Blessing In Action

Kathy Herrera

I am so glad to have an opportunity to say "Hi" to you. I have not seen many of you for several months. It actually feels like much longer! After a year of doing chemotherapy, every two weeks, with only one five week break, I have become tired. It is not that my faith has failed me or that I'm not still standing in it, in fact it is much deeper and stronger than it was before. However, it has become increasingly more difficult to maintain the "social" part of my life as I am accustomed to!!!

I truly miss church and seeing your faces that are a constant source of joy, strength and encouragement to me. Please let me say once again how much your support, generosity and prayers over this last year have meant to us. God blessed us with you and your willingness to be available for God to use, whether it was for a meal, or to clean, to send cards, flowers or little "pick her up treats", or through sharing your prayers or visions of what God has put on your hearts. It has been such an incredible blessing! So please know, I have not forgotten you, your kindness, your concern and all the wonderful things you have done and are doing, to help me and my family deal with our situation.

I'm hoping to be at church on a regular basis, I just have to "do it" a little different. As much as I love to talk, it takes a lot of my energy. The need for me to monitor my "output" has become very important. I need to conserve my energy as much as I can and rest when I should for God to work His miracle in me! So, if I leave early or right after church, it is not that I don't want to stay around for fellowship, it's that I now know I can't exhaust myself. Also, I really need to limit my exposure to germs/colds, etc. with my white cell count being so low. I am privileged to be a part of this church and look forward to the day when I can hug all I want and talk about life and lots of God stuff!

Shawn asked me if I would share some of the blessings over the past year. It would take the whole newsletter to share Gods' work right, to share all the blessings through the struggles and strife. I must say that the biggest blessing has been the sense of strength and assurance that comes from being able to say with absolute conviction that GOD IS IN COMPLETE CONTROL. This truth has filled my heart with indescribable joy and peace, a peace that remains no matter what I'm going through. My health is much improved from last year! The original tumor in my colon is gone and I know God is watching over me because my cancer, unlike many other people's HAS NOT SPREAD all year long. A miracle here and now! My tumors have shrunk, yet there are still too many to count, but God's in control and. that's all that counts! I thank God for His mercy because I can't beat this without him. My family is growing and healing as a result of this cancer too. There's more sharing, more caring more love being exchanged, we're growing IN GOD in spite of the pain! It's not just my family, immediate and beyond, that have felt real blessings come out of this cause. God's worked in the lives of some many I know. He has allowed me to touch people and help people to know, that FAITH is what we need whether we're happy or sad. FAITH in His words and trusting in all ways brings peace and inspiration on any kind of day. I've been blessed in ways I can't even count; I can't keep up with my journal because the blessings all mount. God's blessed me in big ways but often it's small; the unique ways He shows me He's in control of it all. I don't have to worry about how, what or when, I've chosen to rely on Him to the end. It's the time I spend in my Bible (His word), my books, my family and friends that keeps my heart light so I can fight the fight. So I thank you Lord for this time of great need, it's brought out the best and the worst in me. You are setting me free from the things that are bad and filling me with truths that make me glad. It's in times like this that we all can grow if we're willing to reap from that which we sow. So stand in faith and let God lead the way. Trust Him and know He'll path your way, for He's really in charge of each and every day!

God Bless you all and thank you for your prayers, I pray you will continue!

Habakkuk 2:1-3 says “I will climb my watchtower now, and wait to see what answer God will give me. And the Lord said to me, "write my answer on a billboard, large and clear, so that anyone can read it at a glance and rush to tell others. But these things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when THE VISION WILL BE FULFILLED. If it seems slow, do not despair, for theses things will surely come to pass. Just BE PATIENT! They will not be overdue a single day!

Love,
Kathy Herrera

P.S. Dear GOD

DEAR GOD
You are the air that I breathe
You are the life inside of me

You are the one who makes me whole
You help me surrender my need to control

You are strong when I am weak
You are my voice when I can't speak
You never fail to see me through
That's the truth I have in you
You are my shelter from the storm
You are the road that leads me home
Oh dear Lord when I see your face
I know I've found my special place.
Your words are life, they give me faith
To face each day with dignity and grace
You've made me strong so I can believe,
Thank you Lord for that gift to me
Keep filling me so I can press on
To do your work my whole life long
Long or short you know what's best
Give me peace Lord so I don't fret
This year long journey has made me see
The extraordinary challenge you've given me

To walk in faith, in your strength and your light
To share your word both day and night
To have the hope and perseverance too
To wait for you 'till your will shines through
To walk with you is a joy it's true
You never fail to see me through
That’s the truth I have in you
Love,
Kathy