Fast With Me?

I usually keep things light and airy here at The Journey but tonight I beseech your help.  

Stryker is a baby who lives in a nearby town and has a rarest of rare cancer.  For 1/2 of his life he has been sick.  If you follow me on Facebook then you know Stryker and you know my heart is in his journey.  It is time now, for Jesus to heal Stryker - somehow.  We're praying his healing is here on earth and that his journey will be a testimony to others for many years to come.  He has a bone marrow match.  The chemo is going to be hard.

Here is an email I wrote to our Wednesday night church program kids...I'm not going to re-write it but instead paste it here for you to consider:

DEAR J.A.M. CLUBBERS & LEADERS (Friends):

Our buddy Stryker celebrated his first birthday last Sunday, July 5th.  We're praying this next year brings health and healing to him!  HOWEVER, Stryker needs help.  At this time he is very sick.  Tomorrow (Tuesday) he begins day 1 of 12 days of super hard, yucky, intensive chemotherapy.  The job of this chemo is to kill ALL the cancer in his body because Stryker has a positive bone marrow donor who could save his life.  There's a trick to all of this...the chemo has to kill the cancer but Stryker needs to stay strong and healthy enough to live to get his transplant in 12 days. 

In the Bible, people often did something called fasting.  They did this for different reasons, but in Bible in the book of Samuel chapter 12, David fasted for the specific purpose of asking for God's intervention for his sick child.  Simply put, fasting is when you take no solid foods for a period of time - instead of eating at your normal times you would pray for the person you are fasting for at that time. 

On WEDNESDAY of this week, Lancaster Christian Church is being asked to fast for Stryker.  Oh, my J.A.M. friends, I know it's so hard to think of a day without food, but when you think of a child fighting for his life, I believe WE can do it.  Think of all the pennies we put together to raise hundreds and then thousands to gift to Stryker's family? 

Here is my challenge:  On Wednesday, would our J.A.M. kids (and families??) fast for Stryker?  Perhaps you can't give a whole day to no eating - could you give lunch?  A snack?  Instead of eating for ONE meal could you pray for Stryker instead - that the chemo do it's job of killing the cancer but that he stay healthy enough to get his transplant?
What if you can't physically go without eating?  Could you give up electronics for the day?  Instead of playing video games/iPad/phones/watching T.V. could you pray for Stryker.  Just for one day?

Here's how you can respond so I know you're on board - parents please help your clubbers (parents can participate, too, if you want!).
Fill in this sentence and email me back (jennbeeler@hotmail.com) or comment on our J.A.M. FB page:
I, (clubber's name), am fasting for Stryker this Wednesday by giving up (the meal/activity/electronic/etc you are fasting for the day).  I am committed to praying for his healing!

I love you, clubbers.  Remember, giving up a snack may not feel like a big thing but God hears our prayers.  Little is much when God is in it.  He is here, friends.  Pray for Stryker.

Missing you all.

Love,
Jenn

{Wednesday is actually an upside down day for me as I'll be cooking at our local church camp and my mind won't be as easily focused, so I'll be fasting tomorrow for Stryker, on day 1 of his chemotherapy.  Because I'm pregnant and responsible for another life I won't cut meals altogether.  However, no snacks, only water to drink, and no electronics (bye Facebook).  I often sit and knit or lesson plan at nap time while watching a show on Netflix, but tomorrow the T.V. shall remain silent...while I knit I'll pray for sweet Stryker and his family.  Could you join me?  Tomorrow, Wednesday, any day of the week?}