Blog 8
Teach me, Oh God
Tony and I returned home to Miami on Monday, November 20
from Oasis of Hope Hospital in Tijuana, Mexico. God had revealed to us that
“all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are
called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28. Even from a few months before
the diagnosis of cancer, God had been workings thing out for this moment. God
meant for us to go there, and He provided everything we would need. Tony had left
his job for a new one just a few months before, which allowed him the
flexibility to be able to accompany me to Mexico. It also provided an increased
income to afford the trip- which I might add was quite expensive. That is God.
He says “I will provide ALL your needs” Philippians 4:19, and He has
demonstrated that beyond the shadow of a doubt.
God had ordered every step of the way, and laid out many
lessons for us to learn. In the many silent moments, away from the hustle and
bustle of Miami life, we took time to observe and learn from the experiences of
others. As we prepared for the trip, we realized that this trip would not only
be for physical healing, but God had a plan for even further restoration.
We
were taught lessons from day one until the very last day we left as we observed
the love of God for each of His children. Honestly, I could not have done it
without my husband, Tony. Thank you, Tony, for your patience, unconditional
love, and for your encouraging words and endless hugs throughout the tears and difficult
times. I have been truly blessed by you.
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I am blessed! |
We have made lasting friendships from our time at Oasis, and
each one taught us a specific lesson.
First, there was Steve and his mother Mae.
Mae is a cancer survivor who received treatment here many years ago. Both she
and her son travel back to Oasis each year to volunteer their time and share
their love with others. They are deeply spiritual, and are so full of life that
it is often hard to keep up with even Mae who is in her seventies! Steve
untiringly labors to organize trips and movie nights in the Treatment Room to
keep us in good spirits, while getting us out and about so we are not always in
a hospital environment. When you are faced with a serious illness you learn to
live life to the fullest. Through the example of Steve and Mae, God has taught
me to find the blessings every day. If we just take the time to look we will
find an abundance of them. Jesus calls us to be servants, as He was when He was
on earth because there will be no starless crowns in heaven. Like Steve and
Mae, we are called to be servants or participants in the House of God, not
spectators. These friends taught us to labor unceasingly, and to be a blessing
to others in any way we can. “Do not be
weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not”
Galatians 6:9.
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Manny |
Then there is Manny, one of the maintenance workers. He
greets us every day with a blessing, a smile and a hug. Truly this man is
overflowing with the love of God. “Encourage
one another, and build each other up” 1 Thessalonians 5:11 is his mission
for each day. I will never forget dear Cesar! He is charge of the dining area
and kitchen staff. Cesar lives by “whatsoever
thine hand findeth to do, do it with thy might” Ecclesiastes 9:10. He is so
meticulous about getting the tables set perfectly with forks, knives, and
spoons lined up on the napkins. He watches untiringly with the biggest smile on
his face, and perfect posture (yes, I need to practice standing straight and
tall like you, Cesar), making sure all are happy and well with the delicious vegetarian
buffet spread three times a day. After a few days, he got to know exactly what
I liked to add to my breakfast- thinly sliced green apples with the skin and seeds
(excellent source of Vitamin B17) and a strawberry protein shake (dairy-free). It
was the same treatment for each patient.
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Thank you, Cesar! |
Cesar reminds me that God wants our best with
whatever we do. He is not pleased with half-hearted efforts. After all, He gave us His best- His only Son. Cesar has influenced me to order my home more
effectively. I’ve started to get rid of the clutter, and all the things that I
don’t even remember I have. They have become a heavy weight that I don’t care to
carry any longer. My plan is to reduce all our “stuff” by two-thirds. I’ve
learned to disconnect with the things of this world that keep me in bondage, After all, I have a
mansion waiting for me up yonder!
