My Baptisim - 28th October 2012

It seems odd to think that there is a positive side to being diagnosed with Leukemia but in fact for me there has been. I think something like this will either make or break your faith and in my case I sincerely feel like it has resulted in a huge growth in my relationship with God...so much so that I was baptised in front of family, friends and my congregation the day Mom left to return to South Africa.

MY TESTAMONY

I was raised by a Christian mother and attended Sunday school regularly as a child and young adult but In my late teens I had a difficult experience with a church which turned me away from a congregation for many years...and so I Iived my faith privately and sometimes even forgot about it if i am totally honest...i always believed in God and the power of pray and knew that God was with me, but he wasn't at the centre of my life.I thought this "private" faith was enough and that I didn't need the church, but I guess God had different ideas.

A little over 4 years ago as I sat in a park in Lindfield having just arrived in this country I met a lady who shared her flask of coffee with me while we watched our children play and while we chatted she told me about the Point and although I listened politely I really had very little intention of actually attending a service...that was until 18 months or so ago when my then 11 year old son asked me a question about Jesus and I felt I couldn't answer him. This lady and her church suddenly came back to me and that Sunday I attended my first service during which Will advertised the Alpha course which at the time seemed the perfect way for me to find out the answers to the questions my children were asking.

And the rest as they say is history, in God's perfect way he had placed me in exactly the right place to learn about his son, not for my kids but for me and as the weeks passed my understanding of what Jesus has done for me grew and with it my devotion to him and to our Father and today I am confirming the baptism vows my parents made for me 39 years ago because I finally have a full understanding of what Jesus did for me and I am ready to no longer live for myself but rather for others as he did, to give my life to God as Jesus gave his life for me and to live according to his teachings.

I am also confirming those vows publicly today as an acknowledgment of the miracles that have been worked in my life in the last months. 4 months ago I was diagnosed with a rare form of Leukaemia and although the long term prognosis for the disease was good I knew I was in for the fight of my life and at that point my story became the one out of the famous footprints poem, where the Lord lifted me up and carried me though some of my darkest hours.

Every night I held onto the words from Jeremiah 29 vs 11 and 12 "I know what I am doing. I have it all planned out - plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. When you call on me, when you come and pray to me I'll listen".

And so I prayed and The Lord gave me strength and I never felt alone, and my prayer warriors prayed and I found comfort and we have just found out that although at diagnosis my bone marrow was 61 percent Leukemia cells today, just three months after treatment starting my count is 0.5 percent, a result the doctors hope to achieve at 18 months, and miracle by anyone's definition.

The lord is with us no matter what and I want to spend the rest of my life serving his purpose rather than my own.

 

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Mom's Visit Aug - Oct 2012

I have sat for a while trying to think of the words necessary to describe Mom's visit this year, and none seems sufficient to encompass what she did for us during the two months she was here. While I was at my very worst, she kept my home and family running until I was slowly able to pull myself together and pick up the reigns...how does one begin to describe the sacrifice and love that took and the gratitude we feel to both her and my father for it.

Although circumstances prevented us from doing much, we were able to create a few memories and there is absolutely no doubt that her relationship with the children grew and deepened and the impact she had on Nick and Beth's young lives was just as she had on Meg and Phill's when they were younger...her "fingerprints" are all over them and I am sure the impact of this visit will be felt by us all for a long long time.

Some of our outings included:

Walking in DITCHLING COMMON

DOWNLANDS AND WEALD LIVING MUSEUM

BEDGEBURY PINETARIUM with the Viljoens

 

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Nicholas Turns 4

It is very sad to be sitting down for the first time in December to be documenting my precious son's 4th birthday party, but the months since my diagnosis have been filled with just surviving and keeping my head above water and now just a day before my 6 month bone marrow biopsy I am finally able to say I am feeling the essence of me again and I am once again drawn to this space, my chronicle and diary, the place I record our family's significant (and not so significant) moments and where I am once again able to put into words all that has happened to us this second half of 2012.

Nick's birthday party was a real triumph for so many reasons, not only was he surrounded by wonderful little friends all dressed in their Knight and Princess costumes, but it turned out to be such a celebration of our family and friendships as well.  Kerry was as always my guardian angel and entertained the children in her magical way freeing me to watch my boy LOVE his party and giving me the space to really enjoy his joy and wonder.