heartofdakota.com

Kathleen,

I added you and Mike to the prayer list at our church. We will continue to pray. Please keep us posted!

Kathleen,

Just wanted to let you know that I am thinking of you and continuing to pray for your family.

Love,
Candice

Dear Kathleen,

I have not been on the board for a long time and am so sorry to hear of the storm in life that you and your family are in right now. I will pray for your husband and for your family.
May the peace that surpasses all understanding fill your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus during this time. May the Lord's comfort be your strength and may He continue to be your only refuge in this time!
But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works. Psalm 73:28
Blessings of peace, comfort and strength from God's throne to you and your family!

Kathleen,

Just wanted to let you know that I am still praying for your family. And, as you were in my thoughts, the other day this Charles Spurgeon devotional came up that I thought might encourage you! HE is in control, and none of this is a surprise to Him.

((((hugs))))
Here's the devotional:

"This sickness is not unto death."
John 11:4
From our Lord's words we learn that there is a limit to sickness. Here is an "unto" within which its ultimate end is restrained, and beyond which it cannot go. Lazarus might pass through death, but death was not to be the ultimatum of his sickness. In all sickness, the Lord saith to the waves of pain, "Hitherto shall ye go, but no further." His fixed purpose is not the destruction, but the instruction of his people. Wisdom hangs up the thermometer at the furnace mouth, and regulates the heat.
1. The limit is encouragingly comprehensive. The God of providence has limited the time, manner, intensity, repetition, and effects of all our sicknesses; each throb is decreed, each sleepless hour predestinated, each relapse ordained, each depression of spirit foreknown, and each sanctifying result eternally purposed. Nothing great or small escapes the ordaining hand of him who numbers the hairs of our head.
2. This limit is wisely adjusted to our strength, to the end designed, and to the grace apportioned. Affliction comes not at haphazard--the weight of every stroke of the rod is accurately measured. He who made no mistakes in balancing the clouds and meting out the heavens, commits no errors in measuring out the ingredients which compose the medicine of souls. We cannot suffer too much nor be relieved too late.
3. The limit is tenderly appointed. The knife of the heavenly Surgeon never cuts deeper than is absolutely necessary. "He doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men." A mother's heart cries, "Spare my child;" but no mother is more compassionate than our gracious God. When we consider how hard-mouthed we are, it is a wonder that we are not driven with a sharper bit. The thought is full of consolation, that he who has fixed the bounds of our habitation, has also fixed the bounds of our tribulation.

Just wanted to check in and let you know that we're continually praying for Mike and your whole family and was wondering how things went on Friday?

Praying. . . .

Thank you ladies for all praying with us! We continue to appreciate it, and are so thankful to have the Lord walking with us through this time and the encouragement and love of other believers being poured out on our family!

Mike's surgery on Friday was successful, and we are praising the Lord for that! The surgeon was able to remove everything he needed to - so all visible cancer is gone. He also did a HIPEC treatment in the abdomen (heated chemo bath through the area - I picture it as a kind of dishwasher treatment with the belly lightly stitched shut by what the Dr told us ). We would definitely appreciate more prayers for the healing and recovery process. Mike was looking ROUGH on Friday night after the long surgery. But, he is slowly improving. He has a great attitude in all of this, but has said that he has never felt more helpless in his life. Which I'm sure is true. We're both 35, and he has never had ANY health problems in his entire life. It's hard to go from healthy, active, and hard-working to recovering from MAJOR surgery. I've been able to update our facebook account regularly, and if any of you want to continue to keep up with his progress, you can look for Mike Kathleen Fincham on facebook.

Love,
Kathleen

Your post has the strength of the LORD sounding throughout it. I will pray that He will continue to be your strength throughout recovery. Praise God for the good reposrt!

praying

Your walk has encourage me during a tough time in our lives. THANK YOU!

Praying!!!!

((((((HUGS))))))

Thanks so much for the update! It's so good to know that you're both doing well, and that God's hand is holding you up right now. We're so happy that Mike is recovering and pray that he continues to do well through all of this and that the cancer will be gone!

Kathleen,
I have not been on the boards for a long, long time, but found this post and remembered when you posted it. How is everything going? I hope you don't mind my bringing it up again. I just recall that you were an encouragement to me when I started our HSing journey and wanted to check in with you. I hope everything is well.