Winding up treatments

It has been some time since I last wrote, I feel like my brain was put into sleep mode from all the chemo...The good news is that I now feel that I am fully recovering.  My energy levels are picking up daily and I am starting to feel I am regaining my mental abilities, not that they have ever been very strong :-) 

First as an update on my medical condition, we are very excited that we are in the final stages of this season.  Yesterday I had one of my final medical appointments with the oncologist.  Basically all I have remaining is to remove the port from my chest and do take one last look at my stomach from the inside to give us a picture of the end result of the treatments.  All this should be done next week.  We then will have one last appointment with the oncologist to lay out what he sees as follow up that we will be doing upon our return to Uganda.  

We praise God that He has preserved me through out this journey and revealed Himself to me in a fantastic way.  I am fully confident that He is my healer and the reason we have experienced such a quick and powerful recovery from cancer.  As my oncologist said, you just don’t see things happen this way very often.  Yesterday we were thanking him for the treatment and care I received and he again alluded to our situation being unusual.  He said “in our business we often only see the difficult outcomes, the disappointments.  But cases like yours, the Geoff Brittons of the business we will hold on to.”  WOW!  Praise God for showing His mighty power.  As a part of our thank you we put together a gift basket for him.  In it we put a number of things, bottle of wine, gift certificate for a restaurant, some Ugandan crafts and included the book “The Long Road To Hope” which is the story of God working at New Hope.  We continue to believe that in all areas of our lives, even cancer God will use for for His glory.  Especially the testimony to our doctor.  In the card I wrote him I included my opinions of how God often uses people in many different ways, and the fact that God was using him in peoples lives, including ours.  Mary also baked 2 huge plates of goodies for the office staff including croissants, cookies, muffins and scones.  The staff was blessed by her talents in the kitchen, again Praise God!

Things continue to be on course for our return October 12th to Uganda.  We are excited but also feeling the usual pressure of needing to prepare.  Added on this time is the fact that we need to return all this furniture people have so graciously lent or given us and clean the house for hand over to the landlord.  Keep us in prayer as we want to finish 2 more weeks of school with the kids before a vacation in September and then a visit from my parents.  The past 5 months has flown by, kind of hard to believe but we are ready for the next season.

Go Cart Day!!!!

The kids have been working on building a go-cart with Jene Spivey these past few weeks. Every time we went to chemo or a blood work appt, they went to Jene and Sheila Spivey's and worked on their joint creation.  With Jene's guidance and teaching, they built the frame out of wood, designed the gas and brake pads, designed the brake system, installed a horn and radio, painted it and equipped it with stickers, engineered the steering, placed the battery, and enjoyed Jene's fun shop. It was the best shop class I could have never given them!!! We are so thankful for this fun, enjoyable and educational experience!!!!

Of course we had to pick up a little pizza for lunch before the test run. There's no better way to pick up pizza than in a '58 Edsel complete with fuzzy dice!

Can you believe this ride?

It's a bit unconventional don't ya think????

Perfect cruisin' mobile

The proud students with the finished product!

complete with artistically placed stickers

the sweet brake pedal complete with toenails

and the gas pedal

nice engine

Finally! Moving the go-cart out of the garage and loading it into the truck!

The FIRST time we unloaded, our excitement was short-lived . . . why?

"Uh, you can't run that here, you'll have to go somewhere else." Seems there is a councilman in the neighborhood who was on the phone as soon as we started unloading. The nice policeman told us where we could find a suitable lot for go-carting, so . . . .

we loaded it back up and headed out!

Wheeling it to our second try at a test-run

With some tweaking, there was great success!

A bit of a tight fit for the tall man.

Perfect for Kevin!

Go Acacia!

Uh, Oh!  The Brake pedal and cable broke, but no worries!!!

We'll drive it with no brakes!

No brakes makes it even MORE fun!

And some final tweaking for the last run of the afternoon before we head back to the house . . . 

   . . . where Jene demonstrates how to get the most momentum on the zoot scoot . . .

 . . . and Kevin collapses in the shade!

What a blessing to have the Spivey's in our lives! The kids have thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Jene and Sheila and we are thankful to have our kids around people who are loving, kind and full of good, clean fun!

Another Month has Rolled By

We dropped the kids off for a week at King's Kamp 2013 in Idyllwild, CA 

Ahhhh, the joys of attempting to sharpen the young ones’ brains after a week of youth camp fun in the mountains . . . We started our academics with a little language arts exercise on tenses.  I am not one to defeat myself and start off in the rafters of deep thought, so, I did not assume anything much remained solidified in the brain after academically checking out for a week.  The first question shows the slow pace at which I intended to reintroduce the kids to the school setting, “Do you know what tense is?”  to which Kevin answered, “Yes, more than one tent.”  I laugh. Moving right along Acacia gives her attempt at clarification, “Is tense like right now?” I answer, “Yes, what else can it be?”  to which she replied, “Stress,”  which I'm sure was a revelation of what she was feeling at that moment sitting in class as compared to playing at camp!

They had a great time and made a lot of new friends!

The theme of King's Kamp this year was the "Heart of a Hero" They enjoyed the classes and lessons AND the silly camp songs, which we are still hearing sung daily even two weeks after their return!!!!

We managed to pull ourselves up to full academic speed just about the time Geoff, tired of being stuck in the house during the last round of chemo and recovery, announced an impromptu trek to the beach.  I whined and moaned and then thoroughly enjoyed the privilege of sitting in the sunshine on the Pacific Coast at a moment’s notice. The kids ran around flying a kite, chasing the waves and building sand structures. yum.

flying kites and goofing around in Seal Beach

It has been a busy month!!! I actually struggle to believe that it has been almost a full month since we wrote a blog! Geoff expounded last time and this turn has fallen to me. yay.

