A hysterectomy in December

Dear friends,

I have been writing the last few days because things are happening and I welcome your prayers. I would encourage you to look at my last 2 entries to understand why I need a hysterectomy all of a sudden.

I just talked to the HR director at Partners International and she told me our medical co-pay year ends on Dec. 31st. So my wondering whether I should hold off on this hysterectomy until after the holidays is now a no-brainer. I need to get it done before the end of the year- hopefully after Dec. 8th which is the staff Christmas party, and in time for me to be mostly recovered by Christmas when the kids are coming home. Heng Hua, our DU international student dear friend, and her friend are also coming for Christmas. I am very excited about the holidays. There will be lots of women around here to cook, so no worries in that department! We haven't all been together since Jenni's graduation in May. We hope to be together in Denver for Thanksgiving and plan to have a new family picture taken at that time. Laura hasn't even been to Spokane yet, so that will also be fun.

Here is another blessing. We live in a ranch now, so all of my living is on one main floor! No steps required. That is handy for after surgery! I plan to do a LOT between getting my sling off on November 27 (the day after my 50th birthday) and having this other surgery. I will set up a temporary bedroom and family room in the basement which is unfinished but framed. Then we will have room for everyone. I am figuring out how I will fasten fabric to the walls and put carpet down so we can set up our famous Fritz movie theater once again. I will also set up another bedroom down there to handle everyone who ends up here (Smile).

I got a message from someone I don't even know on my blog letting me know that he/she are praying for me every day. Their friend, also Nancy, is also going through breast cancer and has a blog called nancysupdate.blogspot.com. So by "accident" they happened upon my blog and have been praying for me ever since. Thank you whoever you are and tell your other Nancy that I am also praying for her!

So now I need to rest my arm once again. My shoulder is supposed to only have to endure 1 hour of typing at a time, so I need to sign off. Thank you for your renewed prayers- especially that if there is cancer on my ovary we are able to get it out before it gets loose in my abdomen. And if it isn't cancer, that it will either behave itself or go away. I believe in a miracle God.

I am going through a Beth Moore Bible study called "Breaking Free." I have found it to be a very healing time for me. Almost every week I am thinking how I wish the Caleb Project staff could have the benefit of this study to help them heal from all the hurts of the last 11 months. The gem today was about refining fires that God allows in our lives. If He allows a trial, or fire, He also has a plan for how He is going to use it to purify us and make us more beautiful as His bride. BUT, only if we offer it back to Him to make beauty out of the ashes. We won't even smell like smoke if we give it to him and let Him use it for His glory and our growth. But if we choose to hold onto the ashes and damage of the fire (like the closing of a ministry you have given your life to for decades) we will continue to smell like smoke, and set ourselves up for strongholds that will go on and on. Amazing and so very helpful. I highly recommend this study. It takes time to get the homework done, but it is well worth it. She also described how when we get hurt as a child how we hold our hand over the wound and have a hard time letting our parent wash it for us. We do that as adults also, craddling our hurts and protecting them from being cleaned and healed by our loving Father. Great lessons.

I will let you go but wanted to ask you to pray that the Lord use this next surgery as a step in purifying me as His bride even further. Mostly for the internal things He wants to teach me. Sugery itself doesn't scare me like it does some people. I know that is a gift too. I am done with these particular body parts and thank God that they have been the source of growth of 4 absolutely amazing children. Thank you God that I was able to have children and feel them growing within me. I am grateful for 4 healthy babies and for fun home births. I am grateful for being able to stop needing to clip Tampax coupons for myself too! God, you are so very good to me!

Blessings on your day! Nancy Fritz