Joshua Gray

Meet the Gray Family...

We are a fun loving family of four from a small community in Missouri. We have lived in Lawson for 6 years since our oldest daughter was to begin Kindergarten. Joshua and I, Miranda, met through a church that my uncle pastors in Independence. Joshua grew up attending Pleasant Grove
Primitive Baptist church. After I was saved and committed my life to Christ I started attending regularly. I was a full time college student at Missouri State in Springfield but decided to take the summer off and return home to work part-time and save some money for the fall semester. During this time, I went from being in a dorm with over 800 friends my age to being the one and only kiddo at home again. Looking for companionship and new friends living the same or similar lifestyle to my own I decided to ask Joshua if he would want to "hang out".... Lol. Our first outing resulted in a dinner that lasted over 3 hours at a local Chilies. I called a friend after I left and told her that I knew I was going to marry this man, and I did just a short 7 months later. It amazes me how God works out all things for our good. I moved back from Springfield, transferred colleges to the University of Central Missouri and started this "new" life as a married 19 year old. Wow... it was really fast and almost a culture shock to go from a college campus in Springfield to a lonely apartment in Lexington, Missouri (Joshua worked nights). I remember in the early days driving an hour to go bowling regularly, eating out, and just not wanting to live a minute without being in the presence of each other... Young and in Love. After 14 years (not always so blissful) I can say that I still feel as special as I did all those years ago just old and in love now... Lol Life has definitely thrown us several curve balls  through the years including difficult pregnancies, infertility, extended family (in-law) issues, tornadoes, lay offs, unemployment, and now the fight that we are fighting now... cancer! Every season that we have went through was for a purpose even if it was hard and not so easy to understand... every season has strengthened us in ways that we didn't even realize that we needed strengthened. Two years ago things got really bad for us, and we even considered ending our marriage. I am SO THANKFUL that didn't happen, and God used that situation to help each of us go through some incredible deep healing on an individual basis from past hurts and disappointments in life allowing us to heal together. One of our absolute favorite songs through the past year has been "Broken Together" by Casting Crowns.




What do you think about when you look at me
I know were not the fairytale you dreamed wed be
You wore the veil, you walked the aisle, you took my hand
And we dove into a mystery

How I wish we could go back to simpler times
Before all our scars and all our secrets were in the light
Now on this hallowed ground, weve drawn the battle lines
Will we make it through the night

Its going to take much more than promises this time
Only God can change our minds

Maybe you and I were never meant to be complete
Could we just be broken together
If you can bring your shattered dreams and Ill bring mine
Could healing still be spoken and save us
The only way we'll last forever is broken together

How it must have been so lonely by my side
We were building kingdoms and chasing dreams and left love behind
Im praying God will help our broken hearts align
And we wont give up the fight

We got back to a special place and reconnected in a way like never before, because we were looking into the eyes of real and best versions of ourselves. I told our marriage counselor earlier this year that we not only have one of those fairytale marriages like the newest version of Cinderella, but we have one of those marriages that others around us are jealous of because they don't understand that fairytales really do come true. I love my husband so much and I am a part him as he is a part of me... and we have two beautiful baby girls that prove to the world not only the love that we share but that we truly are forever connected!

Our oldest daughter, Faith, is a beautiful, active, and fun-loving child. She has a love for animals of all kinds, a pure heart that desires to please and help those around her, and is a dance queen! She is also proud to be an official 6th grade middle school student enjoying the perks of after school fun nights, music, and a little too much homework at times. :) She does miss the little things like holiday parties and anything that involves sugar at the elementary school. If Faith had a theme song it would be... " I love candy" by Chris August.


Verse 1:
I love candy, I love candy. The tasty, taste, it makes me feel so grandy. The tart, the bitter, the sour and sweet. I like it all, oh, so let a brotha eat 'cause it's the 15th, and I just got paid. I'm workin' hard for my money to fulfill what I crave. Not girls, or cars, or power and respect, but to have all the candy one could possibly collect in my backyard, in a fort that I built. It has three candy aisles and freezer full of milk-turned ice cream, mixed with Oreo's and some Butterfinger Bebe's. Oh, that sounds great! Gimme two, gimme three, matter fact, give me four gallons of that mess and make my belly hit the floor. And I'll eat it (rawr) until my teeth are rot. Just to see the center of that tootsie roll pop. I love candy, I love candy. The tasty, taste, it makes me feel so grandy. The tart, the bitter, the sour and sweet. There's nothing like some candy, make a brotha wanna eat. I love candy, you know I love candy, the tasty, taste, it makes me feel so grandy. The ! tart, the bitter, the sour and sweet, there's nothin' like some candy make a brother wanna eat.

Oh did I mention that she is a mini-mommy? A little bit of a perfectionist, organized, and a red head with one sweet little curl against her face. I will never forget the day I had her, after laboring for over 24 hours and ending up in an emergency c-section... hearing her first cry and seeing my strong courageous husband start crying when he first laid eyes upon her and told me how she had red hair just like me. She loves the colors blue and green, cowgirl boots, and horses.

