Tara’s recovery is going okay. Progress was slower today than she wanted. I heard one of the physicians say that recovery is a bit like the stock market. There are ups and downs all the time but as long as overall you are moving in the right direction we should be happy.
I always like it when medical staff puts things in terms that I can understand. That is called layman’s terms, or lay terms. My 5 year old son is learning this at an early age. Yesterday he was able to put something he knows well into lay terms for one of our friends. As he picked a slimey bugger from his nose and ate it, this friend asked him, “What do buggers taste like? I wonder if I’d like them?” My son in his ability to communicate in lay terms asked, “Do you like ketchup?” The friend responded “No”. “Then you wouldn’t like buggers,” my son said.
With the significant loss of fluids during surgery, the continued loss of fluids through her chest tubes and through the peritoneal drain, and the fact that she cannot consume many fluids yet, Tara is needing to catch up with fluids through an IV. This will help her get her blood pressure up so she can stand up without fainting and start walking. She is also getting a bit nauseous when eating or drinking. In lay terms, surgery and cancer suck.
We are going to have short visiting hours again tomorrow if you really want to come see Tara. You can come between noon and 2 pm. Spend just a few minutes, give her hand a squeeze and talk to her without expecting a bunch of talking back. She is excited to see her friends but is easily tired and needs to save her strength for recovery. She is NOT offended (and even potentially relieved) if you save your visit for a few weeks and catch her at home. We read your comments daily so this is like a card of encouragement (without the expense) to us if you choose to send a quick note.
We love you all. Thanks for your prayers. God is faithful and we will praise him forever.
Perspectives From The Tree Tops 
Dear ones, Tara’s mom and I are in a Bible Study together at Arnold’s Park. We all feel like Tara is a part of our family. We have been praying so fervantly for you, Tara, as well as your precious family. God loves you all so much. May you feel His loving arms wrapped tightly around you and His healing power at work. From your friends in Spirit Lake, Iowa.
We have been thinking about you a lot these last few days, and praying for you with our kids each night (since Wednesday when Rachel learned of Tara’s cancer at Women’s Bible Study). We are encouraged by your posts and enjoy reading about Santa hats, buggers and spending time looking into each others eyes to connect with each other, which we don’t do enough ourselves. Thanks for being a good example through your “storm”. Looking forward to seeing you all soon….
A hand squeeze. Praise God for IV’s. asking God to raise your blood pressure to enable your recovery. You probably run pretty low normally so it won’t be too much to get you up to speed…I can imagine you feel so weak- praying God’s strength in this. That used to be one of my favorite things- getting someone up for the first time after heart surgery and walking- always an encouragement to patient and family. Looking up right now at Luis’s old hobbies (things that fly), one is the T-Rex helicopter (radio control) and it says “Align – Conquer your heart. In order to get good blood pressure we need a good solid filling of our heart. Jesus will help you today in this. Another hand squeeze.
We praised God in your small group tonight for how well the surgery went. God impressed upon me the importance of letting the kids know that God has performed a miracle before there very eyes this week. As a matter of fact, God is very much in the habit of performing miracles. The problem is we either miss them or take them for granted. We are often clueless, woefully unaware or presumptuous when it comes to God’s mighty hand at work in the lives of his people today.
I told the kids in small group tonight that I heard a rumor. The rumor was that God had retired. You know, after being God for so long, He decided to leave on top, bought a Winnebago and is on His way to Florida for a well-deserved retirement. Think about how ridiculous that is. Yet, that seems to be the attitude that people – many of whom claim to be Christians – have. It’s as if we were on our own, depending on a luck of the draw, our own or the abilities of others.
What God keeps teaching me – particularly in Tara’s case – is that when we make room for Him, He readily occupies that space. Make room for grace and He will forgive. Make room for gratitude and He will provide. Make room for miracles and He will heal. The more room we give Him, the more of our lives He will have and the more present and active He will be. God IS faithful.
Praying Psalm 143 over you…especially verses 11-12. For your name’s sake, Lord, preserve my life;
In your righteousness, bring me out of trouble.
In your unfailing love, silence my enemies;
destroy all my foes, for I am your servant.
Thank you for sharing your difficult journey. We ache with you, hold on to hope with you, cheer for you, pray with great pleading…may God preserve you…one day at a time. May you know His unfailing love each moment of every day.
