by Jodi Woody
Chapter 27
Healing
Spring came with a burst of color and warm weather. Samantha found herself at The Mountain Home for Spring Break with the whole family…except Daffyd and Bryson. Daffyd was still fighting his battle in Mexico and Bryson had flown down to give Lucille a break. Instead of going to her home, she came to spend time with them all. Bryce had arrived the week before Seanna and Samantha, getting an early start on his Spring break. Seanna had arrived the day after her mom. The Montana weather was much warmer than Wisconsin and the kids were in the pool. The rest of them were on the patio soaking up the warmth and chatting when Samantha’s cell phone rang.
“Everybody! It’s Daffyd!” she yelled before she answered. “Hello…Daffyd,” she said excitedly.
“Samantha can you hear me?” Daffyd asked.
“Yes, I can hear you!”
“Are you close to everyone?” he asked.
“They are all right here, Daffyd. We are out on the patio.”
“Can you put me on speakerphone?” he asked.
“Ok, Daffyd. We can all hear you now. The kids are out of the pool and are here with your Mom and Trisha and Leal.”
“Dad is here with me and I have you all on speaker phone too,” said Daffyd.
“Hi Bryson…Hi Honey…Hi Grandpa,” said several voices at once.
“Hi everyone!” yelled Bryson in the background.
“I have something pretty important to tell you...” said Daffyd.
Everyone in Montana looked at one another with varying degrees of hope and excitement. Oh, Lord, please let this be good news…let him be cancer free, thought Samantha.
“Last night at ten thirty I asked Jesus to come into my heart.”
“Oh, Son. I am so proud of you!” said Lucille.
“That’s great Uncle Daffyd,” said Bryce.
“It’s about time,” said Trisha.
“I have met so many people here with such great faith. I know all of you have plenty to spare, but these people are in the same boat as me and some of them a lot worse off than me, but they still trusted God. Then this sweet young girl passed away yesterday with all of her family around her. I just couldn’t believe how calm and loving they all were. No one was panicked or afraid. It was so peaceful and…I just can’t explain it, but I knew right then that I was ready to just give up and let God in.”
“How are you feeling Daffyd,” asked Samantha trying not to sound disappointed.
“I feel wonderful! I have never felt so un-anxious and un-worried in my life!”
“No…I mean physically,” she clarified.
“Oh…quite a lot better, but I’m not scared anymore. I’m not afraid to die,” he answered.
“Good for you, Daffyd,” said Samantha as she got up and went in the house.
“Mom!” yelled Seanna with a frown.
“Let her go, Sea. She’s just scared…give her some time,” said Bryce.
“What’s going on?” asked Daffyd.
“Mom’s having a meltdown again,” said Seanna, totally disgusted.
“I thought she’d be happy…” said Daffyd confused.
“Daffyd, this has been really hard on Samantha. Being away from you for so long and worried about your health. She has been doing pretty well, but I think she was hoping that your good news was more about the physical than the spiritual. I’ll talk to her later after she calms down a little,” said Lucille.
“Well, the rest of us are thrilled. We are really a family now, Daffyd!” said Seanna.
“Yep…Brother Daffyd,” laughed Leal.
“I hope to see you all soon. Keep me in your prayers. We are starting a new phase in the treatment tomorrow,” he asked.
“We will,” they agreed.
“Well I better go, thanks for seeing after Samantha, Mom. And Seanna cut your mom some slack, girl.”
“Ok, Daffyd,” she agreed.
“Promise?”
“Promise!”
Lucille found Samantha lying in bed with a pile of tissue on the pillow beside her. The room was dark and she could hear the quiet crying from the door. “Honey, it’s Lucille…can I come in?”
“Ok…”
Lucille sat on the bed next to Samantha and patted her on the shoulder. “Do you want to talk about it?” she asked.
“I feel awful. The most important thing that can possibly happen in a person’s life has happened for Daffyd and I can’t even be happy about it!” she choked out.
“Why is that, do you think?” asked Lucille gently.
“It wasn’t what I wanted to hear. I wanted to hear him say that he was healed, that he was cancer free and coming home,” she sobbed.
“Honey, that’s something we all want to hear. But as his Mom, I am so happy and relieved that Daffyd is saved. I am convinced that Daffyd will be healed…whether here or in heaven. But had he not gotten saved then I wouldn’t be confident of his healing. He could have, like so many others, died and spent eternity separated from God.”
“Oh, Lucille, I feel so selfish. I want Daffyd healed for me, so I can be happy and feel fulfilled. I prayed more for Daffyd’s healing than I did for his Salvation. What kind of a human being does that make me?”
“Just that, human,” Lucille answered her.
Samantha sat up in bed and blew her nose loudly. Lucille got up and grabbed the small garbage can and brought it back to Samantha. After Samantha had picked up all the evidence of her childish pity party, she looked up at Lucille with a lopsided grin.
“I guess Daffyd is pretty disappointed in me,” she stated.
“I think he’ll get over it. Besides, when you first get born again, it takes a lot to bring you down. I’m thinking he’ll be flying high for a while. And I want you to think about how much stronger his faith will be now when he confesses his healing,” stated Lucille with her eyebrows up.
