That man in the above picture is my Papa Gary. When I was in Nepal, I was informed that something had been found on his thyroid, and it turned out to be cancer. I know this is not a new thought, but cancer sucks! Finding this out when you’re almost 10,000 miles away from home is hard, because the only thing you can do is pray.

In India, he underwent surgery to remove his thyroid. Again, it was hard to be on the other side of the globe. What ifs ran through my mind, and all I could do was pray. He later had radioactive iodine treatment, either when I was in India or Thailand. Still more prayers, because that’s all I could do. Right before coming home, I was told that the treatment had worked and the cancer was gone! What a miracle!!!

Heartbreaking News

A few weeks ago, my grandparents received the news that the cancer had returned, in his lungs, his arm, and possibly in his neck. It was heartbreaking news and I had a night where I grieved hard. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust God; it’s just not the news I, or any of us, wanted to get. 

 

It’s still not the news I wish had come that day. I’ll tell you this: cancer SUCKS! It sucks for the person who is actively battling it for sure, but it sucks for the family members who are dealing with it as well. Yet, if there’s anything that I know after my year around the world, it’s this. Cancer may suck, but God definitely doesn’t. (Honestly, you could replace the word “cancer” with anything and it would still be a true statement.) This cancer is not too big for Him to handle! A miracle is still possible! He hasn’t left or stopped working, and He’s not going to!

The Power of Prayer

While on the World Race, I saw God perform miracles, and I heard stories of Him doing even more. He is a good, good God. Even though I would rather have received different news, news of still no cancer, I am choosing to trust in Him. It would be easy to be mad at God, to forget everything He has done in the past. It would be easy to put myself in the victim circle, to mope around. Those things are human and there’s grace for them when they happen (and they will), but it’s not a place I want to stay.

I know that God has a plan in all things, the good and the bad. He has been faithful before, and He will be faithful again. Whether He ever heals my grandfather or not (although of course that is what I want!), He is present and powerful and at work! He will do something, because God always answers prayers in some way! Praying is all I could do when I was around the world, and it’s all I can do now. But y’all prayer is so, so powerful, and for that reason, I will not stop praying! I would love it if you would join me in prayer for my grandfather and my family.

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Today, I choose to have confidence in the the Lord’s faithfulness. I choose to trust in Him, knowing that the war is already won. I choose to have hope. Cancer sucks, but God doesn’t. That is what I’m holding on to!