Many of you are praying for our son Kelly and his battle with cancer. Every week at church, many people will ask how he is doing. My wife and I are thankful for all of you and those praying for him in Wisconsin, where he and his wife Lexi and sons Ty and Sam live.
Kelly is the most positive person I have ever known. He puts his trust in God and keeps fighting. When I first heard he was diagnosed with cancer, I called him. He could tell his Dad was worried and concerned. In his Wisconsin accent, from living there for many years, he said – Dad, we will take this one day at a time and put it in God’s hands.
Since then, his words have touched the lives of many. His friends and family in Wisconsin held a fundraiser to help with all the medical expenses. My wife and I had wooden plaques made by a man from our church to be auctioned off at the fundraiser. On those plaques were the words- Take it one day at a time and put it in God’ hands – Kelly Whiteley. One of those plaques hangs on a wall in our church. Another hangs on a wall in our house. The rest of our family also has them.
We have a lot of fundraisers at our church for people battling illnesses. Several people came to me and said they wanted to do a fundraiser to help our son. Since others from our church and community needed help and family and friends were doing a fundraiser in Wisconsin, we thanked them and declined their offer so that their money could go to help others.
During the two weeks before we left to go to the Wisconsin fundraiser, people would come up to me or my wife at church and hand us an envelope with either cash or a check for our son. Others stuffed money or checks in my pockets. We took thousands of dollars to Wisconsin to be added to what was raised there.
I also had his quote put on the back window of my truck. We will never know how many people read that as I am driving. Sitting at a stoplight, I see people in my rearview mirror reading Kelly’s words. I say a short prayer, hoping those words will help them. I have even had people come up to me in parking lots to tell me how his words helped them with things they were going through. That is a praise.
Kelly has been through many different kinds of cancer treatments. His wife is a nurse and has been a rock for him through this. For a while, he kept working at his job and doing things around their small farm. He finally had to go on disability.
When he isn’t recovering from treatments for new cancer tumors found in his body, he is in his workshop making things out of wood to give to people. He loves doing that. He is even making me a wooden ring from a tree limb he brought home from a cabin we once owned. It was a place they liked to visit when the boys were little.
Recently, a man from the company where he had worked, called and told him his customers were asking about him. Anyone who has been around our Kelly loves him and his twinkling eyes and smiling face. They asked him if he felt well enough to work with his old customers by phone from home a few hours a day. He is now doing that and will continue as long as he can.
He even did a video for a Wisconsin cancer organization that was seen all over Wisconsin urging people to get a colonoscopy. In the video, with tears in his eyes, he said – I want to beat this so I can see our sons graduate college and get married.
Kelly has told me he knows God and knows where he is going if he doesn’t make it through this. I tell him my prayer is that God will heal him of this cancer and then use him to help bring others to Jesus. If God does decide to take him home, I pray that He uses Kelly’s story to help others find Jesus.
Whatever God decides for our son, every Sunday at church and I am through talking at the podium, you will always hear me give Kelly’s quote. There may be someone in the congregation that may need to hear – Take it one day at a time and put it in God’s hands.
If you or someone you know is looking for a church home we invite you to join us at the Sac River Cowboy Church at either of our locations: 6821 W Independence Dr. Springfield MO 65802 on Sunday morning at 8:30 and 10:00 or our Event Center at 6448 State Highway EE Springfield MO 65802 on Sunday morning at 10:00 and 11:30 or Thursday evening at 6:00pm with dinner served. You may also join us live online at https://www.facebook.com/sacrivercowboychurch or https://www.youtube.com/sacrivercowboychurch
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