mission of hope

We're Back!

2009-02-25T09:04:00.000-08:00

Sorry it's been so long since I posted anything on the blog. Life got busy and got in the way, I guess! I just wanted to post a quick thought to get the blog moving again. Also, be sure to check out the February newsletter on the right, as well as information about the prayer shawl ministry!

We can do nothing in this ministry without each other! Please let us know when you hear about new survivors and patients - we want to reach out!

Update

2008-09-19T12:45:00.001-07:00

It’s a beautiful fall day! I was able to take about a 15 minute break for lunch today and took a walk around the block. Practically every student was either listening to music on an i-pod or talking on their cell phone. Or they were busy rushing to their next class. I said, “hello” when we passed but only got one quick nod. Everyone else worked really hard at not making eye contact!

Take a minute today to simply enjoy God’s amazing creation. He made it all for you!! How glorious His majesty! If we didn’t praise Him….the rocks and trees would.

Our next gathering will be Tuesday September 30th at 6:00pm in the Fireside Room at SOCC. We’ll be putting together “Bags of HOPE”. Vickie Carmichael will be able to store the bags in her office so the HoosierHospitality hostesses can easily pick one up to take to their new MPRI patients. Here are the current MPRI patients housed by SOCC: Dave Beberger, Abdul Mohammed, Randy Raffanti, Ken Riebling, Rick Shafer and Sammy McCubbins. The usual MPRI treatment lasts 9 weeks. We will soon be housing a 2 year old little boy named Andon Zehring. The bags will contain the book When God and Cancer Meet along with soft toothbrushes, herbal teas, and any other goodies you want to add. You are also more than welcome to take a “Bag of HOPE” to someone you know that is battling cancer. This will be an on-going project.

Julie Curry is also starting a Prayer Shawl ministry. Contact everyone you know that knits or crochets that might want to start a new project! The creativity is all theirs and the finished size is usually around 24” X 60”. For more information contact Julie at juliec13@comcast.net

Please continue to pray for one another.

Always HOPE-full,
Laura

Meeting Next Week!

2008-08-22T08:49:00.001-07:00

August 26
6:00pm
Fireside Room
Sherwood Oaks Christian Church
(enter through Door 20)

Our Last Meeting

2008-08-08T07:30:00.000-07:00

What a glorious day today! No humidity and a wonderful cool breeze! Aaah....breathing in God's beauty!!

Claudia Mitchell shared at our last Mission of Hope Gathering (7/29) We were so very blessed! Here are her notes:

"God's desire is that y ou feel an abiding peace all the time, a peace that includes joy and a feeling of purpose in every area of your life---with times of anxiety or frustration being the "spurts" that occasionally hit us in crisis moments." -Charles Stanley

Fear----Where does it come from?
A. Normal stuff
B. Healthy Fear: Snakes (Be sure to ask Claudia to tell you her snake story!!!)
C. Healthy fear of God (the word for fear used here means to honor or reverence.)
D. Swiper No Swipping! (Hebrew word used for Satan in Gen 3:1 means "to be smooth")

The enemy wants to paralyze you and me with fear---He wants to steal your joy. John 10:10 ""The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

The Lion: 1 Peter 5:8 "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion for someone to devour."

Revelation 12:10 "Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night has been hurled down. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death."

Fear does NOT come from God
2 Timothy 1:7 "For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline"

How do we replace fear with peace?
A. MOVE!
James 4:7 "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."
B. Keep Walking
C. Invite Jesus to join you
John 6:18-20 "A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. When they had rowed three or three and a half miles they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walkin on the water, and they were terrified. But he said to them, "It is I; don't be afraid." Then they were willing to take him into the boat and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading."

A huge praise was shared that Judy M has had 50% tumor shrinkage!! Yee Haw...way to go God!

Please continue to also remember Vicky K, Helen T, Mary Ellen R, Betty S, Sandy C, John B, and Trudy McC in your prayers. If you would like address for anyone, let me know.

Also...please let me know of others that need our prayers and support.

Julie is checking into adding a Prayer Shawl ministry to our outreach. I'm so excited about the possibilities to tangibly reach out to others by wrapping them up in our love and prayers. It's been too hot to knit...but maybe this cooler weather will inspire me. We'll talk about this more at our next gathering and decide what steps to take to get this up and going!!

Always HOPE-full,
Laura

Crop for the Cure 2008

2008-08-07T13:20:00.000-07:00

Mark your calendars now if you enjoy scrapbooking. The annual Crop for the Cure will be right here at SOCC November 8 from 9am-9pm. Registration is $50. Proceeds benefit the Wabash Valley chapter of the Susan G Komen Foundation. More information will be posted as it becomes available!

Here is a portion of an email I received from Sharon, the woman in charge of the event.

"Crop for the Cure is an event where scrapbookers collect donations from their family & friends. They get together on Nov 8-from 9am-9pm and scrapbook-at your facility. We have our vendors donate supplies for "goodie" bags and door prizes. We have local restaurants donate food for lunch, dinner, and snacks, Cost per person is $50.00

We also have a silent auction (open to the public as well) where we auction off items donated by the community such as gift certs for oil changes, etc. Plus our scrapbookers this year plan to sell premade scrapbooks, minibooks, and packages of cards.

All the proceeds from this event are donated to the Wabash Valley chapter of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. I work with Gwen Hicks, and she tells me those $ stay in our area-so our family and friends benefit directly from this event. Gwen hopes to get more publicity from the local paper this year. Last year we raised over $6800.00, our goal for this year is $10,000.00."

