Wow, the response to the blog continues to be incredible…people have visited from all over the world! Here are some of the places that people have visited from: Bombay India, New Delphi India, Malaysia, Norway, Canada, Anchorage Alaska, Plano Texas, Richland WA, Houston TX, Waterloo Ontario, Indianapolis IN, Rome IL, Westmont IL, Chicago IL, Miller Place NY, Murrysville PA, Eglin AFB FL, Largo FL, Dunedin FL, Clermont FL, Wichita KS, West Jordon Utah, Frackville PN, Gays IL, Dorr, Hopkins, Kalamazoo, Jenison, Hudsonville, Southfield, Novi, Canton, Howell, Wayland, Zeeland, Moline, Auburn Hills, Farmington, and on and on and on…
This is very cool. Kristi’s testimonial video has been viewed 350 times…along with this website being ‘hit’ over 2,200 times! Thanks for spreading the word! Together we are spreading the message that with prayer and God leading the way, a person can persevere even in the most difficult of times. We were hoping the word would get out but never imagined people from as far away as India and Norway would be reading it! If Kristi’s story can reach just a few people and touch them in a way that makes them either want to get closer to God, or come to know Him for the first time, that would be a blessing to us. So then, what happens if this does reach someone who doesn’t know Jesus Christ, or is “on the fence”? What does this person do? We've been struggling with this lately. So, we’ll try to help…
If you’re out there reading this and you don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, someone loved you enough to send you to this blog and they wanted to share this story with you. They wanted you to see the how the power of Jesus can work in a person’s life. So you’ve read our story…now what?! Well, talk to someone. Call us or send us an e-mail. If you’re uncomfortable with that and wish to be anonymous, try coming to Calvary church (Google: Calvary CRC in Holland, MI). It’s a pretty big church (which has its good points and its bad points). My point is that you could sit in the back and get a taste of the service and sneak out pretty anonymously. I guarantee you will be moved by the message…and the praise music is pretty cool too! Just try it. The most important thing is to break out of your comfort zone and try it (if not Calvary, a church close to you). Hopefully you have read our blog and have figured out by now that Kristi and I have put our faith in God…and it’s this faith that is getting us through from day to day.
Has something happened to you and you're wondering “how can there be a God?” or “Why did God let this happen?”? We’ve all been there, believe me! Those were the first words out of my mouth when the doctor said “it looks like Kristi has ovarian cancer”…I asked “Why Kristi, why not me?!” I was pleading to God to take this away, or give it to me. Kristi is so innocent, sweet, quiet, and one of Calvary’s biggest prayer warriors for goodness sakes!!! Why her?!?!
Well, one minor detail I forgot…I don’t own the plan…He does. As I look back now, I understand why He chose Kristi for this journey. You can obviously see the number of people that she has touched. I don’t think I would have shined nearly as brightly as her. There has been so much good that has come out of this experience. If you would have asked me 5 months ago if I would have imagined all of this, I don’t think I would have said ‘yes’. It has been an incredible journey. So you see, sometimes the answer isn’t written on a piece of paper and handed to us and made easy for us to understand. But have faith; He has the plan. You can’t just skip to the end of the story. He loves us enough to make us sit and watch the entire story unfold…this is His way of teaching us. He is not only the Great Physician, but He is also the Great Teacher – we just need to be willing to learn.
Anyway, that’s our take on it. It’s an amazing feeling to have a thousand people praying for you. How would one “do” something like this without faith? Our church family has smothered us with nothing but love and prayers. There is no loneliness here. It is nothing short of incredible. Is that something that would interest you? If so, find a church near you and try it! You may need to try more than one church. All churches are different – big, small, traditional, contemporary, Baptist, Catholic, Reformed, Christian Reformed, etc., etc., etc. You need to find the right one for you. Don’t be afraid to experiment. But if you’re living without Jesus Christ, you’re not living! That’s kind of “in your face”, but it’s true. Please accept our challenge.
Has something happened to you and you're wondering “how can there be a God?” or “Why did God let this happen?”? We’ve all been there, believe me! Those were the first words out of my mouth when the doctor said “it looks like Kristi has ovarian cancer”…I asked “Why Kristi, why not me?!” I was pleading to God to take this away, or give it to me. Kristi is so innocent, sweet, quiet, and one of Calvary’s biggest prayer warriors for goodness sakes!!! Why her?!?!
Well, one minor detail I forgot…I don’t own the plan…He does. As I look back now, I understand why He chose Kristi for this journey. You can obviously see the number of people that she has touched. I don’t think I would have shined nearly as brightly as her. There has been so much good that has come out of this experience. If you would have asked me 5 months ago if I would have imagined all of this, I don’t think I would have said ‘yes’. It has been an incredible journey. So you see, sometimes the answer isn’t written on a piece of paper and handed to us and made easy for us to understand. But have faith; He has the plan. You can’t just skip to the end of the story. He loves us enough to make us sit and watch the entire story unfold…this is His way of teaching us. He is not only the Great Physician, but He is also the Great Teacher – we just need to be willing to learn.
Anyway, that’s our take on it. It’s an amazing feeling to have a thousand people praying for you. How would one “do” something like this without faith? Our church family has smothered us with nothing but love and prayers. There is no loneliness here. It is nothing short of incredible. Is that something that would interest you? If so, find a church near you and try it! You may need to try more than one church. All churches are different – big, small, traditional, contemporary, Baptist, Catholic, Reformed, Christian Reformed, etc., etc., etc. You need to find the right one for you. Don’t be afraid to experiment. But if you’re living without Jesus Christ, you’re not living! That’s kind of “in your face”, but it’s true. Please accept our challenge.
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again…we really appreciate all the prayer support. We feel it working every day. Sunday I was feeling overwhelmed and after I sent out the update I almost immediately started feeling better. Thanks for the many prayers. Things are pretty good around here these days. We'll enjoy it! Tomorrow night we're going on a triple date with Kristi's brother and his wife (Kevin & Stephanie) and her sister and her husband (Lori & Eric). We're looking forward to that. Until next time...
