It is with a heavy heart that I write this blog entry. Today, one of our patients went home to be with the Lord. It is the first patient we have lost, and it has been very hard for me to wrap my brain around. As I told one of my friends, this just got real. I guess I always knew that the people we worked with were sick, but when they are with us, they are happy and excited to be taking an active role in their recovery process. I forgot that sometimes cancer fights back just a little bit harder.
This patient we lost today was something special. She was first diagnosed with breast cancer 16 years ago. At the time she was given only 6 months to live. Courageously, she battled her cancer into remission two different times. This last go around, she knew her prognosis wasn't good, but she fought it anyway. And if she was bitter about her diagnosis, she never let it show. Everytime I saw her, she had a smile on her face. Even while facing the biggest fight of her life, she still found a way to encourage others around her, even me! Most importantly, she loved the Lord with all her heart. The first day I met her, we talked for over an hour about how great He is. She shared with me story after story about how He has helped her through out her journey. In her 16-year fight against cancer, her encouragement and hope led several people to the Cross.
This has me seriously examining the ministry of Maple Tree. When I first heard God calling me into this minsitry, I knew He wanted me to address the physical AND spiritual needs of people fighting cancer. I have worked hard to get exercise and nutrition services started, but what have I done to really bring people to Christ? Am I missing the point of this whole thing?
I suppose now would be a good time to share my own testimony with you. I grew up going to church every Sunday. I knew who Jesus was, and would often pray to God, asking Him to grant me all my hopes and dreams, but that was about it. I did not let myself be available to be used by God. In fact, it was more the other way around - I wanted to use Him. When things didn't go my way, I would pout. I had been around people who were zealous for the Lord (I usually called them "very religious" people), but would often see some sort of flaw in them that would turn me off from wanting to be like them. I thought that if someone claimed to love Jesus that much, they should be perfect. If they weren't, they were a fraud. I didn't know about grace. I didn't realize that the Christian walk is just that -- a walk; one that isn't complete until we see Him face to face. It is only then that we will be like Him. Until then, we are simply a work in progress.
So, that was me....Living the dream. I had a wonderful husband, a beautiful daughter, a great job, a car, a house, even a designer hand bag. Things were great. However, in spite of all this good fortune, I could never shake feelings of inadequacy. I always felt like something was missing. I didn't realize that we are all born with a God-sized hole in our heart; one that no worldly possession can ever fill. I was completely and utterly LOST. Then, in September of 2007, my beloved grandfather suddenly lost his battle with cancer. A series of events happened immediately after his death that were very difficult for me to deal with, and I sank into a deep depression. I felt absolutely worthless. Any relationship I had with God up until that point was over. I stopped going to church. I stopped praying. I simply existed. Then one day, I felt like God was calling me. I can't explain it, except that I was suddenly very aware of His presence in my life. And to be honest, it kind of freaked me out. I shared this with a dear friend of mine (someone I knew who was "very religious", lol!), and she encouraged me to pray about it. She even told me what to say. Over the next several months, God became very real to me. He healed all the hurt I was carrying and loved me when I was at my most unlovable. Then, on February 9, 2009, I gave my life to Him.
Why am I sharing all this with you? What does this have to do with the patient we lost today? Unless Christ returns, we will all face death someday. None of us know when our time on this earth will be up. Our patient was lucky, in that she had given her life to Jesus several years ago. Today, her faith became sight. He took her home. He will be with her forever....Forever! Eternity is Forever!! Most of us walk around with 5-year plans, career goals, retirement portfolios, etc, etc...but what about 1,000 years from now? What about 1 million years from now? What are we doing TODAY that will impact us then? How can you be certain that you will spend forever with the ONE you were created for? The Bible is very clear on this, and luckily, the answer is very easy. For God so loved the world, He gave His one and only Son. That whoever believes in Him shall not parish, but have eternal life. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life! Simply going to church isn't enough. Checking off a list of good deeds isn't either. We cannot come to God on our own strength. If we could, then why would God have sent His only Son to die for us? The Bible says that unless we are born again, we cannot enter the kingdom of God. Simply having head knowledge of the Gospel isn't enough. Even demons know who Jesus is, yet they will spend eternity separated from Him. Jesus desires our hearts. He desires a personal commitment from us; our acceptance of His work on the Cross for our sins.
