Bone Marrow Transplant- Day Minus 5

Today was John's first day of Chemotherapy; he received through his Hickman line over the period of a few hours. He reacted well with no sickness or nausea. John is doing well both physically and emotionally; he has been able to have time to reflect and have time praying.
It's hard to comprehend that this last year has been the most healthy of his life and and we are choosing to make him sick again with the hope that this will be the cure for the future.

The doctors came to see John today and asked if they could take some of his DNA as they wish to do a research study on John's immune deficiency. They just got some research grants and wish to spend some of it on figuring out exactly what John has and how he got it. We are so excited about what there findings will be and are hopeful that this will help many more people like John to have hope of healing.


Happy new year to you all and Thank you for all your prayers!


 

Bone Marrow Transplant- Day Minus 6

Dear Friends.

John was admitted yesterday to Brigham and Woman's Hospital to begin his Bone Marrow Journey. That day was referred to by the doctors as Day minus 6, all days up in until transplant are negative and day 0 is the day of the transplant and then from then on we talk in positive days. We arrived at the hospital at 5.30am. We have talked about this day for a year and half and now here we were; scared but oddly calm. John went into surgery at 7.30am to have a Hickman line put in his chest, this will enable them to administer drugs (save them poking his arm a million times a day) and the stem cells (the volume of which will be too great for an IV).

They originally tried to put the line his right chest vein however it was not there; apparently 30% of people do not have that vein, so they went into a superficial neck vein (superficial simply means surface).
The rest of the day was spent resting, watching TV you would never even consider were you not in a hospital with nothing else to do!

They are very strict about germs, every thing has to be wiped down and all have to wear a mask and gloves; even his wife! :) 

The whole day we were surrounded by the tangible presence of God; I never feel His presence quite as strong as when I am here. Jesus dwells in the waiting room, the ICU, the wards- he dwells with the sick, hurting and broken; I am so glad He chooses this.

John and I talked that night before we went to sleep, shared our fears and hopes and reminded ourselves of the scriptures God had given us and took strength; we talked about how we would  feel if this really worked; I could not stop the tears.

Day Minus 5 is Chemo...

Christmas

I hate waiting for things, what about you?
I want things instantly, right now; when God speaks I want to see the fruit of it right then and there.
Waiting is frustrating.

Can you imagine waiting 400 years for something?
Would you doubt it was coming? Would you perhaps doubt you heard right? Would you think you were forgotten?

The last words spoken in the Old Testament point to this person who was coming, this messiah who would save His people and reconcile the world to God.

Then nothing. No words. No prophets.
For 400 years this promise lay dormant, waiting to be fulfilled.

And then…in the silence…in a poor town, in a dirty dung ridden stable there came a cry. A cry of a baby, wrapped in rags; held by a woman who simply obeyed.

And there it was, the one who was pointed too throughout all the hundreds of years of the Old Testament, who was prophesied about 1887 times was here, with us. A baby, fragile, dependent.

He grew up just like you and I, he cried, he had to be changed, burped.
Did He know then He was God?
As he began to make friends and play with the other kids, as he went to school and learned his trade. Did He know He was God?
As he read the scriptures in the temple, the words describing His coming and His character; Did He know it was Him?

This same baby in the manger, this same small boy in his mothers arms is the same man who healed the sick, freed the possessed and forgave sins. He was the same man who was led to the cross. He was killed and beaten for you and I. So you and I could be restored to God.

That is why we celebrate Christmas.
It is the fulfillment of God's promise, one He was faithful to keep.

So when Christians say those cheesy phrases like "Jesus is the reason for the season" or "keep the Christ in Christmas" understand that the heart behind that is that we are celebrating the fulfillment of God promise not just to us, the church, but to you and all of the world.

Jesus is for all, with all. He is looking at you, he is listening to you and he longs to be reconciled to the world he loves so deeply.

And on a personal note God has kept his promises to us this year. He has been faithful to provide all we need to go ahead with the bone marrow transplant for John; their have been obstacles that have led us to worry but God, as he was 2000 years ago, was faithful. And as we look ahead at all the challenges of 2011 we can only trust that His faithfulness will remain.

