Our Hope in Hurting & Healing
Hello and Merry Christmas, dear friends and family! This is Hayden Beth, and I am overjoyed to share that the Burwicks are strong, healthy, and deeply grateful for the gift of life this Christmas. Our Lord has been kind and faithful through both the difficult and joyful months since summer. He has drawn us closer together as a family and closer to many of you over the past year, and we praise Him for it.
Thank you to our dear friend, Olivia Balman, for our new family photos! ❤
It is hard to believe how much has changed since last Christmas—and yet how our God has remained exactly the same: sovereign and good.
Weeping May Tarry for the Night...
During Christmas, many Christians look back at Jesus' first coming as our newborn King, and also look forward to his His second coming as our conquering King. We call this season Advent.
Last Advent, every Sunday morning felt like a battle to step on stage with a smile and lead our church in worship, and yet it became one of my greatest comforts. I am deeply grateful to be part of a church tradition that emphasizes advent. Very little encouraged my weary heart as Dad’s naturopathic treatments seemed to make him feel worse and each of us struggled simply to make it through the day. Yet week after week, I was faced with the blessed promise of Christ’s return.
Hearing my pastors and friends read Revelation 21:4–5 filled me with a joy that endured through suffering and a hope that carried me through the darkest nights:
“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more… ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’”
When you are kneeling in tears on the sanctuary floor, how can such words not bring comfort to your soul?
The best news about our coming King is that He does not waver or change—He is “the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). His promises remain sure. Jesus is our hope for today and our reward for eternity, whether our circumstances are filled with sorrow or joy.
...But Joy Comes With the Morning
Which brings us to this year’s circumstances. We do not take lightly the miraculous healing God has brought to Dad and the way He has faithfully provided for our family. Around this time last year, Dad barely had the strength to walk from the house to the car for his doctor’s visits. By God’s grace, after a successful surgery in August, he is regaining his physical strength everyday.
Follow-up scans in September showed no evidence of cancer growth in his post-surgical liver or right lung. A few tiny nodules remain on his left lung, unchanged and too small to biopsy, so our family has decided they are too small to be anxious about. While November scans revealed new, very small spots on his right lung, Dad’s oncologist at Mayo Clinic called them “a mystery” and will continue to monitor him carefully as they have been.
We praise the Lord that Dad is enjoying Christmas this year without being on chemo or other treatments, and, for the time being, it does not appear he will need to resume treatment after the New Year. Many doctors doubted he would be here this Christmas—certainly not without chemotherapy—but by God’s grace, he is alive and feeling more and more like himself. Only God can do this!
As for the rest of us: Mama B joyfully stepped into her role as Women’s Ministry Director at Desert View Bible Church and has loved serving the DVBC women. Nathon and Vanessa adopted a golden retriever puppy, Mozzie, and are thriving in their coaching roles at Arizona Christian University (Swim and Beach Volleyball respectively—go Firestorm!). Kirstyn completed her first semester teaching Latin to over 100 seventh graders at Great Hearts Academy and will be moving in with close friends after the New Year. I continue to serve in worship ministry at Desert View and in May, I will finish my final semester of my undergraduate degree in Bible & Theology at ACU. The Lord continues to prove His faithfulness to us all.
Our Hope in Life & Death
Does the absence of suffering make Christ’s promise to return any less prominent in our lives? Absolutely not. This season reminded me that His promise to “make all things new” applies not only to our pain, but also to our joy. Every good gift we receive ultimately finds its fulfillment in Christ, our eternal hope and reward. As the psalmist writes in Psalm 73:25–26:
“Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
We also remember that when the angel announced Christ’s first advent, he proclaimed, “Fear not!” (Luke 2:10). That message was not only for the shepherds long ago, but for us today—giving us strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. Because Christ has already come and dwelt among us, we can trust He will come again “to save those who are eagerly waiting for him” (Hebrews 9:28).
Amen and amen—come quickly, Lord Jesus!
On behalf of our entire family, thank you for the love, care, and prayers you have shown us this past year. We could not have made it through this season without your encouragement. We ask that you continue to lift us up in prayer. We are confident that even through suffering, God has sustained us, provided for us, and strengthened our faith. Whether He returns soon or tarries, may God reveal more of His glory to us all in 2026.
Grace and peace to you all,
Hayden Beth Burwick