"Leap of Faith and into His Will" by Mary LaFrance

Happy New Year 2006! Watched some football today and Aliceson came home from college for the day to spend some time. I pray that she is doing better and can concentrate on her studies. I made homemade mac ‘n cheese for her, and chicken strips. She was a happy camper to say the least!

School started up again, and I felt strong enough to continue working in the Bridges Program with the junior high students after my regular work day at the high school. I will help plan several field trips for the students to Evergreen Air Museum where the Spruce Goose is housed, the Oregon Air National Guard, Bonneville Dam, and the Oregon Zoo. Lots of work to prepare but the rewards of seeing how engaged the students become is a blessing.

January 6, 2006, Leon was going golfing with some buddies, so Aliceson offered to go with me to my chemotherapy treatment. In my heart, I wanted just to go alone and not have my daughter see what I have to go through each time. She was insistent on taking me, so what could I say? We arrived and were taken to the big treatment room right away. The minute she saw how many chairs there were, her eyes got big, and she became quiet. She was allowed to sit in the recliner next to mine. While my nurse started prepping my port, Aliceson grabbed a magazine and kept her nose it in. I think she was trying so hard not to cry. For the next 7 1/2 hours, there wasn’t much conversation between us. I was glad she had the TV remote and could occupy herself watching whatever she wanted. When I was finished, we walked out of the clinic and to the car. With tears in her eyes, she said, “Mom, I had no idea what you have been going through with each treatment! I’m amazed at the size of that room and how many people get chemo all at the same time.” I told her I knew it was going to be hard on her, but reassured her that I was okay, and God was blessing me so much, even with all this journey was taking me through.

The next week, I got a surprise at work. The gal who was running the Credit Recovery program for the students who had failed core subjects, was leaving to become a secretary at the middle school. The high school principal asked me about taking the math test for the job and applying. I told him I would if he thought I could do the job. He smiled and said, “I wouldn’t ask you if I didn’t think you could do it silly woman.” I went to the district office after work that day, and took the 90 minutes math test and filled out the paperwork. The next day, the principal called me into his office. He had gotten my math test results and said, “Well, you scored 100% on the test. Would you like the job?” I was shocked that I had done that well. After all, I hadn’t done Algebra, Geometry or any math in school since 1978 when I attended college. So, I would begin the next morning, working with a total of 64 students throughout my day, helping them do online classes to pass the ones they had failed. Lord, help me to help these students succeed, and along the way let my light for Jesus shine brightly to them all….Amen

Besides starting my new job, I was also asked to help supervise events going on in the high school Performing Arts Center. It was so much fun and I was trained how to set up the light board for the stage lights and how to run the huge sound system. What a blast! This would all help me further down the road. From 2006 to 2016, I would end up organizing and creating a total of 17 benefit concerts for community members who needed help paying medical bills. I also did 3 more “Sing for the Cure” benefits. As much hard work as this all was, I felt like I was in my element, which was helping people when they needed it most. Each time a benefit was done, “the village” came together to volunteer, perform, advertise, and so much more. Together, we helped raise nearly $100,000 in all, and it was humbling and with great satisfaction to thank God for making it all happen.

