History

Thursday, January 22, 2009 9:22 PM CST

It's true - we finished our 5 years of scans and visits at St Jude today. Bella's appointments went very well - her scan looked good, her bloodwork was fine - just one surprise, we need to head to endrocine soon because it appears she is entering puberty. This was apparent on the scan, although I've had a mother's hunch for 6 months or so.

We had a good day, and had the Johnsons by our side most of the day. They really are like family to us! Please pray for them tomorrow - sweet Brook has surgery first thing in the AM at LeBonheur. I will say that the feeling is eerie...its really hard to believe that we are drawing this chapter to a close. Praising God!

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Matthew 6:26

Thursday, January 22, 2009 9:30 AM CST

We take Bella in today for possibly her last D clinic visit ever. If today's CT is clean, she will move over to the ACT clinic (After completion of Treatment). We are overwhelmed by this change- it's happening 1.5 years earlier than planned - but are thankful.
We will post an update later today.

Blessings to you,
Mylissa

Monday, August 25, 2008 2:09 PM CDT

We learned early this morning that Mark's dad, Gary Horrocks died suddenly around 5am. We truly believe he is now in the loving arms of Jesus. He was not sick, and in fact had played in a golf tournament the day before. Because of his past heart issues, we believe he had a heart attack. Please continue to pray for our family - especially Mark and his mom, Margaret Horrocks. Mark gets to NY by plane in about 2 hours, and the kids and i are following by car.
Thank you,
Mylissa Horrocks

Thursday, July 31, 2008 4:25 PM CDT

And in the midst of the trials and circumstances around us, we learn that Bella is still cancer free. Thank you for praying!

Praising the Lord, while also praying for so many families that are still struggling...

Love, Mylissa

Thursday, July 17, 2008 9:20 PM CDT

To my sweet husband,
You have been the rock and strength of this family not only through the last five years. For 10 years you have sacrificed yourself for me and for the life of this marriage and family. I am so proud to be called your wife, and thankful for the years we will continue to spend together. Thank you for being the image of Christ to me, Bella, Izaiah and Samuel.

I love you!!
YSM,
Mylissa

To our sweet friends that continue to check on Bella here, please continue to keep up with our family by checking
www.5downyonder.blogspot.com

Bella's scans were recently resceduled for July 30 and 31. Thank you for continuing to pray!

Thursday, January 24, 2008 5:05 PM CST

Praising God for another day of clear scans for Bella. The growth on her knee was actually a wart. We are now 3.5 years post therapy and 4.5 years NED. I wanted to share the Psalm that the Lord had for us this morning...it was a great encouragement to us.

Psalm 20

1 May the LORD answer you when you are in distress;
may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
2 May he send you help from the sanctuary
and grant you support from Zion.

3 May he remember all your sacrifices
and accept your burnt offerings.
Selah

4 May he give you the desire of your heart
and make all your plans succeed.

5 We will shout for joy when you are victorious
and will lift up our banners in the name of our God.
May the LORD grant all your requests.

6 Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed;
he answers him from his holy heaven
with the saving power of his right hand.

7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

8 They are brought to their knees and fall,
but we rise up and stand firm.

9 O LORD, save the king!
Answer [a] us when we call!

Bella got to go to the nail salon this afternoon with her sweet friend, Sammie Waggoner. They had a wonderful time getting pampered!

We are thankful that we will continue our work here in Memphis with Bella by our side. All the Praise and Glory to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessings to you and your family,
Mylissa Horrocks

Thursday, January 24, 2008 5:05 PM CST

Saturday, January 19, 2008 10:55 PM CST

UPDATE Monday January 21 2008 1:46pm CST

Hello all,
Well…we are home from dermatology, and I didn’t mention this to everyone, but Bella did have a small unpigmented “bump” on her same (left) knee where the primary melanoma was found in 2003. I asked our Dr. to look it over and he said it was a mole-like growth but didn’t appear to be anything to be worried about. Then I remarked to him that its very hard for us to know what to be concerned over since the original lesion was unpigmented. He then said he would go ahead and remove it so we didn’t have to worry about it. After he removed it I asked him again whether he thought it appeared of concern and he said he didn’t think so. Its on its way to St Jude pathology to be looked at…don’t know when those results will come in. She shed many tears but was a trooper as always through it. Dr Ammonette told her it was the nurse’s fault that he hurt her, to which I said, “No I think its mommy’s fault! If I had kept my mouth shut he probably would have left it alone.”

So our current prayer request to you would again for God to be glorified through the life of our family, for peace and rest over the next few days, and of COURSE for Bella’s health…specifically that this mole would be benign and her CT clear.

We thank you and so appreciate your prayers for us…

Hello sweet friends...

Please let me say that if you are still checking on us here, we are so thankful for you. I wanted you to know that Bella has a dermatology appointment on Monday January 21 and CT scan on Thursday January 24. We would SO appreciate your prayers next week! I will say that these appointments are even more emotionally charged for me as a mom in light of our work here in Memphis. Please pray for Bella's spirit as she is starting to display some anxiety about her appointments. She said (for the first time ever) that she wishes she didn't ever have to have appointments any more. In that moment, all we can do as her parents is to take her to the cross and remind her of what God has done in her life. But you can imagine, we so want to make it better for her, and take away the fear and concern. Unfortuately, we dont have the ability to do that as it regards to her follow-up care.

I will post as soon as I can next thursday after we have results from her scan.

We love you,
Mark and Mylissa

Wednesday, December 19, 2007 10:53 PM CST

Hello friends,
Please be praying for the Beamon family and precious Madelyn. I found this old picture of the girls and it just makes me smile. Keep an eye on Maddie's website for updates from Brandi and Neal.
www.caringbridge.com/tn/madelyn

God bless you,
Mylissa

Wednesday, November 7, 2007 9:30 PM CST

Hi friends...
I can't thank those of you enough who continue to stop by here to check on our family. Just for the record Bella's next scans are in January, I think. I actually haven't gotten a schedule yet, which is strange!!

Let me ask for prayers for a special family. Hallie Gravelle is an adorable little girl who came to St Jude just a few months before Bella. Hallie and her sweet family have battled Neuroblastoma for quite some time now and it seems that soon Hallie will be peacefully and joyfully resting in the precious arms of Jesus. Please pray comfort, peace and rest for this sweet family.
www.caringbridge.com/la/hallie

I just posted an update at the Habitat for Hope Blog
www.habitatforhope.org/blog
about Bella (well, Bella esentially WROTE the post!!!) I wont say more, but please visit there and enjoy.

I will also ask for prayers for me (Mylissa). I dont openly discuss this often, but as you can imagine, there are definitely moments with our ministry life that are really hard. The past week or so I have been battling some definite discouragement, and there is no doubt it is from the enemy. I think the weight of what we do just sometimes gets heavy, so I just ask that you would pray a double portion of joy and grace over our family over the next few weeks.

THANK YOU!!! We love you and are so thankful you continue to check on us.

Blessings,
Mylissa for the Horrockses

Tuesday, October 2, 2007 4:38 PM CDT

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY (tomorrow)!!!

We love you and are so proud of the man you have become in your 30 years. Here's to the rest of your life, following Jesus and Glorifying Him.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007 9:38 PM CDT

Hi friends,
Let me start by saying it was really neat to see some new friends signing bella's guestbook! We are encouraged by you. I wanted to ask for prayer tonight for Bella's best little friend in Memphis, Madelyn Beamon. You can visit Maddie's site at www.caringbridge.com/tn/madelyn. Maddie is currently in ICU for the fourth time, and its just so surreal to be sitting here in the waiting room again...praying for Maddie to get better. I believe that we have spent the most time up here with Maddie, than with any other kid. Madelyn is having lung and breathing issues...lets bind together in prayer for her to overcome this once again.

We love you,
Mark and Mylissa

Thursday, July 26, 2007 3:26 PM CDT

UPDATE FRIDAY:
Great News!! Our sweet Madelyn's scan also showed improvement. We are so thankful to the Lord. She will continue on the new experimental therapy she is on. The girls are supposed to go to some sort of glamour girl night somewhere, so if they both go, I will be sure to post pictures.

Blessings! Mylissa Horrocks

Bella's CT was fine. She remains NED. All the glory and praise to the Lord God. Thank you Mandy for the use of your computer!
Blessings,
Mylissa

Monday, July 23, 2007 9:06 AM CDT

Scan week. We recently heard another one of our new favorite southern quotes, which you will see as a title on the HFH blog, that speaks to our life lately. We have been “busier than a 1 armed wall paper hanger.” HAH! As I sit here on the front porch of home enjoying the cool crisp morning with our newest addition on my lap (a Malte-Tzu) puppy, I am listening to Chris Tomlins “Glorious” I am just filled with a peace that I cannot explain. I have been thinking about the last 4 years how life has changed so drastically for us. I am so thankful for what God has brought us through and what He has shown us. I feel so unworthy of His grace and His mercy. This song is simple, but just speaks from my heart how I feel this morning. It goes like this:

We lift our hands in praise to You
We lift in our hearts in worship to You, Lord
You Lord
We lift our voice to You and sing
Our greatest love will ever be You, Lord
Glorious
Over us
You shall reign
Glorious
There is a King that we adore
With humble hearts we bow before You, Lord
There is a place we long to be
Face to face we long to see You, Lord
Majesty and power
Are Yours alone forever

I sit here is bask in the Glorious peace and grace and mercy that the Lord has extended to our family. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes I am stressed to the point of breaking, I freak about the future, but deep down in the pit of my soul there is a certainty that God has given Bella her complete healing and this will be used for His glory. It is so hard because we see so many children suffer, and we can easily think that God is not in this, that this is the least of his concerns. As we heard this weekend at church, the God that made the heavens and the earth, the God that placed the stars in the sky, is the same God that knows every hair on our head. He knows the beginning and the end. He has known and will know what the future holds for Bella and all of our children. One of the hardest things about being a parent is that you want to know what the future does hold, will my children be healthy, will they have a full life, will they grow old. I believe this is where your faith has to take over. I have to believe that God does have plan and does have a purpose.
Bella’s scans are on Thursday , so we ask that you please keep her and us in your prayers that day. Thank you for all of you who have continued to keep our family in your prayers over the past four years.

I want to conclude this by asking for prayer for several of the families we have assisted through HFH that have parented a child that has graduated to heaven. If you have a spare minute, please bless the Lord in these families' names.

The family of Emma Grace Hampton
The family of Briana Brennan
The family of Zoie Schexnayder
The family of Stanton Haynes
The family of Jake Raborn
The family of Jacob Duckworth
The family of Brent Nason
The family of Marcus Pinsanor
The family of Benjamin Bratton
The family of Christal Reynolds
The family of Christi Thomas
The family of Ronell Ragbir
The family of Spencer Boyer
The family of Carmen White
The family of Landon Pitre
The family of Jaxon Lane Logsdon

In Christ,
Mark W Horrocks

Monday, June 25, 2007 0:45 AM CDT

I know!! An update from the Horrockses! What a shock!!

I have really been contemplating this website lately, and whether it is serving a purpose for our family and for Bella. I have seriously considered shutting it down, but I feel that we need to keep it up at least for now in case another parent needs the information that is stored here. Please know that you can visit www.habitatforhope.org/blog for the most current updates on HFH and the goings-on at the Hope House. A quick update on Bella and our family...

Bella continues to do very well and enjoy her days. We just returned from a short vacation in the mountains and we were so pleased with her willingness to hike longer distances. She really is growing up, and I can see it in many ways...especially how she 'tests' us! I can see she is trying to understand the hazy definitions between child, adolescent and adult, and most days she seems so grown up its easy to forget shes just 7. She is due back at the Jude for scans July 26th, and its hard to believe, but if she is still NED September 11 2007 will be 4 years since diagnosis. Its amazing, but even though we sit in clinic almost every day with families awaiting test results, we still get little butterflies when thinking about her scans. I guess that just never really goes away. The boys are doing just fine...really enjoying each other most days. Izaiah is adding in his head and reading pretty well...its fun to see him follow in Bella's footsteps. Tomorrow signifies the first (and hopefully only) day in Samuel's one-day potty training...if this doesn't work then I might have to send him to college in diapers!!

As far as Mark and I are concerned, we are fine. It doesn't take much to imagine what life is like for us now...we have the blessing of meeting wonderful people and very special children every day. Life is very busy and can be very sad at times, but yet is not without reward. God's love abounds around us, and He sustains us always. Even when He seems far away, our faith is proof that he holds us tightly in the palm of His hand.
I want to conclude this by asking for prayer for several of the families we have assisted through HFH that have parented a child that has graduated to heaven. If you have a spare minute, please bless the Lord in these families' names.

The family of Emma Grace Hampton
The family of Briana Brennan
The family of Zoie Schexnayder
The family of Stanton Haynes
The family of Jake Raborn
The family of Jacob Duckworth
The family of Brent Nason
The family of Marcus Pinsanor
The family of Benjamin Bratton
The family of Christal Reynolds
The family of Christi Thomas
The family of Ronell Ragbir
The family of Spencer Boyer
The family of Carmen White
The family of Landon Pitre
The family of Jaxon Lane Logsdon

Unfortuately, I know I am forgetting some, so I will come back and add the rest of the names. Just please lift these families up as we can only imagine their pain continues to be great.

Thursday, May 10, 2007 8:10 AM CDT

Happy 7th Birthday, Bella!
We are so proud of the young lady you are becoming. May you continue to draw close to your Lord.
Love,
Mommy and Daddy

Saturday, March 10, 2007 6:33 PM CST

Hello friends!
Well, I couldn’t let this day pass without an update. I realized when I checked Bella’s site that it had been one month since I had updated! Shame on me!! Please know that its not out of disrespect for those of you that come here to check on us…our full days just leave me with little ‘awake’ time at night to write.
Things have been going well for the Horrockes…in the last update you read I was heading to CA to see our friends, the Cornetts. I had a lovely time in Pasadena with them, and really enjoyed my break. It was a blessing! This month we will travel home to FL to see our family and friends, and a welcome trip it will be. I do ask that you will keep us in your prayers as we head down there; not only will we try to see as many old friends as possible, we are also packing in speaking engagements and meetings. It will be busy. We will spend some time with Mr. Andy Gross, and the kids will most likely stay overnights with Mom and Dad.
Basketball season has come and gone for Bella. We realized halfway through that if we really committed to helping her practice, she probably would do pretty well! Did I mention we have an indoor court at the Hope House? Ouch!! She was playing on a team of eight-year-olds, so taking that into account, she did pretty well. Soon, she will start art classes and piano. She has done really well this semester in school…its felt great to dole out 100’s on spelling and math tests. I am working on formulating our school routine for next year!
Izaiah and Sam seem to be having tons of fun at every turn. Izaiah is really enjoying ‘doing school’; learning to read and add. Samuel is practicing some sort of self-directed backwards potty training- he has started informing us when he needs to go number 2, even while we are out! Still little success with number 1, but experience says he’ll train before he’s seven!
Mark and I are doing well- Mark has begun to work on the property and get it ready for the spring/summer. He LOVES being outside with the boys, working. This place is quite a bit of work, but our wonderful HFH volunteers have offered their help as the weather warms. Its odd for us to incorporate season changes!
We have both recently discovered the beauty of taking some family time and turning off the cell phones. Recently, we had the opportunity to ride all three horses with the kids. Mark and I each took a boy with us, and Bella rode the new pony (appropriately named HOPE). We rode and played with the horses for probably 2.5 hours, and it was so refreshing. We are trying to work in more together time into our week.
We do have an unspoken need in our family, and I ask that you would pray for us as we wait on the Lord. When its appropriate, I will share more, but we sincerely COVET your prayers of faith for us. We are so blessed by you.
I hope to update the HFH blog soon…so check back there for more HFH updates and info by Monday!
Praising God for you,
Mylissa for the Horrocks Family

Saturday, February 10, 2007 10:33 PM CST

Hello friends!

A few of you have asked after Bella, and the final word from Dr Furman. Essentially, the final word is "no worries". Everyone around here seems to be fine, other than a few colds and flu bugs traveling around. We arrived home Tuesday from a whirlwind tour of Central MS and Baton Rouge, LA. We spent a lovely weekend with our dear Nasons...we love them so dearly! As you may remember, Gabe Nason's heart has been stolen by Bella. Oddly enough, when we got down there, we discovered two new Blue Tick Coon Hounds in the pen named BELLE and ROSE!!!! Everyone has teased Gabe that he named them after his sweet Bella, but after some detective work, we discovered that the dogs were named by the breeder. Just a coincidence, I suppose! Once we pulled out of Mathiston, we headed on to Baton Rouge where we met the sweet Hutchinson family. Tim, Christine and Mason are just lovely people and it looks like they will come up to see the Hope House in person this summer. From there, we headed to the Amatos house. We kept Susan and Rick up WAY past their bedtimes, but it was just so good to see them and fellowship! Susan and Rick have both been such a strength and encouragement to this ministry and to our family. It truely felt like old home week.
We arrived back home Tuesday evening, so thankful for dear Ed and Ashley Bianchi who were holding the fort down here at the house. They did a GREAT job taking care of the house and the animals...Ashley even mucked the pasture (!!!!) Too cool. They are such lovely people and we are blessed to call them our friends. The rest of the week has been pretty busy...and now Nonny will be in town this Wednesday, and Mommy leaves for Pasadena Thursday! I am so excited for my trip to CA to see our dear friends, the Cornetts. I will get back home on the following Tuesday. The kids are so excited to see Nonny, and I know she will have tons of fun with them and Mark.

We have so many kids that need prayer right now...if you are interested in praying specifically for the families HFH works with, please email us at prayer@habitatforhope.org

Blessings to you and yours!
Mark and Mylissa

Thursday, February 1, 2007 10:24 PM CST

UPDATE Feb 5, 2007:
Change of plans! We are now in Baton Rouge, LA and will be here through Tuesday morning. Staci had started to get pretty sick the night before she and Melanie left Arizona, and we wanted her to be able to come home and rest and get better. It worked out fine for us, since we were able to come to Baton Rouge and meet Tim and Christine Hutchinson (www.timbeaux.com), pick up our pop-up camper, and spend some time with our dear Amato family (www.caringbridge.com/la/jordanamato).Just like our dear Nasons, these two families have picked up the vision of HFH and are LITERALLY running with it! Blessings to you today, and you will hear from us again when we get back to Memphis.

UPDATE: February 3, 2007
We are so pleased that Tonya Nason and the lovely ladies from First Baptist Mathiston raised $2500 at their first yard sale for Habitat for Hope!! We are so thankful. We are having a great time here with the Nasons. Bella and the boys have been running the gocarts ragged. More soon...

Hello dear friends...

I wanted to write a quick update before we head out tomorrow morning to see our friends and help with the HFH garage sale in Mathiston, MS! We are still so awed by Link and Tonya's dedication to Habitat for Hope even as they walk through the early stages of grieving their precious Brent.

I wanted to let you know that Mark called the D clinic to double check on Bella's results. He got ahold of Sandy (our PA) and she said, "Well, Dr Furman saw you in the hall and told you he thought it was ok!?" Mark laughed, and said we didn't really realize that was like the final word. She said he notated that everything was fine in Bella's chart. Mark did ask to speak with Dr Furman to talk about what they think the intial CT showed. I guess we are just wondering if they are going to see it again in six months. Thank you so much for your prayers, and I think we can all rest easy till the next scan.

The past few weeks have been busy at the Hope House! I was blessed to attend a ladies retreat with Priscilla Shrier, adn then Mom-Mom came into town (my mom) to bring us the new pony (which Bella and Madelyn decided to name Hope!!). That same week, we had a dear group of supporters from Batson, TX come to stay with us and help with HFH. We really enjoyed their visit and can't wait to see them again! The same weekend, our dear son Andrew (Gross) came to stay with us for a short visit. The boys adore Andy, and had no idea they would wake to find him on an air mattress in their room in the morning. Samuel promptly ran out of his room and announced, "Mr Andy Gross is in my bedroom!!!" It was so cute. Bella had a blast with her new friends as well...she really enjoyed her time with Miss Dede (from TX!). We had just enough time to get Andy and mom on the planes (one day apart), and wash sheets for dear Carol Schultz and Tori Niccum to come and spend the night while they were in for blood tests. Carol came with me today to take a mom out for coffee...it was neat to have her share in a little bit of what Mark and I do on a daily basis.

Tonight I also want to ask your prayers for Madelyn Beamon. The Beamons are at St Jude tonight, having started Maddie's chemo tonight. If this round goes well, there is a strong chance they will continue these rounds on an outpatient basis...praise God! I so wanted to be there with Brandi this evening, but was unable to get there. I know this is a place they hoped never to be, but they are facing this with faith and courage. They are very very brave. Bella and I will go up next week to see them and play while they are up there.

I will also ask your prayers for Mark, as he has been given his first full service ever at First Baptist Church Mathiston. He has been practicing his "sermon" on me, and it is really great...but it will be very emotional for him and I am sure for others as well. We will leave Mathiston on Sunday and head for West Monroe, LA...and are excited to see our Raborn clan! It's been entirely too long. It'll be great to hug their necks and see their hometown.

We love you and thank you so much for keeping up with us!!

PS- it snowed this week!!!

Love,
Mark and Mylissa

Saturday, January 27, 2007 0:43 AM CST

Hello friends,

Let me thank you once again for your support this past week. We have still not heard an official word from D Clinic on Bella's scan, but we think we would have heard from someone by now if they were scheduling surgery. We'll let you know if there are any changes.

I would love it if you could lift our precious Madelyn in your prayers. Her recent scans show some new spots, but the blessing is that Dr Furman has many treatment options up his sleeve. Please pray for wisdom and direction over the next short time while they make decisions. Ultimately, please pray for COMPLETED HEALING over our precious little one.

I keep thinking back to March of 2004 when we met the Beamons. We were in surgery waiting together at the Jude, and Bella was getting her line (port) out while Maddie was going in to have her primary tumor removed. I remember distinctly how scared Brandi was, and how precious Neal was in supporting her. Mark and I talked primarily that day with Neal's mom and dad, and reconnected with them later at the Grizzlies House. We lost touch for a few short months, but then developed a true and lasting friendship. I guess I am just amazed at Brandi and Neal's growth and maturity in the Lord now at this point in their walk with God, and how God's grace and mercy just seems to flow from them now as they face this relapse. They refuse to lose their faith that God will continue to work in Madelyn...and we know HE WILL!!

Anyway, pray for Maddie!!

blessings,
Mylissa

Wednesday, January 24, 2007 2:41 PM CST

UPDATE January 24 8:50pm:
Once again, Mark and I can't thank you enough for your support through the guestbook!! It has really kept our heads "looking up" during this time. We love you!!
Mylissa

Hi friends!

We JUST walked in the door and we have talked to Mrs. Sandy…she said that the radiologist noted no issues with the PET scan (clear!!). She cautioned us to wait for Dr Furman’s final say…he is concentrating on this small area in the groin, and may decide he wants to move forward. Mark and I are so thankful for the results of the scan!! You will hear from us again when we know more. Dr Furman won’t be back in clinic till Thursday, so I don’t expect to hear anything from him till then.

Thank you so much for your prayers!!! ALL GLORY, HONOR and PRAISE to GOD!!

Monday, January 22, 2007 4:13 PM CST

UPDATE Jan 23 6:50pm CST:
Just wanted to say that we don't know anything yet...Dr Furman and Nicole were out all day. We are going to go about our lives tomorrow, and hopefully we'll know something then. Promise you'll be among the first to know. Thank you for your precious phone calls, visits, and notes to us...they mean the world right now. And another PS: would you believe my husband was visiting at the hospital again this afternoon?? He has strength that must come from the Lord.

Quick PS: just wanted to also say that we are so BLESSED by all the many guestbooks signings you guys are doing. They are really helping us stay on track, and feel loved through this! We love you!

UPDATE: Jan 23 12:42pm
Hi all, we are back home with Bella...she is bouncing off the walls. you'd never know she spent the morning sedated. Mark has a few meetings this afternoon so he will probably check on results then. We'll let you know as soon as we know. Thank you so much for your prayers...the Lord's grace a peace continue to be with us.
mylissa

Okay everyone, results are in. They are not what we wanted to hear, but we praise God it’s not bad as it could be. The Lord continues to have His hand on our little girl and His mercies never fail. Our doctor has told us that there is a ‘spot’ of concern. This spot is directly under the scar where she had her lymph nodes removed 3 years ago. Apparently after looking back at previous slides they see that there is been some growth in this spot and they need to investigate further. Bella is now scheduled for PET scan at 7:15 tomorrow morning. We covet your prayers, and we trust that the Lord has this completely in His grip. We are so thankful that there is nothing else showing up as concerning, and believe that God has had his continued protection on our baby girl. Mylissa (old FaithFULL) is so confident that this is NOTHING, and I AGREE!

Footnote from Mylissa: Some of you will remember that this is very similar (in fact in the same spot!!) to the situation with the hernia 1.5 years ago. In my opinion, Dr Furman sounds less concerned than he did the last time. He remarked that "we are not looking closely enough if we don't have to look twice a few times." Oh, and if you know me well, you'll know I am not all that faithFULL...now back to your regularly scheduled update...

The Lord brought me directly to Isaiah 55 as soon as my heart began to grow weary. Thank you for your prayers and we’ll keep you posted as soon as we know anything.

Mark for Mylissa, Bella, Izaiah and Sam

Sunday, January 21, 2007 10:06 PM CST

UPDATE NOON CST:
Bella is done with her appointments at St Jude, but we are supposed to call later for the results of her scan. We were told they don't expect any problems...will update again when we know.

Hello dear friends!
I really just wanted to update with a few new pictures, and share something with you. I was blessed by a sweet friend with a ticket for a special ladies' conference this weekend, and I heard Priscilla Shirer speak. She is the daughter of Dr Tony Evans, and quite a little powerhouse! She used a neat text that my dear friend Ana tells me is from a poem called Jesus—Throughout the Scripture.

In Genesis, Jesus is the “Ram at Abram’s Altar.”

In Exodus, He is the “Passover Lamb.”

In Leviticus, He is our “High Priest.”

In Numbers, He is the “Pillar of Cloud by day and the Pillar of Fire by night.”

In Deuteronomy, He is the “Prophet like unto Moses.”

In Joshua, He is the “Captain of our Salvation.”

In Judges, he is our “Judge and Law-giver.”

In Ruth, He is our “Kinsman-Redeemer.”

In 1st & 2nd Samuel, He is our “Trusted Prophet.”

In Kings and Chronicles, He is our “Reigning King.”

In Ezra, He is our “Faithful Scribe.”

In Nehemiah, He is the “Rebuilder of everything that is broken.”

In Esther, He is the “Faithful Mordecai, sitting at the gate.”

In Job, He is our “Ever-living Redeemer.”

In Psalms, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.”

In Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, He is our “Wisdom.”

In the Song of Solomon, He is the “Beautiful Bridegroom.”

In Isaiah, He is the “Prince of Peace.”

In Jeremiah and Lamentations, He is our “Weeping Prophet.”

In Ezekiel, He is the wonderful “Four-faced Man.”

In Daniel, He is the “Fourth Man in the midst of the fiery furnace.”

In Hosea, He is the “Eternal Husband,”

In Joel, He is the “Baptizer with the Holy Spirit.”

In Amos, He is our “Burden-Bearer.”

In Obadiah, He is “Our Savior.”

In Jonah, He is the great “Foreign Missionary.”

In Micah, He is the “Messenger with beautiful feet.”

In Nahum, He is our “Avenger.”

In Habakkuk, He is the “Evangelist,” pleading for a revival.

In Zephaniah, He is the “Lord Mighty to save.”

In Haggai, He is the “Restorer of the lost heritage.”

In Zechariah, He is the “Fountain opened in the house of David for sin and uncleanness.”

In Malachi, He is the “Sun of Righteousness,” with healing in His Wings.

In Matthew, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

In Mark, He is the “Miracle Worker.”

In Luke, He is the “Son of Man.”

In John, He is the “Door by which each of us must enter.”

In Acts, He is the “Holy Spirit moving and working among men.”

In Romans, He is the “Justifier.”

In 1st Corinthians, He is the “Sanctifier.”

In 2nd Corinthians, He is the “Resurrection.”

In Galatians, He is the “Redeemer from the curse of the Law.”

In Ephesians, He is the “Christ of unsearchable riches.”

In Philippians, He is the “God who supplieth all our need.”

In Colossians, He is “The fullness of the Godhead bodily.”

In 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, He is our “Soon Coming King.”

In 1st and 2nd Timothy, He is the “Mediator between God and man.”

In Titus, He is the “Faithful Pastor.”

In Philemon, He is the “Friend that sticketh closer than a brother.”

In Hebrews, He is the “Blood of the Everlasting Covenant.”

In James, He is the “Healer of the sick.”

In 1st & 2nd Peter, He is the “Chief Shepherd who soon shall appear.”

In 1st, 2nd & 3rd John, He is “Love.”

In Jude, He is the “Lord coming with ten thousand saints.”

In Revelation, lift up your eyes, church, for your redemption draweth nigh!

He is “King of kings and Lord of lords!”

Now, if you can only imagine Tony Evans reading that (but with a female voice) you'll have it!! Seriously, it was really awesome, and I guess since I've been thinking so much about the sovreignty of God lately, it really moved my heart. I just feel overwhelmed at times that God's only Son died for ME. And not only died, rose again from the dead so that I can serve a living God that is still moving, working and speaking today. What a privledge...and praise God that the priveledge extends BEYOND the grave! What pleasure it will be to worship Him fully when I am in my eternal home!

I promise to update as soon as we know something about Bella's scan.

In love for you,
Mylissa

Saturday, January 13, 2007 1:01 AM CST

*In case I haven't mentioned lately, my daughter Bella has recently turned 15 years old(even though her birth certificate claims she is 6). One way this has become apparent is that she requests songs such as this one, Stand in the Rain, by bands with names such as Superchic. We try to accomodate her when we can*

…so I’ve been promising this update for a week now, and I know its time has come. For those of you who know me well, you know I tend to overthink these things…so its time to just spit it out. I am going to start forwards and work back…

I am so proud of my friend Tonya! She is doing exceptionally well. She is doing two things; falling at the feet of Jesus each morning as she rises and asking Him for His sustaining grace, and keeping busy working at home. She is surrounded by those who love her deeply and dearly, and I know she counts herself blessed. Mark and I have also been so blessed to see Link’s ability to stand and shepherd his family. He is an amazing father and husband to his kids and wife, and Mark and I were privileged to see him kick into gear and be hubby and daddy even shortly after Brent’s passing. We are thanking God for Link’s presence in his family. It really seems that Link and Tonya know there will be hard days to come, but that they are prepared to let the Lord hold them through this process. They are amazing.

I will say that Brent’s passing has been the hardest for Mark and me since we have started HFH. Many of you know that I try my hardest to “tough it out” as long as I can, but once the floodgates open, they stay open a while. I think while we were present for the Nasons I was grieving for them as well as all of the other families we know who have walked this road and those that will walk this road in the future. I think I was also grieving the loss of our ‘innocence’…I remember before Bella’s diagnosis there was really no question in my mind that all of my kids would grow to a ripe old age, and I would precede them to the grave. I no longer live in ignorance, but even with the pain, I can’t say that I would trade the privilege of the relationship with God that I now enjoy. While Mark and I were with the Nasons the day that Brent passed, this section of scripture kept replaying in my head:

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:28-41

I really think the Lord was reminding me that Brent wanted nothing more than for those around him to know His Jesus, and His Jesus he most certainly was. This child had a precious relationship with the Lord, only to be rivaled by the relationship he has with Him right now! I know beyond any doubt that Brent is soaring, running, walking in joy and perfect strength. I am so thankful to have been given time with him.