"Pray for us. We have no doubts about what we are doing and why, but it's hard going and we need your prayers…" Hebrews 13: 18 (MSG)

This Christmas our prayer for you as well as ourselves is to more fully realize the gift of Jesus; the sacrificial offering God gave to us. The ultimate ask of selflessness, not just for those who loved him but for those who had turned their back.

May you be blessed abundantly this Christmas season! May the knowledge of our Lord and Savior permeate your hearts and minds.

Update on Bone Marrow

John was admitted this morning only to be sent home around 3 hours later. Our health insurance still refuses to cover the Bone Marrow Transplant.
Thank you for your prayers; we will not give up; we believe God wants us to do this and that He has healing for John.
Please continue to pray for us. We are both very broken and sad right now but we are choosing to trust that God is bigger than our circumstances.
We are currently in our third appeal with the insurers. Please pray.
We will keep you all posted.
Love you all
John and Amanda

Miracle Needed

Dear Friends
We messaged earlier in the week about our Health insurance problems.
Today our request for them to cover John's bone marrow transplant was rejected again...doctors have begun a 3rd and final appeal.
John is due to be admitted tomorrow.
Friends, please pray; we have spent the last year planning for this and God has provided for us to be able to do this, not just financially but also in Ian (John's Brother) being a perfect match. We have been praying this whole year and have always had God's peace.
This is out of our hands; only God can make this happen.
Join us in praying by faith for a miracle tonight or early morning; we will go the hospital tomorrow by faith.
Today has been painful for us; there have been times we have proclaimed that God is faithful and chosen to stay hopeful and there have been moments of extreme disappointment and fear.

We must remember that God is more powerful than any person, company or decision on this earth and He is the one who we will trust.

Much love to you all, I do hope we can message you again tomorrow, this time with a miracle story!

John and Amanda

Bone Marrow- 1 week

Dear Friends

It's now under a week till John is admitted into hospital. I (Amanda) keep saying to people "It's John's last Monday at work"; half with laughter, half with extreme sadness. Working with my spouse has been a major blessing and I cannot imagine him not being by my side.

As we make preparations for this coming week, we see many things that need to fall into place; some we can control, others we cannot.
There is still a small amount of unpacking to do in our apartment; our good friend Jeremy curbed us some new small dressers which will be a major help! We are so pleased we serve a God who meets not only our emotional and mental needs but the practical!

We are also in the process of ensuring our health insurance is going to cover John's treatment; we are pretty confident this will be resolved but please pray for a breakthrough here.

On a praise note! Last week when John and I were at the hospital the valet parking assistant wrecked our car door! Why praise you ask? Well first they said, "don't worry we will fix it for free and in the meantime we can give you a car". Anyway long story short they said the car would cost more to fix than the blue book value of the car so they gave us the car back and a check for $1500. Again, why praise? Well we went to a local garage who will fix it all up for $640! Leaving us with $860 to keep!

Both of us know this next year will be expensive and so this provides a safety net for us! How wonderful is our God.

We want to thank you all for getting behind us, loving us, praying for us, giving sacrificially to us and being wonderful friends

We love you all
John and Amanda

Details of the Bone Marrow Transplant

First of we wish to apologize for communicating this information in such an impersonal way; we would love to be able to call you all one by one and hopefully we will get to speak that way before the transplant.

We saw the doctor yesterday and signed all the consent forms so it's happening!

The doctors are confident that the procedure will heal John. There is 80% success rate! This means an 80% chance that Ian's (John's brother and donor) immune system will totally catch and begin to build cells in John's bone marrow; essentially completely replacing John's immune system with Ian's healthy immune system. John tells me that Ian used to say when they were kids that he wishes he could give John his immune system! How amazing that he can!

John is admitted to Brigham and Women's hospital on Friday the 1st October. He will have 4 days of chemotherapy; this will suppress his immune system (the little he has) to avoid it fighting Ian's. On the 7th October the transplant will happen. This will be painless for John but quite painful for Ian so please pray for quick healing for him.

We believe God is working...God has healing for John...please join us in hoping and praying...it's going to be a long and hard year but one which could end with the best news ever!

