God Says YES!

Gary and Hope are on their way back from Birmingham after a MRI and an appointment with Dr. Barton Guthrie. It is obvious you prayed for him today with us-he is CANCER FREE in his brain! We cannot praise God enough for this good news. It feels as if a weight is lifted off our shoulders. Gary finally feels able to move forward, recover and begin to live life to its fullest.


Again, as you have read in several of these posts, we cannot thank you enough for prayers on behalf of Gary. God has chosen to say yes to the continual prayers lifted up for Gary; we will never know how many thousands of people prayed diligently since June 1st. But please don't stop!


Chemotherapy begins Monday as a preventative measure for the lung cancer God healed through Dr. Cerfolio at UAB. Pray for success and no side effects!


Please don't forget our passage of hope in Isaiah 43, and may this remind you of the ultimate gift God has given us through Jesus:

But now, this is what the LORD says—he who created you,O Jacob, he who
formed you, O Israel:"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;I have summoned you by name;you are mine.When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned;the flames will not set you ablaze.For I am the LORD, your God,the Holy One of Israel, your Savior...

Prayers, Prayers, Prayers!

Gary and Hope go on Thursday, June 28 (their youngest grandson's 3 month birthday!) for a MRI and appointment to see Dr. Guthrie, the neurosurgeon. Please pray that no new tumors are found in the brain!

We also ask you to intercede on Gary's behalf for Monday, July 2. He begins "preventative chemotherapy" that morning. Please pray for success with the chemo as well as minimal side effects. In fact we ask that you pray for NO side effects! God is able to do that.

Gary is doing well! He has gone to work 2 days this week for half a day each. His oldest daughter and family are coming down for the weekend to visit, so we will most certainly be busy! You will see the Hundleys with their WHOLE family on Sunday at Vaughn Forest Baptist, and we praise God we can worship together as a complete family here on earth for one more Sunday!

Thank you for staying up to date with Gary's recovery. It has truly been a miracle journey. And we praise God you love and care for him enough to want to know and desire to pray for him on a daily basis. We love you all!

May God be glorified in everything. Thank you God each day for the gift of life. May we never again take today for granted.

Out and About

What a blessed day yesterday was for the Hundleys! Gary and Hope went to worship at Vaughn Forest Baptist yesterday morning for the first time since Gary's lung surgery in May! We praise God for those who facilitated the worship-Gary and Hope were touched and changed not only by the service but by the outpouring of love they received from all the members there. Gary, I believe, got some "good energy" from being there, and it gave him courage and motivation to continue in this fight.

Gary is so excited to be out and about finally! He wants you all to know that he looks forward to seeing you; God is providing him strength to finally do what he has been wanting to do for weeks now. Please continue to call, send cards, and visit Gary! We all know his energy comes from you! And we praise God you have been faithful friends to pray for him and check on him.

On a sadder note, please pray for the Aldridge family, the pastor's family at Thorington Baptist Church. Gary, the pastor there, was found dead in his home yesterday morning. Gary and Gary were good friends who spent much time with each other. The family, as well as the church, are in a true state of mourning over this loss and the brutality of it.



Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in all that happens in your own life. But praying for those around you can help to ease your pain as well as make a dramatic difference in the lives of those you are praying for. As we have gone through these past three weeks with Gary's illness, we have "forgotten" others are hurting as much as or more than we are. But when we look outside ourselves, we still see ways to help others, even in the midst of our own pain. As Paul teaches in Philippians 2, he says:

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

The perfect avenue for this is in prayer, for you can do no greater good for others than in front of the throne of our Father. And then God brings about healing, for the one being prayed for and for the one praying. God is so good to create us in that way! And we know firsthand the power of prayer. And we praise God for it.

Thank you Jesus for prayer. There is no greater healing for the soul or the body than this.

May God be glorified in everything.

Yet again we see "God's DNA"

For those of you who know Gary and have heard him speak about his journey with cancer this past year, you know what I mean about "God's DNA". That is all Gary has asked through this process-that God be SO apparent in this battle that people can't help but praise Him for what HE has done. And we saw it again today.

