Darren LeBlanc

I love Mexican food. Probably my favorite thing in the world to eat. I could eat salsa and chips every day of my life. Unfortunately, there are no canned salsa’s available that really do the trick for me (Green Mountain Gringo is the best I’ve found). So I find myself ordering takeout from local Mexican places, but limiting my order to nothing but 2 or 3 servings of salsa and chips (the homemade chips are so good too).  I have of course tried a few salsa recipes in the past, but have never quite hit what I was looking for. Well, those days are over. I think I finally perfected it.

Here is the recipe.

What you need:

• 5 Large tomatoes
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and diced small
• sea salt to taste
• 1 tsp sugar
• large chile pepper (or few jalapenos)
• lime wedge
• a handful of cilantro, chopped 
• 1/2 lg white onion, diced

This is pretty easy, but takes a few minutes.

1. Cook tomatoes on high heat on a grill rotating every couple minutes. You want to cook it just enough so the skin falls off easily.
2. Peel all skin off tomatoes and cut into quarters.
3. Run your fingers through the tomato to get rid of all the seeds and the liquid (this is the part that takes time…but otherwise you have a pretty watery salsa.) You should be left with the meat of the tomato without the seeds or juice.
4. Add onion, garlic, cilantro, sugar and blend/food process/ chop to desired consistency.
5. Add sea salt to taste and a squirt from a lime wedge.
6. Chop a jalapeno or another hot pepper very fine and mix in to add heat and additional flavor. (skip this for completely mild salsa)

I personally added a small green chile from the garden (or should I say the array of pots on the deck) to bring it up to a nice “mild +” status. That suites most people. Then I use Jalapeno’s (from the garden ala “shoprite”) to bring it up to medium-hot for me.  

Ok, so today was pretty good. I just have to tell you about my little girl. Today I gave her a bowl of grapes, blackberries, blueberries, and apple slices for lunch. She finished the blackberries and was back for seconds in about 6.4 seconds. I told her that I’d give  her more, but then she had to eat the rest of what was on her plate. This kid loves blackberries and only gave her 3 more, so I was curious as to how it was going to go over. She went into the living room and ate 2 of the 3 blackberries right away. She took the third berry in her hand and after careful deliberation climbed up on mommy’s lap and without being provoked by any of us, fed mommy the last of her favorite blackberries. My daughter is my hero.

Yesterday, she did something else…that while it wasn’t nearly as “touching” was definitely funny enough to post. Let me back up a moment. Often Misty tries to tell us something and we end up in a guessing game (often, like every hour). We will ask, “do you want something to eat?” and if we get an yes, then we go into a series of naming a trillion foods till we get the right one. We name and misty says “no” until we hit the right thing. Olivia has seen this process and is apparently very familiar with it. Well yesterday she broke out with something that still has me laughing. She was with her Aunt Arielle and she started naming foods…but followed each with a quick “no” response - it was as if she was doing both sides of the Misty food drill.

“pancakes….NO”
“eggs….NO”
“gum……..hmm…..NO”
“fren fries……uh….fren fries…”

Then she bows her head says:

“Jesus….AMEN”

Arielle asks her what she is doing and of course she says that she is praying. But when asked what she was praying for, my little girl responded in a way that had us dying. She quite matter-of-factly told her aunt that she was praying for….

“Fren fries!”

The majority of today was wonderful. We took a drive out to the Delaware Water Gap again with Misty’s parents. We stopped at some scenic overlooks and miss Olivia was enjoying herself. My girls were happy.

We stopped at the world famous Hot Dog Johnny’s on the way back for, yep you guessed it…Hot Dogs (we definitely broke our healthfoodesque diet today).  It was so great; we actually made our way out back down to the river and ate dinner a few feet up out of the water. It was nice. Click the image below to see some pictures.

If only the day had ended there. At about 1am (when I was starting this post), misty woke up to go to the bathroom. It was only a few seconds later and I whisked her into bed as she was shaking with a seizure. It took about 20 minutes and a little more medicine than I’ve had to give her in the past for it to stop.  The scary part was that she was telling like she was in pain….this is not usual. Please pray for misty today…that she is not discouraged when she wakes up; that she never has another seizure; and that she can walk and talk soon.  It’s 3am now…I’m gonna lay here for a while to make sure she’s breathing ok.