New Seasons, New Challenges

Well it has been quite a year. Our first year of marriage has been filled with joys and deep heartaches. John's illness before the wedding and his recovery, death of Amanda's father and John's grandmother this summer.

Through our trails God has richly blessed us and provided for us. A new apartment, an increase in finances and a year of fruitful ministry with YWAM Boston. 

As we approach our first wedding anniversary our newest challenge looms. John will be having a bone marrow transplant on the 7th October. We have been praying and preparing for 10 months. 
John is healthy right now so you are probably asking why we would do this. John has a severe immune deficiency which results in him becoming seriously ill about once every year or 2; the episode before the wedding was the worst; we nearly lost him. This prompted us and his doctors to rethink. Instead of managing his condition we should be trying to heal it. That is why are doing this. The possibility of healing is one we cannot ignore. 

Even through our fear, we have God's peace. This next year will look different than any other; John will need to be at home for a year; no public places apart from the hospital. John will be continuing to work for YWAM Boston at home, several projects he is working on and Amanda will be carrying on as normal working with DTS. 

We ask for prayer. I (Amanda) am still so broken from loosing my father; watching John willingly become sick fills me with fear. I fully support his decision and I believe this is going to work however the fear is great. 

John needs prayers of strength. He has walked through so many illnesses in his life. Pray this would be the last for a long time; pray it works, pray he can finally be healthy and have the immune system that most of us take for granted. 

We will be updating you at every stage... 

Outreach on Friday

“Why do you go to church?” I asked Jen, a mother I met in Brighton MA at our outreach on Friday.

“Because the people there have purpose, I want what they have” She responded. I was so privileged to share with Jen that she could indeed have what they have, that this “purpose” comes from a relationship with the living and loving God!

Later on I saw a woman approach our team; I went to meet her as she walked. I recognized her; it seemed she recognized me too! We had met many times before at a local church we work with. She had just been released from hospital; she needed prayer; “I saw your team and I knew God had sent you here to pray for me, it’s a divine appointment!” Our team prayed for her; she wept with joy.

We stayed in Brighton around 3 hours and most of this time John was speaking to Tyrone, a local teenager. “I don’t believe there is any evidence for God” He said. They talked about science, evolution and the evidence of God on our planet; it was a deep conversation.
“I guess that makes sense, but if God is real then how do I know which God he is? There are so many religions, they can’t all be right” Tyrone asked; now engrossed in the topic of God. John talked with him about the uniqueness of the bible, its historical accuracy, archeological proof; he also spoke of the character of Jesus. Tyrone intently listened to every word, asked questions and even as our team went to leave he did not stop wanting to talk. “I think I would like to go to church” he said. Peter, one of our new team members knew of a good church for Tyrone and agreed to take him.

Towards the end of the outreach I felt a tap on the back of my leg; “Excuse me?” a little girl asked; “Yes” I responded. “Would you like to be in a parade about God?” she announced sweetly.
I smiled, “Of course, what do you want to say about God?”
“I want everyone to know how good and loving He is”
Such sweet, simple faith.

To God be the Glory!

News from our team that went to Iceland

"We don't know of another team that has even seen one salvation!"

This was the reaction of the church in Iceland that our team worked with on their recent mission trip. At first they were weary of us; they explained that many teams had come but had been more of a burden than a blessing.

"But not your team" they said "You were an amazing blessing"

Our small team of 30 spent 2 weeks on the streets of Iceland, performing our drama's, dancing and sharing with the people about the God who loves them! The ground was hard, many had tough questions and were not used to meeting Christians, but God did some amazing things!
Lives were changed, people were healed both physically and spiritually.

Before our team landed we had heard there was anything from 3000 to 6000 Christians in Iceland. When they left they had seen 328 make decisions to follow Jesus!

Tour begins tommorow...

http://encountertour2009.blogspot.com/

I (Amanda) will be updating YWAM Boston's Official Encounter blog at the address above; please check for updates :)

Tour starts 7th April 2010 and ends 15th May 2010


 

'Encounter' in New England! Tour dates below!

"

"I called, you answered, and you came to my rescue...!"

They shouted at the top of their lungs! The voices of the free!

