A Promise Kept - prologue and first chapter

This posting is different.  I have decided to share my book.  Thus you will find title, prologue and first chapter in this current posting.  Much of this info I cover in my recent talks to church groups.  Trust you find this interesting and a blessing.  I welcome any comments.

                            

                                                   

                                                 “A PROMISE KEPT”

                                                                By

                                                    Janet Baird Weisiger

“Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise.  In fact his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God.  He was absolutely convinced that God was able to do anything He promised.”                                  Romans 4:20-21

                                                   

                      Theme of book:  Jesus is the light of hope to the world of cancer

                                                     

                                                     

                                                   

   

                                                   

                                                    

                                                   rweisiger@gmail.com

                                                            

                                                        PROLOGUE

May 26, 2010

I went to bed early that evening.  For the past few weeks I had not been my usual energetic self and I thought a good night’s sleep would help me.

The sound of loons on our peaceful northern Canadian lake lulled me to sleep.  The comfortable queen size bed in the downstairs guest bedroom of our roomy lakefront retirement home gave me a feeling of luxury.  Dick would soon join me after his enjoyment of the latest baseball game on TV.

It was the middle of the night.  Suddenly, I turned over in bed, half awake.  Something caused me to stir.  What was it?  And then a vision appeared directly in front of my face!  I partially awoke aware of a glorious event happening right before my very eyes.  I saw something wondrous.  A beautiful cushioned throne, glistening in a mass of sparkling golden rays appeared a few feet from my astonished face.  The golden rays looked like sunbeams but they were coming from the throne.  They shone with intensity like nothing I had ever seen before.  The golden rays kept moving back and forth creating a visual wonder of gold sparkling intensity.

Someone was sitting on the throne and I somehow knew without a doubt that the person was none other than JESUS!  My heart leaped.  With breathless anticipation I realized I had a special visit from the Lord himself.  I did not see his face. It was blurred. But there was what looked like a crown on his head shining brightly in sparkling, radiating gold.  Everything was glistening in gold, even the plain colored robe He was wearing.

His hands rested on the arms of the throne and in His left hand He held a sphere -- circular, multi-colored, and radiating in golden sparkles.  I wondered, what did the round ball of magnificent colors and golden rays mean?  Could it be the globe with all the countries of the world illuminated in bright iridescent colors? 

Then I heard a voice.  He spoke. A voice of authority, power, and love filled my ears.  The voice held warmth as He spoke in beautiful caring tones. “You will be healed.  BUT in my own time frame!”

I not only heard the words but I saw them, like the news updates scrolling across the bottom of the TV screen.  The word ‘but’ was emphasized by the power in his voice and appeared in capitol letters. 

And then silence.  The vision left.  The night surrounded me again.

My immediate unspoken response was, “That’s nice of you, Lord, but I’m not that sick.  Please help someone who needs you more than me.”

Even though I had not been feeling well, had been unusually tired and depressed, I never thought I had any serious illness.  So I thought that Jesus should spend His time with a more gravely ill person.  

Suddenly Dick awoke,  “Janet, who was talking to you?”

Dick had heard the voice!

“I just had a visit from Jesus.  He told me I would be OK.”

Dick responded sleepily,  “Oh, that’s good.”

We both fell back to sleep.  I slept peacefully, but I wondered.  What did this visit mean?

                                                   CHAPTER ONE

                                          A PERFECT RETIREMENT

                                                     Psalm 91:2

“I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him will I trust.”

“You are retiring to where?”

“Yes, Canada.  We have this gorgeous piece of property on a lake about fifty minutes north of the border.  It will be perfect.”

That conversation was repeated countless times in 1991 as Dick and I prepared for our retirement.  We were New Jersey natives, had raised our four children in a lovely town in northwest Bergen County, and were now going against all New Jersey wisdom.  Most people retired to Florida, the Carolinas, or even south Jersey, but Canada?  Nobody in their right minds went north where there would be endless blizzards!

But we had found the perfect place, our paradise.  Eighteen acres of woodland loved by deer, porcupine, wolves, bear, beaver, fisher, turkey, black rat snakes, and the precious loon, all of which we were interested and eager to reside alongside.  All this on one half mile of waterfront on Sand Lake.  The lake was part of the Rideau Waterway, a series of lakes and canals connected by hand operated locks.  The waterway was originally built after the War of 1812 as a fortification to defend the then British Territory from invasion by that annoying neighbor to the south, the United States of America.

