feet away from a doctor as she utters the words, "It's cancer" to devastated parents; when I will be out of a job because childhood cancer is no more.
As a follower of Christ, that day will become a reality. And, as of late, I find myself longing for it more and more.
I have found myself in a bit of a rough patch with my own health recently. For reasons still unknown, I've been running fevers randomly every few days for the past month. On one such day, after reporting one such fever to my mom and waiting on Tylenol to kick in, she put her hands on my shoulders and said, "Hang in there, Sweetie. Your new body is on pre-order."
I smiled at the thought, and now - as I drive to work, as I brainstorm Break the Grey events, as I take Tylenol for another fever, as I hear or read of a family who has either lost their child or just been rudely and abruptly introduced to the world of childhood cancer - I long to reach the day even more. Heaven takes root in my heart, and I long to reach the day that John describes in Revelation:
"He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be any mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." - Revelation 21:4
I long to reach the day when what is empty will be filled, what is lost will be found, what is broken will be made whole.
I long to reach the day when all my questions are answered; when all the pieces fit; when I can see the other side of the tapestry. I long to reach the day when I will see the beauty of the mosaic (for now all I see are the broken shards of glass) and will comprehend the magnificence of the perfect master plan of my Creator.
On that day we will find that cancer - nor anything else, for that matter - did not have the final word after all. On that day parents will hold their children - some for the first time in decades - and will realize that the time they now have with their child is so much more than the time they were without.
Oh, yes - I long to reach that day. But none of those things - complete healing, redemption, unity, joy - are the main point or the best part of heaven. No: the main point and the best part of heaven is Jesus. It is the perfect reconciliation that I will have with God because of Jesus' finished work on the cross.
For those of you to whom this does not make sense, let me try to explain: for it is of critical importance:
I was (and you were) created for a perfect relationship with the God who created us. Problem is, He is perfect and I am not (nor are you). Because I violate His standards of perfection, there was no way for us to have that perfect relationship. Not only that, but I would have to pay the consequences for such treason: death, torture, and an eternity without the One for Whom I was created.
The only way this could be remedied - the only way I could be reconciled to God - is if someone came along who could appease both parties: be 100% God and 100% man. This mediator would have to pay the ultimate price - a life for a life.
And so Jesus came. Jesus is God's Son - 100% God and 100% man. He was born to a virgin, lived a perfect life, and then died a cruel death on a cross (the ultimate torture instrument in the days of Roman rule).
By dying on the cross, Jesus took the punishment intended for me (and for you). He stood in our place and received the full outpouring of God's wrath. By realizing and embracing my need for Jesus' sacrifice, I am guaranteed hope for the future. I am guaranteed that one day, the very thing for which I was created will become a reality: I will have a perfect and complete relationship with my Creator, unhindered by anything that I have done or have messed up.
On that day, I will be made whole and complete in the presence of my Savior.
And I can't wait.
Paul puts words to this longing and this waiting in Romans 8:
"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And He who searches our hearts, knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purposes...
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all - how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things? ... Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ... No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 8:18-39
On that day, it will be nice to have a kidney that works (who knows? Maybe I'll have 2!) and an immune system that functions normally. Oh, yes, there are so many days where I long for my pre-ordered body now!
But even better, on that day, each and every hurt will be worth it; I will see that it was not wasted because I will see my Jesus, and I will live with Him forever and ever. And that is the hope to which I cling so desperately.
If you'd like more information about starting a relationship with Jesus or about heaven or eternity, please contact us. We'd love to talk through this with you.
I'm closing with the lyrics to an anthem for those of us who are desperately waiting:
"All creation waits
Bated breath in pain
For redemption's day
All creation cries
Floods and charcoal skies
Things are not alright
With brokennes and broken fists
We beat upon the breast of fallenness
We hear the call of Kingdom come
As one more train we chase to only miss
But we will never give up on it
We're part of the resistance
We're running in the revolution
We're part of the insistance
That we are more than institution
We're part of the tradition
Of Spirit-powered evolution
We're part of the resistance
We're running in the revolution, revolution
All creation groans
In one voice alone
For them to be shown
All creation cries
Floods and charcoal skies
Things are not alright
We're living in a world
Built on the walls between the haves and never wills
But we're following a King who's ears
Are bent to those forgotten and unfilled
And He will never give up on it
We're standing up
And we're kneeling down
And we're digging in
And we're reaching out
And we're loving more
And we're holding less
And we won't back down
From this holy mess
And we're choosing hope
And we're choosing peace
We were chosen by Grace
To bring flesh and feet
To the Loving More
To the Holding Rest
And we won't back down"
- Aaron Niequist, "The Resistance"
Longing, groaning, waiting, yearning, hoping, reaching for the day when this too shall be made right...