On Friday the 12th of March we had the great honor of being able to perform 'Encounter' for participants of 'Teen Challenge'; a biblically based live in rehab center for alcohol and drug addicts of all ages. This center was just for males. This meant that only the men of our ministry could minister to them but that left the females free to sit and pray for each person. We did our production and entered worship and they shouted and sung with all their hearts! These were men who understood the true freedom of Jesus! Their boldness in worship released such a spirit of joy that spread throughout the room and that led others to raise their hands also. 

Many of them knew Jesus but 4 of them raised their hands to receive Jesus with us at the end! They humbly came and sweetly surrendered! It was such an honor for John to get to minister to these broken men and speak to them about the God of all hope. 

These last weeks have been crazy! Preparing for our 6 week tour...this is new ground for all of us! Our dates are being booked up and our dream is becoming a reality! If God is for us who can be against us!

This Saturday (20th March) we will be at Abundant Grace Church on Guest Street in Brighton, MA (Next to New Balance Factory) at 7pm! Please come and see us. 
Or you could come the morning of the 21st March to St Cyrs Church in Laconia NH.
Or if you live south of Boston why not check us out at Evangelical Congregational Church of the Atlantic in Quincy, MA at 7pm on Sunday 28th March.
And last but not least, and this may be New Englanders last chance to see this before we tour, we will be at Mount Zion Christian School in Manchester NH on the evening of Monday the 29th March at around 7pm. 


So come and see us if you can, pray for us! We are so excited. Call or email me if you wanna come johnandamandacaton@gmail.com

What if I don't feel it?

To be honest sometimes I don't "feel" God.

I have been thinking a lot these past weeks about what it really means to walk with God and how for so long I have known one thing in my mind but never really cemented it in my heart. I hear the phrase, from my own lips often, "I don't feel like it" or "It doesn't feel right" or "I don't feel God". This got me questioning my emotions and if I am led by them to often.


Beside this text is a artistic impression of Job; covered in sores, grieving and confused. I am sure he did not "feel" at peace, I am sure he did not "feel" God every waking moment but he never questioned the sovereignty of God or that God was near him.


To be totally honest it is the days I do not "feel" God that I get whacked out, I start to act desperate and selfish and obsessively internalize my day to try and find out why I do not have this spiritual feeling. My heart longs to be on that high every day yet my head tells me that our walk with the Lord is more than just that; true love is about choosing to love and seek God whether you "feel" Him or not. The best example I can muster for this is marriage. I (Amanda) love John deeply but I don't wake up each morning with the warm fuzzys! In fact sometimes, like every other couple, we can't stand one another! But it does not make me doubt I love him or that he loves me; it's just part of life and love is not all feeling! I wake each day and sleep each night knowing deep in my heart that I love him and he loves me.


Why can this not be the same with God? When we do not feel Him can't we still trust that He is there and He loves us and He is for us? 

Our feelings are a gift but often we make the mistake of letting them be our guide instead of God. God is firm, unwavering and sure; He is the same yesterday, today and forever. His love for us is deep every day. He is a dependable and trustworthy God. This is truth. So no matter how we feel it does not change who God, what He thinks of us, what His plans are for us and ultimately everything! 


So I want to pray today and to ask God to release me from the chains of being led by my feelings and instead help me to be led by my steady and sure God! I want to be more than a 'feeling' Christian! I want to praise my God even when there is not spiritual high in return; I want this walk to be about God and not me. In the words of John the Baptist, "God more of you and less of me"..
Will you pray with me today...




MORE NEWS ON 'ENCOUNTER' TOUR SOON! SHOWS HAPPENING WEEKLY IN SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES IN NEW ENGLAND! TO GOD BE THE GLORY!

ENCOUNTER- THE PROMO

Coming to your town in April and May.


Those friends in Indiana, we shall be there the first week and a half of May; we shall keep you posted

What is "Home"?

"I have been dreaming almost every night about being in England, about seeing friends and family and doing those things I used to do. I am comfortable. I am content. 
I awake neither of those things, I awake disconnected, almost mournful"


I have spent much of my time thinking and praying about what "Home" is. For many years I would say Nottingham, England; that's my home. My family is there, my culture is there and many places and people I love are there.

This is the place I truly belong. 

