One More Step And A Praise Report

Today we completed another step towards the construction of our new house. We met with our design counselor for five hours and made about 40-50 upgrades and options to our house. It was a lot of fun in the end but kind of scary since you're making decisions from very small samples and you won't get to see the real result for six months. But it also added a little bit of excitement to the process. We were quite shocked that we came in under our budget with everything we needed, wanted and desired so we added two luxury items and we were still just over our budget by a tiny bit. So we are completely ecstatic about it and can't wait to see the finished project. You can see a few of our selections in a set called New House on Flickr. We will be posting pictures as the construction takes place.

Our next step is to finalize our loan approval and then another meeting to make sure the builder has all our selections correct before they break ground. We met with a real estate agent last Thursday and were very pleased with him and what he had to say about our current home and putting it on the market. We are going to wait a bit before we do that so we have a chance to stay in our home as long as possible. Stay tuned for more news on the house.

On an even greater note... Our friend Yoli, who had the double mastectomy a couple weeks ago, received her pathology reports today and all except one showed no sign of cancer!! The doctors got it all out and the chemotherapy did it's job. The only pathology report that showed cancer cells were from the inner breast which was removed in the surgery and there's nothing to worry about there. Praise the Lord it's all gone! She is still recovering but doing well. She will begin radiation therapy in about a month. Thank you for praying for her, her family and her doctors.

Praise God Yoli's Surgery Went Well

From her husband Matt:

Hello-

This is Matt writing from the dark hospital room where my bride currently sleeps. Yes, she had the surgery!!! All I can say is, God IS faithful! We arrived this morning at 1030a to check in. Yoli was a bit emotional as was I, but we prayed a lot, and I read to her Isaiah 54 which is the chapter in the Bible that has given her strength through this trial. Just before 1230p, we met with the surgeon, and then a few nurses, and before we knew it she was given a relaxed medication through her I V. They asked her to lay down, and said "here we go, are you ready?" It all happened so fast. Yoli got into the bed, and was rolling down the hall before we knew it. I walked her to the point where I could go no further, and was assured by the doctors that she would be taken care of. I gave her a kiss, told her that I loved her, and off she went through the double doors which led to her long awaited surgery.

I have to say, no one wants to see their spouse wheeled into surgery. But as the doors closed behind her, I prayed and knew that she was in God's hands, and not the hands of Kaiser. I have to say, I took about 10 minutes to cry and pray before I went to the waiting room where some close friends and family gathered. I communicated a lot through text, letting everyone know that she needs prayer, and paced around a bit. We were advised that the surgery would take 2.5 hours, and that the doctor would come and find me when he was finished. Well 230p came and went. 3pm came and went, and around 330p I went to check and see what was happening. I was advised that they were still in surgery. I walked away, and down a hall I've never been before. The surgeon was supposed to come out a door the opposite direction, but I felt led to walk down this hall, and began to pray. I stopped half way down and opened my Bible and again, began to read Isaiah. When I was finished I continued walking down the hall, away from the waiting room, and asking the Lord, please finish this surgery quickly so I can see her. Guess who I nearly ran into? Her surgeon! Walking out a door, opposite of the door he was supposed to walk out of, and in front of me he stood. He advised me that Yoli was still in the OR (If you watch Greys Anatomy you'd know that means operating room) and that she was stable through the entire surgery. They said it went well, and they took a sample of her tissue around the "infected" area and it was CANCER FREE!!! Praise God! They also took out her left limp nodes and will have results of those in about a week. But we already know and believe that those too will be cancer free. He said that she's be going to recovery and I should be able to see her in a few hours. As soon as he walked away, I lost it. I began to cry with relief that all had been done. The surgery we had waited for, prayed for, and prepared for was over and even more important than anything else, she was okay and we had great news. After this I lost it a few more times. and so did everyone else around me. You'd think we heard bad news, but in fact it was the opposite. Relief. Prayers answered. It was a feeling I think we had all waited for, for the past 9 months.

Well, a few hours went by and nothing. Again I began to wonder what was happening? So I followed my nose. I began to walk in another area. An area that the doctor would normally come to, and here he is again. Standing in front of me. He asked if I had seen my wife yet? No I responded. And he asked me to follow him. After a few turns, there she was. Sleeping as peaceful as could be. Color was good in her face and she looked content. Yoli didn't wake up right away, but did a little while later and there I was along side her mom and dad. At that point we waited for her open room. We had prayed that she would get a private room, but they couldn't assure us anything. However we knew that either way, it would be in God's plan and we'd be content. Low and behold, a private room was available.

After getting settled her family and I were in the room. She was hungry so she ate some killer hospital food. Hmmm....maybe killer and hospital shouldn't be in the same sentence huh? Anyways, I was being sarcastic. It was okay, but more than anything she liked the ice chips, jello, pudding, and a peach her sister had brought.

A few moments ago the nurse drained her tubes of the blood and water, and said she'd doing well. In a few hours they're going to wake her up and have her sit up on her own. 4 hours later they will have her walk to the restroom, and ensure she can do that every 4 hours. If all is good, she may be able to leave tomorrow night. But we're not ready to push anything.

So, today was a long but successful day for Yoli, and more importantly for our Lord and Savior. I have to say, it's not luck. It's not chance. And it's not good thoughts that brought her to this place today. It's by the continued grace and mercy of our father in heaven. And by the healing power for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that she is where she is tonight. We serve a mighty God. Bigger than any circumstance. Greater than any medicine. He is a Great God!