Heaven is our home; it is where we were made to live. On earth, we will never be completely fulfilled, because we were never intended to stay here. Only through a relationship with Christ can we find true meaning and purpose in our life. If you are still reading this, then it isn't too late. You can still make a decision to follow Christ. Simply pray and ask Him into your heart. Then get involved in a good church that preaches the truth. Read the Bible. Join a Bible Study. Ask Him to help you. When we seek him with our whole heart, we will find him. Do it today, tomorrow it may be too late.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Friday, June 15, 2012
What a difference a year makes!
Tomorrow marks the one-year anniversary of Maple Tree being awarded non-profit status. Oh, what a difference a year makes!! Exactly one year ago, I sat on my bed, holding my husband's hand, on the phone with the IRS....patiently waiting to hear our status. After a few minutes, I heard one word that forever changed the course of my life...."Congratulations!" (and when do you ever get good news from the IRS?!) And so our journey began.....
I would like to reflect on all the awesome things that have happened over the last year, but I really want to be careful not to toot our own horn too loudly. Please understand me when I say that NONE of this...Absolutely NONE of it would have been possible without the mighty Hand of God. If left to my own strength, I wouldn't have even had the courage to tackle the non-profit paperwork. I sincerely believe with all my heart that this is what He has put me on this earth to do, and now He is just making sure I do a good job!
So, lets take a good look at the last year. I'm a numbers-gal, so I like to think of our progress in terms of numbers. 17 is the number of patients we have served. 3 is the number of newspaper articles that have been written about us (plus 2 magazine articles!). 7 is the number of local oncology centers who currently are referring patients to us. 22 is the number of speaking engagements we have been invited to. 100 is the number of care packages we have distributed. 250 is the number of hair bows that were sold to create said care packages. 8 is the number of volunteers who have stepped forward to serve our patients. 1 is the number of news stories that have highlighted our facility. 130 is the number of people who attended our grand opening. 3,500 is the number of square feet in our new facility. 6 is the number of gallons of paint it took to paint it. 122 is the number of facebook likes our page currently has. 5 is the number of encouraging testimonies we have received to share on our Wall Of Hope. Lots and lots are the number of prayers that have gone up.
Needless to say, it has been a wonderful year. We are so blessed and continue to be in awe of our AWE-some God! While I have some hopes and dreams I hide in my heart for the year to come, I know that my God is bigger than these. I can't wait to see where He takes us next year!
I would like to reflect on all the awesome things that have happened over the last year, but I really want to be careful not to toot our own horn too loudly. Please understand me when I say that NONE of this...Absolutely NONE of it would have been possible without the mighty Hand of God. If left to my own strength, I wouldn't have even had the courage to tackle the non-profit paperwork. I sincerely believe with all my heart that this is what He has put me on this earth to do, and now He is just making sure I do a good job!
So, lets take a good look at the last year. I'm a numbers-gal, so I like to think of our progress in terms of numbers. 17 is the number of patients we have served. 3 is the number of newspaper articles that have been written about us (plus 2 magazine articles!). 7 is the number of local oncology centers who currently are referring patients to us. 22 is the number of speaking engagements we have been invited to. 100 is the number of care packages we have distributed. 250 is the number of hair bows that were sold to create said care packages. 8 is the number of volunteers who have stepped forward to serve our patients. 1 is the number of news stories that have highlighted our facility. 130 is the number of people who attended our grand opening. 3,500 is the number of square feet in our new facility. 6 is the number of gallons of paint it took to paint it. 122 is the number of facebook likes our page currently has. 5 is the number of encouraging testimonies we have received to share on our Wall Of Hope. Lots and lots are the number of prayers that have gone up.
Needless to say, it has been a wonderful year. We are so blessed and continue to be in awe of our AWE-some God! While I have some hopes and dreams I hide in my heart for the year to come, I know that my God is bigger than these. I can't wait to see where He takes us next year!
Friday, January 27, 2012
Grace
Grace: Unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification;
a virtue coming from God.
