A HUGE "PRAISE" REGARDING BABY LILY JONES

Psalm 150:1 ¶ Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.

(If you haven't already, please double-click on this pic to see it!)

This is Dawn's post tonight on Lily's caringbridge site:

WEDNESDAY, MAY 07, 2008 09:00 PM, CDT

We received a call from Lily's oncologist today. The final diagnosis is mature teratoma, a benign tumor! Praise God! Josh and I are amazed and so thankful for the Lord's mercy. There will be no more tests. Just the routine check-up in a couple of months. I feel as if a boulder has been lifted off of my shoulders.

I thank the Lord for this trial. Only good things has come of it. It has strengthened my relationship with Him and taught me how to depend on Him more. It's also brought our family closer together. Thank you all so very much for the many, many prayers that were sent up for Lily and us. Josh and I both felt your prayers working. We felt a peace that could have only come from the Lord. Thanks also for all of the encouraging messages. Where would we be without the Lord and our wonderful friends? Our prayers have been answered! PRAISE GOD!

And I also received this email from Dawn's mother (Lily's Grandma!) earlier this afternoon:

We have some wonderful, wonderful news. The oncologist just called Dawn and Josh and told them the tumor has been diagnosed as mature teratoma. This is such good news! God did a wonderful miracle in Lily's life. First of all the tumor was not malignant neuroblastoma cancer, as we were told for two long weeks. Second of all the tumor was not made up of brain and spine tissue, which is what we were told last Friday evening. She will not need an MRI of her brain or spine to make sure she is developing normal. Now we have just been told that the tumor was made up of cartilage. Lily doesn't have to go back for a check up for two or three more months! I can't begin to describe to you the burden that has been lifted off my shoulders. All I can say, is that God answered so many prayers that were lifted up for Lily by all of our friends, relatives, acquaintances and many, many other people we do not even know. Please get the words out about Lily. I'm sure Dawn hasn't had a chance to update the website yet, but please feel free to check it out later and send them a message if you feel lead. We are giving God all the glory!

www.caringbridge.org/visit/lilyjones

Thank you,
Rhonda

Little Lily and Family ~~ Waiting on the Final Diagnosis

From Dawn's Post on Friday.......

Please keep praying for Lily. We will not know the final diagnosis of the tumor until Tuesday or Wednesday.

ANSWERED PRAYER FOR BABY LILY JONES

1 John 5:14-15 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

We thank and praise God for this wonderful word from Josh and Dawn regarding their precious 2-month-old Lily....

FRIDAY, MAY 02, 2008 03:47 PM, CDT

We just had a visit from the Oncologist, and there are new findings. Some of the pathology reports came back today and the pathologist has ruled out Neuroblastoma! What a miracle! Before the surgery the oncologist was 99% sure it was neuroblastoma. The surgeon also thought it was after looking at the first specimen removed. They now believe it's not malignant, but a benign tumor, possibly neuroglial heterotopia. This is a very rare tumor and she will be a case study. The Oncologist says he has never seen it before.

Please Visit Lily's "CaringBridge" Site

www.caringbridge.org/visit/lilyjones

Today's Update on Baby Lily Jones

Matthew 9:35 ¶ And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

This is today's update on 2-month-old Lily Jones. Her parents went to church and school with our kids and both sets of grandparents are friends of ours. Please pray for Baby Lily's recovery from cancer surgery and for her total healing.

From: Rhonda (Lily's Maternal Grandmother)
Sent: Thursday, May 01, 2008 9:15 AM
Subject: Lily Update

We have been amazed and humbled at the prayer support and love shown by everyone on Lily's behalf. We have an awesome God who has answered our prayers. The surgery was long and tedious, but Lily came out of it miraculously with four small incisions, and encouraging words from her surgeon that she believes all of the tumor was removed.

Lily still needs prayer for her recovery. She had to have morphine last night to help her sleep through some pain. It breaks our heart if she cries, so we are thankful for pain medication. Almost all of her little body organs were moved during the surgery, and we are praying that everything "gets up and running again" on its own. We are still waiting to hear back from the
bone marrow and tumor pathology. Then the oncologist will stage the cancer and tell us the plan.

Dawn and Josh have been doing great as a team. We believe in the power of prayer, so once again thank you for remembering Lily, Josh, Dawn, Luke and the rest of the family.

Love,
Rhonda

"Resting in God's Love" by Baby Lily's Maternal Grandmother, Rhonda

Song of Solomon 2:12 The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;

Rhonda (in the red dress) and her family: Front Row L-R: Daughter Pam holding Baby Ellie, Rhonda, Dawn (expecting Lily) holding Little Luke, Rhonda's mother, Jean. Back Row L-R: Pam's husband Casey, Dawn's husband Josh, Rhonda's husband Dan, and Rhonda's son, Danny. (Double-click on any pic to enlarge for better viewing.) And now from Rhonda.....

