Loved By The King

Well..the final countdown is on…26 treatments down, 4 to go!! After his last treatment this Thursday, Kyle will sound the gong, (literally) symbolizing his victorious completion of proton radiation and ending this whirlwind of an adventure. And an adventure it has been! This past week, our kiddos enjoyed having their Pa and Grandma come and we were all spoiled by them! Thank you mom and dad for your visit and adventurous spirit! Our kids will have a lot of great memories of living in Texas, and for that I am truly thankful!!

Kyle is amazing. (No..he did not just sneak on the blog and write that:)) He is always defying the odds. Although he is struggling a bit with sleeping, he honestly has been feeling great! His energy levels have never dropped, his appetite is as crazy as ever (as my parents can attest) and he is having a blast spending time with his family. His doctor here is extremely pleased with how well he is feeling and doing. We had our last appointment with her on Friday and she mentioned a few times how amazing Kyle has done! And we give God all the praise for that! Please pray for us that the move back home will go well. We also ask for prayers concerning Kyle’s sleep. The medication he is currently taking is causing a bit of insomnia.

Although Kyle is doing SO well, these past few days have been a little rough. Our sweet little Benny boy has had quite the flu bug. I won’t get into any details, but let’s just say I’ve been doing about 10 loads of laundry a day! Bennett’s name means ‘little blessed one’ and he really lives up to his name. He was just over a month old when we got the news that the tumour cells were starting to come back. As I held my sweet baby in my arms while the doctor told us the news, we both looked at our ‘little blessed one’ and knew in our hearts that God wanted us BOTH to see him grow, develop and watch him have a family of his own someday.  He was a reminder to us in those dark days that God’s promises are true and that His love for us is so infinite! When Kyle was first diagnosed 5 years ago, one of the first things he ever shared with me was how heartbroken he was that he might not get to see me have his children. But, during a prayer over us, a special lady from Texas heard from God, a promise- that Kyle will have a long, prosperous and abundant life! We have held onto this promise throughout these past five years and Bennett is just one of Kyle’s amazing “abundant” blessings!

Becoming a parent was life changing for us in so many ways, but it truly changed our perspective on “God the Father”.  We felt this indescribable love and protection over our children and came to realize that God’s love for us is greater than the love we have for our kids! When we began to grasp this kind of love our whole outlook on life began to change. The feelings of guilt, worthlessness or loneliness started to fade and we started viewing ourselves, as well as others, as valued, admired and precious royalty of the Great King!  No matter our past mistakes or future ones, God’s grace and love for us never changes. And this grace and love is extended to ALL!!! This love of God is something we are still learning and growing in. When I saw Kyle holding our precious little Bennett the other night, who was feeling so unwell, it really hurt my heart! I kept thinking, if only I could switch positions with him..I would!! If only I could take his pain for him…I would! If only I could make him feel better instantly…I would! And as I was thinking these thoughts my eyes settled on his father holding him. And you know what God spoke to me in the quiet of that night? God was looking at Kyle as his precious child and said if I could switch positions with him…I would! If I could take his pain for him…I would! If I could make him feel better..I would…

And you know what Lindsay? I did.

Romans 8: 31-39 God’s Everlasting Love

³¹ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be^[i] against us? ³² He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? ³³ Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.^[j] 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
    we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

You are God’s precious child, loved by the King!

Blessings,

The DeKonings

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24qpqu-yDkI

 (How Can I Keep From Singing -Chris Tomlin) 

Life & Death Are in the Power of the Tongue

  Hi all! Thank you again for the encouraging messages, prayers and support. Another week done…2.5 more to go! Despite small hiccups here and there, we really are enjoying ourselves on our “radiation vacation.” My sister reminded me that people are specifically praying that this be a stress-free time and I thank you because your prayers are being answered! Kyle is feeling well. He is having small headaches here and there, but we are just going to continue to rebuke the pain and trust in God’s healing power!

  Lately God has been pressing on me to open up and share about the struggles I have been having this past year. It was very difficult for me to make this blog and be open and honest about what’s been happening in our lives. And here’s the reason…..It’s because of people’s words. It’s what people speak over us…to us…and about us.

  So, those of you who know me, know that I am a chatterbox! I am the type that doesn’t stop talking even when I’m sleeping…the type that talks on the phone to friends and family for hours…the type whose report cards always said, “if Lindsay would apply the same effort and concentration on her studies as she does with socializing with class members, her grades would definitely improve.” I love to talk and I am an open person. Very open. I can picture my close friends and family giggling or nodding their heads in agreement over this statement!

