A special post on behalf of my friend Patti...

I just got home from spending the day with Patti and she asked me to share an update since she is not feeling up to it this evening and may not be for a couple of days. She is not able to answer all the calls she receives, but wants to communicate with you all. Please feel free to share this with others who may inquire, as it does help for Patti to not have to keep track of who she has shared with and what details. She so wants to speak with people individually and to thank each of you for your prayers and words/deeds of encouragement, but I know we all understand how difficult it is to do that at one time. She has also been wanting to update her blog, but just has not had the time or energy today, so hopefully this will suffice for the time being.

Many of you know that Patti just returned last weekend from spending some time in NY to have consultation for her surgery. She was very pleased with the doctors she met with and felt very confident in their care. She also had a sweet time with her Dad and other family there. Please continue to pray specifically that God would use this illness as a means of testimony to her lost family members. Patti expressed that she felt a precious affection and love from her Dad during this trip that was extremely meaningful to her, so she is praying for more time to share with him about her great Saviour! She will probably have to travel back to NY in the next month or so for a further surgery consultation, but the surgery itself will probably not take place until December.

This morning Patti went for her second round of chemotherapy. We also met with the oncologist for quite awhile to discuss the recommendations of her doctors in NY. Between the two doctors from here and there, they have decided to change her chemo treatments to every two weeks instead of three. This means that she has several more treatments after today, so it will be chemo every two weeks from now until early December most likely. This will allow her, Lord-willing, to receive the surgery and not have further chemo after it (of course there are no guarantees, but that is the goal). She was really encouraged to hear that having it every two weeks may actually not be as physically taxing as she thought it would. They said it really is not any worse than having it every three weeks.

Some wonderful praises - Patti has begun receiving a boatload of bills, insurance statements, etc. and God has so faithfully provided some precious brothers and sisters in the Lord who have offered to oversee this area for her. This was a HUGE answer to prayers that we had, as Patti needs to focus on staying healthy and not be overwhelmed by all this added paperwork and phone calls. Another amazing thing that happened today was that Patti had received a significantly large statement from an out-of-network doctor that she had to see a couple of weeks ago. Well, this morning, she called them to inquire about the bill and they told her the doctor was taking care of it and not to worry about it (they said she should have never received the statement)!!! This was a tremendous provision for Patti that I share solely to proclaim God's faithfulness to her!

The rest of they day Patti rested on her couch and then began to feel worse this evening. She basically just has a lot of nausea and fatigue right now. We had one of the sweetest times of prayer I have ever shared with a sister before I left, on the floor of her bathroom. We cried out to the Lord to transform us by sanctifying us and making us more like Christ! Patti loves this church and she loves the Lord! It was so precious and reminded us both how much less we pray than we should when we reflect on the faithful men and women in history who spent hours and hours on their knees. We truly experienced the presence of the Spirit and we were thankful for the lesson!

Patti will probably be resting at home the next couple of days as she gets past the worst of the effects from the chemo. She is truly so overcome with gratitude and thanksgiving for her Riverbend family and I have been so blessed to watch her rejoice during this time. Her face continues to shine with a radiant submission to God's providence in her life!

Please continue to lift Patti up in your prayers continually. She has a long road ahead of her with chemo for three months, surgery, and then possibly more treatment after. She also still has a couple of very challenging decisions to make about medications, etc. so pray for wisdom and good communication with her doctors. Pray that the Lord would use her as a vessel of mercy and compassion in speaking of Him to others she comes into contact with. I praise God for her and it has been a joyful priviliege to have her as a friend!

"Do not miss out on the limited opportunity this situation provides for us to put on display how trustworthy we find our God to be! If in the day of ease and safety alone we find God to be worthy of trust, then we have no greater "god" in our lives than those who hope in something of this world. Our God is "the same yesterday, today, and forever". The plans God has for us are NOT in jeopardy — only temporary and natural things are capable of being lost and these things are not what our hope is in." - Keith Collins, Sovereign Grace Ministries