Our blonde baby girl, Hope Christella, is such a sweet, sensitive, happy go lucky 4th grader. She wanted to change schools this year with her best friend, so I could be their teacher (she has a pretty amazing one where she is though and still gets to be in the same class as her best friend). Hope loves to be outside riding her bike, playing with her friends, jumping on the trampoline and just soaking up the beautiful scenery that God created for us to enjoy.  Hope also has a love for ballet and dance. She is so dedicated with it and works so hard. She loves Jesus too. She committed her life to Christ openly in the first grade. Her faith through all that we are enduring right now is astonishing and such a witness to those around her. She prays and believes in her prayers. She is very open and sensitive with her feelings but truly is clinging to the cross and the word of God. Hope is a mini Joshua through and through. She is a pack rat, likes knowing how things work, and doing whatever daddy is doing. I remember her having her little lawn mower and work bench as a toddler. Hope's song would be "Cinderella" by Steven Curtis Chapman


She spins and she sways
To whatever song plays,
Without a care in the world.
And I'm sitting here wearing
The weight of the world on my shoulders.

It's been a long day, and there's still work to do.
She pulling at me saying, "Dad, I need you.
There's a ball at the castle, and I've been invited.
And I need to practice my dancing.
Oh, please. Daddy, please."

Hope loves her daddy so much... him working nights through the years has been difficult on her. She loves just being and spending time together as a family. As a toddler, she would say "Please play a game with me". Hope loves the color purple, Tinkerbell, and don't forget mermaids!

Like most families we stay busy with school, work, girls activities and church. However, that all changed for us in the blink of an eye. On August 10, 2015 our world was turned upside down by a medical diagnoses that my husband received. On that day, I had never heard of T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and Lymphoma, but my husband was told that he was in stage 4. We where also told that 1 in every million people with cancer are diagnosed with this rare disease and 18% of those people would live to see 5 years. Currently, Joshua initially had cancer present in his legs, belly, lymph nodes, bone marrow, and a grapefruit size mass in his chest. After a two week initial hospital stay, a 30 day aggressive induction regimen, and 43 days into a 50 day regimen we were hit with a blow that we need a stem cell/bone marrow transplant SOON. As we search high and low for a donor, we are preparing for a 3-5 week initial hospital stay and 100 days away from home (during the holidays). If this wasn't bad enough... I (Miranda) was diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer in June 2016 and underwent a major surgery to get most of my left lung removed.  Our family is now on a journey that includes, hospital stays, chemo treatments, and a whirlwind of emotions. Although this battle that is facing our family may be a long and hard one; we will endure and come out of this stronger mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We are standing together with friends, family, and even strangers believing that Joshua is Healed, and God will bring Restoration to our Family.

Joshua is a hard working country boy who loves his family more than life itself. He would rather spend time with his family than anything else on this Earth. He enjoys hunting, fishing, and all opportunities to be outside . Joshua is employed with Bayer CropScience in Kansas City. He loves his job, his co-workers, but ultimately loves his family the most and there is NOTHING that he wouldn't do to take care of us. He is 33 years old and fighting a 1 in a million battle, but God chose him for a reason. For years, I prayed that Joshua would have a greater faith and prayer life but what God has shown me is that Joshua is not only a believer but an example and witness. He is going through this process with such courage and allowing God to work through this situation... not worrying about it but allowing God to carry him through. My husband is AMAZING. His favorite song is by Jamey Johnson titled, In Color" (which is about loving is wife and enjoying life). There is no better song to describe my husband besides "Strong" by Will Hoge.

He's a twenty year straight get to work on time
He's a love one woman for all his life
He's a shirt off his back give you his last dime
He's strong

He's a need to move something you can use my truck
He's an overtime worker when the bills pile up
Everybody knows he ain't just tough
He's strong

Strong

He'll pick you up and won't let you down
Rock solid inside out
Somebody you can trust
Steady as the sun
Ain't nothing gonna knock him off the road he's rollin on
He's strong

It ain't what he can carry what he can lift
It's a dirt road lesson talkin to his kids
Bout how to hold your ground and how to live
Strong

He's strong

He'll pick you up and won't let you down
Rock solid inside out
Somebody you can trust
Steady as the sun
Ain't nothing gonna knock him off the road he's rollin on
He's strong

Strong
Like the river rollin
Strong
Gonna keep on going
Strong
When the road runs out
They gonna keep on talkin about

How he was strong
Strong

He'll pick you up and won't let you down
Rock solid inside out
Somebody you can trust
Steady as the sun
Ain't nothing gonna knock him off the road he's rollin on
He's strong

Everybody knows he ain't just tough
He's strong

This battle is hard... everyday is hard... but God is stronger than any of it and HE is with us. We have our boxing gloves on and we are standing on the word of God and battling! A song was introduced to Joshua as he was doing some healing work on himself and I believe it was meant for our family during this time... "ROAR" by Katy Perry.

t the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire
Cause I am a champion and you're gonna hear me roar
Louder, louder than a lion
Cause I am a champion and you're gonna hear me roar
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You're gonna hear me roar

We are not going to give up... EVER... and Joshua is going to be the champion in this battle!

THANK-YOU to everyone standing, praying, and believing with our family! Our hearts are ALL full of gratitude to each and every person and act of kindness shown to us (even if I am horrible at getting Thank-you's sent out right now)! Love and prayers to all.