Fight the Good Fight Michelle

I haven't updated in awhile mostly because I am not sure what to say in my update.

I don't really know what I am doing, so how can I properly share it with you all.
I am cancer free.
I mean no doctor has said it, but I had that pesky tumor removed on April 27th and since then the cancer has been gone.

It's the aftermath that I did not expect.
The aftermath of living with choices, new lifestyles, a changed social life.

My main goal has been to make my body an environment that is not encouraging cancer growth.
Eat lots of raw.
Juice lots.
Budwig protocol,
essiac tea.

Keep my body alkaline and not acidic.
Only drink water.
Not drink coffee.
Ugh.

It can be a lot.

No dairy.
No meat.
Watch the soy, not much if any.
No legumes.
No sugar.
ugh.

I find I just don't want to eat.
The prepping.
The prepping.
The prepping.

The food battle was one I didn't see coming and probably my biggest struggle.

It is a lot.
My peace begins to slip away...

it slips into the past

I didn't expect this battle in my mind over the past.
I ate too many sweets,
baked too much,
ate out too much,
too much ice cream
and milk
and cereal.
Oh how I loved to drink cows milk, and ceral, I loved cereal. Not anymore.

Then my mind loops to my boys.
I realize I fed all that to my boys.
My grown boys.
For years I did my best at what I knew to feed them.
Was I wrong all those years?

Then I got educated.
What if my lack of knowledge caused health issues with my kids.
Did I fail them?

I did my best.
I didn't know what I know now.
I can't think on the past, it changes nothing; it does no good.

Oh crap!
I just ate a cake pop,
and a piece of pecan pie,
and turkey,
and ... and...

And then after I work through the what I fed my boys saga, I get angry that no one was there to guide me.
Invest in me.
In a sense I was thrown to the wolves.
18, then 21.
Married with two kids. College drop out trying to doing the best for my family.
I always thought I did good, some days I wondered, no some days I convince myself I did them wrong.

Oh this battle in my head.
I call it out for what it is- all lies.
Lies to bring me down. Sadden my spirit. Focus my thoughts on the past.
But, lies.
Lies I know, but that doesn't soften their blow, when the hits come my way.

Then I think about the future... the forever.
Forever I will be a cancer survivor.
Forever I will think about what I put into my mouth, or don't.
Forever...

So nothing profound.
Nothing to educate you on healthy living.

Nothing because I have nothing much to give these days.
Again, I lift my head and trust in my God who created me and has a plan for me,
a good plan.
May that knowledge,
that truth be enough to sustain me this moment.

11/27/16
-Michelle

Manna 4 Lempira

Road to Mercedes, Lempira, Honduras

In June 2014 I visited a feeding center in Mercedes, Lempira, Honduras. I would forever be changed by the faces, smiles, laughs and reality I encountered that afternoon.


As we drove on the winding frontier roads local women carrying rice in their Dutch ovens got a covering of dust as we passed.

Make shift kitchen

After a time of games and fun those women set up kitchen on the stairway platform, serving 100 or so children a nutrient packed bowl of  rice from those Dutch ovens.

They ate it up and it did smell yummy.

The children used their fingers to scoop the rather yummy smelling meal into their mouths. Some images are best taken in your mind, I happen to also capture this one on my iPhone.

I now sponsor a girl from that town and church. For $15/month she is being fed that same meal at that same location where I sat 2 short years ago. I may have already met her.

I hope to officially meet her in January.
I could learn Spanish.

Outside the feeding center/church

To learn more about Manna for Lempira and to sponsor a child click here.

Want to help a Honduran child get school supplies?

Stayed tuned... or 
contact me asking about the Back Pack Campaign: helping send Honuran children to school.

Back Pack Campaign coming soon.

We Took a Chance on Our Date Night

I love to share ideas and be inspired by other people's ideas.
So when my friends Heather and Carlos rolled the dice on their family adventure one day I knew it was a keeper of an idea and some version of it would be happening for us.

So here it is, my first video splicing and yes the sound needs help but I am happy with it.
Enjoy our "Take a Chance Date Night" and may you be inspired to take a chance on your next family or date night.




Link here to see the video by WittaKrew that inspired me.

Our Heart 4 Honduras

I am not a fearful person,
yet I am easily frozen by fear.

A few years back I had a dream and some ideas that I shared with someone close to me and was met with a negative, "you can't do that"  response and it really froze me.

Around the same time I was told by a family memeber that my blog was too "high and mighty sounding" and that I was making myself out to be a "goody two shoes Christian who was better than everyone else", none of which was my heart intent.

I began to shrink back in many ways and fall prey to the enemy who desires to shut me up and keep me secluded and locked away.

Since being diagnosed and healed from breast cancer things have changed.
Not only in my physical body but in my mental and spiritaul state.

I have already started by writing more personally on my blog again, putting feet to my ideas and dreams and now I want to share with you all my family's love for the people of Honduras and why Steve and I have become Ambassadors to Honduras through an organization called The Foundation for Missions.

Our desire as Ambassadors is to bring awareness to the needs in Honduras.

There are 4 needs that stand out to us:1. a need for chldren to have nutrious meals2. quality medical & dental attention3. spiritual needs4. financial help.

Honduras is a very corrupt country and when we partner with The Foundation and the Sowers family we can help bypass the corruption and get needs actually met and help where it's needed.

We believe that we can share the needs in Honduras
- though face to face talking,
- pointing people to the blogs and social media pages of the Sowers Family
- by taking people down to Honduras where they can see first hand the people and the needs there

Here is a brief summary of our personal experiences in Honduras:

In June 2014, Steve and I traveled to the frontier of Lempira, Honduras on a medical and construction mission trip; this was the trip that bound our hearts together as a couple to the Honduran people and the Sowers family ministry.

Rice feeding "station" at Mercedes feeding center church

On this trip we participated in a feeding program where children were fed, enjoyed and were thankful for a bowl of nutritious rice.

We visited Catholic run orphange for girls and another for babies and toddlers.


Steve helped construction on a remote clinic


I helped entertain children while they and their parents waited to receive medical help


I also helped in the pharmacy where patients received everything from vitamins to ibuprofen.

MK kids getting to be kids

We returned in August of 2015 Steve, Aubry and I, along with three other people from our home church, this time to help the Sowers family run a camp for the children of missionary kids whose parents are serving in Honduras. What a wonderful ministry and unity of the body of Chirst this was as the Sowers family does not discrimintaed between who can come to camp, if you'e a missionary family your children may come.

3 stages of the bridge, bridge, partial, completed

Then in January of this year Steve again traveled down with  a team of men to help build a bridge in a week. A bridge that cut the travel time from one small village to another larger one with medical facilities by and hour and a half. This my friend is life changing.











So why am I sharing this?
Well, because I want to bring awareness to you.

Since our first trip to Honduras two short years ago several exciting things have happened...
- Kimberly Hall has started a child sponsorship program called Manna4Lempira that you can read about here or visit thier FaceBook page here.
- Churches here in Florida are desiring to not only sponsor children but for whole churches here to sponsor children from the same church in Honduras- connecting not only individuals but connecting whole groups of people. How exciting!

I want to challenge you to give by sponsoring a child,
going on a trip
helping to buy a motorcycle or horse or just simply by giving.
Contact me with any questions, upcoming trip info or with any questions oyu may have. mspanos74(at)gmail(dot)com

A current need is to fund Missionary Kid Camp this summer. You can view more on the FaceBook page and blog.

Here's a good video made for a specific church but does a great job with an overview of the Sowers4Pastors Ministry we love and personally support.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.