I’ll probably have a canker sore tomorrow…not from stress but from all the dark chocolate I’ll eat tonight :)

if you have been around the last few days you know about the Anthem of Hope project that we are working on. I imagine it may be hard for folks to fully understand the importance of a resource like this, unless you or a loved one is curren’t dealing with a serious illness.  I recently got this email and wanted to share it with you:

Hi Darren,
Chuck Peters shared your blog with me after I told him a little of my story. I had the joy and the challenge of walking through a prolonged battle of cervical cancer with my best friend. Through the journey, our families and friends were able to repeatedly experience the faithfulness, mercy and provision of our Father. We got to witness miracles along the way, and I was able to know God in a new way, as a physical Healer. Marcy died in January, and though that’s not how I would have chosen to end this chapter, her journey became a battlecry in our community - one that calls upon the healing power of Heaven in every sickness.

I am so glad to read about your “Anthem of Hope” project. It is a gift of truth that is needed by those who are walking through the valley of the shadow of death. I know the darkness of that shadow, but God’s Truth has all power to penetrate and lead us free. I am thankful that the Lord has taught me how to pray with expectancy and faith for physical healings, and I’m so glad that you are producing Anthem of Hope to share that truth and hope with others.

I rejoice with you as Misty improves! And I’ll be praying for full completion of healing for her!

God bless you and your family.

Jeannie Wherley

Thanks for all of your support already.  We need prayer, donations and also time. If anyone has experience in music, art, marketing, research, bible, writing, etc and wants to donate a few hours…please send me an email at darren@leblanclife.com. I have a solid team now, but could use a little more help for random tasks.

Quick Update:

• Today was good.
• We went to church.
• Misty had her 11th straight seizure free day.
• I’m going to bed before 1am.

The answer is yes, it does.

Love your wife as Christ loved the church. Give yourself up for your wife.
Ephesians 5:25 

Love your wife in the same way you love your body and yourself.
Ephesians 5:28-33

Do not be harsh with your wife.
Colossians 3:19

Do not be captivated by other women
Proverbs 5:20

Praise your wife.
Proverbs 31:28-29

Honor your marriage; keep it pure by remaining true to your wife in every way
Heb 13:4

 – 

In other news, today wasn’t that great. It seems I’m always hurting Misty when trying to move her around. Plus, it just wasnt a great day emotionally. I think we are in a rut…just not really growing like we had been. Tomorrow will be better.

I went to work today for the first time in a long while.

Well, it wasn’t even really work. I had to go to receive an award. I got Employee of the Year for 2007, for the CERDEC. The CERDEC is an army organization…it’s most of the people at Fort Monmouth plus some organizations down in VA. I find the whole thing terribly ironic. That was 2007…now its 2008 and not only am I not anywhere near a great a employee…I haven’t even  been there in months. But, that’s just an aside - I was at least there in 2007 :)

It was 6 years ago, to this very day, that I started working for the government. I distinctly remember walking down the hall of the massive Meyer Center (a huge hexagonal building on Fort Monmouth) during my first few days of work. I recall passing this wall display of employees of the year. It was intriguing. At that time in life, I was searching for significance and trying to prove myself to everyone…so whenever I passed the front of the building and saw that display I thought that it was a good goal for me.

Well, today I went to work to receive my shiny glass award for Employee of the Year.  I’m so honored to have been selected for that, but I have to admit, it doesn’t quite mean to me what I thought it would 6 years ago. 

The Bible has this little book called Ecclesiastes. It was written sometime around 930 B.C. by Solomon, who is regarded as the wisest man who lived.  In chapter 2, he talks about all that he had accomplished.

 ”I built houses for myself and planted vineyards.  I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them.  I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees…I amassed silver and gold…and the treasure of kings and provinces.”

He continues:

“Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done
       and what I had toiled to achieve,
       everything was meaningless” (2:4-11)

While, I’m not Solomon, nor anywhere near as accomplished as him, this does resonate with me. Caring for Misty as she battles this cancer has made me see even more acutely, what is actually meaningful. It makes it easy to juxtapose vanity with that of consequence. I am forced to cling to the paramount responsibilities that God has given me. Likewise, so many things have become just so much less significant. Things of work and career fall short of my list of concerns. Don’t get me wrong, I’m honored to get the award and greatly appreciative of my management for submitting me…it just won’t get as much thought as it would have 6 years ago.

Soloman later concludes that we must simply “fear God and keep his commandments” (12:13-14). John MacArthur says this conclusion is “more than the book’s summary; it is the only hope for the good life”.

So does making your wife your top priority line up with keeping God’s commandments? Check back tomorrow for the answer :)

PS. New prayer request: Sue is getting brain surgery on Monday. Click HERE to visit the online community section and pray for Sue.

PSS. Today was ok.  Misty and I were both a little depressed a points, but the evening was nice. She took a couple naps but was feeling ok.

I’m pretty sure that 90-95% of the juicer industry is funded by cancer patients and care givers. It’s almost like a little cancer-fad. Well, I’m a poser.

