Well, I don't even know exactly where to start. My mind is spinning in so many directions so hang in there with me through this post. I have just walked in the door from the hospital. Kristie has advanced stage liver cancer!!!! What?!?! I can hardly wrap my brain around this news. I just spent several hours at the hospital with her and I want to give you as much information as I can so you can know what is going on, how you can pray, and how you can help.
She is basically through stage 2...to stage 3 of liver cancer. The doctors said that they wish she wasn't as far along in her pregnancy because then they would just "take" the baby and be able to treat her. She very clearly said that she is glad she is farther along because she does NOT want to do that. So, there is basically no treatment plan for her because she is pregnant...no chemo, no radiation. Her membranes have a tear, however, and she is leaking amniotic fluid so there is a chance she will naturally lose the baby. She is 18 weeks pregnant and they confirmed that it is a girl!! She is being cared for by 4 OBGYN doctors so I think they feel like they can learn something from her case. She seems to be in the best possible hands so we are thankful for that! Please pray for Christian doctors and nurses to care for her!
On a lighter note, Sherri and I asked her if there was anything she wanted us to go get her from the store. She gave us a short list that consisted of: panties, gummy bears, slim jims, and these Kroger smoothies. So, we headed out the door. I was directing Sherri to the nearest Target and she said, "I thought we were going to Kroger." I was like...Kroger doesn't have panties! But...oh yeah, she wants those Kroger smoothies!! Then Sherri proceeded to tell me that Kroger DOES have panties!! I was like, "Seriously?!?!" Anyway, I now have to admit that I have indeed bought panties at Kroger!!! Isn't that hilarious!!
Well, we got back to the hospital and just enjoyed some time talking and laughing with Kristie. Bless her heart. I just fell more in love with her today! She cracked me up several times by things she said! Some aren't appropriate to tell on here but I am telling you, she is hilarious and brutally honest!! She had Sherri and me rolling!! I was thrilled that some of her family called while we were there. Some are saying that they are going to come visit her so please pray that they do!!! She so needs to feel loved and special and important and she wants that attention and love from family too! Anyway, she was on the phone with a cousin and they were talking about some guy and Kristie said he was a P.O.S. Evidently the person on the other end didn't know what that stood for so she said, "Pardon my language because I have church people in here, but he is a piece of _____!" Cracked us up that we are "church people"!! As long as she knows that we are all about Jesus, that is fine with me!!!
Anyway, she has been through so much pain and has never really dealt with it. Kim (Love Works), her husband, and one of her volunteers got to the hospital around 5:00 and we all stood around her bed and just loved on her and spoke life-giving words into her! Kim flat out asked her some very hard questions. First of all, she asked if she was scared and of course she said yes! She isn't one to cry and show emotions but she did open up and share some things with us that broke her down. It was heart-wrenching to watch. Kim also asked her what the prognosis is and Kristie said that the doctors said she could go tonight, tomorrow, or six-months from now. That hit me like a ton of bricks! Six months!!! Is that the best scenario?!?!? My mind really started reeling at that point! Kim then began to tell her that the most important thing right now is that Kristie meets and gets to know Jesus! Kristie admitted that she does not have a relationship with Him and that she really feels like He is punishing her. We were able to all talk to her and share different things with her. We circled around her bed and prayed over her. PLEASE PRAY FOR KRISTIE'S SALVATION ABOVE ALL ELSE!!!! She needs Jesus and we know this! Please pray fervently for her! We are telling her to spend all this time in the bed talking to Him. Pray that she will!!! We encouraged her to read the Bible! Pray that she will!!! Kim asked her if she had hope and she said no! Heartbreaking!! Pray that she finds Hope and Peace in Him!!!!
It is just the Sovereignty of God how all of this has transpired over the past week. God clearly brought Kristie to Kim and Love Works. Then He clearly brought her to me and Mid-South Love Home. Then, He clearly planned for her to go with us to my sister's house for Thanksgiving where my doctor brother-in-law would tell me to take her to the ER! God has a plan that supersedes all of us! He is working out His plan for Kristie's life and we believe He placed all of us strategically in her path this week so that we could walk alongside her though her final journey. How awesome is God to arrange all of this so that Kristie would be with people who love Jesus and want nothing more than for her to come into an intimate relationship with Him?!! How perfect is His plan that Kim and I both have prayer warriors with our ministries that we can call upon to pray for a little 23-year old pregnant girl who is dying of liver cancer? Praise God for His beautiful plan to draw Kristie to Himself!!!
Thank you for taking the time to read this update about her! Thank you for your willingness to fervently pray for her salvation, baby, and health. Thank you for your availability to come alongside this ministry as we strive to walk this difficult path with her! I personally could use much prayer as I juggle being wife, mom, missionary...and Chick-fil-A employee!! I will have to put the latter on the back burner for a while, so please pray for financial support for the ministry. I also have a pregnant girl who is due basically any day and I need to be available to her. I also have a pregnant girl who needs to get to work and school so I could really use some help with transportation! I have to keep the house in order as I add hospital shifts to my schedule so pray for ways you may be able to help or want to help! Throw in there that we are approaching Christmas and all that goes along
with being ready for that, and you can see that I could easily get
overwhelmed! I am just believing that God will not let that happen if I
trust Him to provide and strengthen me for every task He calls me to!!! I have a wonderful friend bringing us dinner Sunday night and you just don't know how much that gesture will help me! Taking the pressure off of deciding what to fix and then fixing dinner is HUGE and it is much appreciated! If you would like to help in similar ways, please text me 901-270-8263. I know God knows what He is doing and He will allow me to do what I need to do each day. I also know that He is calling some (possibly many) of you to step up and do something to be practically involved in this ministry for this particular season! Please be obedient! It will bless your socks off! These three pregnant girls are AMAZING and I am sure this baby we are about to have will be super amazing too!!! I look forward to partnering with you in ministry! Please remember to pray, pray, pray!!! God bless you!!!!
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