2.22.11

this date will now be added to our memory bank. we have several of them and we may have more. this date represents when we received the news about my dad. the news that no one wants to hear. that it's positive. positive for cancer.

three years ago. on march 24, 2008 my dad was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. he endured many rounds of chemo & radiation. then on july 22, he underwent one of the most evasive surgeries to remove the majority of his esophagus. he went through many months of recovery to get off of a feeding tube. he was trying to find his "new normal". he did well. he overcame a lot!

fast forward to thanksgiving day, 2009...we rushed my dad to the emergency room for severe abdomen pain. he spent 10 days in the hospital and still no one could figure out what happened. not even to this day. our guess is as good as theirs.

one year later, during our annual christmas party (mom's side) in december, 2010, dad got a piece of meat stuck in his esophagus. had to take him to the hospital first thing the next morning to have it removed. he wasn't able to eat or drink for over 24 hrs. pretty scary when he is as frail as he is.

and now this week. feb 22, 2011. we add another date. we get hit with another blow of news. dad has cancer. again. it's in his left adrenal gland. next week, the meetings and the discussion picks back up. the treatment plan. the road ahead. the pros. the cons. the major decisions. it all begins. again.

it's been a rough week for us all. the unknown road ahead. BUT in the midst of the heaviness. in the midst of no hope. in the midst of sadness. in the midst of tears. in the midst of frustration. in the midst of not knowing how to respond...we have JESUS.

HE is our STRONGHOLD.
HE is our HOPE.
HE is our ROCK.
HE is our STRENGTH.
HE is our COMFORT.
HE is our LIFE.

and He is without a doubt HERE WITH US. He is where my eyes are fixed. and His name will be exalted through it all! i choose to lift up the name of Jesus through the life of my dad. may HE heal him. blessed be His Name!

*please pray with us as we walk down this journey...you can see updates on my dad's blog

good to be reminded...

last wednesday night i had the opportunity to go support one of my old campers at her basketball game. meet SALLY HIGGINS. she plays for west texas a&m had a game against tarelton state in stephenville; which is about an hour from where i live. 

i have been tremendously blessed by this girl. it has been such an honor to watch her grow since being in my cabin at k2 in 2007. that term will forever be etched on my heart and memory. i love the moments when i get reunited with campers. it definitely brings back all of the fun memories, but not only that. God uses those moments to reaffirm me in my role. to love. to invest into. to support. to encourage. to challenge. to disciple. to mentor. to raise up the next generation. and even though i fail daily with struggles of my own. i will keep going by the grace of God. i will keep spurring them on. i will keep praying for them. i will keep listening. i will keep being available for the Lord to speak through me. all i can truly offer is Jesus. and He alone is enough. He's more than enough to be quite honest...all that to say, i am grateful to be reminded of this and for the time spent with my dear friend Sally.

open hands

have you ever thought about what you would do when an opportunity arrives at your door? 

would you actually see it as an opportunity or would you pass it on by? 

and what would that opportunity be..? a new job? a trip? a new place to live? meeting someone new? going somewhere on the other side of the world? spending quality time with a friend? serving someone else? what would it be? and the greatest question is how will you respond?

one common theme in my prayer time lately has been "opportunities". that the Lord would give me opportunities to serve Him. whether big or small. ranging from overseas opportunities to loving on those around me. all of it is equal in how it brings honor and glory to His name. the issue and question has been, will i respond to it? will i recognize the opportunity before me?

a friend of mine recently said to me,"don't get caught up in the ultimate plan, or destination, but keep your hands open to see all along the way because you never know who the Lord will introduce you to or what He will do as you are going along." 

i'm humbled daily. i don't get how things have worked out the way they have. but i do know that the Lord has answered my prayer. maybe in a different way then i was expecting, but He answered it. i am thankful for what's in front of me. an opportunity for the Lord to use me in someone else's life. we each are a vessel for Him to use. to be His hands and feet to others.  what a honor it is to serve the Lord by serving His people and loving them. 

so with each chance i get. and each step i am on. i am saying yes. i will step forward.

All to Him,

Joy

Snow. Ice. Snow...Texas and beyond

i know it's been a week or more since the crazy "snowpocalypse", but wanted to share the crazy happenings here in texas & in colorado. 

