Just an Eight Year Old!

In the Church we fast (abstain from food and water) one Sunday each month. As part of the fast we pray for individuals who are sick or have other challenges and we also donate the money we would have spent on food to those in need. Over the years, this has been a wonderful religious tradition that has blessed our lives. Typically young children don't fast (for obvious reasons) but last week we had a cool experience with our eight year old son Isaac. On Saturday Callie and I took Isaac and visited a member of our church named Jack that has colon cancer and has been on Chemo and Radiation for a few weeks to shrink the tumor. This poor brother had a red rash all over his body and lesions all over his mouth and lips from the Radiation. Despite his difficult situation, he was in good spirits during our visit.

To be honest, I didn't really think about the impact this might have on Isaac. The next day (a fast Sunday), as Callie shared with me, she was in the kitchen reminding our older kids that it was fast Sunday when Isaac spoke up and said, "I'm already fasting mom." She was a little surprised, and then asked "But are you fasting with a purpose in mind?" Expecting him to say no, she was so happy to hear him say, "I'm fasting for Jack!" This brought tears to my eyes when she told me.

Sometimes we wonder if our kids are developing charitable attributes...but apparently they are!

Faith to Heal

On Tuesday evening I was invited by my neighbor Evan to go with him to give a Priesthood Blessing to one of our neighbors who I had never met. In the Church we believe that men can have the same power and authority that Jesus used to heal lepers and give sight to the blind. It's really quite amazing. This power is called the Priesthood. Blessings usually have at least three elements that are important to their effectiveness. Effective blessings require a man ordained to the Priesthood, the person's faith in Jesus Christ and God's will.

The lady desiring a blessing is named Gwen and her husband of only one month is Keith. They're probably in their mid 50s. The reason for the blessing was because Gwen was diagnosed with bone-marrow cancer back in July and has been fighting it ever since. Yesterday she was to go in to the hospital to see if her levels were low enough to make her eligible for a bone-marrow transplant...which can prolong her life as the type of cancer she has is terminal/no cure.

Gwen and her family are not of our faith, so we shared with them what the Priesthood is as they had never experienced this before. During the blessing I felt prompted to share that her test would have a favorable outcome and her life would be prolonged. After we finished the blessing, I looked up and I could see tears in everyone's eyes as they clearly felt the great love God has for Gwen. It was a special experience and we pray that the blessing will continue to help Gwen endure to the end.

UPDATE: Gwen's test results were good and if her levels can continue to remain low, she'll be eligible to receive the bone-marrow transplant she seeks! Modern-day miracles are real!

Greg