Happy September!!!
Oh, how short and sweet every summer proves to be. Thank you for your continued prayers and encouragement...as seasons transition we continue to thank you all for your prayers and support...you all truly are our cheer leaders!
We are so excited about the Purple Ride THIS SATURDAY!!! It promises to be a fun-filled purple day as we enjoy the leaves changing, the autumn breeze and the beautiful-ness of fall in Minnesota.
As of today, we are thrilled and humbled to share that the Praying for Annie M Team has raised over $5,900.00 for Pancreatic Cancer Research and has 42 riders and 22 generous supporters/virtual riders!!!! To God be the glory!!
We have received our team shirts and have sent shirts out to virtual riders who are 'riding in spirit' on Saturday, be watching your mail boxes (we'd love to see photos of you riding, gardening, walking...doing life in your shirts, please share them with us). Those of you in the area, we will be delivering your shirts to your doorstep sometime Thursday...be looking for a little purple package!
A couple things about the ride:
-The ride is SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 15th at Elm Creek Regional Park (12400 James Deane Parkway, Maple Grove 55369)
-If signing up has slipped your mind, it's not too late. The website is open through the week and there is ride day registration at 8:00am on Saturday morning. Check the website (
www.purpleride.org or email us
prayingforanniem@gmail.com for details).
-Please wear your purple shirts!!! And any other purple attire you so desire:) Please invite family and friends to come cheer you on...the more the merrier!!!
-The 25 mile ride is from 8:30-10:00am
-The 8 mile ride is from 10:00am-12:00pm
(note: route support closes at 1:30pm)
-Our Praying for Annie M Team photo will be at 12:00pm. If it works in your schedule that morning, after the bike ride, please meet at the registration table area at noon. We hope to share the team photo with our 'virtual riders' who are supporting our team and the cause from all over the country!
-Closing Celebration for the entire event is at 1:30pm (for those of you who can and choose to stay)
Most importantly, Below is an update I received from my mom earlier this afternoon. Thank you for continuing to rally as days often feel long and wearing. May your hearts be blessed.
Hebrews 11:1 “Faith means being sure of the things we hope for. And faith means knowing that something is real even if we do not see it.”
Faith is built upon trust. God wants us to trust Him - even when we do not understand what is happening or can explain the circumstances. Even when nothing makes sense and everything seems wrong. It is easy to trust Him when the seas are calm and the skies are clear, but the strength of our faith is measured in the midst of a raging storm. Faith is a deliberate choice to believe God, to walk through our fear, knowing we can trust Him every step of the way.
This was part of my quiet time this afternoon and I found it so meaningful.....faith....clinging to God when you don't know where He is leading, when strong winds are beating at my boat and threatening to overturn it, when the sky is gray and dismal, when hope is absent, when God feels far away. This journey I am on is requiring me to relinquish my need to control the direction on my journey and trust God's leading. This past cycle was really difficult. I struggled with feeling tired all the time, sleeping 10-12 hours each night and spending the majority of the day on the couch. It was discouraging....my mind wandering to things best left alone, Satan played with my emotions, whispered lies. I was in near constant prayer that God would drive him away....Of course He did and I was able to once again place my trust in my Savior. What a sense of peace. God is here, God is in control, God desires the very best for me, God loves me....though my circumstances may change, God loves me, He saved me, He is always with me and that will never change.
This morning I had another infusion of chemo. This will be the plan for the foreseeable future, chemo every three weeks, with oral chemo weeks one and two giving me one week off to allow my body to rebound. Thank you so much for continuing to pray. Here is how we can pray together:
thanksgiving:
-that God would first and foremost be glorified by the journey that my family and I am on
-that the chemo appears to be "holding my cancer at a stationary place, and slowly decreasing the size of some of the affected lymph nodes
-for the many people involved in my care who are so patient, understanding, and encouraging
-for beautiful weekends to celebrate the end of summer and the beginning of fall, warm afternoons and cool, crisp evenings
-for my family who have made such deliberate efforts to get me out of our house and thinking about something other than cancer; for making me smile and laugh, for letting me cry, for giving me strength and encouragement
-for B, who loves me and cares for me even when I am pretty unlovable
-for each and every prayer warrior that has been so faithful to continue praying and walking with us
petition:
-that God would continue to receive all the glory and honor
-that this cycle would be better than the last
-that I could continue to eat and gain weight (I gained 3+pounds this last cycle....thank you God!)
-that the side effects of the chemo would not increase and cause a reduction in dosage, or discontinuation of therapy (they are not suggesting this, but I am aware that it is a possibility, so I am asking you to pray against the side effects and pray for my body's ability to withstand the drugs)
-that new medication will help lift the cloud of depression I am under (this is where Satan is really attacking me)
-for a beautiful Saturday for the Purple Ride, for safety for those riding, that I would feel well enough to attend (I will be there in spirit if the chemo has me down!), that the donations will bring funding to those doctors and researchers who have dedicated themselves to finding a cure. And a very big, heartfelt THANK YOU to those of you riding, both in person and virtually. Your willingness to support research for pancreatic cancer treatments means so much to us, your generosity is unbelievable, and we feel so grateful and blessed.
-THAT A CURE WOULD BE FOUND!
-that God would bless each of you, and that your faith would continue to grow as we learn, together, to place our trust in the one who created us
-that God would be glorified!
I am so humbled, and so very grateful for your prayers. It is such an honor to be surrounded by "such a great cloud of witnesses" as we walk this journey together. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
With love,
Annie