However I am coming up for 2 years now in the USA and I have those things here too. None has replaced what I have in England but are new additions in my heart. And as I walked down the aisle on October 3rd 2009 I felt a great sense of love, I was surrounded by family- The Caton's, YWAM and many other new friends who had rallied around us and I remember distinctly saying to myself "Finally the USA feels like home". 

How I long for both; even for 3. Boston is my home, Indiana is fast becoming my home too and then there is Nottingham and as this battle waged in my mind, guilt filled my mind for ever having thinking to call anywhere else home but England God spoke to me:


"Home is here with me, everywhere else is temporary"

How true and yet how profoundly simple; this world is not and has never been my home! Although my heart yearns for these worldly places, it is really yearning for my real "Home", with my father and my Lord. And wherever I go God is with me and who knows where the Lord will take John and I, who knows how many "Homes" we shall have in this world?

There will always be ties, be loved ones, be treasured memories and I allow myself to miss such things and become excited to see them again but I shall not dwell on earthly places anymore- I will simply travel wherever the Lord takes me and wherever he wills our next "home".  

This song has spoken to me so much about this; I hope it inspires you too:

Wow that crowd was loud!

"As I stared out from the stage last Thursday I froze. That night 150 young people would fill those chairs; 70% of them did not know Jesus. I prayed. I prayed hard"


Last Thursday was a big night. We were at First Assembly of God in Worcester MA; a church we had the privilege of working with since our summer program and whose church had seen massive amounts of people come to the Lord. The most noticeable sign of this is within the Youth. Their Youth group used to 30 kids, all having been to church their whole lives and then we came alongside them and went out into their community, to their town and their housing projects and today their Youth Group is typically no less than 150 people! So many they have to build a new section to the building! As the young people flooded in we joked with each other about how we "ruined their youth group". The youth pastor and staff could not be happier though! They are excited about all God is going to do!
 
And so the show began...although the volume did not diminish. For me, as a performer, it was a hard task- performing for a distracted and loud audience. It was challenging but I knew this night was not about me and that if only one heart was touched this evening it would all be worth it.


At the end we managed to establish some sort of order and for the altar call the place was more peaceful; many bowing their heads and raising their hands for receive the Lord. All in all 10 young people.


"One thing I know is that in my worldly eyes we could see no difference in these young people, they entered as distracted and loud as when they came in but God works in the inner most intimate folds of our heart and although our eyes cannot see I believe God had His way tonight in many lives"

'Encounter' First show of 2010!

This Saturday we had our first performance of 'Encounter' in 2010! We had a new cast and we were excited to see how God would use us.

Here are some shots from the show; above is one of the last scenes of the show. The shadows represent the trinity and the people are sitting and presenting their complaints to God. Just after this Jesus appears from behind the scene and comes into the world.
To the left you can see Satan in black attacking Adam after he has taken the sin (the black fabric strip).This is after the temptation. Amanda is playing Eve.
Below Adam and Eve are left to realize their sin.

The production ends with a worship concert and on Saturday 6 people gave their lives to the Lord for the first time!

God is using this production to bring His Kingdom!

Our first Encounter performance 2010 and OUR BIG DREAM!

'Encounter' is YWAM Boston's first full scale theater production! It tells the story of God from creation to the resurrection through drama, dance, music and multimedia.

Our first US performance will be this Saturday in Brentwood, NH. Last year we took this show to the UK and on the  six week tour the students were able to perform in schools and churches! They saw many give their lives to the Lord.

We have been praying as a staff and it was decided in the Fall that we wanted to take this show on the road in the United States. We have a big dream...we want to take the show to Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington DC, Pittsburgh, Indiana, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Mississippi! 

We need a lot to make this dream a reality! We have good links with many churches in these areas. We need more contacts, we need more funds to get the equipment we need and more than anything else we need prayer!

Our hearts are to bring Jesus to as many people as possible. 

This is such an exciting time for YWAM Boston. Personally John and I are passionate about using the arts to bring people to Jesus.

Please pray with us in this exciting and nerve wrecking time! Our plans are big but we know our God is bigger!

