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January 25, 2007
Think Missions
Dave and I landed in Portland at 11 pm last night after an easy flight from Denver. We had been at our OMF US headquarters in Littleton, Colorado for two days of meetings with all of the Mobilization Team. Since we have just joined the team, we had a lot to learn, and felt somewhat overwhelmed by all the information we need to process, including how to use Lotus Notes, a database computer program. The best part was getting to know those on the team: regional directors from the East Coast, Southwest, Midwest, and the Andrews from the Northwest, plus a Muslim Ministry Co-ordinator, North Korea Co-ordinator, ourselves with a Filipino/ Asian American focus, and Mark Bradley, our director. Mark is a visionary who has added young, creative, enthusiastic office staff to the Mobilization Department as well. We stayed with Kathy Lee and her husband Hansel. Kathy heads up the follow-up team, contacting those who have shown an interest in missions. She and her team have more than 800 people to contact as a result of Urbana 2006! These aren’t just people who walked past our display; they are individuals that someone from OMF was able to talk and pray with during that conference. Our list of contacts from MissionConnexion, the missions conference held in Portland Jan. 19-29 also gave us several pages of contacts. We pray we might have the joy of investing in the lives of these young people and helping them find God’s plan for their lives, whether that eventually means serving with OMF, another mission organization, or praying and mobilizing others to get involved in missions. We had one free hour before leaving to catch our plane last night, and I was able to contact about a dozen who had attended Urbana. One girl had been in the Philippines short term in 2005!
We came away excited at what God is doing in helping us develop a network of volunteers to partner with OMF across the States. I’d love to recruit many of you to help in a way uniquely suited to your gifts!! Our first goal is to get several new OMF prayer groups started in the greater Portland area. Training tools have been developed to help people become prayer group leaders, missions mentors, events coordinators, people group advocates, ministry advocates and area coordinators. We are studying these now ourselves so that we can help in the training process.
I had chemo this morning, and now have appointments for the next four weeks. On Feb. 15, the week I don’t have chemo, I’ll have a CAT scan to see whether the Taxol is shrinking my tumors. I’ll get the results when I see my oncologist on the 22nd. Dr. Panutich will see his transplant consultant on Friday at OHSU and probably have another stem cell transplant soon. He is doing well, but there is still some evident of M protein in his blood and apparently it is better to repeat the process while he is strong and the multiple myeloma is in remission. Last week I found the hair loss quite a struggle, but now I’m getting used to having my head covered with something other than my own hair.
So we soldier on, grateful for your prayers, and the strength God gives day by day.
Posted by David at 7:05 PM
January 16, 2007
Snowy Oregon Greetings
Greetings from a very snowy Oregon! I haven’t seen such a lovely snowfall for years. Wil is out sliding on his skimboard (meant for riding on the film of water left by waves on the beach!) and wishing he could get up the mountain to snowboard. We did buy chains for the car, but everyone is being advised to stay off the roads. In my home state of Wisconsin, life would go on as normal with this amount of snow, but here classes are cancelled and many stores are closed as well. It means my Bible study was cancelled and I can get ahead on the next lesson.
The past week has been almost as full as our anniversary last Tuesday. On Wednesday, we got the news that Lana had reached heaven. Many were mourning her homegoing at the MOMS group where I was to speak. In July the Lord told me to speak on the topic, “Facing Your Fears,” and the date I was given was January 10th. God had the topic and date planned well in advance, and Jen, one of the young moms who is becoming a dear friend, shared how she had had to deal with her fear of death. That evening Mark Bradley arrived by train from Seattle. We had to talk fast that evening, because we needed to leave at 8 the next morning for my chemo appointment and he needed to be at the airport by noon. Roads were icy and traffic moving slowly that morning. I talked Dr. Leimert into giving me a lower dose of Dexamethasone and that meant I’ve slept better for the past week, a real answer to prayer. But even with a half dose of Benadryl, I fell asleep while getting the chemo and the nurse had to wake me up when it was time to leave! I am still feeling more tired than usual. Don’t know if it’s because of the chemo or because I do still wake up several times during the night. I haven’t had nausea or any of the other symptoms on the list apart from hair loss. It’s falling out fairly evenly around my head, and so far there aren’t any bald spots.
