“For all that You’ve done, I will thank You
For all that You’re going to do
For all that You’ve promised
And all that You are
is all that has carried me through
Jesus I thank You

And I thank You, thank You Lord
And I thank You, thank You Lord

Thank You for loving and setting me free
Thank You for giving Your Life just for me

How I thank You, Jesus I thank You
Gratefully thank You, thank You”
 

October 24th 2007

My dear friend,

Are you sitting comfortably? I have a disarming story to tell you…

It’s amazing how easy it is to take things for granted, until you realize there’s a problem. About two months ago I was typing at my computer when my right arm became very, very sore. I turned it over and was astonished to see a rather large swelling in the middle of my forearm. The lump was very hard and seemed a little warm. I hotfooted it to my doctor right away. At first we thought it was a bruise deep in the tissues but when nothing had improved two weeks later, I had an x-ray of the arm. That didn’t show any problem with the bones but the arm became more and more sore and almost impossible to use.

I was able to be part of the Learning that Lasts workshop, join in the Communications meetings, and attend the prayer retreat, but found myself needing prayer for the pain in my arm, almost every day. As things were not improving I went back to my family doctor who referred me to an orthopedic surgeon. He was concerned and sent me to have an MRI scan the very next day. I was so aware of God’s faithfulness and arms around me even in the process of having my forearm scanned. I had to hold an awkward position with the arm for almost and hour, which was very painful. Today the doctor told me that the swelling is actually a tissue mass. He feels it has to be removed as quickly as possible. He does not normally do this type of surgery himself, so he is referring me to another surgeon with experience of operating on this kind of tumor.

It might be some time before I know whether this lump is benign or malignant. As you know I have traveled this path before, twenty years ago. I’m thankful for promises God has given me recently, especially from Isaiah 41:10 “Do not fear for I am with you. Do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” Of course, I am really impressed by the fact that God’s right hand will be there to uphold me when my right hand isn’t doing very well at the moment. It reminds me all over again of the way God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness.
 
This serious problem with the arm I use most seems a little unreal at the moment, and naturally a bit unnerving. I would really appreciate your prayers for me and for the medical staff involved in taking care of the situation. I will let you know, as soon as possible, the next bit of the story unfolding right now. Thank you for listening and caring. It means a lot to me to be able to share this with you and I thank you so much for your prayers.

Oh, by the way, I’m arming myself with a dragon! Please pray for me as I train the beast. I’m installing a voice recognition computer program entitled, “Dragon Naturally Speaking” The program has to be trained to recognize my voice and not garble my words…not easy to do. I am determined to persevere. As you know, it’ll take a lot to stop me “talking” even when typing or writing will be slow or impossible for a while...smiles.

With much love and appreciation,

June.