I must admit I had never anticipated that words like cancer, surgery, or chemotherapy would be a part of our everyday, family vocabulary. Yet, in the past several weeks by God’s sovereign plan, we have seen our son Larry endure two major surgeries, and he is now preparing for chemotherapy treatments that will begin this Monday, January 25.
As a pastor, I have prayed for grace to remain steady in preaching and ministering to our flock. I thank the Lord for the tremendous assistance from our staff and the overall daily ministry provided through our church family.
As a father, these have been times of tears and trust, and occasionally times of fear and then faith. Overall, I know that God is working in my heart in many ways to perform His will. It is my daily prayer, along with my wife Terrie’s, that He will grant us grace to trust Him more.
For Larry, I am sure there have been times of apprehension, but overall I sense a spirit of grace and trust that has been a tremendous testimony of his walk with Christ. Larry and Ashley have displayed a confidence in the Lord that has been such a great blessing for our family to observe.
The Bible says in Romans 8:28–29, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” While I feel it may be premature to share many of the lessons God has spoken into my heart during this time, there is no doubt that all of these things are according to His purpose and for the forming of our lives for His honor and glory. Moments of extreme difficulty have only reminded us of how greatly we need the Lord.
While there is some wisdom in studying the specifics of cancer, such as pathology, staging, treatments, etc., the Lord has been showing us it has been more important to study His Word and to place our trust in Him.
Please pray for Larry in the coming days, that God will give him physical strength and endurance during the chemo. And, yes, we ask you to bind together with us in prayer that God, through His mighty power, will heal our son and raise him up for His glory. We acknowledge God’s sovereign will in all of our lives, yet we want to obey His Word and pray in faith, with nothing wavering, that God’s power would be revealed in Larry’s life.
Please pray for the dozens of medical professionals who have helped and ministered to our family. Pray for those who need to know Christ as Saviour, and pray for others who perhaps need to come back to a relationship with Him on a daily basis.
Early next Monday morning, we will travel down to Los Angeles for Larry’s first intravenous chemotherapy treatment. It has been a joy to sense that many of God’s people are praying for Larry, Ashley, and our entire family. From the depths of our hearts we thank you for the care, prayers, letters, and encouragement we have felt from around the world for Larry, Ashley, and our entire family. Your love is a reflection of God’s grace to us.
