God Is There...by Don and Cindy Houdek

by United Congregational Church of Grand Island on 05/19/12

GOD IS THERE..By Don and Cindy Houdek

On December 31st, we left for Texas and a month long needed camping trip. We usually take the month of February, but this year we had to leave early as our daughter Kelsey was expecting her first child, with a due date of February 29th, and babies have their own time schedules. It was beautiful in Texas, warm weather, with bike rides, hiking and reading. We had just moved to Tyler State Park, set up and cooking our lunch when the cell phone became active. Our daughter-in-law calling to let us know that Kirk had just been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. We knew he had not been feeling well for over a month as we helped remodel their kitchen before we left, but this was scary. Just prior to this phone call, our daughter Ashley called and Don’s brother Leroy had drove to Omaha to pick her up and bring her to my parents house. She was on an antibiotic that they use for anthrax, which was making her unaware of her surroundings, and dizzy. So we ate, packed up at 2:00 p.m. and started our long drive home. I of course am driving as I now need to be busy, and am not a late night driver. We decide to let the GPS guide us home with its short cuts. This route entails driving through three Indian reservations which is usually the less traveled highways. We are literally in the middle of nowhere with my thoughts going to survival rates of pancreatic cancer,(76%) with best case scenario of five years of life, thinking of the three boys, age 10, and the twins age 8, when the side of the hill is all light up with white rocks spelling out “Jesus”. Continuing to talk to myself, I say “yes, I know I have you with me”. We stop for gas and Don is now going to drive. I walk into the gas station and this cashier starts talking to me about her family and how 3 of them were diagnosed with cancer last year and two are now in remission, with one passing away, she says “God Bless You and your family”. Okay, this is weird, out of the blue type conversation that tends to hit home. After driving for another 3 hours, is this big sign, (in the middle of nowhere once again), lit up with “Jesus”. I tell myself, Okay, Okay, I get it, but I am still worried and believing only I can solve this problem, make things happen, change them for the best. As 3:00 a.m. arrives, so does another lite up sign in the middle of nowhere saying, “Jesus”. Now I smile to myself, realizing that God has finally got through to me. He is trying to tell me that he has it under control, he is with me, right by my side as always. I am not alone trying to fight this, he is with us all, taking care of things. We may not always like the outcome, but we are never alone. I felt so much peace. Couldn’t wait to tell my son that God will be with us throught this. Kirk has since been through, MRI’s, Cat Scans, dye tests, blood tests, endoscope, colonoscopy, and new doctor’s not in York. The gastrologist has discovered it is a severely slow digestive process causing nasuesness, vomiting, can’t sleep, etc. Crohn’s, Celiac diseases have also been ruled out. Even though he is not feeling the best, not his carefree personality, we are not facing cancer at this point. I just needed to share this message because of three light up signs with just one word “Jesus”.