Marissa

In August, our family got a phone call with news that turned everything in our world upside down. Our four-year-old daughter, Alice, has cancer. That phone call knocked us to our knees. But from our knees, God has given us a unique perspective of his kindness, his love, his all-sufficiency, his sovereignty and his gracious redemption over all that is broken in our world.

Over the last five months, the Lord has used his word to show us his promises and his character. He has also used his people, his church — this church, Redeemer — to be his hands and feet for us. He has used Redeemer to show his provision and promises in tangible ways.

1 John 3:16-18 says “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to law down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”

That’s exactly what Redeemer has done for us this year. You loved us with your words — through your faithful prayers and personal messages. But you have also loved us in deed and in truth.

Thirty-six hours after we got the call about Alice’s cancer diagnosis, you packed the surgery waiting room. Our fear and sadness became your fear and sadness. You wept with us. You prayed for us. You paced the room with us. You lifted us up.

For months you’ve come one after the other to our door with food and hugs. Some of you I met for the first time when you brought us a meal. When we moved into our house, you took hours out of your own busy scheduled to move all our furniture and unpack all our belongings. It was amazing and humbling. Rob and I keep joking that we need to have you all over for dinner to say thank you — and so you can tell us where our can opener is! We are so thankful!

From the beginning we knew Sundays would be tricky. Trying to balance Alice’s compromised immune system with our desire to be in worship with you could have been very stressful — but in so many ways, you have stepped up and served us so that we can safely be here.

You have walked with us in the daily realities of cancer treatment. On treatment days you have sat with me while Alice gets chemo. You have learned your way around the hospital. And your children have prayed, written cards for our girls, made gifts and shown their love in many ways. Your kids are watching you love us well and they are learning what it looks like to love in word and deed.

Redeemer is a place where people are being transformed by God’s word and by the love and grace of Jesus. People here abide with Jesus, and God’s love abides in them. Thank you for loving us in word and in deed. Thank you for walking with us. We are not finished yet, but the power belongs to God. He is sustaining us and He is being glorified in this.

You can read more Stories of Grace HERE.