Wow! What a weekend! I got a chance to attend the John Legend concert. I got to hang out with great friends. Also a chance to meet new ones that I know I will keep in touch with! It was good getting to see the Legend up and close in person interacting with fans. However this is not the purpose of my post. Wow! Ok through lifes journey there are times when I meet someone that reminds me of another person. It might be that they actually look like the person, or similar personality. For whatever the reason may be they just remind you of that particular person. Well thats what happened this weekend! I was reminded of a person that influenced me while I was growing up. This is something that she wrote before she passed! If you have time take time to read thanks. I call her AUNT DAWN.

Jesus My Tower of Strength

Wow! Has it been fifteen years already since my diagnosis of cancer? I am a cancer survivor. Here is a tidbit about my journey. My opportunity for great praise began in 1993. Somehow cancer found a way to invade my body. I was a triathlete, vegetarian, regular-exercising Christian young woman. Cancer was the last thing I suspected would be my malady. I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and after the initial shock passed, what began to matter to me most was not “Why me?” but “How can I use this challenge to bring glory to my God?” I was the one singing with exuberance: “I Am on the Battlefield for My Lord,” “Victory Is Mine,” and “We’ve Come This Far by Faith.”

I talked to God about my survival. He asked me how much survival time I would be satisfied with if He granted my request. I asked God to please be kind to me and allow me to see my youngest child graduate from high school—she was in the third grade at the time. A reasonable request, don’t you think? I have three children and wanted the privilege of rearing them in a loving, happy, God-fearing home. God said to me, “I will do that for you.” My faith latched onto His Word. I was cured. I took the recommended medical and herbal treatments and kept on living life with gusto and praise.

My daughters and I went skydiving. I left all my troubles in the sky with God. We had a blast! We went on family Caribbean vacations and frequent skiing outings. The children grew to know and love God. We were active participants in the church school and church youth programs. I focused on praise parties. No pity parties were allowed. Laughter and living life to the fullest was the family’s agenda. Our family built memory after memory. I especially remember my fiftieth birthday party and twenty-fifth anniversary cruise. We had high school graduation celebrations for my son and eldest daughter, and then my youngest daughter. The celebrations were grand.

Two months to date, of my youngest child’s graduation, I felt bone pain. The cancer had resurfaced in my hip bones. My faith grew like an oak tree in the spring. God had given me exactly what I asked for. He answered my prayer. He kept His word. If He never does another thing for me, I know He answers prayer. When He asked me again how much time I wanted, I gave Him full reign to do what?ever He wanted. I was assured of His love for me. I was also sure of His promises, knowledge, and ever-present helpfulness to me through every challenge, health or otherwise.

He is there with sustaining strength for trials, and to regulate the mind. When I was diagnosed with cancer, like many survivors, I had to keep positive thoughts; if not, death threats would take over. There is concern that every ache or pain could be the cancer again. There are thoughts of loss of life and funerals that can frequently creep into the mind. These thoughts and concerns must be avoided like the plague. Being aware of the body’s responses to treatment and medication is necessary, but figuring out how your family will survive minus you is not your territory of concern. Why take God’s job away? He can do it all. I had to get that straight.

It is because of Christ’s birth into this world that I know He understands my pain, debilitating pain. It is because of Christ’s birth that I can identify with someone who stood bravely through the unfairness, viciousness, and deadly grip sin tries to place on God’s people in the world. Jesus came here to teach me how a child of God can go through tough times and still have joy and happiness. Since Jesus did it, I can follow Him and do it also. Right? If you are in a similar challenge, so can you.

Thank God for the birth of His Son here on earth. He is truly my Tower of Strength! When I die, and we all will one day (this is not a practice run), I will rest until I rise with a cancer-free body. If I am faithful and develop His character, with His help, I will live eternally with Jesus— pain-free, cancer-free, and sin-free.

Thank You, Jesus for Your birth on my behalf. I love You, Lord. I glorify You, Lord. I will praise Your name for evermore. You are worthy of all my praises and thanksgiving. Thank You for keeping me alive seven more years already from what I originally asked for. Awesome! Proverbs 9:11 says: “For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased.” You gave me that promise, Lord, and I am giving You one in return. I will praise Your name till I die. I will never give up my faith in You. When the time is right, You will gently lay me to rest. Psalms 116:15 says: “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” Until that time I’m going to be Your shadow. Give me strength to walk like You. I also have to deal with developing a Christ-like character along with this malady. Help me to accept the threatening words people send my way, just as You did. Help me to know when to speak and when to keep silent, just as You did. I’m learning, Jesus, that the center of my life is You, not my cancer. My response to life’s trials will be praises to You. It is all because of You that I can stand and face each day with joy. Thank You, Jesus, for sustaining me. Psalms 3:5 says: “I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me.”

