Staying busy updating the Caring Bridge site

Most of you are probably already keeping up with Mark on his Caring Bridge site but just in case you aren't and you wondered whats going on I wanted to let you know that I try to update that site each day as I get time instead of updating on here since not many people know about my blog. You can keep up on there if you want. I will eventually get back to normal (normal for me) blogging once life gets somewhat back to normal around here. In case you missed the link in an earlier blog post, it is HERE.

A Field Trip

No...it wasn't to the hospital. That is tomorrow. Long before all of the tumor/surgery stuff started a friend arranged a field trip to our local Fire Station. We considered canceling but thought it would be a nice distraction for the day before and it was.

Last night we took some of Auntie M's advice and just had a fun family time. We watched Kung Fu Panda 2 and had pizza. Oh and you gotta have movie candy, right?

A prayer request

Obviously we definitely covet your prayers for the surgery for Mark but last night as the kids were getting their baths in preparation for church today I got to thinking about how often they end up sick a few days after going to church. So I proposed to the family that we stay home from church today even though I knew it would give Mark one last opportunity to visit with our church family before being stuck at home for quite some time. But I felt very strongly that we should do what we could to avoid sickness, not just for Mark before the surgery but for the kids as well since it would not be a pleasant week for anyone with sick kiddos.

So I am asking you all to pray that we will all stay well and healthy for the coming week and that the doctor and his team of people will be healthy as well.

Thank you for praying!!

A Mundane Day

Today has been a pretty mundane day, which has been nice. Just laundry, dishes and making baby food. And the boys helped me make a cherry pie.  That is usually B#2's job so it will be interesting to see how we did with it.

Mundane days are good!

Seeing God work

When we are in the midst of trials it can be very difficult to see God at work. Sometimes even when our trials seem to come to an end we can't always look back and see how God worked. But we know that He works and it is wonderful when we can step outside of our worry and look around to see it. I thought I would just jot down a few things that I am able to look back and see...

Not too long ago a friend at church invited a Naturopath to come and speak to our Ladies group at church. The doctor is in Portland which is quite a distance from us but I decided to go see her for some nagging health issues. I had an appointment with her when we found out about DH's tumor so I called the receptionist to cancel my appointment. I explained to the receptionist that I just didn't want to deal with anything else right now. She apparently passed the information on to the doctor and shortly after that I received a phone call saying she highly recommended we go see a certain doctor at St. Vincent's hospital. I must admit that I pretty much took the phone number of the doctor just so I wouldn't offend her.

After our first visit with the original neurosurgeon that we were referred to, we both felt pretty discouraged. He kept saying odd things about not really liking to do this kind of surgery and that his ego would not be hurt if we chose to use his partner. He then walked Mark up to the desk to help get an appointment scheduled with his partner. He really wanted Mark to be seen on Monday, just 4 days later. But that happened to be President's Day so we would have to wait possibly 2 weeks to get in to him. In the meantime, a possible trip to a hospital in St. Louis was discussed. I wanted to call the hospital in St. Louis and we needed to call our local hospital to arrange to pick up a disk with the MRI pictures on it but I figured I wouldn't get anywhere with those phone calls since it was President's Day. But actually both places were open even though the original surgeon's office was closed. God closing a door!

Then we started researching hospitals and found that St. Vincent's which is local to us is ranked very well for this type of surgery so we called to schedule an appointment with the doctor that my Naturopath had so kindly referred us to. We were told that we couldn't get in to see him until Feb. 26th which our Chiropractor felt was too long to wait. I was kind of discouraged at this point but decided to see who that office would refer us to when it came about in conversation that the doctor actually changed his plans and was going to be in town and could see Mark on Feb. 21st. Before going out of town he looked at Mark's report and said "Yep, it needs to come out. Schedule him for the day I get back". So after thinking that God was closing this door too, He opened it up wide.

Most of you know that we went today and were very pleased with him. Mark feels very comfortable with it all now and I am praising the Lord for His provision.

All of that to say, that if my friend hadn't invited the Naturopath to speak, I wouldn't have met her and she wouldn't have been able to refer us to the doctor who is doing Mark's surgery. Now I know that God could have worked another way but it is neat for me to look back and see how He worked this out.

Caring Bridge

We have started a Caring Bridge site to keep our friends and family updated a little more easily for us than texting or calling. Not that we don't love to talk to each one of you but it can be difficult to reach everyone. So if you want to check in with us you can go to.... www.caringbridge.org/visit/markmenne

Visitors...again

We were blessed this past weekend to have more visitors. B#2 came home for a short visit from the farm where she interns and she brought a friend for us to meet.

