In My Skin

It's been quite a whirlwind for our family here lately. In September I (Jenn) was diagnosed with malignant melanoma. Cancer. It's not something I expected at 32. But who does?

Below is a timeline of events from then to now. Mostly for my own recollection, but if you want to follow along this is the place to do it! There are some post appointment/surgery pictures below. If that sort of thing makes you queasy you can probably stop scrolling down now. :) 

The dark spot on my arm is where the melanoma was.

September 2016

9/9/2016- I went to the Brevard Skin and Cancer Center for a freckle that darkened to black and itched. It turned into a mole that was growing on my right forearm. I saw the ARNP-C who thought maybe it was a pyogenic granuloma. The mole was removed as well as other raised spots around it in a shave biopsy and sent to pathology. I barely told anyone about it. I texted my parents about it because I didn't want to make a bigger deal out of it than it needed to be. I didn't even tell my best friend until right before I got the results back.

After they removed the freckle and some satellite spots by it.

9/19/2016- The office called me and informed me that I had nodular malignant melanoma. Clarks level at least 4, at least 1.8 mm in depth (Breslow). Staged at pT2a, pNX, pM N/A. It felt like everything stopped in that instance. She started talking about cancer, surgery, oncologists, and treatment. It was all too much for me to process in one 5 minute conversation. 

9/23/2016- I met with my surgeon, Dr. Mark Talbert (EXCELLENT), from Health First to discuss what surgery would be like and what I could expect afterward. At that time he also did two punch biopsies on places of concern. One came back benign and the other was precancerous. 

Marked for surgery. Wide local excision.

October 2016

10/17/2016 At HRMC I had lymphatic mapping followed by a wide excision of the primary tumor and a sentinel node biopsy. No one warned me how bad the radiation shots would be. Honestly, I am glad I didn't know. All you need to know is that they hurt ALOT.                                                            

                                   

I was sent home with a drain. The drain was removed the Thursday following surgery. I am thankful for my people. They took great care of me afterwards. They cleaned my drain, made sure I got my meds, helped me shower and use the restroom. It was all very glamorous. 

(Left waiting for imaging and Right the imaging machine that would be home for the next hour.)

Before my first surgery.

10/18/2016 my surgeon informed me that one of my lymph nodes came back positive for metastatic melanoma. The lymph node was 1.2 cm in greatest dimension and you could see the melanoma without a microscope (macrometastasis). I was Staged as IIIB- T2a, N1b, Mx. 

The wide local excision of my primary tumor.

10/24/2016- Whew! Two surgeries in 1 week! I was back at HRMC for a axillary dissection to remove the lymph nodes under my right arm pit. I went home with another drain. It was also removed the Thursday after surgery. Again, my people took great care of me and it was all very glamorous.

   

After my second surgery.

10/25/2016- My surgeon informed me that of the 14 lymph nodes removed none of them were positive for melanoma! PTL! 

After my stitches were removed the incision opened up. So they steri stripped it back together. 

I am still very sore. Both surgeries back to back took a lot out of me. I nap often. Joe and I had a date night Wednesday night due to a thoughtful gift. I fell asleep on him twice. Everyday I am getting better than I was the day before. I am grateful to God for that.  Where does my Hope come from? Psalm 121  As a family we are saddened by the cancer, but as a believers in Christ our hope, confidence, and future are in His hands. We know and believe God is ruling and reigning on the throne and that this bump in the road will be used for His glory. I know that God has already written my story and I am just playing my part. This is the confidence we can have in this life, because of Christ and the relationship we have with Him. We are thankful for your prayers. We will update as they come available and will let you know what it is we need.  We are currently waiting for an appointment with Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa.  In His Amazing Love, Jenn

Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World by Kristen Welch

As parents we want to give our kids the world. Somewhere along the way we think our primary role in their lives should be as their provider and our kids should have everything.

Our primary role is training them.

I'm not saying that is our only role as parents.

Culture will tell our kids everything is about them unless we train them not to.

I say train there intentionally.

Train: teach a particular skill or type of behavior through practice and instruction over a period of time.

The Bible says in Proverbs 22:6, "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it."

We are daily in the process of training our kids to live against their selfish nature and to not think of only themselves. If we're honest we're trying to do that ourselves as well.

We are swimming upstream and it is hard.

That is why I love Kristen Welch's new book!