Hoping, Believing, and Never Giving up,
Sarah
Their fundraising branch is called CureSearch. CureSearch is actively involved in advocacy, awareness, and fundraising for childhood cancer. I believe something like 97 cents out of every dollar donated to CureSearch goes directly to fund the research behind the top children's cancer treatment protocols in the US.
CureSearch has a slogan that they use for one of their advocacy and awareness events in Washington, D.C: "Reach the day: conquer kids' cancer." The slogan refers to "reach[ing] the day when every child with cancer can be guaranteed a cure."
Having walked alongside many families enduring childhood cancer with Break the Grey, I long to reach that day. I long to reach the day when I won't attend another funeral for anyone under age 18; I long to reach the day when I won't hold a sobbing parent, choking back my own tears and offering only silence and a shoulder because words are simply not enough; I long to reach the day when I won't ever hear the words, "because my brother/sister has cancer" uttered by a child ever again; I long to reach the day when every child has hair, all their major organs and limbs, and no scars, lines, bags, pumps, or tubes.
This summer I am working as a nurse extern on 7 West - the kids' cancer and kidney unit at Kosair Children's Hospital. Shifting roles to work in that capacity (where previously I was a patient, and then a volunteer with Break the Grey) makes me long to reach the day that much more. I now know medically what is happening to these precious children, and of what I am having to do to stop it or to ease their suffering. And so I long even more to reach the day when I will not be asked for pain or nausea meds; when I will not wear special protective equipment to handle the chemicals about to be poured into a child's chest; when I will never again stand feet away from a doctor as she utters the words, "It's cancer" to devastated parents; when I will be out of a job because childhood cancer is no more.
As a follower of Christ, that day will become a reality. And, as of late, I find myself longing for it more and more.
I have found myself in a bit of a rough patch with my own health recently. For reasons still unknown, I've been running fevers randomly every few days for the past month. On one such day, after reporting one such fever to my mom and waiting on Tylenol to kick in, she put her hands on my shoulders and said, "Hang in there, Sweetie. Your new body is on pre-order."
I smiled at the thought, and now - as I drive to work, as I brainstorm Break the Grey events, as I take Tylenol for another fever, as I hear or read of a family who has either lost their child or just been rudely and abruptly introduced to the world of childhood cancer - I long to reach the day even more. Heaven takes root in my heart, and I long to reach the day that John describes in Revelation:
"He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be any mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." - Revelation 21:4
I long to reach the day when what is empty will be filled, what is lost will be found, what is broken will be made whole.
I long to reach the day when all my questions are answered; when all the pieces fit; when I can see the other side of the tapestry. I long to reach the day when I will see the beauty of the mosaic (for now all I see are the broken shards of glass) and will comprehend the magnificence of the perfect master plan of my Creator.
On that day we will find that cancer - nor anything else, for that matter - did not have the final word after all. On that day parents will hold their children - some for the first time in decades - and will realize that the time they now have with their child is so much more than the time they were without.
Oh, yes - I long to reach that day. But none of those things - complete healing, redemption, unity, joy - are the main point or the best part of heaven. No: the main point and the best part of heaven is Jesus. It is the perfect reconciliation that I will have with God because of Jesus' finished work on the cross.
For those of you to whom this does not make sense, let me try to explain: for it is of critical importance:
I was (and you were) created for a perfect relationship with the God who created us. Problem is, He is perfect and I am not (nor are you). Because I violate His standards of perfection, there was no way for us to have that perfect relationship. Not only that, but I would have to pay the consequences for such treason: death, torture, and an eternity without the One for Whom I was created.
