25: A Tale of Covid, Cancer And The Constancy of God's Goodness

What's the Story
Written By Matt Edmundson
 

Today’s Guest: Evelyn Sherwood

Evelyn Sherwood is a Christian writer and speaker who has served in pastoral ministry for thirty-five years alongside her husband Steven. They live in Indiana, in the Midwest of America and she has two grown up children, and 8 grandbabies! Evelyn is both a Cancer and Covid-19 survivor – and loves to use her story to encourage others to grab hold of hope in the midst of trials by helping them recall God’s goodness. 

Here’s a summary of this week’s story:

  • Evelyn grew up in a happy home. Her mom met some ladies from a church that introduced her to Jesus. A year later, her dad gave his life to the Lord. She herself gave her heart to Jesus as a teenager, and it wasn't until her senior year in high school that she felt called to ministry. She went to Bible college where she met her husband, and they have been in ministry together for almost 40 years. They currently serve as senior pastors in Kokomo, Indiana.

  • Evelyn shares her personal story of trusting God through ups and downs, including her husband's health challenges with mold exposure and COVID-19, and how her faith helped her overcome her fears and doubts.

  • She shares her experience of being isolated in the hospital due to COVID-19, struggling to even walk to the bathroom. She relied on her faith and leaned on God to get her through the tough times, even writing about it and finding the beauty in the midst of the scary and difficult situation. Eventually, both she and her husband recovered and were able to leave the hospital together.

  • Evelyn talks about losing her dad to cancer and soon after being diagnosed herself with uterine cancer. Despite the overwhelming difficulties, she found comfort in the scriptures and anchored herself to them as she walked through each valley.

  • She learned that God's love is not contingent on what she can do for Him, but rather it is His nature. She also learned the power of surrender and trusting God even when things don't make sense. Through her suffering, she saw God's love and grace in the simple things like kind words and gestures from others, and in His whispers of love and comfort.

  • Evelyn is in recovery and doing much better and is working on various projects, including a book about God's faithfulness, and a booklet with her watercolor paintings paired with reminders of God's presence during hard times.

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  • Matt: Hello and welcome to What's the Story? We're an inquisitive bunch of hosts from the What's the Story Team on a Mission to uncover stories about faith and courage from everyday people. And to help us do just that, we get the privilege to chat with amazing guests. And delve into their faith journey, the hurdles they've overcome and the life lessons they have learned along the way.

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    What the story is brought to you by Crowd Church. We understand that stepping into a traditional church might not be everybody's cup of tea, and that's where Crowd Church steps in providing a digital sanctuary, a safe space to explore the Christian faith where you can engage in meaningful conversations rather than just simply spectating.

    So whether you are new to the Christian faith or are in search of a new church family, we invite you to visit us at www.Crowd.Church. And if you've got any questions, just drop us an email. Hello@Crowd.Church. We're here to help. And would genuinely love to connect with you. And now without further ado, let's meet your host and our very special guest for today.

    Anna: I'm Anna Kettle, your host for today. I'm joined by my friend Evelyn Sherwood, who is joining us all the way from the Midwest in America. She's been married for 35 years to her college sweetheart, which is very sweet.

    Has two grown up children and eight grandbabies. She's also a cancer and covid survivor, and in fact, incredibly battled both of these life-threatening situations within a single year. Now she's gonna tell us more about that in her story in a moment. Um, but yeah, first of all, um, I wanna introduce you to her and also tell you how I, uh, first met Evelyn.

    So Evelyn, lovely to have you with us today. Thanks for being here.

    Evelyn: Oh, I'm so excited to be here. Anna. Just very blessed.

    Anna: So Evelyn is someone who I actually first came across a few years ago through Hope Writers, which is a writers community we're both part of, that's right, isn't it, Evelyn?

    Evelyn: Yeah. Yeah.

    Anna: And I think we kind of immediately hit it off and connected because we were both writing and blogging at the time about very similar subjects around finding God's hope in the middle of hard things.

    And even though we were in quite different life stages and situations and facing different kinds of hard, it was just like a heartbeat that we were both sharing and blogging and writing about. So I think we really like bonded over that. Didn't we actually.

    Evelyn: Yeah, we did. It was, it was ironic how, just how similar, even though our stories were extremely different. Um, we had shared pain and, um, understood what it meant to suffer and not have answers, and to be able to wrestle through that. Still hanging onto hope, and I think that that just bonded us very quickly.

    Anna: Yeah. Yeah. So I'm really excited to have you on the show today and for other people to hear your story cuz it is quite remarkable really. So thank you so much for being here. And they're like, there's so many things I obviously wanna ask you about today. You know, obviously the two big Cs that we just discussed, COVID and cancer.