Mark and I were able to travel to Mathiston and get there in time for the visitation on Thursday. I have honestly never seen flowers like that in my entire life! The arrangements were amazing, and so many had pieces that could be kept by the family. Brent looked really wonderful...what a blessing. When we got to the church at ten minutes to five, the line was already out the door and around the back of the church. Brent was so loved by his community! Tonya and Link managed to stand and greet visitors for nearly four hours. Bella, Zach, Gabe, Ashley and Clay really behaved well for the first hour, but then they were allowed to go watch a movie and eat snacks. The kids seemed to do really well through everything. Ashley and Ed Bianchi came from Memphis, and Susan and Rick Amato came in from Baton Rouge. It was just wonderful to see them. After the wake a few of us went back to the house (at Tonya’s request) and let Susan amuse us with her antics. Susan is amazing…she is so filled with the spirit of God and yet can elicit a laugh just when it’s needed most. Friday Mark, Bella and I were able to eat a late breakfast with the Amatos before heading off to the church for the service. I think riding to the service was hard for me, since I knew Mark would be sitting on a different side of the church from me. Luckily, I had Bella, Ashley Bianchi, the Amatos, and sweet Dana Huffman and Meredith Vance (dear friends of Tonya’s) with me. Dana and Brad made a beautiful slide show for the beginning of the service, and I was holding it all together until I saw pictures of Brent at St Jude. There was also a sweet group of second floor nurses that came to the service, so I think all of us together were creating a river of tears. Tonya and Link asked brother Archie to give the service, and he did an AMAZING job. He and Rhonda ministered to the Nasons just as much as anyone else, and he knew Brent so well. You can tell it was a tough job for him to do, but he did gave a wonderful message and pointed the whole service to the Cross. He talked extensively about Brent’s love for the Lord, and even opened the altars at the end for those who felt the call of Jesus on their lives. It was a beautiful thing. After the service Mark came and got Bella and I, and asked us to ride to the gravesite with him. Once we were done at the gravesite, we headed to the Nasons for a short time, and then got on the road for Memphis. It was really hard leaving Mathiston, knowing that the Nasons were home now after such a long battle and that we had prayed and hoped so fervently for Brent’s survival. The only thing that made it easier was sensing the peace in their home that evening, and knowing that Brent was running free (and probably playing the coolest video game in Heaven!).

Mark and I know that we will love many children as dearly as we loved Brent (and so many others!), and that the pain will continue to cut deep.

“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Luke 12:32-34

Treasuring the kingdom,
Mylissa for Mark, Bella, Izaiah and Samuel

PS: Bella’s CT scan is the 22nd of January. Please pray for her, and for us.

Tuesday, January 2, 2007 9:08 PM CST

UPDATE JANUARY 5:
Hi dear friends...
I can tell from the hit counter on the site that some of you are stopping here to check for an update. Mark and I came home from Mathiston and Brent's services late Friday night. His services were perfect...completely all about Jesus. Exactly what Brent would want. I am planning a more complete update, but I need to gather my thoughts...come back soon. We love you Brent, Tonya, Link, Zach and Gabe.
Mark and Mylissa

Our precious Brent Nason woke up this morning in the presence of the Lord. We are so thankful for the time we were given with Brent, and for the Nasons allowing us to join them in this journey. Tonya, Link, Zach and Gabe are home and sorrounded by their loving family and community. Please continue to pray for this family as they walk through the next step...putting one foot in front of the other.

We love you,
Mark and Mylissa

Sunday, December 3, 2006 10:09 PM CST

UPDATE DECEMBER 15 2006

Please pray for Brent Nason and his precious family...we thank you in advance.
www.caringbridge.com/ms/brentnason

Hi friends!

Happy December to you! I hope this season finds you at least a little bit relaxed…and I hope you will have the opportunity to enjoy those you love this month. In case you’ve missed the HFH blog…we’ve had a sweet family living in the downstairs apartment now for closing on 6 weeks. The Wilquettes are lovely people, and Bella has so enjoyed getting to know all the kids. Travis is just precious, and we are so hopeful for him that his course of radiation will halt the growth of his tumor. All in all, the experience of having our first large family here all in one place has been really neat. We are blessed.

Since the last update, the kids have had both sets of grandparents here. Gary and Margaret came first, and then my parents. My family was together for Thanksgiving for the first time in many years, but Mark and I were here in Memphis. I know my sister and brother really enjoyed the time together. Mark and I had a really wonderful Thanksgiving...we were able to gather with several HFH volunteers to prepare 60 meals to be brought to staff and families that were inpatient at St Jude on Thanksgiving Day. Once we were done at the hospital, we had a lovely dinner here at the house with Jeff and Donna Carter, and the Williquettes' from downstairs. Friday, Suzy and Ron left Thom’s and came up here to spend a couple of days. Ron and BJ completed some much needed projects around the house, and generally just enjoyed being outside! Katie and Sam (and Aunt Suzy too) had a blast hanging with the kids. It was a really special time. Saturday, Mark successfully completed the St Jude 5K run for Team Shae. He really enjoyed it and saw some wonderful old friends. Mark met and exceeded his personal fundraising goal, as did Team Shae. At last count, Team Shae had raised 8,790 dollars for St Jude. Our last ruuner to join (at like 6pm the night before the race!!) was Jessica Williquette, Travis’ sister from downstairs. She had a blast and managed to raise $180 by the time she ran the race!

It has been a busy month, and I will tell you that I have had struggles in my spirit this November. There has been times of sadness, and times of stretching…and times of re-evaluation on my part. I really think I underestimated the power of the call of the Holy Spirit…I think somehow I thought I would easily be able to compartmentalize caring for my own children and family, and caring for others. Its been a really tough balance…and at the moment I can only accept His mercy and grace over me and ask Him to continue to be a light unto my path and a lamp unto my feet. Mark is constantly reminding me that our work here in Memphis is not unto man but purely unto God…and that really helps me put things into perspective. God orders our steps…so if there is not enough time in one day to do all the HFH stuff I have on my plate…then God ordained that and will still accomplish His purpose in spite of me trying to accomplish His purposes for Him.

I hope that is a decent segue into this next ‘Bella’ story…I’ve been studying hard lately Jesus’ focus on relationship. Our work with HFH is based primarily on building love-based relationship, and I think the Lord has been pushing me to really dive into this concept like never before. Sometimes, God will give me a really concrete example of His heart and His love for me…

About 6 months ago we connected with a precious little boy named Westin Dietz and his family. Julie, Joel and little Emma have been lovely to get to know, and Grandpa Chuck and Grandma Betty (and Great-grandma too!) have been a pleasure! We’ve had the pleasure of hosting little Emma for an overnight while Westin was having his stem cells harvested. Friday Julie called and asked if Bella could attend the Nutcracker Suite with Emma. I was thrilled, since I had not yet taken Bella, and I knew she would just LOVE it. Its hard moving to a new town, and I can’t say we’ve developed strong bonds (yet) outside of our HFH friends, but I can tell you the bonds are strong within our HFH community. Julie had a GREAT time taking the girls, and of course the girls had a BLAST. It was one those times that the Lord spoke to me in really concrete way…”I love you, and I am going to reveal this to you when you need it most through those who love Me.” Praise Him! You can visit this precious family at www.caringbridge.com/visit/westindietz.

Thank you so much for caring for us, and continuing to visit us here at this website. We love you and wish you a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS.

In Christ’s love,
Mylissa

Saturday, November 4, 2006 10:34 PM CST

Hello dear friends!

I know I really need to keep this page updated, and it sounds really trite - but we have been busier than I think we ever have in our married life. Please excuse my lateness...and know that we so cherish those of you who still check on us. So I'll try to give you a WHIRLWIND update on life since the last update...

We were so happy to welcome two of our dear friends to the Hope House in the past few weeks! Mike Streb (one of Mark's buds from High School) came and spent a week putting up our beautiful new gate and fixing the stairs and the back deck. The kids and I were out of town for part of the time Michael was here, but they really enjoyed seeing him when we got home. We just wish he could have been here longer!! In October, we welcomed our dear NMSI friend Andy Gross. By the end of the month Andy was calling himself our "30-year-old son"...hence the title picture above. As his foster parents, we will tell you that Andy is an eligible bachelor who loves the Lord and is waiting to marry the girl of his dreams. :) Andy did a knock-down job on the kitchen renovation for the downstairs apartment, and he was even able to be here to welcome our first family of 7 that will be with us for 6 weeks. We so enojoyed having Andy with us, and he seemed to really enjoy his time with the kids as well. They really miss him!!

If you follow our progress with Habitat for Hope, you know that we have families in and out of the house all the time. I can tell you that my little social butterflies are enjoying their time here quite a bit! They just can't believe all the friends that come over to play. It helps that they get to live in a romper room of sorts...the big red barn is slowly turning into playland central. I feel really blessed that the kids are getting to learn hands-on service and mission...and so far they seem to have grace for it. Bella will start upward basketball in December and is really looking forward to it. I hope this gives us the oppurtunity to meet more families here in the Millington area. I will also ask for your prayers regarding homeschooling...I really still believe that this is the best plan for our family, but there are days (weeks?) that I truly feel like throwing in the towel. Mark and I are so busy, that I feel rushed quite a bit of the time. We are just praying that this is the right plan for the kids, and that God will release us (and release the funds!!) to do private Christian school if that is better for the kids.

Mark and I are doing OK...but we honestly function in a state of near-exhaustion most of the time. We are slowly learning how to balance and take time to recoup. Over the past two months, we have watched several of our precious ones graduate to heaven...and it has been beyond hard. I continue to ask the Lord to increase my childlike faith. Every time I talk to Bella about a child passing, she genuinely gets a look of joy on her face, "They are with JEsus!" closely followed by a look of concern and many weeks worth of prayer for the parents and family of the child. I won't lie...I continue to have my questions for God, but ultimately I attempt to rest in His graciousness and sovreignty.

So many of our little ones need your prayers tonight...I will try to update soon with links for the more pertinent requests. We love you so much and we can't thank you enough for continuing to check on us! Your love and kindness sustains us.

In His Love,
mylissa

Tuesday, October 17, 2006 9:31 AM CDT

Hi all!
Thank you so much for your inquiries for Bella...her appts went just fine yesterday. Nothing new on her body, and no bumps or lumps, praise God.

It goes without saying that we have been busy. So many of our families need your prayers today...here are just a few pertinent requests.

Please pray today for Kaden Pauli, who is having an MRI post radiation. Kaden had an ependymoma and our prayer is that it remains gone.

Please pray tomorrow for Brenna Logsdon, who will have a repeat MRI. The last MRI showed some inflammation around the tumor bed and we are asking the Lord to reduce this inflammation and have this MRI be as normal as possible. Brenna has ATRT and is closing in on her last round of Chemo.

Please continue to pray for our dear Brent Nason as the next week will bring critical decisions in Brent's treatment. Please pray for less pain and the prefect treatment to be available!!

We love you and can't thank you enough for your prayers for us, our family, and our HFH family!!!

In Christ,
Mylissa

Friday, October 13, 2006 9:17 AM CDT

Hello dear friends!
This is just a quick note to say that we are well...the kids are doing just fine. Bella has an appointment monday at St Jude, just for a standard physical and blood draw...no scans.

If you are in the Memphis area, and have any time available on Saturday, we would love for you to join us at the HOPE HOUSE for Zach Nason's 9th birthday!!! The Nasons are in town through the weekend...Zach is Brent Nason's next youngest brother. If you would like to join us please email me at mylissa@habitatforhope.org.

Thank you so much for continuing to check on us!! We love you...

Mark and Mylissa

Thursday, September 21, 2006 11:28 PM CDT

UPDATE Friday October 6 2006:
By now I am sure that most of you know that our precious Jake Raborn is rejoicing in heaven with Jesus, and with his dear grandmom Gloria, and his precious St Jude brothers and sisters. We ask that you would continue to lift up the Raborn family...we have been so blessed to have the privledge of knowing them. caringbridge.com/la/jakeowen
Please also lift up Brent Nason, as he is inpatient with a fever. Please specifically pray for Brent's spirit to overflow with joy, even in the midst of his circumstances. caringbridge.com/ms/brentnason
We are so thrilled to announce that sweet Emily Grace Shawa has "graced" us with her presence this day! Baby Emily was born this afternoon to big brother Benjamin, mom Charlene and dad Jason. Jason and Benjamin are staying at the Hope House, as Benjamin was JUST released from major heart surgery at LeBoneheur. Jason and Charlene are from Myrtle, MS but chose to deliver baby Emily in Germantown. We are so blessed to share with their family once again.
caringbridge.com/visit/benjaminshawa

Mark and I are in ATL, GA and will return to Memphis tomorrow. We can't thank you enough for your prayers for these sweet families.
May God be with you!

OK...so this time I won't even ATTEMPT to apologize for my lateness in updating...just prayer requests tonight...

Two little ones who we were involved with through HFH graduated to heaven this week. Christi Thomas (www.christithomas.blogspot.com) and Ben Bratton (St Jude patient) are both rejoicing in the presence of Jesus. We are so thankful for the oppurtunity to get to know each of these sweet families...we ask that you would continue to lift up Angela, Shayne and Shayla Thomas and also Ben's parents Lynne and Barry Bratton.

Please keep our sweet Jake Raborn in your prayers (www.caringbridge.com/la/jakeowen). The Raborns need the peace and grace of Christ to fall on them in abundance right now. We so enjoy this dear family...it has been nothing but a joy to share in their life.

Please pray that Brent Nason's counts would come up and stay up, so that he can start chemo ASAP. Please pray that fevers and pain would be under control, and would soon be completely gone as the chemo works to cure him. www.caringbridge.com/ms/brentnason

Mark, the kids and I are hosting our first "family fellowship" night Tuesday evening! This is to be an evening of food, fellowship, worship and devotion...we ask that you would pray that the Lord would bring the families that need to be here to us, and that we would all have an enjoyable time and feel rejuvenated and lifted up. We are working on at least one fun treat for the kids that evening...we ask for your prayers that it will "work"!! More on that as soon as we know...

we love all of you and once again we thank you for checking in on us...

Mark and Mylissa

Wednesday, August 16, 2006 8:27 AM CDT

UPDATE Saturday August 19th:

First off, I MUST apologize for my delay in updating!! Know that we love you all dearly and can’t thank you enough for your prayers and support during this transition time in our lives. Second, let me ask for your prayers for some of our newest friends…

Please pray for Brenna Logsdon. Brenna will have apherisis (sp?) to rescue stem cells to be given back to her during her chemo. Mom Bettina is pregnant, so please pray that her morning sickness would subside SOON!!

Westin Deitz. Westin is doing really well…please pray that he would have his stem rescue soon.

Prayers for Noah Burczyk. Noah is also doing quite well…please pray for peace and grace over his family as they are apart from one another.

Marcus Pinsanor. Marcus has been in ICU for nearly a month, and had a trach placed yesterday. Please pray for peace and hope for mom Michelle.

Ty Waggoner. Ty is a newly diagnosed AML patient, and they have just received good news that they may avoid transplant. Pray that Ty’s treatment would continue to go as well as possible!

Evan Thomason Evan is also a newly diagnosed neuroblastoma patient. Please pray for healing and peace for little Evan!

And for some of our ‘older’ but dear friends…

Please continue to pray for Ben Bratton as he has been on a ventilator in ICU for nearly a month. Pray that the mucousitis clears up soon.

Please pray for the Nason family (Brent) as they have an appointment today. Please pray that the docs would help lead them in the right direction for Brent, and that whatever treatment is started next would be the treatment that clears Brent up once and for all!

Just a quick update on our family…Dad is back home in FL, and it sounds like the FL docs are happy with his care here in Memphis. Pray for rest and peace…we can’t thank you enough for your support of our family during this time!!

The kids are really enjoying living here in Shelby Forest. I think they have loved the constant flow od families and kids coming and going…they’ve had a blast playing!

Mark and I are doing well…I do ask that you would pray for us to get a handle on our schedules, and begin to get a feel for our daily routine. I have school scheduled to start August 28th (homeschool) so I know that will help our routine.

We love you guys and promise a more complete update soon!

Love, Mylissa

Monday, August 7, 2006 9:36 PM CDT

Hi everyone!!
We are so pleased to say that Dad is home (here in TN) from his bypass!! Watching him sit in the chair he has claimed as his, it is hard to believe he left here 11 days ago for the hospital. He seems to be recovering well! We can't thank all of you enough for your prayers and support during this time. Hopefully dad will venture home to FL by next monday.

We love you!!
Mark and Mylissa

Tuesday, August 1, 2006 8:43 PM CDT

UPDATE Wednesday August 2:

Thank you so much for continuing in prayer for my dad and our family!! Today, dad seems to be much better. He has Lasix and solu-medrol on board, as well as having one unit of blood yesterday. The added medicines have helped drain fluid and immflamation, and the blood has upped his energy. He INSISTED he have his phone today, and against our better judgement, we let him have it. :) Hopefully we are looking at him coming home some time over the weekend. We love you and I will try to update soon.

God bless you and thank you so much!!
Mark and Mylissa

Hello all...

So sorry for the delay in updating, but its been a really busy few days. Dad was moved to a regular room yesterday, and seemed to be doing remarkably well. When I saw him this morning, I was concerned because he seemed really tired. Tonight it was discovered that there was some fluid buildup in his lungs and near his heart. The drainage tubes had been removed yesterday, so today he was given steroids for the fluid and hopefully that will work and he will begin to regain energy. Please continue to pray for our family as we walk through this time.

God bless you,
Mark and Mylissa

Monday, July 31, 2006 0:09 AM CDT

It’s Sunday evening and “Poppy” as the kids call him is doing good. Thom and his family came up Friday evening and Suzy flew in early in the morning. Thom went home this afternoon and Suzy leaves tomorrow at 5pm.

He had a not so friendly nurse that snapped at him earlier and that got his old ticker pumping good again. It also brought his voice back after he told her “nicely” that he did not want her back in his room. :) They made up later and in evening, but it seemed to bring out the Joe we know. He is still in a lot of discomfort, can’t imagine why, but the pain is fairly limited.

Thank you all for your prayers and support. We will continue to keep you posted.

On a different note, Bella and the boys are adjusting to their new life in TN quite well. They are enjoying living in a ‘country’ setting. It’s been STINKING hot here except for for a 4 day break we had. Bella is looking forward to getting her room painted this week. She was very upset we missed the Woodstock Cuba Saddle Club Horse show on Friday. (couldn’t make it but it was cancelled anyhow) Next week we’ll make and put some pictures up.

Please continue pray for the sale of our home in Florida. It seems more of nuisance now. (Is that bad?) We just wish it was SOLD!!!!

Habitat for Hope is going great and we have been able to connect with many new families. We had our first BIG dinner last week. We had 25 folks up, some families from the hospital and some HFH volunteers. Soon we will begin hosting families as the need arises. We will continue to keep you posted and the Habitat for Hope Blog will be updated soon as well. www.habitatforhope.org/blog

God Bless,
Mark, Mylissa and kids.

Thursday, July 27, 2006

UPDATE 1:29am CDT: Dad is officially off the ventilator and doing really well! Mom said he has his sense of humor back, so praise the Lord for that. I will update tomorrow after we see him.

UPDATE 5:10pm CDT:

Mylissa has just called. Joe had a quadruple bypass performed and has come through it very well, praise God. He's resting comfortably and will probably be in the hospital for another week. Mark or Mylissa will update soon. (rgc)

UPDATE 3:45pm CST:
we have had two calls from the OR, and dad is doing so well. We are so thankful...please continue to pray. More when he is recovery.

UPDATE 8:14am CST July 28th:
Dad is doing really well this morning, had already called the office. Vitals are GREAT, and he has lots of energy. I will update again when they take him back.

Hello everyone...
First of all, let me thank all of you for your guestbook signings and prayers for Bella, and for our family as we navigate our move to Memphis. Your support has sustained us in this time!!

I have many prayer requests tonight for our dear little ones, but I am going to save those and ask you to pray specifically for a BIG need...my daddy.

Today my dad went in to Methodist North complaining of chest pain. We honestly all thought it was indigestion due to his recent diet of chips and hot dogs. Unfortuately, it turned out to NOT be indigestion, and instead it was discovered that he had suffered a minor heart attack. They went in to explore the area, and decide whether they could dissolve the blockage with an angioplasty. While in there, the team discovered that his three major arteries were 95-99

Saturday, July 22, 2006 4:37 PM CDT

Hello to our dear friends!!

This is the FIRST official update from the Habitat for Hope "office" which is really just a bedroom on the second floor of the house. We are so blessed...we had a truly amazing send-off from our home church in Fort Myers, as well as our missions group (New Missions Systems International). When we arrived in Millington, we had cookies and cold drinks from the Barnharts at the house, as well as a cassarole and fresh tomatoes from Nanny Barnhart (Alan Barnhart's mother, who neighbors us to the back). Liz Gallina from the local homeschool group stopped over with balloons and brownies, and a few new friends have stopped by the house. We had a good amount of help setting up and unpacking, and my nephew Ben Goers is painting for us. And so many of you signed the guestbook during scan days, and that is always a huge encouragement!! We have had three groups out here for dinner this week, and last night we had an oppurtunity to pray and lay hands on the Paulis, a dear family that is finished with radiation and heading home to Nebraska. It is becoming even more apparent that the Lord has this home in His hands, and that it will be used for His glory. Mark and I have both been at the hospital quite a bit this week, and that leads me to praises and prayer requests:

We have three families in ICU right now: Marcus Pinsanor who is battling a fungal infection, Ben Bratton whose lungs needed some time to rest, and a brand new little boy named Ty who was diagnosed with AML this week. We ask that you would pray for all of these kids' rest and peace. Marcus and Ben are on ventilators. We will be at the hospital tomorrow so I give a more specific prayer request at that time.

Jake Raborn is out of the hospital and back at Target! Praise God!!
Kaden Pauli just completed radiation with flying colors and is headed home!!
Stephanie Welker has completed transplant and she got on a plane with her mom and brother to head home to CA...the first time since December!! Praise the Lord!!

If you are waiting on communication from me, or have purchased a mini ticket in the past two weeks, please bear with us as we get our office up and running here in Memphis. We got internet TODAY, and for some reason we still can't send email...??? But I promise to get caught up with all of you in the very near future.

WE love you and can't thank you enough for your support of our family!! And thank you Robin Cornett for updating for us with scan results!!

Mark and Mylissa

Monday, July 17

UPDATE Monday EVENING:

THREE YEARS NED! Mylissa will give you more details soon but for now she has asked me again to update the site. Thanks be to God; Bella's appointments went smoothly and once again, everything is clear. Thank you for your prayers and for watching this site! (rgc)

UPDATE Monday afternoon:

Mylissa has just contacted me to let me know that so far, Bella's appointments are all going well. No results yet but Mark or Mylissa will let you know when they have them! Thanks again for your prayers. (rgc)

UPDATE SUNDAY NIGHT:
We are in Memphis!! We have had a good deal of help getting the house set up, and furniture in. Thank you so much Dave Pauli, Jeff Carter, Mom and Dad, BJ Goers, and Ed and Ashley Bianchi for your help! You are all such a blessing. We are asking that you would pray for Bella tomorrow as she has her scans. We do not have internet connection at the house yet, and hopefully it will be up this week. We love you and we will update with results from Bella's scans from the hospital tomorrow. We love you!!!!

UPDATE THURSDAY NIGHT:
We have all arrived safely in Atlanta, and are snugged in for the night. So far, the caravan has only lost ONE tire, so we feel blessed! All is well in my car...the kids have been good. Bella recieved a little mp3 player from Miss Cindi for her birthday, and she's had it in her ears all day. I can't complain, except when she starts singing Jennifer Knapp at the TOP of her lungs!! We love you and we can't thank you enough for your support and love for our family.

UPDATE: For pertinent info on the move, please visit www.habitatforhope.org/blog

Hello all! This may very well be our last journal entry from Florida, at least for now...

Prayer requests...

Madelyn Beamon has scans early this week. Please pray for continued improvement for Miss Maddie! We hope to have a celebratory dinner with them once we land in Memphis.
www.caringbridge.com/tn/madelyn

Jordan Amato has his MRI on Monday! Praising the Lord for results on the sleep study, and praying that Dr Kun can get the pictures he needs on Jordan this week. We are asking for continued stability for Jordan's brain tumor. www.caringbridge.com/la/jordanamato

Brent Nason is battling low platelets. Please pray that his platelets come up quickly and that he will be able to start chemo soon. www.caringbridge.com/ms/brent

Jake Raborn is on the fourth floor of St Jude, and Staci and Don have a big meeting Tuesday (the 11th) with the docs to decide what the plan of attack will be. Please pray for comfort, grace and peace for this sweet family...and optimistic and helpful answers.

And of course, Bella...she has her CT on the 17th. Please pray for CLEAR, CLEAR, CLEAR! May God be Glorified in all things.
***********************************************************

Today we had the pleasure of attending the new contemporary service at Covenant Pres here in Fort Myers (one of our supporting churches). It was a neat opportunity to join the Cornetts for worship, and to hug the necks of some of our dear friends as we prepare to depart. From there, we headed over to our church. Two weeks ago, I laid in bed thinking, "I really don't want to get up today," simply because I was so sad that we were getting so close to leaving those that are just like our family. Today, I rose with some kind of resolve and grace from the Lord. We joined with our church family for a beautiful time of worship (thank you Shelly and team!!). Afterward Gary and Cathy showed our new HFH slideshow/video, and we went up for them to pray over us. The church also took up an offering today for HFH. The outpouring of love we felt during this time of prayer and sending out was literally indescribable. There are no words. We walked in to church this morning feeling just a bit overwhelmed, and walked out feeling ready to move forward with Joy. We feel so loved by our church family, and we look forward to staying connected with visits 'home' and hopefully many visits from our friends and supporters to Memphis.

We ask that you would pray for us this week...that the remainder of the packing goes well, and that the Lord would send a buyer for the house. We have quite a bit of work ahead of us in the next month, so we ask that you would pray for the Lord to sustain us in the early days. We love all of you and you will hear from us again when we land in Memphis!

Mark, Mylissa, Bella, Izaiah and Sam

Thursday, June 29, 2006 12:29 AM CDT

First of all, let me say that if I could figure out why the journal is underlined, I would fix it. I tried a few things, and nothing seems to work…

Prayer requests and Praises:

Jake Raborn’s on the 4th floor!! Praise God! Huge thanks to our fabulous ICU staff for supporting Jake and his family.

Brent Nason’s ANC is up, and he should be out of the hospital soon!

Jordan Amato has scans coming up in July, shortly after Bella. Please pray for no changes in his MRI and for an answer to his movement disorder…www.caringbridge.com/la/jordanamato

Madelyn Beamon is having a wonderful time enjoying friends and family…she will be back in for scans the second week of July.

Please pray for two beautiful twin babies, Asher and Jacob. Their parents are in need of your prayers and support. www.caringbridge.com/visit/asherandjacob

Please pray for Christi Thomas and her family…www.christithomas.blogspot.com

I would also ask that you pray for the marriages of those of us affected by childhood cancer. Pray that the Lord would sustain all of us, and continue to resurrect those relationships that are dying or dead. Pray that His name would be glorified in every situation.

Just a quick update on our ‘plans’…

We are working hard on packing the house. It has been listed with a realtor friend of ours here in Fort Myers, and we hope and pray to get some action soon. The MLS number is 200651453. The family that is selling the house in Memphis to Habitat for Hope has graciously offered us the opportunity to move up there before our house here sells, and we won’t need to pay rent (its not an option for us to carry both mortgages at once). The Barnharts know that it is imperative that we get to Memphis as soon as possible, and are helping us with this. What a HUGE blessing!! We have rented a truck for the 13th of July, and we hope to get it packed and be on the road by the 14th. We will drive up and get to Memphis the 15th or possibly the 16th, depending on traffic, the governor on the truck etc. The evening of the 16th we will need to pick up Bella’s contrast for her CT, which is scheduled for July 17th. We start that morning at 10am and should be done about 3-4pm. The 17th is also me and Mark’s anniversary, so we hope and pray that we can have a nice celebratory dinner with friends and family that night.

I won’t lie…I’m a little bit overwhelmed at the timing of our move and Bella’s scans being on top of one another. I will ask you to pray that she is clear once again. We could also use your prayers for the move and the logistics of the sale of the house, etc. We know these are purely ‘details’ and that God already has it worked out!! We thank you in advance for all of you who have offered your help on the FL side of the move, and on the TN side as well. We love you and praise God for you!

“We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.” Proverbs 16:9

We love you!
Mark and Mylissa

Tuesday, June 20, 2006 7:29 AM CDT

Praising God from whom all blessings flow...baby Jake Raborn is officially OFF THE VENT!!!! www.caringbridge.com/la/jakeowen

Hello dear friends!

Prayer requests:
Please keep Brent Nason in your prayers, as he struggles with mouth sores. Pray that these would begin to ease and that the chemo would no longer cause discomfort in his mouth.

Westin Dietz has surgery today to remove the remainder of his primary neuroblastoma tumor. Please pray that surgery goes phenomenally well and Westin comes through tumor free!

Many praises for Jordan Amato successfully completing his sleep study! Way to go Jordan!!

Please continue to keep the Duckworth family and the Poteet-Berndt family in your prayers as they walk through the earliest days without their sons. Pray for peace, hope and grace.

I have updated the habitat for hope blog (www.habitatforhope.org/blog) with details on the 1st Annual Bluegrass for HOPE concert! And Bella lost her first tooth this week...see picture above!

Love you...
Mylissa

Monday, June 12, 2006 4:26 PM CDT

It is with a heavy heart that I ask you to pray for the family of Jacob Duckworth (fl/jacob) and the family of Will Poteet-Berendt (ky/will). Both of these precious boys are healed and whole in the arms of Jesus.

Hug your kids and grandkids today,
Mylissa

Tuesday, June 6, 2006 2:04 PM CDT

This week we are remembering two of our precious ones...

Emma Grace Hampton and

Jillian Beach.

I can't tell you how fortunate we feel to have crossed paths with both of these sweet girls. If you can, please visit their pages above and send a note of love and encouragement to Emma Grace's mom Trish, and Jill's mom, Debbie.

Love you two, and looking forward to seeing you again.

M&M

Thursday, June 1, 2006 11:19 PM CDT

UPDATE: Please check above for the link to the flyer for our house. Agree with us in prayer that the house will sell SOON, so that we can get to Memphis to work in a greater capacity with families.

Whew!!!!
I feel like I have completely ignored this page, and I am so sorry about that! Believe it or not, we have FINALLY updated the Habitat for Hope blog page!! You will find it at www.habitatforhope.org/blog. That is to say that all pertinent HFH info is there, and this update will be about the kids and our family.

The kids LOVED being in Huntsville, AL with my brother’s family! It was a nice break for us, as well, since my kids would run off with their 4 and play. We have definitely been catching up on sleep after our two week trek across the mid-south. We figured out that we traveled 2000 miles on this trip. We were so proud of the kids…they really did quite well in the car. There were a couple times we were wishing we had one of those limo windows…but those times were few.

We so enjoyed meeting Stephanie and Lisa Welker, Landon Pitre and mom Angela and dad John, Julie, Westin and Emma Deitz, and Brenna and Bettina Logsdon while we were in Memphis! Bella really loved making new friends. We hope to continue our relationship with them when we get to Memphis full-time.

The kids gave us their approval on the house in Millington, but not until mommy got stung by a HUGE wasp! I have no idea what kind of bug this was, but my wrist ached for two days. The kids began saying things like, “If we buy this house, are we going to get stung too?” We assured them daddy would spray for bugs, and then they decided that they liked the place. Mark and I are so excited by the possibility that we will have to host families in our home.