  But… I have become very private about all that has been happening since January. This is not like me. When we were given the news this year that the tumor cells had come back again, I begged my family to not share with anyone yet. I started keeping things from people I was close to. I hid information from family; like when Kyle had his next MRI, doctor’s appointments, or how he was really feeling. I did NOT want to talk about it because the truth was, I couldn’t handle talking about it 24/7 and I could NOT handle all the things people would say to me.

  Kyle and I both feel very strongly that we do not want this thing dictating our life. We don’t want to focus on it. We don’t want to give the devil any satisfaction and don’t want him stealing our joy. We have a beautiful little family that we love and care for and want to give them a happy, full childhood. And when people are asking about it all the time in front of them or saying things that they think are encouraging, but really aren’t, it can really destroy us. And so, in some ways we tried to keep this part of our journey a secret. It was nice going to church to just worship and fellowship with other believers. It was great to go to family reunions and not be discussing Kyle’s health the whole time. It was a real blessing to not have people constantly asking us when the next MRI was. Because how could we feel joy, focus on Jesus and live a “normal” life when we were constantly being reminded of this ugly tumour?  You may think, oh that’s silly. It can’t affect you that much..but let me share an example. This summer, Kyle and I got to play baseball together. If anyone knows us, you know how much we LOVE baseball! So it was a real joy to play together and we looked forward to the game each week. One game in particular I could tell Kyle just was not into it…which was weird. He was so excited to play and then all of a sudden I could just see sadness written all over his face. At first I was kind of scared, because I thought maybe he wasn’t feeling well, but when I asked him, he said that someone was asking him right before the game about the brain tumour and the radiation treatments he would need. It was not said in a negative way, but the reminder of it stole his joy right out of him and he couldn’t even play baseball. I can’t describe how it hurt to see him hurting.

  Now, please trust me when I say this…we know how much everyone cares about us and loves us. We know most people’s intentions are good. We know people say things and ask things because they care. We have been so supported through prayer, people praying over us,  people loving on us and our kids, and bending over backwards to help us over this year…and that is why I felt SO compelled to THANK YOU all and keep you up to date. But, I just ask you to consider from our perspective what it is like living through this.

  Like I mentioned above, I am a chatterbox. I don’t think being a chatterbox is necessarily a negative thing, but what I’ve learned over these past few years is how POWERFUL words can be. Words have power…more than any of us really realize. Words can be uplifting, but can also be so damaging. How good do you feel when someone compliments you? And how terrible do you feel when someone speaks something negative to you. And this is a real struggle I have. I know I have hurt people with my words. Whether it be a careless thing I’ve said to someone or things I’ve said behind their back. It is something I am constantly battling. I think this is probably something a lot of people struggle with, because it is mentioned SO many times in the bible. Just google scripture verses that talk about the power of our words and you will get hundreds of bible verses warning us and teaching us about the power of our words.

These are just a few:

Proverbs 18:21- Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

Ephesians 4:29- Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Proverbs 12:18- There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Colossians 3:8- But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth

James 1:26- If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.

  We were introduced to this biblical principle a few years ago. We had never truly realized the impact our words have. God spoke the world into existence, so we know how words hold SO much power! We strive to speak life, health and blessings over us, others and our family because the bible calls us to do this. And if we continue to speak negativity, death, or slanderous words it can be an inroad the enemy uses to get into our lives and put lies in our head.  Every night Kyle speaks life, health and blessings over our children for today, tomorrow and in the future. Last night Kyle spoke over Cohen that he will bring a lot of people to heaven through Christ. Cohens’ reply was, in all seriousness, “ya dad, I’m going to tell like…. 51 people about Jesus.” Haha oh how I love kids!

  I hope this post encourages you. I pray that it helps you understand why we’ve been cautious in sharing, but also helps you to reflect on how the words you speak can really affect someone. We also hope that by updating you all, you won’t have to ask us what’s new with Kyle, because you will already all know!

Things to consider:

-We want spiritual fighters in our corner!! Not pity! People who encourage us in this fight and do spiritual battle alongside us!

- I know it is easy to say “hey, if you need anything let me know or give me a call.” But please know that it is difficult to ask people to do things when you are struggling with something. Offering to help cut the grass, bringing meals, offering up babysitting services are just a few, out of many ways, people have blessed us over the year and we thank you for that!

-We understand that people are curious about what we are dealing with and what the future looks like for Kyle, but please understand that Kyle and I and even family members, do not want to be talking and thinking about it 24/7. We get asked daily, “How’s Kyle’s health?” “What’s the prognosis?” “When do you begin treatment?” etc.  Please understand that we think about it enough and when we are enjoying a wedding, family reunion, a baseball game etc. we sometimes just want to forget about it, have fun and enjoy life!

