COMFORTER MINISTRY

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion

and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those

in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the

sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.

2 Corinthians 1:3-5

A mission of comfort and compassion, reaching out to women with cancer with

God’s Word and the love of the Comforter through journals and comforters.

NEWSLETTER______________________________

Winter 2013/14 Wrapped in the Love of the Comforter

A letter from Su

It is a joy for me to wish each of you a Merry Christmas, dear readers and supporters of

the Comforter Ministry.

Thank you, dear quilters, donors and prayer partners of Comforter Ministry, Inc. Each

one of you plays an important part in comforting others, specifically those diagnosed with

cancer, through your individual acts of love. I thank God for you!

Once again, this year has been graced by God, CM the beneficiary of so many of His

undeserved blessings…

www.comforterministry.com - the Website has been a huge help in sharing CM

information and an economic way to deliver the Comforter Ministry Newsletter, quarterly.

Comforter Ministry Presentations, Prayer Gatherings and various other venues to

promote CM

Cards and Notes from Recipients, their families/friends with words of thanksgiving and

encouragement

A CM Data Base of over 740 names/addresses/email addresses

Christmas “Comfort & Joy” Retreat last December

I hope all those who have CM Calendars have enjoyed using their calendars this past

year and feel they have gotten to know a few of the CM quilters through their CM journal

monthly “Greetings.” As I mentioned last year there are no plans to produce and offer calendars

in the future but I do hope to come up with an appropriate fund-raising venture in 2014, Lord

willing.

A couple of highlights in this Christmas/Winter Issue are

Page 4 – Comforter Ministry Prayer Gathering in Minocqua, WI. (Comforter Ministry Prayer Gathering Materials NOW on the Comforter Ministry Website and by Request! A Bible study on prayer and four (4) written prayers for CM are available by request or at www.comforterministry.com, click “More” and then “Prayer Gathering” )

“Thank You” notes throughout this issue to so many who play a part in this ministry/mission throughout the year

In Christian Love and with Christmas Joy!

Su

With a Thankful Heart . . . I thank my God every time I remember you. Philippians 1:3-5

As of November 15, 2013, 83 Quilters/Quilt Groups from 20 states and one Canadian province have made 316 comforters that have comforted over 410* women with cancer from 33 states (USA), one Canadian province, Australia, the Caribbean, and Japan. As I share the following information with you, my heart overflows with thankfulness to God for each of you. Quilters……………………….. Recipients……………………………………………………… Alaska 2 Alaska 3 Tennessee 1 Alaska (QG) 2 Arizona 2 Texas 30 Arizona (QG) 1 Arkansas 1 Virginia 2 Arizona 1 California 10 Washington 5 California 1 Colorado 4 West Virginia 2 California (QG) 1 Connecticut 2 Wisconsin 196 Colorado 2 Florida 12 Wyoming 1 Florida 1 Georgia 3 Illinois (QG) 1 Idaho 1 Illinois 1 Illinois 17 Iowa 1 Indiana 5 Australia 1 Kansas 1 Iowa 7 Caribbean 1 Kansas 3 Japan 1 Michigan 3 Kentucky 1 Ontario, Canada 3 Minnesota 3 Michigan 32 Minnesota (QG) 1 Minnesota 40 Nebraska 3 Montana 1 Nevada 1 Nebraska 9 North Carolina 1 Nevada 4 North Dakota 2 New Jersey 1 Ohio 1 New York 3 South Dakota (QG) 1 North Carolina 5

North Dakota 1 Texas 3 Ohio 5 Texas (QG) 2 Oklahoma 2 South Dakota 7 Washington 1 Wisconsin 30 Wisconsin (QG) 14 Wisconsin (LGP) 1 Wyoming 1 Ontario, Canada (QG) 1 *Several comforters have been given on behalf of the Comforter Ministry, but I have not been given further information as to

names of recipients, addresses, etc.