I usually enjoy writing, but we’ve been so busy lately that I’ve found it difficult to formulate a complete thought. From Geoff’s oncologist appointments to my own and Toby’s “maintenance visits”.  An extended furlough is a good time to complete all those check-ups we’ve been neglecting the past few years. The eye exams for the kids and you know the type to which I am referring for myself? Treading on TMI ground here . . . all the intricate checking of the delicate parts. It’s been so fun, truly.  “Happy 50th Birthday, enjoy a colonoscopy.” Tremendous. I survived. But, the uncomfortable mammogram experience sequel happens this Monday because last week’s extravaganza yielded fuzzy results. So much fun.

Geoff got disconnected from his final bags of chemo on August 9th!!

No more of these things!!!

We have another 1 1/2 months here. The beginning of the end--I can’t believe how fast time is whizzing by. This happens at the end of every furlough, extended or not. The time crunch creeps up on us and pounces in the form of overload--appointments, visits, purchasing, organizing, packing and, unfortunately, the reality of NOT being able to see people we want to see!  I hate that part of our lives. So many goodbyes and sometimes not even a moment to say hello in the first place!

Today, however, was a celebration. We went to my Dad’s grave and I was thankful. Thankful for God’s choice for me in my Father. Thankful for the life I have and the blessing of my Dad during the years he was alive and now in my memories. And, following the cemetery, we met with one of my favorite people in the world, my friend from High School, Dianne. She and I don’t get to see each other very much, but I love it when we do. She is an inspiration to my family having survived three bouts with cancer. Her attitude is positive and based on trust in God. Her husband, Chuck is a delight--a man who exhibits true love and support to his wife. I am thankful for days like today.

Dianne, Geoff and Bela!  Three cancer survivors!!

Tomorrow we will attend the Los Altos church and spend the afternoon “playing” with some friends with whom our kids built a go-cart over the past few weeks. The test drive is tomorrow and we’re all looking forward to the culmination of this creative project! Of course, pictures will follow!

Blessings to you!

ENTITLEMENTS

The last few weeks I have been reading an old book that has been on my shelf for the past 17 years, but for at least 8 or 10 has laid un touched.  “Knowing God” by J.I. Packer, maybe you’ve read it?  Mary gave it to  me when we were getting to know each other back in 1996.  It is a good book, not filled with new revelation or spectacular stories of the afterlife, but good foundational material and teachings to strengthen the soul.   This has lead me to meditate of my status as a “son of God”, like I said nothing new or earth shattering until you really lay hold of that truth.  That I am a son of God, born into the most holy family of the creator of the universe.  Being given access to the almighty as a son has to his father.  These truths are really game changers.  At times we go through the motions hearing some great bible teachings but that is what they remain, great bible teachings.  But when you can really lay hold of the fact that through Christ the adoption papers were finished and we are now full heirs to the Kingdom of God.  That opens up a new realm of faith for someone.  Being an heir with Christ (Rom 8:14-17) means that I have benefits (psalm 103:2), or to speak a word which is somewhat a buzz word these days, ENTITLEMENTS.

The word entitlement is one that depending on who you are comes with different meanings.  For Republicans it is kind of a bad word, implying that we are expecting something we may or may not deserve, mainly connected to the welfare mentality.  For democrats it is a part of every American’s rights, we deserve!  Some christians have sided with the first definition and consider it a negative term.  Honestly there is truth in both sides of the discussion, but today I want to propose that we do have entitlements and should learn to live like it.  Not that I am promoting all of us to quit our jobs, sign up for medicaid and wait for the government to come to our rescue but consider the way we see our relationship with God. 

Very often we come to God and see our selves as somewhat beggars in His kingdom.  We think that God is too big, too busy and frankly at times we think we are too un-worthy to receive from Him or to relate too closely with Him.  This is where we need to see what God really intends for us.  Yes, the truth is I am un-worthy to receive the goodness that God pours out in my life and in myself I don’t have have any hope of His blessing.  But the deciding factor is not who I am or what I have done, but who I know.  Jesus, through His sacrifice has opened the door to me and offered me adoption into His glorious family, that through His grace and divine power has given me all I need to be a partaker of His divine nature (2 Peter 1:3-4).  Now I have the right to cry out Daddy, Daddy no longer being a beggar at the gates of the King.  

As a child of the king (Gal 3, Rom 9, 1 John 3) we need to know that God welcomes us to come with our pains, our disappointments, our needs and burdens.  Come into His presence and find the fullness of joy.  Having access to the great healer (Ex 15:22-27), the compassionate one (James 5:11, Ex 22:27), our comforter (2 Cor 1:3), the one who is full of grace (John 1:14) with the ability to do above and beyond all we could think or ask (Eph 3:20).  

Yes that is right, we are entitled to know and experience this God I am talking about.  To walk through what ever challenge or struggle you may be facing with the knowledge that you are loved and not alone.  The assurance that God has made a way for us to be called the sons of God, and that we can call Him Father.

God never promises us a quick solution to our problems, but He promises that his grace is sufficient and His presence is never ending.  And the reassurance that we are His children and He has a good plan for us gives us hope and the strength we need.  When we come to him in that knowledge, trusting that He will work all things out for our good, we can ask what we desire and trust Him for what is best.  Even when it isn’t the answer we were looking for.  

The understanding of being a son of God has brought the grace to my life that I never imagined could be there.  It has provided the strength in times of weakness, the hope in times of feeling lost and the assurance that no matter what happened I was in the hands of a loving God.    

THIS IS WHAT WE ARE ENTITLED TO!