About the book: No one plans to raise a selfish child or spoiled brat. Every parent dreams of their child being selfless, generous, and appreciative. But it’s challenging to raise a grateful child in a culture that has a hard time saying no. We love our kids and want to give them the world. How do we say no to our child when “every other child” gets “everything they want?”
Kristen Welch, author of We are THAT family and founder of Mercy House, is learning the way to give the world to her children is by giving them perspective. She’s discovered the ultimate yes in bringing up faith-filled kids who love God and others.
It’s never too late to raise grateful kids. With Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World, get ready to cultivate a spirit of genuine gratitude in your family and create a home in which your kids don’t just say―but mean!―“thank you.”

If you are raising kids you need this book! Go buy it! You can buy it here!

Shelfie- 'Til We Meet Again: A Memoir of Love and War by Ray and Betty Whipps

Book Description: Ray and Betty Whipps both served in Europe during WWII: Ray as an infantryman under General Patton in the trenches of Normandy, Paris, and Belgium, and Betty as a field nurse in Cherbourg, France. The two met when Betty tended to Ray after he was injured in a mortar blast. Both strong Christians, the two bonded over their shared faith, and as Betty nursed Ray back to health, they fell in love and vowed to marry after the war. However, soon after Ray returned to his unit, he was captured by German forces and held captive in Stalag VII, Germany’s largest prisoner of war camp. It was there that Ray’s faith was put to the ultimate test as he endured the most horrific weeks of his life—weeks marked by brutality, malnutrition, back-breaking labor, and near-constant death. The only thing that kept him alive was the dream of someday reuniting with Betty.

Told in first person from Ray’s perspective, with personal wartime letters from Betty interspersed throughout, ’Til We Meet Again is a sweeping love story set amid the backdrop of WWII. The perfect combination of “in the trenches” battlefield accounts and classic 1940s romance, this memoir reads almost like a novel. It is an epic story of faith, hope, and love, and a nostalgic look back at one of the most memorable periods in American history. 

About the Authors: 

Ray & Betty Whipps met while serving in Europe during World War II and married in 1945. They have seven children, eighteen grandchildren, and twelve great-grandchildren. They live in Portland, Oregon.

Craig Borlase has written thirty-five books over the last two decades. He lives in the middle of the English countryside and is married to Emma. They have four children: Evie, Barnaby, Bethany, and Olivia.

Book Review: I love true stories! This book was no exception! I loved how their faith led them through the darkest times they have ever faced and the theme of redemption that is laced through their story! This book is a must read!

New Seasons

New Year, New Seasons!

What an exciting year 2015 has been for the Hennis Family! We had an amazing year traveling to Haiti as a family to minister to the people there with Wright Baptist Church and Truth Evangelistic Ministries. Jenn traveled to Guatemala to minister with World Help, this was her first trip alone outside the states.

Also, as most of you know, this was Joe’s last year for his bachelor’s degree at The Baptist College of Florida. He graduated Cum Laude and finished his last semester with straight A's! Praise the Lord!



A New Season: Plans for 2016

Many of you have asked about trips that are planned for 2016. We have had some opportunities but have not felt the Lord calling us to those opportunities. Please continue to pray for us as we discern where and when He wants us to go this year.

As we are praying through new opportunities, Joe will start his Master’s Degree in January through New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Jenn will also be starting The Ministry Wives Certificate as well!

Also this year, Joe is going to be taking a step back from work. Joe has been working as a bi-vocational pastor and at Sonny’s BBQ for years. However, we as a family have felt God wanting us to start ministering to families in our local church more than what we are already doing. This means that we will take a pay cut, but we have been praying and seeking the Lord with submitting to His directions. God has also blessed us with Jenn’s new career as a Real Estate Agent. Sonny’s has been great to us and we praise God for this place of employment that has given us the freedom to come and go while we served the Lord.

Thank you for being on this adventure with us!

We love you guys so much!

In His Love,
Joe, Jenn, and Kendall

P.S. We have met missionaries Ted and Carrie who are following God’s direction with CRU serving in China. This couple is amazing and we are excited to see what God is going to do in and through them. We ask that you pray for them and if God leads ask how you can support them!

Kendall Explains It All

Family and friends always ask us how Kendall does on mission trips. We thought it might be more fun if we answer this from her perspective instead of ours. We asked friends and family to send us their questions. Here goes!

1. What is your favorite part about going on mission trips? 

Kendall: Well, my favorite part about mission trips is playing with the kids. 

2. What is your least favorite part about going on mission trips?

Kendall: In Africa I didn't like most of the food. I don't like nshima or cabbage. 

3. Why do you think it's important to go?

Kendall: Because Jesus calls us. 

4. What do you look forward to doing?

Kendall: Hmmmm... Well, when I was in the airplane I was looking forward to learning what the kids do around there.

5. Did you like Africa or Haiti better?

Kendall: Both. In Africa, I liked hanging out with my friends. In Haiti, I liked playing games with the kids. 