    Um, but I suppose, and we will get into all of that in a minute, but I suppose we should probably start at. Bit more at the beginning of your story, just cause I'm aware not all of the listeners today will know you or know much about you. So I suppose it'd be really helpful if you just tell us a little bit about your backgrounds, um, who you are, and just kind of, um, where your faith's, where it all began.

    Like how, you know, how did your faith journey begin, um, and if there were any key times that stood out for you.

    Evelyn: Yeah, sure. Well, um, I. I grew up in, um, a story that's probably not your typical story in our current day. You don't hear this a lot, but I was blessed to grow up in a very happy home, very healthy environment. Um, but neither my mom nor dad knew the Lord. They had a religion, but they didn't know that you could have a relationship with Jesus.

    And, um, my mom, um, just met some ladies from a church and they invited her to come. And so I was real little at the time. And so my mom and I rode a church bus, um, to go to church. And my mom for the first time heard that Jesus loved her and she could have a relationship by just saying yes to his sacrifice on Calvary and to starting following him.

    And she did. And my dad was very resistant for a while. And about a year later though, um, he just really, he went to church to get some of the men off of his back that kept inviting him. Um, but he heard a sermon that day that, um, about the woman who had the issue of blood and she just said, if I could just touch the hem of his garment.

    And my dad had, he had grown up at. In an alcoholic family and, um, no close relationships. Didn't know about intimacy, and it was the first time he ever experienced and heard that story, and he gave his heart to the Lord. He said, I, I want that. And so I, I was like four years old when all this is taking place, four or five years old.

    And then about a year later, my dad was like, I have to preach this message. So he went off to Bible college and we got rid of everything. My parents just gave it away, sold the house, brought me in. My brother at the time was just a little one, not even one yet, and you know, went to Bible college. So I grew up hearing about God and always being in church and in that environment.

    Um, but it wasn't until my teen years that I really went, God, I need you. Not because my parents have you, but I want to know who you are. And so as a teenager, I gave my heart to Jesus and just said, Lord, I'll follow you. I don't know what that looks like. And at that point, you know, of course all the kids in the youth group thought that meant going to a foreign mission field or something like that.

    I didn't know what that looks like for me, but I knew that, um, Jesus really loved me a lot and he sacrificed so much, and I just wanted to know him better. So that was the beginning of my journey. Um, my faith walk with the Lord. So my parents really were first generation Christians, both of them coming out of homes that hadn't really had nothing to do with, um, a relationship with God.

    So, um, you know, and I'm grateful for that. I'm grateful for that legacy that they gave me. Um, So then, uh, fast forward, um, was my senior year of high school and I just was saying, God, you know, what do you want me to do? You know, I'm thinking college or career, whatever you want. And I remember one night just sitting outside.

    I was going, I'm just praying God like. You know, back then I was saying, our world's a mess. What can I do God to, you know, be a positive influence and bring people to hope found in you? And I just really felt the Lord tug on my heart that, um, ministry was gonna be part of that for me, full-time ministry as a vocation.

    And so I, um, went to Bible college and there, my freshman year I met my husband to be and um, so really he, he had been there. Three years already. So he was, but he was taking a slower road to graduation because he was working a lot of hours to pay his way through school. So anyway, and he was called into ministry to be a pastor.

    And so, um, we got married, uh, two and a half years after we met. And um, yeah, so this year we're celebrating 39 years of marriage and, um,

    Anna: Wow. Congratulations.

    Evelyn: Yeah, thanks. So currently we, the church that we are at in the Midwest, we're a little town called Kokomo, Indiana. And we have been at our church for going into 27 years now, the one that we're at.

    So prior to that, we did a lot of children's ministry, youth ministry, young adult ministry, and, um, we weren't really looking for a church that he would be the senior pastor. But God, through a lot of other circumstances, which is another whole story, um, brought us here and it has been a fantastic experience.

    So, yeah. So we have, um,

    Anna: that's awesome.

    Evelyn: yeah, so that's,

    Anna: A little bit about your background because I didn't know all that about you actually. And Yeah, just a, a real journey that God brought your family on really, isn't it? And now

    Evelyn: yeah.

    Anna: you kind of Yeah, just such a legacy as well, like all those years of ministry and stuff. So it's awesome.

    Evelyn: Yeah.

    Anna: and you know, still many years ahead of you I'm sure.

    So, yeah. So I mean, that's. That's great background and um, but it's not always been easy, has it? I mean, no faith walk is all easy. There's like been ups and downs. And I know we touched on this before, but there's been some major health challenges for you guys over the years, but particularly in the last few years.

