Life Goes On

Whew! Its been quite awhile since we have posted anything. Reminds me of the old saying, “Time flies when your having fun,” but for us its just “time flies”. A lot has happened in the last year, some good, some so-so, some not so good and some just down right difficult. We currently are in the Shenandoah Valley working for Harrisonburg/Shenandoah KOA. Originally, we were to be here until November 1, 2017, but fortunately the owners asked us to stay for the winter. The reason I say fortunately, is shortly after we were asked to stay, Richard ended up in the hospital with Pancreatitis.

God is always faithful, this was proven to us again during that admission for pancreatitis. Due to the Pancreatitis a scan was performed which revealed that Richard had a tumor in his pancreas. After a trip to University of Virginia’s Cancer Center it was quickly decided to do Whipple Surgery to remove the tumor and to investigate if it was cancerous, and if so to what level. Thankfully after the surgery we found out that there were no invasive cancer cells outside of the tumor and that the removal cured the

cancer.

The reasons I say God is always faithful are these:

1. God tells us in His Word, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds in the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can anyone of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (Matthew 6:25-27) Honestly, I have to say it was not until after all the rushing around, surgery and the recovery of the past four months that I realized how true this Scripture has become for us. I mentioned above that the owners asked us to stay, but what I did not share is that they offered us residence in the apartment above the camp store for the winter. When it was found out that Richard would have surgery, they moved us into a house at the top of the campground that was all one level, three bedrooms and two baths with an awesome screened in back porch in which I sit as I write this post.
2. “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 18:19) We were so blessed by all those who came together in agreement for Richard’s healing. Even when it seemed like we would never see the light at the end of the tunnel, we knew that there were people from all over praying for peace and healing. Although it took longer, and there were multiple complications those prayers being sent up to our Father in heaven kept us going and brought us through those rough spells.
3. The third thing I would like to share with you might seem a bit morbid, since it is Scripture that is usually recited at funerals, but these words definitely applied to our lives for the last four months and I will leave you for now with Psalm 23: “The Lord is my Shepherd, I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.”

Well there you have it, life happens, God is faithful, and we thank all of those who have stood beside us through this time of learning, healing and resting. More to come and travel on!