February 1-3

the ice that fell in central texas caused everyone to have a difficult time when driving. and for the most part, a lot of people stayed home. however, i had to venture out to my parent's house to retrieve their car for them. they were planning on flying back down from CO to ft worth for the rodeo and wanted their car. anyways, i made the 25 mile journey out to the ranch. surprisingly the roads weren't too bad...except for one part...you see my parent's house live up on a mountain and the only way up is by a semi-step road. and when you have an inch or more on that road, it becomes impossible to drive up it. knowing that was the likelihood of the outcome, i still tried to prove myself and my dad wrong (he actually advised me to NOT even try to go up the hill). i learned that he was right very quickly. i started up the hill and about halfway up i started sliding. i couldn't go up or down, just sideways. my car was now diagonal on the road and close to the ditch. so i popped it in park, put the hill brake on and threw my bag on my shoulder to hike up the rest of the hill in the frigid cold temp. once i got up to the house i built a fire and settled in for the night. 

the morning came quick when i woke up to an ice cold house. yep it was 50 degrees. the heaters were not working, except only one in a certain part of the house.  oh and NO WATER either. come to find out one of the electrical boxes had froze, thus no heat. and our water well had froze. my uncle along with one of our ranch hands and i, we trying to use our limited knowledge and figure all of this out. 

my car was the next project on the list. it only took them a few pulls to get it straightened out and down the hill. clearly i was not going to even try to drive my parent's car down the icy slope. once we got everything settled at the house i headed back to town to my sister's place (i live in the barn apt out back). i had to get on back to check on the animals and to make sure everything was working properly. it was an adventure surviving the ice. 

February 4-7
friday i flew to colorado to meet up with my family. interestingly enough, it was a snowy blizzard here in texas the day i was flying out. by the time i left at noon, we already had 4-5 inches of snow on the ground. seriously? and i was flying to MORE snow. 

anyways, my time skiing with the family was great! it was a much needed break. while i was there for the weekend, we received a foot of snow. made skiing a bit more difficult, but it was SO fun! (click here to read about my sister's family trip to CO) 

here are few pictures from colorado...

the kids playing dominoes & other games...

they were sick the whole week they were there

 esther and i on the lift...

monday, feb 7 was when i flew back to texas. however, it never fails that my travel days are always full of more adventure.  i woke up that morning to find that my flight was cancelled and then even rerouted. i spent the next couple hours on the phone figuring out how to get back to texas before my volleyball practice. ends up i had to fly out of denver, which was about 90mins from where we were. but of course, the highways had been hit hard with snow and ice. it took us over 3 hrs to get to the airport. i made it there in time to find out that my flight was delayed. i just started laughing because that would happen. i did make it back just in time for practice though! :)

flying back at sunset always as it's perks...

February 7-13

every monday and thursday i have club volleyball practice. then we had a student ministry fundraiser for summer mission trips friday night. then i ended the week with a volleyball tournament in the dfw area. whew!

February 18-20 (this weekend!)

i'm headed up to oklahoma city for the weekend with a dear friend of mine. i love road trips. especially with great friends like Jen! 

even though it was a crazy week with the weather, i now have memories of all the excitement! thankful for the journey..!

thankful for powerful & encouraging words...

"It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect." 

Is 18:32

"May the words of my mouth and 

the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, 

O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer." 

Ps 19:14

"...we trust in the name of the Lord our God." Ps 20:7

"You have answered me. 

I WILL DECLARE YOUR NAME to my brethren;

 in the midst of the assembly

 I WILL PRAISE YOU. 

MY PRAISE SHALL BE OF YOU 

in the great assembly..." 

Ps 22:22,25

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, 

whose confidence is in Him. 

He will be like a tree planted by the water 

that sends out its roots by the stream. 

It does not fear when heat comes; 

its leaves are always green. 

It has no worries in a year of drought 

and never fails to bear fruit." 

Jeremiah 17:7-8

there are many days when i know God speaks specific words over me and today is one of them. i am thankful to have a God who i can place my confidence and trust in. and when i do, my fears, worries, and failures are extinguished. 

for His Name,

joy