    And you know, the first one of those was like health problems with your husband and Covid. And can you tell us a little bit more, could you unpack some of that for us?

    Evelyn: Yeah, sure. So, um, it was interesting and I, I kind of wanna go back to, um, when Steve and I met in college and we start dating and I, I kind of, we both knew pretty quickly that God was doing something cuz we had both been praying for, you know, God's future for us. Um, and there came a point, um, after we had gotten engaged when. When Steve, um, was sharing with me some issues that he had health issues, he had had damage done to his back. He had an injury and it caused some spasms that, um, oftentimes look like seizures. And, um, and he said, I think before we get married, you need to know that the doctors are telling me by the time I'm 40 I'm probably gonna be in a wheelchair.

    Um, and I went, Okay. And I, and for a brief minute, I begin to question in my mind like, you know how someone just throws you a bomb and it goes off in your head, and then it shatters into a thousand questions. And I was like, God, is this what I'm signing up for? If we get married, like I'm gonna be pushing a 40 year old man around in a wheelchair.

    Like honestly, I was just processing all that

    Anna: And when we go 40 sounds quite old, right? But I'm like over 40 now. It's not that old.

    Evelyn: Yeah, exactly. Yeah. When you're like 21, 22, I was like, man, I don't know if that's what I'm signing up for. And um, but I just felt the Lord whisper like, Evelyn, it doesn't matter who you marry, there's gonna be struggles ahead. But this is the life I've chosen for you and, and I'm, I just, then I never looked back after that.

    I just knew it was right. And the, the reason that's so important to bring us up to speed is because that thing that God whispered to my heart at that moment was basically, trust me, this is the plan I have for you. That has held me through many, many storms where I was like, God, is our marriage gonna survive this?

    You know, are we gonna, is he gonna survive physically? You know, I don't wanna watch him have another seizure, you know? Um, but that has been a resounding echo that has continued on. Like, I've got you Evelyn, trust me. So fast forward to, um, I think it'll be four years ago this fall. Um, my husband was exposed to some, uh, mold in the building at the church where we were working and we were trying to get it remediate and everything.

    And so he had to take some pictures so he could bring it to a business meeting into the insurance company and all that. And when he, when he pulled back the flap, It, it was like the spores were released and, um, we didn't think anything about it really. And then about two weeks later he started having some really bad respiratory issues and we were thought, oh, here we go.

    You know, it's asthma, it's bronchitis, something like that. Well, he ended up in the hospital cuz his oxygen levels kept plummeting. And, um, I mean he spent five days in the hospital where they're going, we're still not sure what's going on with you. Like, we've done all the tests. So then, you know, I was having to gown up every day to go see 'em.

    And, um, because they didn't know. Um, what was really going on. And one day I was sitting in the hospital and I just looked at the infectious disease doctor She had walked in. She goes, I'm sorry, Mrs. Sherwood. We're just still struggling to find. I said, you know, I. You know, God cares about all the details of our lives, and he does reveal things to us.

    I mean, the, the Holy Spirit does that work of bringing us into truth, helping us remember. And in that moment, the Holy Spirit was working to help me remember I said, you know, we've had some mold issues at our church, and I said, and I have. I have a printout sheet of what kind of molds are there because we had it tested.

    Is this possible? It's mold. Would you like to see that report? She said, bring it in. And as soon as I, I went, I rushed home, I brought it in and they started running tests. And that's exactly what he had. He had two kinds of molds and what had happened is they had filled up the bottom half of both lobes of hi, hi of his lungs and um, but they were able then to start giving him the right medications.

    So, um, so then, you know, that's November of 2019. Fast forward to 2020 and we hear there's a pandemic. And, um, so immediately we call the infectious disease doctor cuz we're already dealing with respiratory issues. And she just said, you know, he, he can't be exposed to this, it could be lethal for him. Um, you know, so I called my boss and explained to them what was going on.

    And so before our country was in lockdown, We were personally in lockdown and so we just stayed inside. We were very cautious about things. Um, and then we did really good, um, during that time until, um, October. And, you know, this was also, you gotta remember, it was before vaccines or anything. And they were still, doctors were still learning to fly the airplane while they were in the airplane. You know, they were,

    Anna: Yeah, it was like the whole kind of clean yourself down after each patient contact was like it was,

    Evelyn: Oh yeah.

    Anna: it was quite scary in the middle.

