These past 3 weeks have been some of the best in my life. Clever and I were married on Dec 2, in Hartford, Ohio with many of our loved ones present to witness our special day. It really was one of the most special days of our lives! And as I look back, I realize it wasn’t that way because the decorations and location were gorgeous; or because the music was perfect; or even because there were so many special people who came to witness the day…Of course ALL of those things made it beautiful. BUT, the most special part of our day was that the presence of God was there, as He is everyday of our lives, blessing us and reminding us that He does in fact hold true to EVERY promise He has given. Honestly, I could not have imagined or dreamed of a more special day than what God gave us. If you were a part of our day in ANY way, if it was in prayer, in a kind word or greeting, or being present in our day (physically or via Facebook), we THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts.
Over the past few months at ALMOST the EXACT same time as all the excitement about Clever’s visa and our wedding have been going on, we received some unexpected and difficult news. News that was confusing and stressful to hear at the beginning of our life together.
The doctor report was positive. The change was VERY new. It wasn’t there in my ultrasound I had in February, so it is VERY VERY small. My thyroid has not been healthy for years and there is another cyst on the other part of the gland, so full removal of the gland was recommended before the end of the year. We left there with information on a recommended surgeon in Peru. At this point, we were still waiting on Clever’s visa so we were looking at surgery in Peru so we could be together. After meeting with the surgeon in Peru, we were not at peace about him and so were unsure what to do. Thankfully because of my wonderful mission agency, The Antioch Partners, and those of you who financially support me, I have international medical insurance that allows me to decide where I want to have my medical treatment done. We decided that the surgery should be done in the US, so we started looking for doctors in Ohio. The week after the diagnosis, in the middle of ALL of this, Clever got news of his interview at the embassy for the VISA! By the end of the week, he was approved!!! We were SO excited. A double answer to prayer! So that we could marry in the US AND he could be there with me in the US for the surgery before the end of the year!!! GOD IS SO GOOD!!!!
We decided NOT to share this news publicly about my medical condition until now because we wanted to enjoy and celebrate with all of you all that God has done, His faithfulness to get us to our special day. And to not have it clouded by sadness in any way. It does NOT mean that we didn’t want to keep it a secret or that we don’t want your prayers, but were just waiting for the right time.
So, now is the time to share all the details. We want to be clear that we KNOW that I’ll be ok. This surgery and diagnosis is more common that most know. It is the MOST curable with less likelihood of recurrence. And above all, we have peace because God has promises for our lives that we have yet to see and we KNOW He will come through on because He is God and He is faithful.
Information you might want to know:
- Operation is scheduled for: December 29, 2017, in the morning. We don’t have a time indicated yet.
- Clever, my sister, and parents will be there during and after the surgery to help care for me.
- Recovery should be about 2 weeks.
- We should have the biopsy results a week after the surgery to stage it and then know what the plan of action is if there is a need for follow up treatment. If it remained small and is contained, I will NOT need any more follow up treatment. (Lets pray for that)
- *Pray:
- 1. For the surgeon
- 2. The process the day of the surgery
- 3. Peace through it all for me and for those who will be with me
- 4. A good biopsy report
- 5. NO FOLLOW UP TREATMENT
- 6. A fast recovery
- *Send cards or messages of encouragement to Clever and I.....You can do it through social media, through this link, or the snail mail way to my sister’s address in my name.
- Lisa Alfonsi
- 6736 Ingalls ct.
- Galena, OH 43021
- *Support and encourage Clever and my family while they are helping me recover.
- *Continue to financially support us, through this time as you might know that even with an amazing insurance plan there are additional out of pocket expenses. We plan to return to Peru as soon as I am medically cleared (anticipated return Jan 23,2018) to continue to serve under the leadership of the church Camino de Vida.
Thank you everyone!!! We are so thankful that you continue to support us and encourage us the way you do so that we can continue to do the work that God has put in our hearts to do. We are excited to get back to Peru as a married couple as soon as possible to continue to serve those in Peru in need.
Thank you and God Bless,
Lisa and Clever