-We understand that in situations like this, you don’t always know what to say…and that is OKAY!! It is okay to just be honest and say, “I don’t really know what to say, but please know we are praying for you.” Or even better, write a well thought-out message/encouraging note, or just let the person know you are thinking about them and praying for them! It can be SO uplifting!!

-Please know that we do not harbour any ill feelings towards anyone who has spoken negative things over us and to us. We forgive and forget, because we too fall short.

-And finally; We were truly overwhelmed with the responses to this blog and the prayers of so many of you! The power of your words put smiles on our faces, uplifted us, and gave us strength knowing that there is a huge army of believers backing us up…ready to do spiritual battle alongside us against the devil and this evil thing! Know that we give God so much praise for all of you!

We encourage you to reflect on the verse from Proverbs 18:21- Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits. Bless someone today with your uplifting words!

Blessings and love,

The DeKonings

Hey everyone! We just want to say that we were overwhelmed with all the messages, love and prayers that were sent our way over these past few weeks! We are SO blessed to have amazing friends and family that truly care! So thank you!!

Well…today is a milestone in Kyle’s treatment! He is HALFWAY DONE!! 15 down…15 to go! We have been here for almost three weeks already and the time is actually flying by. The kids are enjoying themselves here. Cohen told us yesterday that he likes living in Houston Texas. He says he misses his bike, but likes the big pool here. No joke, he has developed an American accent!  Shaelynn is too young to understand why we are here, but she LOVES daddy’s doctors’ appointments! She knows that going to the appointments means playing in the giant toy room and said today, “daddy..don’t come back for a long time okay?” We are having fun watching Bennett grow and develop. He just turned 9 months and is turning into quite the stinker! He is into EVERYTHING and thinks he is bigger than what he is! He tries to keep up with his brother and sister which results in a lot of bruises!! He is starting to stand on his own and we don’t think it will be long before he is walking!

We enjoyed having my sister here for a couple days! She spoiled us all with cooking, babysitting and playing with the kiddos. It was a short, but sweet visit! Thanks for coming Nanny Tika!! We also really enjoyed having Kyle’s parents visit us for a few days! The kids had a blast with their Grandma and Papa! We enjoyed celebrating Papa’s birthday together by going for a swim, eating cake, go-karting and mini golfing! Cohen thinks his Papa is the funniest guy on the planet and we all get a kick at how hard Cohen laughs at Ron! Thank you SO much Ron & Frieda for all you do for us!!

This past weekend, we got the opportunity to visit Kyle’s sister and her family in Dalhart, Texas. We went with Kyle’s parents and we all had a BLAST! It was so nice to get away for the weekend and to visit all the crazy Vyns! :) We shared a lot of laughs and the kids LOVED playing with their cousins. We had a great surprise when Kyle’s brother Mark and wife Sera flew in from BC without us knowing.  It was awesome to spend time with family! Thank you Sarah and Justin for having us all! Kyle got the opportunity to speak at Justin and Sarah’s church and just share what God has been doing in our lives over the past five years. We then had people pray over us and we got to pray over others! We saw many healed and delivered!! To God be the glory!!! Thank you People’s Church for having us and supporting us through prayer! It is just SO amazing to be part of the family of Christ! I had one special man say to me, “Hi Lindsay. You don’t know me, but we are good friends…we’ve been praying for y’all for a while now!” I love it!!

We got home from the Vyn’s Monday afternoon and Kyle had treatment Monday night. After a spirit filled weekend, we felt pumped and full of joy. But Monday night and into Tuesday, Kyle started having pain in his head and pressure like he has never felt before. We couldn’t believe how quickly the devil started bringing us down…he must have really not liked all that went on throughout the weekend! We rebuked him and the pain, had family pray and contacted the doctor. She decided to put Kyle on a low dose steroid to reduce any swelling the radiation was causing. We prayed over the medication and when Kyle woke up this morning, he felt AMAZING! He woke me up and said,” Lindsay my head has never felt so good! I never realized that I have lived with constant mild headaches. I must have just gotten used to it. I didn’t even know what it felt like to be pain free.” Praise the Lord!!! Another thing we are pretty excited about is that Kyle has gained 5 pounds since being here. The doctors told us that weight loss can be a side effect of radiation because you can lose your appetite, but that isn’t happening! We are believing that Kyle is a miracle and will come home stronger and healthier by God’s grace!

Please pray that Kyle’s head pain and swelling stay away!

Today we are reflecting and meditating on this verse from Romans 8:28: And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Blessings and love to you all!

The DeKonings