It is because of Christ’s birth that cancer, like any other challenge, is just something a soldier can and must overcome in this life. I decided to comfort other soldiers along the way. I decided not to complain or discourage others. I decided to upload all my blessings from God and to download my praise to others about every blessed experience. In doing this I help to bring glory to my Commander and Chief, Jesus Christ.
“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11). That is, bar none, the best Christmas gift ever.

DAWN DAVIS is a retired registered nurse and recently relocated to Orlando, Florida, from Maryland. She has been married for 30 years to Kenley Davis, M.D., and they have three children. She is sharing that she has metastatic breast cancer that has spread to the bone, lung, brain, liver, and kidney. She has lost sight in her left eye due to a tumor. She presently attends Patmos Chapel in Orlando. She says the favor of God is what keeps her going. On May 12, 2007, God gave her the strength to get out of her bed, after having been there for several days, to be the Women's Day guest speaker for her church.

December 10, 2007
Dawn Davis went to her rest on December 6, 2007. She, because of her hold on God’s unchanging hand, remained faithful to God throughout her 15-year battle with cancer. God honored her request and gave her seven years more than she asked for. The night before her death, she and her family had a praise and worship service. What a beautiful way for her to have ended her life—giving praise to God because of His faithfulness. She is awaiting the call of the Life-giver, Jesus Christ, when He comes in the clouds of glory to take His faithful ones home to live with Him for eternity. What a glorious day that will be! I Thessalonians 4:13-17. The question for us is: are we eagerly anticipating Jesus’ return with what is in our hearts, as well as by the way we live? He is going to take the faithful with Him. God help us all to be in that number.

I really need to step my game back in on posting! This is getting ridiculous. I have so many thoughts racing through my head and I need to get them out through my blog! Ok it is MARCH 23, Wow! Time has flown this is crazy. I know I say that in every post but I promise you it's like time does not exist here. I find the weekends extremely difficult sometimes. I say this because you meet so many quality people its hard to be at many places at once. This weekend I had the great opportunity to chill and hang with the people that I will keep in touch with beyond KOREA. Saturday night we had a game against a team called the "DEARS" they had a couple of X-KBL players they were a tough team we split out of two games. Anyways My schedule coming up looks like this.

Opening of OUR ENGLISH VILLAGE
Concert with the LEGEND
Basketball Game
Learning to play the FLUTE at School (random I know)
Week training for all ELEMENTARY SCHOOL teachers.

MY schedule keeps me MAD busy so on the weekends its def nice to just chill out. CATCH up on my emails and calls something in the month of MARCH I have not been good at. Anyways I have been vibing out to old school tunes for the month of March so thought I would mix it up and get a different style haircut!! lol hahahha so I went vintage on em!

Its been awhile since I got on here and let everyone know how I was doing out here in Korea. I guess it's been about a week since I have posted something last. I just wanted to give a quick update of how I was doing.

The new semester started last week! Things have been going great! I have two Co-Teachers and things have been running and operating smoothly. For the majority of the day we are in are office talking and getting to know each other. It is funny because before coming here I knew I would get to know my Co Workers. However I TRULY believe that my relationship with Soon Joo will carry on as my time closes to an END here. Last week a buddy on my basketball team brought back two bottle's of HIDDEN VALLEY RANCH and gave me one! So that was def an highlight of my week. They have ranch here but it does not taste close or the same to the ranch back home. Last weekend we had another basketball game. We played well everyone played with energy we smashed them to say the least hahhaahha. However it was good being on the court. On the 29th! IM GOING TO SEE JOHN LEGEND! so I am excited about that. On April 1st i'm going to see NORTH KOREA VS. SOUTH KOREA soccer match or shall I say FUTBOL match. I am really excited about that! I always tell people that each week and weekend that goes by is def going to be harder for me to leave! It will truly be BITTERSWEET! until then I am going to keep on TEACHING! hOPE everyone that is reading is well! Peace! Lg life's good

Fresh START. My School is being Upgraded!