“You’re right. He really believed that God could and would heal others, now he should be able to believe that God will heal him,” said Samantha. “What else did he say after I ran away?”
“He asked us to pray for him. They are starting some new treatments tomorrow.”
“Sounds like perfect timing.”
“Sounds like God’s timing!” said Daffyd’s mom. “Now, go wash your face and maybe change your shirt. You’ve managed to just about soak that one and let’s go see what Trisha has whipped up for dinner.
“No matter what she made, I think I will be eating some ‘humble pie’,” said Samantha.
Samantha apologized to everyone around the dinner table without making any excuses for her behavior. Leal mentioned how hard it had all been on everyone and told Samantha that that was what family was all about.
“We get to be real around each other without worrying if they are going to stop loving us. My grandma always said ‘Home is where you can act the worst and still be loved the most.’” said Leal.
“I’d sure like to meet that lady some day,” laughed Bryce.
“I think by now we can safely say that the ‘rose colored glasses’ are off,” said Trisha. “We’ve gotten a chance to see the good and bad of each other.”
“Nope, not yet. You haven’t seen the really bad me,” said Seanna shaking her head.
“Oh, really?” asked Bryce.
“She’s right, it takes a lot to get Seanna riled up, but when she does, watch out!” warned Samantha.
“So what ‘riles’ you up?” asked Bryce.
“One time she punched a boy in the mouth for saying something about her best friend,” said Samantha.
“He called her a heifer,” said Seanna with a shrug.
“So you get mad when people get picked on?” asked Leal.
“Only if they can’t defend themselves, some people can handle it, Sara couldn’t. She was a little chubby but she was also the sweetest person I knew and didn’t deserve to be treated mean by those boys.”
“Remind me to never get you mad,” laughed Bryce, “I kind of like my smile t
he way it is.”
“Don’t worry about your teeth, I’d have to stand on a chair to reach your mouth. I’d worry about your ribs,” said Seanna.
“Point taken. So what else don’t we know about each other. Anything else we should be warned about?” asked Samantha.
“I’m afraid of mice and rats, well, I guess rodents in general,” shared Trisha.
“I hate watching the news,” said Lucille.
“I tend to feel sorry for myself,” said Samantha.
“I sometimes get up in the middle of the night to sneak cheese and crackers,” offered Bryce.
“That explains a lot…” said Trisha.
“What about you, Leal. Anything we need to know?” asked Bryce.
“Cabbage makes me pass gas,” he volunteered.
“Honey, you’re supposed to tell us something we don’t already know,” said Trisha as they all laughed.
“I don’t give up very easily. I know that can be a good thing, but sometimes we need to be able to know when we’ve done enough,” said Leal.
“That’s what you have me for,” said Trisha.
“And that is exactly my point about families. God puts us all together because we need each other,” explained Leal.
“Well, I for one am happy to have a family, even if we are a little nutty!” said Seanna.
Chapter 28
Metamorphosis
Samantha was finishing up her School year in Wisconsin while Daffyd continued to grow better physically and spiritually in Mexico. Lucille and Bryson were both at home since Daffyd seemed to be doing well and the clinic suggested they allow their son some time alone with God. Part of their healing process was working through things with the Lord one on one. Daffyd was getting to know God in a way that he never experienced before and was becoming a new man. His body was not yet cancer free but Samantha still had faith that the call would come.
She was on her way to visit Pastor Shane’s office after school to talk to him about the next school year. With much prayer and some council from her “family” she had decided not to teach the next year. Daffyd had invited her to move to Montana and stay at Mountain Home until his return. Though they hadn’t discussed any long term plans, they frequently talked about the next few months. With summer fast approaching and summer break for the two college kids right around the corner, they were all making plans to be together. They didn’t know when Daffyd would be joining them, but they wanted to all be together when he did.
Samantha was a little nervous about sharing her plans with her Pastor. Not sure if he would see things the same way that she did, but knowing in her heart she was making the right decision. She said a quick prayer before she knocked on the door.
“Well, Samantha, why don’t you have a seat and tell me what brings you to see me today,” he said gesturing to a chair.
“Thanks, Pastor. I guess I’m here for a couple of reasons. First of all, I wanted to let you know that Daffyd has invited us to come and stay at his home in Montana for the summer.”
“Oh, is Daffyd coming home soon then?” he asked.
“We are hoping,” said Samantha with a smile. “But we all want to be there when he does get to come home. Seanna and Daffyd’s nephew, Bryce, have become very close, he’s like the big brother she always wished she’d had. Bryce is also an only child, so he likes having a little sister as well.”
“That sounds like a good plan for the summer. You enjoy it out there don’t you?”
“I do. It isn’t just the mountains and the peacefulness at Mountain Home, but Seanna and I have become a part of a family there. I know I have told you about Daffyd’s two employees that have adopted him. Between them and the two college kids…well, it feels like home,” she tried to explain.
