In the Book of Mormon, there is a record of a family who traveled from the Tower of Babel to the American continent. The family of Jared soon received their first glimpse of a vast, stormy ocean, having been required of the Lord to crawl into some mysterious air-tight vessels they were promised would carry them safely to a better place. As they gazed into the deep, moving water, they breathed the unfamiliar sea salt and felt the ice cold water lap at their feet. "What will become of our family?" "Can we do this thing that God requires of us?"

These were the questions we asked as our family stood on the edge of a new journey in February 2011. Before Cathi was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer, we saw the waves of an unfamiliar storm brewing and felt the fear of anticipation. When the cancer was certain, our family was required to wade into the cold water, crawl into a mysterious vessel and trust the Lord would be in charge.

The family of Jared was given stones touched by the finger of the Lord that provided light inside their vessels "that they might not cross the great waters in darkness......and it came to pass that...(they) set forth into the sea, commending themselves unto the Lord their God. And it came to pass that the Lord God caused that there should be a furious wind blow upon the face of the waters, towards the promised land; and thus they were tossed upon the waves of the sea before the wind. And it came to pass that they were many times buried in the depths of the sea, because of the mountain waves which broke upon them, and also the great and terrible tempests which were caused by the fierceness of the wind. And it came to pass that when they were buried in the deep there was no water that could hurt them, their vessels being tight like unto a dish, and also they were tight like unto the ark of Noah; therefore when they were encompassed about by many waters they did cry unto the Lord, and he did bring them forth again upon the top of the waters. And it came to pass that the wind did never cease to blow towards the promised land while they were upon the waters; and thus they were driven forth before the wind. And they did sing praises unto the Lord; yea, the brother of Jared did sing praises unto the Lord, and he did thank and praise the Lord all the day long; and when the night came, they did not cease to praise the Lord. And thus they were driven forth; and no monster of the sea could break them, neither whale that could mar them; and they did have light continually, whether it was above the water or under the water." Read the rest: http://lds.org/scriptures/bofm/ether/6?lang=eng

This blog is the captain's log of our family's journey. It will serve to keep all of you updated on Cathi's condition but also be a place where I can express the lessons we are learning so that it might be a source of strength for others who are going through difficult challenges. We are certainly not unique in this regard. I hope to continue trusting in the light we have been given and to lead our family when we are encompassed by the dark ocean or tossed by its waves. We sincerely seek for your faith in asking the Lord to calm the water, give strength beyond our own and lead all of us of us to a better place.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Miracle #5


Now that we have a clearer expectation of our future, we made the decision to talk to Andrew today about his mom's cancer (Andrew is currently serving a church mission in the Dominican Republic with plans to return to the US in August). We have had some serious concerns about how he would take this news, not knowing if it would cause significant discouragement, anxiety, or even provoke his early return to the US. We've watched a fairly self-centered teenager turn into a mature young man who is now more focused on his convictions and on others around him. We didn't want this news to derail his growth.

Well, early this morning, we received Miracle #5. Without knowing the challenge our family is facing, Andrew emailed us, including the following...

"...I love yall. I have had two or three dreams where I was back in the USA and with you guys. I remember that in one of the dreams I asked whether I was allowed to keep being a missionary to which I was answered no. I remember the reality of the dream so much, and I remember that I just started sobbing. Weird, huh? As much as I love my family, am excited for the future, and miss the country I grew up in, I love this mission. It is a constant struggle to invite others to come unto Christ and to come unto Him yourself in the process. But I love it..."

We just now got off the phone with Andrew. Rather than spending our energy trying to choose words that would comfort and strengthen him, most of our time was spent listening to him comfort us and helping us see how this challenge fits into the Lord's plan for our family. This is NOT the same boy that left us 18 months ago. He also added that on Sunday, when our family (in the US) and many of our friends were including Cathi in a special fast and praying for her, Andrew felt inspired to fast and pray specifically for our family. He said that for the last several weeks, he has felt an unusual closeness to our family...and on Sunday, he felt a special bond with his mom in particular. We know this is NOT coincidence. This is just another one of the many tender mercies our family has been blessed with and another reminder of Who is in charge. If He remembers the "lillies of the field," certainly He is aware of a young man in the DR who has given two years to serve others. If He helps each "bird in the sky to fly," He will help our family not only get through these next months, but help us to FLY...

Click to listen to the Mo-Tab express how we are feeling right now...

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