We bought the property in 1985, hoping to retire there some day.  Fortunately, by then relationships between Canada and the US were friendly and relaxed and in 1991 we were welcomed by our northern neighbors to settle in our newly built home and spend as much time as we wished just so long as we returned to the States occasionally.

We spent eighteen years at our retirement property, swimming, fishing, gardening, entertaining and relaxing.  Sure, the winters were severe but we kept warm with the wood burning stove, special winter gear and homemade soups.  The snows were beautiful, the sunsets breathtaking and the wildlife impressive. 

Having lived in New Jersey only forty-five minutes from Times Square, we rarely saw impressive star-filled nights due to the ever-encroaching city lights.  In contrast, the nights at our Canadian lake house, located miles from any large city, granted us the joy of gazing at millions of stars, heavenly gifts in the Milky Way galaxy.  We also had the stunning display of Northern Lights, flashing across the dark sky in pink, blue and purple colors.  Such natural beauty constantly reminded us of God’s incredible creation.

I remember one wintry day, we looked out on the frozen lake and there was a gray wolf plodding along in the new fallen snow.  We watched from our porch about ¼ mile away.  Then Dick whistled.   The wolf immediately stopped in his tracks and looked toward our house directly at where we were standing.  He remained motionless for a few moments, and then turned back continuing across the ice obviously undisturbed by our presence.  He knew we were far away and thus unable to disturb him.

In the winter, the deer visited also, nibbling on the cedar trees surrounding our house.  I would watch them from the bedroom window, always impressed with their beauty and quiet behavior.

One Sunday on a cold day in February, coming home from church, we saw splashes of blood on the lane.  We stopped the car to get out and investigate.  There right near the edge of the one mile lane was a deer carcass, blood surrounding it, probably brought down by the wolves.  The deer found it difficult to run in the deep snow. We were observers of nature in action.

Finally, in 2009, we had an experience that caused us to purchase a condominium in Michigan.  We had talked with our family about the need to establish a second home in the winter because of our entering the ‘senior years’.  Well, an event forced that decision and made us realize how much God is in control of our lives.  If we would just listen to Him, He will guide us into the right paths.

In the middle of March 2009, we were returning from our monthly shopping trip to Watertown, NY when we were asked many new questions entering back into Canada.  We showed our updated passports as usual.  The polite crossing guard said, “Who owns your home in New York State?”  We had established that address when we built our Canadian retirement home in order to maintain US citizenship.  The Canadian officer who oversaw our admission to Canada in 1991 saw no problem with that.

“Our son does,” we responded obediently.  The border guard then held our passports and told us to stop at the border crossing office where a very officious, stern Canadian official interrogated us.  We began to feel like serious legal offenders!

Our defense was simple.  We had entered Canada in 1991 and been told by the officer in charge that we could spend as much time in Canada as we wished, but could not matriculate at any university in Canada, could not hold a job and had to return to the States at least a couple times a year.  We were positive that had been documented in our record.

Never in the intervening years of our time in Canada had we been challenged at the border. And never, since 9/11 had we been told or officially notified of any changes in US/Canadian border policies. 

Finally, after several hours of questioning and waiting we were told we had to get out of Canada in four days or else we would be imprisoned!  The customs officer said there were new restrictions on US visitors and, even though we had a legal address in New York state with our son, we were now required to own a residence in the States and remain in Canada only six months a year!  Welcome to post 9/11 rules! 

We were shocked and shaken.  We had just completed a normal shopping trip to Watertown, left our chocolate lab, Bonnie, at our lake house for the day and had just been kicked out of Canada! 

Hastily getting our things together, we quickly scheduled a trip to Michigan to visit two of our daughters, Carin and Diana, and their families.  Over the years we always traveled to Michigan during the first part of April to keep in touch with our families there.  On this trip to Michigan, Dick and I suddenly realized that God had spoken to both of us.  “Buy a condo in Michigan NOW.”

We had loved the winters in the north but we realized the time had come to make a change in our plans.  Dick would no longer have to chain down trees, split and store the 4 cord of wood. He would not have to plow our lane during heavy snowstorms and we would not be housebound during periods of ice storms.

After looking at 30 condos in Holland, MI we bought one close to our daughters.  Fortunately, this was 2009 and the economic downturn had caused housing prices to plummet and we found a comfortable condo in our price range.  While in Holland we also changed our driver’s licenses, car plates and our legal address so we now became legal residents of Michigan.  We hoped this would satisfy the Canadian authorities.

