When life keeps beating you down, how do you stand firm and keep believing God is good?
In 2010, Gregg and Tanya Rempel’s lives were complex, but normal enough. Gregg was a successful accountant climbing up the corporate ladder. And Tanya was learning how to juggle work and the extra time it took to care for their two young boys, one with Dyslexia and the other with Down Syndrome. But one night would change their lives forever. In the early morning hours of June 30, Gregg suffered a series of massive seizures. At the hospital, the Rempels received the shocking news that Gregg had a brain tumor, and a two-week follow up revealed he was in the 5 to 10 percent survival group for his type of cancer.
At first, confusion and anger set in. Why would God allow this to happen? What do we do now? Gregg struggled heavily through his first round of chemotherapy and the battle was taking a toll on the entire family. Yet at their breaking point, the Rempels relied upon their faith to trust God, stay positive and tell everyone God was still great.
“When everything is stripped away from you, what else do you have?” Tanya said. “I don’t know what you would do if you didn’t have faith.”
The support of Gregg and Tanya’s Home Teams has been vital in helping them stand through the hardest moments. Involved in several Home Teams over the past 12 years, the Rempels have enjoyed an overflow of friends doing laundry, bringing dinners, playing with their kids, and offering every form of support imaginable. But Gregg and Tanya have been most surprised by how God has used them to serve their friends.
“People are always telling us how much being able to help us has blessed their own lives,” Gregg and Tanya said. “You can step back and see there’s a bigger plan for all of this.”
Today, the Rempels are preparing for another fierce battle. After enjoying four years without cancer, Gregg and Tanya found out last September that Gregg had new cancer in his lungs and liver. New and more aggressive treatments await, along with reminders of the pain and fear of past chemo. Yet the Rempels are still praising God and reminding everyone around them that the world should always see Christ living in your life, regardless of your circumstances. Truly, God is good—all the time.
By Ross Fitch | Photo by Dan Robertson | Video by Curt Tarpley