    Evelyn: And so, um, my boss had been so gracious to let me work from home, but I had to go exchange some paperwork. And so I ran into the office, um, and then in, I had a question about payroll, and in, in less than five minutes I was exposed. The person didn't know they had it, cuz all they had was a headache they didn't know.

    And two days later I get a call that they had tested positive for covid. And I, I mean, our heads were reeling at that point. So, Once again, we called the infectious disease doctor. What should we do? Well, um, they just gave us things to start looking for, make sure, and that was on a Friday. By Sunday, Steve was symptomatic.

    By Tuesday I was symptomatic. And then we thought, well, it it's not too bad. It's kind of like a cold right now. And then it went south really quick and by the following Sunday I was dropping my husband off at the ER. Um, And I'll never forget that moment. Um, just because I couldn't go in with him. Um, I had to drop him off at the emergency room.

    And I just remember watching him walk that long corridor into the hospital. And I sat in the car and I sobbed and sobbed and I, and I was going, God, did I get him here on time? And will he make it? Will I ever see him again? And so through tears, stained eyes, I drove home very sick myself. I. And, um, I pulled in the, in the garage and I sat in the car and had a, like, Christian radio station on music was playing.

    But I, I wasn't really hearing at that time cuz I just was sobbing and going, God, is my husband gonna survive? Will I ever see him? I was heartbroken and then a song came on the radio. Um, even if, you know, even if you don't, my hope is you alone. And I just felt God whisper to me, Evelyn. Even if you didn't get here on time, if the outcome is not what you hope it will be, will you yet praise me?

    Do you really trust me? Am I worthy? Do you believe I'm good? And I broke because in a split second, I wasn't out there very long. It feels like it is, like when eternity and our, our timeline collide. It felt like a long time, but I know it was just seconds that all those questions came flooding in and I, I, in the car, I just raised my hand and said, God, I will praise you.

    I will love you because you are my all in all. You are enough. And um, two days later I was driving back to the hospital, admitting myself. So my husband and I were in the hospital at the same time. He was fighting in the ICU unit for his life. Um, they almost lost him a couple times, but his doctor at that point, you know, everybody was being ventilated and she just had the sense not to ventilate him to try to work through it in different ways.

    So she did. And then, uh, so, and then I was on, um, what they called the covid wing. And it was just a weird, really weird time because all the doors stayed shut in the hospital. No one could come in and see you. Um, my precious daughter one day, she, she, um, sent me a text and she was standing outside my hospital room, two floors down, but the parking lot was right there.

    She said, look down, mom. And I looked down and she was down there waving You know, and it's just those things. You're just like, you're so desperate for connection. Um, and there wasn't any, but, um, God would send it in unexpected ways. So

    Anna: I mean, so, tough. So tough, isn't it? Like it was so that must have been so scary. I, I can't imagine. Like and being separated from each other as well.

    Evelyn: Yeah. yeah, it was, and so I just, um, Just the isolation. Yeah. I've never experienced that. And you know, my husband and I have been in ministry a long time, so we've visited people in the hospital when they're sick and there's something when you can actually have a physical contact. But there was none that, that put a whole another layer that, um, not only we did, we experience, but we watched many other people who, who've had loved ones, um, go through that, that it was really rough and strange.

    Didn't know what to do with it.

    Anna: yeah, I'm

    Evelyn: So, yeah. Well then, um,

    Anna: yeah, go on, carry on. Cause then you, cuz then, I mean, you had some quite scary moments in the hospital yourself as well, didn't you?

    Evelyn: Yes. Yes we did. So, um, I remember a couple times, like just when I first got there, um, I'm tethered to oxygen. I'm, you know, gowned up and, and they're just like in and outta your room so much is trying to get everything going that they need to get going and figure out what's going on and the best way to care for you.

    And I remember going, you know, I gotta go to the bathroom and I said, I can walk, I can walk five steps to the bathroom. And what scared me was I couldn't, like I stood up from the side of the bed and I gasped for air. My oxygen kept plummeting. And I remember just saying, God and clutching my hospital gown going, God, you are the breath in my lungs.

    Every move I make is in you. You created this body, you are my father, get me to the bathroom. Just give me air to make it there and to make it back. And, uh, I can't tell you how many times, um, I prayed that Prayer and would just gasp. Gasp to have air to breathe. And, um, I would in my heart go, God, some of the songs that I had grown up learning and heard on the radio, like, it's your breath in my lungs.

    So I will praise you in this moment, God so. There were a lot of moments like that and moments that the doctor would come down and she's like, I'm giving you updates on your husband. She said, he scared us really bad last night, and I knew what that meant. Um, but I was laying there just gasping for air, just wondering if either one of us was gonna make it through.