We decided to drive east to Syracuse, New York, where our son, Glenn, lived with his family.  We planned to stay with them for a short time and then try to re-enter Canada.

I had a routine eye exam in Alexandria Bay, NY the second week in April.  So we packed up our things at Glenn’s house, stuffed Bonnie in the car and decided we would try to get back to our lake house.

Praying all the way to the US/Canadian border we approached the border station nervously.  The crossing guard took our passports, checked us out on the computer, and then, to our joy and amazement, waved us through.  There was no notice on his computer that we had done anything illegally, no notice of possible imprisonment, no unusual questions, just a routine entrance.  We couldn’t believe it!  Just a few months before we had been severely questioned and detained at the border and wondered if we were ever going to get back into Canada.  Now here we were passing through the border with no questions asked!

We praised the Lord and sang our thanks.  Both of us realized that God had let this “border problem” happen so we would buy the condo in Michigan.  God knew it was time to get a condo and He orchestrated the events so we would do what He knew was necessary. 

"A Promise Kept" chapter 3

                                            CHAPTER THREE

                                    THE SHADOW OF DEATH

                                         Ephesians 6:10-11

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”

I went to Glenn’s house to await the return of the brain surgeon.  This was hard on Glenn and Stephanie.  I knew they loved me, but here I was, seriously ill, invading their home of four young children.  Thus began the worst week I experienced in my illness.

I was getting weaker and weaker, had trouble sleeping, and started suffering horrendous dreams and nightmares.  I also endured a few wild headaches.  The headaches were not grossly painful but they were intensely disturbing.  My brain was in disarray!  My emotions, my feelings, my thinking, my peace and my equilibrium were all out of balance.  There was no normalcy. 

I remember suffering through one headache.  It was ‘fuchsia’ in color. This was grotesque!  Instead of appreciating and marveling at the magnificent color, I was repulsed! 

Amidst all of the turmoil, news came that Glenn had a job!  After being let go for a year and a half, his networking paid off.  His new position even allowed him to stay in Manlius.  What a wonderful God!  By staying in Manlius, NY which is 20 minutes from Upstate Hospital in Syracuse, Glenn and his family could continue to visit me with frequency and continue to provide overnight accommodations for Dick and our daughters.  Glenn leases shopping centers and business dropped during the 2008 economic downtime. So, in the midst of my health concerns, God had shown again His love.

All this reminded me not to worry. 

“Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?  And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

Matthew 10: 29 – 31  NKJ

The most horrifying experience that week was the spiritual battle.   I began to realize how real the spiritual world is.  We usually ignore the presence of spiritual realities close to us because we don’t see, hear or touch the spirit.  It is amazing how tied we are to the physical world.  That’s because we live, breathe and talk in the physical world.  We read in the scriptures about angels, the Holy Spirit, God and also about demons and spiritual forces of evil but we tend to ignore them amidst the pressures and timing of our physical world. 

I now know that the spiritual world is as close to us as the air we breathe.  And I’m talking of heavenly angels and the presence of Christ as well as Satan and his demonic forces.  Remember, Paul warned us of the spiritual battles that loom around us in Ephesians 6:10 – 18. 

“Put on the whole armor of God. That you may stand against the wiles of the devil.  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.  Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”   NKJ

I experienced this battle first hand.

I had terrible nightmares.  One night I experienced a black, dark cloud encompassing me. In the middle of that darkness, an evil, malevolent force, Satan, was pulling me toward him.  I felt the dangerous presence of the Prince of Darkness trying to capture me.  But at the same time I experienced the reality of being held in the arms of a loving presence, Jesus, who gently, but firmly protected me from Satan’s grasp.  These nightmares occurred frequently and with increasing severity.  I would wake shaken and weak, knowing this battle was going on. 

At one point I even addressed Satan,  “Why do you want me?  I’m not that important.  Why are you fighting so much for me?”

I did not hear Satan speak, but the warmth and security of Jesus convinced me I was safe.

Glenn later told me the family was watching me die that week. 

Glenn’s friend, Dr. Bob, visited me at Glenn’s house.  After a short time with me, they went in another room where Dr. Bob told Glenn I was in a very serious situation.  Dr. Bob observed my symptoms and concluded, without definitive brain biopsy conclusions, that I indeed had brain cancer.

I struggled to speak, could not sleep, had severe brain confusion, had difficulty walking and could not write with my right hand.  I cried a lot and could not find a comfortable position to sleep.

One day, Maya, a friend of Glenn and Stephanie, visited me.  She is a prayer warrior and had been told of my nightmares.  She prayed over me with power. “In the name of Jesus, we demand that Satan leave Janet alone!”

