My 56 year old younger sister, Juanita, passed away this March from kidney cancer that spread to her brain. After attending her funeral in Atlanta, Georgia, we returned home with heavy hearts of longing to have her here on earth with us still. We cannot completely understand the reason why God called her home so soon when she still had so much to give towards His Kingdom. But, one thing I do know for a fact was that she had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and was ready when He did call her home. We will be reunited someday in Glory, singing praises together to our Lord Jesus Christ, that is the blessed hope and promise we have in Jesus.
A few weeks after our return from the funeral, it was confirmed that I also had a tumor on my right kidney. One of the first questions which came to my mind was, “Am I on the same path as what my sister was on?” One of the things I embraced was that I could ask that question but the Lord would be the one to determine my outcome.
Before having my surgery in August to remove a kidney tumor, the Lord granted me the opportunity to complete the tasks/goals He had given me to do for the summer months of 2018. The first goal was to head up a “Cultural Experience” for our Dallas youth and a group of Kansas church leaders and their youth. The second goal was to partner with a local West Dallas church and take 35 of our South Dallas Urban Youth ranging from 9 to 18 years old to Kids Across America Camp close to Branson, Missouri. The total number of Dallas youth we went with was a little over 100 youth plus sponsors. What a blessing and exciting time this was for our youth.
The surgery was scheduled for August 8 early in the morning. I had never had major surgery before but my wife Becky, who had been in the medical field for many years, understood the seriousness of it, especially if the tumor had a chance to be malignant. Before the Surgery, the Lord gave Becky and I a sense of peace knowing that everything was in His hands and under His control. I entered the surgery room believing that the Lord was fixing me up to do better and greater things for His Kingdom here on earth. He brought His people around us to cover us in prayer and to support Becky in the waiting room during the four and a half hour wait, which was a comfort to me knowing she wouldn’t be alone. Praise the Lord the surgery was a success, the tumor was removed. A week and a half after surgery, we met with the doctor who told us that 85% to 90% of Kidney tumors are cancerous and 10% to 15% of them are not cancerous. He told us that my tumor fell into the 10% to 15% non-cancerous category. Praise the Lord! We are humbled that the Lord saw fit to allow this tumor not to be a destructive one for me. Thank you Jesus!
We thank you for all your prayers for our health and for our time here in the Dallas area as we continue serving the Lord. Thank you for the different ways you have supported us through prayers, financial support, phone calls or texts and even encouraging letters or cards. Please continue to pray for our health and our energy level as we serve the people around us. Also, continue to pray for our financial support as that is always a needed area that requires to be filled.
