Chastain Benefit Dinner

Sunday night we had the privilege of attending a benefit dinner for some new friends of ours, the Chastain's.  My friend Anna went to high school with Cari.  They started visiting our church this fall and we got to know them a bit.  Amazingly enough, I had actually browsed Cari's blog a couple of years ago at the urging of another friend.  This family has had quite a journey.  They lost their first child, a daughter, Caden, at just 8 months old.  Just over a year and a half later, Andy had a massive seizure and a brain tumor was discovered.  After surgery and treatment, he was cancer free. They added two precious boys (Rigg and Ryder) to their family and Andy was healthy until November 2012 when symptoms returned and it was discovered that the tumor was back.  Surgery was performed to remove most of the tumor and he was diagnosed with  a stage 4 malignant glioma and given a 25 to 40% chance of survival with treatment.  He is currently undergoing radiation treatments at The Proton Therapy Center in Bloomington and receiving chemotherapy.  

The journey God has (and has had) the Chastain's on is one that appears to be tragic and heartbreaking (and it is) but it is also glorifying...to Him.  They have chosen to praise God through all of this.  It humbles a heart like mine to see the way they love our God through all their hardships.  So, when we heard some friends were organizing a benefit dinner for them, we made sure we received an invitation.  The evening was absolutely amazing.  The food was great, the turnout was great, the silent and live auctions were great, and the keynote speaker was great.  The greatest thing though, was the assurance that Christ was there.  He was there in the music that was played, He was there in the words and prayers that were said, He was there in the generous giving of His people, and He was there in Andy and Cari's faces.  Like I said, it was truly a privilege to play even a small part in such an amazing night for two amazing people.

If you are interested in reading more about their story, I encourage you to read Cari's blog, to Bring Him Glory at www.andyandcari.blogspot.com.  If you are interested in donating to their trust, you can find more information here.  And, please, add this precious family to your prayer list now!

From L to R: Chad and Amy Sloan, Andy and Cari, Jamie, Anna, and me