Reflecting on this verse last night: “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—“ (II Corinthians 4:7-9) We are in awe at the glorious works of God, seeing firsthand how He is using all these circumstances to prove His excellent power.


Mama’s first Chemo treatment was this morning. Even with all the encouraging and helpful information that we have received, of course you can’t know exactly what to expect until you go through it. The treatment went very well… We know Mama was bathed in prayer, both our own and others and focused on God’s goodness. We were able to laugh heartily with the nurses over consent form questions (made humorous by Daddy) and altogether enjoyed ourselves praying together, reading psalms, eating snacks and chewing ice…

The nurses and doctors are all so kind and thoughtful. We are blessed over and over by their patience and willingness to go over and over things to help us understand exactly what is going on. The integrity of service is truly excellent. (We were a little overwhelmed by the number of letters pharmaceutical companies can string together when naming a drug. Apparently easy pronunciation and spelling aren’t prerequisites in the naming of these medications. :)
Even more than this, the loving notes and prayers so many of you send are immense blessings. We are overwhelmed and humbled by your generosity and kindness. God knows just what we need and when we need it. We covet your continued prayers for calm and rest and perfect contented knowledge of Jesus’ goodness in the midst of every pain and fear.

Walking in the Light,

The Lenz’s

The last few days we have learned a lot from our team of doctors and we feel extremely blessed and grateful for their knowledge and expertise and also their compassionate care of the situation. We learned that Karen’s cancer is grade III (that is, the most abnormal and aggressive) and stage 2 (out of four stages - based on the progression of the tumor). We were very thankful to learn there is no cancer anywhere else in her body. Praise God! We had a small celebration in the office when her doctor announced that!

Later the oncologist looked at her and said, “We are going to cure you.”
We are so grateful for God’s goodness and already see His hand in myriads of ways working in both easy and hard circumstances. On Monday, Karen will receive her first chemotherapy treatment and then every three weeks after that for a time. She will receive another twelve weeks with a different kind of chemotherapy and then shortly after surgery and radiation.

God is faithful in calling us up using these circumstances. So many of you have called and mentioned God’s hand at work. The verse John 15:16 comes to mind.

“You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.”

Being appointed to bear fruit was none of our choosing, and often we have a sense of unworthiness to fulfill this calling. You are never more aware of your mortal nature than in the hours of doubt and fear when God allows trouble to remind you of your true vulnerability and helplessness…and also of His power, faithfulness and goodness.

God shows Himself faithful again and again, reminding us that we are not called to produce the fruit…only to bear it as He grows it in our lives.

“Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?” James 2:5

Under His Mercy,

The Lenz Family

Another email...

Dear Friends:

I wanted to provide you all with a quick update on Karen’s diagnosis and treatment. But first, I want to express our deep gratitude for the response we have received from all of you. When I sent the first email, I knew that you loved Karen and would pray for her, which is all that I could have presumed to ask. I had no idea of the love and encouragement we would receive. Your responses have already filled a treasure chest full of encouragement and blessings. We our overwhelmed with your kind words, offers of assistance and commitments to pray. Thank you so much! I know that all of you have encountered your own hardships and trials, and you understand how important these things are. The wisdom that has been shared is priceless. Please know that we count it a privilege to call you our friends and we will be praying for you also.

Karen’s diagnosis is infiltrating ductal carcinoma, grade III. It is breast cancer that has reached the lymph nodes under her arm. We think that it has been caught fairly early, but we will learn much more this week. We have an appointment with one of the best doctors in the world Monday morning at Mayo’s Breast Clinic. We will have a consultation with a surgeon on Thursday and an oncologist on Friday. We expect the treatment to begin immediately. We are so thankful that we are being seen at one of the best clinic’s in the world. The care we have already received has been fantastic. They are extremely compassionate and responsive, and move very quickly.

Karen’s attitude is wonderful. She is a quiet warrior trusting in our Heavenly Father for her comfort and strength. Our children are doing well and are great comfort to Karen and I. I will continue to provide updates and let you know what our needs are if that is okay. Thank you again for your encouragement and prayers.

Love,

Craig

An Email

It has been a challenging week in the Lenz household. On Monday we scheduled an appointment for Karen at Mayo for Tuesday morning due to a discovery of a small lump on her right breast and under her right armpit. That appointment led to numerous additional appointments on Tuesday and Wednesday. Today we learned that the small lump under her arm is cancer, and we are awaiting the results of the analysis of the breast biopsy. We already have appointments with the breast clinic next Monday, a surgeon next Thursday and an oncologist on Friday. Obviously this has been a great test of our faith in our beloved Lord and Savior. We are very grateful for the speed that the Mayo staff has exercised on our behalf. We have already felt the intercession of prayers by those who have been aware of the appointments. We now covet the prayers of all our friends and family on Karen’s behalf. We know that we serve a good God who knows our needs before we ask. We know that He intercedes on our behalf with groanings that cannot be uttered, according to the will of God. We will keep you informed as we learn more of what we are facing. Please ask all to pray.


Craig