Just wanted to wish you all a blessed Easter.

I thinks the words of the following song are just so beautiful.

Enjoy.

HOW  DEEP  THE  FATHER’S  LOVE  FOR  US

1. How deep the Father’s love for us,
how vast beyond all measure,
that He should give his only Son,
to make a wretch His treasure.
How great the pain of searing loss,
the Father turns His face away,
as wounds which mar the chosen one
bring many sons to glory

2. Behold the man upon the cross,
my sin upon His shoulders;
ashamed, I hear my mocking voice
call out among the scoffers.
It was my sin that held Him there
until it was accomplished;
his dying breath has brought me life –
I know that it is finished

3. I will not boast in anything,
no gifts, no pow’r, no wisdom;
but I will boast in Jesus Christ,
His death and resurrection.
Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer,
but this I know with all my heart,
His wounds have paid my ransom.

 ©  COPYRIGHT 1995 KINGSWAY THANKYOU MUSIC,
USED BY PERMISSION. WORDS AND MUSIC
STUART TOWNEND

So another week nearly over - where does the time go??

Tomorrow is Good Friday - the day we celebrate our Lord's death on the cross that we might have life - what a sacrifice and what a gift.

A while ago I discovered a Christian band called Casting Crowns.  They have some awesome songs but one in particular is very appropriate for Easter and I'd like to share it with you.  It is entitled 'Glorious Day' and you can find a number of versions on You Tube but I like this one as you can follow the lyrics. Here is the link if  you want to have a listen : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXp6xcY5IqU&feature=share

On the 'Roy' front there isn't a lot to report - he is keeping as active as he can and as he feels able.  The double dose of meds have taken a wee bit to get used too, but he seems to have his 'mojo' back a bit again.  He is currently still doing the overflow bags job for NZPost - but he does see the time coming when it'll be too much and so next week he is training a new person to take that on.  He is currently also still on Session and last night lead the Bible Study - he did find it a wee bit hard to get peoples attention as he is no longer able to raise his voice.

On the house front - we have dropped the price a bit and have given the agent 2 weeks to work her magic - otherwise we'll re-list with someone else.  In the meantime we are enjoying a bountiful harvest of both passionfruit and feijoas - so yummy.

We have also found a house to possibly rent - however it will be dependent on us first selling this one - so we covert your prayers in this area  :0)

We're off to Hastings for a few days of family time, I'll tell you all about it next week when we get back.  Might even have some photos to add.

Have a blessed and safe Easter.

Till next time.

Blessings
Jolanda

I have decided to give blogging another go and use it as a sort of diary of my journey over the coming months and maybe even years.  I've never been good at keeping a diary so we'll see how this goes.

I want to use this as a place where I can talk about the highs amd lows and keep those that might be interested updated on how things are going with Roy and the cancer.

Many of you who read this already know Roy's cancer story, but some of you might not so here is a quick summary:

Roy was first diagnosed with a non aggressive bladder cancer in 1988.  In 2008 the cancer became aggresive and it was decided to remove the bladder and give Roy an new one using a piece of his bowel.  This was a success however it was discovered that there was cancer in the lymp nodes - chemo was discussed but at that stage rejected because the success rate was almost nil of it making any difference.
Life went on with Roy recovering from his surgery and learning to control and use his new bladder.  Late 2009 Roy ended up in hosp with acute renal failure and it was discovered that a tumour was blocking the tubes from his kidneys to his bladder.  Nephrostomy tubes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nephrostomy) were inserted into his kidney's to help them function and chemo was started.
The chemo was a huge success and the nephrostomy's were removed and Roy was in remission which lasted 2.5 years.
Last year (2012) Roy found a small lump in his neck - the cancer was back :0(
He did chemo again but halfway through he was back in hosp with renal failure.  Stents here put into the ureters to keep them open and the kidney's began functioning properly again, but the chemo was stopped as it was no longer being effective.
Radiation treatment was done in Jan this year to help with the sciatic pain Roy was experiencing in his right leg - this was successful but the radiation made Roy very sick and tired.
The cancer now seems to be progressing faster with Roy having a lot of trouble standing for a long time or walking long distances.  The lump in his neck is also growing and as of Friday last week has effected the sound of his voice and his ability to swallow liquids - funnily food is no problem.

So where are we at??

We had a scan today and we saw the Doc at the Hospice. There we learnt that apparently they didn't scan Roy's neck so now we will prob have to have another scan done. :0(    The Hospice Doc has increased Roy's slow release pain meds, and thinks the reason Roy's voice has changed and his trouble drinking is related to the tumour pressing on nerves. This could also be why he has been getting sudden headaches. So now we wait either to hear about an other scan or to see the Oncologist next week Wednesday.

I - no we - are learning patience and to trust wholly in the Lord.  Is that always easy - no it isn't.  For all that we know that God is in control as sinful humans we still want things to move at our time and pace.

I covert your prayers - that if it is God's will that He will heal Roy and if not that He will give us the strength to meet each day as it comes.  Oh also that God will send a buyer for our house - soon :0)

Thanks for 'listening'.

Till next time.

Much love and blessings.
Jolanda