I visited AGAIN with my OB today, and he really believes my issue is related to ovarian cysts that are just ‘acting up’. I think today he had more time for me and sensed our concern, and we came up with a plan for me to take some medicine to help the cysts dissipate. In five weeks, we will take another look and see what’s happening. Mark and I are comfortable with this plan, since we are taking action, but are not overreacting. My dear mother was sure to leave one of her new cancer magazines at my house, complete with a story of a healthy young woman who nearly died from an overlooked case of ovarian cancer. Sigh.

Now for our prayer requests:

Many of you have visited and signed up for Jake Raborn’s prayer vigil. Mark and I are in complete awe of the turn around that Jake is making. The docs actually had to come in and revamp their previous statements, since Jake is climbing that steep hill. Visit their website, and be sure to look through journal history to get the full story.
www.caringbridge.com/la/jakeowen

Our dear, dear Nason family is truly in the thick of it again. Brent will need to have some radiation to his face and possibly his back. Tonya and Link will then evaluate the next chemo for him. Please lift this dear family up in prayer.
www.caringbridge.com/ms/brentnason

Please continue to lift up Jacob Duckworth as well! Mark has just put the finishing touches on Jacob’s prayer vigil, as so many who were involved with Jake Raborn’s requested a vigil for Jacob Duckworth. I believe the link will be posted on Jacob’s site, as well as on the Habitat for Hope site (www.habitatforhope.org) The Lord has truly honored Heather and Donnie’s faith in the past and we will ask him to do it again.
www.caringbridge.com/fl/jacob

Madelyn Beamon will have an MRI of her face in the morning to rule out any activity there. She came down with a puffy eye two days ago, but the docs think it is an after effect of radiation. We are believeing that this is something easy to treat (at home) but please pray for Madelyn and peace of mind for the Beamons!
www.caringbridge.com/tn/madelyn

I have so many more kids I could list, but these are definitely our friends that desprately need our prayers.

We love you guys, and can’t thank you enough for hanging in with us!

Mark and Mylissa

Wednesday, May 24, 2006 4:16 PM CDT

UPDATE Thursday 4:35pm CDT
We are so thankful that Susan Weinman came through surgery well! And Jake Raborn has been stable all afternoon. We thank you so much for your prayers.

UPDATE Thursday 9:34am CDT
Jake Raborn had a busy night last night. I just got back from there and he is resting and vitals seem to be good. Please pray that his lungs would heal and that the granulocytes would work on any infections.

Please lift up my dear friend Susan Weinman as she has her brain tumor resection tomorrow. We are asking for total resection. Leave her an encouraging note at caringbridge.com/visit/susanw

"I wish I had appointments..."

That was the first thing we heard from Bella when we pulled in to Memphis yesterday. When we asked her "why?" she said, "so I can see all the people I miss." Oh, for that childlike faith...

Brandi Beamon and I had the privledge of attending Raytheon Perry's service today. It was at St John's Missionary Baptist Church on Chelsea Avenue in Memphis. It was an amazing service...filled with joy. Raytheon's whole life was such a testimony to the love of Christ. We ask that you continue to keep mom Fay and the Eubanks clan in your prayers. caringbridge.com/visit/rayperry

Jake Raborn recieved his "granny cells" last night. I saw him very early this morning and he was resting peacefully. Please pray that his donor would be willing to donate marrow again so that he can get a booster of cells. caringbridge.com/la/jakeowen

I was blessed to meet three new families (since yesterday!). Please lift up Landon Pietre and his parents. He is 4.5 years old and has neuroblastoma. He is recieving radiation and chemo, and has recently been experiencing quite a bit of pain. Please pray for relief of pain.

The gold tournament was successful and was a blast! Everything came off without a hitch, and we can't thank our local Memphis volunteers enough for helping with this event. We hope this will become an annual Habitat for Hope fundraiser in the Huntsville area. I will upload some pictures soon.

Mom and Dad will get here tomorrow...we are excited to see them and show them around the area. If you are in the Memphis area, and you are interested in Habitat for Hope, please join us Friday night at 7pm for dessert and coffee. You can email us at the address at the bottom of the page and we will send you directions.

God bless you, and thank you for your prayers!
Love,
Mark and Mylissa

Friday, May 19, 2006 1:54 PM CDT

Hi all!

I am updating from Huntsville, AL...the home of the 1st Annual Habitat for Hope Golf Classic! We arrived last evening with my parents close behind us. We are staying with my brother and his family, and the kids are really enjoying their cousins! Right now, Bella is out to lunch with her Aunt Allyn...I'm sure she is just SOAKING up the one-on-one time. The tourney is on Monday, and our dear friends the Beamons will join us here in Huntsville, as well as a few more Memphis Habitat for Hope friends. I will update with the full list of volunteers after Monday, since we are still waiting on few confirmations. We are so thankful to my brother, Thom and WUMP 730 Sports Radio for choosing Habitat for Hope as the recognized charity!!

Bella and the boys did really well on the ride up...we split it into two days, so it wasn't too bad (14 hours total). We will drive next week to Memphis and we ask for your prayers for fruitfulness while we are there. It will be the first time we have been there as a family without being there for appointments for Bella. Should be interesting! Many thanks to the Nasons for lending us the apartment for the time we are there! Brent is home and doing well, although we need to pray for his counts to stay up. Prayer requests...

Please continue to pray for Jake Raborn (la/jakeowen). And a HUGE HAPPY BIRTHDAY to mom Staci!

We ask for your prayers for Mark's dad, Gary. He has a herniated disk in his back, and unfortuntely this is preventing he and Margaret from joining us here in Huntsville. He may need surgery monday, so please pray that surgery would go well and recovery would easy if they need to go that route. And a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY today to Gary as well!

Please continue to pray for Zach Allen (il/zachallen) and Ray Perry (visit/rayperry). Comfort and Peace.

I had a repeat ultrasound this week, and there are now two 'solid' spots on my left ovary. The radiologist ordered an MRI, but after consulting with my GP, we decided I would visit my GYN again and see if they feel the MRI is neccessary. I see my GYN on June 1st...we would appreciate it if you would pray that this areas are not of concern, but that we can find an answer to the episodes of pain I've been having.

We love you all and thank you so much for your support and prayers!
God bless you!
Mark and Mylissa

Friday, May 12, 2006 2:43 PM CDT

Hi all!
I want to share the details of Bella’s 6th birthday with you…she had a great day! First, our prayer requests…

Please pray for ZachAllen. Zachary is a precious boy who will be going home to be with Jesus very soon. Please keep mom Nikki and family in your prayers as well.

Please continue to pray for Jake Raborn. It looks like they have the GVHD under control now, and we are asking the Lord to continually touch his body.

Prayers for Jordan Amato, that his sleep study would soon be completed, and that the finding would be normal and treatable!

And my friend Susan Weinman, who will have surgery May 25th to remove a brain tumor. Please keep David and children Paula, Christina and Daniel in your prayers.

Bella started her day by opening her presents from mommy and daddy. She asked for a manicure kit, and has been walking around here with fake nails on ever since!! She also received ‘paint by number’ kit, and I was SHOCKED how well she did with this. She really enjoyed it. The boys each received a pair of drumsticks, and have been banging away on everything in the house. They were thrilled! From there we met Mom-mom at ice skating (her lesson is on Wednesday), and then met Poppy and Daddy for lunch at Iguana Mia. This is the second year she has asked to go there! She loves that Mexican food. In the evening, we were treated to a ride in a VERY SPECIAL limosine…a race car limo! It was such a neat car. We had a great time sharing at the Make-a-Wish banquet and everyone showered Bella with love and birthday wishes. It was a blessing.

The kids are getting excited to see their cousins next week as we head to Huntsville, AL for the 1st Annual Habitat for Hope golf tournament! The tournament is on Monday May 22, and there is information on the Habitat for Hope website. I believe there are still spots open for teams, and if you are in the mid-south area, and would like to come up, we are still in NEED of volunteers! To those of you who have already committed to coming up for the tournament, we can’t thank you enough. Mark and I (and assorted family members) will head to Memphis at some point the week following the tournament. We hope to spend some time with families and finalize plans for our move.

Speaking of the move…

The house is OFFICIALLY on the market! If you know anyone interested in a house in Cape Coral, FL…direct them to us! I hope to get a web page ready for the house soon, and when its done I will post it here.

We love all of you and can’t thank you enough for your prayers for our family!

Mark and Mylissa

Saturday, May 6, 2006 1:24 PM CDT

UPDATE may 11: Thank you so much for your lovely Happy Birthdays to Bella! She had a wonderful day, and as soon as I figure out how to do one of those slide shows I will put some pics up. I can't bear to take the baptism pic down yet...we love you and keep praying for our babies!

A day for praises...

We are so BLESSED to share a few 'good news' items with you! Madelyn Beamon recently had her scans, and they show improvement, which was not expected since she had been off treatment for a while. All the Glory to God! Brent Nason's MRI came back showing that the tumor is dying...praise the Lord! My friend Susan came back from MD Anderson with a plan in place for treatment,and my niece Caroline Fay graduates from USF today.

I had this update typed twice this week, but I lost it. Hopefully this time it will stick! We were all extremely ill this week with some kind of stomach virus...Mark and I actually came down with it within an hour of each other. It was a 24 hour type thing, so for essentially a full day, the kids were watching themselves. Mark tells me at one point I was sleeping on the couch and the kids were watching the nuns on EWTN. Go figure! Today we are running errands and finishing up a few house things before the house goes on the market this week. Bella's 6th birthday is Wednesday, (the 10th) and frankly I can NOT believe it! She tells me the only thing she wants is a manicure kit and a 'play' makeup kit. She definitely doesn't get this from her mom! Right now, we have plans to speak at a Make-a-Wish volunteer dinner on the 10th. We had originally declined, since it was Bella's birthday, but they told us they would pick us up in a limo. We figured she would think that was a nifty treat for her birthday, and it will certainly be fun to recount a bit of our CRAZY and WONDERFUL Make-a-Wish trip!

Prayer requests: Please continue to keep Jake Raborn in your prayers. He is out of ICU and on the 4th floor, and hopefully will be heading towards the Target house soon. caringbridge.com/la/jakeowen

Please continue to pray for Ray Perry. Ray is an amazing kid and he has had quite an impact on Mark and I. He has a love for Jesus that just radiates from him. caringbridge.com/visit/rayperry

Please pray for our new friends, Yara and Britney Palafox. Britney is two and is in ICU with breathing difficulties. She has Leukemia.

We also ask that you would lift us up as we get ready to list the house. We are trying it by owner, and it would be so neat if the Lord just brought us a buyer. We are trying to list it close to market value, so hopefully that will work in our favor. You may have seen 20/20 last night as they profiled the 'cooling' South Florida market. If we had listed the house at the end of the summer last year, we would have sold it in less than a week and probably 40 thousand higher than what we will get right now. We have definitely rolled over to a buyer's market. Pray that the Lord would bring the people who are to be the next owners, and that it would be soon! We will put a website up soon and link it to this site and to the HFH site.

We love you and thank you so much for your prayers!

Mark and Mylissa

Friday, April 28, 2006 3:59 PM CDT

UPDATE May 1st:
Brent Nason has his MRI this morning. Please pray that there is tremendous shrinkage of his tumor!!! ms/brentnason
Please continue to lift Ray Perry and mom Fay up in prayer. visit/raytheonperry
I also need to request prayer for my dear friend Susan. She has had a low-grade astrocytoma recur and they are on their way to MD Anderson this morning. Please pray that she would receive a clear treatment plan at MD this week.

Hello all!
Once again, I am severely behind on my update. I really want to give you a detailed account of our trip to Memphis, but for now let me say that it was a blessing to be there. I know now that Mark and I are agreeing together to do this for "the joy that is set before us". We were blessed to meet several of the little people that we are assisting through HFH programs, and I will ask for prayer for a few of our special friends...

Please pray that little Mason King can have his G-tube placed appropriately, which will alleviate the use of the NG-tube for feeding.

Please pray for comfort, peace and healing for Raytheon Perry. caringbridge.com/visit/raytheonperry

Please pray that Brent Nason's MRI on Monday would show dramatic improvement. caringbridge.com/ms/brentnason

Pray that Jordan Amato's doctors are just being overly cautious...caringbridge.com/la/jordanamato

Continued improvements for Jake Raborn...caringbridge.com/la/jakeowen

Happy days and improvement for precious Jayani Seth...caringbridge.com/visit/jayaniseth

Each of these children have touched our hearts. I promise a more detailed update, but Mark and I have been beyond busy preparing for the Habitat for Hope garage sale on Saturday. If you are in the Fort Myers area, please come see us at Trinty Community Church on McGregor Blvd Sat the 29th from 7-1ish! We are praying that with the many donations we can make a nice contribution to the HFH accounts. All proceeds go directly to the non-profit programs and services.

We love you and can't thank you enough for your support!!!

Mark and Mylissa

Thursday, April 13, 2006 5:55 AM CDT

UPDATE April 19th...
Mom's lymph nodes were clear!! Praise the Lord. If you are located in the greater Memphis area, and you are interested in learning more about Habitat for Hope, please join us at Logan's Roadhouse on Airways Blvd in Southaven, MS at 7pm. If you are a local family undergoing treatment, and would like to join us for a time of fellowship, please do so! We'd love to see you. If you intend to join us, please email mark at mark@habitatforhope.org
God bless you and have a grace-filled day!

UPDATE April 14 10pm EST
Just a quick note to say that mom did really well today. They took the two sentinel nodes up to pathology while she was still in the OR and intial thoughts are that they are benign, praise the Lord! He is good. We are still waiting for the final slides to be looked at, and will hopefully have those results by Tuesday morning. She is a lot of pain, but hopefully it will better by tomorrow. We also met a new family, the Olivers. Little Mallory has Philidelphia Chromosome ALL and is doing really well after recieving a BMT from her mom. Today she was having her port replaced. Drop them a note on her site and keep her in your prayers! www.caringbridge.com/visit/malloryoliver
we love you and thank you SO MUCH for your prayers!

First, please continue to lift up the Raborn family and precious Jake as they fight this battle.

Hello to our precious friends and prayer warriors,

Many of you know that my mom, Mary Abraham, was diagnosed with breast cancer last week. I was waiting until we had a treatment plan for the next two weeks before I sent out info and prayer requests. We met with the surgeon yesterday, so now we have a game plan. Tomorrow (April 13) mom will have a nuclear medicine injection for the sentinel node biopsy. This is scheduled for 2pm and we should be there an hour.

Friday (April 14) we will go in at 7:30. Mom will have a wire placement first, to mark the exact area for surgery. Then she will have general anesthesia for the lumpectomy. Total time for this procedure is around 2 hours. She will also have a catheter placed for an internal balloon since she seems to be a candidate for internal radiation. Once the pathology on the nodes and the tumor comes back, she will have the permanent balloon placed, where they will inject the radioactive seed twice a day for one week. We should have path back on the 18th, and as long as the pathology agrees with what we expect (low-grade tumor with no node inlvolvement) she will probably have her first of five days of radiation on the 20th. She will go in the morning and at night. After that, she will be on an anti-estrogen drug for 5 years.

Specifically, we ask that you would pray for there to be no cancerous cells in her nodes. Her tumor is low-grade, so we don’t except there to be node involvement. Secondly, we ask that you would pray for my mom’s nerves. She’s pretty nervous about the whole thing (mainly the procedures that will be done while she is awake) and we asking for a spirit of peace to fall on her. I also ask that you would pray for my dad; he just really doesn’t seem to know how to handle all of this. My mom is his world, and it’s a scary time for him. Prayers that he would be a support to her, and that the men in his life would be supernatural strength to him.

Oddly enough, Bella has had every one of the procedures that my mom will endure this week, except the radiation. She had the sentinel node biopsy back in 9-03, and then had the wire placement thing when they removed her hernia last June. As you can imagine, this feels a bit eerie for all of us.

Mark and I fly to Memphis the night of the 18th. Margaret (Mark’s mom) flies in that day to care for the kids.

We love you and appreciate your prayers SO MUCH.

Mylissa

Friday, March 31, 2006 2:05 PM CST

UPDATE Aoril 11: Please pray specifically and without ceasing for Jake Raborn and the whole Massey/Raborn clan. Please click on his link below for more details.

Now for our prayer requests:

Please pray for the Gaskins family. Comfort and Peace.

Please pray for Madison Merrifield and her sweet family, and buy a CD if you get a chance!

Brent Nason is home through Sunday and will return for chemo Monday. Prayers for light effects from chemo with improvement!

Our precious Madelyn is battling ulcerative colitis. Please pray for there to be a resolution to this soon, and for perfect wisdom in treating to Brandi and Neal and Madelyn’s whole team. Visit Maddie’s HFH site to order a magnet to support the Beamons!

Please continue to pray for Jake Raborn. The brain surgery is over, and Jake most certainly tackled that like the toughie he is! The German cells have just been let loose, so let’s pray that they’ll go get the bad stuff and kick it in the tush! Visit jake’s shop to order items that support this precious family!

We love all of you and can’t tell you how blessed we are by your presence in our lives.

Mylissa

Sunday, March 26, 2006 4:35 PM CST

March 27, 2006
Hi all! Just wanted to let you know that Mark and I visited my Gyn together, and the word is that "if it's really only 1.5cm, its not anything serious." We were relieved to hear that. I am scheduled for a repeat ultrasound wednesday and after that we will talk about next steps. Praising God for you and your prayers for us! Please remember to pray for Jake Raborn and Jordan Amato today! Visit the new Habitat for Hope blog at habitatforhope.org/blog.

OK, OK!!!

I know I am horrendously overdue for an update, but when you guys starting send your prayers to ME on the guestbook I know its REALLY time to sign on!

I will quickly reiterate that I had to go to the hospital Saturday because of some severe abdominal pain (that has been occurring on and off for three months). Upon Ultrasound we discovered that I have a 1.3 cm solid mass on the left ovary. From what I understand, the size is a positive thing (not large) but we really won’t know any more until we see my Gyn early this week. I promise to update again once we know more. We’ve already been told it will be surgically biopsied.

First of all, I love you all DEARLY and I SO appreciate your prayers. They are being felt in a big way…I have a sweet peace about my condition…or maybe it just comes from watching our precious little ones endure. I guess I figure if they can sign up for the long haul, so can I. It ought to be an interesting week.

This was the first hymn that came to my mind as I was absorbing the information…

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

Refrain

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

Refrain

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

Refrain

But, Lord, ‘tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh trump of the angel! Oh voice of the Lord!
Blessèd hope, blessèd rest of my soul!

Refrain

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

My children have prayed the sweetest prayers over me…Izaiah prayed that mommy would have no ‘con-cer’ and that I would be all better, and Bella prayed detailed prayers regarding surgery. “Lord, please have mommy go in and they tell her she doesn’t need surgery, but Lord, if she does need surgery please be there with her and give her visions of you and let her know you are there. And I ask you that she doesn’t have any cancer.”
***********************************************************

And now for our precious babies’ prayer requests…
The first has to be Jake Raborn. Jake is going in to LeBonheur for brain surgery in the AM (Monday). Please pray for a quick and easy removal of tumors, and that he would wake peacefully and joyfully from surgery!

Brent Nasonis home for the weekend, and will return for chemo this week. Please pray for the peace of Jesus to be with the Nasons and for the Lord’s wisdom!

Jordan Amato is scheduled for MRI on Monday. Please pray that he would have dramatic shrinkage, and that the Amatos would receive nothing but positive results!
***********************************************************
I am seriously considering starting a separate Habitat for Hope blog, since I hope for Bella’s page to mainly reflect our family life. For now, though you will have to endure my HFH updates here.
Mark and I have been so BLESSED that God is allowing us to work through and with HFH! We are honestly having mostly a GREAT time caring for and ministering to families. Last month we were able to assist two families with housing in Memphis. Mark was gone for a week, and he really enjoyed getting to know several families that the Lord is yoking us with in this ministry. We are so excited to get to Memphis and begin life and ministry with our new friends! I guess the biggest news would be that we have the opportunity to purchase a home in Memphis (at a greatly reduced cost) that would be a HUGE blessing to the ministry. It would enable us to house at least one family (or extended family) that needs housing, and even have room for interns. We would also have good space for prayer meetings and fellowship dinners. Mark and I will be in Memphis around the 19th of April, so I think details will be hashed out at that time. I will ask for your prayers that the house will work for Habitat for Hope, and your prayers that the mass on my ovary turns out benign. We are so excited to be moving towards full time ministry, that we truly hope that my issue won’t slow us up at all.

We love you SO MUCH…you provide us so much strength.

Mylissa

Saturday, March 25, 2006 8:06 PM CST

Hey all,

We are asking for your prayers. We spent most of the day in the ER at Cape Coral Hospital due to some extreme abdominal pain that Mylissa was having. For the last three months, during the end of her cycle, the pain has been increasingly beyond normal. Today it was beyond the point of what she thought was bearable (reminder-we had our last child at home by choice J….my wife can handle pain pretty well!). After all the typical hospital stuff, they did an ultrasound. The ultrasound showed there is a solid mass in or on her left ovary. They said they don’t believe it is a cyst (she has a family history), and that it is definitely a round solid mass about 1.3 cm in diameter. We were discharged and was told to contact her OB-GYN to get a biopsy done as soon as possible. Of course all the scenarios are running through our minds, and Mylissa seems to be handling things pretty good. I on the other hand am a tad bit DISTURBED at the whole thing.

It makes me go back to when we first heard that Bella was diagnosed with Cancer... the uncertainty, the what if’s… BUT the one thing that I know is that Jesus is still in the healing business and I’m pretty sure He doesn’t take a vacation (I heard this earlier from Mylissa’s Dad). Therefore we lean on Psalm 40:1-3:

1 I waited patiently for the LORD;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the LORD.

We ask and covet your prayers. We ask you stand with us and put your TRUST in the Lord that He will have His hand upon Mylissa.

Thank you!

Sincerely,

Mark

Sunday, March 5, 2006 2:16 PM CST

(To the tune of Carmen San Diego)
Where in the World is Mark Horrocks????

This might be the longest time in between updates for the Horrocks Family. Know that we love ALL of you dearly…

Mark is on his way up to Memphis today. As the kids and I headed to church, he headed to the airport to try to get a standby flight to Memphis. The trusty airline wanted 900 bucks to put him on the flight, and Mark decided that would be incredibly bad stewardship (not like we have 900 bucks lying around anyway!). After calling from the airport and seeking counsel from a dear mentor, he decided to hit the road in the trooper (pray, people, pray!!) and head north. I would expect that he arrive mid-morning on Monday.

So now you might ask, “why, pray tell, did he go NOW?” Mark and I were blessed through Habitat for Hope to provide housing for a little boy and his mama who are being discharged from St Jude. Mason King has a permanent tracheotomy, and he was diagnosed with Hepatoblastoma one week after Hurricane Katrina. He was immediately sent to St Jude, where he was treated. Now that treatment has completed, doctors have advised that Mason stay out of New Orleans because of air quality issues. Through the blessings of donors (for this specific need) HFH has provided housing, and we have also been blessed to receive donations of nearly brand new furniture and furnishings for the apartments.

Yes, I said apartments, as in two. We also (last week) were able to offer a reduced rate apartment to the Nason family for their use. The Nasons are in a unique situation with Brent’s relapse…and this apartment will enable them to stay together as a family. It will also give them a stable place to lay their head while Brent is in isolation, which seems to be quite a bit!

HFH has quite a few DEDICATED and WONDERFUL volunteers in the Memphis area, who have been so willing to do ALL the leg work on these apartments while Mark and I are in FL. But after praying and thinking about it this weekend, we really felt the Lord nudging us to physically be there; assisting however we can. I know Mark is so excited to meet Mason’s mom (D’Anna) and all of our dear volunteers that have offered to help! I only wish I was there as well.

I will ask for your prayers….please pray for Mark’s safety on the roads and for the kids and I to have a great week. Please pray for continued donations to completely furnish both apartments. Pray that all those involved would see the hand of the LORD in a new and fresh way as they minister and do HIS work.

As soon as I figure out how to do it, I will upload the videos of the news report that aired in Memphis regarding Mason King and his mom.

Praises from our friends:
Jordan Amato’s foot is healed!! Praise the Lord!!
Jake Raborn is doing very very well after transplant!!
Madelyn Beamon is doing GREAT!!
Brent Nason is HOME and feeling good!

Prayer requests:
Please pray for Ben Bratton and his mom and dad. Ben is fighting the Flu while inpatient at St Jude. His counts need to come up. Prayers for complete healing!!

Please pray for our new friend Dominic Vaca. Dominic is 4 and has stage III-IV melanoma. He had his lesion at birth, and he has already had his surgeries and his first four weeks of interferon. Unfortunately, he has had a couple of new spots show up near the original lesion. The team has decided to leave the spots there and monitor them while he is doing home treatment (shots of INF and oral temozolomide). Please pray that this NEW protocol will do its WORK!

We love you all and I promise to try to update again soon!
Oh, yeah, and Bella and the boys are JUST fine.

Mylissa

Monday, February 20, 2006 3:50 PM CST

Hi all...
So sorry it has been so long since we've updated.
Right now I really want to ask for prayer for three special kids...

Jay Gaskins went on a vent yesterday. Please pray for Jay's comfort and complete healing, and peace for his family. www.caringbridge.com/ga/jay

Jake Raborn (bella's little friend in the above pic) will be entering transplant tomorrow. Please pray for this sweet child and keep updated on his site.
www.caringbridge.com/la/jakeowen

Please pray for wonderful results from Maddie Beamon's scans! She should get results today.
www.caringbridge.com/tn/madelyn

We had a booth at the Edison Pageant of Light this weekend for Habitat for Hope. We raised nearly $1000, praise God! All this money goes directly into our programs and services budget so we can help more families. We have lots of tickets to sell for the Mini for Hope, so please tell your friends to visit www.miniforhope.com!

We love you and remember to pray for Jake and Madelyn!

Love,
mark and mylissa

Friday, February 10, 2006 9:33 AM CST

February 14, 2006
Prayer request for Maddie Beamon...she is back in the hospital today on strong antibiotics. The docs suspect there is some type of colon infection...her ANC is astronomically high. If this doesn't resolve in an appropriate time frame, she will need surgery. Please pray.

Happy Friday!

If you look below, I have updated a few of our prayer requests to PRAISE REPORTS!! All the Glory to God.

I came across something this week that has just been resonating in my spirit...and I had to share. I was reading this article that had something to do with cultural influence as God sees it, and the author used the following to illustrate.

"Scripture gives only one antidote for temptation...worship of the living God. We are what we gaze at. 'And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the glory of the same image from one degree of glory to another' (2Cor 3:18). The psalmist Asaph expressed a God-honoring attitude: "Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. my flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever' (Ps 73:25-26).

This little passage lead me to consider where my gaze is placed. Bella has been cancer-free for over two years, but I freely admit that there are still times when my gaze is fixed on her disease. Does God get ALL the glory when I fix my gaze on her disease, or on my 'busyness', or on my own needs? Or does he get Glorified when I am fully satisfied in Him, fully at peace with the path He has laid before me? The Lord is challenging me in these areas and I hope and pray that through repentance I can fix my gaze on the God of all Power and Might and begin to be transformed from glory to glory. Thank you for hearing my heart.

***********************************************************
Special prayers this week for the Haynes family as their sweet Stanton graduated to heaven one year ago on the 13th. Please leave a word of encouragement on www.caringbridge.com/la/Stanton.

Brent Nason is HOME! Praise God! Please pray that chemo is effective and that Brent will soon be back in remission.

Madelyn Beamon is HOME! Praise God for this miracle baby!!

Ryan and Jeff Breedlove tests all came back GREAT! Praise God!!

Jake Raborn (look at that sweet boy in the picture up there!) is getting ready to head back to St Jude and prepare for transplant time. Let’s believe together that this is the treatment that will send Jake’s cancer packin’! Please pray for strength for the Raborn’s as they will be apart quite a bit during this phase of treatment. Go, Jake, go!!

We’d also like to ask for prayers for a new friend, Madison Merrifield, from Fort Myers. Madison went into a miraculous remission from Ewing’s Sarcoma last May. Recently, scans showed that her cancer had returned. Madison is a beautiful young lady who loves Jesus and loves to sing! Please pray she would be healed once again.

We love you!!
Mark & Mylissa

Monday, February 6, 2006 8:28 PM CST

Hello to our dear friends…
Once again I am really overdue…I think this might be the longest I’ve gone without updating! I will start with our prayer requests…

Brent Nason is at St Jude after receiving a round of ICE chemo. He and his mom and dad literally just moved back over to the Grizzlies House and the docs called to say there was an issue with a culture, so Brent would need to come back over and be inpatient. They could not have been out more than 5 hours. This exact same thing happened when Mark and I were there two weeks ago…they let Brent out, then he popped a fever and made it right back in. Please pray for this precious family! I am specifically asking for a fresh anointing on both Tonya and Link, and OF COURSE that the chemo would be doing it’s job and eradicating any cells that aren’t cooperating in Brent’s body!

Madelyn Beamon is on the second floor and making strides toward recovering from her bout in ICU! We are so proud of Maddie and so blessed to know her family. They are wonderful people who really love the Lord and have been so strong through this. Madelyn will have a CT on Tuesday and more testing following that. Please pray for C-L-E-A-R scans for Madelyn!

Ryan and Jeff Breedlove are at St Jude this week. Ryan will receive testing (pray for continued clear scans!) and Jeff will have appointments with his doctor as well. Please keep Jeff in your prayers as he is both Daddy and patient this week.

Jake Raborn (look at that sweet boy in the picture up there!) is getting ready to head back to St Jude and prepare for transplant time. Let’s believe together that this is the treatment that will send Jake’s cancer packin’! Please pray for strength for the Raborn’s as they will be apart quite a bit during this phase of treatment. Go, Jake, go!!

We’d also like to ask for prayers for a new friend, Madison Merrifield, from Fort Myers. Madison went into a miraculous remission from Ewing’s Sarcoma last May. Recently, scans showed that her cancer had returned. Madison is a beautiful young lady who loves Jesus and loves to sing! Please pray she would be healed once again.

Bella is doing really well…ice skating like a champ. She’s only had 4 lessons, so we are thrilled that she is doing this well. We are also trying to get out to ride at least once a week. Jasmine has suddenly become known as “Bullseye” (apparently this is Jessie’s horse in Toy Story) and Bella’s been cantering around yelling, “Run like the wind, Bullseye!”

Mark will be at Bell Tower Shops in Fort Myers this weekend taking donations and handing out Mini for HOPE tickets! If you are in the Fort Myers/Naples area, I know he’d love to see you down there. We will also have the car at the Edison Pageant of Light craft show on February 17th, 18th, and 19th.

We can’t thank you enough for praying for our friends and for Habitat for Hope. Thank you SO MUCH to those of you who have chosen to get involved…you are making a direct impact on families enduring childhood cancer. God Bless You.

We love you!

Mark and Mylissa

Friday, January 27, 2006 9:37 PM CST

Thursday 2/2/06
as of around 12 noon little Miss Madelyn is OFF THE VENT!! A huge sigh of relief and all Praise to God! Please continue to pray for this precious child as she continues her recovery.

First things first…
Please continue to pray for Madelyn as she prepares to wean from the vent.

Prayers for Jordan as he is entering physical therapy for a possible stress fracture in his foot. Please pray that the issue is quickly resolved!!
Rejoicing with Brent and Jake that they are home-home this week; please pray for both of these sweet boys as enter new treatment territory.
Rejoicing with the Breedloves as Ryan has come through his adenoid surgery with flying colors! Please continue to pray for Jeff as he adjusts to life with a shunt.