QG=Quilt Group

LGP=Lutheran Girl Pioneers

The mystery and miracle of the incarnation makes every day a

Christmas celebration for the believer. Janette Oke

Prayers . . .

The prayers of a righteous man are powerful and effective. James 5:16

Prayer warriors who pray regularly for the Comforter Ministry and all CM recipients

Quilters who pray for the recipients of their comforters as they work over their labors of love, in most cases never knowing where they are sent or who receives them

Gifts Received . . . And whatever you do; whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord

Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17

All those willing to have their CM Newsletters sent via email – HUGE THANK YOU!

Gifts of Money received since August 15, 2013 – Pastor Stephen S, Jacksonville, NC; Phyllis H, Appleton, WI; Rita J, Woodruff, WI; Joanne R, Lake Tomahawk, WI; Fran H, Calgary, AB, Canada - I Thank God For Your Generosity!

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights. James 1:17

Requester’s Basic Instruction

If you know of a woman with cancer whom you would like to receive a CM comforter and journal you may contact Comforter Ministry, Inc. and request they be sent to her, providing the recipient’s name and complete mailing address. A cover letter will be included, stating YOU are the one requesting they be sent.

Quilter(s) Basic Instructions

Make your quilt according to CM “Criteria for Making and Donating a Comforter” (criteria by request to CM or go to CM Website). Make sure your name, city, state and date you finished your quilt are displayed in some permanent method on the back of your quilt.

Request CM journal, and fill out “Greetings from the Quilter” page of journal.

Provide three (3) colored pictures (preferably all the same) of your quilt.

Send Quilt, Journal and Pictures to Comforter Ministry, Inc.

All materials, including postage are covered by Quilter(s). Recipient’s Basic Instructions

Between the cover letter and CM journal all details are provided and explained, including the following:

who made the request CM comforter/journal be sent to you

brief explanation of CM

what to do with the comforter/journal

when ready to do so, you or your family have several options, including 1) sending comforter/journal back to Comforter Ministry, Inc. 2) sending them on to another woman with cancer 3) keeping both - With option 1 or 2, postage is covered by recipient or recipient’s family.

what to do with the comforter/journal before sending them back to CM or on to another woman with cancer

Comfort & Joy – Place nonflammable items (candy, marbles, buttons, rock

salt, etc.) in transparent jars (washed and dried). Fill one-half to two-thirds full. Place a candle in a votive cup and nestle it in the center of the jar. Use alone or group together.

Thoughts to Share . . .

New Quilts Received since August 15, 2013 – Phyllis, Karen and Verna-Mukwonago,

WI; Lorraine and St. Paul Quilters-Algoma, WI; Patsy G-Algoma, WI; Lorraine S-

Algoma, WI; Kay J-King, WI. Check out the CM web site to see photos of these

quilts at www.comforterministry.com, click More and then click Photo Gallery. They

are beautiful!

Dear Ladies - If you would like me to come and present the Comforter Ministry to your group and/or lead a Comforter Ministry Prayer Gathering please contact me. I will be happy to consider it.

Marge from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, North Central Wisconsin Chapter – Has been sharing her Office Max card with CM for several years. I am very appreciative as it has made a huge difference in the cost of my printing needs, especially. I don’t use often but when I need to it has been a real blessing! Thank You, Marge and Thrivent!

Comforter Ministry

Prayer Gathering

Hosted by Su On Wednesday, October 30, 2013, I hosted a Comforter Ministry Prayer Gathering at a local coffee shop (meeting room) in Minocqua, WI. 12 women attended. The three hour event included a Bible study (on prayer), lunch, prayer time and fellowship. The venue offered a cozy, intimate setting (12 person-maximum) with time for sharing thoughts and experiences. I plan to host several more within the next year, Lord willing.

Thank you to those who helped financially with the cost of the gathering! I appreciate your kindness.