    And I just felt God whisper to my spirit, like, Evelyn I want you to write about this right from the messy middle. And I was God, I can't even breathe. I, you know, I let alone have a clear thought or articulate anything, and he's like, it's okay. Just write that I am with you in the mess, in the hard time.

    So I started writing these little posts for my hospital bed and putting 'em on Facebook. I didn't want to, but God was, and, and honestly, when I look back and read what I wrote, I was like, I don't remember writing that.

    Anna: Wow.

    Evelyn: But I know that God was writing something through me and um, I just began to talk about his faithfulness in the middle of it all.

    And the real of it, it was hard. It was scary and frightening. But the beauty of it was, um, you know, seven days after my husband had been admitted, five days after me, they wheeled us out together and the hallway was lined with medical staff clapping and crying because we were the one story that made it out.

    When many were dying all around us. So yeah, that was that.

    Anna: I mean, that's pretty powerful, isn't it, to come out together and that have that kind of reaction from staff. I mean, that makes you realize how rare that was at that time when there was no vaccinations. And a lot of people in this situation didn't come out of that, um, in that way. Like, it, it makes, it makes it really real, doesn't it?

    I'm sure that must have brought it to home, like wow.

    Evelyn: It did and it wasn't an easy journey once we got home either. I mean, there, you know, we were, we came home tethered to oxygen. because we still didn't have breath capacity. Um, and to walk just a few feet was very exhausting. Um, so yeah, there were a lot of challenges once we got home, but we were just so grateful that, you know, God was giving us scriptures along the way and, and, um, and things that he kept reminding us about.

    And so, um, Yeah, that, that was that stage of it. But what we, you know, and we were thought, wow, we made it through Covid we're good. And what we didn't know was the tsunami ways. Were not gonna quit for a while. So, um, Um, you know, as many people know, uh, there's been a lot of blood clotting and stuff that has come along with, um, covid and, um, so my doctor wanted to just do, they did a scan when I was in the hospital and they found one in a small one in my leg.

    So they immediately started me on a blood thinner. And then when I got out, they sent me back and just did like a bunch of chest x-rays and everything, and found out that I had blood clots in my lungs. And I was like, oh. God, that's really scary. Like it dropped me to my knees when I got the report cuz I thought surely it's okay.

    And, um, but God just kept giving scriptures along the way. So when I got that report from the doctor, I, I remember I did, I literally crumpled to the floor and I wept and I was like, God, how much more, how much more? And, um, so I had some scriptures, um, it's called soaking Streams. It's a YouTube channel and they just play scriptures with soft music.

    And I had that playing one day and um, every time I walked in the room and then walked back out, like the same scripture was on repeat. And I was like, I know that's not how this works, but what? And it was, you will not die, but you will live and declare the works of the Lord. And I went, okay, God, that's your word for me right now to anchor to as I walk through this valley.

    And then, um, so. At the same time, um, we're caring for my dad as well who, um, had, um, his own diagnosis going on. But, um, so anyway, six months of medication, I went back in and the, the blood clots were gone. But when they did a CT scan, they discovered in my uterus that, um, I had a spot. And that started another whole journey. So, yeah.

    Anna: So, I mean, yeah. Tell us a little bit about that next stage, because I mean, as you said, you just went from one kind of tsunami to another, didn't you? Health wise, really. So tell us more about kind of that, um, what, what was discovered next, because yeah, that, you know, you sort of think, oh, we're through it now, but not at all as it happened.

    Evelyn: Yeah, no, that wasn't at all. You know, sometimes you think that, well, I've punched my timecard on suffering and this is gonna stop now. Life's going to. Yeah, life's gonna coast along and it just didn't. So, um, so I got the all clear with my lungs. So I started, um, being a little more active, but then they started doing more testing to find out what, what was really going on and what they were seeing.

    Um, and in the meantime, my dad's health took a, a drastic, um, Downward spiral. And he, um, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. And so, um, while I'm waiting for results on my test, I'm caring for my dad. And from one month to, he was diagnosed, one month later, he passed away and the day after he passed, I was back at the hospital having tests for things they were suspicious about in my own body.

    And, um, so that just, um, Began another journey, just, it was loss and hardship just piled up on top of each other. And it was like, you know, if you're in a swimming pool and the kids are, you know, get the waves going, or they're doing that little circle in it, and you know, and you're just, you get dropped down under and you can't hardly get back up and catch your breath.

    And I just couldn't catch my breath. The waves just kept coming and coming. Um, but they, you know, the, the short of it is, um, they discovered I had, um, I had cancer. Um, uterine cancer and, um, that was not what I expected to hear. Um, it shocked me pretty rough. Um, and I, I remember those sitting and with my doctor having that first appointment of like, what are we gonna do?