The only way this could be remedied - the only way I could be reconciled to God - is if someone came along who could appease both parties: be 100% God and 100% man. This mediator would have to pay the ultimate price - a life for a life.
And so Jesus came. Jesus is God's Son - 100% God and 100% man. He was born to a virgin, lived a perfect life, and then died a cruel death on a cross (the ultimate torture instrument in the days of Roman rule).
By dying on the cross, Jesus took the punishment intended for me (and for you). He stood in our place and received the full outpouring of God's wrath. By realizing and embracing my need for Jesus' sacrifice, I am guaranteed hope for the future. I am guaranteed that one day, the very thing for which I was created will become a reality: I will have a perfect and complete relationship with my Creator, unhindered by anything that I have done or have messed up.
On that day, I will be made whole and complete in the presence of my Savior.
And I can't wait.
Paul puts words to this longing and this waiting in Romans 8:
"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And He who searches our hearts, knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purposes...
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all - how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things? ... Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ... No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 8:18-39
On that day, it will be nice to have a kidney that works (who knows? Maybe I'll have 2!) and an immune system that functions normally. Oh, yes, there are so many days where I long for my pre-ordered body now!
But even better, on that day, each and every hurt will be worth it; I will see that it was not wasted because I will see my Jesus, and I will live with Him forever and ever. And that is the hope to which I cling so desperately.
If you'd like more information about starting a relationship with Jesus or about heaven or eternity, please contact us. We'd love to talk through this with you.
I'm closing with the lyrics to an anthem for those of us who are desperately waiting:
"All creation waits
Bated breath in pain
For redemption's day
All creation cries
Floods and charcoal skies
Things are not alright
With brokennes and broken fists
We beat upon the breast of fallenness
We hear the call of Kingdom come
As one more train we chase to only miss
But we will never give up on it
We're part of the resistance
We're running in the revolution
We're part of the insistance
That we are more than institution
We're part of the tradition
Of Spirit-powered evolution
We're part of the resistance
We're running in the revolution, revolution
All creation groans
In one voice alone
For them to be shown
All creation cries
Floods and charcoal skies
Things are not alright
We're living in a world
Built on the walls between the haves and never wills
But we're following a King who's ears
Are bent to those forgotten and unfilled
And He will never give up on it
We're standing up
And we're kneeling down
And we're digging in
And we're reaching out
And we're loving more
And we're holding less
And we won't back down
From this holy mess
And we're choosing hope
And we're choosing peace
We were chosen by Grace
To bring flesh and feet
To the Loving More
To the Holding Rest
And we won't back down"
- Aaron Niequist, "The Resistance"
Longing, groaning, waiting, yearning, hoping, reaching for the day when this too shall be made right...
Hoping, Believing, and Never Giving up,
Sarah
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Easter: Relentless Love, Unswerving Hope
Happy Easter to our Break the Grey family! I hope you all are having a blessed day remembering hope and rescue. I had a few thoughts to share with you all in honor of this day:
Last Sunday at Genesis Church (my church home while away at school) Paul Mumaw, our lead pastor, preached the last sermon in his "Red Letter Day" series about the words of Jesus uttered from the cross. The last phrase He said was, "It is finished," which in the Greek is one word: "Tetelestai." It means, "to end, to complete, to discharge a debt." This word was used in only three contexts:
1. A servant who had finished his work (Philippians 2:5-11; Isaiah 52:13-ch. 53)
2. A merchant who had paid his debt (Colossians 2:13-15)
3. A priest after examining and approving a lamb for sacrifice (Hebrews 4:14-5:10; 7:23-ch. 8)
(See the verses in parenthesis to draw connections between this word uttered from Jesus' lips and how He is described throughout Scripture.)
When Jesus uttered this phrase - tetelestai - on the cross, the debt had been paid in full. The wrath of the Father that was intended for us - yes, indeed, for the cross was intended for us - was completely satisfied in Jesus' sacrifice. His atoning work was finished. We were ransomed in that moment.
Paul, our pastor, talked about the emphasis that is placed, especially around this time of year, on the blood of Jesus. Why blood? What is so significant about blood? Hebrews 9:22 gives us the answer:
"Under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins." (ESV)
In the Old Testament, sacrifices had to be made to atone for sin. Blood had to be spilled in order for the debt to be paid: a life for a life.
