Discharged

I’m out of the hospital as of 3:00 this afternoon. I HATE the hospital. I have been in there since Thursday. I have a infection and they think it’s a biliary duct infection. I’m now on 9 days of IV Antibiotics at home which I can get from Option Care, the company I was working for. It is ironic to be on this side of my industry. It has really opened my eyes. Did I mention that I hate the hospital? I shared a room with someone who only wanted to watch the spanish channel. There were a couple of people that would scream in the middle of the night and keep me up. After the first morphine shot and first movie was done I wanted to go home. My body hurt from just laying in the bed this morning so I went down to the lobby and did Yoga and Push ups. It was a scene but I didn’t care. Last night I watched Wrestle Mania in the lobby of my floor for two hours because there was no way to change the channel. I missed my family terribly!
Anyways, I am home and will get rid of this infection this week. I have to skip chemo this week but it is the first time I have ever missed chemo in 9 months. I am still in pain for some reason and was up most of last night. I never had any of these issues until the stent went in. Thanks for all the encouraging blogs this week. I needed them.
Lord,
Be with me tonight so I can rest and get a good night sleep. I need it. Lift my family up this week and hold us in the palm of your hand. When we are weak. You are strong.
Thank you Jesus.
Val

The Tunnel At The End Of The Tunnel

"In the land of Uz there was a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright;he feared God and shunned evil. He had seven sons and three daughters. He was the greatest man among all the people of the east."

Beloved, you know the account of how Job's life came crashing down around him. His children; all killed. His wealth; all lost. Afflicted with a horribly painful disease.

Why? We the readers know that he had done nothing to deserve this suffering. But nobody tells Job, his wife, or his friends.

Job's wife mocked him. "Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die (2:9)." His friends were worse. They argued that he was being punished and deserved these tragedies. Against all evidence, Job struggled to keep believing in the loving God that he knew and worshipped.

Job knew deep in his soul that they were all wrong. There must be another explanation. He asked for just one thing. A face to face meeting with God Most High. His requested was finally granted.

Unknown to him, Job was the main character in a contest proposed in heaven. Satan accused Job of being a follower of God Most High because God had blessed him with health, wealth, and family. Take it away, said Satan, and Job will curse you to your face.

Job had a long list of questions for God, but when they met, it was God who asked the questions. Follow Him beloved as He speaks to Job and to us in chapters 38-41.

Sitting in a pile of ashes, naked and covered with sores, Job answers God (42:1-9). Because he had seen Him face to face, he believed God in the midst of his suffering, with no certainty of relief in sight. And the rest is history.

Today, we feel like Job. Our lives have been stricken. Things don't make sense. Why does God seem so distant and silent?

Solomon said "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun." The story of Job is being played out again in the life of Val, Chris, the boys,and all of you beloved that surround them with love and prayers.

Be encouraged by the story of Job. We may not see God face to face as Job did, but we know that, like Job, God's Son suffered unjustly for us. And just like the story of Job and the suffering of our Saviour, the end of our story will be joyful and victorious. God Himself has already written the final chapter.

Godspeed

Blood Infection??

Val woke up this morning with a 102* temperature, chills, nausea, and pain. My mom, Nancy, took her to the hospital where they will evaluate the situation. Val said that her symptoms indicate a blood infection and that it will take two days to determine that, but during that time she will remain in the hospital.

Pray for Val duing her time in the hospital. Pray that the doctor's can quickly determine what is wrong and treat it quickly as well. Pray that her hostipal stay does not exceed those two days as she would much rather be at home. Pray that her time there is comfortable for her and that her pain, and nausea can be controlled. Pray for Chris and the boys and my parents during these days.

Pray that the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY wraps his loving arms around Val and if it be His will take this cancer from her body. We know he is able to do it.

Your prayers are an amazing blessing as they glorify God and encourage Valerie.

Julie (Val's sister)

Update

Wanted to get an update out on Val’s condition. She had Chemo on Monday and was in tremendous amount of pain all night. She did not sleep at all. She is incredible with her pain tolerance and said it was a 10 out of 10. The pain was better Tuesday and has been getting somewhat better day-by-day but is still at a 5 tonight (Thursday night). She has had to take strong pain Meds (Dilaudid) to feel good. The Oncologist says to talk with the Stent Dr. and Stent Dr. says it must be from the Chemo…. I think we will get a CT Monday to see if there is something going on. It just very weird because there is no broken part we can go after and fix. We have some prayer request for the troops.

- Please Pray for Strength tomorrow at our son’s 7th Birthday party
- She has strength next week while the Nanny is out on Vacation all week
- That we find out what is the issue and her pain becomes controllable
- The results of the Scan are positive
- The Chemo is working like a Pac-Man on the tumors


Thanks for all the support and Love!!! It’s one day at a time.

-Chris

Randy Moersch

Randy Moersch died last night after a long battle with brain cancer.

I didn't know him very well but he was a good friend of Julie's family. Paul and I visited him a while ago at his home in Vista. We flew an RC plane off his property and shared a meal with Randy and his wife Sondra.

I do know some things about Randy, however. In fact, the most important things. He is a child of God Most High. And just as Paul reminds us in his letter to the church at Phillipi, God began a good work in Randy and carried it out to completion.

Like every soul who confesses that Jesus is Lord, Randy was a pilgrim and a traveler in this world. It was not his home and it is not ours.

We mourn that he has fallen asleep beloved, but we do not mourn as those who have no hope. And God himself will wipe away every tear from our eye. There will be no more sickness and no more death for the former things have passed away.

The USS John C. Stennis is a Carrier in Air Wing 9. At 30 knots, the Stennis, 1,092 feet long, leaves a wake of 30 nautical miles behind it. Like the Stennis, Randy Moersch's life leaves behind a large wake in our world. He enriched it. It is a better world because he was here. He will be missed.

And now unto Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work in us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus for
now and forevermore. Amen.

River Trip

We just returned from a week vacation at "Hidden Shores". This is a recreation park on the river close to Yuma. We stayed with some friends there at their house. It was very fun for our family. We used to own a house there and went very frequently. We towed our boat out there, which we have not used for 10 months. It was fun for the kids! It was 100 to 106 degrees. I felt pretty good most of the week. We relaxed, wakeboarded, ate good meals and hung out with friends (Mark and Steph). I get Chemo this next Thurs. I have had some pain for the last two nights. I still continue to struggle with taking pain medicine. It is not that I will not take it, it is just that is makes me sick. It is a whole ordeal just to take a pain pill and the patch makes me sick too. Then the pain just wears on me, so I continue to try to figure it out. We went to church this morning. Tyler will not stay in nursery so I had to hang with him but Chris said it was good. Usually Chris takes him but I gave him a break this week. Ryan and Gavin are in a soccer camp this week. It will be good for them. Hopefully is is not so hot this week. My sister is in town this week. It will be good to see her. Chris's birthday is July 11th. He will be 37. Happy Birthday Babe!!!!!!! We are going to celebrate it next Saturday.

(these pictures are at the river over the 4th)

One moment at a time,

Val