I know I am really late in updating from our Memphis trip. Please forgive us! I’m fighting a little cold and Mark has been working till all hours between his ‘real’ job and working on HFH stuff.

Many of you know the details of Mark’s week in Memphis, but I will try to summarize quickly. Mark was blessed to stay with the Brennan family, whom we met in 2003 at St. Jude. Although he was on the road quite a bit, he really enjoyed spending time with the Brennans when he was there! He was able to join the Brennans for worship and Sunday school at Central Church in Collierville, where he was honored to speak before a rather large Sunday school class. He met with Sara Barnes and crew from Hutchison School…they are putting together fundraisers for HFH this spring. Sara is a wonderful and talented 17 year old student who has picked up the HFH vision and is RUNNING with it! We are so blessed. Mark had lunch with our Memphis board member, local GC and urban ministries pastor to evaluate a building in downtown that we could have restored to serve our purposes for housing…but after prayer and looking at cost structure it’s not the right place. I was encouraged that the Lord is beginning to lead HFH in that direction. Mark also had VERY fruitful meetings with the LeBonheur people…they are very enthused about HFH, and the possibility of working with us toward housing. It was great to hear that we have an open door at LeBonheur.

Sorry if I don’t sound overly excited about the ‘meetings’, but 1.) I don’t particularly understand that end of things, and 2.) Now I get to tell you about the part of our week that I LOVE!!

“We are sorrowful yet always rejoicing…” 2 Corinthians 6:10

Mark spent nearly all of his non-meeting hours at the hospital. As much as we weep with families who weep, and as much as our tummies knot up with families who are in anxiety, our hearts continue to REJOICE in the joy that is set before us. The Lord opened doors this week for Mark and I to really be in ministry to families in need. Mark happened (is it odd, or is it God??) to be in Memphis this past week when Madelyn Beamon was receiving her second antibody treatment. He was given the privilege of standing with the Beamons (whom we have known two years in March) while they prayed and cared for their sweet baby. I also had the privilege of sharing time with Madelyn while I was in Memphis. All I can really say right now is that we are so humbled by this family and their strength in times of trial. The Lord is and was there with Madelyn and Neal and Brandi. Thank you Beamons for affording us the opportunity to be with you. This is one of those times there JUST isn’t words.

We also were blessed to spend as much time as possible with Brent Nason and his family! What a joy to meet them. Sometimes you just click with people, and I could just ‘hang’ with this family all day. Link is a great dad and it was such a blessing to see him interact with his boys and be at the Jude with Tonya and Brent. Tonya is such a loving mom and impressed me with her patience and love. Don’t tell Tonya, but I saw Brent one time while Tonya was out finding juice for him, and Brent and I had a short hair pulling war! I hear he and Mark struck up quite the relationship as well. We even got to meet Gabe and Zack, a totally unexpected joy! It was great.

Mark also got to spend time with Jake Niese. Jake and Bella did their Interferon together in 2003. Jake is doing great! Mark also met a few new families while he was there, and fostered some relationships with docs and nurses as well.

On Monday night, we were honored to be invited down to Dawn and Todd Pierce’s house in Hernando, MS. The Pierce’s beautiful son Shae was a patient at St Jude in 2000/2001 and went home to be with Jesus. Shae has a beautiful and joy-filled little brother Mason who is going on 3. We had a great time with the Pierce’s, and the kids had a blast playing! Dawn and Todd have a heart to serve families in the same way we do. They are all about relationship and opening their home and life. This is the foundation of our vision for HFH, and it so confirming to know that God is speaking to MANY of us! We look forward to ministering with this dear family in the future. Staci and Jake Raborn joined us for dinner and we so enjoyed their company! Staci is a hoot…if I had permission I’d share her “Why are you at the front of the line?” Disney Make a Wish story.

I can’t begin to put in to words the magnitude of our week; we truly shared both sorrow and joy. Mark and I are yearning in our spirit to work more fully for the joy that is set before us.

Bella and I were studying a scripture from this passage last week.

Focused on the Goal
Philippians 3:12-21 (the Message)
I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward--to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.
So let's keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision--you'll see it yet! Now that we're on the right track, let's stay on it.
Stick with me, friends. Keep track of those you see running this same course, headed for this same goal. There are many out there taking other paths, choosing other goals, and trying to get you to go along with them. I've warned you of them many times; sadly, I'm having to do it again. All they want is easy street. They hate Christ's Cross. But easy street is a dead-end street. Those who live there make their bellies their gods; belches are their praise; all they can think of is their appetites.
But there's far more to life for us. We're citizens of high heaven! We're waiting the arrival of the Savior, the Master, Jesus Christ, who will transform our earthy bodies into glorious bodies like his own. He'll make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under and around him.

We love you and we can’t thank you enough for your prayers and support. Please remember to visit Habitat for Hope for more information and to get involved!

Mark and Mylissa

Disclaimer: I solemnly swear that I will never again compete with Tonya Nason for the “Longest Caringbridge Journal Entry Ever” Award. Hehehe! Love you Tonya!!

Friday, January 27, 2006 12:49 AM CST

I know I have been promising a COMPLETE update, and I REALLY want to do that! For now, I need to just ask for prayer for little Madelyn. The team has weaned the paralytic since the PiP (I think this is the right spelling??) is down to 4. She is doing perfectly well in this stage of weaning, but since it is Friday, I guess there is some question as to when they will actually remove the vent. It is neccessary to be fully staffed during this process. Specifically, I would ask you to pray that the team would find a way to BE fully staffed at the absolute earliest time that Madelyn can be removed from the vent. I know Neal and Brandi are content (to an extent!) to wait till Monday if need be, but since the paralytic is off, let's band together to pray specifically that Maddie can come off tomorrow. We love you all and thank you so much for lifting this precious family for us!!

Mark and Mylissa

Saturday, January 21, 2006 10:21 PM CST

1/24/06 4:27 CST

We are home! Thank you all so much for thinking of us and praying for Bella's scans! I really want to fully update on our week but I'm exhausted so I promise a full update tomorrow...remember to pray for Madelyn!
www.caringbridge.com/tn/madelyn

2:23pm central...
ALL CLEAR!!!
All glory, honor and praise to HIM who sustains us.

"The name of the Lord is a STRONG TOWER; the righteous run in to it and are saved." Proverbs 18:10

Hi all,
Well...I finally have everyone packed...Bella and I for our trip to Memphis and the boys to go stay at Mom-Mom's house. I have all these really inspiring things to say, but I'm a wee bit tired this evening and already day dreaming of sleeping on the plane (hahaha). In all honesty, I am really excited to have some time with Bella on the plane. She's such a mature and feminine kid that lately she's been spending quite a bit of time in her room with the door CLOSED. I guess those baby brothers can really do harm to the dolls and the body glitter!

Many of you know that Mark has been in Memphis this week for meetings, and spending time with families. Most of you also know that Madelyn Beamon has experienced complications from the antibody therapy and is now on the oscillating ventilator. This will be a long process but Madelyn is showing steady improvement. Please continue to pray for this sweet child. I really just need to get there and put my arms around Brandi. I can't even begin to comprehend what they are going through right now.

Mark has really enjoyed meeting and spending time with quite a few families this trip. Please continue to pray the Lord's will over Habitat for Hope and I will update soon with more details about meetings, etc.

Bella's last appointment tomorrow is at 1:30 central standard St Jude time. I promise to update AS SOON as we know anything.

Love you guys...
Mylissa

Saturday, January 14, 2006 10:00 PM CST

UPDATE: 2:45 PM CST Saturday
Praise Report...Madelyn is successfully on the new ventilator. Thank you Jesus...please continue to pray for this dear child.
UPDATE: 10:46 CST Friday
There are some additional problems with Madelyn on the vent. This is very critical...please pray fervently for this little girl. God Bless You.
www.caringbridge.com/tn/madelyn

UPDATE: 5:41 CST Friday
Madelyn is now on a vent. Mark said they are planning on three days and they will go from there. Please pray.

UPDATE: 2:31 CST Friday
Mark just called and I could tell from his voice that today has been hard on Madelyn and her sweet family. She is having trouble breathing and right now they are trying a warmed O2 machine to get her saturation levels up. When he called she was at 98hich is very good, but I guess they need her to maintain that before they can say she's out of the woods for the vent. I guess the docs have said they will be adjusting all drugs for the next round so that her body sees SOME effect from the treatment but not nearly this much. Please pray that Brandi and Neal can get some rest and that Madleyn will pull through this without needing the ventilator. Also remember Mark as he ministers to this sweet family.

Hi all!
We are fine...Mark leaves Tuesday for Memphis. I really just wanted to add some updated prayer requests:

Carol called tonight to say that Tori was in the hospital with a high fever. Tori's immune system has been struggling to recover from her nearly 3 years of Chemo. Carol has recieved some conflicting info from home (Orlando) oncologists and St Jude oncologists, so its a strenuous time for them until they figure out what to expect. I will update again when I know more.

Jay is having better days! Praise God! Please pray for comfort and peace for the sweet Gaskins family, and for a perfect healing for Jay.

Ashley Taylor went home to be with Jesus earlier this week. This child loved Jesus dearly as did her parents. Her parents did everything they could to make the past few months joyful and comfortable for her. As I heard their story, I was amazed at their ability to lay aside their grief and walk their daughter through her passage. They KNOW that they will be with her again...that it is just a matter of time. Please pray for this dear family, and older brother Austin.

Brent is home from his round of chemo and it sounds like he is doing well! Praise God! Please pray that he would tolerate this round well and that all scans and tests would be in place for the new antibody therapy!

Please continue to pray for the Burress family as they adjust to life without their sweet Chris. This family has also relied completely on Christ to walk through their son's passing. Pray especially for mom Debbie.

Mark will stay with the Brennans while in Memphis...some of you may remember sweet Briana Brennan. She passed 18 months ago from Stage IV neuroblastoma. This family was SUCH an encouragement to us when we were first beginning treatment, and they continue to be a HUGE encouragement to Habitat for Hope. We can't thank them enough for their hospitality to our family!
Bella and I arrive in Memphis on the 22nd for tests on the 23rd. We will stay at the Grizzlies House since we get started very early on the 23rd. Please continue to lift her up for CLEAR scans!!

We love you and thank you SO MUCH for your prayers and love.
The Horrocks Family
Mini for HOPE

Monday, January 9, 2006 10:13 AM CST

UPDATE Jan 10th: Thank you so much to all of you for birthday wishes! You are so sweet. Just wanted to update without moving Mark's post. Mark leaves Tuesday Jan 17th for Memphis. Please pray for FRUITFUL meetings for Habitat for Hope! Bella and I fly up the 22nd for CT on the 23rd. Of course we are asking God that her scan would be clear and that all of us would have time to spend with our dear families while there. We love you and thank you so much for lifting us in prayer!

Happy Birthday Mylissa! I pray you have a blessed year to come. You are an amazing mother, wife and greatest friend I could ever have. I would not be who I am today if it was not for you.

It’s amazing how time flies lately. I felt inspired to update our site yesterday, after a great sermon by our Pastor. I tried but was unsuccessful. Let’s say I have better respect for my wife and what she does everyday. It’s amazing how quickly situations can deteriorate with children… one second everything is good and fun and then next they’re fighting to the death over a grease marker. So, I was unsuccessful with my update.

Everything is great with Bella; she started ice skating lessons on Saturday. She did a great job and we’ll post pictures soon. She was talking to me a couple days ago about what her room is going to look like in Memphis. She has it all planned out and I wouldn’t be surprised if she has some sketches and fabric samples around somewhere. It was quite detailed. The blessing is that she seems pretty comfortable with it. Mylissa and I will be heartbroken to leave family, friends and our church family, but excited to see what God is going to do.

Yesterday’s sermon was about Paul writing to Timothy from jail. He was asking Timothy to come before winter and bring a coat and some of his scrolls. But how he was writing to Timothy, with this longing that he had for his good friend, is what struck me. Do we have that that sort of fellowship? Do we surround ourselves with the fellowship that increases our relationship with Christ? When we call on our friends do we get advice when all we really want is prayer? Advice is good, but it’s not the same as sharing a heartfelt, God seeking prayer. These are the questions our Pastor brought up and this is what I love about our church…it causes us to think! I think, do I have a Timothy in my life that I know I can call on? Do I have that level of friendship with someone? Am I plugged in enough?

Please pray for some dear friends of ours...

Brent

Jay

Tori just finished chemo and is in full remission, but recently her counts bottomed out and has pretty bad post chemo rash.
Tori

Our good friends, the Beamons, who are fighting the good fight!
Madelyn

Many of you have asked how you can support Habitat for Hope. We have kicked our big fundraiser! We are giving away a 2006 Mini Cooper Convertible or $20,000 cash (winner's choice), 2 weeks in the mountains of TN and 3 30G iPods.
2500 tickets will be given out for a $50 donation per ticket. Go to
The Mini for HOPE fundraiser for more info.

We hope you feel God's presence this week...
Love,
Mark and Mylissa

Saturday, December 31, 2005 11:28 PM CST

PRAYER UPDATE:
Brent Nason has arrived at St Jude, and bone marrow aspirates were postponed again till monday Jan 9th. Please join us in corporate prayer tonight at 9PM for complete healing and no tumor cells to be found! Brent has been rescheduled for a CT tomorrow (Jan 5) of his face to reevaluate, since he has had NO PAIN since this weekend after being surrounded by prayer by his church and dear family. For the complete info please visit his site.
Brent

Also, please pray for sweet Jay Gaskins. Things have been a little rocky lately, but everything is in place for his new treatment. Please pray for Jay's complete healing.
Jay

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

I know the date says Dec 31 but here on the East Coast it is 12:28 on January 1. I am praying that 2006 will be a year filled with more love for my Savior and a deeper understanding of His Glory. I have to admit that I am starting 2006 feeling like I've been punched in the gut...but as I shared with a friend earlier today, God doesn't promise to give ME the grace for our dear ones in distress...but He certainly promises to give THEM the grace they need to sustain. Two very special prayer requests tonight...

Please pray for sweet Chris Burress. www.caringbridge.com/va/burress
Christopher has been at St Jude and living with a brain tumor for 12 years. He is 20, and he will be going home to be with Jesus very soon. Chris is one of those kids we would see EVERY TRIP to St Jude, and he just adores the little ones. This kid just glows Christ. Please pray for his parents Brion and Debbie.

Our dear Brent Nason has recurred with neuroblastoma. This family is so special and has been such an encouragement to us. Brent will travel back to St Jude tuesday for additional scans and bone marrow biopsies. Please pray that his bone marrow is CLEAR and that scans are CLEAR as well! It is totally within God's grasp for Him to touch Brent's body...let's stand firm with Tonya and ask God to supernaturally remove any cells that are causing division in his body. www.caringbridge.com/ms/brentnason

We are still in NY and will fly home on Tuesday. Love you all...praying that you will find peace in Christ this year.

Mark and Mylissa

Thursday, December 29, 2005 10:26 AM CST

UPDATE DECEMBER 31 1:43 EST
Brent Nason has relapsed. Please pray for this sweet family and visit their website and offer a word of encouragement in their guestbook...
www.caringbridge.com/ms/brentnason
this family deeply loves Jesus and are deeply loved by us and our Habitat for Hope family. Please Please pray for Brent's complete HEALING!

Hi all...still in Upstate NY braving the 50 degree weather. So glad the kids got to play in the snow the first morning we were here, since I don't think there is a high chance of getting much more! We should see flurries on New Year's...but doubtful it will amount to much.

Wanted to update today to share some urgent prayer requests with you. Our dear friend Brent Nason is at St Jude for routine scans, but is also having an MRI of his face today. He is having pain in his face, that appears to only be on one side. Please pray that this is nerve or tooth related, and that all his tests remain perfectly CLEAR!! www.caringbridge.com/ms/brentnason

Also, sweet Ashely Taylor is at home now and will be meeting Jesus face to face very soon. Please pray for the family (Doug, Valerie, and brother Austin). They love the Lord dearly and desire for Ashley to be at peace and pain-free. www.caringbridge.com/la/princessashley

I spoke with a mom here in the Rochester area who has a 15 year old named Daniel who is stage IV Melanoma. It sounds like he started at stage III in his neck (several nodes involved), did a year of Interferon here at Strong in Rochester, and then had bone and liver involvement upon completion of INF. He has tried Temodar, and had progressive disease. He is now at University of Colorado medical center (Denver) doing the chemo cocktail (INF, IL-2, DTIC, etc etc) which is a very agressive treatment, but the only one offically "approved" for stage IV Melanoma. Sometimes it can be extra hard to talk with families that
are dealing with our same diagnosis. It also sounds like they were turned away at several facilites...I can only imagine how hard their road is. Please pray for Daniel. He does not have a caring bridge site.

I hope you all enjoy the rest of your Christmas week, and I will update with more information when I have it.

Mylissa

Friday, December 9, 2005 8:10 AM CST

MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
Good Morning All! We are in NY and although we came prepared for REALLY cold weather, it is 11:43 on Christmas morning and it's 50 degrees!! We can't believe it. There was 2 inches on the ground the night we got here so we quickly built "Bubba" the snowman. Right now Bubba is suffering from shrunken head syndrome. We have spent some great time with Nonny and Papa Horrocks, as well as my sister Suzy and her family. The kids are having a great time staying up till all hours...I thnk we are all ready for a nap! We really just wanted to wish all of you a peaceful, joy-filled and restful Christmas...enjoying family and friends, and most of all, our SAVIOR!

More soon...
Mylissa, Mark, Bella, Izaiah and Sam

Hi folks!
OK, so I’ve been meaning to update the site for days. This year, it seems like they took a week out of December! So much shopping to do and so little time.
First, for the prayer requests.

Princess Madelyn will be starting a new therapy on Monday or Tuesday. This is an antibody therapy combined with IL-2 (sound familiar, MPIP friends?). Interleukin-2 is a substance sometimes used for Melanoma. It is not a chemo but rather an immunotherapy. Madelyn will be the first patient at St Jude to use this therapy in the Phase II trial. We are hopeful that this combination will lead to GREAT results!!

Jake Raborn should be heading home from another round of chemo. His AFP (tumor marker) does not seem to be falling the way the docs would like it to, so he will continue to have rounds of chemo, or possibly go to transplant. This is a great reason why you should sign up for National Bone Marrow Registry. I signed up last year, and the registration is a simple process carried out while you donate blood. If you are contacted as a donor, and you choose to donate, the process will usually take less than a week. What an amazing opportunity to help save a life!

We have two new friends that will be at St Jude next week for various scans. Please pray for Brent Nason and his family and Jordan Amato and his family. We know how hard these scan weeks can be…I’m already anticipating ours January 22rd!

Brent

Jordan

Now, on to the praise reports!!

The Beamons have received their Christmas package from Habitat for Hope! They were excited and overwhelmed. Mark and I can NOT thank all of you enough who donated to this need…the laptop arrived just in time as Madelyn will check back in to the hospital Monday morning to start her new therapy. All of you are a blessing…thank you for being in a spot to be used by God. Continue to check www.habitatforhope.org for pictures of this sweet family…we hope to have some up soon!

We love you and we pray you are finding peace in the rush to Christmas.
Enjoy your day!

Mark and Mylissa

Thursday, December 1, 2005 7:40 PM CST

Good evening all!!

Well the Habitat for Hope Christmas laptop and camera are somewhere between FL and TN. Should be there any time...hopefully we'll be able to post pics on the habitat website (www.habitatforhope.com) soon. We have received close to 50% of the goal for this project...thank you SO MUCH to all of you who have contributed! A VERY SPECIAL thank you to the dear St Jude families that have spoken so warmly of our family and HFH recently on the web. We want you to know that your edification has come and watered the soil in our hearts. You are so precious! Of course, you know I must say that HFH belongs COMPLETELY to the Lord, and we are just His vessels to go where He sends us. We are just blessed He is allowing us to take part.

The kids have been CRAZY about having a tree and getting the house decorated. Tonight we had time to run out and get a tree and at least get the lights on! We have colored lights this year for the first time...yet another concession to the preschooler and kindergartener who live here. Hopefully this weekend we'll get the old icicle lights out.

Bella is doing well...she seems to be enjoying learning to read and doing school at home. For science, she chose to study a book about the body (big surprise there!) and we've had fun inking our fingerprints and blindfolding each other to feel objects (that pesky central nervous system). She is starting to 'teach' Izaiah many things, and I just get tickled hearing her. I will admit that homeschooling is HARD WORK, but I am honestly enjoying it quite a bit.

Two prayer requests tonight...and I hestiate to give voice to these since they ABSOLUTELY pale in comparison to those of our friends.

#1: Bella is beginning to get much more inquisitive regarding death and dying. This is natural for her since she lives daily with the reality that she has had young friends graduate to their eternal home. I'm not going to go into detail, but I am asking that you would pray for Mark and I to have the words for her as to prevent fear or dwelling on these things. I do feel it is important to answer her honestly, and I try to take her to Scripture as much as I can. For her, there is no question that her little friends' loving, feeling, personality part of them are rejoicing with the Lord, but she wants to know more about the "tent" (yes, this is what she calls it). OK, I'll stop before I incite anyone. Please pray that we would have the words for her.

#2: OK, I said there were two, but I lied. The second one was not worth mentioning here.

We thank God for you lifting us up!

Mark and Mylissa

Sunday, November 27, 2005 8:13 PM CST

UPDATE: I wanted to update you on the Habitat for Hope Christmas project! We were so blessed by the Office Depot manager here in Fort Myers who promised that we would get a great deal on a laptop if we came in first thing Friday morning. Mark went in, and was there when the doors opened, but was unable to get the "ticket" for the appropriate machine. He found her and she handed him one off the cart! This to say that the laptop, accessories and camera are purchased and should be on their way early this week. We are still taking donations for this project, as we have about 30f the funds in. If you need more information about the family that will be receiving this gift, please contact us at the email below. All contriubutions can be mailed to the address below and are completely tax deductible. Thank you so much for planting even more "hope" in this precious family!

Happy end-of-thanksgiving-weekend to all of you!

First, I would like to ask for prayers for a few special families. Although we have never met these children, many of our friends have been touched by them.

The family of Zachary Russo (St Jude patient; earned his Angel Wings thanksgiving night)

The family of Pamela Hensley (St Jude teen; earned her Wings Saturday)

Today in church, Steve asked for words of Thanksgiving to God. The thing that kept coming to my mind was "the heavenlies". How amazing is it that our God in heaven has created a place where we can have eternal fellowship with Him? As I think about my final destination, it truly amazes me that an unchanging God big enough to create the whole universe would LOVE me enough to allow me to enter into rest with Him...for eternity! I guess as I see more children being prepared to rejoice in eternal joy and worship, and gain their glorified bodies, I think of Paul's words: "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better."
Philippians 1:21-23

My heart mourns deeply for this precious families...please join us in praying that God will ease some of their pain and grant them a bit of peace during this time.

Please also remember Jake Raborn and Jacob Duckworth in your prayers this evening. Jake Raborn is at St Jude with a probably line infection, and Jacob is back in the hospital with a fever. Jacob D will have scans tomorrow so please pray for improvement! Jake R will have a new tumor marker pulled so please pray it has fallen RAPIDLY!

***********************************************************
Our Thanksgiving was just fine; the food was tasty and everyone's bellies were full. We polished off the turkey tonight. Bella had tons of fun with guitar lessons from Kelly, and a 'makeover' as well!
Bella was extremely offended to find that Mark had uploaded a "Bono" song to her website (She has a particular penchant for female singers). A few days ago she sat with her daddy and sang him a song she wanted...I had NO IDEA what song she was vocalizing. Mark finally found it by searching lyrics or something, and when she heard the first few bars, she excitedly said "That's it, daddy!" She was perfectly on key as well. I thought I would post the lyrics...

To anyone who hides behind a smile
To anyone who holds their pain inside
To anyone who thinks they’re not good enough
To anyone who feels unworthy of love
To anyone who ever closed the door
Closed their eyes and locked themselves away
You don’t have to hide
You don’t have to hide anymore
You don’t have to face this on your own
You don’t have to hide anymore
So come out, come out, come out wherever you are
Anyone who’s trying to cover up their scars
To anyone who’s ever made a big mistake
We all been there, so don’t be ashamed
Come out, come out and join the rest of us
You’ve been alone for way too long
And if you feel like no one understands
Come to the One with scars on His hands
‘Cause He knows where you are and where you’ve been
His scars will heal you if you let Him

In Christ,
Mark and Mylissa

Wednesday, November 23, 2005 2:54 PM CST

UPDATE WEDNESDAY 11:21 EST
Brent's scans were beautiful and ALL CLEAR!! Thank you Jesus!!

Hi all...

Just a quick prayer request for our friends the Nasons. Brent is recovered from Stage IV neuroblastoma and has been having some foot and leg pain. They are at St Jude today for a check up and bone scan. Please pray that this is nothing!! This family serves and loves Jesus...pray His protection and peace to be with them today.

Brent Nason

Many of our other friends are doing well and home for thanksgiving...including madelyn (although she is at St Jude 4-5 hours a day for IV antibiotics)and Jacob Duckworth. I know the Raborn's are hoping to be heading home for Thanksgiving as well!! God is good!

Some of you may have recieved our email regarding the Habitat for Hope Christmas fundraiser. We are raising funds for a laptop and digital camera for one of our dear families. This family, while in Memphis caring for their daughter, were broken in to and robbed of all electronic equipment including their computer, camcorder and digital camera. We know that this gift will help them to have a GREAT Christmas and restore some peace and hope in them...although they have always impressed me with their grace! Please email us at mark@habitatforhope.org if you would like to donate or need more information! All donations are fully tax deductible.

Praying that you all have a BLESSED Thanksgiving and enjoy your families!

In Christ,
Mark and Mylissa

Tuesday, November 15, 2005 8:20 AM CST

Thank you so much for praying for Madelyn and the Beamon family. Madelyn is home from the hospital, but must return everyday for 2 hours in the medicine room for the next 30 days.

Princess Madelyn

I also wanted to ask for prayers for Jacob Duckworth. Jacob is still in the PICU, but he continues to make small improvements in all areas! His abdomen is still very distended and causing him a lot of discomfort so another sonogram was done. They still saw some fluid - but also a lot of "air" was seen. So it looks like Jacob also has a whole lot of gas on top of not having a bowel movement in over a week!

Please pray that God would continue to have his healing hand upon Jacob!
Amazing Jacob

Please lift up another family we have come to know through the Beamon’s and caringbridge circles. Their son Ryan was diagnosed with Retinoblastoma at the age of four months. “In July, the tumor in Ryan's left eye required internal plaque radiation where we were inpatient at St. Jude for about a week. We were now returning every 3 weeks. Thanks to the literally hundreds of prayers, our next visit revealed nothing but scar tissue in both of his eyes. Thus the healing began. It is now November 2005 and no tumor growth or changes. Praise God!” (in their own words)

The prayer request is not only for Ryan but his father. His father will be having a shunt put in due to some issues that he has had with hydrocephalus . He is waiting to do this so he can run in the St. Jude marathon!

Please pray for God’s healing hand upon this family and grace & peace that surpasses all understanding. The Breedlove’s Website

If you are looking for more information about Habitat for Hope, please visit the website: Click here to go to Habitat for Hope’s Website

For more information, or to find out how and why Habitat for Hope needs your support and involvement, email Mark at mark@habitatforhope.org

We promise to post our personal plans regarding Habitat for Hope on Bella’s site in the near future.

“ Trouble and distress have come upon me, but your commands are my delight. ”- Psalm 119:143

May the Lord be with you today,

Mark and Mylissa

Monday, November 7, 2005 8:25 AM CST

Thank you so much for praying for Madelyn and the Beamon family. Madelyn is better today, although still in step-down ICU. Please continue to pray.
Princess Madelyn

I also wanted to ask for prayers for Jacob Duckworth. He is in PICU in Tampa as well. Please pray for his healing specifically from his bladder issues right now.
Amazing Jacob

I also wanted to share with you two beautiful pictures of strength today. The Hampton’s recently placed Emma Grace monument…there are pictures on her website. I can’t explain how I was impressed by this tribute…to me it seems to shout hope, as well as their gratitude for being blessed with a precious like Emma Grace, and agreement that she belonged to God long before she belonged to them. What a blessing and a testimony!
I encourage you to get blessed by this family and to continue in prayer for them.
Emma Grace

The second is an article published in the Rochester newspaper about a dear family friend. Joanne Streb has truly been a ‘rock’ to so many of us…while battling severe kidney disease and loss throughout her life. Michael Streb is a close friend of Mark’s and was in our wedding. When Bella was diagnosed, Joanne sent me beautiful scripture cards with healing and strength scriptures on them…there must have been 100 of them! They grace my walls today and give me strength and peace whenever I see them. She is such a treasure and I feel blessed to know her.
Joanne Streb

Wishing you joy and peace in your day…
Mark and Mylissa

Saturday, November 5, 2005 9:11 PM CST

Princess Madelyn

*Urgent Prayers Needed*

Please pray for Bella's little friend Madelyn...up there on the cover picture. This family is dear to us and Madelyn is very dear to Bella. They are in ICU, and although Madelyn was feeling better this evening, we really need prayers that her counts will recover and blood pressure respiration and fever will return to normal. Please pray that she will be a candidate for the new antibody therapy and that God will use it or a divine move of His hand to heal her body!

I also wanted to ask for prayer for little Tori from Atlanta. Her counts have also bottomed out and she is at the end of her treatment for leukemia, and from what I understand this is a dangerous time for her body.
Please pray that the Lord will sustain her to the end of treatment.

Habitat for Hope

We love you!
The Horrocks Family

Tuesday, November 1, 2005 8:11 PM CST

UPDATE November 3:
Please pray for Madelyn as she is inpatient and her counts have bottomed out. Jacob Duckworth was taken to the hospital during the night and ended up having emergency surgery. If you would lift these two families up...I know the Lord is listening.

Hi everyone!
I hope you are all having a grand start to the holiday season. We have just been enjoying family time and staying busy with home schooling, MOPS, and church.

I really just wanted to ask for prayer for two of our kiddies…Madelyn Beamon and Jacob Duckworth. Madelyn’s ANC has dropped to 100 and so she is at risk for infection. Please pray that her ANC rebounds quickly and that the new antibody treatment is available soon. princess Madelyn

Jacob Duckworth will start his next round of chemo within the next few days. All this after recovering from major surgery just two weeks ago and then getting home to spend Halloween with his family! These kids never cease to amaze me. Amazing Jacob

If you are looking for more information about Habitat for Hope, please visit the website at www.HabitatforHope.org.

For more information, or to find out how and why Habitat for Hope needs your support and involvement, email Mark at mark@habitatforhope.org.

We promise to post our personal plans regarding Habitat for Hope on Bella’s site in the near future.

We love you all!
The Horrocks Family

Tuesday, October 25, 2005 3:26 PM CDT

Just a quick update to say that we are back home safely in Cape Coral and are none the worse for wear. Big highlights are that we have power (although my parents do not), and there was no damage inside the house. The outside fared well, although the landscaping (I guess you can call it that) has a slightly “windswept” look to it…otherwise known as “South Florida 04-05”.

Please pray again for Jake Raborn as he starts his next round of chemo.

Please continue to pray for great results on Jay’s MRI.
Jay’s Hope

We love you all!
The Horrocks Family

Wednesday, October 19, 2005 2:02 PM CDT

UPDATE FRIDAY October 21, 2005:
OK, OK, apparently my 'pack up and ship out' brain had already kicked in when I wrote the last update! I really do know the difference between and ANC and an AFP...and OF COURSE I meant that Jake's AFP was dropping. So sorry Raborn clan...I guess God doesn't let our muddled minds get in the way of ANSWERED PRAYERS!!
We have landed in Orlando and spent a fun day today wandering around Mt. Dora. We are like 1.5 miles from Disney...thank goodness Bella can't read THAT well yet!! It looks like we may be here for a while...I guess we are just waiting to see what Wilma does. Bella is really worried about Chloe (the cat). We keep assuring her she will be fine! Forgive me once again for messing up my NC's and FP's!

