Hello All,
Yesterday was the beginning of 2008, and in many ways, it felt as though it was many years prior. We spent the better part of the day in the good ol' Inland Empire. Thankfully, because of the holiday, traffic was light, and we made good time. The occasion for our trip was two fold, both of which were less than festive reasons. The first was to visit my Mother-in-law, who is recovering from a bout with pneumonia. The second was to attend a prayer meeting for a dear friend of ours, Alan Brown, who is about to undergo chemotherapy in treatment of an aggressive and rare form of lymphoma.
It amazes me as I stood with both of them, how much peace they shared. Mom Finfrock has always been a true prayer warrior, and that has given her such a graceful countenance in the face of several difficulties that I have watched her encounter. And Alan, despite being medicated due to the pain, was peaceful and calm in the face of the biggest battle of his life. Jesus, and the Spirit of God given to be our helper, makes all the difference in the world. I could not imagine the fear, even the sheer terror in the case of cancer, of trying to face such things without the presence of the Lord.
Being a Pastor, and seeing these health situations over and over again, does not inoculate me to their profundity. But I also observe, in those whose faith is centered in Christ Jesus, a peace that should not naturally be there. I have seen many a Christian broken, but never shattered. Both Alan and his wife Annette, share this strength, and it blesses me to see how genuine their faith is.
Mom left the hospital this afternoon, so our prayers for her have been answered. We would however, ask that you pray for Alan Brown and for the process that Alan must endure beginning Thursday. Alan's cancer, as I have mentioned, is both aggressive and rare, so much so that only 300 cases are diagnosed in the states each year. Statistically, we surmised at the prayer meeting, this amounts to a one in a billion chance of acquiring this form of lymphoma! We ask for a complete physical healing for Alan.
I'm grateful that we had the opportunity to sit and share with Alan, Annette and the friends from Redlands. I hope that when next I see Alan, that he will be well again. Maybe we'll see each other over a nice piece of meat!
Blessings...To Our Friends,
Frank Sanchez
Yesterday was the beginning of 2008, and in many ways, it felt as though it was many years prior. We spent the better part of the day in the good ol' Inland Empire. Thankfully, because of the holiday, traffic was light, and we made good time. The occasion for our trip was two fold, both of which were less than festive reasons. The first was to visit my Mother-in-law, who is recovering from a bout with pneumonia. The second was to attend a prayer meeting for a dear friend of ours, Alan Brown, who is about to undergo chemotherapy in treatment of an aggressive and rare form of lymphoma.
It amazes me as I stood with both of them, how much peace they shared. Mom Finfrock has always been a true prayer warrior, and that has given her such a graceful countenance in the face of several difficulties that I have watched her encounter. And Alan, despite being medicated due to the pain, was peaceful and calm in the face of the biggest battle of his life. Jesus, and the Spirit of God given to be our helper, makes all the difference in the world. I could not imagine the fear, even the sheer terror in the case of cancer, of trying to face such things without the presence of the Lord.
Being a Pastor, and seeing these health situations over and over again, does not inoculate me to their profundity. But I also observe, in those whose faith is centered in Christ Jesus, a peace that should not naturally be there. I have seen many a Christian broken, but never shattered. Both Alan and his wife Annette, share this strength, and it blesses me to see how genuine their faith is.
Mom left the hospital this afternoon, so our prayers for her have been answered. We would however, ask that you pray for Alan Brown and for the process that Alan must endure beginning Thursday. Alan's cancer, as I have mentioned, is both aggressive and rare, so much so that only 300 cases are diagnosed in the states each year. Statistically, we surmised at the prayer meeting, this amounts to a one in a billion chance of acquiring this form of lymphoma! We ask for a complete physical healing for Alan.
I'm grateful that we had the opportunity to sit and share with Alan, Annette and the friends from Redlands. I hope that when next I see Alan, that he will be well again. Maybe we'll see each other over a nice piece of meat!
Blessings...To Our Friends,
Frank Sanchez
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