You guys know where my heart is in this….I have way too much knowledge regarding cancers and surgeries than I care to and it most certainly sucks! Then I consider my many young friends who have walked this road and fought hard with Christ as their Rock and Hope. None of them have been defeated by cancer. None of them lost their life to this disease. You see, their life is eternal. That is already a promise to you and your children because of your faith in Christ. Several of them have said to me when I express my sorrow for them walking this road. “I feel sorry for you because if you haven’t experienced this sort of tremendous hardship you will miss an amazing intimacy that comes when your Maker is holding you in the refiner’s fire.” You are missionaries now on a mission field that is very far reaching and you are doing an amazing job sharing Christ through this blog and your life! Love you much! Praying continually!
Good morning, Tara & Jay,
Mom and I are now holding down the fort for the family. We both had a good nights rest and are mentally and spiritually ready for the day. We woke at 6:00 and are sitting up in bed enjoying a cup of coffee while we read your daily update and reflections. Lewis must like catsup on lot of things:-). We’ll have the kids to worship by 10:20. They are excited to be with their daddy during this time of praise, prayer and focus on the Word of God.
Isn’t it amazing how the Spirit of God fills our hearts with such love and gratitude that tears come to our eyes and the emotions of sincere and honest praise overflow into worship of the King who loves us, heals us and even carries us in his arms as we traverse this life through the sands of time.
Tara and Jay, mom and I are so amazed at your individual and coupled strength and faithful love for each other. Continue to stand firm through this ordeal as you rest in the arms of the Savior. His love is so amazing, so divine it demands our lives, our souls, our all.
See you in church. Love you! Dad
We are continuing to pray! With God nothing is impossible! Your faith encourages those of us who read your posts! I am thankful for sovereign God!
Sovereign
Sovereign in the mountain air; sovereign on the ocean floor; with me in the calm, with me in the storm.
Sovereign in my greatest joy; in my deepest cry; with me in the dark, with me at the dawn.
In your everlasting arm, all the pieces of my life from beginning to the end, I can trust you.
In your never failing love you work everything for good. God whatever comes my way, I will trust you.
All my hopes, all my needs, held in your hands
All my life, all of me held, in your hands.
All my fears, all my dreams, held in your hands
In your everlasting arms, all the pieces of my life, God whatever comes my way, I will trust you
In your never failing love you work everything for good. God whatever comes my way, I will trust you.
We are praying for Tara and your family.
My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6
Yummy I was just going to have my breakfast !Ketchup in this house is a recognized food group as are buggers with our grandchildren!!! Prayers of thankfulness ,strength and encouragement continue from CL ! We love you all very much! Aunt Cathy & Uncle Mike
You wrote, “This will help her get her blood pressure up so she can stand up without fainting and start walking”. After my 2nd surgery, it took 3 days before I could stand up without fainting. This really concerned the doctors and they tried everything including putting me on a board and increasing the incline until I could finally stand up without fainting. After that I was walking around the unit as much as possible! But God knew it would finally work out when he said in Isaiah 40:33, “They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
Praying for Tara’s healing one step at a time.
Dear Jay and Tara,
As musicians, I am sure you relate when I tell you I have had a song in my head for you this weekend. This song was in the worship set a couple of weeks ago, Jay, that weekend before Tara was going in to see the doctor. Backstage at church I had asked you “How is your lovely wife?” and you told about how she had been feeling so crummy lately. So here is the song I’m singing for you…sing with me
In Christ alone, my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love What depths of peace
When fears are stilled when strivings cease
My comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand…
In Christ the Solid Rock I stand!
All other ground is sinking sand
All other ground is sinking sand….
Love you Maiers.
Good morning Tara and Jay. Today I will focus on praying for the nausea to end so you can take nourishment – Tara. I imagine you are feeling some of what I feel when my neck is out and I get an attack of vertigo. It is very unpleasant to say the least. I enjoy reading your blog as it helps me know more specifically how to pray. Father God, I pray that you would calm Tara’s nausea and give her body strength. Help her body to take in the fluids she needs and be able to stand. We pray Isaiah 40:31 for Tara that she would walk and not faint. We pray for good rest for both Jay and Tara, peace for their family and the feeling as well as the knowledge of your loving arms wrapped around them. Hold them in your arms and guard their minds against attacks of the enemy. We pray this in Jesus name – Amen. I love you guys and look forward to seeing you in the fellowship of believers once again – a living testimony to the goodness of our Lord and King.
