Listen to Michael and Jennifer tell their story:

Michael:

In my men’s Bible study at Ambleside, we asked the question, “How many times has God really interacted in your life where you knew it was Him for sure?”

From our decision to move to Denver for my job, to finding Ambleside for our boys and renting a home nearby without enrollment confirmation, to the cancer — we realized all along the way, in each decision, we could see how God had directed our path. It wasn’t always straight, but our understanding now of His plan, as we look back, has been clear.

In our lives, it seems God never really gives us the whole picture . . . just the next step.

Through it all, one of the wonderful pieces of what makes Ambleside unique is the extended community you’re given. We really saw Church and community defined through my journey with cancer.

We had gone to St. Louis to visit family. It was there my appendix started bothering me and I ended up having surgery. Ten days later, the doctor said, “It’s appendix cancer. It’s rare, and it’s aggressive.”

When I got that phone call, it wasn’t devastating as much as I immediately reverted back to how the Lord had taken me through so much. Times like this it’s you and God. You feel like you’re going to go into the darkness by yourself.

You are at the end of your understanding of the situation and at the end of what you can do. You have to take the next step in faith knowing God loves you and your family.

So, a big step was when we found the right doctor who happened to be here in Denver and one of the few who specialized with abdominal surgeries and my type of cancer. Jennifer was able to make arrangements for my surgery that we thought couldn’t happen.

Jennifer:

While Michael was going through the surgery and recovery, our Ambleside community were actually the hands and feet of Jesus through it all.

The boys’ teachers are a constant support through all their special attention and help, even providing tutoring after school on their own time. They continually reach out and responded to my texts and keep the communication lines open through all the ups, downs and the lefts and rights.

And I never had to worry when I was sitting with Michael in the hospital where my kids were. The school families who watched the boys during weeks of recovery provided amazing experiences and care that allowed me to focus on Michael. I knew my kids were loved and cared for physically and emotionally.

Others drove Michael to chemo and would sit with him the entire time. The Ambleside Chaplain, who’s also a physician, took it upon himself to help us understand the details shared by doctors and even provided a write-up that Andrew sent out to update the school’s community.

In the middle of the week, families came to the church to pray for Michael. And we had weeks of meals prepared for us through the meal train set up by the school.

While Michael was going through the surgery and recovery, our Ambleside community were actually the hands and feet of
Jesus through it all.

We can’t always hear and see God, but we can see His creation and this amazing Ambleside community and that’s good enough for us.

We can take the next step knowing God is going to be there. He’s purposeful through everything.

— JENNIFER —