“We’re not crazy godly people. We live in a broken world. It happens. It might not work out, but it doesn’t change who God is.” In faithfulness, the Bodill’s choose joy. They choose to live for God and that means they have nothing to fear.
By Colleen Little
The Bodills
Melanoma is wild and unpredictable.
It shows up whenever and wherever despite the number of times it’s removed. This means no one who has had melanoma can technically be cancer free.
God has always had a plan when it comes to Brittany and Deon Bodill. He knew their three boys before they were born. He knew the role they would play in Village before they stepped in the doors. He knew their family could endure the unexpected because he had a plan.
When Brittany and Deon first came to Village with their family in 2013, they were looking for a place of rest. Exhausted from previous leadership in children’s ministry, they were looking for a place where they could take a step back from serving and blend in unnoticed. But God had put a passion in their hearts for a reason. They saw what was happening at Village Kids and knew they had to be a part of it. It was their mission field and they couldn’t ignore it.
It only took a few months before they were signing up for a membership class and volunteering with Village Kids.
Two months after first coming to Village, they were fully immersed and committed to the community, and then Brittany’s cancer returned.
It was January of 2009 when Brittany first found a mole behind her knee. She was diagnosed with Melanoma.
The first round was a brutal one. It was new and scary and Brittany was five months pregnant with their first child. The doctors questioned how the baby would be affected and even suggested termination. The surgery was rough, but four months later, both Brittany and their newborn son were healthy.
It was almost exactly a year later when Brittany found a lump. The cancer was back and within three hours of Brittany’s biopsy, surgery was scheduled to remove her lymph nodes. One month after surgery Brittany began a long stretch of chemotherapy.
After four weeks of hospital treatment Brittany began what would be five months of in-home chemo. The medication brought her spirits down further than ever before. It was in these painful couple months that Deon and Brittany found themselves faced yet again with the reality of an uncontrollable disease.
It was the sweet words of a worship song that hit them.
To proclaim, It is well with my soul, was heavier than it had ever been before.
God pushed against both Deon and Brittany for a response of faith, to trust him when it seemed so unhopeful. “There is a deep, unwavering faith that comes with absolute desperation,” Brittany says.
Knowing God is sovereign is one thing, but being okay with whatever he brings—death or life—is another. Brittany points out, “It’s not about living everyday as if it’s the last—laundry would never get done. It’s about living intentionally.”
It’s been just over seven years. Five surgeries, four diagnoses, three kids, and a church community to call home; God’s plan for them has never been more unpredictable and more glorifying.