It reminded me of a time when I was about 13 or 14-years-old and I was inpatient on 7 West at Kosair Children's Hospital. I was pretty sick and I needed blood drawn and an IV placed. The results of my blood tests would tell us how well (or not) my kidney was working and if I my infection had spread to my blood. The tests were crucial.
Anyway, I am a very hard stick. My nurse had stuck me multiple times to draw this blood and she couldn't get it. It was hours past when the tests were supposed to be run, and my medical team was not happy. One of my doctors actually came into my room to watch her draw the blood.
Finally, she got the blood! Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. My patience was wearing thin, and I was so glad to be done.
Then, she dropped the syringe.
As she went to transfer my blood from the syringe to the tubes, she dropped all of it.
Blood went everywhere.
Bright red stains covered the white sheets and the white tile floor.
Since it had all been lost, we had to start over again. I remember in that moment as I gathered myself and prepared to endure more pain, thinking about the blood of Jesus. If my blood was this important, and if spilling it had such dire consequences, how much more power did the blood of my Savior hold?
Because the blood of Jesus covers all of my sins and cancels all of my debts, nothing separates me any longer from the love of my Heavenly Father.
Not my sins.
Not kidney disease, immune deficiency, or needle pokes.
Not even childhood cancer.
No - Jesus' blood covers even that.
I love the way Eugene Peterson paraphrases Romans 8:31-39:
"So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing Himself to the worst by sending His own Son, is there anything else He wouldn't gladly and freely do for us? ... The One who died for us - who was raised to life for us! - is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ's love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture...None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I'm absolutely convinced that nothing - nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable - absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us." (emphasis mine)
That is not to say that those things - kidney disease, immune deficiency, childhood cancer - don't matter or are not hard.
That is to say that even so, His love endures forever because of the blood of Jesus on the cross.
So even though it is hard, be encouraged. Look to the cross. May it remind you that God is good, and He is with you, and He is for you. And, in the end, He wins.
We ended the service last Sunday by singing "Our God" by Chris Tomlin:
"Our God is greater
Our God is stronger
God, You are higher than any other
Our God is healer
Awesome in power
Our God, our God
And if our God is for us
Then who could ever stop us?
And if our God is with us
Then what could stand against?"
Yes, indeed: our God is greater, stronger, higher. And He triumphs in the end - yes, even over childhood cancer.
This Easter, take heart. Be encouraged. Look to the cross - for there you will find a love relentless and a hope unswerving.
Hoping, Believing, and Never Giving up,
Sarah
Last Sunday at Genesis Church (my church home while away at school) Paul Mumaw, our lead pastor, preached the last sermon in his "Red Letter Day" series about the words of Jesus uttered from the cross. The last phrase He said was, "It is finished," which in the Greek is one word: "Tetelestai." It means, "to end, to complete, to discharge a debt." This word was used in only three contexts:
1. A servant who had finished his work (Philippians 2:5-11; Isaiah 52:13-ch. 53)
2. A merchant who had paid his debt (Colossians 2:13-15)
3. A priest after examining and approving a lamb for sacrifice (Hebrews 4:14-5:10; 7:23-ch. 8)
(See the verses in parenthesis to draw connections between this word uttered from Jesus' lips and how He is described throughout Scripture.)
When Jesus uttered this phrase - tetelestai - on the cross, the debt had been paid in full. The wrath of the Father that was intended for us - yes, indeed, for the cross was intended for us - was completely satisfied in Jesus' sacrifice. His atoning work was finished. We were ransomed in that moment.
Paul, our pastor, talked about the emphasis that is placed, especially around this time of year, on the blood of Jesus. Why blood? What is so significant about blood? Hebrews 9:22 gives us the answer:
"Under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins." (ESV)
In the Old Testament, sacrifices had to be made to atone for sin. Blood had to be spilled in order for the debt to be paid: a life for a life.
It reminded me of a time when I was about 13 or 14-years-old and I was inpatient on 7 West at Kosair Children's Hospital. I was pretty sick and I needed blood drawn and an IV placed. The results of my blood tests would tell us how well (or not) my kidney was working and if I my infection had spread to my blood. The tests were crucial.