    What are our next steps? And, um, And I don't know where it came from other to say that, but God, um, my doctor was like, here's what we need to look at. We need to look at chemotherapy, you know, we're gonna have to have a hysterectomy. We're gonna do this kind of stuff. And I said, you know, God's got me. And I, I can't remember.

    I'm sorry, my mind just went blank. Um, but you know, it was just like, oh, I know what it was. I said, Cancer does not get to define me. God alone defines who I am. And so we will walk this road together and, um, and see where he takes it. And, and I, at that point, I felt weak in my knees. Like I didn't know where that came from other than that was like God saying, I do have you.

    We will get through this. And so, um, so then I had surgery and um, and then I started chemotherapy. And uh, yeah, that's been quite a journey. Um, quite a journey.

    Anna: And it was, I mean, the thing is that all happened within such a short amount of time, didn't it? So I think you said covid then obviously your dad's diagnosis and, and, and, you know, death from cancer, um, you know, in his passing you were still grieving about that and then being diagnosed and treated yourself, that was all within about nine month window or something you said?

    Evelyn: um, I think from the time, yeah, it was about 11 months, I think, all

    Anna: Yeah.

    Evelyn: together around in there. Um,

    Anna: So

    Evelyn: from the time I got my diagnosis. Yeah.

    Anna: Yeah. I mean that, that is a lot like, that is a lot to deal with all in one go and you're grieving your dad and you're dealing with your own, you know, emotions around your own diagnosis as well. You're still recovering partly from the Covid stuff and you know, that's a lot to deal with all at once.

    And I, I'm wondering like, where did you see God at work in the midst of that? Like, you know, where did you see God moving?

    Evelyn: Well, you know, I have to be honest, I, you know, I've always been a person that I believe in God, I believe in his word. Um, and we've had our, our fair share of trials, but this was a tsunami of suffering. And, uh, I had never experienced anything to the point where I had nothing I could put to it to make it different.

    You know, like sometimes you can go through stuff and you can like push through or, you know, you just pull up your bootstraps and go, what we, we do do this. But it was so much, so quick that the only thing I knew to do was cry out to God, um, even physically. Like, and, and this was one of the things that I think I learned in all of that.

    Like, I. Um, sometimes we think that we have to do for God in order to be accepted and loved by him. And so we find all these things that we can do for God. I had nothing to give God. I had no strength. I, I couldn't process words. Um, my energy level was, None. Um, and yet he loved me so deeply in that time and he kept whispering these things through me. Um, it would be the kindness of other people. They dropped off a meal. Um, I'd have a radio station on because I couldn't, reading scripture was hard and I often associate, you know, even those spiritual disciplines as I'm doing this for God, and I couldn't do any of it, but he would so graciously.

    Keep loving me all the way through it. You know, I'd get a card that had a beautiful scripture or sometimes I would just listen to music because reading words, it was hard in my eyes. It was hard. Just my mind couldn't process a lot more information cuz I already had a lot. I was processing, but it was in the simple things that God began to whisper. I love you. I've got you. I'm here with you. And, um, that held me and anchored me through and each stage of it, there was something different he would, um, whisper to me. So yeah, it was a lot.

    Anna: I bet. I bet. And um, so you know, what's been like one thing that you've like learned about faith or about life in this season? Like if you could, I know that I'm sure there's loads of stuff that you've learned and discovered through it, but if you could distill it down to maybe one key thing, what would that be?

    Evelyn: Well, I think, um, I had relied because I'm a go-getter. I love to do things. I always have creative ideas swimming around. Um, but I, when you're backed up against the wall and there's nothing you can do, I learned that his love is not contingent upon what I do for him cuz he's already done. He's already done the giving, he's already done the sacrificing that his love knows no limits, knows no bounds.

    And so his love for me was not contingent upon what I could do for him, but because he is the essence of love. That is his nature. And then, um, so that was kind of, that began to flow more. And I, I went deeper. I, I had a concept of that. But it really, God began to drop the anchor of that truth in my heart.

    And the other thing was, um, when you can't do anything, there's surrender. And I remember God just saying, you know, just whispering to me. And I keep looking up at my little dry erase board cuz I have it written down so I don't forget God can do more in my surrender than I can with all my striving. So give me your loaves and your fish.

    And I went, Wow, okay. God, you know, I can work and work and work and never really do what you're calling me to do is just busy work. But when I surrender to you and follow you, um, you know, and, and I, I've been thinking about that even more, I think since the last time that we, we talked that, um, you know, when Jesus called his disciples, he said, follow me. I will make.