For a couple months now I’ve been using it to get a higher volume of nutrition into misty than she could eat. It’s also good because the juice is so easy for your body to break down - so your body actually gets the nutrients. Plus, you don’t cook the vegetables, so the enzymes aren’t cooked out. It’s important to know that juicing doesn’t cure cancer (some people think that it does). It just provides an efficient way for you to get a boatload of nutrients (if you juice the right things). And yes, there are plenty of cancers that can be prevented by proper diet (arguably, brain cancer may not by one of them).

Olivia will not eat many vegetables (she is in that stage) but she LOVES to make juice with me and drinks a cup of fresh juice every day - usually carrots or sweet potato with apple or orange. Half the time, I’ll be in the kitchen doing something else altogether and she will run in saying “Maka Juicy”. How can you say no to that?! I let her feed the fruit or vegetables into the juicer and she loves it.

We are on a pretty hardcore immune system rebuilding for Misty, so I actually juice twice a day. It’s a good way for us to get the right vitamins in her. Here is a popular morning/evening combo for us. The links for each item are a pretty good read if you have nothing to do. (Do you have a favorite juicer recipe? Leave it in the comments)

The Granny

• 2 large carrots
• 2 granny smith apples 

Sweet Green

• 2 large kale leafs (one of the most nutritious vegetables on earth)
• 2 fuji apples(fuji are very sweet and actually make this taste good)
• slice of ginger (about the size of a quarter - aids digestion, circulation, nausea)
• a few sprigs of parsley (this stuff is pretty good for you)
• handful of spinach (the other most nutritious vegetables on earth)

I like the champion juicer, personally. It can also make nut butters, ice cream, sorbets, etc.

Misty Update:
Today was pretty good.  She only coughed a couple times and has been feeling pretty good. We had a visiting nurse come by for the regular visit (we decided to start this since she got pneumonia) and she couldn’t hear anything in Misty’s chest!

Overall, it’s really an interesting time in life…I mean, she is pretty obviously a lot better than she was 2 months ago. It still remains difficult to fully be content though. (Phil 4:11) I don’t think I’m being too zealous by waiting in expectancy for Misty to walk and talk.

Well, it’s just about 6 weeks out since we have stopped misty’s treatments. Normally at this stage a body wouldn’t be able to fight off something like pneumonia. Well, I think she’s kicked it. She coughed a bit today, but only once did it sound like it was in her chest. Once is compared to multiple hundreds, this time last week. She’s back to only wanting one small nap during the day and sleeping for 9-10hrs at night.  We are eating well and taking lots of good supplements to help build her back up, and she seems like she’s doing well. I assume over the next week, the little coughing will stop. This journey is long, but pretty cool at times…I’d like to publicly thank God for helping us on this one. I was prett sure this pneumonia would be a much bigger deal than it turned out to be.

Unfortunately,  her speech and right side paralysis is moving very slowly. Her mind is very much here though - today she was looking through catalogs circling things she wanted…this could get dangerous :)

My little girl is as sweet as ever. Today we caught her sitting next to mommy with her hand on her saying “Jesus…Amen”. Alas, my child is learning early :)  I’m really glad that Misty is getting over the pneumonia…she’s much more with it and engaging to Olivia. Also, she doesn’t really need the oxygen tank we have here anymore as she is breathing much better. This was something that kinda freaked Olivia out. Tonight was nice…after Liv got home from church with grandma, she literally climbed up on my lap and fell asleep for the night. I love this kid. I want to write the story of how we got her name…its pretty cool. I’ll post that later this week.

 Thanks so much for praying and spreading the word to pray for Misty. I still get wonderful notes about what is happening throughout the world in lives of people that are touched by misty’s story. Also, I love some of the stories about people taking initiative to get others to pray for her - we need it…there is a long way to go. Anyway, here’s one from across the country that came in today:

Hey Darren- 
Just wanted to share this with you.  My mother is in an assisted living facility and I sent your website to the Activity Director.  She is going to have a meeting to inform the residents and staff about Misty and her disease and have them all pray for her.  She is going to print pictures and pass them around and get them involved with this.  She is going to have regular meetings to update them on how she is doing since so many of them can’t use a computer.    I thought that was such a cool idea!  So you now have an Assisted Living Facility called the Wyndmoor praying for Misty!  Take care and always praying.
-  Emilie

PS….We need a primary care doctor for Misty. Here’s the catch though. We want someone who can see us as a new patient in less than like 6 years (I can’t believe the wait to get in to some of these offices) and someone who will run some detailed blood tests and the like, then focus on nutrition and prevention, rather than just treat her when she gets sick. Comments are welcome!

