CT Scan and Results, and Future

A text Mindy sent to family on Monday: Hey all...Brad had a scan last week and we found out today it was clean!  Wahoo!  No more scans!!!  Just bloodwork every six months for the next two years.  We are happy for him to have continued health.  :)

3-Year Cancer Survivorship Birthday

Tuesday of this past week marked 3 years since the end of my primary cancer treatment @CancerCareNW (not counting my maintenance chemotherapy).  On that day 3 years ago I finished my last of 6 chemotherapy treatments.  I remember it being a big deal that day - a big deal to the nurses and staff there, and of course a big deal for me and my family.

I think I've written previously about the significance of the 5-year mark when talking about cancer survivorship.  For me, ever since being diagnosed, and since having the experiences me and my family have had over these 3+ years, each and every day has different and deeper meaning for me.

I cherish my relationship with my Heavenly Father - who He is, who I know I am, and what this relationship means to me.  I know He is there, He cares about me, and that He has a perfect plan just for me.  I believe that this plan does not and should not spare me from pain, but when I partner with and rely on Him during my pain and always, it progresses me on the path to returning to Him, and becoming who He wants me to become.  I am so grateful for that.

We Love to See the Temples!

In August Brad’s niece, Brenna, was married in St. George, Utah.  We had the opportunity to drive down there for that wonderful event.  It was fantastic to spend time with our family there.  As we prepared for the trip to southern Utah, we decided to stop at all of the temples (22) along the way.  In our church (as of the date of this post) we have 149 operating temples scattered all over the world (plus 14 under construction, and another 10 that have been announced).

We would like to show you all of our pictures from our visits to the temples, and share information about them with the help of this website: http://mormontemples.org

Rexburg Idaho Temple

Idaho Falls Temple

"Mormon temples are the holiest places of worship on earth for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Within these sacred walls, participants commit to live ethical and morally upright lives and to be faithful to their spouse and family."

Logan (Utah) Temple

Brigham City Utah Temple

"Latter-day saints consider temples to be 'The House of The Lord,' and take great care in their construction and maintenance. They are designed to fit harmoniously into the communities they call home and include beautifully kept gardens and green spaces that are open to the public."

Ogden Utah Temple

Bountiful Utah Temple

Salt Lake City Utah Temple

"Latter-day Saints also believe that having their marriage blessed or 'sealed' in the temple allows family relationships to endure beyond the grave. While legal marriage is binding 'until death do us part,' marriages sealed in the temple can be 'for time and all eternity.'"

Mindy and Brad were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple on August 18, 1993.

Jordan River Temple

Oquirrh Mountain Temple

"Temples are distinct from Mormon chapels. Sunday worship services are held in community meetinghouses and are open to everyone. Temple services are attended Tuesday through Saturday at scheduled intervals by small groups of church members."

Draper Utah Temple

Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple

"Mormons believe that through the grace of Jesus Christ all humanity can return to live with God. Religious observances (ordinances) such as baptism are an important part of accepting the divine gift heavenly Father wants all of his children to receive."

Provo Temple

Provo City Center Temple

(The free public open house for the Provo City Center Temple starts on 

Friday, January 15, 2016, and will go through Saturday, March 5, 2016.

The temple will be dedicated in three sessions on Sunday, March 20, 2016, 

with the cultural celebration taking place on Saturday, March 19.)

Payson Utah Temple

We drove past the site of the Cedar City Utah 

Temple - the groundbreaking was happening the next day.

St. George Utah Temple

"Some of [the] ordinances...performed in Temples...include making special 

promises, or 'covenants,' to put the teachings of Jesus Christ into practice. Because 

some people do not have the opportunity to participate in these ordinances 

during life, Mormons perform them by proxy for ancestors who have passed on."

Manti Utah Temple

Twin Falls Idaho Temple

"Temple worship is an essential aspect of religious practice for latter-day saints. 

It is a source of renewal and inner peace that give meaning to life, 

and strengthens their commitment to love and serve others."

Boise Idaho Temple

We also drove past the site of the Meridian Idaho Temple. 

It is set to be completed sometime in 2017.

Columbia River Washington Temple

Spokane Washington Temple

"To me the temple is literally a place I can relax. There are no worries from the outside world inside that building. It also makes me think of the covenants I made there that guide my life and will continue to help me throughout the rest of my time here on earth. I love being in the temple, helping families be reunited on the other side. Awesome stuff!"

~Jordan

"The temple is an amazing place to be. When I go to the temple, I feel so much peace. I can feel the Spirit so strongly. At the temple I don't have to think about anything except for my Savior and what I'm doing at the temple. School, homework, sports or news don't matter in the temple. I can relax in a way that I can't anywhere else. The temple is so quiet and calm. It's one of my favorite places in the world. I love the temple."