Hi all...
Praises today for Jake Raborn!! ANC dropping!!

Jake Raborn

Please continue to pray for Jacob Duckworth as he is in the hospital on a vent. He has had two surgeries in the past two days. Pray for rest and peace for his family.

Amazing Jacob

For all of you who are wondering, hurricane Wilma is currently forecast to plow through Fort Myers/Cape Coral sometime on Sunday. The funny thing is, we still don't have a final on our new roof from hurricane Charley! It should hold up just fine...the inspector's being extra picky. We are heading out of Dodge sometime tomorrow morning with our crew, my mom and Aunt Maryanne. Dad will stay behind to 'hold down the fort'. We'll let you know where we end up.

We love all of you,
The Horrocks Family

Wedneday, October 12, 2005 1:27 PM CDT

UPDATE MONDAY 9:28 PM
Please pray for Jacob Duckworth. He is our precious one who recently started kindergarten...he came down with a cold yesterday and had to have surgery tonight. Please pray for Jacob, his three brothers, mom Heather and dad Donnie.
www.caringbridge.com/fl/jacobduckworth

Hi everyone…

Wanted to ask for prayer today for our family...Mark’s great aunt Mary Horrocks will be going home soon. She had surgery last week and the family has decided to let her go home peacefully. Aunt Mary was like an additional grandmother to all of us and has had amazing quality of life (she’s in her early eighties). She just loved my kids and treated them like her own grandchildren. They were here in March and I am so glad the kids got to spend some time with she and Uncle Harry. Please pray for peace for Uncle Harry, and all of the extended family.

Everyone here is perfectly happy and healthy…praise God! Mark is keeping busy with 14 different things, although he just loves his job and Community Christian School with the kids. He was asked to fill in at church for youth group and really enjoyed that too. He is so good with kids…I wish I had his gift.

Bella is really moving along with her reading skills, and we have finally mastered the “apple issue”. She was having a problem with one math concept that kept rearing its ugly head on her worksheets and I finally saw the lightbulb turn on yesterday! I feel so blessed that God is allowing me to take part in her education.

We are hoping to get to Huntsville, AL for Thanksgiving with my brother. Between the two of us there will be 13 kids…and that’s not counting any associated boyfriends who may show up! With four nieces aged 24 through 18 (and only one married) there is always someone tagging along. The younger ones just love playing together and I hope it works out for us to get there.

The boys are great…Izaiah can recognize all of his letters upside down (a byproduct of standing over his sister’s desk). Samuel is a bruiser and a tank all at once…we definitely think he’s slated for pro football or hockey…he’s pretty good at taking a beating!

Please continue to pray for our precious little ones that are fighting…God is really with Jake Raborn as he tolerates his chemo! Thank you Jesus!

Jay Gaskins is home doing his oral chemo, and it sounds like they are really enjoying being there! Praise God!

Madelyn Beamon has a week off from the hospital!

Jake Raborn

Amazing Jacob

Princess Madelyn

Jay’s Hope

We love you so much...

Love,
The Horrocks Family

Monday, September 26, 2005 9:05 AM CDT

UPDATE 4:41 CDT: Everything looks great! Just a minor ear infection...nothing big! Praise the Lord!!
UPDATE SEPT 29 3:20 CDT: Looks like Mark and Bella are stuck in Memphis. Furman was running two hours behind on appointments, and at last check Bella had not been seen yet and the plane leaves in less than two hours. They won't be able to get home until tomorrow (friday) at 6pm. Please pray for my mom (Mary) as she goes in for rotator cup surgery tomorrow at 4pm. Bella had her audiology appointment and is showing borderline loss in one ear due to a fluid blockage that is probably from the remnants of a sinus infection. The audiologist said to see an ENT here at home. Please pray that the Dr. Furman appointment goes well!! Thank you for your prayers!!

Good morning….I have something to say
Count backwards from 10
READ THIS 10 TIMES REALLY SLOW!!!!!

GO TO CHILI’S >>>> YOU WANT CHILI’S FOR LUNCH
GO TO CHILI’S>>>> YOU MUST HAVE CHILI’S AMAZING FOOD FOR DINNER

Today is the Chili’s St. Jude fundraiser; 100 percent of profits go to St. Jude. Our good friend Tori from Orlando was this year's Chili Pepper nominee; you will see her bio and chili pepper on every table and every shirt.

Thanks for supporting St. Jude!!!! Bella thanks you!

On another note… Mylissa and her friend Robin returned safely from their hurricane bound trip to Texas. They were thankfully spared from the wrath. Their weekend was full of Princess crowns and cowboy hats adorned with sparkles worn by grown women. Actually they had great time and the prior mentioned was just a minority of the 4500 women at this conference. Great connections were made, great speakers, great worship. I understand Sara Groves was REALLY good. The “Down Yonder” household stayed intact, Nonny and Papa were in town to help out. Samuel is cutting 4 new teeth all at once. Izaiah (who missed Mommy the most) has discovered that he has a full vocabulary to carry on long winded conversations and Bella and Daddy had fun putting together her “I’m a star” posterboard for school.

Bella and Daddy return to the city of Elvis (St. Jude) this Weds morning and come back Thursday night. Nothing big, just blood work, dermatologist, audiologist, and oncologist visits. Please pray for a safe travel for us.

Please continue to pray for our little ones who fight the fight every day, and please if you have the time, sign their guestbook with an encouraging note, it means more than you know.

Amazing Jacob

Princess Madelyn

Jay’s Hope

Faith, Hope & Love

The Horrocks'

Friday, September 16, 2005 10:36 PM CDT

September 21st UPDATE: HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMMA GRACE HAMPTON!!! We love you little one...praising Jesus that you are rejoicing with Him this day! Please pray for Trish and Barney today.

Updated Praises and Prayer requests:
Madelyn's bone marrow is clear! Praise the Lord! Please continue to pray for wisdom for the Beamons and specifically a bone marrow match. www.caringbridge.com/tn/madelyn

Jay Gaskins' will have a repeat MRI tomorrow! Asking God to make His Glory known once again through Jay!! Please pray for clear clear clear! www.caringbridge.com/ga/jay

MY friend Robin and I will travel to Dallas tomorrow morning for MOPS convention. We are hoping to learn and to have rest...pray for all of "us" that will be in the path of Rita!

Hi all! Well…it has been a while since I’ve updated the site! I want to start with our prayer requests…
Please continue to pray for the Beamons. They are slowly getting back to normal after the robbery…pray for their needs to met and for a perfect healing for Madelyn. www.caringbridge.com/tn/madelyn

Jacob Duckworth…please continue to pray for him as he is battling bladder issues caused by the chemo. Please pray that his pain would resolve, and that God would continue to move on his body in a miraculous way! www.caringbridge.com/fl/jacob

Jay Gaskins…praising God that they are home for a much needed rest. Please pray that the Lord has removed tumor from his brain once again! He has an MRI on Sept 22. www.caringbridge.com/ga/jay

Praise report: Jake Owen is doing great after the lung surgery! Believing with them that this is IT!! www.caringbridge.com/la/jakeowen

Well…I really must share yet another Wyoming story. This was really the crux of our visit- Bella told just about everyone about the “dust storm” that we experienced at the rodeo. It was truly astounding.

So we pack everyone up and head in to Cody for dinner and the Cody Nite Rodeo. It had passed 100 degrees earlier in the day, and really didn’t seem to be letting up. I had picked Maxwell’s for dinner…seemed like a really nice restaurant in downtown Cody. No sooner do we get inside that the air conditioning breaks and begins to spit water near our table. You would think at this point we would throw in the towel but NOOOO, we came to Wyoming for an adventure! We sweltered in there for nearly an hour and finally received our food. I will admit it was quite tasty! So we head out meanwhile changing the kids into their rodeo attire. Bella was insistent upon the pink hat. She really was too cute in her getup! We get to the rodeo and found seats right over the chute (where the cowboys and some of the steers come in to the arena). It was still quite warm but beginning to cool. For me, this was a really fun night since I am sure that the Father will allow me the chance IN HEAVEN to be a rodeo cowgirl. You see, with a little practice I could manage here on earth to travel at extreme speeds on a quadruped (I actually used to race in fields when I was little) but I guess old age has gotten the best of me. I’ll just wait for the “flying horses with no reins” as Bella puts it.

At this point we are all geared up for a night of action, and we really did get to see some amazing saddle bronc riding and bull riding. The pickup riders impressed me the most…the guys who chase down the ticked-off bronc. Also quite impressive were the 7 and 8 year old boys riding bucking steer. Crazy.

We began to notice what we believed was heat lighting. Bella got to go down into the arena and run for the ribbon…an event where the little ones chase down a calf with a ribbon attached to its tail! We have that on video.

Right after I brought her up from the ribbon-chasing, the wind started kicking up. Then, out of nowhere, I found my hat blown off and my eyes filled with dust. Instinctively I covered what children I could reach and cowered down into the bleachers. My initial thought was “hurricane!” (just like a FL gal) and then “tornado!” As I looked up, I realized that we could not see. I have never seen dust like that before. It was a bit scary. As we slowly made our way out of the arena, the announcer is saying, “Woohoo folks!! This is the Cody, Wyoming I’M used to!” All the while he’s still calling events. Mark carefully gathered my mom, the kids and I into a stone building (the wind was whipping like mad) and ran for the car. As soon as we got in we broke out the video camera…the wind was so strong it was tearing the rodeo flags off of the poles. We drove home in a severe storm the likes that I have never seen…Mark had to dodge huge rocks that were falling into the road off the cliffs. After bathing the kids we realized we had dirt and dust all the way through our clothes and in every orifice. The next day we were told the wind was clocked at 75 mph…here in FL that IS called a hurricane and we generally go inside.

Apparently the explanation for this phenomenon is that when a certain wind blows into the grand Tetons (if you imagine an upside down capital L the Tetons are at the bottom and Cody is over to the right), the structure of the mountains there creates a wind tunnel up and through to Cody and the Shoshone National Forest. It’s a quarterly occurrence…and we just happened to catch it!

How awesome is the LORD Most High,
the great King over all the earth!

We love you!
Mark and Mylissa

Sunday, September 11, 2005 7:26 AM CDT

UPDATE: Sept 16th: To all of you who are lifting up the Beamons...thank you so much! I know they appreciate your prayers. Thank goodness only material goods were lost, but I would ask that somehow, someway God would work a miracle to allow the videotapes of their Make-a-Wish trip trip to surface, as well as their computer. The computer itself is replaceable, but Brandi had JUST purchased CD's to back up all the pics of Madelyn and Tyler...and hadn't gotten a chance to do it yet. I can't imagine losing all the pics we have of Bella and the kids, can you? Madelyn has bone marrow aspirates this morning, so please pray that the ICE was effective in kicking the cancer out of her marrow. Thank you Jesus that Madelyn is feeling well even though her cancer is not in remission.

And yet we embark on another September 11. I can't say that this day doesn't feel a bit strange...Bella's first "anniversary" off treatment. Mostly, though I am remembering God's Mighty and Glorious hand on my daughter and our family. I am praising Him today for what is and what is to come.

I am also thinking of sweet Jillian Beach today...our nearly 16-year-old friend who went home to be with Jesus three months ago today. Please remember Debbie, Howie and her family in your prayers. www.caringbridge.com/ma/jillsjourney

Today is also my brother's 45th birthday! Happy Birthday Thom! We pray that this would be a year of blessing and comfort for you and your family.

Speaking of Thom, I had to share a cute Bella story with you. Last night Mark and I were involved in a really interesting and fun conversation with my niece Kristy and her husband. We were basically having a round table on the nature of our faith and the lack of unity among believers. My dad was showing us in scripture that this lack of unity was not only expected, it was predicted in the bible. After a short while, Bella came over and said, "Can I tell you a secret?" She said, "I'm glad you are talking about this!" I was truly surprised. For Bella, spiritual conversations are quite common in her little life; she hears her parents discuss these things together and with friends. It was really neat that even though she was not at all involved in the discussion she thought it was interesting! I pray these things continue to take hold in her heart.

We love all of you and continue to praise God for your prayers for us.

In Him,
Mark and Mylissa

Thursday, September 8, 2005 4:40 PM CDT

Grab a cup of coffee & get comfortable…this won’t be a short entry.

Does anyone know what this Sunday is??? 9/11…
We all remember that horrific day in New York. I thought that would be a very significant day in my life, like the Kennedy shooting. Little did I know how insignificant the 9/11 terrorist attacks would become and that 2 years later an attack on my family came in a way that I would have never imagined. 9/11 is a bittersweet day for us. On 9/11/03 Bella was diagnosed with Stage IIIa malignant melanoma. After 3 surgeries, 2 hospitals and a assortment of doctors involved, she was officially diagnosed with our worst fear: cancer. With the time it took for her to be diagnosed, at the same time, based on the last surgery she was deemed NED on 9/23 (No Evidence of Disease, Thank you Jesus!). Many of you have been along this journey with us since day one. You have seen the pain and agony that Mylissa and I have gone through and you have seen the joy and miraculous works of God along the way. Our assoiciate pastor spoke this Sunday at our family church retreat at the beach about remembering about what God has done for Bella, His grace that He as poured out and the faith that Myliss had. For over 2 years he has been carrying her prayer card in his Bible to remember to pray for her and remember how awesome God is. (thanks steve!)You have seen that our God is a loving God, a merciful God, that His grace is sufficient and we have a HOPE in Him that is greater than all. The Lord carried us through every step, He never let us out of his grip.

This is an excerpt from an email 2 years ago: “

"Well, I'm not going to candy coat it. Today is a sad day. I have never cried like I have today, with my eyes dried up I'm going to squeeze out this email. We received a call from Dr. Reingten in Lakeland (the oncology surgeon); they have reviewed the lymph nodes that were removed and tumors were present. Bella is being diagnosed with Malignant Melanoma Cancer…The entire lymph node region will be biopsied at that point to see if it has spread into the entire lymph node. Once she is recovered from surgery, about a week later or first week of Oct, she will begin therapy. This therapy will be a biological treatment using Interferon. As we understand it at this point she will have to have 5 injections a week for a month and 3 injections a week for 11 months... On a positive note, the larger excision on her knee proved successful and they are comfortable that they have removed all the lesion from that area. Bella is recovering from her last surgery quite well now and is up and running around again. Once again, being honest, we are not doing well, only the Lord can give us the comfort and direction that we need right now. Our prayer requests are: that God would heal Bella!!! For us; strength, wisdom, guidance, peace: to keep our eyes and hearts focused on God & to not blame or question God for this. God has a plan, He is sovereign. “

Our prayer at the end is what struck me reading over this…Because He was our strength, our wisdom, our guidance and our peace. He did keep us focused on Him (even when we had different trials over the past year: extreme fevers, bone density, the hernia issue) our sorrow turned into praise. He was and is sovereign till this day and most of all He has a plan. He has a plan for Bella which I cannot wait to see. I know that she will do great things for the kingdom. He has a plan for Mylissa and I a that is being revealed to us everyday. During every single one of Bella’s surgeries she fully believed that Jesus was physically there holding her, how awesome is that! Her testimony has been a beacon of HOPE to all who have been with us along this journey. Over the past couple years we have heard stories of HOPE that I would like to share briefly. We heard of missionaries in South America who said that Bella’s story gave them HOPE. We’ve heard of an American mom in Argentina who was fighting get her boys back from an abusive husband and in the middle of her turmoil, her issues, her problems they had prayer groups that would pray for Bella. Her boys would pray for Bella while facing their own affliction. Many adult Melanoma patients on the same treatment as Bella would email us and say that they were thinking about going off treatment, but if "Bella can do this, then I can do this too."

This journey has been a long and hard, but Mylissa and I would never be where we are today in our walk with Jesus if it were not for Bella’s diagnosis. When someone you love is diagnosed with cancer, you recognize how temporary and fragile life is. Many times Mylissa and I have been beyond scared, beyond tears, beyond pain. Most recently when the doctors were convinced that Bella’s cancer had returned our fear and pain once again was turned into joy and praise. Some you don’t understand the severity if this cancer came back. Bella’s survival rate over the next 5 years, if returned, would be about a 25 The morning of Bella’s surgery (which proved the doctors WRONG and turned out to be a HERNIA! GO GOD!) I had been listening to this David Crowder CD over and over and one song really spoke to me, I woke Mylissa by putting the earphones in here ears and playing this song:
“Only You"

Take my heart, I Lay it down
At the feet of you whose crowned
Take my life, I’m letting go
I lift it up to You who’s throned

And I will worship You, Lord
Only You, Lord
And I will bow down before You
Only You Lord

Take my fret, take my fear
All I have, I’m leaving here
Be all my hopes, be all my dreams
Be all my delights, be my everything

And It’s just you and me here now
Only you and me here now

You should see the view
When it’s only You

So…2 years ago, we didn’t know what the future would bring and here we stand today. We stand strong, with a deep rooted faith that God can do all things, that He is our rock, He is our Fortress, He is our HOPE. With our experienc and our journey, this is the message we want to share with others going through what we have gone through; that Jesus can be your habitat for HOPE.

We return again in 3 weeks for basic checkup, blood, hearing and dermatologist. We’ll have scans again in January. Bella continues to do great and is enjoying Kindergarten and especiially chapel (her daddy's class!)

Please pray for Madelyn Beamon: Madelyn's site

Pray for the Gaskins family. Pray that the Lord would be their encouragement, their strength, their peace and for a complete healing for Jay. Jay's Site

Please pray for Jacob Duckworths continued improvement and for grace for his parents Donnie and Heather Jacob's Site

Our dear friends Tori and Carol, Tori will finish her Leukemia chemo in December (3 YEARS OF CHEMO!!!) And her 'Chili Pepper' was chosen as the chili pepper for teh fundraiser below. Her bio will be on the table of every participating Chilis in the USTori's Site

THE ST. JUDE CHILI'S FUNDRAISER Create a Pepper St Jude Fundraiser
IS COMING UP VERY SOON. MARK YOUR CALENDARS AND YOU WILL NOT LET US DOWN RIGHT??? SEPTEMBER 26TH 100F PROFITS GO TO ST. JUDES. LAST YEAR $2.5 MILLION DOLLARS WAS RAISED. (that's 2.5 days of operations for St. Judes)

And if you read all way down to here, please sign the guestbook and drop a note to Bella, almost 100 people a day visit our site, but we have no idea who you are. Thank you to our family, our Vineyard family, friends and all who have been and are praying for Bella.

Faith, Hope & Love,
The Horrocks

Sunday, August 28, 2005 5:25 PM CDT

UPDATE: August 31: Well...God is Awesome. I'm not sure what else to say. If you need today to see a picture of our compassionate Christ who loves us like no other and moves in our lives, check out Jacob's site. PLEASE continue to pray...this family has a long road ahead. www.caringbridge.com/fl/jacob

And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:8

Today I did a word study on this scripture and discovered that Paul used a specific Greek word here for “all sufficiency”, so that his Stoic audience would have understood it to mean “as independent of our circumstances”.

Just about two years ago I found myself asking my pastor, “But how am I going to make it if God takes her?” The answer he gave was, “I really don’t know, but I know the grace will be there if you walk it, but not before.”

Today some posted the following on a friend’s guestbook:
“There was something about her death, when it actually came, that wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.”
Immediately I thought of the Grace of our Savior. It’s so hard to express, but in the past two years Mark and I have experienced the sufficiency of grace in an astounding way. Our little Jacob Duckworth is experiencing this sufficiency in an even more amazing way, and he is surrounded by a family that loves Jesus and Jacob dearly. It seems they have had a great day with him and are building wonderful memories. I encourage you to visit his site if you need a picture of complete reliance on God.

September 11 is the date…Bella will be two years out from diagnosis, and two years officially NED.

I promise to update again soon…

Please be praying for Jacob, Jay, and Madelyn.

Praising him for His Agape Love...
Mylissa

Tuesday, August 23, 2005 9:41 PM CDT

Update: Friday August 25...Please pray for Jacob Duckworth and his dear family. Mom is Heather and dad is Donnie...Jacob is one of a set of triplets and has an older brother. It seems that soon he will be fully in the loving arms of Jesus. Pray for peace that passes all understanding. His site is located at the bottom of this post.

Okay…okay… I know some of you have been waiting for the final conclusion of Bella’s Make-A-Wish trip. We’ll get to that as soon as we can! For now I have special moment share. As you know Bella started kindergarten this year at a school called Community Christian School which is a ½ homeschool / ½ private school. Bella has enjoyed it and is having fun. Her favorite class is Chapel ( at least it better be because her daddy is teaching it this year!) I have deep respect for Mylissa for taking this on, as I don’t think I could do it. Bella has been learning her phonics and letters diligently and she has been doing very well. Tonight daddy had the opportunity to do a lesson with Bella, one on one, a luxury that Mylissa does not have. We were working on B-A-T and B-O-Y and there is nothing like seeing the face of your child when they actually figure it out. It may sound silly or rudimentary but to me this is major milestone. Bella was super excited and wanted to do more words, which let dot C-A-T and J-O-Y and G-O-O-D. I feel bad or Mylissa, she got to do all the hard work, but I got to experience the first fruits of it. I’m very proud of our little girl.

Wyoming – Make a Wish Trip. Well Mylissa left you hanging after a couple of detailed days and very soon you will get to hear the complete story. Sorry to you leave you hangin, but check out the pictures on the following link above the pictures tell it all. Bella had the time of her life! Wish Trip Pictures

As for now our current St. Jude schedule is to return on the 28th & 29th for check-ups. No scans, just bloodwork, check in with the Doc and a trip to the dermatologist.

Please pray for Madelyn Beamon as her counts have bottomed out: Madelyn's site

Please pray for the Gaskins family. Pray that the Lord would be their encouragement, their strength, their peace and for a complete healing for Jay. Jay's Site

Please pray for Jacob Duckworths continued improvement and for grace for his parents Donnie and Heather Jacob's Site

Also. THE ST. JUDE CHILI'S FUNDRAISER IS COMING UP VERY SOON. MARK YOUR CALENDARS AND YOU WILL NOT LET US DOWN RIGHT??? SEPTEMBER 26TH 100F PROFITS GO TO ST. JUDES. LAST YEAR $2.5 MILLION DOLLARS WAS RAISED. (that's 2.5 days of operations for St. Judes)

Faith, Hope & Love
The Horrocks

Wednesday, August 17, 2005 6:38 AM CDT

Hey all,

It's been a long time since you heard from the Mark of Mark and Mylissa, so bear with me.

Please say a prayer today for our children, it seems that some sort of bug/virus/ (hopefully not strep) has plagued our house. The last few days and all last night have been filled hacking, coughing, yacking, & fevers. Please pray that the Lord would touch our children and remove this virus/cold. Pray for Mylissa as she did not get much rest last night.

As much as it is hard for me to see my kids sick, it's hard for me not think about our friends and other children who are sick like this everyday all day for weeks and/or months as a result of cancer treatment. Mylissa had a devotional for her MOPS meeting last week she talked about a friend of ours who had not showered in 5 days because of constant care for their child and a family who has a major financial need due a treatment that insurance will not cover. There are families who have now checking back in to the hospital to submit their children to what is basically poison, knowing that it will make their child extremely sick in the hope that it will cure their child's cancer.

These people would give anything to exchange their situation for a 48-hour bug. There's a saying that I heard the other day about how someone always has it worse than you do. "I thought I had it bad when I had no shoes, then I saw someone with no feet." We, as Americans, are quick to complain, quick to judge, quick to think that our situation is the worse. I speak from my personal experience, not that I am above this. I pray that I can change. Not to focus on the temporary things but on the eternal things. Okay ... enough preaching.

Check back soon for the FINAL CONCLUSION of our Make-A-Wish trip Wish Trip Pictures

Think about the verse in 2 Corinthians 4:18
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Please pray for Madelyn as she is in inpatient for Round 2 of ICE, pray for clear answers and wisdom for Neal and Brandi: Madelyn's site

Please pray for Jay as he gets started on trial chemo, and pray for mom Cindy as she cares for Jay and baby brother Tanner. Jay's Site

Please pray for Jacob Duckworths continued improvement Jacob's Site

Also. THE ST. JUDE CHILI'S FUNDRAISER IS COMING UP VERY SOON. MARK YOUR CALENDARS AND YOU WILL NOT LET US DOWN RIGHT??? SEPTEMBER 26TH 100F PROFITS GO TO ST. JUDES. LAST YEAR $2.5 MILLION DOLLARS WAS RAISED. (that's 2.5 days of operations for St. Judes)

Faith, Hope & Love
The Horrocks

Monday, August 15, 2005 12:12 AM CDT

Just a note to thank our friends who worked together to bless Jay, Tanner and Cindy with the stroller. You are so precious and I know that the Lord will reward your service and kindness.

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'"

"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Please pray for Madelyn as she in going inpatient for Round 2 of ICE, pray for clear answers and wisdom for Neal and Brandi www.caringbridge.com/tn/madelyn

Please pray for Jay as he gets started on trial chemo, and pray for mom Cindy as she cares for Jay and baby brother Tanner. www.caringbridge.com/ga/jay

We love you,
Mark and Mylissa

Sunday, August 7, 2005 8:08 PM CDT
UPDATE TUESDAY AUGUST 9:
OK prayer warriors the heavens need to hear your cry once again. I'm not sure what's going on yet but it seems Jay Gaskins' results were not clear. I am asking that you would please please PRAY for this sweet boy and his family. They truly love the Lord and desire a full healing for him. www.caringbridge.com/ga/jay

Well, I need to start by saying that I am SORRY it has taken me so long to get PART 2 up on the site. We’ve had a third birthday and an interesting time getting ready for the start of Kindergarten.
I can’t go any further without PRAISE and THANKSGIVING for Ryan from Ohio’s miracle, and all of our babies here on earth who have received their healing.

I also wanted to include some special prayer requests:

For beautiful Jacob Duckworth who is battling like mad right now. His mom has a great site for him at www.caringbridge.com/fl/jacob
Please pray for complete healing and tolerance of chemo.

Madelyn Beamon has bone marrow aspirates tomorrow (Monday). We are praying for 0’s…please join us in praying for her complete healing. www.caringbridge.com/tn/madelyn

Jay Gaskin is in for MRI Monday. He is a miracle baby so please pray for the continuance of his miracle! Clear scans…www.caringbridge.com/ga/jay

So…I guess I left you hangin after the Wal-mart trip. After Wal-mart we continued on down the road toward D-n-R Ranch. We drove past the Cody night rodeo grounds where there is a rodeo every night of the summer. Apparently there are professional and amateur cowboys who ride there…it’s an amazing setup right in the shadow of a large mountain. Driving down the North Fork (here I must interject that North Fork was my personal favorite country road outside of Black Mountain, NC. Mark and I always wanted to live there. The irony is astounding) to D-n-R was easily the most beautiful drive I’ve ever been on. The Shoshone National Forest is home to some of God’s most intricate and amazing handiwork. Teddy Roosevelt called that road “the most beautiful 50 miles in America” and man was he right. The jagged cliffs and rolling hills soar to the sky on every side, and the Buffalo Bill Reservoir is a gorgeous full-use body of water. One day there were some kids TUBING in the reservoir…right next to these amazing cliffs hundreds of feet high! It was so cool. My mom said it really reminded her of Israel.

When we got to D-n-R we were greeted by Chris, the staff manager. Basically he and his fiancé Emily run the show at the ranch…and man do they run a tight ship. Our cabin was beautiful and Dollie and Ric Horst and the staff had put together a gift basket of Bella’s favorite foods for us! We had a full kitchen which was such a blessing for the kids. Bella had been asking to ride all day so as soon as we put the groceries away Chris took her over to the arena for a “pony ride”. They saddled up Chigger (her mount for the week) and rode for a bit in the arena. It was great to see her back in the saddle as she hadn’t ridden since the “exploratory” hernia surgery. After that we explored the ranch a bit more until it was time for the bonfire. Camp fires came in as a close second to riding for my kids. They had such a blast making smores every night and roasting marshmallows. The fire pit is right in front of the trout pond, and the kids would roast a marshmallow, then mosey on over to the pond and skip rocks, and then walk around for a bit…they were absolutely perfectly entertained for the whole trip. They didn’t watch a single movie or a stitch of TV the whole week (except on the limo, of course) and I never heard a complaint. They were fascinated with the rocks, the stream, the pond, the dogs…the whole kit and caboodle.

The next day (Wednesday), we headed over to Yellowstone. Between D-n-R and the East Yellowstone gate the Shoshone gets even more beautiful. I told Chris one day how impressed I was with it and he replied, “Yeah, some of that stuff’s straight out of Wile E. Coyote.” That is the perfect way to describe it! Remember how some crazy boulder was always balancing on a pencil-thin rock? We had the privilege of driving next to or under several of those! The best was the car-sized rock that seemed to be held in place by a pine tree about 6 inches in diameter. Amazing.

So we get to the Yellowstone gate and my crazy husband actually ASKS the gate attendant, “So is Yogi here today?” She replied, “Yogi goes to Florida when the temp gets over 75.” Why Yogi would vacation in Florida in the middle of the summer is beyond me, but I’m sure those park rangers know their stuff. 

OK, gang, I’m shot and I haven’t even packed the child’s backpack yet. More about Yellowstone and Old Faithful tomorrow.

We love you so much and it means so much to us that you care.
Remember to pray for those babies tonight.

Mark and Mylissa

Saturday, August 6, 2005 9:03 PM CDT
OK...I was hesitant to take down the post until I had PART 2 ready. But right now I need to share, what in my book, takes the CAKE for the St. Jude miracle baby. There is a little boy named Ryan in Ohio who has been battling a spinal cord tumor. He has the same doctor as Jay Gaskin from Atlanta. At one point Cindy Gaskin had asked me to pray and I began to keep up with his website. This family LOVES JESUS and I watched (through their website) as the Praised Jesus through the worst...they were told to take Ryan home to die. I won't go into detail - you can check the website for the whole story...but miraculously Ryan came home and after a couple weeks began to do really well. He had been home a few months (when St Jude sends you home you generally have more like a few weeks) and mom Jenni just couldn't believe that Ryan SEEMED to be acting like a healthy normal boy. She eventually called up to St Jude and asked for an MRI...and guess what...it is CLEAR!!!! Man oh Man are we serving a God who is working today and who loves us and cares for us!! What a blessing to watch Him work. Please visit Ryan's website and express your joy!! www.caringbridge.com/oh/ryan

Also, please continue to pray for God's blessing over Jay Gaskin and his family. I got confused...he is actually going to be in Memphis this monday for his MRI. Pray for continued CLEAR CLEAR CLEAR! www.caringbridge.com/ga/jay

OK, OK, I can tell from the EMAILS that are coming in from various corners of the US that you are looking for PART 2. Come back monday morning...I am planning on getting it up late Sunday. Today is IZAIAH LUKE HORROCKS' THIRD BIRTHDAY!!! We are so blessed by our Big Boy...he's amazing. I've been busy this week with Bella starting Kindergarten on Monday and Izaiah's birthday. Give me grace for just one more day.

LOVE YOU GUYS!!
SERVING AN AWESOME GOD!!!