Dawn
I was at Next Chapter on Wednesday and Jason told me that Tara had cancer. I didn’t know what Tara he was talking about at the time, but he asked to pray before the snack and prayed for Tara and her surgery. It was so sweet and encouraging to hear him think of someone in need and bring Tara to the Lord.
Thinking about and Praying for all of you!
Jason, Stacie and Harmon Zylstra
Hello, I receive the link to this blog through my husband who is an aquaintance with your brother. I am so moved by your families’ faith and pray for Tara’s recovery everyday. May God continue to keep you strong. Prayers from Arkansas, Jennifer D.
Hey Tara and Jay,
Since last week Sunday we told our little church about you. We prayed for you last week and this week. It is very interesting. When Ma Jzill hears the name Tara her whole body perks up and makes eye contact with whomever is talking about Tara. They remember you and are interested in how you are doing. Ma Jzill responds when she hears about you. You made an impact with your short time here..
Our family has also been praying for you as walk this road we cannot even begin to comprehend. Tara, I was running yesterday, praying for you and thinking of how quickly your world turned upside down. I have been praying I would respond in a manner glorifying the Lord, as you have. I have been reading your blogs and praying our family would respond the way you have if ever there were a circumstance like this in our home.
I have been thinking about how to encourage you and don’t really know what to say. I know the Lord can give us peace and joy in the midst of a storm however I can’t imagine every moment filled with peace and joy. Maybe I am wrong. I am praying for the Lord to work in ways that will encourage you when needing encouragement. I pray when you feel He is far away, someone around you will remind you He is right beside you. I pray when you cannot take a step further, He will carry you and you will be willing to be carried by our precious Savior.
Thanks for the updates. It is a great way to keep us informed and how to pray..Jay, get rest and refreshed. Find time to be renewed by the Holy Spirit so you can stay strong for Tara..We love you guys and are praying everyday…Oh and Hope has yet to stop talking about your girls! She loved it when they were here!!
Jay U R doing a great job telling us what’s going on. I feel U R like the nurse that tells the family what the Drs. said after they leave the room. I think of U all often & pray 4 you all. I have enjoyed all your blogs & will contiue 2 follow progress. Love in Christ.
Tara and Jay, I just want you to know the impact that the two of you, as cell group leaders, have made on my son, Isaiah. It was a quiet ride home last night after church and, as he was unable to put words to his feelings, I was able to share with him mine……. that cancer sucks and it makes me angry that this has happened but that we must have faith that God is in control. We also must rejoice that Tara is a child of God – He’s got her! We both continue to pray and when you are up for it, I’ve got a boy that would love to come squeeze your hand.
Sorrowful and hopeful with you today. We are praying that God gives you the strength you need today and the grace to see the long view.
Jay and Tara,
Pete and I have followed closely each posting on the blog. What delight we have shared with you as you are now on the recovering side of a surgery that is truly a modern day miracle. Thank you for bringing all of us along on this profound journey.
Loving and encouraging you and your family,
Kristie
“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” (1Peter 6-7)
I hear you. Pam McCormick once shared with me that when she was sick her Haitian friends would come over to visit her b/c they heard she was sick. In her mind, she was hoping to simply get some rest and just lay in bed!
Thanks for the regular and thoughtful updates on Tara’s progress. The Jones family prayed especially for Tara and the family today. I am encouraged by Tara’s progress and your ability to navigate these difficult times. I love you guys and your special family. -Robert
We are continuing to pray for Tara’s recovery. I love the Lewis story. Sometimes we docs can drop into medical-ese without thinking about it. Never hesitate to ask any of your team questions.
This is a friend of Tara’s from Fairmont. I was thinking and praying for you as I was worshipping God today. One song we sang today. Lifting you up in prayer.
What a Friend We Have in Jesus
What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilage to carry
Ev’rything to God in prayer!
Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
Oh what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Ev’rything to God in prayer!
Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged,
Take it to the Lord in prayer:
Can we find a friend so faithful
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus Knows our every weakness,
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Are we weak and heavy laden,
Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Saviour, still our refuge;
Take it to the Lord in prayer:
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer;
In His arms He’ll take and shield thee;
Thou wilt find a solace there.
Hey Bethel sister and brother! We are loving you and praying for you from the land just South of you in Iowa. Thankful for facebook and seeing the news so we can join all the prayer warriors on your behalf. When I shared with John your news he said “The nicest girl…..and the nicest guy…..we’ll pray.” And that we will……