Week 5

Jackson on his 4th Birthday.

Week 5 is finished, and only 6 more days of treatment are left...and in one month they will do a new MRI of Cy's brain to see how the remaining tumor was affected by the treatment. Cyrus is doing pretty good still...he is having some short bouts of nausea in the evenings, and aversion to certain foods...but other than these things, he is able to carry on with his normal activities! This is nothing short of a miracle! We praise the Lord for His mercy to us in this season.

I remember sitting in the Oncologists office for the first time, just days before I started having serious anxiety and depression over all of this. After the Dr. listed off all of the awful side effects for us to except from the treatment, I broke down in tears. I was so fearful....imagining all the worse possible scenarios...when came the voice of my Lord, "I'm not going to allow any of that to happen". Oh how I wish I would have been strong enough over the next several weeks to believe and stand on that truth, and know that that voice was the Lord! But over time, as we've watched this play out...that same statement has gone through my head again and again...and I know now, that it was the Lord, speaking to my heart! And He has been faithful to His promises. During this season I'm learning to sort out the Lord's voice, as I struggle with all the other thoughts going through my mind..and what I'm finding is this: when every other thought in your mind is negative, doubting, fearful, and hopeless, and then out of no where you have that one thought that is none of the above, the thought that brings hope, peace and courage in the midst of terror....I have to conclude that this is the Lord. I know my natural mind will always conjure up the worst scenario when it comes to a fearful situation...so if I hear a voice that counters all my fears...I am going to trust it's the Lord speaking, wait on Him to prove it, and than trust even sooner the next time!

Well, here are some updates. Lindsey and Cy's Brother and Wife, Denver & Vanessa, have officially put their roots down in Boise, ID. It's so great to have them here! We've been seeing a lot of them, as they both live only 4 minutes away from us!

We celebrated our Son's 4th Birthday last week! What a boy he is. While we were enjoying his party, and all the sweet family & friends who joined us, I was in awe of how GOOD the Lord has been to us. When we first learned of the tumor in Cyrus's brain, one of my thoughts was, "I'll never be up for planning another joyful event...or enjoying another Birthday, I guess I'll just have to fake my way through it for the kids." But I am telling you, that fear has turned out to be the furthest thing from the truth! I think now, more than ever, I am able to enjoy every opportunity for joy and sharing in good times with those we love...because I realize more now that each of these times is a gift from God! I could never have imagined being joyful again, when this whole thing started...but now, there is more joy, more hope than ever...and I praise the Lord for that!

A praise & a prayer request: So, concerning the medical bills, before we were allowed to move forward with the surgeries, the hospital required us to pursue medical funding through Ada County (this is what happens when you don't have health insurance). When you apply for assistance with the County, they automatically put a lien on all your real property, and require you to agree to paying back the total amount they cover. Anyway, long story short, the County denied our application....but Praise God! Social Security approved Cyrus and in turn he was approved for Medicaid through Social Security. The great thing about this is that Medicaid is going to cover 100% of Cyrus's medical bills starting in June until now, and moving forward! The only catch is, that his first surgery was in May...which leaves an entire set of surgery bills unpaid for. I'm confident that the Lord has something good here...so we just ask you to pray that the Lord might allow Social Security to move the start date for Medicaid coverage back to May...so that the 1st surgery would be covered as well. Or maybe the Lord has something else in mind...I guess we just need to pray for His provision withing His perfect will. :)

Thank you all for your prayers and your continuous love for us. I can't even begin tell you how much your support has carried us through this so far. Whenever you reach out to us, we see our Heavenly Father reaching out to us, through His amazing Body! We pray that you are all encouraged in knowing that He has and is using you mightily for His glory! Your works are known throughout the world (literally) and God is being glorified because of your desire to love Him and serve Him. Please don't stop praying for us, coming to visit us, or whatever the Lord puts on your hearts. We need you as we continue to pass through this season.

One last note, please continue to pray for Stephanie Lasater, my friend with Breast Cancer, and Brenda, our friend with Lymphoma. Both are currently undergoing surgeries and further treatments...please pray for complete healing in their bodies, and for God to be magnified!

We love you all!
Jonie