Thank You Thank you, Seminary Professor Otto, Mequon, WI for reviewing

each CMN meditation (Words of Comfort) and sharing your

insights, suggestions and expertise with me.

Sharing What I Know . . . Because the Comforter Ministry’s mission is to reach out to women with cancer, each Comforter Ministry Newsletter will include information about a specific cancer or a related subject. By being better informed about cancer, my hope is that readers will be aided in detecting cancer in regard to themselves and others and, if necessary, know where to go for further information and qualified assistance.

Small Cell Lung Cancer There are two main types of lung cancer: small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer. They are not treated the same way. Non-small cell lung cancer will be covered next newsletter. Signs of lung cancer

A cough that does not go away

Chest pain, often made worse by deep breathing, coughing, or laughing

Hoarseness

Weight loss and loss of appetite

Bloody or rust-colored sputum (spit or phlegm)

Shortness of breath

Lung infections, like bronchitis and pneumonia, that keep coming back

New wheezing If your lung cancer has spread, it may cause:

Bone pain

Weakness or numbness of the arms or legs

Headache, dizziness, or seizure

Yellow coloring of the skin and eyes (jaundice)

Lumps near the surface of the body, caused by cancer spreading to the skin or to lymph nodes in the neck or above the collarbone

These problems are caused by something other than cancer. But see a doctor if you have any of these signs. If you do have lung cancer, getting treatment right away could help you live longer and ease symptoms. How will the doctor know if I have lung cancer? Your doctor will ask you about your health and do a physical exam. If signs point to lung cancer, more tests will be done. These are some of the tests you might have – Chest x-ray, CT scan, PET scan, Biopsy, Bronchoscopy and Blood tests. How serious is my cancer? If you have lung cancer, the doctor will want to find out how far it has spread. This is called staging. The stage of your cancer can help the doctor decide what kind of treatment is best for you. For small cell lung cancer, a 2-stage system is most often used. This system divides small cell lung cancers into limited stage and extensive stage. Limited stage means that the cancer is only in one lung and maybe in lymph nodes on the same side of the chest. If the cancer has spread to the other lung, to lymph nodes on the other side of the chest, or to distant organs, it is called extensive stage. Many doctors also call cancer that has spread to the fluid around the lung extensive stage. If your cancer is limited stage, you might have treatment with radiation or chemotherapy (chemo) to try to cure the cancer. An extensive stage cancer will be treated, but is less likely to be cured. What kind of treatment will I need? Most of the time, small cell lung cancer is treated with radiation or chemo, or with both. In most cases, you will not have surgery. In a few cases, surgery might be done to take out all or part of your lung, if the cancer is very small and has not spread.

Our Featured Quilter – Sherry M May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us

– yes, establish the work of our hands. Psalm 90:17

Quilters are sent a questionnaire, asking several questions in regard to their life as a quilter. This is what Sherry M from Mecosta, MI, had to share. How did you first become interested in quilting? I have always been a sewer. When my youngest child left for college quilting was my “empty nest” therapy! How long have you been a quilter? probably 15-20 years What is your favorite quilt pattern? anything scrappy that helps me to use up my stash Just for fun – Which quilt pattern best describes your personality? Why? That’s a hard question…don’t think I have an answer at this time. How did you learn about the Comforter Ministry? What moved you to make a comforter for the ministry? I learned about the Comforter Ministry through the Wagenknecht family in Arizona. I love quilting. All my beds had quilts and so did relatives. This was a great way to witness and share my passion for quilting. Please share your favorite Bible verse(s). Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Proverbs 3:5 A Personal Note from Su: Sherry has been making and donating quilts for CM since 2008. Her quilts and journal “Greetings from the Quilter” words have been featured in two of the three Comforter Ministry calendars available during the past four years. Sherry’s creativity is such a gift! She says she likes to make “scrappy” quilts, to use up her scraps, but you’d be amazed at how creative and beautiful her “scrappy” quilts turn out I’m using her latest work of art as one of my display quilts when giving CM presentations. I’ve not had the opportunity to meet Sherry, face to face, but have enjoyed corresponding with her throughout the years. Sherry’s 14 quilts have comforted 16 women from eight states, including California, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin and West Virginia. Many thanks, Sherry, for your quilts and support throughout these past five years!