6. How do you feel about seeing children your age living in impoverished conditions?

Kendall: What does impoverished mean? Well, I feel sad for them. 

7. What do you think about how children in other countries interact with each other and their family members? 

Kendall: In Haiti, the kids would fight over fruit and throw rocks at each other because they were hungry. I haven't seen that happen here. 

8. Do you ever need alone time?

Kendall: Yes, I would go inside and take breaks.

9. Do you like trying new foods?

Kendall: Yes!

10. What country would you like to go to next?

Kendall: Oh, that is a hard question! Let's see... West Virginia.

11. What was your favorite food that you tried in another country?

Kendall: In Haiti I liked the chicken and red beans with rice. 

12. What was your least favorite food that you tried in another country? 

Kendall:  Maheu. 

13. Is there anything that people do/cultural practices in other countries that you wish were part of American culture too?

Kendall: Eat their food. 

14. Would you like to learn other languages?

Kendall: I want to!

15. Which languages?

Kendall: All of them!

16. What are the most funny things that you have experienced in other countries? 

Kendall: Laventa, (in Haiti) was the teacher and you had to do what she said or she spanked you with a stick. However, I had no idea what she was saying. She tried to spank me a lot. I had to tell her pa touché! (Don't touch!)

17. What would you tell someone who is afraid to leave the U.S.?

Kendall: Well, I would say that I was scared to go to Africa and Haiti. I got over it by going to those places and learning that they weren't scary. 

18. What would you tell someone who is worried that they might get sick or hurt on a mission trip?

Kendall: I would tell them to pray about it. If they get sick they should pray to God that they feel better. Sometimes, there are doctors and medicine in other counties that would make them feel better. They could bring medicine with them if the airporters let them. 

19. Can you talk to the children without any problem?

Kendall: Yes, sometimes they understand me. 

20. Is there anything else you would like to say?

Kendall: I don't like how they treat dogs in other countries, but they aren't pets like they are in America.

We're home from Ayiti...

That's what the Haitians call Haiti- Ayiti. I like it better the way they pronounce it!

WOW!! What a trip! We really enjoyed serving the Lord in Haiti! While there our team had the honor of working on a local area in the mountains of Tityanen. We painted a school building and office, worked on equipment in the facilities, built soccer goals, visited an orphanage and repaired bunk beds there, visited a voodoo village and prayed for the voodoo priest, shared the Jesus film in his village, loved on the kids, and built relationships. Joe also got to preach! He preached the main service on Sunday morning and Wednesday night. Written there it looks neat, but it shows no depth to what we actually did. 

God moved in a mighty way during this trip. Some came to know Christ and God was definitely lived out in our team's actions. During our time in Haiti, we were able to really develop relationships with the locals. Some of the team sponsors local kids so that they can go to school.

One of the things we want to encourage you with is a story from what we witnessed. One day while in Haiti, we were able to witness a garbage truck driving down the road with people chasing after the truck, jumping in it and scavenging for food and anything else they can use. This was hard to see but also a great reminder of making sure that we are being good stewards of what God has given us.



As God continues to lead our family to serve Him in the nations, we want to thank you for your prayers and financial support. We are serving Him wherever we are in order to make Him known. Salvation belongs to the Lord!!

If you would like to sit down and talk about the trip. Please contact us. We are putting together a DVD of the trip so you can witness some of what God was up to.

P.S. Jenn is headed to Guatamala in October with an organization that rescues babies from the mountains. Please be in prayer for her. She is still looking to meet her financial goal by the end of this month! If you want to get involved, please contact us!

P.P.S. She will be collecting these items to bring with her. If you would like to donate any of these, please contact us!

Ibuprofen / motrin / advil - tablets, capsules and chewables for children and drops for infants
Acetominophen / Tylenol - tablets, capsules and chewables for children and drops for infants
Antihistamines – Benadryl, Zyrtec, or Claritin for adults and children
Artificial tears
Elimite or Rid (for lice)
Loperamide / immodium (diarrhea)
Calcium Carbonate tabs such as Tums
Miralax (for constipation - good for kids and adults)
Colace / stool softeners
Verucca freeze (to treat warts)
Compound W or Dr. Scholl's salicylic acid pads (to treat warts)
Bacitracin antibiotic ointment (individual packets)
Clotrimizole or other anti-fungal cream / ointment
Hydrocortisone cream
Multi vitamins for:
Adults,
Prenatal,
Children 4 year old + (No Gummy vitamins as they melt in the heat) without iron if possible
Children 2 -3 without iron if possible
Infants


In His Love,

The Hennis Family