A few months ago I stumbled upon a little book called Grace-Based Parenting. It teaches tired, overworked, stressed out mommies and daddies to respond to their little ones with an abundance of love and grace. Even when they write all over the walls with marker, or joyfully run and scream all over the house and wake the baby, or spill a full cup of vegetable oil while helping you cook (not that I'm speaking from experience or anything!). We are to show them grace...undeserved favor....much like our Heavenly Father shows us each and every day.
This book really spoke to me. Not just because I want to be the best mommy I possibly can to the four precious gifts God has given to me, but because it opened my eyes to all the ways God shows his grace in my life. His grace and goodness abounds, whether I do anything to deserve it or not. It may be something little, like just the right verse of scripture, or the perfect song on the radio, or a beautiful sunrise after a long night. These are the times when I've had to stop and ask Him "Why are You so good to me??"
Sometimes, however, He shows his grace in a BIG way. These are the times I am left speechless; in awesome wonder....And this is what He has done for the Maple Tree over the last week.
It all started last Tuesday.....Well, actually, it started back in December. I delivered 50 care packages to an oncology nurse I had met through one of my board members. This nurse was sooooo incredibly sweet and supportive of our mission at Maple Tree. Within five minutes, she had written down information about our organization for their company newsletter, booked a speaking engagement for me to come and tell all her nursing friends about us, and also gave me the contact number for a good friend of hers who works for a local foundation. This foundation supports medically-related non-profit organizations -- perfect for us, so I was very excited to get in contact with her.
Once we got through the craziness of the holidays, I was able to schedule an appointment with this lady at the foundation. I tried not to get my hopes up too much about this meeting, because I had tried to structure Maple Tree in such a way so that it would not be dependent on grant funding. I want our focus to be on the patient, not on money! However, after checking out their website, I was impressed with the organizations they have funded in the past and thought it might be a good thing for us. As I rode the elevator up to our meeting, I briefly prayed that God would give me peace about the meeting and let me know that I was acting in His will. As the elevator doors opened, what greeted me, but two glass doors with a very large Maple Tree painted on them...
I was so blessed by this meeting. The lady was so supportive of the Maple Tree and really encouraged me. I told her that the greatest need Maple Tree had at the moment was for rental space. Although we are happy to meet people in their homes for exercise training, it would still be nice to have a facility where we could train them. I also want a place to hold prayer groups, nutrition seminars, and I have dreams of hosting summer camps for children whose parents are fighting cancer, or even for children who are battling cancer themselves! In order to do all this, we really need a facility. However, I have been reluctant to take on a lease because I haven't wanted to burden my family with having to cover rent until Maple Tree is secure enough to do so on its own. After hearing all this, the lady gave me contact information for a friend of hers who owns a building in east Dayton (near Childrens, for all the locals reading this!). He runs a non-profit called the Life Enrichment Center, and is trying to house the building with faith-based non-profit organizations that serve the community. At the moment, there are 9 other non-profits housed here, and they offer everything from a soup kitchen, to a woman's resource center, to an after school program for kids! Talk about being the hands and feet of Christ; even without the Maple Tree I would want to be involved with this organization!!
Although I did not feel we were ready to take on a lease yet, I called him anyway (with all my doubting, I'm shocked my name isn't Thomas!! See God's grace?!). I told him about Maple Tree and the services we offer to cancer patients. He quickly tells me that we would be a perfect fit for his building. "Why", you ask?? Because he just so happens to have a fully-stocked fitness center, filled with approximately $200,000 worth of exercise equipment donated from the YMCA, sitting in his building, basically going unused at the moment...!!!!!!!!! Are you kidding me????!!!!!!!!
Two days later, I was standing on the second floor of the Life Enrichment Center, drooling as he showed me the rental space. There is a free weight room, an aerobics studio (with suspended hardwood floors!), an assessment room, about 10 Precor treadmills (a.k.a. the "good" treadmills), two Nustep Trs Recumbents, bikes, elipticals, steppers, mats, roman chairs, benches, resist-a-balls, and a full cybex circuit. This is all dork-speak for totally AWESOME stuff. No, I really mean it....AWESOME!!! It was just too good to be true. Then came time to talk money. The whole time we were meeting, I was silently throwing numbers around in my head...."maybe $XXX, or $XXX"...."we could afford $XXX"...."Well, if it's $XXX maybe I could sell something....like a kidney". Being that he was a Christian and knew he was about to bless me, he grinned ear to ear as he told me what the rent would be. Lets just say it is about what I would blow in one trip to Target. I immediately started to cry. Then I think I offered to pay more money (shhh, don't tell my husband!).