Anyway, I am a very hard stick. My nurse had stuck me multiple times to draw this blood and she couldn't get it. It was hours past when the tests were supposed to be run, and my medical team was not happy. One of my doctors actually came into my room to watch her draw the blood.
Finally, she got the blood! Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. My patience was wearing thin, and I was so glad to be done.
Then, she dropped the syringe.
As she went to transfer my blood from the syringe to the tubes, she dropped all of it.
Blood went everywhere.
Bright red stains covered the white sheets and the white tile floor.
Since it had all been lost, we had to start over again. I remember in that moment as I gathered myself and prepared to endure more pain, thinking about the blood of Jesus. If my blood was this important, and if spilling it had such dire consequences, how much more power did the blood of my Savior hold?
Because the blood of Jesus covers all of my sins and cancels all of my debts, nothing separates me any longer from the love of my Heavenly Father.
Not my sins.
Not kidney disease, immune deficiency, or needle pokes.
Not even childhood cancer.
No - Jesus' blood covers even that.
I love the way Eugene Peterson paraphrases Romans 8:31-39:
"So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing Himself to the worst by sending His own Son, is there anything else He wouldn't gladly and freely do for us? ... The One who died for us - who was raised to life for us! - is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ's love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture...None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I'm absolutely convinced that nothing - nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable - absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us." (emphasis mine)
That is not to say that those things - kidney disease, immune deficiency, childhood cancer - don't matter or are not hard.
That is to say that even so, His love endures forever because of the blood of Jesus on the cross.
So even though it is hard, be encouraged. Look to the cross. May it remind you that God is good, and He is with you, and He is for you. And, in the end, He wins.
We ended the service last Sunday by singing "Our God" by Chris Tomlin:
"Our God is greater
Our God is stronger
God, You are higher than any other
Our God is healer
Awesome in power
Our God, our God
And if our God is for us
Then who could ever stop us?
And if our God is with us
Then what could stand against?"
Yes, indeed: our God is greater, stronger, higher. And He triumphs in the end - yes, even over childhood cancer.
This Easter, take heart. Be encouraged. Look to the cross - for there you will find a love relentless and a hope unswerving.
Hoping, Believing, and Never Giving up,
Sarah
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
The Patrick Family
A while back I received an e-mail via Break the Grey's 'contact us' page. It was from the Patrick family in Georgia. They were requesting prayers for 14-year-old Nick Patrick who is fighting recurrent PNET (a rare type of childhood brain cancer).
Shortly after they contacted me, Nick took a rapid turn for the worse and hospice was brought in. It looked like Nick's battle would end in the arms of Jesus. However, God seems to have different plans for him. Since then, Nick has made nothing short of a miraculous recovery. He is no longer on hospice, and has completed another round of treatments in an effort to slow tumor growth. You can watch Nick's testimony below:
His family has requested two things of Break the Grey: first is obviously prayers for Nick's complete earthly healing. Please pray that his tumors shrink and die, and that his upcoming scans show no cancer. Please also pray for strength, grace, courage, perseverance, and hope for their entire family.
Second, they have requested that cards, mail, and encouragement be sent to his younger sister, Autumn. She, like so many other siblings of children with cancer or other life-altering illnesses, has not received as much attention while her brother undergoes treatment. Any note of hope, love, and encouragement would be greatly appreciated. You can mail it to:
Autumn Patrick
210 Grassmere St.
Kingsland, GA 31548
Please add the Patrick family to your prayer list and take a moment to send some hope and encouragement their way!
Thanks for your support!
Hoping, Believing, and Never Giving up,
Sarah
Shortly after they contacted me, Nick took a rapid turn for the worse and hospice was brought in. It looked like Nick's battle would end in the arms of Jesus. However, God seems to have different plans for him. Since then, Nick has made nothing short of a miraculous recovery. He is no longer on hospice, and has completed another round of treatments in an effort to slow tumor growth. You can watch Nick's testimony below:
His family has requested two things of Break the Grey: first is obviously prayers for Nick's complete earthly healing. Please pray that his tumors shrink and die, and that his upcoming scans show no cancer. Please also pray for strength, grace, courage, perseverance, and hope for their entire family.