Dear Prayer Warriors,

Let me share my heart with you for a minute. I spent the night with Dawn and Josh last Saturday and Sunday and took care of (2-month-old) Lily so that they could get a good night's rest.
(Picture is of Josh and Dawn with Luke and Lily.)


Early Saturday morning I had asked God for a special promise. I was holding Lily closely and looking out the livingroom window. It was about 6:30 a.m. I noticed a birdhouse on the backyard fence. A mommy bird and daddy bird were making visits in and out of the birdhouse, feeding their young. God reminded me of the song "His Eye is on the Sparrow." It is one of my favorite songs; Dawn has sung it a few times in church. It wasn't long before Josh and Luke joined me in the livingroom. We were quietly waiting for Dawn to wake up. I mentioned my thoughts to Josh as we sat there looking out the window watching the birds.

Later that same day Dawn was checking her email and mentioned she had a really sweet one from George (a friend from church) . As she read it to us, he too was conveying the exact same assurance and comfort to Dawn that the Lord had given me earlier that morning. A couple of the verses follow:

Let not your heart be troubled, His tender word I hear,
And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears;
Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;

Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come,
Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heaven and home,
When Jesus is my portion? My constant friend is He:
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

Matthew 6:26 "Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?"

Lily is precious in God's sight. She is under His wings and nothing can happen to her without His knowledge. I am clinging to the promise that He is watching over her! Another verse I love is Psalm 91:4 "He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust."

Keep praying on Lily's behalf. Pray the surgeon will be able to remove the whole tumor (on Tuesday, April 29). Pray for total healing from this cancer. Pray for Dawn and Josh to be strengthened, encouraged and comforted in God's love. Pray for Luke as he will be separated from his parents for much of next week. And please keep praying for the other family members as well.

Resting in God's love,
Rhonda

Monday (4/21/08) Update on Baby Lily

Earlier today, Rhonda (Lily's maternal grandmother) sent out several pictures of 2-month-old Lily that were made on Sunday. Isn't she precious? This afternoon, I received word from Rhonda after Lily's appointment at Children's Hospital today. I post Rhonda's update on Lily and her neuroblastoma cancer situation as a praise to our Lord Jesus Christ:

Thank you for all the prayers. We have a praise. The blood work looks good. The bone scan looks normal. Surgery is scheduled for next Tuesday morning (4/29), so the surgeon has time to thoroughly study the tests. She is going to try to get all the tumor out. If that is the case, Lily won't need chemotherapy. It will be a five-hour surgery. The oncologist's name is Dr. Pressley. The surgeon is a woman, Dr. Jackie Sato.

Lily, Dawn and Josh are on their way home. Keep praying for that miracle.

Prayer Request for Baby Lily

Lily at 3 weeks old...


John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Baby Lily needs our prayers. So do her parents, Josh and Dawn. So do her grandparents: Johnny & Cathy and Dan & Rhonda. So does her big (2-year-old) brother Luke. So do her great- grandmothers. So do her aunts, uncles, and cousins. And so do the many friends who love Lily and her precious family on both sides.

Our hearts are broken today as we receive the news that 2-month old Lily has cancer. Dawn took Lily to the doctor on Friday (4/18/08) for her regular 2-month well-baby check-up. The pediatrician, upon routine examination, felt a mass in Lily's abdomen. He immediately arranged for Lily to go to the hospital and have an ultra-sound on Friday afternoon. It confirmed the mass and they were immediately sent to Birmingham to Children's Hospital for tests. Today, their world has been turned upside down. Here is the prayer chain email I received:

Rhonda called and confirmed that Lily does have cancer. She has what they call Neuroblastoma. The doctor is pretty optimistic that this is treatable. The Dr says she has a 90% chance of recovery due to her age and early discovery. Lily will have to have other scans to determine what stage the cancer is in and how it has progressed to determine treatment. She may have to start Chemo. They will be coming home for the weekend then back to the hospital on Monday. If you are able to fast and pray the rest of the day please do so. Pray for strength for Josh, Dawn and all the family that God will give them what they need to make it through this difficult time. I will keep updates coming as they are available.

As a friend, I am shocked, heartbroken, numb. Though it feels like the world has been turned upside down, I have precious faith in our Lord Jesus Christ that He is working His will in Lily's life. I don't understand it and I don't like it, but that doesn't change the fact that I can~~ and will~~ trust God in this matter. As I trust Him, I can pray, fast, and pray some more. I won't quit praying for Lily and for her family. Would you please lift them up in prayer today, through the weekend, and all of next week as Lily undergoes further tests which will determine the course of treatment? If you would like to receive prayer chain updates on Lily, please email me and I will be glad to add you to my list. My email is long4heaven@cox.net.

God, bless Little Lily and hold her close. May her family feel your presence as never before as they trust in you.