Another Trip

Wednesday, April 15 is the trip we have been waiting for. We will once again go to Iowa City to meet with Justin's medical team for an evaluation of the radiation treatments. He will have another MRI and whatever other tests the doctors deem important. Then after the tests, we will meet the nurses, residents and doctors that care for Justin. We will get a report on his health and have a chance to ask questions.

I did hear from a nurse about Justin's thyroid. He was to have an appointment this week to see the endocrinologist for his one year check. The nurse said the doctor looked over Justin's chart and decided that due to the brain cancer, he recommends that we just have the primary doctor do regular checks of the numbers and let them know if they get outside of normal. No sense doing surgery or anything so soon after radiation. That is a relief. His thyroid is so big it does block his airway some when eating or sleeping, but evidently not bad enough for them to remove part of it.

We have almost everything ready for the trip. I got a free oil change card from some friends and was able to get my oil changed on my lunch hour today. They checked the tire pressure and topped off the fluids, so the truck is in as good of shape as it can be. I got Wednesday off--with just enough PTO time built up to get paid for the whole day. This trip is right before pay day (only my third since January), so we are still trying to get the funds together for gas and a meal. I know, it sounds bad...but this is just our reality for now! We didn't sign up for this, so we let God take care of us as He sees fit...and He has done amazing things so far. Although we literally don't have two nickels to rub together, I have not used credit, have not borrowed money, and have not missed too many meals. Rent has been paid every month, and although all the bills are at least a month behind, nothing has been shut off so far. It is not a fun way to live, but we see God working, and we trust Him.

Once we are in Iowa City, we will stop at Hope Lodge to catch up with some of our friends. We hope to visit a dynamo little boy from our church that is critically ill with a seizure disorder. This is very serious and we hope we can encourage his mom a little bit. We may walk a mile or so in Carver Hawkeye Arena for the fun of it. Then we will head home and will probably be home by supper. Lots packed into one day, that is for sure.

Please keep praying! We couldn't do it without you!

Travel

Justin is working on a trip to see his brother in Atlanta. Plane fares are up, but he looks every day to see if he can find that "can't pass it up" price. This is a great time for him to travel...he is happy and healthy and not undergoing any medical care at this time. There is a lot to do in Atlanta, so he will not be bored.

Great Job, Justin!

I went to church with the family and Grandma. We met lots of the kid's friends and found their church to be very friendly and welcoming. The music was terrific and the preaching was great. The one thing that really stood out to me is that about 95% of the people there are between the ages of 20 and 30. It is a young church, right in the downtown area, so not many children and not many older people (like me!). The pastor was giving a final sermon on a theme, and was ending with a message about sleepwalking through your life, not taking your faith seriously. About midway through the sermon, Justin got invited up to speak.

The pastor introduced him and told us that Justin had a story to tell. So Justin took the microphone and began to talk about his life, where he went to school, college, etc. He told about losing sight of the goal of being a youth pastor by getting caught up in the fun of college, but never doing the work. He had collected and downloaded so much music that it froze his computer. Everyone laughed. Fast forward to April of this year when he went to bed one night and woke up the next day in an ambulance. He told the audience that he was diagnosed with incurable brain cancer. We could hear a collective "punch in the gut" sound as the audience took this in.

Then he explained to them that unless the Lord intervenes with healing, he doesn't have lots more years to live. You could hear a pin drop. Then he explained how that knowledge has turned his life around. He is more motivated than ever in his life to be close to the Lord, to make every day count, and to start living to the best of his ability.

As Justin finished speaking, you could sense in the room a quietness. They really took a hard look at "what if that was me?" Then pastor finished up with a message of importance: be ready! Don't take your life or your faith for granted.

After church, lots of young people wanted to stay to talk with Justin. We were there about an hour after church was over. He spoke with so many, and they were all interested in his story.

Great job, Justin! You may never know how many lives you touched until we are in heaven.

Back to Work

Spring break was spent working at the camp. Justin was in charge of seeing that those at the work-a-thon got their work orders and knew how to do the jobs. He was also in charge of the tools and equipment, so it all got back to the shop. There were college kids from Minnesota and junior highers from Iowa, too. Each had their own set of jobs to do. Justin's boss told him that he was doing exactly what they envisioned when they put together his job. He was pleased.

After dinner and a movie with a friend, Justin will head to church tomorrow to give his testimony. He feels better about it, now that he has it written down.

Thanks again for your prayers!

Testimony Time

Justin was asked to give his testimony at church this Saturday night. He has been speaking in front of people for years and has never been too nervous. Well, another surprising change in him: he is scared! I think he will feel much better once he writes down what he wants to say. Pray for him, that he has peace this week, and that he speaks from his heart to the young people that attend his church. It is a church right in the downtown area that attracts very young adults in an urban setting. It is not much like a traditional church, except the Bible is preached without apology.

A Great Day!

I have a new picture in my mind of Justin tonight. And it is a goody.

Four months ago, if Justin decided to go to the store with me, he would always warn me to stay close in case he had a seizure. Wherever I walked in the store, he went with me. I felt bad for him. It must be hard to have known how easy life was in the past, and have it change so dramatically that you cannot even walk somewhere by yourself now.

So here we are, a month past the radiation treatments, and today Justin went with me to HyVee. He was all over the store, getting things he wanted or needed without a thought of whether I was around or not. He pushed the cart out for me and we loaded the groceries in the back of the truck.

So here is my new mind's picture: Justin grabbed the cart, went running for the "cart corral", put one foot on the bottom bar of the cart and rode the cart like a scooter, smiling all the way! He jogged back grinning from ear to ear. Oh, what a huge blessing! God has done so much for Justin over the last 3 months! I will never forget the joy we are feeling today!

Working At Camp Again

Justin began working at the camp. The pay is low...nothing...but the rewards are high. He is doing some consulting, but there is a bigger job to do now. He is walking through the buildings, making up work orders for everything that needs done. He will turn those in, then the staff will decide which things are in the budget and which ones are not. Justin will help the team in any way he can.

We visited the Social Security office. Long story short, we will not hear anything for at least three months. If Justin does not qualify for disability, they want us to appeal. We can do 2 appeals, the last one is with a judge. That takes a while...the state is so far behind that Utah is taking some of our cases. They are backed up a year or more. So it looks as if we either get a little help before fall, or we fight to maybe get nothing in two years. Let's just say we are not holding our breath. Although we are not interested in food stamps or other help, if he gets on disability, he will automatically be on Medicaid and will be able to seek medical help almost anywhere. No more Broadlawns. We will continue at Iowa City because he is getting great care there. Medicaid is better insurance than he has now.