Second, they have requested that cards, mail, and encouragement be sent to his younger sister, Autumn. She, like so many other siblings of children with cancer or other life-altering illnesses, has not received as much attention while her brother undergoes treatment. Any note of hope, love, and encouragement would be greatly appreciated. You can mail it to:
Autumn Patrick
210 Grassmere St.
Kingsland, GA 31548
Please add the Patrick family to your prayer list and take a moment to send some hope and encouragement their way!
 | ||
| The Patrick Family |
Hoping, Believing, and Never Giving up,
Sarah
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Party Time - Take 2!
We had our annual party on the children's cancer/renal unit at Kosair Children's Hospital this past Friday, April 8. It kept getting postponed due to construction on the unit. They renovated/expanded the family room and it looks awesome! It was definitely worth the wait!
There were only about 10-15 families on the unit on Friday night. This could be counted as a good thing because there are 26 beds on 7 West and they are usually all full. However, a few of our volunteers were a little skeptical about how the party would go with the low numbers. The night was definitely a reminder that we serve a big God who is not limited to numbers. We were reminded that it is not at all about the numbers. It's about hope, love, and, most of all, it's about Jesus getting the glory.
The families that we served all had amazing stories and incredible journeys, as always. My parents and I were able to encourage a lot of families with my story (again, that's not what this is about, but it was good to be able to spread hope) and pray with them.
It seemed like everywhere we went in the hospital we were given opportunities to share the love and hope of Christ (which is, if I haven't driven it home enough already, the point of why we do what we do). We met families in the ICU and families from the heart center. We were able to connect, encourage, and pray with them in addition to the cancer and kidney kids on 7 West.
One new thing at the party this time was pottery painting! Earth and Fire Pottery donated some paint and ceramic tile squares so that the families could paint. They are being put in the kiln at Earth and Fire and will be returned to the child life specialist to be distributed to the families once they are finished. The tiles were a big hit, especially with the siblings and the younger kids. In fact, I don't know if we had any left over! Thanks so much, Kelly, for giving of your time and resources!
Special thanks also to Great Harvest Bread Company for donating loaves of bread and butter, and to Adrienne's Bakery for donating the big, colorful cookies!
Thank you to all of you who helped make this party a success, whether you prayed, volunteered, or gave financially. What you're doing is making a difference!
Please continue to pray for all of the families that we met - for peace, grace, strength, courage, joy, endurance, and hope. Glory to God alone.
Hoping, Believing, and Never Giving up,
Sarah
There were only about 10-15 families on the unit on Friday night. This could be counted as a good thing because there are 26 beds on 7 West and they are usually all full. However, a few of our volunteers were a little skeptical about how the party would go with the low numbers. The night was definitely a reminder that we serve a big God who is not limited to numbers. We were reminded that it is not at all about the numbers. It's about hope, love, and, most of all, it's about Jesus getting the glory.
The families that we served all had amazing stories and incredible journeys, as always. My parents and I were able to encourage a lot of families with my story (again, that's not what this is about, but it was good to be able to spread hope) and pray with them.
It seemed like everywhere we went in the hospital we were given opportunities to share the love and hope of Christ (which is, if I haven't driven it home enough already, the point of why we do what we do). We met families in the ICU and families from the heart center. We were able to connect, encourage, and pray with them in addition to the cancer and kidney kids on 7 West.
One new thing at the party this time was pottery painting! Earth and Fire Pottery donated some paint and ceramic tile squares so that the families could paint. They are being put in the kiln at Earth and Fire and will be returned to the child life specialist to be distributed to the families once they are finished. The tiles were a big hit, especially with the siblings and the younger kids. In fact, I don't know if we had any left over! Thanks so much, Kelly, for giving of your time and resources!
Special thanks also to Great Harvest Bread Company for donating loaves of bread and butter, and to Adrienne's Bakery for donating the big, colorful cookies!
Thank you to all of you who helped make this party a success, whether you prayed, volunteered, or gave financially. What you're doing is making a difference!
Please continue to pray for all of the families that we met - for peace, grace, strength, courage, joy, endurance, and hope. Glory to God alone.
Hoping, Believing, and Never Giving up,
Sarah
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