Gail taught us about the magnitude of a mother’s love as she
cared for her daughter Amber. There was never a complaint. Gail always did her
best to stay strong and positive for her daughter regardless of the many
setbacks Amber experienced. Her love inspired me spend even more quality time
with my own two children. At times, I have been guilty of spending more time on
church and school activities than with them. I think of the many moments wasted
that I can never get back. Parents, we need to stop pushing our children to the
bottom of the list. We need to set quality time apart every day to find out how
our children’s days went, to tell them that we love them, and to hug and hold
them. Find out who they are so that you
can guide them through whatever it is they may go though. Stop trying to squeeze
your family into your schedule, and start making them the priority. Even though
we have often made a mess of things in the past, don’t worry. God is in the
business of restoration. Praise God!
Natalie and her mother, Cindy, are as cute as buttons!
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Natalie and her mother, Cindy |
Talk
about a “merry heart doeth good like a
medicine!” Proverbs 17:22. Natalie and Cindy are always beaming like bright
lights. I always enjoy their presence because of that. God wants our joy to be full. He calls
us to rejoice, never complaining. Let us examine ourselves to be sure that we
bring joy and positive energy when we come into the presence of others. “Do not allow the perplexities and worries of
everyday life to fret your mind and cloud your brow. If you do, you will always
have something to vex and annoy. Life is what we make it, and we shall find
what we look for. If we look for sadness and trouble, if we are in a frame of
mind to magnify little difficulties, we shall find plenty of them to engross
our thoughts and our conversation. But if we look on the bright side of things,
we shall find enough to make us cheerful and happy. If we give smiles, they
will be returned to us; if we speak cheerful, pleasant words, they will be
spoken to us again.” Adventist Home, pp. 430
We spent a lot of time with Allen and Barbara. Alan is a
retired pilot, and entertained us with countless stories about his life. In the
same way, God calls each one of us to share our life stories- our testimonies-
with the people we come in contact with. He and his wife, Barbara, a retired air-stewardess,
have traveled the world, experiencing so much together. I love the way Barbara
focuses much of her attention of Allen. She openly expresses her care and affection for
her husband. We told them we wanted to be just like them when we get to that
age, but we realize marriage takes a lot of commitment and hard work. “Though difficulties, perplexities, and
discouragements may arise….determine to be all that it is possible to be to
each other. Continue the early attentions. In every way encourage each other to
fight the battles of life. Study to advance the happiness of each other…..The
warmth of true friendship, the love that binds heart to heart, is a foretaste
of the joys of heaven” Adventist Home, pp. 106. God provides a way. We just
need to seek Him, and He will lead and direct us.
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Allen, Barbara, and Donna |
Melissa and Brad, our friends from Hawaii, are so special.
Melissa has the sweetest demeanor, patiently taking care of James. James is
often in a great deal of pain but he bears it silently trying to put up a brave
front. He never complains. “Do everything without complaining, so that we may
be called children of God” Philippians 2:14. I have at times felt occasional pain
from the cancer, but it does not compare to the agony that James experiences sometimes.
Yet he silently and patiently endures without complaining in front of us. How would we react
if we were in that situation? At times, I said a silent prayer for him, because
there is nothing more that I can do. However, intercessory prayer allows God to
work on the behalf of others. He never forces Himself on anyone, but when the
call is sounded to help, whether it comes from the person himself, or from
someone praying for another’s behalf, He is always present.
Aysha and I keep in touch on a regular basis. She is Muslim
and originally from Pakistan. She has taught me about faith. She goes to her
room to pray five times a day. Such diligence! She had these beads wrapped around her hand that looked sort of like a
rosary. She later told me they were called tasbeeh, and are used to say short
repetitive utterances in praise and glorification. An example Aysha gave was to use it as a reminder of God's power. On that particular day she prayed to God using one of His names or attributes- God as Healer.
Throughout the day she would utter that God was her Healer while touching a
bead. I pondered on how I may apply this to my Christian walk…I've applied it this way: I may say Scriptures about healing, or patience, etc., daily and then claim them because God’s Word is truth. Aysha, your strength
and perseverance has taught me to press on in faith because God will never let us down.