The ladies in my Bible study surprised me by making it a birthday party for me on Friday morning! We all wore tiaras and enjoyed lots of snacks. The house is full of flowers right now: a lovely bouquet of alstromeria, a pot of tulips, a potted hydrangea, and two poinsettias still blooming. On Saturday Wil was able to snowboard and further perfect his skills; he had a great time! Jay and Amor Hallowell, OMF Philippines colleagues came for the weekend, so were here for my birthday on Sunday. I liked having a Sunday birthday as the focus stayed on the Lord, and not on me. We sang one of my favorite hymns during the service, and had a missions board meeting in the afternoon. But that still left time to watch some of the football games on TV.
On Monday we went to the memorial service for Lana, and then out to dinner and to the Oregon Symphony with neighbors we’ve been getting to know. JoAnn and I had mostly talked flowers in the past, so it was good for our husbands to meet. We had a very enjoyable evening and the Oregon Symphony is playing really well this year. That brings you up to date on us. It has been wonderful to hear from so many friends during the past week: calls from the Philippines, Germany, England, and emails and e-cards from many others. My favorite birthday card said, “Forget years, forget calories. If you must count something, count friends. That’ll keep you busy.” It certainly does keep me busy!
Posted by David at 11:58 AM
January 9, 2007
Our Anniversary!
We wanted to send an email to all those we are still in contact with who shared in our lives 19 years ago today. I’m afraid the website update will have to do instead, since we just haven’t time to get the email to everyone. One of our bridesmaids is in the States at present and we received a card from her today (well done, RuthAnn). The others from the wedding party are scattered around the UK, and others who attended are in the Philippines, the US, and other countries.
I was at a Bible study this morning, and after that Dave and I were able to go out for lunch. We had to be back in time for my flute class at Wil’s school, followed by the monthly OMF prayer meeting. That has ended and we need to pick brussel sprouts and broccoli before the freezing weather predicted hits us. Then it’s back to the ophthalmologist to get my vision checked. Yesterday I had laser iridotomy (using a laser to cut a hole in the iris to prevent glaucoma or a build up of pressure behind the iris). The procedure seems to have worked well.
Wil has an indoor soccer game at 5:40 and our care group meets at 7. Hopefully we’ll get a bite to eat in between. So…life is full and good. Wil had oral surgery to remove a saliva duct that had become blocked following being bashed in the mouth with a soccer duct. He goes back to have his surgery checked tomorrow. He had seven stitches!! And Mark Bradley, US director for mobilization, arrives tomorrow after my talk at MOMS. It seems the dexamethasone I’m being given as a premed is causing my difficulty sleeping so I’m trying to negotiate either for a lower dose or getting it less frequently.
All for now. Time to head for the doctor’s office
Posted by David at 4:33 PM
January 5, 2007
Update on chemo
I’m feeling like a fraud having told you what I was told about side effects from Taxol, and not having experienced them! It may be because I’m getting smaller doses weekly, it may be because so many of you have been praying, and it may be that the effect will be cumulative rather than immediate. But I’m happy to report that none of the ones I listed in the last update have been apparent. Last week I did have a lot of diarrhea, but this week go through the first day without any problem. I am having trouble sleeping, and though I’ve had good times with the Lord in the middle of the night, it means I haven’t much energy or powers of concentration the following day.
Also want to let you know that Dr. Panutich is doing well. This blood counts have come up, so he has more energy. There is still evidence in his blood that the multiple myeloma has not been totally destroyed by the stem cell transplant and he may need to have another one, so please continue to keep him in your prayers. Fellow doctors have donated about two months worth of sick leave to him, so he still has insurance coverage and is spending one day a week in the office.