Show details:

Grace International Fellowship Church

Brentwood, NH

Time: 7.00

Youth Group Last Night

Our Outreach team led a youth group in South Boston last night. 13 young people gave their lives to Jesus! We spoke about obedience and that reality of who God is. We were honored to pray for them.
We showed this video, we wanted to share it with you!

God is good

God's word to YWAM Boston in 2010

YWAM has been established in Boston since October 2006. We have seen success and defeat; we have experienced hardship and joy. Many had tried to pioneer a base here and all had failed. This time, for the original 6 staff members who established this base, that was not an option.

John and I are thankful they fought to stay and we get the unbelievable honor to serve with them daily.

Many of you know or maybe not the spiritual challenges of this city. Boston is the most evangelized city in America and yet has the lowest demographic of Christians. A news survey last year asked Americans "Does God exist? The top 4 states to answer "No" were Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. YWAM Boston seeks to reach this city in a culturally relevant and engaging way through simple street evangelism and through the arts. 

Originally the puritans came to Boston to reach the Indians for Christ! Boston was a mission sending city; Harvard was first pioneered as a ministry training center! Thousands were sent from Boston to preach the gospel in China and South Korea- now nations that are seeing huge numbers come to Christ.

Our dream is that Boston would once again be like this. Return to it's roots. 

A new friend of our base came to speak to us today. She had been praying that God would speak to her about the plans God had for us here in Boston. The word she bought was amazing! We want to share that word with you.

She said God spoke Isaiah 61:4:
"They will rebuild ancient ruins,
and restore the places long devastated  
for generations"

She shared that God wanted us to know that a time of great blessing was coming; that the way would become easier, that our fight would become less intense and we will begin to see massive fruit! She told us God wanted us to speak out and ask for the things we want. So one by one we told God our dreams, our needs, our desires and it was such an intense time! The lady speaking to us said she felt like the Lord was sending angels to His storehouses to get all the things we were requesting! We choose a wall in our building and called it our "Wall of declaration" where we wrote all our dreams and one by one we will tick them off as God fulfills them!

We asked to see over 100,000 coming to Christ every year! For the Universities to see revival! For a dance studio! For releases in finances! For more workers! For new creative ideas! For healing and miracles!                                                                                                

                                                                   

John and I have been here with YWAM for 2 years and we were so encouraged by the Lord this morning. The journey has been tough but this morning we were reminded once more why we do this.

God is so good and our hearts are overflowing.

Thank you to those who partner with us in this ministry, thank you that we can dream together for God's kingdom to come to this world.

To Him be the glory!

                                                                                            

 

New Year, Same God

Isn't it comforting to know that however much the world changes our God is never changing. His mercy is still endless, even as the evil in this world grows. He is still forgiving, even as we all still sin. And despite how we may feel the truth is He is still sovereign over everyone...every leader...every politician. No matter what happens in this world His kingdom will never cease or lesson in power. 

So much has happened in a year in John and I's lives; marriage, new families, new home, near death and all the while we were held by the hand of God. The lessons he has taught us through trial and through joy have been priceless- I would not change a thing about how this year has gone. Every suffering produced perseverance and with this came deeper faith and trust in Jesus.

As John and I walk into the next season of our lives, we know there will be many struggles and challenges but equally we know God will bestow many blessings and joy.  YWAM Boston has big plans for 2010! Scary plans that right now seem impossible but we trust and know God will use us. All he needs are willing hearts.
Right now we have the pleasure of hosting a team of 20 Korean Students from a University DTS. They are so on fire for Jesus and have been preaching and performing around the city of Boston and seeing many come to the Lord! It is both wonderful and challenging to see their passion for Jesus. I will be joining them as they perform on the streets this afternoon and John and I will also join them tomorrow.  

On another note we have another team from Tyler Texas arriving today and they are also here to share Jesus with people! Boston this week is getting hit hard by missionaries so please pray that many would come to know the Lord. It is always encouraging to me personally to have people coming along side us in our mission in Boston; they hold us up and keep us going. The challenge to meet this city is immense and we need a body of believers not only standing us in prayer but also physically standing with us :)

Coming up... we have our dress rehearsal for our production called 'Encounter" next Friday and our first show on the 23rd January 2010. If you know any church who would like to host out show we will be doing a north east tour from February :)