Wed, 26 Jan 2000 23:15

Victory in Jesus

Hello,

Thank you to everyone for your prayers for Logan. He has started experiencing some headaches because of the buildup of fluid and pressure in his brain. As we have mentioned before, Logan very rarely complains about pain, but he has been saying these past few days that his head hurts.

The buildup of pressure has been causing nausea, and he hasn't been eating well. This was one of the symptoms of his original tumor: he started throwing up. He is now 25 pounds (he was holding pretty steady at about 29). Lately he has been spending most of his days on the couch, either sleeping or just content to snuggle with his Pooh blanket and Buzz Lightyear pillow. He looks very weak. The oncologist at Duke prescribed some steroids for Logan, to help reduce the swelling in his brain, and today was the first day in a while that he has not thrown up.

Laura and Logan are flying to Texas tomorrow (Thursday) morning (from Greensboro, since RDU is still recovering from the snow) to go to a clinic which offers experimental treatment for brain tumors. This is the same treatment we were investigating at the end of November, before we eventually chose radiation. Laura and I have discussed this and prayed about it a lot, and we totally disagree about the hope it offers. Even so, Laura is going with my blessing, and I pray that God's will be done.

We did get a little more detail about the oncologist's expectations for Logan. He said that individual cases are impossible to predict, but that it would be typical for Logan to live another 2-3 months. Apparently, the buildup of pressure in his head eventually causes "brain herniation," in which fluid and tissue try to escape to the spinal column, compromising the brain stem and cutting off function.

We still pray for Logan's healing, and we are confident that God will answer, but we recognize that it may come later rather than sooner. Even after our bodies are in the grave, it is not too late for God to make good on his promise of perfect healing to those who believe! "So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

1 Corinthians 15:42-44,57

Is God going to perform a powerful, supernatural healing for Logan? Yes! And for my lousy, decaying body, too! What a day of rejoicing that will be! Don't miss out on it!

"Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!"

Revelation 21:3-5

I am focusing on Logan having peace, no matter what happens. We try to tell him about Jesus taking care of him, but it's hard to know how much is getting through. I pray that Logan will know experientially that he is perfectly safe and has nothing to fear in the loving arms of our Lord. I believe this is what Logan needs more than anything else.

Thank you to everyone for all your cards, prayers, and notes of encouragement. May God bless you richly.

Knocker