What a huge blessing. What grace! By removing the burden of rental space and equipment, we can now focus 100% on meeting the needs of our patients without being driven by the need for money. The ones who cannot afford to pay don't have to! The ones who don't have someone to sponsor their training don't need it! The ones who lose their jobs because they missed too much work for treatemnt don't have to worry - they can still take a step toward improving their quality of life.
Back in September, I felt the Lord telling me to care for His poor. At the time I was very confused....I thought my "thing" was cancer.....I didn't get how it tied in with the poor. Now I know....What grace. It makes me want to cry. Oh God, why are you so good???
"and God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus" Philippians 4:19
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Updates!
Okay, so I think we've already established that I'm not the most faithful blogger in the world....It has been about 5 months since I last posted! Wow! That's like 10 years in facebook time!
So, what has been going on these last 5 months, you ask? Well, let me just tell you, we've been busy!! Great things are starting to happen! Let me take you back to August, when I was making bows, bows, and more bows, in the hopes of raising $1500 to make chemotherapy care packages. When I last posted, I think I had about $375 more to raise before reaching my goal by the end of the month. Sounds like a lot of money to raise in just a little over a week's time, but I just knew that God was going to come through for us. And that is exactly what happened. A number of my facebook friends rallied and sent in donation after donation. Then, on the last day of the month, a wonderful lady I work with approached me and asked me how much money I still needed before I reached my goal. She wrote me a check for that exact amount right on the spot! And that is how 100 chemo care packages were made!!
Then September came. An oncologist I have been networking with sent me an email and told me that he had some patients who were interested in starting our nutrition service. Unfortunately at this point in time we still did not have a space where we could meet with patients, so I wasn't sure what to do. When I told him my dilemma, he generously offered to donate some office space in his building to us -- for FREE!! On September 12, 2010 we began to offer nutrition counseling! The first person to call us said that she was so excited when she learned of Maple Tree that she started to cry.
October brought much happiness to our family, as we welcomed our forth child into the world! Baby Henry was born on October 19. We soon realized that having four children, ages 5 and under, creates a very busy and very LOUD house!! But, but what a wonderful noise it is! I wouldn't trade it for anything. Of course, with the new addition, things slowed down with Maple Tree for a while. I think I started coming back to reality sometime around mid-December, just in time to get ready for exercise training. Unfortunately, the space donated to us in the oncologist office is not suitable for exercise training, so for now the plan is to train people in their home. To be honest, it was not my first choice to do it this way. I would much rather have a wonderful facility filled with the latest and greatest exercie equipment...However, the more I've gone out and talked to these patients, it seems like meeting people at their home is a great place to start. We've had a few calls from individuals who were home-bound...Others who don't have a means of transportation... Still others who want ideas on how they can exercise in their homes after a long day of work. In fact, I have received such positive feedback, that I am going to continue to offer this home-training service even after we do secure a rental space! We officially began offering exercise training on January 2 of this year, and like I said, so far we have received a great response!
We have also started to come up with some creative ways that people can help support Maple Tree. When I donate to a cause, I always want to know what my money is going to go towards...something tangible so I can say "I helped do that!". So, we have created a system where people can donate towards something specific - like purchase one month of personal training for someone ($30), or buy a care package ($15). That way, it will help ease the burden for someone who is fighting cancer and already has enough on their plate! I can already see what a blessing it has been to those patients who have been sponsored.
So, there is your 5-minute update of the status of Maple Tree! There are a few other things I am working on, but I'm not quite ready to share them with the world. I will say, however, that it has been an amazing week. I really feel like God is moving! It is so exciting for me to watch it all unfold. Someone asked me earlier in the week if I wanted Maple Tree to be associated with the "medical" community or with the "non-profit" community. At the time, I really didn't know how to answer that question. Of course, the medical side is important, because we are helping people who are sick and their doctors will refer them to us. On the other hand, I want people to know that we are not in this for personal financial gain, which makes promoting the non-profit side of things very important to me. But, after much thought, I've decided that whether we are generalized more as a medical or non-profit establishment doesn't really matter to me. The primary purpose of Maple Tree has always been to glorify God and to bring the hope of salvation to as many people as possible. Of course, I want their time left on this earth to be as comfortable as possible, which is why I believe so strongtly in the exercise and nutrition counseling, but nothing is more important than the hope we have in Jesus! So, whether we work with 1 patient or 200, that will always remain our cheif goal in this journey God has us on. To HIM be the glory!!
