Hi Friends!
I know so many of you have been praying for this past week and wanted to let you know how things went. Below is an email I sent to those of you who I had you email address..if not, you can check out the update here:
Just wanted to give you all an update from the Lighthouse. I'm just telling you, words cannot describe what happens here and your support, both prayer and financial means more and reaches further than you could ever imagine!
The week was filled with children running, laughing, playing pool games, a movie under the stars, an icecream party, a talent show, a spa afternoon for the moms and eating lots and lots of doughnuts (which is ok b/c they all need to gain weight). I cannot imagine what these families endure day in and day out. The spa afternoon was a time for the moms to relax, unwind and just be with other moms who understand. These parents have to do things that no parent should ever have to do to their child. The tears begin to flow while massaging a moms hands, knowing that these are the same hands that have to hold down their screaming child while medication is given to them. It is almost too much to bear.
However, this week is a shining light, the best week of the year for many of the families. These folks live in a world of hospital rooms and clinics, always wondering what the next test will tell them nd for just a few days, they are able to be "normal"- worry about things like beach towels, sand castles and more snacks rather than chemo, ports and ANC counts. They are able to laugh and play and grow closer as a family and hopefully closer to God- the only one who can bring true hope.
My hope and prayer for these families is that they will one day look back on their experience at the Lighthouse Family Retreat and see it as a time that they had a real encounter with the living God, the Hope of Glory who is the only one able to restore the brokenness in their lives, the sickness of their child and give the strength to make it through.
If I could ask you to pray for one thing for each of these families, it would be for restored and strengthened marriages. There is a 90% divorce rate among families who have a child with cancer. You can visibly see the brokenness in many of the relationships and it is absolutely heart breaking.
I've also attached a few pictures- the first is of Olivia, Nolan, Sol and Milo. Sol and Milo were the kids in the family I took care of for the week. Milo was diagnosed with ALL- leukemia- 2 years ago. He is now 6 years old and is still in treatment, but doing pretty well.
The second picture is of my friend Aynsley playing with Jessie Claire- one of the most precious, joyful children I have ever met. Please pray for healing for her little body. She was diagnosed with NMF (causes loss of eye sight) and a brain tumor which was wrapped around her optic nerve when she was only a year & 8 months old. Jessie Claire went through an entire year of chemo with no breaks, which is very harsh. At the end (Feb. 2010), they thought the tumor was under control. In May of this year, they learned that the tumor is active and growing again. Her parents are absolutely heart broken. She has a very crucial doctor's appointment today, so please pray that the tumor has stopped growing and that her eyesight has not worsened. You can keep up with her progress here: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jessieclairechurchwell/journal
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your prayers and support. These are such precious people who need the hope of Jesus spoken into their lives. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to be there.
Love,
Christen
Also, check out the blog from the week: http://lighthousefamilyretreat8.blogspot.com/
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