First and foremost, we have exciting news to share with you! We are expecting an addition to our family on January 10, 2014. Surprised? Us too :) God is so good! He knew we needed a refreshing change of focus after what we have been through these past two years and how refreshing it is to focus on a new little life! Taylor is so incredibly excited to be a sister, it's precious! We just spent this last month with our parents, siblings, cousins, etc. and really had fun sharing the news in person. Taylor would put on her Big Sister shirt and just give hugs and smile and wait until others noticed our big news. After awhile if others weren't catching on she would point to the words on her shirt or even say, can you please read my shirt? Hee hee. Too funny! Below is a pic of Taylor in her Big Sister shirt and then a video also of her announcing our news. You will have to go to wilestrials.blogspot.com to view the video.
The cool thing is to look over this past year to see how God continued to provide us with hope as we looked to him for guidance on our future from a family planning perspective. Many months prior to us finding out I was pregnant, Taylor started to express her heart of wanting to be a big sister, at times even sobbing about it. Interesting timing. Also, the last few times over the past year that I had been asked to share my testimony at various places/groups, each time a woman would come up to me after and thank me for sharing and then proceed to tell me that her husband also had cancer, they were told they wouldn't be able to have children, and how they had been able to. The really strange thing about this all was that never in my testimony did I talk about the desire to have more children and the concern about whether or not it would ever be possible with Jas going through 2 cancers, chemo, radiation, surgeries, etc. I look back now and totally see that it was God providing hope to me along the way to hold tight to his perfect timing. So cool how he does that isn't it?
As for other highlights... Jason and I attended the 2nd Annual Believe Big Fundraising Event this spring. It was incredible to see how the Lord continues to grow this organization! There were over 500 attendees at the event. WOW! Jason was asked to share a few minutes with the audience and we have included the video of what he spoke of below. He did a great job! While they haven't raised the entire amount of $ to fund the mistletoe clinicial trial at Johns Hopkins, they raised enough to start Phase 1 which is incredibly encouraging! If you are interested in learning more, visit www.believebig.org.
Here is the link to the video:
http://www.believebig.org/VIDEOS.html
Scroll down the page to the header "Success Stories" and Jason's video will be on the right hand column.
Also, we have been able to go on a handful of camping trips so far. Cunningham Falls, Dutch Wonderland, George Washington National Forest, etc. We are loving the camper that Jas' mom so graciously let us have and have already got a lot of use out of it. The joke is that we sleep better in the camper than our own house :) Here are a few camping trip pics.
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| Princess and the Frog diving show at Dutch Wonderland |
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| Swimming at the Waterfalls on our Annual Camping Trip with the Couches to GW National Forest |
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| Taylor acting out Pocahontas with her camo paint on :) |
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| Cunningham Falls |
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| She couldn't resist not swimming in her clothes so she ended up in Daddy's shirt. |
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| Gigi and Mr. Bruce left surprises for Taylor when we stayed at their place in Southport for a few days :) |
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| 4th of July celebration |
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| Thank you for another year with Daddy! |
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| The Goonie Gurney Clan |
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| Swimming Time with Gigi and Cousins - Camden and Jake |
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| Look at these jazzy new kick boards from Gigi! |
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| What fun Rolling Ridge Ranch was! Grandma Gurney with cousins Caleb & Caylie. |
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| Hello Mr. Elk! |
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| Loved feeding the baby camel! |
So coming up shortly this August, we have a BIG month ahead of us! We are approaching another round of scans for Jason, he will have a follow up with his natropath to see how his thymus is working (this produces cancer and disease fighting cells and has been on the low end these last few months), and we may be trying a new type of procedure to help keep Jas' esophagus open. Then on top of that we may be able to find out the gender of the baby. And last but not least, Jason is running the River Valley Run 10k trail race in mid-August, to celebrate how far he has come and to raise funds for Believe Big. If you would like to support him please donate on behalf of his run and support the ground breaking research and great things Believe Big is doing go to www.active.com/donate/2013RVR/JasonWiles WOW, to see how far the Lord has brought him this past year and a half!!!
Also this month, Patty Pollatus Fund (the organization that helped our family with fundraising this past year) is hosting their annual FUNomenon on Saturday, August 24 from 12-6pm. Lots of fun things taking place on the agenda including a rodeo, Rodney Atkins concert, tons of entertainment for kids (pony rides, moon bounce, magic show, face painting, crafts, etc.) and food all for the price of one ticket! The awesome thing is that PPF is allowing those who want to attend to have the cost of their ticket of $75/adult to go straight to Jason's account with PPF to help pay for ongoing medical expenses he is incurring. Note, that the ticket price at the gate is less because those $ go toward PPF's general operating expenses and not a recipient's fund. PPF sets the prices for both options. Kids 5 and under are free and kids tickets age 6-12 can be purchased at the gate for $15, they will not allow the kids tickets to be applied to a recipient's account. For all tickets purchased at the gate, those $ can NOT be applied to Jason's account.
