Prayer

I wanted to write about a couple of things as I wait for news (hopefully today) from the doctor.

I went to MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) on Tuesday at St. Monica in Whitefish Bay. This is only the 3rd time I've gone, so I still am getting to know most of the women there. My dear old friend Jen (Shedd) Hawkins was there, as was my new friend Jackie Lesperance. They asked if it would be alright if they (and the whole group) prayed over me. More on that in a minute...

Just a little bit about my spiritual background for those of you who don't know: I was raised in a protestant non-denominational church, and made a conscious decision to follow Christ at 5 years old. (Granted, I didn't understand the enormity of that decision at the time, but in whatever way I could understand it, I made the decision then). I always felt that the non-denominational Christian church had it "right." Then I met my husband, Matt. He is an amazing devoted Catholic Christian with the kindest heart ever. Meeting him and his wonderful family opened my mind to a whole new idea of what the universal Christian church is. My prayer ever since Matt and I became serious in our relationship has been to, in some way, bring even a little bit of unity to the so many divisions in the Christian Church.

Anyway, back to MOPS. After the meeting, the women all gathered around me and laid hands on me and prayed for my healing, and also for peace and strength. It didn't matter at that moment that I am not Catholic, as they are. In fact, the prayer felt more like I was at a Pentecostal prayer meeting. :) This group of amazing women have been a source of encouragement, and have offered to help me with anything I need. They even bought me a year subscription to TherapEase Cuisine, a website that helps guide nutrition through cancer treatment. I have felt so much love from this group. I am so grateful to God for them.

I know we can't always expect instant results from prayer. God works things out in His own time and for His own purposes. However, I have to share this. For the past 3 weeks, until Tuesday, I have had back pain. It hasn't been too severe, but there were a few nights where it made it hard to sleep. I would take Ibuprofen, until they told me I couldn't anymore because of the procedures I had coming up. Then I switched to Tylenol.

After the prayer on Tuesday, my back pain went away. I have not felt it since then. Trust me, I'm as skeptical as the next guy when it comes to things like this. That's why I've waited 4 days to write this...kind of to make sure it's real. All I know is that they prayed, and that my back hasn't hurt since then. I realize that this doesn't mean I'm healed. But it means that I don't have back pain to deal with on top of everything else. And for every moment I don't have pain, I am grateful. Praise to God for His healing hand on me through the MOPS women.

I am also so incredibly grateful for my Aunt Susie, who went to the hospital with me yesterday and for Jeanette who stayed with Eva. And for everyone who offered to go to the hospital with me and babysit after I already had it taken care of. And for Michael, Aunt Jean, Uncle Ed and Jeanette who are with me today as I wait for results. And for my mom who wishes more than anything that she could be with me while she's at work. I love you all.