On Saturday, the 11th of October, 2015, our
Surrey Firefighters’ Pipe Band performed twice and we were very pleased with
our success. The first was for the Raspberry
Festival in Ft. Langley. Later in the day,
it was in the Sheraton Hotel in Vancouver, for the Retirement Banquet of
Firefighters and for their guests. We
had some concern for the weather at our first engagement, because the forecast
was for rain. However, it didn’t rain,
except between engagements, and we were thankful.
At our evening performance, while tuning up, Tricia,
one of our excellent lady pipers announced that she was recently diagnosed as
having a cancerous tumor on her lung. It
would soon be removed surgically. She
was informed that it wasn’t aggressive.
She would however, require post-surgical medical treatment. We were considerably stunned by her
announcement and assured Tricia that we understood her need for prayer. We can’t be certain when she will resume her
piping and we’ll miss her in the meantime.
We were reminded of Steve’s recent accident, in which
he was riding his bicycle and crashed over a ledge. He broke his neck in three places. Fortunately, he was given immediate expert
care and hopes to be playing his side drum again in approximately three months. We will pray that he recovers completely, and
will be able to carry his tenor drum as easily as before.
We need competent pipers and drummers, and are
confronted with these sad occurrences.
We must pray that God will provide healing for Trish and Steve, as well
as for some new, competent players.
I believe in the power of prayer and God’s response by
answering with a miracle. When Bert, a
dear friend was diagnosed with lung cancer.
His friends prayed for his recovery, when he was dying in the
hospital. Miraculously, Bert recovered
and soon after he retired, he went back to university, to earn a Master’s
degree in Theology. He became the senior
pastor of a church in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. I always remember him telling us about his
amazing recovery. He needed a drink of
water to continue with his story. He had
been an inveterate smoker, but he certainly is not now.
Having been a witness to Bert’s story about God’s
healing, and to know that he is now striving to serve God, I have faith in the
power of prayer, and will pray for healing for both Trish and Steve. At the same time, I am praying that others
who read this blog will be convinced to pray too, for Trish and Steve and also
for themselves. One should also remember
to thank God for His loving care and not forget that in everything we do, we
should do it as for God, and not for man.
