Life as of today

A lot has happened and a lot in our life has changed since my last post in early July. Our life was forever altered when we heard the words lymphoma come from the doctors lips in Birmingham on August 5, 2011. Turns out the diagnosis is actually acute lymphoblastic lymphoma (ALL) but either way you look at it, it's still cancer and it's still scary. Since August 8th we've been at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, TN and let me just say this hospital is one amazing place! It's full of hope, smiles, laughter, love yet so full of pain and suffering. It seems like a paradox of sorts. Sometimes, when I'm walking down the colorful, storybook painted walls, I forget for just a split second that I'm in a hospital. I'm in a place where weekly my sweet Josiah is having a needle poked into his spine and drugs so toxic that we can't even touch them being put into his body. Crazy to think these are the very things that are helping give us hope. It's sad watching how these drugs are affecting Josiah's body from his hair, to his muscle tone, deep down to his personality, and that's only what we see manifested. He still is our sweet, intelligent, curious, funny, rule following little boy but when I look back at pictures from just a 1 1/2 months ago, it doesn't seem like him and his actions would say the same. It's hard to watch our son suffer but I'm not alone in this journey. My heavenly Father knows all about watching his Son suffer and yet knowing this is the only way. I too know this is the only way for Him to accomplish His purposes or He would not allow Josiah to go through this. He wants to bring lost people into a relationship with Himself, He want to bring believers into a closer walk and greater knowledge of Himself and He wants to change us all for the better. I've had many opportunities to talk to Josiah about why and the purpose in all this, his words to me were, "Mommy, it's for His good." He gets it, he doesn't need to sit around and analyze it but just knows that's why. . . childlike faith, we all need a little more of it:)
So, would we have chosen to be uprooted, leaving almost all we possess and all the lives we'd invested in over the past two years to come to America and watch our son suffer through things that we can't wrap our minds around, to have our family separated and in constant transition? NO, but that's why God didn't ask our permission and I'm glad he didn't put us in a position to have to have to make that decision. Yet, I wouldn't trade what we've learned about the mercy, love, trustworthiness, compassion and abundant peace of the Lord. Our faith truly has been put to the test but we pray that it will be ". . .proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." 1 Peter 1:7
I can't just quote this small portion of a verse because those leading up to it and after it are just as important and amazing. So, here goes . . .
^"3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶ In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. ⁷ These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. ⁸ Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, ⁹ for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. " I Peter 1:3-9

And this is why we rejoice even in the midst of trials.

Thank you all for walking this journey with us through your prayers, love and support. We will forever be grateful for you, our family, friends (old and new) and the body of Christ.

We pray that as we grow in our understanding and in our walk with the Lord that you too will grow and never be the same.