Bloomington Breast Cancer Walk

2008-08-07T13:18:00.001-07:00

The annual Bloomington Breast Cancer Walk is September 20 at 8:00am, beginning at Shower's Plaza downtown. The walk is free, but they do accept donations. To join in the walk or for more information, please follow this link.

Ladies' Market Day

2008-07-28T11:17:00.000-07:00

Find your place in women's ministry at SOCC! Join us for our annual Ladies' Day Market August 19 at 6:30 pm.

Print off a free ticket today and join the fun!

Meeting Tomorrow, 7/29

2008-07-28T11:15:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder that there will be a Mission of Hope meeting Tuesday, July 29 at 6:00pm in the Fireside Room at Sherwood Oaks Christian Church.

Our guest speaker this week will be Claudia Mitchell, Women's Ministry Director at SOCC.

Please join us!

You're not Alone!

2008-07-07T05:47:00.003-07:00

Happy belated 4th of July! I marvel that God has blessed us so abundantly! Oh what freedom we enjoy! God has even promised us freedom from fear! (Fear of the unknown future, fear of recurrence, fear of pain, fear of loss...)

Cancer is a difficult frustrating journey...but a journey that we do not make alone!

Isaiah 43:2 says: "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze".

Cancer can certainly feel like stormy waters, raging rivers and all consuming fire...how much more frightening it would be to battle alone. This verse doesn't promise us smooth sailing, the storms still come...but it does promise that God will be with us in the middle of those storms. Do you remember running to your parents when the thunder boomed and the lightening cracked? How safe you felt in your daddy's arms?

Romans 8:15 "For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba (daddy) Father."

Celebrate your freedom from fear! God is already in your future and He promises never to leave you!

Please add Leslie Wright to your prayer list. Leslie is currently in remission...and we want her to stay there!

Always HOPE-full,
Laura Dolby

Prayer Requests 7/3/08

2008-07-03T07:06:00.000-07:00

Vicky K (in treatment)
Sandy C
Trudy McC (healing from surgery)
Judy M (in treatment)
John B (healing from surgery)
Betty S (in Houston)
Mary D (healing from surgery)
Jill B (healing and rest)
Mary Ellen R
Barbara T (mother died 6/18)
Jimmy & Doretta D
Dick & Ruth J
Sasha D

Want last names or address? Email us!

Thought for Today

2008-07-03T07:05:00.001-07:00

Have you ever stopped to consider how you look to God? This morning I was trying to decide what to wear to work, what made my rear end look smaller, what shoes would look best with the pants I was going to wear…We worry about our hair or lack of hair…what jewelry, lipstick, etc… But how do we look to God? YOU are God’s precious creation, made in His image. He sees the real you and loves you perfectly! Wow! Instead of worrying about this “earth suit” that I wear…I want my focus to be on my “eternal heart suit”….the one that God sees and the one that will never wear out!

1 Samuel 16:7But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

Love, Laura

From Jill

2008-06-23T07:04:00.000-07:00

We are finally moved in....everything got pushed back a few days because I got sick. The last couple of hours the men were packing...I just didn't feel right. I decided I needed to go to the emergency room (which scared my daughter to death). Long story, short....my husband called from Atlanta to one of the IU team doctors to see if he could see me so I wouldn't have to deal with the ER "mess". What a blessing they were! They think it was some kind of bacteria infection. I am still on strong antibiotics, but feeling alittle better ever day. I'm following up here and with a previous doctor in Tennessee next week. I'm just really scared! This is the first "sick" thing that I've had to deal with since the cancer stuff. I have P.M.B.O. that this is just a thing from letting myself get so stressed/run down from all the changes in our lives. I just wanted to ask you if at the meeting tomorrow..along with telling everyone hi and I miss them..would you please pray for me? I'm terrified of getting sick or getting bad news again. I need some prayer warriors so I don't feel like I'm down here alone. Thanks for all you do. Take care.

A Note from Laura

2008-06-13T12:07:00.000-07:00

Greetings everyone! I just returned from a week on the beach in Florida. Two special friends went with me and our oldest daughter met us there. I had lots of time for resting and ocean watching! I wasn't able to check email while I was gone...so I just sent you a brief update on some of our prayer requests. Please let me know how we can best pray for you and I'll get the word out. I just love all the loving that's taking place!!

A couple of years ago we went to the same beach as a family...our last family vacation. Knowing Galen's cancer was probably going to win the battle, I was tearful and told Galen how much I loved him and was going to miss him. I also said I wasn't sure I could live without him. Galen asked me to count how many grains of sand I had on my one finger tip. I counted around 40 grains of sand. Then he said, "Look at all the sand on just this one beach. Why be so concerned about 40 years when we'll be sharing eternity together?!!" I miss Galen and sometimes it feels as if my heart is going to hurt forever. But I don't grieve as someone who has no HOPE. I KNOW I'll see Galen again and we will share eternal glory together!! So as I'm cleaning out my suitcase...the sand in the bottom reminds me of Heaven!

The beach also makes me think of Psalms 139:17-18 "How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you. God is thinking about YOU a whole lot.

Our next group time together will be at 6:00pm on Tuesday June 24th in the Fireside Room. I asked them to change it to the Fireside room since the Living Room felt a little crowded and a little warm sometimes. (We'll always meet on the last Tuesday of the month...same time...same place.)

Always HOPE-full,
Laura