A remarkable lady

The process of settling into my apartment and office continues. Last night I got a new curtain hung in the bedroom, cleaned up & carried out some trash, and fixed a bookcase that Sarah used in college (it is definitely on its last legs but I can squeeze a little more use out of it!). A few days ago I also met one of my neighbors. He is a super nice Hispanic man. When we met, we introduced ourselves. He said, "My name is Santiago, but you can call me Jimmy." I think I could have handled Santiago OK, but Jimmy does have fewer syllables.

Yesterday afternoon I had the opportunity to visit a couple from church. I've been trying to see them for about two weeks but she has not felt like a visit until yesterday. Her husband takes her nearly every day to Baylor Medical in Dallas for radiation treatments. She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer on July 11 and it has spread to various places in her chest. She knows that the prognosis is very poor for survival, but she is like so many faithful Christians who I have had the privilege to see over the years. She has a great attitude: upbeat, positive, determined to fight, and able to find peace through her faith in God. As we were wrapping up our visit with prayer, she told me, "You know, I'm not afraid. I know the Lord and I know He is going to take care of me." I affirmed for her that is true, no matter what happened. God is going to take care of her if she survives and God is going to take care of her if she dies. That is the kind of faith that brings peace. May we all keep our eyes and hearts focused on God throughout our lives so we can have the joy and peace that comes from faith!

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have; for He has said, "I will never fail you nor forsake you." Hence we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid; what can man do to me?" (Hebrews 13:5-6)

A P.S. to the folks in Springdale: Please feel free to share my blog address with anyone you think may be interested in reading it. I did not have email addresses for everyone. Thanks!