“We aren’t always born into a family. There are plenty of people who live in the same household, and share the same blood, who live completely separate lives. Then there are people that God brings together, and binds them in love, and they become a family. It sounds like that is what you are experiencing. Have you thought about what you will be doing once the summer is over, Samantha?” he asked.
“Well, that brings me to the second reason I’m here. Daffyd and I haven’t discussed any long range plans right now. I guess we both wanted to wait and see how this all plays out. But I don’t intend to come back here. As you know, Seanna and I don’t have any family here, other than our Church family of course. And to be completely honest, if it wasn’t for God’s strength and grace I would have left the classroom years ago. I really want to write. That has been something on my heart since I was a child. Life just got away with me and it got put on hold. But now Seanna is grown up…and I don’t have any more excuses not to try.”
“Sometimes God has us do something for a season. I think your season here with us is coming to an end. You are not the same person that you were when you and Richard first joined us. I think that everything you’ve been through has made you stronger,” said Pastor Shane.
“Sometimes it feels that way, other times it scares the daylights out of me! So you don’t think I’m crazy?” she asked.
“No,” he laughed. “I would be concerned about your moving to Montana without being married if it was just you and Daffyd. But I trust you to live right until that day comes. And I expect an invitation to the big day when it happens.”
“Just keep believing with us for a complete healing for Daffyd,” she asked.
“Samantha, I fully believe God will heal Daffyd…” he began.
“But…I know what you are going to say, Pastor. We have talked about this a lot, Daffyd and I. We believe his healing can come two ways. Here on earth, or in heaven. We are content with either, but so hoping that we can live a long and happy life here together.”
“Well, I wish you the best. If there is anything we can do to help you make the transition, just let us know. I think it’s best if you don’t mention this to your students until the end of the year. Even though a few of them will be advancing to the next class, most will be sad to know that you are leaving.”
“Thanks for making this easy. I feel like a weight has been lifted. I plan on enjoying the last few months of school and will be able to look forward to a new start without feeling like I didn’t finish up well.”
Daffyd closed his Bible and knelt down next to his bed. Father, I thank you for finding me, for having the patience to wait for me, and for loving me despite my stubborn selfishness. Help me Lord, to put others first and to not think about my happiness first. I ask you to show me how to live for you instead of for myself. I am ready now to come home to you if that is what you want, but if not, if there is something else you have for me to do here, then I ask that I can live long enough to marry the woman I love. Let me be the man she deserves. Help me to be a true ‘new creation’. And please help me to do what you want me to do, no matter how hard it might be.
Though Daffyd missed Samantha more than he had ever thought possible, and though he missed them all, his Mom and Dad, Bryce and Seanna, and even Trisha and Leal, he was content to wait on God. He felt stronger every day not just physically but spiritually. He wanted to grow as much as he could while he was here so that he could go home a new man. Through much soul searching, he came to realize that most of his weakness had nothing to do with a disease. His flesh was weak, not his physical flesh alone, but his heart and mind. The only answer to the problem was to feed his spirit by filling up on scripture and to practice listening to His voice.
The stronger he became in his spirit, the more he came to know God, the stronger he felt and it was reflecting in his health. He was learning so much through his independent study as well as the group Bible study he attended twice a week. Sunday service was mostly praise and worship, which he loved, with some simple preaching by several local pastors. For the first time in his life, he felt like he really knew God, not just knew of him. What a difference that made.
“Daffyd,” said a tall young man at his open door.
/> “Max, come in. I was just finished praying,” invited Daffyd.
Max came in and sat in the only chair in the simple room. He was one of the young helpers that volunteered at the clinic. Daffyd had become friends with the earnest young man over the past few months.
“I wanted to talk to you about something…I guess I need some advice. Your brother and sister-in-law were missionaries right?” he asked.
“Yeah, they were.”
“I have been invited to go on a mission trip for three months. I am just not sure if I’m strong enough, spiritually, to go.”
“How strong do you have to be to go?” asked Daffyd.
“Stronger than me, I’m thinking,” the young man said with a smile.
“Max, I know I’m pretty new at this, but you have been here for over a year fighting all kinds of demonic stuff. You’ve been strong for us when we couldn’t be strong; you helped us to lean on God and to put our trust in Him. I’m thinking this is a mission field! What difference does it make if you change location?”
“Yeah, you’re probably right. I guess I just feel comfortable here,” he explained.
“Do you feel like it is something God wants you to do?” asked Daffyd.
“I do. I just guess I was scared to think about going. I kept trying to think up some excuse. I talked to them here and they will allow me to come back and continue my work here. The money to go is even already paid for…so I guess I’m out of excuses,” he said with a smile.
“My brother loved it. They died doing what they loved and doing what God asked them to do. The things that they gave up to go didn’t seem important compared to those they helped and the ones that came to the Lord through their work.”
“Did you ever think about going?” asked Max.
“No! I was much too selfish and wrapped up in my own plans to even think about it. At the time I thought they were both crazy. And after they died, I was just mad at them for leaving their son behind,” answered Daffyd. “Now I’m proud of them for doing what God called them to do, and for the sacrifices they made. Their unselfish lives touched so many people.”