Team Megann hits the streets.

On Sept. 17, Katie and I joined some friends from church in the "Run/Walk to Break the Silence on Ovarian Cancer."

Our group, Team Megann, honored our sweet friend who died in 2007.

Before the walk began, Katie and I tried a little Jazzercise.

Our team also had to test all our equipment.

It's so nice to know that your friends have your back!

It was an honor to represent Megann at the walk. Seeing all the groups just like us, though, wearing shirts in memory of lost friends, was sobering.

After the walk, Katie and I "carb-loaded" at IHOP. (Yes, I know we're supposed to do that BEFORE the walk!)

Our breakfast was such a treat! It was a great start to a fun Saturday.

We remember...

Today's Megann's birthday, so we're taking a moment to thank God for sending her our way. What an amazing woman she was! She was such an example to all of us, and we will never stop missing her.

Remembering Megann.

It's hard to believe that she's been gone for a year...

"Megann songs" still remind me of her unwavering faith, and little recollections still make me pause and smile.

Even though today is the anniversary of her last day on earth, Monday, May 5, was the one-year anniversary of a day I will always treasure. Here's that story:

A group of us were on a scrapbooking retreat in East Texas the weekend Megann went to the hospital for the last time. (Megann was supposed to go with us, but then she got the bad scan results and her pain came back with a vengeance.) When we got the call that Megann was hospitalized, a bunch of us "girls" were together to take in the news and pray. A little bit later, we found out how serious this was, so we all hopped in a van and drove from Mabank to the hospital. We got to visit with Megann when she still recognized us, could still smile and laugh (a little) with us in spite of her pain and the painkillers.

As we left the hospital, we all knew that this had been a good day, a blessed opportunity. On any other Saturday, there's no way all six of us could've gone to the hospital together, no way we could've had our children all taken care of. But that day we did, and we all had some time with Megann to hold her hand, to talk to her. How precious was that! Later that night she was unresponsive, and by Sunday, when we returned to the hospital, her condition had deteriorated even more. But oh, that awesome Saturday! We all KNEW God had given us that day to see our sweet Megann.

Thank You, God, for that day, and thank You, God, for Megann.

Megann's birthday.

Today's Megann's birthday. How we miss her! There are so many things that remind us of her, and she's never far from our thoughts. Just last week at our district's convocation, I remembered LAST year's convocation when I ran into her just long enough for a quick hello.

Some of her friends and family are participating in the Walk for the Whisper next month. The walk raises money for ovarian cancer research and awareness. I can't be there, but I'm happy to support Team Megann!

Donate to Team Megann

Before Megann died, Katie prayed for her every night without fail. Beginning that awful day in May, Katie started praying for Megann's family--and she still does! We'll be saying extra prayers for the family today. We'll thank God for bringing Megann into our lives, too.

Tributes to Megann.

Megann blessed everyone she knew. One of the many sad things about losing her is that she didn't have the time for even more people to get to know her. If you never had the pleasure of meeting Megann, check out these links to some of her friends' blogs. They provide sweet descriptions of Megann's spirit and personality:

Jenna

Sarah

Tami

"Megann songs."

Megann was a teacher by trade and by lifestyle. Even before her cancer diagnosis, she taught us a lot about life. She truly loved living, and through her friendliness and straightforward attitude, she interjected that spirit into everyone she met.

After she was diagnosed, it was her faith that taught me even more.

On Wednesdays when the praise team rehearses, they often sing what I've come to think of as "Megann songs." I never heard Megann sing them, but they exemplify Megann's steadfast faith in the face of adversity. On more than one Wednesday evening, I'd be working in the booth and have to fight back tears so I could see the computer screen.

Ever since last summer, "Come, Now Is the Time to Worship" reminds me of that unforgettable evening when we were so honored to pray with Megann and Jon. I can't sing it or even hear it without thinking of Megann.

Another one that gets me is "I Will Praise Him Still," especially these two lines:

When dark trials come and my heart is filled
With the weight of doubt, I will praise Him still.

And then there's "Blessed Be Your Name," which has several lines that fit her spirit:

Blessed Be Your name
When I'm found in the desert place,
Though I walk through the wilderness,
Blessed Be Your name.

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise;
When the darkness closes in, Lord,
Still I will say,

Blessed be the name of the Lord,
Blessed be Your name...

Blessed be Your name
When the sun's shining down on me,
When the world's 'all as it should be,'
Blessed be Your name.

Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering,
Though there's pain in the offering,
Blessed be Your name...

It is wonderful to know that Megann's suffering and pain are gone forever, but now we're the ones who can see the darkness closing in. It's time for us to say, "Blessed be Your name"...

And keep singing.

Please pray.

Please pray for Megann's comfort and for Jon and the rest of her family.

Megann blesses us all with her friendship, her sense of humor, her spirit, her sweetness and her feistiness! We love her so much and are scared to lose her, and we ache for those closest to her.

We know what's next for Megann:

"Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

(1 Corinthians 15:54)

But this is just too difficult. Her pain, our pain... It's too much. Help us, Father. Take care of our sweet Megann. And God, I very selfishly ask you to take care of the rest of us, too.

Now is the time to worship.

Megann, a friend from church, has cancer, and she needs a miracle. Please pray for her! A blog has been established to provide information and updates:

http://megannupdates.blogspot.com/

That link can give you some details, but it can't possibly relay Megann's sweet spirit! Our small group at church has been so blessed since she and her husband came along, but ever since her initial diagnosis last August, we have been amazed by her strength and faith. She has ministered to us through her perseverance in ways she'll never know.

A few weeks ago, she learned that her cancer had likely returned. Our small group gathered at her home to pray with her the night before the surgery to confirm the recurrence. The assembled prayed, cried, prayed some more, and I think we all left uplifted and tuned in to God's power. When I got in the car to drive home, however, I felt very small and, in spite of all the praying, somehow detached from God. I was MAD. How could God let this happen to Megann? Then I turned on the radio, and the song that was just starting was "Come, Now is the Time to Worship." And that was exactly what I needed to hear. NOW--when we're scared and mad and depressed and frustrated, when we're questioning how all of this bad stuff could happen to such a faithful believer--NOW is the time to say YES! You are our God and we WORSHIP YOU. We THANK YOU for all the wonderful things you're doing in our lives every day and for the ways you have and will continue to bless Megann.

Come, now is the time to worship.
Come, now is the time to give your heart.
Come, just as you are to worship.
Come, just as you are before your God.
Come.
(by Brian Doerksen)

I don't have to have the perfect attitude to worship him. I can worship just as I am, with my anger, my doubts, my fears. God is good!

Please join us in praying for Megann.