Greetings from San Antonio!

Happy Tuesday! Please forgive us for not writing last evening. We got to the Alamo City around midnight. Carme and I talked until around 2:00 am and so writing did not happen. But your constant flood of prayers as been so felt and so appreciated. We all got to the hospital about 10:00 am. The nurse came and got Carme about noon. Her surgery began about 1:40pm, but called every hour or so to let us know how things were going. 6:30 pm Carme came out of surgery and is currently in her room. The surgery went very well. The doc was hoping things would go well enough that allowed the reconstruction portion surgery to take only 4 hours instead of the anticipated 8 hours. We were so grateful because that happened. Carme had both breasts removed and lymph nodes removed for testing. She came through the surgery perfectly. Shaleena, Carme and Dave’s daughter and I are going to stay in the hospital with her tonight. I know if it were me in that hospital bed that Geni would be nowhere else.

Today during one of our prayer times we prayed for perfection. We prayed for God’s perfect will and skill to be with all connected with the surgery and after care today. We also prayed for Carme’s body and spirit to be one with the surgeons and others in the OR and must especially to be one with our heavenly Father, the Great Physician.

The Passionately Pink Party was great. Some of Carme and Dave’s friends made pink ribbon cookies and had them ready for visitors in the waiting room. We all wore pink in some form and Carme handed out pink embroidered stickers to everyone who walked into her holding room and then passed out the stickers to everyone in the OR and Recovery room. She is totally amazing!! She took the following things with her into the OR: a pink blanket, her stickers, two scriptures that have special meaning for her and Casey’s John 3:16 sleeveless shirt. The anesthesiologist came in to visit with her and went to check her vitals. He had to pull back the pink blanket, the hospital blanket and then Casey’s shirt. The shocked look on the doc’s face and his comment cracked all of us up. He said, “I am not used to a layered patient.” It has been a long day, but with great news and a very, very promising outcome. If the lymph nodes have not been invaded then no chemotherapy or radiation will be needed. If there has been invasion in the lymph nodes then some chemotherapy/radiation will be needed. We should know something by the end of the week.

Psalm 144:1 says, “Blessed be the Lord, my Rock, who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle.” Isaiah 43:2 says, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.” These are the two scriptures Carme took with her into surgery today. She claimed the psalm for the surgeons, the nurses, the anesthesiologists, the pharmacists and anyone else who had any connection to this surgery. The doctors and nurses prayed with all of us and we sent her to the OR “layered” in all of her stuff and covered in the promises and the grace of God through all of the prayers and love being sent her way. The passage from Isaiah is the one with which she closes all of her emails. So no matter what the outcome, she had the assurance that God would be with her no matter what. I love the passages of scripture that that boldly state and claim the promise and assurance of God in our lives. Isaiah says, “…I will be with you.” Not I might be with you or just a minute and I will get to you, but “I will be with you…” The One who calls us by name and calls Himself, I AM boldly states, “I will be with you.” Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him all creatures here below. Praise Him above ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen and Amen!!!

We will return to Arlington sometime tomorrow. Take joy in the journey. Love you all, Bruce, Gaylene, Geni and Travis.

Gcapplenotes@aol.com

I am not moved by what I see. I am not moved by what I feel. I am moved only by what I believe and I believe God.