In the trenches of battle....

Psalm 30:11-12

11 You turned my wailing into dancing;

you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

12 that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.

Lord my God, I will give you THANKS forever.

Mom has successfully completed 4 rounds of chemotherapy with just 14 more to go! She's getting 4-6 hours of chemo every Tuesday three weeks out of the month with the fourth week off. The weeks with no chemo are the "good" weeks.  Thankfully, this past months "good" week just happened to be the week of Thanksgiving. Mom did great supervising our cooking and prepping for our Thanksgiving meal.  Below is a photo of me (Serina) and mom at thanksgiving - oh how thankful we are for our precious mom!

To help mom and the rest of the family get through this journey mom has created an encouragement wall. The wall contains pictures, Bible verses, words of encouragement and huge numbers representing the countdown of days left for chemo. Here are a few photos of mom armored up as she fearlessly fights this battle! 

As expected, moms hair was to start falling out. Mom didn't want the mess of her hair all over the place so she had her dear friend Yolonda come over for a hair cutting session. 

 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 2 Corinthians 4:16

How true that scripture is. My mom herself would testify that she is "dying to self" and being spiritually renewed. Mom looks beautiful rock'n her new style. 

Literally only days after her hair was cut all of her hair started falling out. What perfect timing the Lord has. The day of her hair loss, mom wanted to celebrate. The celebration of mom embracing the tribulations of this journey, knowing that even in the so called "small" obstacles (hair loss) of this cancer journey she is an overcomer.  We're all in the trenches of battle and we can fight victoriously because we know God is with us. A celebration wouldn't be complete without smiles and cake so we were sure to include both on the day of celebration! 

In the midst of a battle it's very easy to grow weary, angry, sad, and allow bitterness to stir but it's far better to rejoice and give praise to Our Savior. To offer up your purest form of thanksgiving and worship for there's nothing greater than our personal relationship with Him. Mom is an incredible example of that! She has glorified God throughout every step of this journey. As she currently undergoes chemotherapy this very second, nothing but praise is being given to Him! 

Mom and Dad have used this opportunity to minister to others; by bringing fruit to nurses and Doctors, sharing God's goodness with other cancer patients during chemotherapy,  and even the rest of the family is encouraged and inspired to share God's goodness. "We may not have health, the best job, and all that we want or need but we have God" is what mom recently wrote on her daily chalkboard.

God's providence is so evident in this situation that it's undeniable. We stay trusting in Him, clinging onto Him even with 16 more rounds of chemotherapy that still await mom. To know God cares so much that He literally shows himself through things like loving meals from friends and family, loved ones accompanying mom to every chemo session and countless text message and phone calls. 

Mom's house is still filled with the hustle and bustle of 3 daughters, 3 son-in-laws and 6 grandchildren.....oh and one small chiwawa. We try and keep things as calm and quiet as possible but mom says her kids bring her life! And we must bring her a lot of it because there is always a lot going on with so many grand-kiddos running around, all which are under the age of six. 

As we continue this holiday season filled with the celebration of our Lord's birth, we are also celebrating our season of being rebirthed, refined and refocused.  Spiritual chemo is taking place and we choose to focus on God's goodness as He carries us through this battle. He is OUR Immanuel which literally means "God with us", and oh how much He has been with us throughout this journey! Not to say that some days haven't been rough, many nights been sleepless or some moments filled with tears and heartache, but nevertheless God is our Immanuel! Praise be given to Him as we continue to fight and conquer this battle, victoriously!