Mylissa

Friday, July 29, 2005 9:44 PM CDT
UPDATE: August 4: Thank you for praying for Jake: his PET was actually negetive, but they will be watching this carefully as his AFP continues to rise. Please pray that God would allow the numbers to DROP. Please also remember the Gaskins family in your prayers as Jay is at St Jude today for a routine MRI. Pray that his healing is COMPLETE. Thank you so much!! Part Two is coming...soon. :)

The pictures are here:
www.abcelectricservice.com/wishtrip

I will start by thanking our Father God for redeeming us through His awesome and Amazing Son Jesus Christ. Thank you Jesus for your redemption and your blessing. All Glory and Honor to You oh Lord.

One completely random tidbit...this occured while eating ice cream in a little shop in Cody. I was reading this John Wayne quote out of some tourist book that was something to the effect of, "Only fight when you have to, and when you fight, make sure you win." My precious little girl looks across the table, with ice cream on her face and says, thinking, "that reminds me of Paul. When Paul was in jail, and he said 'I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race.'" Needless, you could of knocked the adults at the table over with a feather. That may very well have been the biggest blessing of the trip.

OK, OK…you asked for it. Seriously, our Make-a-Wish was so amazing in so many ways that I’ve been kind of intimidated by this journal entry. First of all, I will relate what Miss Pam Coyne (her wonderful teacher at Covenant) asked Bella today; “Bella, tell me the three best things about Wyoming.”
“Well, the horses, the bison, and, oh yeah, the horses.”

In a nutshell, that’s it!

Bella went out there to ride and hang with some cool quadrupeds, and that, she did. Man, did she love it. My sister-in-law suggested journaling the trip chronologically…so here goes. I suggest you get a cup of coffee and remoisten your contacts.

July 18, 2005: After packing 3 suitcases, 3 car seats, 1 porta crib, 1 stroller, and no less than 6 carry ons, the Horrocks clan is alerted by the arriving limo. The kids loved the limo ride! Bella promptly requested “National Velvet” on the 4 screen DVD player, and the kids rode down Alligator Alley toasting each other with water in champagne glasses. We pulled in to the Sheraton in Fort Lauderdale as the credits rolled. Too cool! Upon arriving in the hotel room we went down for a swim in the heated (read: bathwater) pool. Of course the kids loved it. The hot tub was about the same temp as the pool, so we let them swim in there as well. We all attempted to turn in early in anticipation for our long trip West.

July 19: We leave the hotel by limo at the ripe time of 5:30AM. We haul said luggage and multiple carry ons to airport and successfully load the crew onto a fairly large plane. The flight was uneventful as both boys napped and Bella and Izaiah really enjoyed their travel kits from Nonny!! They passed some time watching Spirit on the laptop. Mommy got to hold a sleeping baby and watch ALL OF “Fever Pitch”. Flight ends up being just over 3 hrs long instead of 4.5. Thank you Jesus! We got to visit a couple cool stores in the Denver airport and got to see Pikes Peak as we flew in. The main thing I remember about Denver is that when you fly in you see some amazing mtns, then when you are on the ground you can’t see a thing. Smog?? Fog??

Now the fun begins. We get to do the whole “walk outside” bit to get on the prop job plane that will take us in to Cody. We board the incredibly hot little plane and try to settle in for what ends up taking the cake as the bumpiest flight I have ever been on. Let me say that the first part of the flight was JUST FINE…but the descent into Cody was a Mother. And I don’t use that word lightly. This from a gal who has been flying at least 3-4 times a year since she was a baby…I don’t scare easily. If it weren’t for the ability to look out the window at the amazing landscape I would have tossed. No joke! OK, so back to the kids…they fell asleep!! Just goes to show that impending ascent to the heavenlies holds no fear for little ones. We finally land at the “airport”. We are first assaulted by the Cody wind (read: tropical storm force) as we deplane. Mark, Mom and I are struggling down across the tarmac with three kids, the 6 carry ons, attempting to open the stroller and we can barely stand. The airplane wand lady is like, “GET OFF THE TARMAC!” Mind you, there’s not another plane in sight. They only receive two flights a day. Remember Northern Exposure? Remember Wings? That’s the best way I can describe the Yellowstone Regional Airport. It was very clean, and very cute…don’t get me wrong. So we mosey on over to the Thrifty rental car place, where we are informed that our van is Not There Yet. Apparently they had left Billings 3 hours before and they HAD NO CELL PHONE WITH THEM. That is when we knew we really were in the Wild West. As I was still feeling pukey, we went to sit and have drinks (of the non-alcoholic nature, of course) at the adorable little café. After about an hour of waiting, I walk over to the counter to suggest they let us take a regular minivan and bring us the bigger vehicle later in the day. We begin to literally shove the 5 suitcases, car seats, 6 people and the 6 CARRY ONS into the “short” van. We get on the road and decide we better call the ranch and find out where to get groceries before we drive much further. We then proceed to Super Walmart and pack $150 worth of groceries into the car that is now sitting on its tie rods. This is the end of Part 1 of the journal entry…check back in a few days for Part 2!!!

We love you dearly
Thank you for tolerating our desire to share this with you...
Mark and (mostly) Mylissa

Monday, July 25, 2005 10:31 PM CDT
WHAT A WILD RIDE

We are home!! There is so much to tell all of you...and I think I am going to attempt to tell you in Bella's words since after all...this was her trip!! Needless to say we had an amazing time...it was truly unbelievable. We met some great people and spent time breathing some great air and basking in the glory of some of God's most magnificent creation. We are hoping to figure out how to publish a small piece of edited video to the web...might it might be a couple days. I am going to get started formally 'interviewing' bella tomorrow (I bet she'll think its a fun project) and will update with her thoughts soon.

For now, I will just say, WYOMING ROCKS!!! (literally!)

Please be praying for Bella's little friend Madelyn Beamon. She has been having issues over the past two weeks and is inpatient at St Jude. Please pray for her to be fever-free and to get back home and out of isolation.

We love you guys...
Mark and Mylissa

Sunday, July 17, 2005 10:53 AM CDT
Hello all!!

Well...we are packing up and getting ready for the trek to WYOMING! What a job. We are so excited...Bella says she is going to jump right on a horse as soon as she gets to the ranch. Mark's VROD will be waiting at the dealership...they are picking it up for him in Billings, MT. and letting him use it for a week free of charge. He's thrilled. There is no question where the glory goes for this trip - we are so blessed that God has used the Make-a-Wish foundation to honor Bella with this trip.

Today is me and Mark's 7th wedding anniversary...today I was reflecting on God's provision for our lives. There is no question that we should expect trials...but God provides for our every need while we walk those trials. Our trial the past couple of years has been childhood cancer, but God provided ME with an amazing husband who blesses me every day and spiritually provides for me by bathing me in prayer and the Word. I am so thankful for my husband and my marriage...I am overwhelmed by the blessing of it.

We watched our wedding with the kids today, and it was cute to see their faces when they saw Daddy's long hair, and the questions they had. Many of you who are reading this today were present THAT day, and I just really can't thank you enough for being there and for continuing to share in this journey with us. WHO WOULDA THUNK?? 7 years later...three kids, and such a blessed life. As I watched the video, it was so cool to see the expression on my brother's face (Thom) as he handed Mark his hanky while I walked down the aisle (Mark was overcome to say the least; no I am not exaggerating!). My precious nieces and nephews were all there (Danny and Collin were still in the oven, and Johnny was still a twinkle). It's amazing to see how much the kids grow in just seven years. BJ and Joey were half pints...too cute!! I could never thank Ron (my brother-in-law) enough for doing such a beautiful job capturing the wedding. How cool to be able to watch it with the kids!

OK, enough reminiscing. We love all of you so much and we may or may not update while we are gone...there is no internet access or TV at the ranch...thank Goodness!! What a blessing to truly escape for a week.

God Bless you!!
Mylissa

Thursday, July 14, 2005 8:51 PM CDT
Hi all...

Prayer request tonight...for little Jake Raborn. He has been off chemo for around 8 weeks now and doing really well at home. He was at St Jude and got a clear PET scan the same day that Bella got her messed up CT. Anyway, they have been watching his AFP (tumor marker blood test) like a hawk to make sure its going down, and over the past two weeks it doubled. He should be leaving LA for St Jude soon to see what'd going on and start another round of chemo. Please pray for the Raborn family as they are precious to the Haynes' and Hampton's and truly love Jesus with all their hearts. www.caringbridge.com/la/jakeowen

I'm reading this David Crowder book called Praise Habit and throughly enjoying it. Wanted to share a section with you...David is discussing Psalm 50 and the nature of true praise.

"We may argue, 'Isn't that praise? Songs = praise, right?' I think they're more like burnt offerings. The good news is that GOD doesn't find fault with our song offerings. There's nothing wrong with them. In fact, they can be beautiful expressions. But often they are nothing more than ritual, and at their worst they can even be provoking to GOD. Well then, what is He looking for? What is this praise He’s after? It’s Praise Living. It is GOD leaning in and shouting, ‘I am the center!’ and the sum of our lives nodding back in agreement. It is the core of our hearts echoing that statement... [GOD] is not begging to be the center – He is the center. He is the source. Our songs might verbalize and echo that at times, but so what? It is the nuts and bolts of our living that indicate if we really think this is the truth. I would be so bold as to say eating barbecue and wearing the sauce on your fingers and face and a grin as big as Texas with the knowledge that Caps Lock GOD is at the center of this can be truer praise than belting this “song ritual” that we have elevated to dangerous heights.

According to this psalm, even the simplicity of calling out to GOD in times of trouble is considered the truer sacrifice. How surprising is that? And how easy? Higher than our ritual is the simple acknowledgement that, in truth, He is what we need. We, like the Israelites, often find rescue in the burnt offering and not in the GOD who is the source of it all. We find comfort in the song but not in the Comforter. It is a subtle but necessary shift. It is more difficult to find the Creator in a barbeque sandwich than in your favorite Sunday-morning song, but when you do, when you begin to find him in all the stuff of life, everything starts singing. Every moment breaks into song. Every breath becomes sacrifice, and the songs become sweetness. This is living praise."

If you haven't heard the David Crowder*Band, we (the Cornett's and us!!) highly recommend them. This guy really has his finger on the pulse of the heavenlies.

We love you and thank you for praying
Mylissa

Wednesday, July 13, 2005 1:06 PM CDT
Hi all...

Got some great news we wanted to share with you. The Beamons got Madelyn's (above in the picture holding the soccer ball) bone marrow results back and it looks like NED on one side and less than 1% on the other. Thank you Jesus!! This is truly great news as it means that the lighter chemo she was doing was definitely helping...or at the very least keeping her stable. They have just begun the ICE chemo...I think this is one of the hardest things little Maddie has had to do yet. The idea is to get her to complete NED status. Please continue to lift this sweet family up in prayer and remember to encourage them at www.caringbridge.com/tn/madelyn

We love you!!

Mark and Mylissa

Monday, July 11, 2005 9:14 PM CDT
Hi everyone...

Just wanted to say that Mark and I had the blessing of attending Tami Corkhill's celebration service today. It was beautiful and I'm sure Tami would have approved. Both of Tami's pastors spoke; David Swanson (Covenant Presbyterian via First Pres Orlando) and Pastor Tony from Riverside Church where the Corkhills currently attend. Her service spoke so many things to my heart...namely that over the past 10 years Tami was heavily involved in two local churches, and the outpouring of love from both of those places was truly amazing. The service was easily standing room only and the Lee County Sherriff's Dept was in attendence to support Jeff. David spoke about Tami's love for peace in her life...and it was evident from her service that she was truly a peacemaker. You know, it's easy to be a peacemaker if you hide from people and relationships. But Tami loved everybody with a pure heart, and valued her relationships, both young and old; all the while striving for peace within those relationships. What an amazing and unique legacy. We love you Tami and thank you for sharing all of yourself.

Saturday, July 9, 2005 1:39 PM CDT
Hi all!!

Just wanted to write a quck note to say hello. There's really not much going on around here other than some wet and soggy weather. So far, my favorite Hurricane Dennis story is last night when Mark found MC Hammer's "You Can't Touch This" on the internet radio and the kids and I danced around like banshees...

We are gearing up for Wyoming! I am trying to figure out how to get everything we need there and still fit it all in the trunk of the limo. We have been informed that all of our luggage MUST fit in the trunk; between the portacrib and the stroller it will be a tight fit. Bella is telling everyone about her trip and is really excited.

Please continue the prayers for our sweet Madelyn Beamon and family. She is currently inpatient with a fever from a possible virus, and the decision has been made to start the ICE chemo. This chemo will be hard on Maddie (she will be inpatient for it) but this is the best plan to achieve NED status. Please pray for a complete healing.
www.caringbridge.com/tn/madelyn
Also, if you can manage it please sign up to be a marrow donor. This is still on the horizon for Madelyn, and there are so many kids who need a match. Call your local hospital's blood donor center and they will give you more info.

We love you and thank you once again for your prayers!!

Mylissa

Friday, July 1, 2005 6:57 AM CDT
UPDATE July 2: Our sweet friend Tami Corkhill went home to be with Jesus today. She fought a strong battle against pancreatic cancer. She was bella's first infant/toddler director at our second home church, Covenant Presbyterian. She was an awesome prayer warrior for Bella and had an all-encompassing love for Jesus. Please pray for daughters Tatum and Teal and husband Jeff. Thank you...

UPDATE July 1 10PM:
And I quote: "Lord thank you so much for this wonderful day Lord and thank you Lord for bringing Emma Grace to be with you in heaven, and Lord please lift up all the families at St Jude and please be with the kids at St Jude having surgery and thank you Lord for healing my surgery and being with me Lord and please lift up the Morgan family Lord and for all the people who don't have Jesus in their hearts please help them to know you and help us to share Jesus with them. (The whole time she's laying on the floor with her arm thrown over her eyes) Lord thank you that you have created us and Lord help us to worship you and not to worship idols. We love you Lord in Jesus name Amen."

Hi Ya'll!!!

OK, I've been trying to rub a few minutes together to update the site...so here goes!!

Bella is healing just fine. Steri strips are off, and Mom Mom took her riding yesterday. Apparently she just walked on Jasmine because of the recent surgery, but with us going to Wyoming in two weeks, we really wanted to get her "back in the saddle". She has two birthday parties to attend this weekend so she's feeling very loved.

We've been spending time resting and recuperating, and enjoying fellowship with our dear ones here in SWFL. Stories are still pouring in of how "Bella's story" has impacted lives.

I wanted to share with you the details of our last few days in Memphis. Friday we were invited out to the Morgan ranch along with the Beamons (Madelyn) for supper. We have known the Morgan family for around two years now...Macy and Sophie Morgan rode in the St Jude charity horse show with Bella in '03. Macy is finishing up treatment for Leukemia in October and is doing great. Sophie is her sweet little sister...they have a really special relationship. The Morgans live on Melanie's dad's property (263 acres or something). I really cannot express how beautiful it was out there in the rolling countryside and the trees. It was like this breath of fresh air to be with these families in that setting after such a long week.

The Morgans have a fairly large house, and they have guest quarters upstairs that is open to St Jude families to stay. There is such a sense of love and hospitality in their home...its wonderful. We love spending time with the Beamons as well...it was wonderful this trip to get to know them better. They are a dear family and really do a great job of keeping their heads lifted.

I do ask that you continue to pray for little Madelyn. She is doing really well on her experimental chemo and is playing and having a blast. They are still looking at a possible BMT if a match can be found...pray and if God leads you please go to your local blood donor center and ask to be on the national registry. It's a few days out of your life to save the life of a child or adult with a life threatening illness.

We are getting excited for our trip to Wyoming!! I am still just completely overwhelmed by the blessing. When we return we will have less than two weeks before school starts!! What a whirlwind summer.

We love you so much and can't thank you enough for your prayers and love.

Mylissa

Acts 2:28 "You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence."

Saturday, June 25, 2005 10:25 PM CDT
We are Home!!

We arrived without trouble today around 12:30. After eating lunch with my parents we promtly went home and we all slept for at least two hours. The kids are so happy to be home!! We've only had two mishaps...the van air conditioning isn't working and I was prepared to tell you that our cat had run away BUT...tonight we heard her meowing outside the door!! Bella was thrilled. OK...I'm still exhausted and a bit shocked by being back home after such a harrowing couple of weeks...so more soon. Once again, I thank you so much for literally 'being' with us in Memphis.

We love you
Mylissa

Wednesday, June 22, 2005 10:08 PM CDT
Hi everyone!!

The above picture is from Camp W.A.I.T. at St Jude...Wild Activities Indoor Time!! The kids had alot of fun with baby pools of shaving cream in which they had to fish for plastic bugs and snakes. Tomorrow Bella is thrilled to attend a Disney party at the hospital...it's been neat to have her join in some of the planned activites.

She is recovering nicely from the surgery...today she's on her feet and we cut off the codeine around 3PM. We're having a nasty adhesive allergy so were trying some oral benadryl for that. Tonight we actually got out to get some sandwiches and drove over to Shelby Farms (4500 acre park just outside the city complete with American Bison range). We enjoyed being in the trees and looking at the lakes.

Mom and Dad left this afternoon for my brother Thom's house...and then on to Fla. We get home 12:30PM saturday. At this point we are not sure whether we have any appointments the rest of the week at St Jude.

Mark and I have been just amazed at the traffic on this website the past two weeks...according to the counter the site has been visited over 5000 times. We are absolutely in awe at the prayers that have poured in for our daughter and our family. Tears come to my eyes when I think of how so many of you have allowed yourselves to be used by the Lord to minister to us. Once again I say thank you for your prayers...I don't have words for the way your faith has bouyed us in our time of need.

My father is in the habit of playing what we affectionately call "Bible Roulette". He basically asks the Lord to speak to him and lets his bible fall open. On Father's Day morning I was having a great time of prayer with the Lord and although I normally don't do this...my Bible fell open to 2 Samuel 22. Its amazing how God will make His face known tangibly exactly when we need it.

David sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said: "The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield and the horn of my salvation.
He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior—
from violent men you save me.
I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,
and I am saved from my enemies.
"The waves of death swirled about me;
the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
The cords of the grave coiled around me;
the snares of death confronted me.
In my distress I called to the LORD;
I called out to my God.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came to his ears.
"The earth trembled and quaked,
the foundations of the heavens shook;
they trembled because he was angry.
Smoke rose from his nostrils;
consuming fire came from his mouth,
burning coals blazed out of it.
He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds were under his feet.
He mounted the cherubim and flew;
he soared on the wings of the wind.
He made darkness his canopy around him—
the dark rain clouds of the sky.
Out of the brightness of his presence
bolts of lightning blazed forth.
The LORD thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded.
He shot arrows and scattered the enemies ,
bolts of lightning and routed them.
The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at the rebuke of the LORD,
at the blast of breath from his nostrils.
"He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he drew me out of deep waters.
He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.
They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the LORD was my support.
He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.
"The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.
For I have kept the ways of the LORD;
I have not done evil by turning from my God.
All his laws are before me;
I have not turned away from his decrees.
I have been blameless before him
and have kept myself from sin.
The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to my cleanness in his sight.

We love you and we feel your love.

Mark and Mylissa

Tuesday, June 21, 2005 9:34 AM CDT
PRAISE THE LORD...IT WAS A HERNIA!!!!!!!!

More Soon

Mylissa

WHHHEEEEWWWW.....after a really long and scary week.....we now know that the "spot" they were looking at on bella's scans was a HERNIA. This morning, they called us TWICE in the surgery waiting room to let us know "they were still working" and "she's doing fine". Mark brought the splitter for the iPod and we were listening to "Glorious Day" by David Crowder...when Dr. Davidoff came in to get us. He is a really great guy and has a pretty encouraging way about him. Anyway, he's like, "Dr. Hoffer placed the fishing line in target, and when I followed the line into what we thought was a lymph node, it was a hernia pocket. So I took it out and sent it to pathology anyway, and they we had Dr Hoffer come back and re-ultrasound, and he couldn't find the target, so we have to assume that was the problem. You guys can go home tomarrow." He was telling us all this and he was kind of smirking the whole time, but really serious as well. It was a funny experience. Dear Terri from procedures sedation came to sit with us as soon as she got to the hospital and was able to celebrate with us in the hall.

Bella woke up in a lot of pain and we had to give her fentanyl, morphine and versed to get it under control and get her to relax. Right now we are really struggling to get her to take her liquid codeine (she's puking alot) and so we are looking at some other option for pain control.

I just need to say one more thing Dr Hoffer is the ultrasound doc who checked the "lymph node" on wednesday. His words to us were "I'm going to check to make sure IT'S NOT A HERNIA." We looked up Dr. Hoffer on the St Jude website last night and apparently he is some world-renowned technician who has developed all these procedures to reduce cutting time on children, etc. I wish I could have been in the room to hear the conversation! As Mark and I reflect on this past week we can say that each detail reflects the LORD's miraculous and GLORIOUS hand on our daughter and our family. THANK YOU JESUS!!
We are still not sure when we will be getting home...it will be dependent on when we can fly out. We'll let you know soon.

WHAT A GLORIOUS DAY, TODAY
Mylissa

Monday, June 20, 2005 4:48 PM CDT
Hi all...

Well after a long day at the hospital we have a plan. We have biopsy surgery scheduled for 7:30 AM tomorrow...she will need to be there at 6:30 AM. We hope to have results before the weekend. Dr Davidoff (surgeon) doesn't want her leaving St Jude till at least friday...he'll need to check her post-op. I don't think we learned anything different today other than that with the activity on the PET and the enlarged node they have to suspect disease. They said that if this was in any other area other than her left groin they would leave it alone and watch. So for now...we go to surgery and we wait for results. More soon.

Our anthem this week:
Bella is the girl
Bella is the girl
that the Lord has made
that the Lord has made
we will rejoice
we will rejoice
and be glad of her
(thank you Cornetts we love you!!)

God is good...the results of this biopsy change NOTHING. Bella is STILL the girl that the Lord has made and is STILL most perfectly in his grasp.

We love you
Mylissa

Sunday, June 19, 2005 6:22 PM CDT
Hello everyone...
Happy Father's Day!!

We have had what I would call a restful and relaxing weekend. Friday night my parents pulled in with Izaiah, and we all had a welcome reunion. Saturday we travelled down the Mississippi on a riverboat (one of the many free things St Jude patients get to do in Memphis) and headed to a baseball game that evening. There were games and rides for the kids at the game...they had a great time.
This morning we visited Highpoint Church here in Memphis...a really neat young church that mirrors both the Vineyard and Willow Creek style of worship. The message was both encouraging and well delivered. The worship team was worthy of a stadium...we actually bought a CD! It was nice to have some time in the community of faith this week. We just summed up our father's day with a meal of spaghetti and salad at my parents hotel room (they have a kitchenette).

I am starting to feel like the Grizzly is home...complete with clothes all over the place and tripping over toys. I'm kind of surprised no one has mentioned us moving into Ronald McDonald since we are only supposed to be at the Grizzly seven days. Hopefully tomarrow we'll know more about our plans for the week.

That brings me to tonight's prayer request...Mark and I are both really struggling over feeling like we have enough information to go ahead with biopsy. We have so many questions...and we feel that there may be some discrepancy within our 'team' as far as recommendations. We really wish we had a doctor who could look at the PET results and the CT from last monday and tell us what they think. We are considering having our melanoma doc from Fla take a look at everything if he's willing. We are a little confused why we were originally told that a needle biopsy would be fine...and now we are being told to take the whole node out. Tomarrow morning early I will need to get on the phone with them and be sure we have the appointments we need to speak to the docs we need to speak to...the whole thing is really pretty stressful. To some it may seem we are making a mountain out of a molehill (it's just a minor surgery) but its STILL surgery. Chances are at this point we will do the biopsy because would YOU want to be the parent that left something BAD in there?? But we still feel that we need more information about everything before we move ahead.

I am also asking for prayer for Bella. She is experiencing a major case of the nerves and saying things she's never said before like, "I don't like St Judes, I hate blood draws and check-ups and I really don't like coming here and I want to go home!" She been in really not a great mood all weekend and didn't feel like eating any dinner tonight. I've really never dealt with nerves with her before regarding St Jude since she's just now the age where she has a sense of time. The ultrasound doc informed her she would be having a needle biopsy on monday (I was not happy) so as much as we tell her that she's NOT having that procedure tommarrow she still thinks she is.

'Nuff said. We need your prayers.

The LORD is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.
Shouts of joy and victory
resound in the tents of the righteous:
"The LORD's right hand has done mighty things!
The LORD's right hand is lifted high;
the LORD's right hand has done mighty things!"
I will not die but live,
and will proclaim what the LORD has done.
Psalm 118 (thanks gigi we love you!!)

Friday, June 17, 2005 6:26 PM CDT
THIS IS THE DAY THE LORD HAS MADE

Well we FINALLY got what we would call GOOD NEWS. PET scan shows an area of very mild uptake in the one suspicious lymph node. We have been told that very mild uptake is consistent with infection or the like...not cancer, especially an aggresive cancer such as melanoma. The BIGGEST blessing at this point is the fact that there was no other areas of activity on the PET whatsoever...PRAISE THE LORD!!! Honestly I had gotten pretty frightened that we were going to be dealing with additional areas of disease.

So...they have asked us if we would agree to CANCEL needle biopsy and go ahead with removing the one node that is concerning. They had admitted that this is definitely them being quite exceptionally cautious...but the fact is there is some sort of uptake there and it would seem silly to just 'wait and see'. They are concerned that if they move forward with needle biopsy that they would miss the cells that are concerning. So truth be told we really won't know anything until we get biopsy results. At this point we have meetings to further discuss surgery and compare scans on monday and we will go from there...

I needed to share with you a HUGE blessing we recieved today. I walked into our scan check in area feeling pretty apprehensive (ok maybe that's an understatement) and was waiting to check in. Out of nowhere appears Terri Wood, our dear sweet nurse who walked us through the terrible experience we had two years ago with IV sedation. She took one look at me and goes, "I've been waiting all morning for you guys" and wraps her arms around me. That was it. I was a wreck...Terri and her family love the Lord and to have her there with us today was amazing. While we were waiting for scan results (and waiting for bella to wake up from GA) Terri agreed in prayer with me...Terri you are awesome. We love you!!

Mom and Dad and Izaiah just got here...I have never seen Izaiah so excited to see his daddy!!! He was beside himself. I just got a stare (oh well). Everyone is thrilled to be reunited.

THANK YOU JESUS

Keep praying for the biopsy/surgery...they thought it might be thursday before we could get in.

Did I mention Mark and I were taking a two week summer vacation to Memphis??

We love you...more soon
Mylissa

Thursday, June 16, 2005 10:40 PM CDT
UPDATE June 17 10:46 PM
Getting ready to head to the hosptial...she has nuclear medicine injection at 12 noon. Mark woke me this morning with "Revive Me O Lord" by Jeremy Camp. We both cried through it and then gathered our wits about us to face this day.

Consider my affliction
and please deliver me
Plead my cause and redeem me
Salvation is not for the wicked
For they dont seek your word
great are your tender mercies Oh Lord

REVIVE ME, according to your Lovingkindness
REVIVE ME, that I may seek your word

You give me understanding
according to your word
great peace for those who seek your face
i long for salvation

my lips shall praise your name
i rejoice in the treasure of your keep

for all my ways are before you
i let your hand become my help
my soul longs and adores you
Let my cry come before you oh Lord.

Continue to pray for her...

Hello to all of our prayer warriors...

I was impressed earlier today that I've been a bit whiny during our extended stay at "the Jude". I will start with dear Tina and Trish's favorite saying..."If He brings you to it, He'll see you through it!"

I wanted to share with you the blessings that we have seen since we have been in Memphis this trip:

1. I actually remembered to OVERpack. Although I've done laundry twice, we have just about everything we need to keep us dressed and moderately clean. And the Grizzlies house actually HAS tide this trip :)

2. We had made plans to see little Madelyn Beamon and her mom and dad from Fla while we were here. Madelyn is doing an experimental chemo for neuroblastoma and is searching for a match for a bone marrow transplant. We were able to have dinner monday night and let the girls play, and then the Beamons invited us to the Japanese steakhouse to celebrate Brandi's birthday. Our chef was a hoot and the girls really enjoyed it.

3. I forgot Bella's favorite Dora fleece blanket at home this trip. I realized that with going under sedation etc. that she REALLY needed it. Sweet Brandi mentioned that she had bought this pink and purple BALLERINA fabric and was just waiting for the right little girl to give it to. Bella couldn't be happier with her new blankie!

4. This is a hard one but we have to be glad that what we are seeing on Bella's scans isn't any worse. It can always be WORSE. There is a sense in my spirit that God is only allowing so much to enter our lives right now.

5. Mark convinced the Grizzlies house to move us into a suite. We now have a small sitting area and kitchenette that is separate from the bedroom area. Makes getting the kids to sleep alot easier.

6. Mark has had several oppurtunites to pray with moms, dads and kids while here this trip. Today he was given the oppurtunity to lay hands on a little girl in the elevator who was called over to the hospital for emergency surgery.

We know God is here and that the Holy Spirit is ministering to us during this time. PLEASE continue to pray for Bella...we are both pretty nervous about the PET tomarrow. PET is at 1PM CDT...you can be sure I will post results as soon as we know something.

You turned my wailing into dancing, you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with Joy, tht my heart will sing to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.
Psalm 30:11-12

Thursday, June 16, 2005 12:13 AM CDT
UPDATE: June 16 3:58 CDT
Hi all...
We have spent a bit of time this afternoon with both our Fla doc (Dr. Reintgen) and Dr Inaba (fellow here at St Jude). St. Jude says they have to strongly suspect malignancy. They of course are saying they won't know until the have the results of the biopsy. It turns out the suspect lymph node is above the illiac (sp) area, and Reintgen said he did leave those in. Everyone is saying it is still possible that her body is just processing infection etc. They actually said if they had seen this in a different basin they would have left it alone and just watched it. But since it's in this site they have to do all of this. PET is scheduled for Friday and needle biopsy first thing monday morning. There is no way we will leave here before Tuesday afternoon. Please pray for Bella and our family. My parents are leaving Fort Myers by car tonight and coming to Memphis with Izaiah.
We love you...please pray
Mylissa

We just got out of ultrasound a few minutes ago. The ultrasound doc (also the biopsy guy) had a hard time at first finding his "target". Eventually he found what he says is an enlarged lymph node. He feels it is neccessary to biopsy it, and he feels it is important that we go ahead with the PET scan. He wanted to biopsy it first thing monday morning, but we asked to have the biopsy right after PET tomarrow (friday) since she will already be under General Anesthesia. Hopefully we will have an answer by the end of the day. Basically we still have no clear picture of anything at this point...we know enlarged nodes are common in children, especially in girls (in the groin). We honestly don't know anything more and won't until the biopsy and PET come back clear. We hope to have biopsy results by monday evening. Please pray.
In His arms
Mylissa

Wednesday, June 15, 2005 4:27 PM CDT
Hi all...

By now you all know that we are waiting on follow ups for Bella regarding this area on her CT scan. Once again I will reiterate that the spot appears to be in her left groin...where she originally had two sentinel nodes test positive for MM. Again I will say that Dr Furman, Dr. Inaba and the surgical team do not feel anything there and they have said that according to the CT they should be able to feel something. Today's news is...
Sandy called and said Dr. Furman is ordering an Ultrasound. Apparently they had it scheduled for 2:00 today but we were at the mall on the carosel. We rescheduled for 11:30AM tomarrow (thursday). We were told that they are doing the US so that they can find out whether this is something that can be needle biopsied. Basically they are acting like they want to have all their ducks in a row prior to the PET on Friday. They have also discontinued the order for the repeat CT. We were orginally scheduled for a repeat CT to be done at the same time as the PET. Apparently they have decided that is unneccesary...which I am hoping means that she will be subjected to less radiation.

