Going Home

Early this morning Kim went home to be with the Lord. She was surrounded by friends and family as she entered our Savior's presence. This has been hard on her family so please keep them in your prayers.

There will be a "Celebration of Life" service Thursday night in Knoxville at Salem Baptist Church at 8pm and receiving friends from 5-8pm.

New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary is setting up a scholarship fund in Kim's name for girls planning on going into missions. This scholarship will be awarded each semester. If you would like to give to this scholarship please follow the directions below.

1. Write a check to New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
2. In the memo line write "Kim Wilson's Scholarship Fund"
3. Mail to: NOBTS
Attn: Institutional Advancement
3939 Gentilly Blvd.
New Orleans, LA 70126

Friday Update

Just wanted everyone to know that Kim went to a hospice today. Some good friends of ours visited her tonight and said she was in good spirits. Continue to pray for her to be pain free. Pray for her family.

Update

There is not much more to tell on Kim. She is still in the hospital but tomorrow they hope to move her to a hospice facility. She has had a few restless nights and so then she sleeps a lot during the day. Continue to pray she does not have any pain. I'll let you know if I hear something else.

Elizabeth

Update on Kim

Kim is not able to post right now so I will be posting for her.

Kim was admitted into the hospital on Sunday due to some pain she was having. They were going to do some scans but have cancelled them having gotten a better handle on what is going on with her. Many people did not know she was diagnosed with carcinoma meningitis back in November. This is a condition that continues to worsen. I have not talked to Kim because she has been in ICU but I have talked to her medical power of attorney and she said the doctor said Kim has maybe one week.

I know it may have been a long time since you've seen or talked to Kim or heard an update so this may be a bit of a shock. I just wanted you all to pray for her and her family. Kim does not seem to be in any pain so please pray she continues to be pain free. Pray she is at peace. Pray for her family.

Blessings,
Elizabeth

Well, I finally made it back to NOBTS!!!

Yes, after two attempts, a car wreck before, and a car wreck trying to get to an Amtrax -- I finally made it with Billy, Elizabeth, Bailey, and Jesse -- plus two car seats four sets of luggage, birthday presents, a pimped up walker, and whatever else we could find to fit in the truck. I still think a piece of luggage is in the truck, but, oh well!, I've got my bank card! (My brother didn't hear that :))

The Seminary looks great, from what I've seen of it so far. A lot of people here and from all over the States have helped in that much. There is still much to do, especially as you move toward the back of the campus.

Wednesday night, I went to the church Elizabeth and I went to while we were here going to Seminary, Edgewater Baptist Church. And Wednesday night was the first time they were able to turn the electricity on in the Sanctuary. That was very exciting for them, and much more exciting for me, since I had not been able to be here to help in clean up in anyway, but God allowed me to be there for that electric moment! :)

There was a church there from Kingsport, TN. They had brought about 22 people to come down and work. The pastor is a guy who went here when Elizabeth and I did, so he asked if I would come speak at his church.

I have been speaking in various classes this week. I have been telling my story, as well as speaking on how in a pastoral role, what they need and need not do. The students would ask good questions, like:  

• what did you want your pastor to do?
  
• what did you want others in your church to do?
  
• what helped? or what did not help?

The professors have all been great in letting me share whatever I want and then like I said, they will say just tell us some things that have really helped or hurt you.

I have also gathered through these past 5 1/2 years many resources that were not available when I was diagnosed and can give them out to them now, so they will at least have something or somewhere to point the person in who is going through cancer or some kind of crisis like this.

Hopefully the filming of what still needs work both here on campus and around and behind the campus. There are still FEMA trailors sitting by houses. Most are rebuilding their home and making their home look really nice. They have painted many in all these really bright colors. To me it shows  spirit in these people to bring a good New Orleans back. We are going to show our bright colors to show that we are brighter than ever. Hopefully that will scare away the bad.

Please continue to pray for these people, it is still hard no matter what.

Pray for the Seminary, staff, workers, and students as they hang in here as well.

Pray for people to come and help.

Pray for wisdom as I return and present opportunities to the church and other churches around Knoxville on how you can be involved in raising this place to be GOD centered and not evil centered anymore.

In one news report they have kept, it reported that after the hurricane the only shining point in the city that people could see for miles was the steeple on the chapel on the NOBTS seminary campus. As Dr. Kelley would say: "WOW! What a witness!"

I want to thank God for allowing me to get down here and thank the Dr.'s Kelley's and Mr. Clay Corvin for allowing me to visit with such giving. Everyone has went way and above to make my stay here wonderful. And yes Mom, they make sure I eat.  :)

Love everyone, see you all when I get back!

Kim -- with God ALL things are possible

Thursday Last day for Radiation!!

Thursday will be my last day of radiation! It is also my cousin Jill's birthday, but I won't tell her age, b/c she would not like that and would get me back. My nephew Brian had a birthday on the 8th and Georgia had a birthday on the 8th --Happy Birthday Jill - Brian -and Georgia! Also, Happy Birthday to Kenny again. I was the first to tell him Happy Birthday (a month early) but oh well. Glad you had a good birthday. There are more birthday's to come this month, so I will happy them later.



Well, I was looking back over my last blog to see where I needed to start. It looks like it was the car wreck. And like I said, it was a blessing in disguise because they found the 2 C spine spots. Otherwise they would not have found them for 3 more months, or unless they started causing me problems.



I will see my oncologist on February 6th. He will discuss then what chemotherapy he is going to give me. So, basically until then, I'll just be resting up for the next round of poison to my body.