If you are interested in purchasing a ticket(s), please email me directly at wiles.megan@gmail.com ASAP as there is a very specific way tickets need to be purchased in order for the $ to go into Jason's account. If you are not able to attend, but would still like to contribute to Jason's account that funds his ongoing medical expenses, you can go directly to the PPF website at www.ppfinc.org and click on the DONATION tab. From there you can find Jason's profile toward the bottom of the page and fill out the requested information. Hope to see you all there and thanks for considering! :)
Lastly, we wanted to ask for your prayers of protection please for our family during this month of August. Especially with our news of an addition, the evil one will be attempting to attack us with doubt and fear we know. If you would please pray the Strong and Courageous & No Fear Prayer (at the very end of the email) for our family this month, we would greatly appreciate it! We should know toward the end of this month how the scans look . Also, toward the end of the month, we are considering a new procedure for Jason. He continues to have his esophagus close and has been going in monthly for stretchings. However the opening isn't healing in the right shape. So, we are considering and praying about trying a new procedure just approved at the hospital where they would place a smaller stent in Jas' esophagus and sew it into his esophagus wall to keep it in place ideally. By using a smaller stent, our hope is that it will not cause the pain that the ones in the past have. So please pray for God's clarity on whether to proceed with this procedure or not and for ultimate healing of his esophagus - to stay wide OPEN!
Thanks so much! We hope you all are having a fantastic summer and enjoying your last bit of time before school heads back in. Taylor is excited about starting preschool this year :)
With Much Love in Him!
Meg
JASON & MEGAN WILL BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS!
Jason and Megan will be strong and courageous. They will not be discouraged. For you, my Lord are with them wherever they go. (Joshua 1:9) No one will be able to stand up against them all the days of their life. As you were with Daniel – and Joseph – I know you are with them. You will never fail them and you will never leave them. Never.(Joshua 1:5) They will meditate on your Word and will follow you alone. (Joshua 1:8)
Because of Your Word, Jason and Megan are overcomers. They overcome the world, the flesh and the devil by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. Greater are You, Lord that is in them than he that is in the world. (1 John 4:4, Rev. 12:11) You came that they may have life, and have it in abundance. (John 10:10) You are a shield for them, their glory, and the lifter of their head.(Psalm 3:3) You always lead them in triumphal procession and through them you are able to spread the knowledge of who You are. (2 Cor. 2:14)
Jason and Megan will set their dwelling in and among You, and their soul shall not despise, reject or separate itself from you. (Leviticus 26:11) Amid all these things they are more than a conqueror and gain a surpassing victory through You who love them. (Romans 8:37) No weapon that is formed against them shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against them in judgment You shall show to be in the wrong. This peace, righteousness, security, triumph over opposition is the heritage that they have through You. (Isaiah 54:17)
Though Jason and Megan live in the world, they will not wage war as the world does. The weapons they fight with are not the weapons of the world. They have divine power to demolish strongholds. (2 Corinthians 10:3,4) They will put on the full armor of God so that they can take a stand against the devil’s schemes. They will stand firm with the belt of truth around their waist, with the breastplate of righteousness, their feet ready with peace, the shield of faith to extinguish the arrows from the devil, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit which is Your word. They will be alert and will always be praying. (Ephesians 6)
JASON & MEGAN WILL HAVE NO FEAR!
You have chosen Jason and Megan and have not rejected them. So Jason and Megan will not fear for you are with them. They will not be dismayed, for you are their God. You will strengthen them and help them; you will uphold them with your righteous right hand….For you are the Lord, my God, who takes hold of their right hand and says “Do not be afraid; I will help you.” (Isaiah 41:9-13)
Jason and Megan praise you because they are fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:14) For you created and formed them. They will not be afraid for you have redeemed them. You have called them by name and they are yours. When they pass through the waters, you will be with them; and when they pass through the rivers, it will not sweep over them. When they walk through the fire, they will not be burned; the flames will not set them ablaze. For you are the Lord my God, the Holy One of Israel, their Savior. (Isaiah 43:1-3)
Jason and Megan will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day. (Psalm 91:5) For God did not give them a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-control. (2 Timothy 1:7) And they are more than a conqueror through him who loved them. For they are convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate them from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus my Lord. (Romans 8:36-39)
