In 15 minutes I leave for treatment #7 - only ONE more to go - YEAH! A couple months ago, I never thought I’d make it to this point. I would NOT have if my heavenly Daddy weren’t walking every step with me. With His LOVE, STRENGTH, COMFORT I AM going to make it!

One thing that I have begun doing that is fun and very helpful is this: My God has HUNDREDS of names. Every morning I pick one of those names that my heavenly Daddy needs to be to me that day - like this morning - my STRENGTH. It overwhelms me how many things my God is to me! After a few days - weeks - of this activity - you finally start to grasp that you can’t do life without GOD. You need Him in all of His hundreds of roles. He is everything!

So, it’s much easier to commit myself - mind, body, and soul - to my heavenly Daddy! Who else can make sense of my life and help me live it to its fullest and with complete peace and joy!

My computer was down this morning (power outage) so I thought I’d update this. I’m home from treatment. Because I know have 3 of these in my body the meds are starting to take harder side effects. The METAL TASTE IS BACK- YUCK. I’m keeping cold on in my mouth because I can felt he mouth sores starting already. I’m achier and sore all ready. SO, it’s harder than the last two - BUT ONLY ONE MORE TO GO!

My heavenly Daddy was my strength during the treatment and He will be my comfort these next couple of days. He is my HOPE for the future! He has never let me down!

I don’t have anything very profound to say today, but it’s been a while since I gave you an update. I’m doing great. I have some side effects but all that I can easily deal. I’m trying to live life like I did before being a cancer survivor and I’m doing pretty well - although Tuesday, my body was very clear to tell me to SLOW DOWN. I almost slept the whole day. So, fatigue wise, I’m not back yet.

I have been amazed at how God is using me and using others in my life to make me “SEE” Him even more. You think you are so close and know God so well and then you see Him working in ways you can’t imagine. I’m absolutely in awe of my God. He is working in people all around me and I feel so honored to be working with some of those people.

We have friends that just decided they didn’t need to go too far to be on the mission field. They just moved their family - the couple and 2 high school kids - to a 3 bedroom apartment at a low-income housing development on East side Bakersfield (the side you don’t go to unless you have locks on your car etc) By living there, it opens the doors for Jesus Shack to come in and hold bible studies and more. Matter of fact, I’ll be in my element because they have asked me to coordinate and head up a VBS for all the kids there at that complex. That’s my heaven. I love giving to those kids! They appreciate everything!! So, we’ll have games, and snacks, and crafts, and of course story time (which I will look forward to). God has given me the passion for His children - to let them in on the good news of how much He loves them. This will be SO incredible! You can start praying for me now that I have the energy and the wisdom to know just want to say and have them do - it’s going to be in mid-July.

Our church is doing a series on our bodies. They are trying to convey to us that we don’t have to have the bodies of a model etc. We need to love our bodies - take care of them - and remember they belong to God. Next week is the final week and they are wrapping up with broken bodies. Yes, some earthly bodies are broken and we have to deal with that - but we have hope for the future because we’ll have new perfect bodies in heaven. So, I did a video of my story - my broken body and side effects etc from the cancer - but my hope for my eternal body. It’s not something I really enjoy - but I hope my story helps someone else who is suffering with a broken body on this earth.

SO, God is awesome. He is opening so many doors and allowing Lon and I to serve Him - something in the past may have “gotten in the way of my schedule” but now something I wake up every morning wondering just how He wants to use me! What a new me - what a much more joyful me! When you truly put yourself aside and live for God every day that’s when you will feel the most complete! Here’s to being God’s servants!

By the way, some of you have asked in the past if there was a way you could send a gift to help with my medical bills (which will end up being over $50,000 by the time we are done). FIRST, know I am NOT ASKING for help (God will provide) but if God has lead you to feel you can help a little you can now send a gift to LIFE JOURNEY CHRISTIAN CHURCH - and in the MEMO area write BENEVOULANCE FUND: BORNTREGERS and we will receive that gift and it will be a tax write off for you. The address is: 4100 Easton Dr. Suite 6, Bakersfield, CA 93309. Thanks now if you feel lead. Remember though that financial giving is NOT the only way you can support us! Please keep those prayers coming that Lon and I continue to look for ways to serve God, that my body continues to react well to the last 2 treatments, and that the cancer then stays away. Your prayers, calls and emails mean the world to me!!

LOVE YOU ALL!

I’m WORKING today and going to love every minute of it! With this new chemo drug, my side effects are much milder - no nausea. SO, I feel more like a normal person. I can’t push it - I take my naps - but I can function. It’s amazing what that does for a person - to feel like you are useful! I can be the wife, mom, and God’s servant that I want to be. I’m not just a blob sitting on the couch taking up space. It feels great.

God’s timing is always perfect - why can’t we remember that when we are in the valleys. I’m feeling well enough to really start my Creative Memories business here in Bakersfield. Matter of fact, today is National Scrapbook Day - my biggest event of the year! We’ll be working on our albums from Noon-8pm. I have worked hard making it special for my customers. We have displays of ideas, raffle prizes, games, and dinner. I make sure those ladies feel pampered today.

You know, feeling better and feeling like I’m “living” again reminds me the importance of being the album maker for my family. My albums are not just pictures - they are memories of times that God has given to our family. They are stories of the ups and downs of our families - the happy and sad times and more. Together, pictures and stories, remind us the blessings that God has given us - the provisions He has given us - the necessary skills and talents He has given us - the comfort and peace He has given to us in the harder times. My album is a tangible way to show my children that our God keeps His promises! He lives up to all of us names! When my family looks through our albums - page after page - we are re-living our journey with GOD!

Ok… this wasn’t meant to be an advertisement for my business. I just sit in awe today though first because my Healer has allowed my body to have strength to work today - and secondly, because my Heavenly Daddy is allowing me to help others see how He has been alive in their lives. That’s a gift when your job/career opens the door to talk about Jesus.

Look at your lives… how many doors do you have where you can be showing others who our God is??? Are you taking those opportunities or are you running away from them. Until these past 2 years - I ran and ran fast. Now, I sit in awe that God is giving me the responsibility to share with others. I’m in awe that He thinks that He can do that through me! I challenge you to look for those doors and open them wide as you step through them! There is NO BETTER FEELING than showing our God to someone that doesn’t know Him!