Miracles

A year ago my sister was diagnosed with cancer. Hearing that you have cancer is horrible. Hearing that your sister has it is worse. I will never forget when my brother-in-law called me, what he said, or where I was. I didn't know what to say (I still don't). When you receive news like this you are a changed person forever.  Just a few words that mean things will never be the same. 

We prayed for healing.

 

The news got worse.  After running a series of tests they discovered that the cancer was in her pancreas and liver.  It doesn't get a whole lot worse than that.  Not only did she have cancer, she had the type that is extremely difficult to beat. This news was devastating to everyone.  It was crushing. It hurt just to hear the diagnosis. The fact that Stevens’s sister had recently died from the same cancer made the situation very real and very clear to all of us.  Sue asked me if I thought she was going to die and I answered no.  I thought she would be healed.

We prayed for a miracle.

 

My niece started a blog to inform family and friends about Sue's condition.  Everyone was blessed as they read Katie's beautifully written updates.  I am still so grateful that Katie transparently shared her sorrows, pain, confusion and hope with all of us.  We all shared Katie's hope.  I'm not exactly sure how news of the blog spread so quickly, but it did. Thoughts and wishes came from across the country and around the world.

 

We prayed for a miracle.

In fact, hundreds of people prayed for a miracle.  We prayed for a miracle until her last breath.  We prayed everyday all day for a miracle.  For weeks we prayed and then she died.

Have you ever prayed for a miracle and not seen it arrive?  Did you pray for a miracle for Sue and wonder why it never arrived?  You might be encouraged to know that our prayers were answered! We actually witnessed many miralcles.  I would like to share some with you.

 

1. The Angel

 

Once Sue was diagnosed they set up a protocol for treatment.  They began chemotherapy.  I had a long planed trip for the day after her first treatment.  It was a quick trip to Florida and I debated whether or not to go.  Her first day of treatment went okay, so I went as planned.  A friend of mine had bought a car and we flew down to pick it up.  As we were picking up the car Grant called and told me that his Mom had taken a very sudden turn from bad to worse.  Things went from preparing for months of battling this thing, to we don't know if she will make it through the day.

I didn't know what to do.  I was in a car in the middle of nowhere Florida with my friend.  Another friend called and I told him what was going on.  He listened to me babble on about not knowing what to do and told me he would call back in 10 minutes. He called back in 5.  He found the nearest airport that could get me to Milwaukee and he booked the flight.

We arrived at the airport with time to spare.  We were sitting in the car outside the terminal talking when someone knocked on the window where I was sitting.  He startled us, as we never noticed him approaching.  He was a middle aged Africa-American guy in sweat pants and a baseball cap.  I lowered my window and he leaned and asked, "Do you guys know Jesus?" We were a little surprised by his question, but responded yes.  He then said "That's good because he just told me to come pray for you." He then looked directly at me and asked if I had a family concern he could pray for.  That's when I started crying.  He proceeded to pray the most beautiful prayer I have ever heard and walked away.

You may think I'm crazy, but I have no doubt that he was an angel. 

2. The "Last Goodbye"

I arrived in Milwaukee and my wife picked me up at the airport.  We went straight to the hospital.  It was about 10 pm when we arrived.  We went to her room where she was alone with Steven.  I was stunned by what I saw.  I could not comprehend how she had changed in just the few days from when I lost saw her.  She was not conscious and I was pretty sure I would never be able to communicate with her again.  Steven of course spent the night buy her side.  I returned early in the morning.  She was awake.  I was able to talk to her and she to me.  But it was as if she had gone from 55 to 95 in a couple of days.  Her voice was a whisper and she only spoke a few words at a time. 

After spending some time with her I talked with Steven.  He had spoken with the doctor and it was obvious her body was shutting down.  It was clear that the number of lucid moments she might have were few.  She had no strength, could not get up or even sit without help.  She would soon slip into a coma.  We decided that I should go back to the house and have her family come over for the last goodbye. 

I took the 5 minute drive back to their house and Steven stayed with her.  She new the family was coming.  She was concerned that she just couldn't do it. She felt she had neither the strength nor words. At the same time I was telling her children.  Grant of course, was his car before I even finished speaking.  We went to the hospital and her children went into her room.  She sat up and in a clear calm voice spoke to each of them.  She shared with them one a time what they meant to her, her hopes for thier future, scripture she had for each, and she prayed for them.  It lasted about 45 minutes.  Then she laid down and went to sleep.

3. The Fireside Chat

Unbelievably Sue came home a day after the "last goodbye".  She was thrilled to be home.  The short drive over was tough for her though.  She went straight to the bed we had ready for her and went to sleep.  It was a beautiful fall day.  We had a fire going in the fireplace.  We were sitting as a family talking when she walked, by herself, into the room.  Sat in a comfy chair with a blanket.  She had that familiar beautiful smile on her face and relished just sitting with her family.

4. Craig’s List

The people from Alliance Bible Church are amazing.  People would just show up and take care of every need. They didn't intrude; they would come and go without a word.  The yard was perfectly mown.  The leaves were raked.  Sue was able to sit and look at the beautiful setting.  People came and cleaned. Literally scrubbed every floor and cleaned every bathroom quietly and quickly.  But most of all they cooked.  The family had unbelievable amounts of food. All of it good. The fridge quickly filled.  Then the freezer. Then someone set up a folding table in the cold garage, which served as a walk in cooler.

Peter quietly watched all of this and decided to do something. All of this food was prepared with love for his mother.  He pulled out his laptop and went on Craig’s List.  He put up an ad for a full family dinner...delivered.  I thought how nice, but no one actually goes on Craig’s List looking for tonight's dinner. I was wrong. Within a half an hour he had several calls to his mobile phone.  He let them all go to voice mail and then listen to all the recordings.  He found what he was looking for.  A father called, he had been with out work for months.  He had a family and they had no food.  They lived in the city. He collected a huge salad, bread, a platter of lasagna and a cake.  He met the guy at a gas station.  Peter got out of his pickup truck with an armload of food.  Before he would hand over the food though he told the guy why he was getting the food.  The fact that his mother was dying.  That she followed Jesus and that she loved people. These people in turn loved her and they were loving on her in return.  The reason you are getting this meal is because of my mother’s love of Jesus.

The guy took the food back to his truck and was beyond thrilled.  Salad! Lasagna, chocolate cake! The family had not had that in months.

 5. Mercy

 We never stopped praying for healing: until that last day.  On that day everything was different.  The signs were obvious, right from the start of the day.  The pain was horrific and the drugs no longer helped.  In the late afternoon her pastor came over and he and his wife sat with Sue for a long time.  Then they came out by the fire where we were sitting.  It was silent.  You could see on Bill and Pamela's faces that they knew what we knew.  There were not going to be any more talks with their dear friend. There was nothing left but the pain.  Steven asked Bill if he had any words of wisdom.  Bill's response was perfect. He said "no".  There were no words.  He then said “but I can pray”.  He prayed for the family, for comfort, for our strength to get through the sorrow. Then he prayed for mercy instead of our elusive miracle.  Bill and Pamela left and with in a few minutes the prayer for mercy was answered with loved ones at her side.

6. The Song

 Sue loved to hear her daughter sing.  Tori has a style that is hers alone and it’s beautiful.  It's a gift and her mother loved it.  If you were at the memorial service, you know exactly what I am talking about.  I will never forget that song Tori.  I don't understand how you could sing it perfectly on that day.  I guess that's what miracles are all about.

We prayed for a miracle and received many.