News isn’t good of my friend Lana who has been fighting leukemia (ALL). They haven’t been able to find a type of chemo which would totally destroy the blasts in her blood and that means she couldn’t have a stem cell transplant. At this point she is in a lot of pain and the doctors have no further treatment suggestions. She has fought hard and made an incredibly positive impression on hospital staff. She was able to be home with her family on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but has been much weaker since then. Please lift Lana, Rich, and their children to our Heavenly Father.
Wil did get snowboard boots and he and I were able to go up to Mt. Hood last Saturday with friends. Dawn and I sat and talked while the kids skied and snowboarded! And Wil has another trip planned for this Saturday. He is excited too as the drama teacher has announced that this year’s production will be “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” by C. S. Lewis. Wil is thrilled as he knows the story well. The hard part is deciding which part to try out for!
One more answer to prayer. For the past year I’ve had to wait up to an hour and a half for lab results each time I went in for chemo because the only place that would access my port for a blood draw was at Interstate, the Kaiser Permanente clinic 20 miles away where I have treatment. On Wednesday I found out how to get the port accessed at the Sunnyside Hospital (20 min. away) and now have standing appointments for the blood draw on Wednesdays before chemo on Thursdays. It means more travel, but will save time and the IV nurses I finally met at Sunnyside were delightful.
Posted by David at 8:16 AM
January 4, 2007
January Prayer Letter
Lampinen Prayer Bulletin January 4, 2007
Dear Team,
Looking back at 2006 we are so aware of God’s gracious presence and help. During the year, my arms got stronger, chemo was tolerable; we were able to garden, visit friends and family in the Midwest in the summer, and make that very special trip to the Philippines in November. Wil grew wiser as well as taller, and the Lord clarified His direction for our future ministry.
Seeing God’s help in the past makes it easier to look forward with hope. In fact, the verse that God has been impressing on my mind and heart almost daily right now is Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” What a lot of truth is packed into those 31 words! Truth about God, what He provides for us and how we get it, where our power comes from, etc.
We had prayed that God would shrink the tumors in my liver while I was off chemo. But the scans showed that two of the tumors got larger and I had to start on Taxol on Dec. 28th. Needless to say we were disappointed, but we still are trusting God and know that He is in control and knows what is best. The first week of Taxol was much easier to tolerate than when I started on Navelbine in 2005 and that is encouraging. The possible side effects may hit me in time, but I’m glad to be feeling well at this point. I will have chemo weekly for the foreseeable future. Do pray that this treatment will prove effective in fighting the cancer, that my body will continue to tolerate the drug, and its undesirable side effects be kept to a minimum.
In looking forward, we are excited about having joined the OMF US mobilization team as it will give us the training, oversight and direction that we were lacking this past year. We will still be involved with the Filipino churches here in Portland (the next meeting is Jan. 6) but will be given more opportunities to represent OMF and promote our work in Asia in other churches, on college campuses and missions events here in the Northwest. We will also continue our connection with the Philippine Missions Association (PMA) and work with them in promoting the work of Filipino tentmaking missions and the goal of sending out of 200,000 Filipino missionaries by the year 2010. PMA’s National Director, Bob Lopez, will be coming to Portland and Seattle in April. Pray for the logistics of organizing events and speaking opportunities for him while with us here.
Pray for God’s grace and guidance as we move into these new areas of ministry. Jan. 9 is our anniversary and the monthly OMF prayer meeting at our home. Jan. 10 our new boss Mark Bradley will be here to discuss our new roles. Jan. 19 & 20 we will assist our Northwest regional directors Dick and Donna Andrews, in representing OMF at Mission Connexion 2006, a city-wide missions conference held annually here in Portland. And Jan. 23-24 we will be at the US office in Littleton, CO for mobilization team meetings. Karen is also speaking at the MOMS group at church on the 10th and we’re expecting OMF Philippines teammates to be here Jan. 12-14, so the calendar is starting to fill up.
Thank you for sustaining us in prayer, and for all the evidences of your love and support over the past years.
Your fellow servants, Dave and Karen
Posted by David at 2:51 PM