Once again, thank you all for your continued love, prayers and support for us as a family – it is a very precious thing to know the sense of being carried by your prayers.
I know many of you want to be kept up to date, and so here is my weekly update! Yesterday I took Linda into St Catherine’s Hospice for “symptom management.” Recently she has hardly been able to stay awake, she has been getting very sick and has been in constant pain despite the increases in both her morphine and anti-sickness drugs; physically she is now finding it hard to get up the stairs, or to just do the basic normal things. Participating in family life for her has become really difficult, and she has now got to the point where, after such a long time of coping, she “has had enough.” Personally I think of all people she is entitled to feel that way! So we agreed together that now was the best time for her to go into St Catherine’s as they are probably best placed to try to get her comfortable. At the moment we don’t know whether how she is feeling is predominantly drug or cancer induced, and so having their excellent care is good thing.
It’s a very strange feeling taking her into a hospice – we have seen so many people go in and not come out again that it leaves a very ominous feeling on your heart as a husband and father. Feelings are a strange thing – recently I have been reflecting upon the different reactions people have been having towards Linda’s illness. A few people come up to me, or e-mail me to say “God has told them that she is going to be healed.” Others seem to think that her healing is dependent upon me just “Believing/Having more faith”; others have e-mailed to say we should stop praying and let her go whilst the majority of people seem to just not know what to say, or panic. When Linda was first diagnosed, our consultant said two things – first that he has found people with faith cope better with cancer, and secondly that often the people going through it cope better than those around them! So if it helps, I have a very simple approach to all this; I know God can heal (he is still in the miracle business), but I also know he doesn’t always, so I hope/pray for the best but prepare for the worst.
A friend stopped me in the playground last week to ask me how I cope. I was able to share with her how, although things are tough and painful, I have learnt to trust God increasingly over the last 18-years and how, as Linda and I have been able to face her death together, I have discovered a real, tangible sense of peace coming from a real assurance. After all, if this “God stuff” is true, and the significant historical, scientific, and experiential evidence says it is, then it is possible to face this with strength, and for Linda this is just the beginning.
Hello, It has been great to See Linda again, This week, There are a lot of people in Canterbury Kent praying for Linda and the Family. I get a great sense of God’s peace over the whole situation.
I must say that My personal walk with God has taken a back seat for far too long now. But Linda and Chris’s Story is inspiring me to retake up that walk again. it’s along way back but I pray that My sisters suffering will not be in vain, if her testimony brings others to Christ then God will bless Her mightily.
My thoughts and prayers are with Linda and Chris and family
Andrew
Dear Chris and Linda,
Thanks so much for keeping us updated. Yesterday I gave everyone at church a special news sheet to pray for your family, with your photographs on and we spent quite a while at last nights prayer meeting just upholding you before the Lord. I don’t believe the timing was accidental, that someone happened to lend me a recorded testimony yesterday of a young girl, 22, who was sharing how the Lord has blessed and spoke to her during a very fierce storm. I just want to share a little of it with you.
Dawn Joy who was only 22 fell ill to a very aggressive brain tumour, and this testimony was shared just a few days before she went home to be with the Lord. I will post it to you, but just wanted to e-mail the gist of it so that you could share it with Linda.
She tells how the Lord spoke to her from Luke 8:22-25 – Jesus calms the storm.
The first point, is that the invitation to “come to the other side” is from Jesus. Wow- it is an invitation, and an invitation is always for something good. He says “Let us go…” Jesus is inviting His disciples to come with Him to the others side.We know that what He has prepared for His saints on the ‘other side’ is going to be absolutely wonderful.
Secondly, Jesus is travelling all the way with them. He is not asking us to go somewhere alone, He is with us every step of the journey, and that brings great comfort.
The storm was fierce, the disciples were afraid, they faced death in the face, yet Jesus was still with them. As He slept, perhaps underneath, they for a moment were unaware of His presence.Often in the storm we can think, where is Jesus? Prayer seems hard, our emotions are all over the place. That’s okay, that’s normal, but know that Jesus has never left you. He is still sovereign and He is still there, even when you cannot feel Him.
Jesus commanded peace. May you both be so enveloped in His wonderful peace, may He carry you and comfort you until we all meet again ‘on the other side’.
I hope that this offers a little comfort. We weep with you and know that God will carry you and sustain you. May He release His Holy Spirit powerfully into your situation and glorify His name. God bless you and keep you.
With much love to you all, Mansell & Tracy XXX