    Anna: Hmm.

    Evelyn: He does the making, does the work. All he asks is that we just follow him. Where he leads, how he guides and trusts that he is doing something that sometimes we don't understand. It doesn't make sense, but he is working out his purposes, his kingdom. All he asks is that we are willing to say.

    I love you enough, God, that I'm gonna trust you even when it doesn't make sense, even when it's hard. I learned that I could ask him tough questions that he wasn't unnerved when I didn't understand, or I was frustrated or I was scared. Um, the nights that my prayers were just sobs, you know, when I started chemotherapy, that was hard.

    That was so hard, and there were so many nights I would writhe in bed in pain and God would just say, I've got you. I'm here. You know, but it, it was, um, pure and honest and I just gave him what I had, which was nothing. I had nothing to give. And yet he said, I love you and I've got you so,

    Anna: Hmm. I love that. I love that whole idea of just give me the loaves and fishes. Give me what you've got. Like, yeah, sometimes we feel like we've got a lot, don't we? But other times when you're so stripped back and God's like, you know, it's not about what you have or haven't got, it's about what I can do and like in your weakness, you know, watch me work.

    And that's so powerful. And, you know, yeah. Amazing. God's, you know, kind of shown me that through that experience.

    Evelyn: Yes, very much.

    Anna: I love that. So where, tell us, um, where are you up to with things right now? So you are in recovery, which is great news, and you also have some projects in the pipeline, I think.

    Evelyn: Yeah, I do. So it's, it's taken a while to get accustomed to, um, you know, any one of the things that we've been through would put you back even physically for a couple years, for your body to get reacclimated and your strength regained, uh, to have all of it. I'm still learning. That's a huge learning curve for me right now.

    Um, but my strength is coming back. Um, I know that there are days when I. I, I can't process, my mind doesn't think it isn't clear, and I'm just physically, mentally tapped out and God says, it's okay, Evelyn. You know, the world doesn't revolve around you. You know it. I I hold it and I hold you, and it's, the stuff's still gonna be there.

    So just, how about you take a rest with me today? And those are the days I do, I just lean back and, and listen and, um, I don't rush into things and just let him do what he's gonna do, but there are days he's like, I got stuff to tell you today. And so, um, I'm working on, uh, yeah, current projects. So I had started writing, um, prior to all this happening.

    So it's, it's been, this year's like going into year six of a writing journey, I felt God tugging me into, um, inviting me to begin to share about his faithfulness, especially in hard places. Um, and little did I know what I would be facing, um, but. Anyway, so that pace really slowed down when everything happened with my husband's, um, you know, him being hospitalized and both of us being hospitalized and caring for dad.

    But now, um, but God did more, and that's another whole segment. But he did more in my weakness than I had ever accomplished in all my striving. And I, you know, when I finally was able to let go and release it, like he began to drop things in my heart and, and like kind of like take the, the anchor a little deeper about what, what I was gonna write about.

    I thought I was gonna write one thing and I'm still writing that. And it's all about his faithfulness when life is hard and remembering who he is, remembering who we are in him. And, um, I mean, that's, I. What I'm writing about. So I'm, I'm working on a book to be published, hopefully, traditionally. Um, I've got a book proposal completed.

    Uh, I've been, you know, talking to other, some agents and stuff and working on some things they're telling me to do, um, and then just working on getting that transcript done. But in the meantime, I kind of had a little surprise. Um, after I finished with chemotherapy, I knew that I needed some help to process what I'd been through. That burying it was not any good that I needed.

    So there was an art therapy class offered through our hospital and I, and I took it and God has surprised me with it. And so I just started painting things that God was telling me through this journey. Like he was, you know, like, um, take it slow and steady of, you don't have to rush through it like, You may have a timeline, but I have a purpose, so trust my purpose above your timeline.

    And so, um, and he would give the, these little pictures and I started doing these little watercolor pictures. And before I knew it, I had like, I don't know, 40 of them done and God began to deal with my heart. Like that can be a little booklet. That when people are in the hard place, sometimes too much information.

    You know, you're already getting enundated with information from doctors and medical bills and just logistics of how to caretake for people when you're, they're going through that. Um, your whole life is in an upheaval, but sometimes a sound bite of just a little reminder that God's still with you is what you need to anchor you for that day, and that's God's grace.

    And so, um, I'm working right now what on a little booklet that will include 30 of these little paintings that I painted paired with a little truth that God gave me to hold onto these little nuggets. Just a daily nugget to get me through the hard days and, and things that I needed to remember. And so I'm working on that and trying to get that self-published.