The more I have read lately - from the Bible and from Christian authors - the more verses I find on "keep on praying; keep on praying for miracles; keep on asking, He says over and over again - Keep on Asking!" I've always wondered how many times do you ask for another miracle? Have I met my limit? But, it seems the answer is no - He will keep answering as long as we keep asking. He has a plan and a time table, but we don't know what that is, only He does. And His plan may be for Him to continue to perform miracles in my body, so that He can be glorified; so I can glorify Him in all I do, so ohters will see Him and how He works.



I've decided through prayer and Bible reading to get together more Christians than ever to start praying that God will take this Cancer from my body all together - that they will not be able to find anything floating around in my spinal fluid or any tumor anywhere else in my body. The doctors and everyone will be totally amazed and will only be able to explain it as a Miracle of God. We all need to send our prayer lists out - to get on our faces before our LORD, as I have been doing, and ask for total healing.



A couple of things I've found lately:

(from this little book "The Greatest Discovery" by Jim Cymbala

p.16 "When you don't know where to turn, then turn to me (God). When you're ready to throw up your hands - throw them up to me. Put your voice behind them, too, and I'll come and help you."



p.22 "Call upon me in the day of trouble, . . . I will deliver you, and you will honor me." Ps.50:15. God desires praise from our lives . . . but the only way fresh praise and honor will come is as we keep coming to him in times of need and dificulty. Then he will intervene to show himself strong on our behalf, and we will know that he has done it."

p.50 "Let us purpose in our hearts to change in his direction and see him do incredible things to the praise of the glory of his grace."



I also found this in a poem:

LORD, You know I'm pushing on

to run this race

I fix my eyes on You

in everything I face

Your truth that beats

inside my heart won't let me go

with every step of faith,

You strenghthen me

along every mile of trust.

(Heb 12:1-22; 2 Cor. 4:8-9)



Quote:

"Our suffering may be great - but Christ's suffering for us was far greater."

Billy Graham



"Fear not! I am with you. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold you up with My righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10



"Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it so that the Father may be glorified in the Son." John 14:13



"Now the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will personally restore, establish, strenghthen, and support you after you have suffered a little."

1 Peter 4:10



Join me in prayer. Send me verses to pray. Let me know when 2 or more are gathered together to pray and I will pray as well. I can then make a list of where people are praying; I know it will be unbelieveable. I Believe He will do this; we also must believe. He is going to take this Cancer out of my body.



Thank you in advance for praying - asking - and believing!



Oh, I forgot -- it was either from the car wreck or week bones or both, but anyway, last Friday morning I woke up hurting terribly under my left arm; could not touch it hardly or take a breath. I went to radiation and they sent me for an x-ray and, yes, I have a broken rib. Unbelieveable! Only me :) Yes, terrible pain still and yes, nothing you can do about it. They wrapped it in Ace bandage and gave me some pain pills, but that's it. So, pray this rib heals fast too.



And if anyone knows how long "a little while" is in biblical terms - I was just wondering because a day is like a thousand in Heaven; makes me wonder a little about that verse. Just a thought.



Thank you all again,

Kim Wilson



Please respond or email

kp1926@bellsouth.com

I'm Back - And It's Back!

Hello Everyone!! I pray everyone had a blessed Christmas, knowing that the best present under the tree is Jesus. I pray for everyone to have a happy, healthy, and blessed 2008!

Yes, around Dec. 7th I noticed some definte weakness in my legs beginning to worsen quickly. My sister had taken my Mother and I to Opryland Hotel and to see the Rocketts Christmas program. That was sooo beautiful. It was there I ended up having to get a wheelchair at one point, because the legs would just not move. We got back late Saturday night; I called the doctor Sunday Morning and he immediately put me in the hospital. Ran tests and the few tumors they had been watching had grown, plus numerous others had grown as well. They are laying along the "dura", which is a protective covering around our spinal fluid. Unfortuntantely, the tumors are in the spinal fluid, but most all of them are small. So, I've been going through radiation to my spine. Then, one day my Dad was taking me to radiation. We were sitting at a red light, there was a car behind us, waiting too. Well, this third car comes behind her apparently looking somewhere else - had no idea what was going on- did not even try to stop - ran into the car behind us and knock her into us. So, that lady knock two sitting cars into the intersection. Luckily, my Dad and I both had our seat belts on -- if not, we would have hit the windshield hard. Both of our necks and heads were going back and forth. There was a lot of traffic that day, so we were able to move the cars to the nearest parking lot - we had plenty of witnesses! I called my Radiologist's office and they told me not to move - well, like I was really going to anyway. I thought, this would be great to have a broken kneck right now. So, I got to have my first Ambulance ride! It wasn't that great though because I couldn't turn my head to look around. I just looked at the top of the ceiling the whole time. I think the driver took the longest route to the hospital too. I kept asking, "are we almost there yet?" Well, I had to go through more scans and more scans. Everything was fine - but they did find a couple more tumors in the "C" spine. Not big and they have just added that on to my current radiation. So, something good came out of it. It has definitely been crazy lately.

It has taken me a while to realize that I am going through cancer treatment again. It just doesn't seem real. But I know that God is right here beside me fighting this battle for me. He has shown me several verses lately -- 2 Chron. and 2 Peter. How I just have to watch Him and He will do the fighting and after I have suffered for a while, He will bring me back to strength and health. I just have to hang onto His promises.

So, add me to all your prayers lists again. I'm really tired from everything, plus radiation makes you tired, but I'm up too late right now, so that's not good. I promise I will update soon on more specific ways to pray.

Thank you all again for your love and concern and especially your prayers,

Kim Wilson

"with God ALL things are possible"