Power in Prayer

Every month, our church has a "Fast Sunday."  It is usually held on the first Sunday of the month, and church members fast--go without food and drink for two meals--and donate the equivalent cost, or more, to the Church to assist the poor and needy.
Fasting without prayer is just going hungry, so this specific fasting comes prayer, often for a specific purpose, question, or concern.  Fasting with faith in receiving an answer from Heavenly Father helps us be more humble and receive His guidance.
Often, when there is a specific need/question in a family, that entire family will fast and pray together in the same purpose.  I've also experienced prayer requests from groups of friends and even entire church families gathering together to pray for one person or family.  There is power in faithful prayer--and in the faith of many.  I've seen it.
Tomorrow is Fast Sunday in our church.  If any of you are so inclined--and of proper health to do so--I would encourage you to join my family in a specific fast and prayer for this cancer.  If you are simply inclined to pray or have a prayer in your heart, I ask that you focus that power of prayer in our direction and join your thoughts and voices with many others in sending up prayers to our Father in Heaven tomorrow.
There have been thoughts and prayers from loved ones asking why I have to go through this, if this could be removed from me and taken on by someone else, or that the test results would come back negative or even that a mistake was made and this wasn't cancer after all.  Just because those prayers haven't been answered in the exact way they have been requested doesn't mean that God isn't answering prayers--maybe just in different ways or by holding me in His arms and giving me strength and comfort.
This cancer is something my family and I are going to have to endure.  As one of Kyle's favorite songs says, "We can't go over it...can't go under it....can't go around it.  We gotta go through it."  We just need the strength to overcome this trial.
I believe there is great strength from exercising faith and putting that faith in prayer.  I ask you to join us in prayer requests for me, for Stephen, for our boys, and for my extended family--for strength to endure, for good health, for energy to go about as many of our normal daily routines as possible, for special blessings the Lord may see fit for us.  We should also pray for the doctors and other medical professionals who will be helping my body to heal, that they will be guided in giving me the best health care possible and be able to remove the cancer and keep me healthy.  Prayers for those who will assist in this process in their amazing service to my family will also be offered. All of us can pray, and some of the most touching prayers have been offered by my children.  The other day, Ryan said, "mommy sick.  help mommy not be sick.  feel better."  My heart about burst open.  Kyle's prayers have been so genuine and pure, too.  I think there must be some direct line, a "favorites," of prayers from children to our Father in Heaven.  If children can pray with such faith and purity, we all  can. 
The church meeting on Fast Sunday offers church members to bear testimony about the Savior and of ways that they have been blessed and learned more.  I look forward to that Sunday and felt impressed to share my testimony in January---before I was diagnosed with cancer--even though there just wasn't time and something came up with one of the boys.  I remember thinking something about how we never know how our actions can affect others and how we can influence our family members, friends, and neighbors by our integrity, service, cheerfulness, being good parents, etc.  I wasn't able to publicly share my testimony in January in front of my ward family, and it looks like I won't be able to do so tomorrow, as I've come down with the same upper respiratory junk that Evan and Ryan both have.  It's probably better to just keep this beast contained, so we will probably all be staying home.   However, I do have a testimony and will try to continue to share the many ways I've been blessed, even if I just record them here. 

I know I cannot go through this journey alone.  I have faith that our Father in Heaven hears and answers prayers, and I ask you to excersie your faith, too.