Office Max-Rhinelander

Thank you to Office Max Impress Print Center, especially Carol

and Jackie, for all the help they give me regarding the Comforter

Ministry throughout the year. Your patience is appreciated! Thank you!

Love came down at Christmas Love all lovely, love divine;

Love was born at Christmas, Star and Angels gave the sign

Christina Rossetti

Words of Comfort . . .

This meditation is the second in a series of devotions based on a Comforter Ministry Prayer Gathering’s Bible study on prayer.

Oh, rejoice, all Christians, loudly, For our joys have now begun; Wondrous things our

God has done. Tell abroad his goodness proudly, Who our race has honored so, That he

lives with us below. (Refrain) Joy, oh, joy beyond all gladness, Christ has done away with

sadness! Hence all sorrow and repining, For the Sun of grace is shining!

See, my soul, your Savior chooses Poverty and weakness, too; In such love he comes to

you. Neither crib nor cross refuses, All he suffers for your good To redeem you by his

blood. Refrain. (Christian Worship #45, verses 1&2, public domain)

Prayer and Christmas

“What does prayer have to do with Christmas?” you may ask. Well, if the first Christmas

(Jesus’ birth) never happened, which later led to the first Good Friday (Jesus’ death) and first

Easter (Jesus’ resurrection), no one would ever have known what prayer was and, therefore,

have no access to God, who is the holy, blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings, and Lord of

lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or

can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen. (1Timothy 6:15-16)

God, in His Word, is quite clear as to how He views sin and our status before Him if we

remain in unforgiven sin. His demand is holiness and perfection, neither of which I can become

by my own strength or merit (1 Peter 1:16). God views sinners, by their nature, as nothing more

than objects of wrath (Ephesians 2:3). In the Old Testament Isaiah describes this unholy state of

affairs when he says, But your iniquities (sins) have separated you from your God; your sins

have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. (Isaiah 59:2) Only Jesus, the Son of

God, is holy and pure like His Father, the sole Ruler and King. Only Jesus is heard by the

Father King because to be heard requires the Father King to be pleased. He is only pleased

with holiness, found only in His Son (John 22:41-42 and Matthew 3:17).

Since we cannot reconcile ourselves to the King, He must reconcile us to Himself. He

accomplished this reconciliation through His Son Jesus. Only through Jesus’ merit do we have

access to God, the Father King. Apart from Jesus we have no right to stand before the King and

speak. Without the forgiveness won for us through Jesus’ saving work we would be denied

access to the Father. Jesus gives us a right relationship with God; the relationship we could

never have on our own because of God’s holiness (2 Timothy 1:9-10). Through the work of the

Holy Spirit, working through the gospel message, we come to faith, trusting that Jesus has won

the forgiveness of sins necessary for there to be peace between us and God. Through baptism

I’m forgiven and made a child of God with all the rights and privileges of an heir, including

coming to God, my Father King, in prayer (Psalm 66:16-20). Prayer and Christmas! Praise be

to God!

Lord, how shall I thank you rightly? I am saved eternally By your life and death for me.

Let me not regard you lightly But on you in faith depend, Praising you, my heavenly

friend. Refrain. Jesus, guard and guide your members; Make us children of your grace;

Hear our prayers in every place. Fan to life faith’s glowing embers; Give all Christians far

and near Holy peace, a glad new year. Refrain. (Christian Worship #45, verses 3&4, public

domain)

Comforter Ministry, Inc. Susanne Hanson

12302 E. Fitzgerald Lane Manitowish Waters, WI 54545-9104

715-543-8483 comforterministry@yahoo.com

www.comforterministry.com