This is Richmond. I like the definition his parents gave for courtship...enhanced friendship. So they are in an enhanced friendship while they get to know each other to see if they want to take it further. He is a very nice guy who, while he was here, dealt well with our loud household, washed dishes, folded laundry and took out the trash. That one was a real winner with B#5 as that is his job.

We also were blessed with a visit from B#1 and his wife again, who came to meet Richmond. You know the input and protection of big brothers. We will be blessed even further as B#1's wife will be coming back to be here with us for DH's surgery and B#1 will be flying up to be with us shortly after the surgery. Praise the Lord for wonderful children.

Nine Benefits of Trials

In my in-box today there were two blog updates from two blogs that I read on a regular basis and they both had to do with relying on the Lord during hard times. Some of the things addressed in one of them were exactly what I have been struggling with since last week so I thought I would share them here so I could re-read and remember them but also in case they somehow help someone else out there going through some trials...as most of us probably are.

"It’s tempting to wish life would be easier, or that our responsibilities weren’t so challenging. But the fact is, God says suffering and trials are good for us in many ways.

Here are nine reasons from Scripture that trials and suffering are actually beneficial. Whatever difficulties you might be facing, God’s Word has encouragement for you:

1. Trials cause us to depend more on God, and less on ourselves.

“For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself… But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.” (2 Cor. 1:8-10) See also Phil. 4:13, 4:19, 1 Cor. 2:5, and Ps. 84:11.

2. If we endure hardships faithfully, it brings glory to God.

“Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” (2 Tim. 2:3) See also 2 Cor. 6:2-10 and 2 Thess. 1:4.

3. Trials allow us to see God’s power and love more clearly as He works in our lives.

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (1 Cor. 12:9) See also Isa. 43:2 and 2 Cor. 9:8.

4. Trials can draw us closer to Christ, who suffered for us, and help us learn from His example.

^“Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.” (Heb 12:3) See also 2 Cor. 5:15 and 13:4.

5. Trials keep us humble.

“So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.” (2 Cor. 12:7) See also Dt. 8:2 and Dan. 4:37.

6. Trials teach us endurance.

“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance…” (Rom. 5:3) See also Jas. 1:2-4.

7. Trials can lead us to repentance and to greater sanctification.

“For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” (Heb. 12:11) See also 2 Chron. 6:36-39.

8. Experiencing trials prepares us to comfort others who experience trials.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” (2 Cor. 1:3-4)

9. Suffering hardship in the name of Christ brings eternal rewards.

“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” (2 Tim 4:6-8)

No matter what kind of hardships we face, God is with us, sovereignly using the situation to accomplish His purposes. Nothing can separate us from His love. And that should inspire us to persevere, knowing that in Christ we can overcome every hardship that comes our way.

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, 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.” (Rom 8:35, 37)

Daniel Forster is married to Katelyn, father to two girls and two boys, and the manager of Doorposts Publishing near Portland, Oregon. Those callings occupy most of his time at the moment, but he also enjoys reading, writing, playing the fiddle, working outdoors, and traveling. Daniel graduated from homeschooling in 2002, and he’s excited about raising his own children in the ways of the Lord. He is the author of Because You Are Strong: A Study of Godly Strength for Young Men

An Update

I had grand plans to blog for quite some time now about the beautiful cello that my dear hubby rented for me and the cute picture of the boys trying to figure out how our new toaster worked since they had never seen a toaster before but life throws us curves sometimes and we just received our curve this week so now I am blogging to ask for prayer and also just to have a way to keep family and friends updated....

On Monday DH had an MRI for some back pain which was thought to possible be a herniated disk but it in fact revealed a spinal tumor. It is attached or seems to be attached to the spinal cord and there is no way to see if it is cancerous until the doctors get in there. It is not going to be an easy surgery but it is one that needs to be done right away before there is any loss of function. So far the doctors have been surprised that there hasn't been more nerve loss, for which we praise the Lord. We have met with a surgeon at a prominent hospital here in Portland but we just didn't feel comfortable with the surgeon there. So right now we are scheduled to see a new surgeon at a different hospital on Friday with a possible surgery date of Tuesday, Feb. 25th. We will know more after we meet with him. We have also considered traveling to St. Louis to have it done since they are ranked 9th in the nation for this type of thing but we are waiting and praying to see where the best place is.

So far we can definitely see the Lord's hand in it all and look forward to sharing with you how He is working and we pray that we will be faithful to give Him the praise and glory for all that He is doing, in the good and the not so good.

Maybe in the near future I can post a picture of my beautiful cello!