Archive for August, 2014

Leukemia Lymphoma Society Team in Training

Posted in Life and Ministry on August 28, 2014| Leave a Comment »

TeaminTraining

 

My sister Lisa is running in honor of Allana in the Denver half marathon.  She will be raising money for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society.  Please consider supporting her in this endeavour.  The funds will help Blood Cancer patients all over the United States.

 

Dear Praying Friends and Family,

 

As you all know my sister-in-law is a survivor of Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia. Many of you prayed with us, and cried with us, through the journey, and rejoiced with us in her healing and full remission. Thank you!

 

All along this journey the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society has provided support to Sam and Allana and their family. I have wanted to find a way to say thank you. This summer I began running–a new challenge as I have never been a “runner.” Three weeks ago John challenged me to run the Denver Half Marathon to raise money and awareness for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. My first reaction was, “YOU’RE NUTS!”

 

After several days of wrestling with the idea, and going back and reading through Sam and Allana’s Caring Bridge site (I would encourage you all to do, it will boost your faith!) I realized this is something I CAN do and SHOULD do with God’s strength and your support.

 

Sooooo, now I am doing the Denver Half Marathon on October 19 and I am raising funds for The Leukemia  Lymphoma Society (LLS) as a participant in their Team In Training program. I’m asking you to help by making a donation to this fundraising campaign.
Please use the link in this email to donate online quickly and securely plus learn more about my progress. You will receive a confirmation of your donation by email and I will be notified as soon as you make your donation.

http://pages.teamintraining.org/rm/yourway15/lwiersma

Each donation helps accelerate finding a cure for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Nearly 958,000 Americans are battling these blood cancers. I am hoping that my participation in Team In Training will help bring them hope and support.

On behalf of The Leukemia Lymphoma Society, thank you very much for your support. I greatly appreciate your generosity.

 

I also know that I need prayer as I train and run.  This is an audacious goal for me.  So I’m looking for at least 13 prayer partners (more is better) to pray me through my training and race day.  That’s one per mile.  As you pray for me I would also appreciate prayer for the Guidry family: Sam & Allana, Robert, Sami, Chayla and Nisa, as well as Allana’s amazing bone marrow donor, David Ochoa.  If you can commit to pray throughout my training and on race day, please let me know.  Together we can make a difference!

Thank you,

Lisa Wiersma

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A Lesson in Hope

Posted in Leukemia, Life and Ministry, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on August 18, 2014| Leave a Comment »

The Chemo Tree

For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope ; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.

Romans 8:25-26

I have wrestled with this post for weeks. In fact I am still struggling with it and will probably continue to struggle with it. It is not meant to be doctrine or even counsel. It is simply emotional and spiritual transparency from a moment in which God spoke into my life.

Some time ago Real Hope with Perseverance sat next to me. He probably does not even realize how profoundly he impacted my life. God is so amazing in the way that he pairs the events of our lives with the biblical truths that he is laying on our hearts. This man and his loved ones walked the path that Allana and I, along with our family and so many of you walked over the past 18 months. He road the rollercoaster of emotion. He even walked the same hospital hallways. He prayed and was prayed for. He held those he loved and was held by them. A few short weeks before I met him the vibrant woman of God, his beloved wife, whom I will only meet when I get to stand in the presence of my God died.

As I sat there with my lovely Allana across from me God whispered in my ear…ok maybe he shouted. “Is this the sum of all your fears or the truth of All your hope.” “But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.” Hope and perseverance are inexorably entwined for the believer and it is not hope in the visible and perseverance to the seen but a hope that is embedded in faith. ” Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1

All the numbers that I had heard and read rolled through my mind, percentages of life and death. Grief and fear walking alongside faith and hope as I stood with my beloved. The same grief, fear, faith and hope that I saw sitting next to me. “Is this the sum of all your fears or the truth of All your hope”

Blessings,

Sam

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