Gary's oncologist finally spoke with the neurosurgeon who performed Gary's tumor removal in his brain. They both agreed that Gary needs to begin a preventative treatment immediately, but they want to make sure to do what is best for Gary physically. Gary's neurosurgeon just "happened" to be attending a seminar today and tomorrow with oncologists and neurosurgeons, dealing with specific cases they have seen. Dr. Guthrie decided to present Gary's case before this large group of specialists to determine the best course of action. Could God not be more apparent here? We have been praying for the best care possible for Gary, and God arranged that for us! All of us who are believers know that God provides all we can ask for or imagine and, ultimately, He is the great Physician. But we praise Him that He brought men and women into Gary's path that He designed for these earthly matters.

Some of you can say that this is not a "miracle" in the true sense of the word; I beg to differ. God can make ALL things possible, and He can heal Gary with His own touch. But isn't it as much a miracle when people who have not heard of Gary come together to bring about physical healing? Did God not create these people with the minds and gifts to do just that?

Please join us as we glorify our Jehovah-rapha in what He has done in and through Gary Hundley.

No News Is Good News?

Many people say that "no news is good news". Well as we have gone through this journey with Gary and the cancer that has attacked his body, we have found that is not necessarily the case. Yet we pray this indeed is true with this week's appointment, for we know nothing new. We should not be surprised with that; it happens so often now. If you have ever gone through a long process with a disease or illness, you know what we are talking about!

At least one of the following phrases comes up at every doctor's
appointment:
1. "We need to run some more tests."
2. "We need to see the results of the tests."
3. "The results of the tests were inconclusive; let's run some
different tests."

Refer to number one when speaking of this week's appointment. So Gary goes again in a couple of weeks to run more tests to determine further treatment. The only thing we can tell you is the doctor said Gary looked good and seemed to be recovering well. He is beginning to gain some weight, and he has increased his activity level substantially. There are still some not so good days but, all in all, every day is brighter and more hopeful.

We know that those of you who pray diligently for Gary are responsible for each day being brighter. Without your prayers Gary would not be experiencing healing. Scripture tells us that the prayers of the righteous benefit much. Our Savior has heard your prayers and ours as well. We praise God He does hear us and answer us! He is faithful in that.

God is to be glorified forever and forever.

To Birmingham again

Just a quick reminder that Gary and Hope are going to UAB again today for a check-up with Gary's neurosurgeon, Dr. Guthrie. Please pray for safety on their journey. Also pray that Dr. Guthrie is wise with recommendations for further treatment for Gary, and may there be no cancer!

Thank you Jesus for all you do and may you continue to bless Gary and use his life to glorify You.

"Cabin Fever"

Happy Father's Day! For Gary's children and grandchildren we are especially grateful to have another Father's day to share with our earthly father and grandfather.

We can most certainly tell that Gary is improving-he is READY to get out of the house and get moving again! He looks better every day; his appetite is good as well as his stamina returning.
Gary desperately wants to be in contact with all of you again. However (you knew there would be a "but"), his contact still needs to be somewhat limited.

This is what we propose:

1. Feel free to call and chat! We only ask that you try to limit your phone
calls to about 5 minutes.

2. Feel free to come by and visit! In this
case we ask that you first call before stopping by. Please be mindful that long
visits can take a toll on Gary's recovery.

Gary has seen your comments, has heard your messages, and has read each of your cards. He is truly touched at the outpouring of love and prayer you have given him. Please continue to pray for healing and health.

May God bless you richly each day, for every day is a gift.

Pray for Time

In Isaiah 38 God told Hezekiah to get his affairs in order that he was going to die. Hezekiah cried and turned his face to the wall and said, "Lord, I have more I want to do for you."

God heard his prayer and gave him 15 years.

At this juncture in my life I will be grateful for a month, six months, or a year. But we are praying specifically for 10 years. When I asked Hope to marry me, I asked her dad if I could have the next fifty years of her life to try and make her happy. That 10 years will get us pretty close. In addition my daughters and granddaughters were all about 13 when they came to Christ. Mihaela Hope is 3 now, Noah is 2, and Lannom is new. But 10 years will give me an opportunity to make a spiritual deposit in their lives which I desperately want to do.

From a ministry perspective the past year has been an incredible year of God working. I look around and see people who are broken and in desperate need of hope. What I have experienced is the goodness of God and I want to share that with everyone I meet. The ministry of FAITH Radio has been my life and what an opportunity it gives to touch lives in substantial ways. I want FAITH Radio to be a better ministry when I leave it than when I came and there is still work to be done.

Friends, God's hands have been all over the ministry of FAITH Radio. I look for the next 10 years to be the greatest years of growth for this ministry and I long to be part of it. One of the greatest honors of my life has been to represent and be part of that ministry. It has irrevocably changed my life. So please join us in praying for 10 more years.