    Um, I will work, get that self-published. I'm trying to learn the logistics of that. I'll put it that way. But yeah, so that's, that's

    Anna: That's awesome. I'm, I'm really excited about that. That's, you know, it's such a needed tool, isn't it? Like that's, I mean, both these projects sound great, but Yeah, I, I love the fact that like, what felt like initially a detour and like something that slowed you down is actually. Maybe part of the story that God wants you to tell, you know, and it's like a deepening of that whole thing of going through hard things and trusting him.

    And you know, I know you've learned that so deeply now because you know, you lived it and breathed it in such a, You know, deep way and such. You went through so many hard, difficult things. I mean, any one of those things would change someone's life, I think, you know, change their perspective. And you went through several of them at once.

    You went through like loss, you went through cancer, COVID scares, you know, and yeah, I just, I just, I think your story is so inspiring. It can't fail to, um, inspire others who are facing hard things. So wishing you all the best with those projects, that's really exciting.

    Evelyn: yeah. Thank you. I appreciate it

    Anna: Um,yeah. That's awesome. Um, I could honestly keep talking to you about this all day long because as you know, it's something I'm passionate about too.

    But I am conscious of time, so I'm gonna wrap this conversation up in a minute. But just before you go, um, can you tell us a bit more about how people can reach you? Can they find you online? Just tell us about all the places that people can connect with you, because I'm sure some people will wanna pick up this conversation.

    So,

    Evelyn: Sure. So, um, I have a website, evelynsherwood.com. Um, if you go there, um, there's a place that you can sign up to get an um, monthly newsletter for me, and that's a newsletter really. It's more of a monthly devotional, um, where I share things. I'm continuing to learn about who God is, who I am in Him, um, how God anchors us when the storms of life are swirling all around us.

    Um, and that's really what I, and, and still learning to find joy and hope. When it's hard, um, that is possible in Christ, it's just a, we have to dig a little deeper. So I write about those kind of things on evelynsherwood.com. And then, um, once you go there, there's, you'll see it pop up and you can sign up for my newsletter.

    Um, my newsletter is my personal newsletter, you're not gonna get scammed by anything, but how that plays out is three times a month. Um, there there'll be a, a website update, um, you'll get a new, um, addition from that. Um, I've also started something called Stories of Hope, where I'm featuring other people who have experienced God through various circumstances, but they have found God to be faithful in the messy middle.

    So you'll get an alert about that and then you will get just straight to your, your email box, just a full, um, Typed out devotional from me of what God's teaching me. And then in, in that email, you also get updates of where I am in my writing journey, when things are coming out, um, that kind of stuff. So,

    Anna: That sounds awesome. Loads of good stuff there. I think so, yeah. If anything that, um, Evelyn has shared today really speaks to you or resonates perhaps with your own story, then definitely reach out to Evelyn. I, I know you'd be keen to hear from people, wouldn't you? And um, yeah. Thank you so much for joining us today, Evelyn, and giving up your time to talk to me. I, you know, really appreciate it. Um, I love your heart and I love, you know, everything you stand for. So thank you for joining me today.

    Evelyn: Thank you so much for inviting me. It was, it was a humbling and beautiful experience, and I feel very blessed to be able to share just a little piece of the story of what God's writing in me.

    Matt: And just like that, we have reached the end of another fascinating conversation. Now remember to check out Crowd Church at www.crowd.church even if you might not see the point of church. You see we are a digital church on a quest to discover how Jesus can help us live a more meaningful life. We are a community, a space to explore the Christian faith and a place where you can contribute and grow.

    And you are welcome at Crowd Church. Don't forget to subscribe to the What's the Story podcast on your favorite podcast app because we've got a treasure trove of inspiring stories coming your way. And we would basically hate for you to miss any of them. And just in case no one has told you yet today, remember you are awesome.

    Yes, you are created awesome. It's just a burden you have to bear. What's the story is a production of Crowd Church, a fantastic team including Anna Kettle, Sadaf Beynon, and me, Matt Edmundson, uh, and Tanya Hutsuliak work behind the scenes tirelessly to bring you all these fabulous stories. Our theme song is a creative work of Josh Edmundson.

    And if you're interested in the transcript or show notes, head over to our website, whatsthestorypodcast.com. And whilst you're there, sign up for our free weekly newsletter to get all of this goodness delivered straight to your inbox. So that's it from all of us this week here at What's The Story. Thank you so much for joining us. Have a fantastic week wherever you are in the world, we'll catch you next time. Bye for now.

 
 

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