Update on Pastor Gary
Written by Bev DeSalvo
Have you ever been disappointed with God’s answer to your urgent prayer requests? We’ve all been there…crying out to God in the darkness, hoping and begging for a miracle, but that doesn’t seem to be in His plans.
Our Lord and Savior, Jesus, had this experience when He walked on this earth. Knowing that the cross was before Him, Matthew 26 states that He was deeply grieved and distressed. In fact, scriptures tell us that His soul was “grieved to the point of death.” In this dark hour, He cried out to God saying, ““My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from Me. Yet I want Your will to be done, not Mine.” Our Savior trusted the heart of His Father and submitted His life to His care, even though God’s answer wasn’t what He was hoping for.
Yesterday, our family received an answer to prayer that we weren’t expecting. Gary’s three- month scan revealed that he has several metastases (cancer spots) on his liver. Because of the significant number and location of these mets, there is no treatment that can be done at Baylor Scott and White Hospital in Temple, where we live.
So, what’s our next step? After an outpouring of tears and worship we are finding refuge under the shadow of His wings. We are determined to enjoy every day we have together and to fight this battle to the end. Knowing that there is no known cure for Ocular Melanoma, we’re exploring different clinical trial options in the US and Britain. Ultimately, like Jesus, we are trusting that our Father’s heart is for our good. He never promised that this world would be easy…but He did promise that He would be with us every step of the way.
Gary and I desire to live our lives to the fullest, serving God until our last breath. Thank you for coming alongside us in this journey.
Gary has this quote on his desk at work: “With his sword unsheathed and his armor in place, he went directly to see the King with the stain of battle still on his garments.”