The nightmares stopped and I did not experience further spiritual battles at that time.  Praise the Lord!  One of numerous workings of the Holy Spirit in my life at that time.

While I was at Glenn and Stephanie’s I had the privilege of having our dear friends, Bob and Sue visit me.  Bob is our pastor in Elgin, Ontario.  I was so moved that they drove from Canada to visit me.  Maya’s prayers were powerful and Bob and Sue also prayed over me with intensity.  Bob gently held me in his arms as I lay on the sofa and sobbed. Bob prayed deeply, fervently and powerfully. The presence of Jesus caressed and comforted me. 

Glenn’s children were wonderful that week.  Since Dick and I stayed in the guest bedroom suite, which is on the basement floor of their house, I was confined to that level.  Climbing those stairs was so difficult for me plus everyone was afraid I would fall. 

Every day Emily, in her sweet caring attitude, came downstairs.  “How are you, Nana?  Are you feeling better?”  Luke would hug me quietly.  “I’m so glad you are with us, Nana.”  Grace, the eldest, helped me by handing me a glass of water or getting my blanket.  Sophie, ever the performer, sang her songs for me.

I worried that they would be repulsed by my incapacities and my appearance but instead they seemed not to notice and continued to show me love.  In that way I felt glad they were remembering their “Nana”.

Memory Verses

"For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nether angels nor principalities, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 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."   Romans 8:38-39

Ever since the cancer had hit, she had been memorizing verses of scripture.  She found it so helpful.  At first she memorized to force her brain into action, to prove to herself that indeed her thinking brain was not adversely damaged by the CNS lymphoma.  Back in 2011, the memorizing was a monumental challenge with a poor success rate.  However, she persevered and now in 2014 memorizing different scripture passages came easier to her.

Romans 8:38-39 had always been known to her as vital and important words that Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome.  But what thrilled her was that as she spent time memorizing the words and phrases, they took on deep meaning. Why hadn't she seen that before?  She concluded that during the process of memorization, as she focused on each word and phrase, committing the verses to memory, the force of the message emblazoned itself in her heart.  What a glorious discovery!

Verses 38-39 became important to her this week as they were the scripture verses read during the two church services last Sunday when she gave 'the message'.  Yes, as she thought back on Sunday...what an opportunity she was given to tell her story of her journey with cancer and Jesus.  Having been invited by a local minister to 'give the sermon' (she still couldn't believe it!), she shared all the incredible events that had happened over the past four years including the 'vision', the purchase of the condo with handicap access a year before that was needed, the doctors concluding her healing was a 'miracle', the experiences with angels, her being unafraid of death, and her new insightful understanding of Jesus. Wow!  A lot to cover, but she did it...standing without her cane, using no notes, speaking plainly and from the heart, after many hours in prayer focusing on letting God speak through her instead of elevating self.

She remembered how she had prayed to the Lord with overwhelming thanks in her heart when it became clear that the cancer had left her body. "What do You want me to do, Lord?  Since You have healed me, I want to do anything You ask." And Jesus' answer always was and is, "Tell them how much I love them."

So, she had done just that last Sunday in two churches and from the reaction of the attendees, they were moved by the message.  Now, just recently, several people had asked her if she would speak at their church. She answered, "Wherever I'm invited, I'll go." Was this God's perfect timing?  She began to conclude God had brought this together as His plan and timing.

Amazing, in spite of the fact she was physically not perfect because of the vestiges of right sided weakness, could not drive (yet), had trouble getting in the car, walked slowly, had limited use of her right hand....and yet....the Lord could use her to communicate His message of love and salvation.

As she repeated from memory again and again the wonderful verses of Romans 8:38-39, she knew so well their truth.  When the oncologist told her "You have seven weeks to live", she responded, "Praise God!".. knowing that whether she died in seven weeks or lived, she would be with Jesus.  And when Satan tried to 'pull' her during the nightmares that week the end of June, 2010, before the brain biopsy, and when she felt angels protecting her from falling as she started walking again, and when she did have four falls in 2011 but was never hurt...in fact she felt angels cushioning her in a 'soft fall', she experienced "angels and principalities".  Yes, she had been through the worst health situation and yet she never felt separated "from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord".

He is so powerful!  He is omnipresent!  He is omniscient!  Jesus is real!  What a wonderful God we have!  How could anyone not believe in Him?  How could anyone not want His forgiving love and salvation?
Praise be to God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit!