Update on Doug
God is constantly preparing us to better understand Him and His plans for our life. Constantly showing us how good He is. Constantly walking along side us through life as we live in a way that glorifies Him. I know this to be true. For years I have been a leader in ministry and I have stood in front of people and proclaimed both the goodness of God and the sovereignty of His plans. For years I have been witness to the amazing things God has done. I see His love for me everyday. Even on days where we might not fully understand or have all the answers to the questions…God does.
For months I have been going to the doctors trying to figure out what was wrong with my lip. After several doctors visits and tests they have found out what was wrong with it. Last week I was diagnosed with an aggressive form of skin cancer. It is not melanoma, and we praise God for that. However, the nature of this aggressive cancer is going to require an aggressive treatment , removal and repair process. The first week of August I am going in to have the cancer removed where I will have a good portion of my bottom lip and surrounding tissue removed. This will be followed by an extensive plastic surgery that will repair the wound and allow the skin to heal. The Doctors main goal is to remove cancer. We are praying (and you can pray along with us) that the cancer has not spread any further than the lip. We are praying that it actually shrinks before the procedure. And we pray that the doctors would be able to confidently locate and remove all of the cancer and at the end of the procedure will be able to give us a report that the cancer was all removed. Once they remove the tissue that has cancer they will test the tissue to see what type of further treatments might be necessary to ensure the body is rid of the cancer.
As a part of the recovery process I will not be able to speak for several weeks. ( I know… ironic). I will not be able to communicate with you by my normal means. The best ways for you to hear about the progress of the surgery and recovery process AND to encourage me is through my blog ( www.dougstoryblog.com ). I will communicate regularly through this and you will be able to know what is happening and how you can be praying for us.
You can also find updates on our Facebook page. Just search for SUNRISE CHURCH EAST VALLEY.
Our family and me included have been through a rollercoaster of emotions and experiences this last week. We are still processing a lot of the things that are going on. As a family we are discussing and planning how to prepare and how to allow for the best recovery. Please respect our family at this time. We are not perfect people, just people a perfect God is using right now to proclaim His goodness. Please do not talk to Nicholas about what is going on. We know that you want to let him know you are praying for his daddy, but we want to protect him from any undue pain and misunderstanding about what is going on. We want Nicholas to have a normal 3 year old life. He enjoys his friends his age and coming to church, and we don’t want him to need to grow up faster than he needs to by being involved in some adult conversations. Pray for our family and for this situation to bring us closer to each other and closer to God. We have always appreciated your love and support and will continue to rely on it from this day forward.
As for Sunrise Church East Valley Campus we will still have church services every Sunday morning. Sunrise Church has been extremely supportive in this situation and we are working on getting several people to fill in for me. This church was not built around me. From the beginning we have learned and now know that the church is not a building. It is the people who meet inside whatever building you meet in. (School or church). The church is also not a single person or personality. It is a collection of people and personalities. Community groups will still meet. Classes will continue. Worship will happen. Just the guy communicating a message will be different for the time being. ( and in all honesty he will most likely have shorter messages than I did ) We are blessed to be a part of a church that has a lot of human resources, both on staff and volunteer, and those human resources are going have to step up right now.
Next week I will be here at church. Pastor Jay will preaching for me and we will have a final plan of what is going to happen while I recover until I can ( and I will ) return.
This is not taking God by surprise. He is not in heaven right now biting his fingernails hoping that Sunrise Church and Doug Story can handle this situation. He HAS A PLAN. The worst thing that can happen out of this for our church is that we cease to do what we have been doing all along.
That is Be ONE, BRING ONE, and BUILD ONE.
We ask that you Pray Diligently for this process:
Pray for healing.
Pray that cancer shrinks between now and the procedures.
Pray that the doctors can remove ALL of the cancer.
Pray that the cancer has not spread to other parts of the body.
Pray for healing after the surgeries
Pray for strength for me and my family
God has chosen for our family and church to go through this at this time. We know God does not give us anything that we cannot handle. At this time God graciously chosen for all us to endure some changes. He will provide. He will succeed. He will be faithful. That is what He does.