PSS…thanks so much to those of you who have donated already for the Anthem of Hope project. It is so appreciated! Really….so appreciated!!

I’m working on stuff for the Anthem of Hope project…so nothing fancy tonight - just a quick update. I am 90% sure the pnuemonia is going away. This is day three of gradual improvement. Cough’s getting better. Whoohoo! I’m very happy about this. 

Only a handful of months ago Misty and I both went through a very dark time.  Most every day Misty’s mind was consumed with thoughts of death. Many days my mind wandered into thoughts of life after my dear wife. This wasn’t everyday…we had some hope, just not enough. Those close to us seemed to lose hope as well. It was a tough time.

I know there are so many people who will read this post today and resonate with that. Being in a place where there just isn’t much hope. It’s devastating. But there is a cure; a remedy for the hopelessness. It’s an anthem of hope to this often dark world; It’s the Bible.

When you are in a terrible place like we were in, the idea of starting in Genesis and reading through the Bible till you get to the relevant parts just doesn’t seem to make sense. People often just turn to the book of psalms for some encouragement, but they miss the truth about healing. A much more focused study of the relevant scriptures is certainly warranted. I have written before about how we began to listen to CDs of scriptures that were relevant to healing. Hearing these scriptures over and over built faith in us.

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
Romans 10:17

If you know someone who is terminally ill, please invest $20 to buy this package for them to listen to:
Healing CD Package - John Hagee 
Currently, it is the probably the best option. This will not always be the case.

I have begun the planning process for Anthem of Hope, a cd set to include: 

1. scriptures for teaching about healing and faith
2. psalms and other passages for encouragement and hope
3. songs for praising God in the midst of your trial
4. testimonies of what God has done in the past 

In addition to being the most complete and best produced resource of it’s kind, it will be free (via download) to anyone who wants it via http://AnthemOfHope.com. The intent is to make this resource available for free to anyone who may even just be curious about it. We will have actual CDs available as well (not sure if that will be free or just really cheap). 

To do this, I need your help. This project will cost multiple thousands of dollars and I will need to raise the funding. Before you give though I’m sure you have some questions. Here are some possible FAQs:

• Why are you qualified to produce this type of a project?
  • I have produced multiple music CDs in the past with budgets up to $10k
  • I have led worship music in the church regularly for 10 years, so I’m familiar with the music part of this.
  • I have served in a pastor role for 5 years so I’m comfortable with the teaching part. (all scriptures and teaching will be peer reviewed prior to release)
  • I am qualified to manage the money. My day job is a manager of a team of 12 engineers. We are responsible for the most important piece of a multi-billion dollar program.
• How much does this really cost?
  • I’m working on the budget now, but I’m going to guess in the $7k-$8k range to produce the quality of product we are talking about and buy the first pressing. By comparison, most independent record labels will spend $20-50k on a single cd while major labels spend well over $100k. The quality of our product will be in the same league as most indie label releases and some major label releases.
• How do I know my money is going to the project and not your pocket?
  • I have a special account for all donations. More importantly, I will be held accountable for all money that comes in and out. Pastor Timm Ziegler will be reviewing the donations and expenditures on a monthly basis. His email can be provided upon request.
• How do you have time to do a good job with this?
  • While I am producing this, much of the work will be done by my incredible team of excellent musicians and engineers. I have 2 core members to the team already and plan to add more soon. Also, I’m looking for an administrative assistant to volunteer for things like securing rights to use songs, collaborating on content, coordinating with studio musicians, etc. I will do most of the work that only I can do at night when my girls are sleeping :)
• Is my donation secure?
  • PayPal is the largest and most respected online payment processor on the Internet with well over 100 million member accounts in 190 countries and regions. Many of you already have PayPal accounts from previous online transactions. PayPal provides a secure server (SSL) so your information is safe and provides an extra layer of security by not allowing your credit card information to be seen by the party you are donating to or purchasing from. This means that whoever you send money to doesn’t even see your card information, it remains hidden in the secure server.
• When will this be released?
  • I’m working on the schedule, but this will take a while. Finishing the content, securing testimonies, finishing original songs and recording everything all takes time. Often bands are in the studio for months and months. I expect this to take 6 months to a year to release. Progress will be posted here.

Please help us get this project off the ground and click on the donate button on the right of this page. I’m not dramatizing when I say that God’s word quite literally saved Misty’s life. Help us give that gift to anyone who wants it.

(not even close to the final artwork)

PS…today was ok. Misty’s cough seems to be getting looser. Second day in a row it seems like she is getting better from the pneumonia. Also, there are no seizures and haven’t been any new cancer symtpoms in quite some time now.