God bless you all.

A Reminder of Encouragement

As Gary's "secretary" (and his youngest daughter), I was reminded last night of Gary's favorite passage in Scripture. He showed it to me the day we went to Birmingham to see the neurosurgeon. It provided great comfort for us as we went through that whole week at UAB, and as Dr. Guthrie performed the surgery, I read this passage again and again. I want to share it now with all of you who care and love Gary as much as I do. Perhaps it can encourage all of us. (Isaiah 43:1-3)

But now, this is what the LORD says—he who created you,
O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel:
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name;
you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
For I am the LORD, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior...

May God bless you richly today.

The Doctor's Visit

Gary and Hope went to see the oncologist this morning and, unfortunately, there is no new news.

We are just waiting now to see the neurosurgeon again and find out what his recommendations are for any further treatment for the brain tumor, if any is needed.

The oncologist did recommend more activity for Gary-anything he feels up to doing. So prayerfully he will be up and about more, and you may be able to see him around town very soon! Gary may also be able to receive visitors soon as well. We will keep you posted!

Continue to lift Gary and the family up in your daily conversations with the Lord; the whole family feels a little "stagnant" after such a traumatic week last week. The Lord saved Gary-we all believe that completely. But we need patience and peace to wait upon Him and see what He plans for Gary and his continuing ministry.

Continue to leave comments-all are greatly appreciated! The Hundleys are thankful for your love and care during this time. We especially praise God that you continue to go before the Father on his behalf.

News From the Doctor

We received news from the doctor today that the tumor indeed was "mestatic lung cancer". This is not the best news that we could have received, but it was also not the worst. We are grateful that a new cancer has not cropped up in Gary's body.

Gary and Hope go to Gary's oncologist in the morning at 7:30AM. Pray for Dr. Davidson as he advises Gary in the next course of action. We already know he will be having chemotherapy again, but we are not sure when that will happen.

Even though this tumor was not benign, we still know God is in control. God granted Gary his petition for 10 more years, so we know God has more "amazeable" (combine the word amazing and unbelievable, for that is what Gary's story is) things coming Gary's way.

We praise God for Gary's continued recovery; everything he does is better today than it was yesterday. The only "frustration" he feels is the inability to sleep at night. Pray the Spirit will give him peace each night so that he may rest.

Please leave comments as you read updates! Gary would love to hear from you in that way!

Every day, getting better

Well, we are in a continuous state of praise and glory to God! Every day Gary is improving. On Sunday morning he woke after sleeping a full seven hours (which has not happened in months), and he stated his headache was almost gone! He is already wanting to get back to work and get back into the pulpit. It is going to be a long month for him, since the doctor strongly recommended a full month of rest before getting back into the swing of things. But your prayers and support will help him through this time.
Today he is going to try a little exercise and more activity around the house. We are so excited to see him up and about!
Continue to pray for the pathology report on the tumor. We have not heard back from the doctor yet-we pray for a benign tumor! That means the lung cancer did not spread, and that would be another way God has revealed that He is in control!

We are home

After a very long weekend, we are home! What an "amazeable" weekend. Gary is alive and tumor free, praise be to God!

To make a very long story short, this is what happened:

Gary was rushed to the Emergency Room at Baptist East on Friday night due to a severe headache as well as disorientation. After several tests and two hours later, Gary was diagnosed with a brain tumor in the temporal lobe similar to the size of a peach. He would not live to see many more days. The ER took him to ICU where they made him as comfortable as they could, giving him high doses of steroids and morphine.

His disorientation dissipated some, and he began to pray for 10 more years, just as Hezekiah prayed for 15 in II Kings 20. After 24 hours of saying goodbye to family, God gave Gary a miracle: the tumor was not the size of a peach but of a golf ball!

So Gary went to Birmingham where Dr. Guthrie at UAB informed him he could just pull that tumor out and all would be well. And that is indeed what happened! The follow up MRI revealed the tumor was in fact completely gone! Gary went home less than 24 hours after surgery where he is recovering in his favorite place: with his wife Hope. Now all that is left is finding out where the tumor came from. We pray the tumor was just a benign mass and not cancer.

God is surely to be praised for this "amazeable" miracle. We know God has granted Gary's petition for 10 more years, and we look forward to what God will do in and with Gary's life. When Gary recovers, he himself will post updates for you!

All Glory Be To God In The Highest!