SPECIFIC PRAYER REQUESTS:

As crazy as this might sound to some of you...PLEASE PRAY that the ultraound shows NOTHING and/or some type of fluid pocket or something that is not a mass. I'm not quite sure what they can or can't tell from an Ultrasound, but obviously BEST CASE is for it to show NOTHING. We believe FULLY that God can do this...that He can choose to call this week to a joyous ending. Please pray that He has HEALED bella fully and that all of this is simply a case of being overly cautious.

Please pray for Mark and I...we are tired and worn out and really missing home and Izaiah. Bella is also missing Izaiah. Travel called today and the earliest we can fly out is monday morning. My mom called and she can't find the cat anywhere in the house. Apparently it seems she may have gotten out the lanai. We wanted to go to church somewhere tonight but had the hardest time finding somewhere that had a wed night service. We are trying our hardest to keep our happy faces on and do fun things with Bella. The only thing she knows right now is that she will be getting more pictures taken. As far as she's concerned she's having fun playing and hanging out with kids. Mark and I are both having trouble sleeping so if you could pray for rest for us we would greatly appreciate it. Basically, Mark and I really know too much about Melanoma and that makes this whole adventure that much more scary. We know God is in CONTROL...there is no question. We just are really tired.

Thank you for praying...
Thanking Him for being on the THRONE
Mylissa

Monday, June 13, 2005 5:56 PM CDT
UPDATE June 15 5:24 CDT
And so we W.A.I.T....
Turns out radioactive isotope for PET scan won't be ready till Friday. Scheduled for PET on Friday at 1PM. Hopefully we'll have results that evening. Mark met with the surgical team this afternoon, and no new info other than they too feel that they should be able to feel something if the was a tumor or enlarged node of the size that showed on the CT. Again, we take that as a blessing. They also believe that if we end up needing to explore this further, they would do some sort of needle biopsy/surgery where they would extract a portion of tissue to see if there was anything going on. Thank goodness for St. Jude...that is alot more comorting than the idea of her being opened up once again. For tonight,we rest in his arms. I will try update again tomarrow or thursday. I am updating our contact info with our room number at the Grizzlies house. Feel free to call...there is also voice mail on the line. We love you.

UPDATE: JUNE 14 8 AM CDT
Clinic just called and said they had to reschedule the PET for wednesday...they were able to get her in to the machine for today but they were not able to order the contrast in enough time. We have surgery clinic at 3PM today so pray that they don't feel anything there...and that they say that we can go home if the PET is clear. We love you...
At the foot of the cross
Mylissa

Hi all...I know you are looking for an update. We got out of the hospital and unfortunately we will be in Memphis a few more days. We hope to be home no later than wednesday evening. Here is what we know at this point:

1. Bella had an "area" look funny on her CT scan. Our fellow said that it appeared to be a lymph node in her left groin. He also said that it was possible that it was some kind of normal bowel obstruction type thing...either a stool or a gas bubble. I remarked that it would be odd for it to be a node since she's had those all removed. Dr. Furman appeared to think that the idea about a bowel thing was slightly far fetched, but he basically said we don't know what it is till we investigate it.

2. Upon examination and much pressing of her left groin area, there seems to be nothing that can be felt. Dr Inaba (our fellow) acted like he felt like if it was a mass (tumor) or swollen lymph node that the docs should be able to feel it from the outside. We take this as good news that they can't feel anything.

3. Tomarrow (tuesday) bella will have a nuclear medicine PET scan with an included CT scan. Obviously we need both of these scans to be clear. If the CT shows nothing on tuesday, and the PET is clear, then it can be assumed that there was just something moving through her system that was perfectly normal.

4. At some point either tuesday after sedation or wednesday, Dr Furman wants us to meet with surgery clinic. He is basically leaving it in their hands whether they want to open her up or not. Obviously if something lights on the PET then there is no question they will open her up, but we are praying if tomarrow's scans are perfectly clear that they would concur that we are OK for now.

I won't reiterate where prayers are needed...I bet you guys can figure it out.

Look for a post tomarrow evening.

In His arms of Love...
Mark and Mylissa

From Monday Mornings reading and journaling:

Psalm 116

I love the Lord because he has heard my voice and my supplications. Because he has inclined my ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.

The pains of death sorrounded me, and the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me; I found trouble and sorrow. Then I called upon the name of the Lord, O Lord, I implore You, deliver my soul!"

The rest of the psalm is amazing...read it. I'm being kicked off the computer.

Saturday, June 11, 2005 9:44 PM CDT
Hi all!!

Bella has had a very EVENTFUL saturday...which involved trying out yet ANOTHER horse...and the big dance recital (hence my chiquita banana above), and even riding (sitting) on a Harley Road King while it was running outside Jason's Deli.

The recital went REALLY well...the girls performed "Cast your burdens on Jesus" which nearly brought me to tears, and then "I want to be like Jesus" for the tap number. They did really well and were incredibly cute. We left right before intermission since it was already 8:30!!!

Its a bit of a long story, but we got a line on another "great KID horse" (yes we've been down this road before) but essentially we brought him to the Parker barn to try him for a week. Cindy and I both rode him today and he's really easy and sweet. The only problem is he's slow to go but if you ask me I'M FINE WITH IT!!! He's really cute...about 15 hands...sorrel quarter horse. He needs some weight on him but other than that he seems really nice. We'll see!! I'll post pics soon.

After recital we went to Jason's and this nice lady let bella sit on her HUGE bike. That leads me to Mark's phone conversation with the Harley dealership in Cody Wyoming. He was told that they do not rent bikes but because we were going to be in Cody for Bella's make-a-wish he could take a demo bike for THE WHOLE WEEK. I'm really glad for him! He'll love it.

So of course my main reason for updating tonight is to REQUEST YOUR PRAYERS:

-specific requests for Gods' hand to CONTINUE to be on our family...and that Bella's CT scan would be CLEAR CLEAR CLEAR. I will post results as soon as I can on Monday. Also for fun times for Izaiah as he stays in FL with Mom Mom and Poppy.

-please pray for peace and serenity for Mark and I as we travel to Memphis once again. I'm not really sure when these scan trips are supposed to get easier. It's really hard when you look at your perfectly healthly child and begin to imagine that things could change. Pray that the Lord would SUSTAIN OUR FAITH.

-also we would ask that you would pray for Mark and I to have clarity and unity together as we evaluate the large picture. Many of you know that Mark (and I) desire to be in full time ministry and we are really asking God to make our path clear.

We love you so much and can not stress enough how we rely on God's mercy and grace and your prayers to hold us up when we are doing things we would really prefer not to do. Thank you once again.

Mark and Mylissa

Tuesday, June 7, 2005 8:47 PM CDT
Hello all...

I guess I was thinking about the siblings today as I posted this photo. Izaiah will be three in August, and he's the only nearly three year old I know who says with a sense of expectation..."Let's go to the hospital!!!" He loves to sit and get IV's in and the like for his sissy. He's sweet kid, as are all the siblings of those who have survived this road with childhood cancer. I would ask that (as if your prayer lists weren't long enough!) that you would say a prayer for the brothers and sisters of the precious ones who are with Jesus. Please continue to pray for the Hamptons as they go with God. www.caringbridge.com/ar/emmagrace

We love you and praise Jesus for you
Mylissa

Monday, June 6, 2005 9:50 PM CDT
Hi all...

Emma Grace Hampton is safe in the loving arms of Jesus. We ask that you would pray for Trish, Barney and Eli and all the extended family (including their St Jude family).
She joins her dear friends Zoie, Stanton and Ali in the heavenlies.
www.caringbridge.com/ar/emmagrace

Please pray
Mark and Mylissa

Saturday, June 4, 2005 1:02 PM CDT
Hey all,

We have been deeply blessed this past week. A couple months ago we were contacted by the Make A Wish foundation (www.wish.org). They came out to our house with presents for the boys and interviewed Mom, Dad and Bella. They asked questions like, if you could be anyone who would you be, what would you want, where would you go, what do you like more than anything. While they were here, the only thing Bella truly got excited about was her love for horses. The Make A Wish foundation is known for going over and above all expectations. Last week we were contacted that Bella's wish had been granted. They are sending the whole family for a week to a horse ranch in Cody, Wyoming which is 20 minutes from Yellowstone National Park. She will be able to ride horses every day (they picked this ranch since the wranglers will allow her to trail ride), go to a rodeo every night (Bella has ridden in local horse shows over the past year), watch horse demonstations, be in the mountains (she loved our trip to the TN mountains last year!), and be with her family for a week. God is sooo GOOD, and we praise Him for blessing Bella and us like this. The horse ranch we will be staying at is over 100 years old and is "in the heart of what Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed 'the most scenic 50 miles in America." Here is the link to the ranch www.dnrranch.com. They will be picking us up in a Limo and driving to us Fort Lauderdale on July 18th with plans to fly out the next day. We will return July 25th.

Looking back over the past couple years we realize the true blessing is Bella being cancer FREE and the amazing support from our family, our church and our friends. Many of you stood behind us when we were going through the toughest trial of our lives and we cannot thank you enough for being there for us. We wish that we could bring all of you with us, but I don't think Make A Wish would front the bill for that. Please know that Mylissa and I thank you all and we stand tall today because of our Lord and Savior and from our support that we have had over the past couple years. It's hard to believe that it's been 2 years since Bella's first surgery. The Lord has done great things, and I know that great things will come from it. Bella's story is a story of HOPE, it's a story of God's grace, it's a story that shows what an impact the community of faith has to a family in need.

Thank you once again and we continue to ask for your prayers as we head up to St. Judes for Bella's CT Scans on June 13th.
Also, we ask that you would pray for Jillian, Madelyn and Emma Grace as they continue to fight bravely.

May God watch over you and your familes!

The Horrocks Family

Monday, May 30, 2005 4:31 PM CDT
UPDATE JUNE 1 2:27 PM
I pray that my previous update was premature. Jillian is hanging in there and please continue to PRAY for a FULL recovery if it is in the Lord's will. Jillian's 16th birthday is less than a month away.

UPDATE: JUNE 1 7:21 EST
Please pray for Jill Beach and her family as the Lord welcomes her into His loving arms.

Hi all!!
I had to put this picture here because it just makes me chuckle. That's bella on the raft and her buddy Michael is bailing off to the right.

Happy Memorial Day!! Just a quick note to say that the date of the Wall Street article has been postponed to the 7th of June.

Bella, Izaiah and Samuel had a great time today swimming and playing with friends Michael, Caroline, and Elanor Cornett. Its amazing how much energy she has as the kids were in the pool from 10:30 AM until 4 with only a short lunch break. And they are still going strong!

Please continue to pray for dear friends the Hamptons (Emma Grace) and the Beaches (Jillian). Both are struggling right now. This kids are TOUGH and are going to beat this thing...please pray for strength and wisdom for the doctors and families.
www.caringbridge.com/ar/emmagrace
www.caringbridge.com/ma/jillsjourney

Please remember us as we prepare for bella's next CT scan...June 13th at St Jude.

Looks like we will be moving forward on Bella's wish trip pretty soon! More details to come...

We love all of you and thank you for your continued prayers.
The Horrocks Family

Wednesday, May 18, 2005 8:35 AM CDT
UPDATE: MAY 19, 7:50AM
PLEASE pray for our little Emma Grace. Things are really not great and we really could use you all bombarding the heavens for her. Thank you...www.caringbridge.com/ar/emmagrace

Well its been a long time since I have posted an entry here. Mylissa has been very faithful on updating and keeping it current. But I felt led to share something with you this morning and wanted to give you an update on the Wall Street Journal article.

I was reading this morning in Psalms:
Psalm 91:14 Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

My question is: do I believe this? Is it that simple? Can God satisfy us that we may glad and have Joy? I think a greater question is what do we have to let go of in order for us to receive this blessing? Why can't it be that simple? My prayer is that I CAN be satisfied, that I can let go of what the 'world' throws at me everyday and that I CAN "LET GO AND LET GOD". Because I know, that I need a everlasting JOY that can only come from HIM.

We have many dear friends who are not doing well and it's very easy for us to become focused on the bad and not on the good. Our hearts are saddened for the parents and families that see their loved ones that go through this. But we are AMAZED by those who continue to PRAISE GOD through the roughest trial of their lives. I admire them because they have learned to be satisfied in the morning. They look at the good rather than the bad that faces them everyday.

Psalm 91:4 says that:
"He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

We all have our burdens, our problems, friends and family that are in need my prayer is that we seek God in the morning and that He would SATISFY us!

WALL STREET JOURNAL -
The article about Pediatric Melanoma featuring Bella & St. Judes is supposed be published on May 31, 2005. We don't believe it will be available online and must be purchased the old fashioned way. The day may change and if so we will let you know.

Gods Grace is Sufficient

Mark Horrocks

Friday, May 13, 2005 11:51 AM CDT
UPDATE: Friday, May 13 11:34 PM
I just needed to include another special prayer request for little Madelyn Beamon. It seems that the two Bone Marrow donors that were matches for transplant have backed out. PLEASE pray that GOD would speak to these donors hearts and that HE would make it possible for one of them to donate. Also, please pray for Madelyn to continue to hold stable and to continue to tolerate her chemo well.

Hi all...

I just really need to ask you to PRAY for our Emma Grace. I would just ask that you would petition the Lord to heal her body of the complications of pneumonia that she is suffering and please pray for strength for this precious family. www.caringbridge.com/ar/emmagrace

Just a quick note from our household...it seems that Bella will be featured in an article on pediatric melanoma in the Wall Street Journal. Christina Lewis is the author, and we have enjoyed speaking with her. Bella also spoke with her, although I am not sure what about!! Bella loves to talk on the phone. Dr Shocatt (sp) at St Jude also made their most recent paper on the study that Bella was involved in available to Christina, so I am assuming some info from the study will be available. I am NOT going to link the study to this page OR the MPIP...I just feel in my spirit that this is sensitive information and if you would like to read the study you can ABSOLUTELY email us and we will provide it to you. In our opinion this is the clearest picture of ped. melanoma that is available today.

Check the website...as soon as I havea publication date from the WSJ I will post it here.

Once again, I must thank our faithful prayer warriors...and thank you to all of you who have signed the guestbook!

We love you!
Mylissa

Tuesday, May 10, 2005 5:54 PM CDT
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BELLA!!!!

Thank you so much to our faithful prayer warriors and friends for signing Bella's guestbook and wishing her a happy birthday!! She has had a full day...waffles for breakfast, riding mom-mom's horse jasmine, then lunch party at her favorite restaurant (Iguana Mia), then a pedicure complete with rhinstone flowers, and then dance at 5:30!! She is trying to convince us all to take her go-carting as well...you can imagine we are already dragging! More later...we love you and thank you for your ENCOURAGEMENT....
Love and thanks,
Mylissa and Mark

Saturday, May 7, 2005 6:24 PM CDT
Hi everyone!!

Hope you are all doing well, as are we!! Just really had to put this picture up on the website...I think this was approximately three minutes after the Kentucky Derby was over today. I was told that they are "in the gate"; in between my plants. Apparently the golf clubs are their crops. Too cute!! Check out Izaiah's rain boots and his shirt tucked in to his underwear. That kid cracks me up!

Much praise from ICU at St. Jude...Emma Grace appears to be turning around for the better!! Thank you Jesus!! Please continue praying for this dear family. Visit Emma Grace's site at www.caringbridge.com/ar/emmagrace.

Please continue to pray for Madelyn Beamon as her family continues to search for a match for transplant. Please pray that the Lord would completely heal her body! Mark and I will both be listed soon on the national donor registry, although Mark will be catagorized with a one year wait since he recently traveled in a country (Honduras) with a risk for malaria. We know that there is almost no chance that we would be a match for Madelyn but her search has really brought this issue to the forefront in our minds. I figure I can handle some discomfort for a week if it means helping a kid. www.caringbridge.com/tn/madelyn

Many of you know that Bella's birthday is Tuesday!! We are so excited for her to be turning 5...this birthday just truely gives me reason to reflect on all God has done in our lives over the past two years. He is SO AMAZING...He has not only graced us with the oppurtunity to watch Bella's healing (and HIS MERCY over her treatment!) but He has also allowed us to see the miracles He is working for other families. He has also given us the ability to meet some precious kids and truly learn to 'live on the edge'...really feeling that we are one step away from eternity. Mark and I thank Jesus every day that He has lifted the veil from our eyes and caused us to believe. Spending moments with the kids we have known that have gone on to be with Jesus has been more precious than words can tell.

Please pray for my mom, Mary. She was recently told that she has two bulging disks and bone spurs in her neck. It seems that she will need surgery for this, although they are seeking second opinons. The most upsetting part of this for her is that she can't ride her horse until she gets this fixed. She is terribly upset over that but the doctor basically told her that if she had an accident on Jasmine in her current condition she could easily become a quadriplegic.

We love you and will update again soon.
Love,
Mylissa

Monday, April 18, 2005 4:59 PM CDT
Wednesday April 20 UPDATE:
**************************************
Please continue to be praying for Emma Grace. She continues to be on a vent for pneumonia. The bone marrow transplant she had was successful and she is cancer free. Please pray that the Lord would heal her of this pneumonia as he has healed her of cancer.
www.caringbridge.com/ar/emmagrace
***************************************
Hi to our faithful prayer warriors...
Sorry for the delay but below I have included the most recent details regarding little Megan...

"I am back again! I have dictated the following from Claire, who is at work and cannot post right now:

"A HUGE miracle to report!!!! Even though last week we had an ultrasound, a cat scan, and an MRI showing tumors on both sides of Meagan's neck and two doctors saying it was metastatic melanoma, I am ecstatic, thrilled, etc. to report that the biopsies on Wednesday did not reveal a single tumor. There were no swollen nodes, etc. I received the final pathology report and staining today.

So, I cut six inches off of her hair for nothing. I didn't want all the tape to be stuck in her hair after the scheduled neck surgery. We'll take that. (Eileen: she looks adorable with her summer do) Meagan is the epitome of hope and faith."

Eileen again:

Claire said the MD Anderson pedes oncologist P.A. asked her if she believed in miracles. The pediatrician in Victoria asked the same question.

Praise God! Please continue to pray for Meagan, Bella, and all the other little melanoma angels (big ones too)! Miracles do happen!"

As you can probably imagine, we are truly in shock regarding this info. We knew a couple days ago that the preliminary assessment of the nodes was that they were in good shape, but wanted to wait until we had proof before we shared with you. I also would like to share something really neat that occured in our lives while we were praying for Meagan.

Mark and I always pray before bed each night. This is our time together where we lift up our special 'kids' and any other prayer requests we have been made aware of that day. One night while we were fervently praying for Meagan, Mark said something to the effect of, "Lord, I just have the feeling you are going to do something here Lord. I just know it." Negitive thoughts immediately flooded my head. Basically I said to myself, "Is he kidding me? What is he thinking?" As far as I was concerned, I wholeheartedly believes the docs (and the scans!) opinon that Meagan was Stage IV, and that things were really NOT GOOD. I share this with you to say that GOD IS USING HIS PEOPLE IN MIRACULOUS WAYS EVEN TODAY. If you have EVER doubted that God is still doing his tangible work in our world today, please let Meagan's life be a testimony to the opposite. I know that I have learned quite a bit through praying for Meagan, and I have learned so much from my husband's desire to be tied in to the Spirit. I guess my feeling is that if you are someone who desires to learn more about God, more about yourself, and more about this world that we live in, carve out some time to PRAY to your creator. Get outside of yourself and lift up a sick kid, a hurting family, or a troubled friend. Most importantly, God will be GLORIFIED and you will also be blessed.

Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.
2 Corinthians 1:9-11

We love you,
Mylissa

Monday, April 18, 2005 4:59 PM CDT
Wednesday April 20 UPDATE:
**************************************
Please continue to be praying for Emma Grace. She continues to be on a vent for pneumonia. The bone marrow transplant she had was successful and she is cancer free. Please pray that the Lord would heal her of this pneumonia as he has healed her of cancer.
www.caringbridge.com/ar/emmagrace
***************************************
Hi to our faithful prayer warriors...
Sorry for the delay but below I have included the most recent details regarding little Megan...

"I am back again! I have dictated the following from Claire, who is at work and cannot post right now:

"A HUGE miracle to report!!!! Even though last week we had an ultrasound, a cat scan, and an MRI showing tumors on both sides of Meagan's neck and two doctors saying it was metastatic melanoma, I am ecstatic, thrilled, etc. to report that the biopsies on Wednesday did not reveal a single tumor. There were no swollen nodes, etc. I received the final pathology report and staining today.

So, I cut six inches off of her hair for nothing. I didn't want all the tape to be stuck in her hair after the scheduled neck surgery. We'll take that. (Eileen: she looks adorable with her summer do) Meagan is the epitome of hope and faith."

Eileen again:

Claire said the MD Anderson pedes oncologist P.A. asked her if she believed in miracles. The pediatrician in Victoria asked the same question.

Praise God! Please continue to pray for Meagan, Bella, and all the other little melanoma angels (big ones too)! Miracles do happen!"

As you can probably imagine, we are truly in shock regarding this info. We knew a couple days ago that the preliminary assessment of the nodes was that they were in good shape, but wanted to wait until we had proof before we shared with you. I also would like to share something really neat that occured in our lives while we were praying for Meagan.

Mark and I always pray before bed each night. This is our time together where we lift up our special 'kids' and any other prayer requests we have been made aware of that day. One night while we were fervently praying for Meagan, Mark said something to the effect of, "Lord, I just have the feeling you are going to do something here Lord. I just know it." Negitive thoughts immediately flooded my head. Basically I said to myself, "Is he kidding me? What is he thinking?" As far as I was concerned, I wholeheartedly believes the docs (and the scans!) opinon that Meagan was Stage IV, and that things were really NOT GOOD. I share this with you to say that GOD IS USING HIS PEOPLE IN MIRACULOUS WAYS EVEN TODAY. If you have EVER doubted that God is still doing his tangible work in our world today, please let Meagan's life be a testimony to the opposite. I know that I have learned quite a bit through praying for Meagan, and I have learned so much from my husband's desire to be tied in to the Spirit. I guess my feeling is that if you are someone who desires to learn more about God, more about yourself, and more about this world that we live in, carve out some time to PRAY to your creator. Get outside of yourself and lift up a sick kid, a hurting family, or a troubled friend. Most importantly, God will be GLORIFIED and you will also be blessed.

Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.
2 Corinthians 1:9-11

We love you,
Mylissa

Tuesday, April 12, 2005 6:22 AM CDT
Hi All...

Just wanted to give you a Meagan update...her chest and abdomen are clear for tumor! This is really good news, although with the neck involvement she is still stage IV. Still waiting on brain scan so MUCH prayers are still needed there. Bella's doing great...really enjoying soccer.

Love you!
Mylissa

Thursday, April 7, 2005 1:29 PM CDT
Hi All....
Just wanted our prayer warriors to know that Mark spoke with Claire and Meagan Brousseau last night. Meagan has now advanced to stage IV and her melanoma seems to be very aggressive. She will have surgery next week to take out some of the diseased nodes (hopefully ALL!!) and I know Dr. Herzog will be trying for compassionate approval from the FDA for a vaccine trial. The new Melanoma vaccines have never been approved for a child under 10 so a specific prayer request would be that the FDA would HAVE COMPASSION on our little ones with melanoma and approve it for meagan. We are also praying for the docs at MD Anderson...that they would have the answers that little Meagan would need right now. We are putting together a box of goodies to send to TX, and specifically we are looking for some in good shape videos and DVD's...veggie tales, hermie, that sort of thing. If you are in Fort Myers and you can donate anything (we will be making a trip to Christ Centered on Friday) please call mark's cell phone.

We love you
Looking up (just like Trish says)
Mylissa

Wednesday, April 6, 2005 6:11 PM CDT
Hi everyone....

Just a couple quick updates on "our" kids....

Mark heard from Claire and it looks like Meagan is having a recurrence in her nodes in her neck. She has had an ultrasound but no biopsy yet. God is totally capable of turning this one on its head...lets band together and pray that it is His will to do so.

Emma Grace continues to improve...thank you so much for your prayers for her!!

We love all of you and know that you are bouying us up in the hard days.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Eph. 3:20-21

Sunday, April 3, 2005 3:31 PM CDT
UPDATE: PRAYER REQUEST April 4
Just heard that our little buddy Logan had a few new moles removed up at St. Jude last week. They believe that this is just precautionary at this point. Please pray that these are nothing but normal moles. (Logan completed the Interferon about 3 months before Bella) Thanks!!

Hi All!!!
Well we hope all of you had a blessed Easter. I had been promising both pictures of our Easter camping trip and the story as well...so here goes!

http://abcelectricservice.com/suwannee
(I have to apologize, I accidently uploaded all the pics instead of just the good ones)

So we roll in to Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park around midnight thursday night. By one we had camp set up and we were settling everyone in for the night. No sooner am I thinking, "Wow, I really miss falling asleep in a tent" that Mark rolls over and goes, "Is that heat lighting?" Needless to say, we waiting to the last possible moment before we hightailed it to the minivan (thank God for the van) and spread out (ahem) in there. At one point I woke up thinking, "Man, that's some loud raindrops) only to find out in the morning that it was GOLF BALL sized hail. Apparently there were some dented cars in the park. When we got up in the morning, there was no where to go since it was still heavy lighting and REALLY drenching rain. When we finally were able to escape the car, we discovered 6 inches of rain in the tent!!! After assessing the damage, Mark decided we would head in to Live Oak for some hot coffee and breakfast. We basically spent friday in town having breakfast and then at the bowling alley. Once back in the car (it was STILL raining) we decided that we would tough it out and head back to camp and make the best of it. The next morning as we were waking up to what seemed like a better day, a guy in a golf cart came through to tell us that there was a storm heading our way with 50-60 mile/hour winds and heavy hail, possible tornados. Back to the minivan we went. Then, Sat night the pattern repeated itself once again which meant that we missed most of the headliner acts we were there to see. We decided to head over to the Econo Lodge where we were able to get the LAST hotel room in Live Oak (THANK YOU JESUS). FINALLY on Easter sunday we had a nice day...we were able to Catch the gospel set and the Easter Jamboree with Bela Fleck, Peter Rowan, Tony Rice and friends. As we headed back to Fort Myers Mark and I decided we needed a vacation from our vacation. THe clincher was...on Saturday we had been told that during thursday nights storm someone had gotten impaled with a tree branch through their tent. Of course we just thought this was a festival rumor...until Mark met the guy on sunday!! He had half his hair shaved off, apparently he had gone to the local hospital to get stitched up and STILL stayed at the festival!!! Surely an experience NOT to be forgotten.

Have to ask prayers for a couple of my kids...Emma Grace in the hospital with pneumonia. Prayers that she would get out soon! www.caringbridge.com/ar/emmagrace

Prayers for Jillian Beach...trying a new less toxic form of treatment to try to get the tumors to regress...pray for tumor regression as well as relief from pain that she is having. www.caringbridge.com/ma/jillsjourney

Everyone here is just fine although Mark is recovering from walking pneumonia. He seems fine, just has this lingering cough. He's on an inhaler which seems to be helping. Kids are good, although hacking a little too.

I must also ask for prayers for me. Starting to get a little stressed/scared about next scan (June). I think that going 6 months between scans is a little hard...I think we kind of live like this is something we are not dealing with until suddenly we HAVE to. I am really trying to BELIEVE in her complete and total healing and just REST that God is in control...but I feel like I am striving for it. I guess if you would pray an additional measure of grace over me I would really appreciate it!!!

Thank you so much for your love of our family...
In Him,
Mylissa

Tuesday, March 22, 2005 8:44 PM CST
Thank you Jesus for your sacrifice!! Remember HIM this season!!
www.hechosethenails.net

Hi all!
Just a quick 'hello' before Easter. On Thursday we are heading up to Live Oak for the Suwannee Springfest...we have never gone away for Easter before! We are so excited though...it's a much needed vacation. I know the kids are just going to love it with how they love to dance. There is some rain in the forcast...just hoping we dont get poured on! We borrowed a HUGE tent from friends of ours so we'll have that if we need to get dry.

Bella meets with her Make-a-Wish team tomarrow after school. We are all very interested to see how this process goes!!

Emma Grace is in the process of having scans...so far her CT and MIBG look really good (from what I understand they are CLEAN!!) Now we are just waiting on the bone marrow results...please lift up this precious family in your prayers. You will remember that Emma Grace had that brand new BMT four months ago. We are praying that the Lord was using her to show the docs how GREAT this new treatment is. We are really excited for this family to be able to go home since they haven't been home since last August.

Also, PLEASE continue to pray for Jill Beach. From what I understand it looks like she may have a central line infection. Please visit her site and add words of encouragement to her guestbook. www.caringbridge.com/ma/jillsjourney

Thank you so much for your prayers. Looks like we head back up for scans June 13.
Love,
Mylissa

Tuesday, March 8, 2005 10:01 PM CST
Hi Everyone!!

Everyone here is doing great. Samuel is showing signs of thinking about walking...he is already terrorizing the house as it is. Speaking of terrorizing...Izaiah was very very quiet in his room for his nap today. I had no reason to think that he wasn't asleep. Suddenly he appeared saying, "I need to wash my hands!" He had white stuff all over him, and upon further inspection, I realized it was DESITIN. Three tubes of Desitin to be exact. All over him, his toys, the floor, the baby clothes and changing table...and last but not least the CAT. I have no idea why Chloe of all cats would sit there and be lathered with DESITIN, but so be it. Three tubes of Desitin. The look on his face was priceless. He knew he was in so much trouble but honestly all I could do was laugh. I really believe in about two years when the boys are two and four that I am in for it! The clincher was that he had retrieved the Desitin from his brothers closet, and upon said retrieval the closet shelf (and clothes) came crashing to the floor. For those of you who know Izaiah this is HYSTERICAL for a kid like him. He's generally mild mannered and eager to please.

Bella is great...today she insisted upon loading the dishwasher for me and turning it on. She is truly such a help. I did want to tell you about something that will be taking place soon...we are going to have to find Bella's horse Joker a new home. As I mentioned before Joker is 28 and has had several issues since coming to live with us. Lately she's been tripping and I'm having flashes of her going down with Bella on her. We've decided after much prayer that it is time, and it is unfortunate that we only had her a short while. It's really in her best interest and ours as well. The blessing is that Bella will share Pay (the black horse) with her buddies Savannah and Madison. She will still have a horse to ride, but the one concern I have with Pay is that she is FAST. Pay is a very well-mannered horse, none of the problems that we were having with Joker, but not sure that Bella can handle all of her just yet. I would just ask that you pray for Bella's understanding regarding giving Joker to a new home. She was upset enough tonight that she wouldn't eat her dinner. I explained to her that once we practiced on Joker there would be lots more ribbons to win on Pay and that perked her up a little.

If you are checking the site and are reading the updates, please sign the guestbook. Bella loves to hear about the people that sign her book, and we are trying to figure out whether this site helps to keep people informed about our family and current news.

