The Story of the Ash Tree that Wasn't...

Interesting…this cancer walk is interesting. You never know what is going to happen. God works in the most interesting ways.

First, let us tell you an interesting story. You know, when you have cancer, it is the little things that become so important. You want to fill your life with all the things you love, people, sights, and foods. Well, Layne LOVES cherries. Rainier cherries are his absolute favorite, but they are expensive and grown in Washington state, so we have to wait each year for the farmer’s markets in Oregon to get them. And he loves sitting and eating his cherries.

Nine years ago, when we moved into our home, we put in three trees. Two apple and an ash tree. Last night, I (Betty) was in the back yard, and what did I see? Weird fruit looking things on the tree! So, I tasted it, and it tasted like a cherry. How odd. So, I took it in to show Layne and he said, “That is a cherry!”

I said, well, it came off the ash tree in the back yard! What an amazing thing and a very, very nice blessing. Thank you, Lord!

Then, this morning, we came to Nevada Cancer to start chemo. We assumed the biopsy had verified the PET scan of five spots on the liver, because we had heard nothing. The interesting thing is…and they aren’t sure what it means yet, so no one should get too excited…but the biopsies are clean. No cancer.

Now, it was only the largest spot that was biopsied, but isn’t that amazing? No cancer in the biopsy?

We don’t want to read too much into it, but we are optimistic that this news is good thus far. We think that the Lord has something up his sleeve—we have felt that he has been carrying us. And we know, WE KNOW that he could just heal Layne with no chemo, no surgery—he chooses to provide medicines and doctors, but if he chooses to, this could all go away in a second. Therefore, we are on this journey for a purpose. We are trying to glorify Him in the journey…and to learn to walk not by sight, but by faith.

Please don’t quit praying. We know that your prayers are changing our lives. Never think “No one knows…my prayers are not important.” They ARE important. God listens. He does listen.

And He cares about YOU !