In 2007, one of the most memorable things in my life happened. We had a Russian student named Ivan Svistun. He was 16 years old, and was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer over Spring Break. I had know Ivan since he first came to America as a 3rd grader. My heart and mind jumped into action. I got the ball rolling to do several fundraisers, culminating with a huge benefit concert. Several of the high school students got involved right away. There was one event called, “Shave Your Head for Ivan.” On this day, over 200+ high school students paid $5 to $10 to shave their head. The idea was for Ivan not to feel alone when he came back to school, having lost his hair from chemotherapy. Even some of the teachers shaved their heads too. Then I got the idea, and told the whole student body, if they could raise an additional $5,000 for Ivan, I would pick a day, and randomly pick 50 students who would have a chance to through a pie in my face during lunch time. I figured it might take them a month or two…WRONG! Within 72 hours, they had raised $7,245! They simply went out to the community businesses in the Camas-Washougal area and got cash donations! I kept my promise, and the 50 students had a blast creaming my face with meringue pies. For every $1,000 raised after that, a male teacher volunteered to shave their head, and 2 of the female teachers allowed the students to dye their hair whatever color they chose, and promised to leave it that way until school was over for the year. With that, another, $9,000 was raised and we were on a roll! The benefit concert raised $26,000 dollars. I had set up a checking account with a local bank. The money was used to pay for Ivan’s expensive medications, his doctor bills, hospital bed rental they used for him at home, and the rest was used for his funeral expenses. Ivan’s theme was, “God knows what is best!” One of my home visits to Ivan found him chipper and feeling a bit stronger. He asked me to do him a favor. I said name it. He asked if I would sit with him and sing the old hymn, “Blessed Assurance.” It caught me off guard of course, and so we sang as I held back my tears. His sweet voice was that of an angel and he thanked me over and over before I left to go home. Ivan had started building a 25′ long fishing boat in the advanced wood shop class with his best friend Alex. When the other students found out about his cancer, they all dropped their own projects to help Alex finish the boat. I got the “Make a Wish” Foundation involved, and they bought Ivan a brand new boat motor. On a sunny afternoon, on a Saturday in May, Ivan, his parents, 11 siblings, and over 200 high school students, their parents and school district employees, came to Lacamas Lake to watch Ivan launch and sail the waters. The ASB students had made and orange and black (high school colors) archway of balloons for Ivan to sail his boat under. There was not a dry eye! A Camas police officer showed up to the launching and proceeded to give Ivan a $500 ticket for launching his boat without it being registered and licensed. Everyone there was shocked and angered! The next week when Ivan was suppose to go to court, his buddy Alex went in his place, and I showed up to, to support Alex. The judge looked at the charges and looked at Alex, and tore up the ticket and dismissed it all. The officer that wrote the ticket was told by the judge to think about situations next time before his pen gets the best of him. Channel 12 news from Portland, OR came to video the launch and afterward interviewed Ivan as he sat in his wheelchair. He smiled for the camera and told the reporter how God had blessed him and he was covered with His grace. I was standing behind Ivan holding onto the handles of his wheelchair. The reporter asked we what my thoughts were. I could only say what a testimony for Jesus was, and how many of us had been praying. Then to my surprise, the Holy Spirit led me to tell the reporter and everyone there, “Can we stop right now and thank God for this day?” I don’t remember what I prayed, but that evening, on the 5:00, 6:00 and 11:00 news on Channel 12, the video of the boat launch was shown, along with the full prayer that I prayed…this still makes me cry as I’m reliving it all and writing it down. Sadly, Ivan passed away on June 4, 2007. His parents asked me to sing at both services. In the Russian tradition, they have a celebration of life first, and 2 days later, the formal funeral and burial. God provided yet again. The mortuary where Ivan’s arrangements were made, offered a free plot to his parents for his burial, and they never charged them the transporting fees from their funeral home to Gresham, OR (about 30 miles away) and back again. Unheard of, but was so amazing. I was struggling to figure out what to sing. Ivan’s mom said the morning Ivan passed, there was a rainbow in the sky. I choose to sing a sweet version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” for the first service. Driving there with 2 friends who also worked at the high school, I could not believe what I saw. To my left, right off the freeway, was Ivan’s church, and there from one end to the other, was a bright rainbow that went up and over the building! The tears came quickly and I knew God was ever present yet again. At the formal funeral on Friday, I chose to sing “You Raise Me Up.” His parents asked me to speak about Ivan before I sang, which again surprised me. I have never felt adequate in speaking in public, and I also was surprised when an interpreter was asked to translate my English to Russian. This meant I had to speak slowly, giving the man time to translate each sentence. When I finally began to sing, the sanctuary was lit up by the sunshine outside. The place was packed with over 2,000 church members, family and friends. There in the back of the room, sat the Washougal School District superintendent and the Washougal High School principal. They were sobbing as they listened to my heart spill forth the words of the song. That Christmas, I handmade a wooden Nativity set and a cross for Ivan’s parents. I engraved the back of the cross with the words, “God knows what is best.” I also put the Bible verse 2 Timothy 4:7, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” There is much more to write about for 2006…oh my.