Rebecca and Andrew were a huge inspiration. While at Oasis,
they received a call from home that their home was burglarized. On top of that,
the culprits spent the night partying and vandalizing the house, taking many
precious possessions. I could hardly believe their misfortune at a time like
this when Andrew was battling cancer. Nevertheless, their comment to us was
that it was only stuff. Wow! As I pondered their remark, I wondered how I would
react in a situation like that. So often we are tied to our possessions,
rather, in bondage. We have too much, most of which we do not even need. Far
too often, these things take up so much of our time that we have little time or
energy for God. The brand new car needs to be detailed…..the collections need
to be displayed to show off what we have……the huge house that has more rooms
than we need envelops all our energy to clean it, so that by Friday night we
can’t even prepare for the Sabbath because we are exhausted. We are
overwhelmed! I am learning to be satisfied with what I have, and to shed all
the “stuff.” This week, both Tony and my closets fell down- just like that!
Lord, I take it you are telling me to get rid of all that “stuff.” I hear You
loud and clear, dear Lord!” God is showing me not to get tied down by the cares
of this world. After all, He has much more glorious things waiting for me up
yonder.
Internet was slow most of the time in Mexico, and it was difficult
getting the blogs out more regularly. The last blog, #7, encountered many
difficulties. After a week of writing and trying to get it just right, I was
finally ready to publish. I was about to copy and paste it in the blog site
when suddenly, the words started
deleting line by line!!! I could not believe it! I pressed every key I could
think of on the computer but it kept on deleting speedily. I decided to take a
video on my phone so I could retrieve some of it that way. However, after it
had all deleted, I tried playing it back, and all I got was a black screen. I
prayed a silent praying asking God to find a way to get this information back.
My God can move mountains….. surely He would find a way so all this writing
would not be lost. I had continuously saved the document on Word throughout the
week as I had been writing. Now, when I
went to my saved documents, it was nowhere to be found. Then I remembered that I
had originally started writing the blog on my Ipad, and had forwarded it to my
email. That original document was still there, praise God! Many changes had
been made throughout that week, so I had to go back and change as much as I
could recall. I knew God would help me, and He did. When I was done with it,
the second attempt was better than the first. The enemy is like a roaring lion
seeking whom he may devour but God says “fear thou not; for I am with thee: Be
not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea I will help thee”
Isaiah 40:18. He most certainly did. I do not know what that was all about, but
I am thankful to have yet another opportunity to see God at work!
If we are willing, we shall be taught by the Lord, and great
shall be our peace. He will give us insights into our character if we take the
time to listen to what He has to say. At times he speaks through the
experiences of others, sometimes in a still small voice, by observing His creation,
and through His written Word. He has shown me my true state, my weaknesses and
frailties, and is showing me how to gain the victories in this life. It may
sound strange, but I thank God for this whole experience because without it…..where
would I have been spiritually? God in His great love and mercy was not content
to leave me where I had fallen, but was ready with outstretched arms to take me
to His bosom. I cry a lot, but it’s not tears of sorrow but of thankfulness for
He has shown favor on me when I did not deserve it…..but that is God. Please
get to know Him. Take time to look around you and see what God wants to show
you. The lessons may be where you least expect it. Having a knowledge of Him and actually knowing Him are two different things,
My prayer for all who read these blogs is that you are drawn into a closer
relationship to God….so close that you include Him in everything you do. This
journey has been the best adventure of my life. Nothing compares to the thrill
of walking with God step by step, day by day. What did you learn from God today?
“Show me Your ways, Lord, teach me your paths” Psalm 25:4; “Seek
ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these shall be
added unto you” Matthew 6:33.
My Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for sending Your Son, Jesus, who died for us while
we were yet sinners. There is nothing we can do to make You love us more. You
long to have us draw near to You. Please remove all the “stuff” we get caught
up with that separates us from you. Help us to take time to seek your
instruction for the day because You have so much to say to us. Thank you for
your great love, mercy, kindness, and patience towards us.
In the precious name of Jesus,
Amen!