Thank you and we love you!!!
Resting in His justification
Mark and Mylissa

Tuesday, March 1, 2005 12:24 AM CST
Hello Everyone!
We are back from our whirlwind tour of Memphis. Everything was great...Bella's docs are very pleased with her growth curve...she's gained just shy of six lbs since coming off the Interferon. She's also grown 2 inches in height. Counts were just fine. We acutally were taken on time for all of our appointments...a St. Jude first! Acutally the hospital was fairly quiet on for a monday.
Daddy is back from Honduras...pics are at www.gofortmyers.com/Cusuna
Got a chance to see Emma Grace for just a minute...Bella was so happy to see her! She is doing well...please continue to pray.
www.caringbridge.com/ar/emmagrace

Thank you so much for your prayers once again!
mylissa

Monday, February 21, 2005 9:29 PM CST
O my beloved, abide under the shelter of the lattice for I have betrothed you to Myself, and although you are sometimes indifferent towards Me, my love for you is at all times like a flame of fire. My ardor never cools. My longing for your love and affection is deep and constant.
Tarry not for an oppurtunity to have more time to be alone with Me. Take it, though you leave the tasks at hand. Nothing will suffer. Things are of less importance than you think. Our time together is like a garden full of flowers, whereas the time you give to things is as a field full of stubble.
I love you, and if you can always, as it were, feel My pulse beat, you will recieve insight that will give you sustaining strength. I bore your sins and I wish to carry all your burdens. You may take the gift of a light and merry heart, for My love dispels all fear and is a cure for every ill. Lay your head upon My breast and lose yourself in Me. You will experience resurrection life and peace; the joy of the Lord will become your strength; and wells of salvation will be opened within you.

Whoooo...you can imagine that I had to swallow quite hard while I read this in line today at the christian book store. I turned over the devotional and the only quote on the back was from none other than Adrian Rogers from Bellevue Baptist in Memphis. Of course, I had to buy it! This little book is called "Come away with me, my beloved" and I believe it is in reprint. EXACTLY what I needed to hear.
Daddy's in Honduras, and from what I hear things are going really well. Actually did get a phone call from him about an hour ago...he was standing on top of a ladder on top of the pastor's roof with the rented satellite phone. It was cutting in and out so we basically exchanged several I love you's and a couple "are you doing well?"'s. I had heard earlier in the day from another wife that they had completed putting the solar panels on the main building, and that it was powered up and working well, praise God. Mark said tomarrow they will be tiling the floor of the feeding shelter and then putting a roof on the medical facility. Once again I have to thank all of you that have seeded into this trip. You have truly put your money towards something that is giving glory only to God.
Kids are great...asking after Daddy only once in a while.
We love you!
Mylissa

Tuesday, February 15, 2005 8:43 PM CST
Hi all...
Just wanted to thank you for your prayers for the precious Haynes family. Please continue to pray for them, especially throughout this week as they tread through the funeral etc. Please also continue to pray for our Emma Grace, as it seems she is really taking the passing of Stanton very hard (goes without saying). Emma Grace is four, and I know that Bella was really unhappy to hear about Stanton's homecoming, so I can only begin to imagine what Emma is going through. The two of them were inseperable. It is really important that Emma Grace mourns Stanton, but hugely important that she continue to FIGHT. Please sign her guestbook...I know she loves to have Trish read the entries to her. Thank you so much for your prayers.
www.caringbridge.org/ar/emmagrace

Nothing very new here...'nonny' Margaret gets in tonight; the kids are really excited! Daddy leaves Sat morning for Honduras...other than that all is pretty normal (thank God). We love you and thank you for lifting up these families that are so dear to us.

Sunday February 13, 2005 3:22 PM CST
Little Stanton earned his angel wings around 2AM this morning. Thank you Jesus for sharing this precious child with us. Please continue to lift up the Haynes family in your prayers.

Hi everyone...

Realy just an update to ask for your prayers for the families that are dear to our hearts. Please pray for the Haynes family (Stanton), the Hamptons (Emma Grace) and the Beaches (Jillian). Rather than posting specifics here I will add their websites...
www.caringbridge.com/la/stanton
www.caringbridge.com/ar/emmagrace
www.caringbridge.com/ma/jillsjourney

I can say without doubt that God is GOOD and that all things GOOD come from His hand. I also know (according to my husband :)) that his GRACE is Sufficient.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
2 Corinthians 12:8-10

There is really nothing new going on here, except that Bella took fourth in the barrels at the February LCHA show. She would have placed in the Texas barrels but she broke pattern. We'll have to work on that one! Mark leaves for Honduras the 19th, and Bella, Samuel and I head for the Jude the 27th.

We love all of you and are hoping you will lift up our 'buddies' the way you have been faithful to pray for Bella.

Love,
Mylissa

Tuesday, January 25, 2005 11:48 PM CST
Second UPDATE: Also just got info on Jillian, our friend with relapsed Melanoma. Tumor growth is seen on most recent scans. They will discontinue current protocol and decide on next step. They are being given "several" options, which in itself is a miracle because basically with stage IV MM there is really no viable option. Basically with MM you don't get to find out what the newest info is unless you 'need' it. We are praying that one of these trials is the ticket for Jill and for all melanoma patients.
UPDATE FEB 1: PLEASE PRAY...everyone please be praying for the Haynes family (stanton). Things are really not getting any better. Please pray that God will allow this family to keep their little boy. Also please lift up Docs Furman and Santana. Thank you! www.caringbridge.com/la/stanton

Hi all!!!
Happy January!!
we are doing just fine; going strong as ever. Mark's grandma Doris recently passed away...she had been at a care facility because of advanced Alzheimer's disease. We really are joyful that she is home with Jesus. While in NY to be with her mother, Mark's Aunt Nancy experienced an apparent stroke. We are really not sure what caused it as this point, and she will be undergoing tests soon in CA. We would appreciate your prayers.
Bella is enjoying life to the fullest right now...really liking dance class and horseback riding. Two exciting blessings that we have noticed in the past few weeks...When putting her hair in pig tails in the sunlight recently, I realized that she had all these 'flyaways' all over her head, and that they were all maybe 1.5 inches long! I thought it was really strange, and I didn't think it could be breakage since I haven't noticed anything in her hair brush. Upon further examination, we realized that it is regrowth! It's really amazing how many short hairs there are...we knew she was losing some hair but now its evident it was more than we realized. Also, we had noted to the docs in November that we thought the 'toe line' was decreasing, but now you can really tell it's getting much lighter! Not completely gone yet but we think its on its way out! So strange. The docs acted like they had never seen a staining such as that with Interferon. They also assumed it would be there forever. We just take it as another sign from God that He is continuing to work on her behalf. We are just trying to remain faithful to His call and do the best we can to Glorify His Holy name.

So February is turning out to be busy! The 19th Mark leaves for a missions trip to Honduras for a week. I am really happy for him as this will be his first trip overseas. He and the group of men from our church and a group from TN will be providing and attaching solar panels to a medical and feeding shelter in the jungle region. The name of the village is Cusana and the local church there feeds 45 orphans under the age of 5 twice a day. I know Mark's soft heart...who knows, we might end up living in Honduras!
Mark returns the evening of the 27th, and Bella, Samuel and I leave that afternoon for The Jude. Just a quick trip...derm, check up and blood draw...nothing fancy. Kind of strange...this is the longest (3 months) that Bella has gone without a needle stick since summer '03. Time flies, huh? Praise God!
After that, we will round out the beginning of March with a probable horse camping trip in Withlacootchee State Forest. We are bringing the troops, and meeting up with a couple of other families. Just working out the details at this point. Should be LOTS OF FUN!
We would really appreciate your prayers as Mark and I evaluate the 5-year plan for the Horrocks family. Some of you know that God has really stirred our hearts...we really feel that we are at a crossroads and ready to make some decisions about how we can best glorify HIM in the near future. It's an exciting time.
A couple of prayer requests for our special families...Stanton Haynes- not really sure what is going on other than complications from high-dose chemo and possibly infection. He's been maintaining 0 counts for longer than everyone would have hoped. Please pray. www.caringbrige.org/la/stanton
Jillian Beach- finally back on schedule with her chemo. You'll remember that she is relapsed with melanoma. www.caringbridge.org/ma/jillsjourney
Emma Grace Hampton- in hospital on drugs to regulate graft versus host disease. Forgive me since I dont really understand BMT's that well but we would love to see Emma back at target house and out of inpatient. She did receive her first normal scan!! PRAISE THE LORD!! www.caringbridge.com/ar/emmagrace

Thank you so much for being faithful to pray.
We are working on putting together new prayer cards.
We love you!!!
Mark and Mylissa

Wednesday, January 5, 2005 1:18 PM CST
UPDATE!!! PRAISE REPORT!!!
Little Miss Emma Grace got back her first normal scan!!! Praise the Lord! Trish said she expected to see improvement but there were no hotspots found!! Thank you so much for praying for this special family.

Hello all!!

Well we are enjoying the start of a new year here in Florida. Weather has been really amazing...and the kids are doing fine. Samuel managed to gain two pounds over the holidays...must be all the cookies and egg nog mommy ate! Those of you who know that the docs were a little concerned about his weight know that this was a blessing. Now there is no worries or concerns about testing for latent problems or disease.
Bella is doing great, just being her normal self...really enjoying her energy level and happiness these days. She has started back taking dance and was really excited about that.
Izaiah is making us laugh every day...really talking up a storm and loving his baby brother.
A couple of prayer requests...please pray for our St Jude friends the Haynes'. Stanton recently underwent the high dose radiation therapy for neuroblastoma in Philly. He had his bone marrow aspiration and things were not good. He will follow up this week with MRI and MiBG scans, and the treatment plan will be to do the new BMT that Emma Grace just had. Please pray for a complete healing for Stanton.
Also please remember the Beach family in your prayers...Jill is 15 and is dealing with a stage IV melanoma relapse. She originally (at 11) had the same stage disease as Bella, except one lymph node positive. She was clear for two years before she relapsed. She is currently doing chemo but needs prayers for her counts to recover so she can get her second round of medicine.
Thank you so much for praying for these families.
Love,
The Horrocks Family

Saturday, January 1, 2005 7:32 PM CST
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Just wanted to say happy new year to all of you who come to Bella's site! We are so excited for the start of a new year...we can't wait to see what God has in store for 2005. We are hoping that we are able to keep all EYES and EARS on Him this year. We have tons of new pictures...recently set up a photo blog at
http://horrocks.myphotoalbum.com/albums.php
Please feel free to visit. Thank you so much for your prayers for Miss Amy, our friend from Bella's school. Her doctors have decided to put off the Interferon for the time being until they gather further research about her particular situation. She may start it soon, or they may decide it isn't warranted in her case. Please continue to pray for peace for this family. We love you and thank you so much for your prayers!

Love,
The Horrocks Family

Wednesday, December 22, 2004 9:52 PM CST
Hi everyone!

We hope you are enjoying getting ready for the holidays...we are! Believe it or not, we actually left time to go riding tomarrow. Shopping is done...for me this is a near miracle to not be out on Christmas Eve. Everyone here seems to be happy and healthy...the baby seems to be gaining weight in leaps and bounds, Izaiah is always causing laughs and Bella is all energy and curiousity. I am mainly updating tonight to ask special prayers for someone who is dear to us. A few weeks ago I had asked you to pray for Miss Amy, the head administrator of Bella's school. Initial results were that her lymph nodes were clear of Melanoma. Through some additional testing and a second opinion Amy has decided to go ahead with a year of Interferon therapy. I can't tell you how ironic this feels, since a year ago we weren't even sure if we would put Bella in pre-K let alone at the school that Miss Amy started. PLEASE pray that Amy tolerates the treatments well and that ourselves and all the families at school can be a blessing to her and her family. She will and her family will also be moving right before starting treatment (jan 3) so please pray for that transition as well.
We love all of you and are praying for you to feel His 'arms of love' around you this Christmas!
Mark and Mylissa

Tuesday, December 14, 2004 11:38 AM CST
TO ALL OF OUR OUT OF TOWN FRIENDS AND FAMILY:
If you have any reason to believe we do not have a current home address for you, please send it to mmhorrocks@earthlink.net. We would love for everyone to get a Christmas picture this year!

Hi everyone!

Well all is well in the Horrocks household...I tell you what, it feels really great to celebrate the holidays knowing that Bella is doing well. Of course this is with a tinge of sadness for all our families that are still struggling. Please, as you are celebrating this year with your healthy kids and grandkids, remember these families in your prayers.

Aaron Hunter, a sweet little boy from Peoria. He will be going home to Jesus within the next few days. He is 6. His mom Marilyn has two other children and lives with her mom. They are very very poor. Aaron has been dreaming of Jesus and knows he is going Home to be with Him.
www.caringbridge.com/il/aarondhunter

Madelyn Beamon, who is doing much better, but is still having problems. The next hurdle for this family will be over the next couple weeks, when they scan to see if this new chemo is working for Madelyn. This is really the last treatment that Madelyn's body can tolerate.
www.caringbridge.com/tn/madelynbeamon

Emma Grace Hampton and of course Trish who are on the fourth floor of St Jude through the holidays. Emma Grace is receiving Trish's stem cells through a brand new form of BMT. This BMT just HAS to work for Emma Grace...I just know it will!! Please be praying for amazing results and that their long stay on the fourth floor will be tolerated well by everyone.
www.caringbridge.com/ar/emmagrace

And of course remember to lift up praises for the blessings in your life, and the way the Lord is protecting Bella and our family!

The only 'medical' news we have this week is that St. Jude's called, and although we have to go up there every three months, they will only scan on the 6 month trips. They will continue to use the chest/abdomen/pelvis CT (assuming they can remember to include the PELVIS, hehe) until Dr. Furman decides to switch them over to the PET scans. Apparently they will not do any more MRI or PET unless there is cause for concern. So this is definitely something to rejoice over since this means she will be subjected to that much less radiation. We were under the impression they would continue to do the chest X-Ray but apparently not. The funniest part is that we have to continue to fly up there every three months just so they can look at her and listen to her head with the stethescope (the famous St. Jude doctor protocol). Oh well! We hope and pray that you all have a BLESSED holiday as will we.

We love you!
Christ is born!!
Mark and Mylissa

Wednesday, December 8, 2004 11:38 AM CST
Hi everyone!

Well all is well in the Horrocks household...I tell you what, it feels really great to celebrate the holidays knowing that Bella is doing well. Of course this is with a tinge of sadness for all our families that are still struggling. Please, as you are celebrating this year with your healthy kids and grandkids, remember these families in your prayers.

Aaron Hunter, a sweet little boy from Peoria. He will be going home to Jesus within the next few days. He is 6. His mom Marilyn has two other children and lives with her mom. They are very very poor. Aaron has been dreaming of Jesus and knows he is going Home to be with Him.
www.caringbridge.com/il/aarondhunter

Madelyn Beamon, who is doing much better, but is still having problems. The next hurdle for this family will be over the next couple weeks, when they scan to see if this new chemo is working for Madelyn. This is really the last treatment that Madelyn's body can tolerate.
www.caringbridge.com/tn/madelynbeamon

Emma Grace Hampton and of course Trish who are on the fourth floor of St Jude through the holidays. Emma Grace is receiving Trish's stem cells through a brand new form of BMT. This BMT just HAS to work for Emma Grace...I just know it will!! Please be praying for amazing results and that their long stay on the fourth floor will be tolerated well by everyone.
www.caringbridge.com/ar/emmagrace

And of course remember to lift up praises for the blessings in your life, and the way the Lord is protecting Bella and our family!

The only 'medical' news we have this week is that St. Jude's called, and although we have to go up there every three months, they will only scan on the 6 month trips. They will continue to use the chest/abdomen/pelvis CT (assuming they can remember to include the PELVIS, hehe) until Dr. Furman decides to switch them over to the PET scans. Apparently they will not do any more MRI or PET unless there is cause for concern. So this is definitely something to rejoice over since this means she will be subjected to that much less radiation. We were under the impression they would continue to do the chest X-Ray but apparently not. The funniest part is that we have to continue to fly up there every three months just so they can look at her and listen to her head with the stethescope (the famous St. Jude doctor protocol). Oh well! We hope and pray that you all have a BLESSED holiday as will we.

We love you!
Christ is born!!
Mark and Mylissa

Wednesday, December 1, 2004 6:01 PM CST
UPDATE: PET scan clear!!! Praise the Lord! Next visit Feb 28.
Hi everyone!!

Well I continue to be amazed by the Mercy that God extends over my family. So far so good with the scans...Dr. Inaba stopped by today to check on Bella while she was in her PET, and said that the pelvis CT and the MRI were clear! He is going to call our cell phone tomarrow after he reads the PET, but we will probably go ahead and get on the road. Bella did really well with her sedation today...the only curveball we had was that daddy was at the cafeteria with Izaiah while Mommy was in getting Bella ready for the scan. The nurse said she was ready to inject Bella, did I have someone for the baby because he couldn't be around Bella...she'd be radioactive. Picture me just staring at this woman like, "Does anyone ever tell us anything around here?" So now picture me and Bella and Samuel in the stroller running down the halls trying to find daddy. They had already placed Bella's line and strapped her arm to an IV board, so she was running with her arm stuck straight out. She looked like a scarecrow or something! Too funny! She came out of her sedation great, and we took her right to the cafeteria and let her pick out whatever she wanted. Thank you so much for continuing to keep us in your thoughts and prayers.
Madelyn update: She got out of the hospital today to go back to the Target House! Truly a miracle. The docs are still trying to figure out what happened. www.caringbridge.com/tn/madelynbeamon

Monday, November 29, 2004 4:53 PM CST
UPDATE:
Just a quick note...we are not scheduled for a D clinic appointment this visit. In other words, they are assuming all these scans will be clear. I guess we would recieve some sort of phone call if they needed to talk to us, but so far so good! The pelvic CT and the MRI have probably been read at this point. The PET is today. Thank you for praying and please don't stop!!
Hey everyone, well we are back on our St. Judes schedule. Our typical Monday morning appointment only turned into a full day event and extended our stay up here. As you know we were scheduled for our PET scan this morning. We understood that this was the same process as the CT Scans. They are, but take about 45 minutes, and no 4 year old will lay COMPLETELY still for 45 minutes. So needless to say sedation is needed but none was scheduled. Now you’d think that would be a phone call away, but there’s a process. They also added on a CT Scan of her pelvis, which we now understand was supposed to be done on our last trip but was overlooked (kinda like the MRI) Anyhow, we love this place and understand that everyone makes mistakes, but sometimes it seems because Bella is doing so good things tend to get overlooked as opposed to a child is facing much worse situations then us who needs all hands on deck…… So to make long day into a short story it’s Monday evening, we were supposed to be leaving late Tues early Weds. Now Bella is scheduled for her sedation and MRI for tomorrow, which she will be ‘put under’ for and now her sedation and PET will be scheduled for late Wednesday which now puts us home Friday.

Our prayer requests: now that we understand that a CT of her pelvis has not been done and then PET and MRI, we pray again that all these tests would prove that God has completely healed Bella’s body and that she is 100ancer free.
Secondly that they air of confusion would be GONE. That no more scheduling errors would be made that clarity and wisdom would be given to our doctors and nurses.

On another note for those of you who have been keeping up with us about another family up here, Madelyn Beamon is now out the ICU and talking and playing. For those of you didn’t know they were sure if this little girl would make it thru last week and her doctor (Dr. Furman our doctor) said “Miracles do Happen”. Amazing things like this happen everyday here, God grace is over everyone here! As the year closed to end and you are looking for places to donate and make out our charitable contributions before the years end please think of St. Judes!

Thank you all for your prayers and continue to check Bella’s website for more updates. We update here more often then we send out emails.

God Bless!

Sunday, November 28, 2004 11:47 AM CST
"It shall come to pass That before they call, I will answer; And while they are still speaking, I will hear. Isaiah 65:24

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

My main reason for updating today is to give you further reports of the miracle that God has done for Madelyn Beamon. They have taken her off her oxygen and blood pressure medicine…she has taken a 180 degree turn since last week. We feel so lucky that God has allowed us to pray and be witness to the miracle He has worked for this family. To keep up with her, please visit her website-www.caringbridge.com/tn/madelynbeamon.

Well, we have arrived in Memphis! We succeeded in passing our vomit virus to both of my parents and my brothers’ entire family…so Thanksgiving was interesting to say the least! We decided to leave Huntsville a day early so that the kids could rest today (Sunday) before our early mornings Monday and Tuesday. We were really hoping to see our dear Emma Grace and family before they check in for transplant on Monday, but we called and told them we didn’t want to risk it with the virus we’ve been carrying. Mom Trish is the donor for this transplant, so both she and Emma need to be careful before the get this process underway. Please be praying for them as they walk through this brand new procedure…pray for the peace of Jesus and of course that this would WORK WORK WORK!!! They are such a special family. www.caringbridge.com/ar/emmagrace

Bella started the prednisone early this morning, and by 9AM she had already had breakfast once and was informing me with a wave of her hand, “I am going to eat ALL this food!!” (pointing to the continental breakfast bar) I am not sure if the prednisone can work that quickly but I know kids can eat like crazy while they are on it. She ate more before 11AM than she usually does in one day.

Our schedule is as follows- we have nuclear injection at the hospital on Monday at 7:45, followed by PET at 9AM. We are hoping to visit the children’s museum afterwards. On Tuesday we are due in to IV sedation at 6:45 for an 8AM MRI. If things are on time, then we should be out on Tuesday by 11. We will update again after MRI.

We love you all and thank you for your prayers!

Friday, November 19, 2004 8:50 PM CST
UPDATE: Madelyn Beamon is doing quite a bit better!! Nothing short of a miracle for that family. Thank you so much for your prayers. Please continue to pray and visit her website and guestbook www.caringbridge.com/tn/madelynbeamon

Hi everyone...
We had sent out an email asking everyone to please pray for Madelyn Beamon. Today they did advanced testing for fibrosis of the lungs, and nothing is conclusive. Dr. Furman (yes, our Dr. Furman) does believe that this is what Madelyn has and at this point they are hoping they can keep her in stable condition through the night. PLEASE pray your hardest for this family tonight. For those of you with healthy kids and grandkids, take one looks at them sleeping in their beds and then devote at least a few minutes to praying for this precious family.
www.caringbridge.com/tn/madelynbeamon

Everyone is doing just fine here...we are looking forward to spending thanksgiving in AL with the cousins! The kids just love playing together and it's actually a nice break for me since we don't have to do much entertaining! After the holiday we will be off to St. Jude the 29th and 30th for our PET scan and MRI. We are praying that all goes well with the medications and IV sedation and that we can get on the road on tuesday after the MRI.

Bella competed in her first horse show tonight without someone leading the horse! She did so great...we were so proud of her. It was so great to see that big smile on her face. She should have taken fourth place in the barrel race, but she got disqualified for going the wrong way around one barrel. She took fourth place in the hairpin race. Unfortunately the posse didn't have ribbons for the 'small fry' kids tonight, but the kids got toys instead. Bella's little buddy Savannah took second in the barrels and first in the hairpin! They both rode Joker, who is turning out to be a really nice horse. Promise we will post a picture of her soon.

Enjoying living in the grace of Christ...
Mark and Mylissa

Friday, November 12, 2004 7:17 AM CST
UPDATE:
Hi everyone...
I am updating today primarily to ask for your prayers for a special family. We met Madelyn Beamon's family while we were both in the surgical waiting room last March. Madelyn is a sweet little angel who is fighting neuroblastoma. She recently had her bone marrow transplant which did not work. They are set to go with a Phase I chemo regimen...kind of a last ditch effort. At last check they had admitted her in to the hospital because of a possible viral infection that was going to delay the chemo. PLEASE be praying for this family...mom is Brandi and dad is Neal. They have a strong network of friends and family who truly love the Lord. www.caringbridge.com/tn/madelynbeamon

Hey everyone.... Well things are just going great! Bella's energy levels are great and she eating so much better than she had this past year and she loves salad! God is so good! For those of you who don't know, Bella has bee riding horses for some time now. With MomMom over at the Mellis' or with Cindi and Bella's barrel racing friend Savannah. Well I'm not going into detail, but someone who knew someone had some horses they were giving away. So next thing I know, Mylissa, Cindy and some other friends of ours were heading up to the Tampa area with a horse trailer. Now we have a horse! Bella is estatic. Her name is Joker, which Bella has changed to JoJo. The 28yr old mare is very pretty and we'll post some pictures soon. So we now frequent the barn and both kids get to ride horses, play in the dirt and hay and get back to country life. Mylissa won't admit it, but she is in heaven being back at the barns. (She grew up with horses and worked at a 20-horse barn during college) Hopefully JoJo will be ready for shows soon!

We leave next Weds the 24th to head up to Alabama for Thanksgiving with Thom (mylissa's brother) which will be a fun time between Thom&Allyn, their 9 kids, 1 son-in-law, our 3 kids and Grandma and Grandpa it should be a festive holiday. Then Sunday we'll head up to St. Judes for her Pet scan and MRI. Pleas pray that the sedation goes well for the MRI and good results!!!

Please continue to pray for Emma Grace(http://www.caringbridge.com/ar/emmagrace for Stanton who just found out his bone marrow was CANCER FREE and allowing him to go to Philidelphia for a specialized nuclear treatment that is very promising. Also please continue pray for Miss Amy, the head administrator of bella's school. She had a sentinel node biopsy and has no results yet please pray that all comes back NEGATIVE and that the swelling and pain would subside from her biopsy. Please pray that there is no presence of melanoma in her lymph nodes and that this was just precautionary.

Wednesday, November 3, 2004 3:46 PM CST
A QUICK NOTE FOR OUR MEMPHIS FRIENDS: We will be at St. Jude November 29 and 30, probably heading home the 30th.

Hi everyone! Thank you for praying! The St. Jude pharmacy called us in regards to 'sending Bella's medicine'. We called them back, and apparently the forces have decided to administer prednisone pills every 6 hours starting 24 hours before the PET scan. We will also start benadryl 45 mins before the scan and 45 mins after. The oral prednisone will make her sleepy, but we are much happier with doing the meds orally than IV. She will also have IV sedation the day after for the MRI. This works out better for our family, as we will be able to spend more time with Bella's cousins in Alabama.
We are doing well, and enjoying Nonny and Poppa's visit here in Florida. We have been spending wednesday smiling over the election results! Go President Bush! Izaiah has developed quite the attraction to Poppa and doesn't like him to be out of his sight. Samuel is beginning to rock on his arms and knees...really cute! Looks like he will be crawling soon.
A couple of prayer requests for our special friends. Please continue to pray for Emma Grace, Eli, and Mom Trish and Dad Barney. Emma Grace had her most recent scans on Mon and Tues. We don't know the results yet...we are asking God to move in a miraculous way in her body. Prayer Warriors Unite!! Also please pray for Miss Amy, the head administrator of bella's school. She had a sentinel node biopsy last Friday and is recovering well. We are trying to be patient awaiting the results. Dr. Reintgen put her in a clinical study, so the results may take a while. Please pray that there is no presence of melanoma in her lymph nodes and that this was just precautionary.
We love you! More soon!!
In Him,
Mark and Mylissa

Tuesday, November 2, 2004 9:28 AM CST
Hi everyone...just a quick prayer request for our family. Many of you know that Bella had a wierd rash that popped up about 24 hours after her CAT scan at St. Jude. It took about a week to go away, and it spread from her arm to face and neck. After talking with Sandy at St Jude, she felt that it was probably a IV contrast reaction, and that next time we would pre- and post-medicate with benadryl. We recently got our schedule for November when we will be going up for the routine MRI and PET scan...and today I called to make sure they remembered that she would need the benadryl. They called back and said that they would need to start an IV of prednesone 24 hours prior to the PET scan, and then premed and postmed with benadryl. Basically, we have no problem with the additional medications and procedures if she definitely needs it...but at this point its a bit hard to say whether the reaction was from the scan or not. Dr. Furman has NOT decided if he feels it is neccessary to do the prednesone...so if you could just PRAY that they would decide to take a 'wait and see'attitude...and then hopefully she won't react this time. We just hate to see her go through more than she has to.

Thank you once again for your prayers.
Only by His grace....

Mark and Mylissa

Monday, October 18, 2004 9:56 PM CDT
Bella had her checkups at St Jude today and everything looks great!! Today's checkups and scans prove her to be NED for one year. The bone density scan looked great as well, no problems there. Our docs are looking at switching the Melanoma kids from routine cat scans to routine PET scans...so Dr. Furman asked if we could stay up here until wednesday to have a baseline PET performed. We were trying to work it out, but it looks like the travel office wasn't going to be able to get us out of Memphis till the weekend, and so may just do the PET in January when we return. Also, we were told today that Bella DOES need the MRI of her knee, but apparently it will just be performed in January. Apparently the protocol is not very clear on what is required at the end of therapy, so some of the kids are getting the repeat MRI and some are not.

The Lord allowed us to meet two other Melanoma families while we were here. Little Emma had four nodes positive and she completed her treatment nearly three years ago. She is doing great!! We also met Kalen, a little boy Bella'a age who completed treatment 1 year ago. He was diagnosed at 2 /2. Both of these kids are doing great and Bella had tons of fun playing with them.

A prayer request for our buddy Emma Grace...one of Bella's special friends. She has been undergoing a new radiation treatment for neuroblastoma and when we were here in September we had praise reports that everything looked really good. Apparently
they performed scans again and the disease appeared 'progressive'. She has returned to Philly for another radiation treatment, and is now back at St. Jude. Mom Trish and Dad Barney are looking to the LORD for direction on what to do next...there is a new bone marrow transplant procedure they are looking at trying. Please pray
if the Lord puts Emma Grace on your heart. http://www.caringbridge.com/ar/emmagrace

We love you guys and thank you so much for praying.

Friday October 15, 2004 9:41 AM CDT
Well everyone, we are trying a new format here, please forward this web address to anyone who has been in the loop about Bella. October 8, 2004 was the birthday of my Grandmother and it is also was the LAST DAY OF BELLA’S TREATMENT!!!!!!!!
Hallelujah!!!!!! Hallelujah!!!!!! Hallelujah!!!!!! Hallelujah!!!!!!
It’s hard to believe that a year has passed so quickly. Back when this started, we thought this day would never come. The Lord’s grace has been so abundant this year. When I think about this last year a song comes to mind by Jeremy Camp:

Would I believe you when you would say
Your hand will guide my every way
Will I receive the words You say
Every moment of every day
Well I will walk by faith
Even when I cannot see it
Well because this broken road
Prepares Your will for me
Help me to win my endless fears
You've been so faithful for all my years
With the one breath You make me
Your grace covers all I do

Over the last year, we have been so blessed! When I needed to be with my family during surgeries and treatment, when medical bills started pouring in, when travel expenses started to incur YOU were all there to support us. Over $12,000.00 came in to support us during this past year. YOU allowed me take the time off work to be with my wife and children. Thank you for letting God work through you, thank you for your continued prayers! We stand in faith today because of the promises that God gives us and the prayers of the saints.

Psalm 29:11 The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.

Psalm 34:19 Many [are] the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all. (not some afflictions, but ALL!!!)

If you remember Bella’s prayer card the scripture we used was Romans 12:12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. We had to be joyful in hope this year, and patient during our affliction and faithful with prayer. I cannot tell you enough how much our church meant to us this last year and the prayers of the faithful who helped carry us this past year. Thank you to all the Vineyard family, thank you Pastor Gary and Cathy for always being there for us! Thank you Mommom and Poppy, thank you Nonny and Papa for being there for us! The first weekend of November we plan on having a “THANK YOU” and celebration party, so please mark you calendars if you can make it. Invitations will be coming and RSVP will be needed for food count.

Now granted this journey is not over, we’ll be returning to St. Judes every 3 months for 3 years for check ups. Every good check up is one step further we are away from ever having to deal with this again. We covet your prayers as the approaching of every check up will be very stressful. We also ask for your prayer that God would reveal his will to Mylissa and I. The Lord has laid something very heavy on our hearts, I cannot go into detail right now, but we ask that you pray that Lord would show us HIS ways and HIS path for us to follow and that we will have the strength to walk in faith when the time comes.

Please continue to pray for some of our St. Jude Friends:

Stanton – www.caringbridge.com/la/stanton
Emmagrace – www.caringbridge.com/ar/emmagrace
Tori – www.caringbridge.com/fl/tori
Madelyn - www.caringbridge.org/tn/madelynbeamon

May God bless you and keep you!
The Horrocks Family

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