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September 25, 2008
News for September
I need to begin with an apology to those of you who get updates via our website. The last two I wrote aren’t there and I’m not sure why. They went to those who get email updates, but not to you. I’ll try to summarize the content of those and bring you up to date. First, news of Andrew. I think the best way to summarize is by including part of the last letter his mother wrote:
We have received an answer to our prayers of the past month. Andrew has found total and complete healing in heaven. Andrew entered into the presence of our Lord Jesus on Sunday, September 14th at 11:10pm (Bangkok time). After four weeks of fighting against the sickness that attacked his body so suddenly and violently, we realized on Saturday that he would likely not find healing here on earth. His body was becoming very tired. We spent Saturday and Sunday around his bed continuously, encouraging him, praying and singing together. During that time we were given a real blessing, his countenance changed, his face became peaceful with a smile and for the first time in a month his eyes opened. We sang hymns together and let him know that it was okay to go to heaven, reminding him of all that would be waiting for him there and that we will be joining him in the future. Our dear friends and teammates, David and Lara Narita were with us from Saturday evening to support and help us. We have received amazing support from all of you and especially our OMF family here in Asia and in the United States.
We were able to attend the funeral in Forest Grove, Oregon on Tuesday along with our National Director Neil Thompson and a number of others with our mission. Forty of Daniel’s Cambodian family and friends came from California, and there were about 200 who heard the strong evangelistic message given by Andrew’s former youth pastor in California. It was a beautiful service followed by the graveside service and a reception at the church where Suzanne grew up and which many of her relatives attend. We had a very sunny, warm afternoon and it was a joy to be able to sit outside at tables to see the beauty around us. It was equally beautiful the day Dr. P was buried, but since the services were sung in Russia, we weren’t as aware of the meaning of the words.
My white count was high enough on Sept. 5th to have chemo, but low enough that the doctor still prescribed eight doses of neupogen. That involved giving myself shots from Sept. 7th to 14th to stimulate production of more white cells. I had blood work done on the 12th and again on the 15th. On the 15th I got the results from the 12th and learned that my count had gone from 4 to 14! The problem is that the normal range is from 4-10, so I actually got too much neupogen and had quite a struggle with the side effects since “a side effect that may occur while taking this medicine is bone or muscle pain or ache.” I was using a cane to get to church by the weekend, but once I’d finished the course of treatment, the pain began to lessen. By the following weekend I was able to participate in a one-day missions conference on Saturday and the Walk for the Cure (raising awareness of Breat Cancer) in downtown Portland on Sunday. My friends and I only did the mile walk whereas last time I did it I could handle the five kilometer walk. We will do a prayer letter at the beginning of October, so I’ll fill in other details then. Again, my apologies in getting news to you, especially about Andrew.
Posted by David at 10:36 AM
September 7, 2008
A full week
I mentioned in our prayer letter that we expected the services for Dr. P to be on Saturday. His wife invited us to attend the Russian Orthodox service that morning. The service was sung by the priest and a lady with a beautiful voice and it lasted about an hour. The only word we could understand was Alexander (Dr. P’s first name) and I found it a long time to be standing, but we felt privileged that she considered us family and wanted us to be there. On Monday morning she has asked us to join her for the burial as well. Saturday afternoon there was a memorial service at the funeral home, attended by about 150 people. A powerpoint of photos was shown and I think Dr. P was smiling in every single photo. Then people shared their memories of him and we alternately laughed and cried at those memories. Elena wanted to hear people’s memories and I think it was a special time for her and the children, as well as the rest of us.
On Friday I had gone in to have my blood checked and the white count was back in the normal range so I was able to go ahead with chemo. That is an answer to prayer, even though it left me feeling a bit the worse for wear on Saturday. I was given an 8 day supply of neupogen to try to keep my white counts up. That is administered as injections and I gave myself the first one tonight. I know that Ben received those shots, so it’s another way to walk through experiences that he had. Friends from Victoria, BC were with us from Wednesday through Saturday. We all enjoyed the time with them.
Wil was at his Senior Retreat last week and his first day of classes is tomorrow. Just before he left for the retreat he decided it was time to get his hair cut, so he went off to a nearby hairdressers and came back transformed. Instead of having cornrows again, his hair is cut in a fauxhawk. If you’re as ignorant as I was, that is David Beckham’s hair style and it looks good on Wil. It is a joy to see him again! We will put a picture of him on the website when we take one.
After more than three weeks, Andrew is still in a Bangkok hospital and in a coma. Medically that is not a good sign, but God can still perform miracles. His family are extremely grateful to all the people around the world who have been praying for him.
Posted by David at 9:56 PM
September 2, 2008
September Prayer Bulletin
Dear Partners,
I’ve just re-read our July letter and it sounds like ancient history! We were traveling and without a computer at the beginning of August, hence the long silence. Now the problem is knowing how to condense so much into a paragraph or two. I think what ties all that has happened together is the word LINK. Wonderful strengthened links with prayer partners, supporters, supporting churches, and other dear friends in Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, and Michigan. Links with my family as we were together for my brother’s wedding Aug. 2, and then with Dave’s family for the second week. I wasn’t feeling great at the beginning of the trip, but came back stronger, both from being able to eat better, and from all of the fresh air, sunshine, and laughter shared along the way. Our garden survived our absence, but has kept us busy since our return.
In the past I’ve mentioned several close friends who have been battling cancer, my former OMF colleague Patty and my oncologist, Dr. P. The Lord answered our prayers by taking them out of their pain-wracked bodies last week, and into the arms of their Lord and Savior Jesus. In both cases, I had the privilege of being able to say goodbye, to Patty by phone, and to Dr. P at the hospital. It now looks as though his memorial service will be on Saturday. All of OMF has been praying for Andrew, and MK from Cambodia who is hospitalized in Bangkok. He has been in a coma for more than two weeks since the morning his parents were unable to rouse him. It turns out he has diabetes, but that hadn’t been diagnosed before he went into the coma, making it very hard for our medical personnel to know exactly what was happening. There are minute signs of improvement day by day, but he still has not opened his eyes. Please join us in praying for Andrew and his family. The link of prayer is amazingly strong.
As we look to the start of a new school year, we are looking for ways to link with students at local seminaries and those who have done short term mission trips. A day conference on Sept. 20 will give opportunity for the latter and Dave is in touch with staff at Multnomah and Western to try to do the former. One of our prayer groups is in the home of Andrew’s grandparents, so that group has been particularly remembering him. We have been looking at ways to increase prayer for East Asia in our own church as well and pray some of our ideas will bear fruit in the coming year.
Links with our own church and Wil’s school are strengthened by our leading a Asia focus ministry team, Dave teaching the Heritage Sunday School class and my leading two women’s Bible studies, plus praying weekly for the school and being on the school commission.
Thank you for your link with us through prayer. We love you and we need you!
Dave, Karen, and Wil
Posted by David at 5:59 PM