If you'd like to visit Yoli tomorrow you are more than welcome. Again, I don't know how long she will be here. But if they do release her it will be later in the evening I think. So please, feel free to stop by at anytime. Yoli would love to see you.

Thanks for your prayers everyone. Praying works! I will update this tomorrow on her progress of healing.

Many Blessings,

Matt

Prayer Request For Yoli

Please lift up our dear friend Yoli, her surgeon Dr. Ahn, all the surgical team and nurses and Yoli's family today in prayer. Yoli is having her double mastectomy today at Bellflower Kaiser in Bellflower, California. After a month of recovery, she will begin radiation. She went through chemotherapy this past spring and summer. Thank you.

Cathedral and News from a Friend

You know that sometimes I go on trips to get me the heck out of Walter Reed during the week. I saw that there was one going to the Washington National Cathedral this past Wed and I had to go. I have already been there several times, but the place is just so darn beautiful. Every time I go I find a different aspect that is just calling out to me. This time it was the light coming through the stained glass windows. The past few times I have gone in the summer, but this time it is winter. And the sun lays low in the sky for most of the day. From the time we got there until we left, the light shined through the stained glass and painted a heavenly and just beautiful splash of color on the walls and floors. I just could not keep my lens off of the resulting splendor.

We started off the trip by having lunch at this place called Booeymonger. I ordered a chicken cheese steak with light mayo. After a few minutes, they yelled that a cheese steak with light mayo was ready. Well, I didn’t order that, so I waited. Next they got on the sound system and started yelling. Since people that ordered food after me got theirs, I figured they screwed up and I’d better go up there. Sure enough, my name was on the receipt for the cheese steak (why didn’t they just call my name?). I clarified that I wanted a chicken cheese steak and I sat down. But then they kept calling out the cheese steak! I started to wonder if they were ever going to make it right and they did. They called me up and I got my sandwich. But then they called out for the cheese steak with light mayo again… sigh. The sandwich was pretty good and then we headed over to the Cathedral.

We were in a big tour bus and the driver was concerned that he was going to have to park on the street like usual, but they just finished constructing an underground bus lobby, as they call it, with enough room for about 15 buses. You get off the bus and get right on an elevator. They also completed a new underground parking garage. They claim that the Cathedral, which started construction in 1907 and has been continuously under construction, was finally completed in 2007. 100 years of construction!

As I said before, the Cathedral was as beautiful as always. This trip was organized by the Walter Reed Pastoral staff and so we attended a short service (the Cathedral is Episcopal). It was very similar a Catholic service, but easier to understand and follow, IMO. Then we were treated to an explanation of how the huge pipe organ there works and a recital. I wandered around close to that area and snapped some pictures. When the recital began, I wandered away but was still able to hear the organ as its rich sound filled every cavity of the Cathedral. It was quite amazing! After that, a docent gave us a tour of some of the features of the Cathedral and told us some of the history behind it. She focused a bit on the War Chapel and then took us around the Cathedral. After that, it was time for tea!

We made our way up to the 7th floor observation deck and enjoyed some very nice tea along with small sandwiches and other sweet goodies. We really had a great time. I took quite a few photos of everything and they can be found here on Flickr: Washington National Cathedral.

Moving on, I have a few birthdays programmed in my Outlook and I noticed that today was my friend Yoli’s birthday (Jan 31). On my drive to run an errand, I decided to give her a call to wish her a great day. Yoli and I met in the 8th grade, back in 1988, so I have known her for 20 years. She is one of a few people that I still have kept in touch with after all these years. Throughout High School I remember Yoli was one of the only people our age that had a job. She worked at a Christian Bookstore. At the time, I thought that was neat. I also remember how she always seemed to glow... She just has this happiness that made an impression on me and I secretly yearned for. We never talked about it and in 1993 we graduated. I moved to Texas and I stayed in touch with Yoli. One time when I went back to LA to visit, Yoli invited me to church with her. I didn’t know what to expect, but I was excited to go. I remember asking her questions about church and it was then that I realized what it was that she had that I was looking for, the Lord. I mean, I knew who God was, but I didn’t really understand Christianity that well. Shortly after I got back home to Texas, I got a package in the mail. Yoli sent me a bible… my first and very own bible. I still have it.

We didn’t talk that much more for a few years but we did still keep in touch. I don’t remember what led to it, but she and her husband Matt and daughter Kailee came to visit Holly and I during the summer of 2005 when we lived in Arlington, VA. And then Matt was in town in Nov 2006 and came to visit us again for dinner. We had a great time and we have stayed in touch since then. Fast forward to today… Yoli shared with me that she was diagnosed with stage 3b breast cancer about two weeks ago. They are going to treat her with chemo first to see what happens and then most likely perform a mastectomy and go forward from there. She had her first Chemo treatment this past Monday. I don’t want to get into all the details because you can find them here at Yoli’s blog. She’s a sweet gal and I know that she’s going to pull through this. Being a cancer patient myself, I was able to understand some of the feelings she’s having, so that was nice. I prayed for her on the phone and offered to lend my ear to them whenever they might need it. It just breaks my heart to know that they are now going through this trial. Yoli was the first person to put me on the right path to accepting Christ into my life… thank you so much Yoli. I am asking all of you to please pray for Yoli and her family while they go through all of this.