~Lena

A Savior is Born

As a family, we wanted to share this message of joy and love with you.

Please take 2 minutes to watch this video:
https://www.mormon.org/christmas

We love you all, and hope you feel peace at this wonderful time of year.

Love, the Reimers

#ASaviorIsBorn

Mortal Life

Someone once asked President Brigham Young (as a family we believe in living Prophets and Apostles...Brigham Young was the second President of our church - sustained in 1847, and a Prophet and Apostle) if he thought he would live to see the completion of the building of the Salt Lake Temple.  He responded to this question, and his response has been meaningful to me in regards to my thoughts about my life on earth:

"...I do not know, and I do not care...I have never cared but for one thing, and that is, simply to know that I am now right before my Father in Heaven.  If I am this moment, this day, doing the things God requires of my hands, and precisely where my Father in Heaven wants me to be, I care no more about tomorrow than though it never would come.  I do not know where I shall be tomorrow..."  (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 1, p. 132.)

I also recently heard this quote from President Abraham Lincoln:

“...I can die but once; but to live in constant dread of it, is to die over and over again.”

I am so grateful to know of Heavenly Father's plan for me individually, and for our family, and all of His children.  The very, very most important thing in my life is to strive and try to be "right before my Father in Heaven."

Brad

Sunshine, Rainbows, Dandelions, Mud, Soap and Water

Jordan gave us permission to share this part of one of his recent emails.  We are so grateful that he is learning and growing the way he is on his mission in Colorado Springs.  We love Jordan.  We join him in testifying of the power of Atonement of Jesus Christ.

I'll admit, this week was not all sunshine and dandelions for me, but i got through it. I'll talk a little bit more about the hard times here in a sec...

So this week has been a bit harder because it was hard for me/us to stay diligent all the time. It was hard because sometimes when we didn't have anything to do, we felt like we were being really unproductive. That is why we chose diligence for our topic in district meeting, because that is something we were struggling with. I have been trying to continually change myself to what the Lord wants me to be and be obedient and diligent and all the things that i should be, but it has been tough. Me and Elder Ohman have argued a few times this week cause we both think very differently. It happened a lot more in our last area, but i dont want it to happen at all if possible. 

I just have to remember why i am here and what i am doing and keep that perspective and i will be alright. I love this gospel and i love being a missionary. I hope that i can continually be better. I want to increase my personal comittment to my Savior and to the Gospel that i teach to others. I just wanted to include this this week because i feel like sometimes i put off a false image that missionary work is all sunshine and rainbows. It's not. It is hard and disappointing and sometimes instead of sunshine and rainbows you get mud in your face. But i am learning more and more that the atonement is an awesome soap/water combination to get rid of that mud. I hope you all are doing well and that you have an awesome week. I love y'all!

PET Scan and Results, Port Coming Out, Etc.

My most recent PET scan was about a week and a half ago – and my scans are continuing to show no evidence of disease, which we’re so grateful for.

I am scheduled to have my port removed next week on Wednesday ("A port is a small disc made of...metal about the size of a quarter that sits just under the skin. A soft thin tube called a catheter connects the port to a large vein. ...chemotherapy medicines are given through a special needle that fits right into the port. You also can have blood drawn through the port").  I'm looking forward to this for a couple of reasons...

First, my understanding is that doctors are hesitant to remove ports unless they have a significant assurance that the patient will not need any further treatment.  I think ports can stay in for like 10 years...so by default they would have it in if there is any possible need for further treatment.  So, the idea of having it out can be interpreted as meaning I have no need for further treatment now or in the immediate future.  We are, of course, glad for this.

Second, there are times when my port is uncomfortable.  Most of the time it's fine and I don't even recognize that it's there, but other times I do.  Some of those times have been when I have been stretching or exercising.  So, I am looking forward to increasing my physical activity and exercise once this port is removed.

I don't know if they will let me, but I am wanting to keep my port once it is removed. :) We've heard of a couple of other people who have done the same.  Someone said it was made of titanium and cost $8,000....why wouldn't I want to keep it?! :)

One of the most important things I think we have learned and are learning throughout our cancer journey is this principle: “Faith is to agree unconditionally—and in advance—to whatever conditions God may require in both the near and distant future” (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant: The Messianic Message of the Book of Mormon [1997], 18–19).  

So, while we feel gratitude that there is no evidence of disease, we also feel overwhelming gratitude about knowing that our loving Heavenly Father has a plan specifically for us, with or without cancer.  And I know that His plan for me is always better than my plan for me, even if I don't understand His plan at first.