So, what has been going on these last 5 months, you ask? Well, let me just tell you, we've been busy!! Great things are starting to happen! Let me take you back to August, when I was making bows, bows, and more bows, in the hopes of raising $1500 to make chemotherapy care packages. When I last posted, I think I had about $375 more to raise before reaching my goal by the end of the month. Sounds like a lot of money to raise in just a little over a week's time, but I just knew that God was going to come through for us. And that is exactly what happened. A number of my facebook friends rallied and sent in donation after donation. Then, on the last day of the month, a wonderful lady I work with approached me and asked me how much money I still needed before I reached my goal. She wrote me a check for that exact amount right on the spot! And that is how 100 chemo care packages were made!!
Then September came. An oncologist I have been networking with sent me an email and told me that he had some patients who were interested in starting our nutrition service. Unfortunately at this point in time we still did not have a space where we could meet with patients, so I wasn't sure what to do. When I told him my dilemma, he generously offered to donate some office space in his building to us -- for FREE!! On September 12, 2010 we began to offer nutrition counseling! The first person to call us said that she was so excited when she learned of Maple Tree that she started to cry.
October brought much happiness to our family, as we welcomed our forth child into the world! Baby Henry was born on October 19. We soon realized that having four children, ages 5 and under, creates a very busy and very LOUD house!! But, but what a wonderful noise it is! I wouldn't trade it for anything. Of course, with the new addition, things slowed down with Maple Tree for a while. I think I started coming back to reality sometime around mid-December, just in time to get ready for exercise training. Unfortunately, the space donated to us in the oncologist office is not suitable for exercise training, so for now the plan is to train people in their home. To be honest, it was not my first choice to do it this way. I would much rather have a wonderful facility filled with the latest and greatest exercie equipment...However, the more I've gone out and talked to these patients, it seems like meeting people at their home is a great place to start. We've had a few calls from individuals who were home-bound...Others who don't have a means of transportation... Still others who want ideas on how they can exercise in their homes after a long day of work. In fact, I have received such positive feedback, that I am going to continue to offer this home-training service even after we do secure a rental space! We officially began offering exercise training on January 2 of this year, and like I said, so far we have received a great response!
We have also started to come up with some creative ways that people can help support Maple Tree. When I donate to a cause, I always want to know what my money is going to go towards...something tangible so I can say "I helped do that!". So, we have created a system where people can donate towards something specific - like purchase one month of personal training for someone ($30), or buy a care package ($15). That way, it will help ease the burden for someone who is fighting cancer and already has enough on their plate! I can already see what a blessing it has been to those patients who have been sponsored.
So, there is your 5-minute update of the status of Maple Tree! There are a few other things I am working on, but I'm not quite ready to share them with the world. I will say, however, that it has been an amazing week. I really feel like God is moving! It is so exciting for me to watch it all unfold. Someone asked me earlier in the week if I wanted Maple Tree to be associated with the "medical" community or with the "non-profit" community. At the time, I really didn't know how to answer that question. Of course, the medical side is important, because we are helping people who are sick and their doctors will refer them to us. On the other hand, I want people to know that we are not in this for personal financial gain, which makes promoting the non-profit side of things very important to me. But, after much thought, I've decided that whether we are generalized more as a medical or non-profit establishment doesn't really matter to me. The primary purpose of Maple Tree has always been to glorify God and to bring the hope of salvation to as many people as possible. Of course, I want their time left on this earth to be as comfortable as possible, which is why I believe so strongtly in the exercise and nutrition counseling, but nothing is more important than the hope we have in Jesus! So, whether we work with 1 patient or 200, that will always remain our cheif goal in this journey God has us on. To HIM be the glory!!
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