Lampinen Log

February 24, 2010

Finally an Update!

I have neglected this website for too long. Forgive me. It was two months ago that I wrote on Christmas Eve. I just placed in the LIBRARY section of this website a chapter from the manuscript of the book Karen had been working on for several years. The e-mail notice you may have received might make you think that I am referring to my own singleness but really this is Karen’s story of how God worked in her life to where she was willing to accept singleness as God’s will for her. Her story covers a lot of her school years and her coming to know the Lord as well. I would appreciate your taking time to read it and give me an honest critique of it as far as readability.

Anyway, life for me is going on and getting busier as the months pass by. Having Wil home for Christmas was good for both of us. Now Wil is looking forward to Spring Break and the possibility of going to Florida to spend time with one of his high school friends who is in school there. At the same time I am planning a short trip up to Canada to visit friends. I only have a small window to do that as I am leading a GriefShare Support Group now in my church here on Thursday nights. We have had some nice sunny days here recently and I have gotten some of my vegetable garden worked up and ready for planting. The first daffodils are blooming now so hopefully spring is not too far away.

Posted by David at 4:50 PM

December 24, 2009

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas! Happy Christmas! Maligayang Pasko! Hyvaa Joulua!

On this Christmas Eve Wil and I want to wish each and every one of you a blessed and joyful time of celebrating the birth of the Savior, Jesus Christ. As Christians we all look to the events of the birth in Bethlehem and rejoice with the angels and shepherds on that first Christmas. But as individuals we each have our own memories of Christmases past; those holidays we have experienced from our early childhood right up to last Christmas. My Christmases as a child were full of wonder, excitement and anticipation. Memories of going to church on Christmas Eve, of children’s Sunday School programs, grade school programs and parties. Memories of putting up and decorating a tree, peeking into and poking at packages under that tree, and the thrill of Christmas morning and opening up those packages and, most of the time, finding things I wanted and enjoyed.

But for the most part, those memories left Jesus on the sidelines; maybe the ‘reason for the season’ but not the focus. Even after coming to personal faith in Jesus as my Savior at age 23, my focus was still of gifts, decorations and a nostalgia full of childhood pleasures evoked by the season. It took time to outgrow that self-centered focus. Getting married and having children of my own helped give me a new and more Christ-focused view of the Holiday. Being a giver gave me more pleasure than being a receiver of gifts. New memories and new traditions developed around celebrating Christ’s birth as a family. Being in the Philippines where Christ’s birth was still in focus within the culture was very helpful too. The Advent wreath with its candles and scripture readings became a treasured part of our family’s Christmas traditions.

Today, in looking back to those days I have a lump in my throat and an ache in my heart. The memories are sweet but made bitter in that that is all they will ever be –just memories. Half of this family is celebrating now in the presence of the Savior whose birthday we are remembering. The other half, Wil and I, are here remembering our past Christmases with joy and pain and trying to make new memories and traditions we can share together in years to come. These new Christmases will definitely have Jesus as their focus as he is our source of joy and hope, not just at Christmas, but every day.

This morning in today’s reading in Streams in the Desert, I came upon this beautiful poem by Frances Ridley Havergal entitled, The Bells Across the Snow. It expresses the mixed emotions we are feeling today as we celebrate Christmas this year but miss Karen and Ben so much. The second stanza helps put things in perspective.
O Christmas, merry Christmas!
Has it really come again,
With its memories and greetings,
With its joy and with its pain?
Minor chords are in the carol,
And a shadow in the light,
And a spray of cypress twining
With the holly wreath tonight.
And the hush is never broken
By laughter light and low,
As we listen in the starlight
To the "bells across the snow."

O Christmas, merry Christmas!
'Tis not so very long
Since other voices blended
With the carol and the song!
If we could but hear them singing
As they are singing now,
If we could but see the radiance
Of the crown on each dear brow;
There would be no cry to cover,
No hidden tear to flow,
As we listen in the starlight
To the "bells across the snow."

O Christmas, merry Christmas!
This never more can be;
We cannot bring again the days
Of our unshadowed glee.
But Christmas, happy Christmas,
Sweet herald of goodwill,
With holy songs of glory
Brings holy gladness still.
For peace and hope may brighten,
And patient love may glow,
As we listen in the starlight
To the "bells across the snow."

Posted by David at 12:19 PM

December 9, 2009

One year ago

December 9, 2009 One year ago today my dear Karen left for heaven. For me, and for Wil, it was a day of great grief. For Karen it was a day of relief, release and entrance into eternity and the presence of her Savior and Lord. After three and one half years of appointments with doctors and appointments for tests, chemo and radiation treatments, she had her final appointment –with the Great Physician –and she was instantly and permanently healed. Praise God! She and Ben were re-united.

A few days ago as I was dwelling on the approach of this day and feeling a resurgence of grief, God spoke to me as I was reading his Word and in a “still small voice” said, “Think not on what you have lost but on what Karen and Ben have gained.” That has helped me greatly. I realized that grief, which is a normal response to loss, can become a really selfish thing. I was focusing on what I lost and no longer have: her love, her presence, her joy and enthusiasm for life, her music and her encouragement. But if I take God’s advice, I am encouraged in the fact that my two loved ones are freed from their weak and diseased earthly bodies and are now clothed with their heavenly dwelling, so that what was mortal was swallowed up by life. (2 Cor. 5:4)

I can picture Karen playing a new golden flute in heaven’s orchestra producing new music with notes and tone not even possible here on earth –her heart full to overflowing with praise to her Lord that she now sees face to face.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Karen were on heaven’s welcoming committee. Her love and exuberance expressed in meeting long lost friends here on earth would be magnified many times over as she greets heaven’s newcomers. I look forward to that welcome myself in God’s good time.

Posted by David at 9:23 PM

October 2, 2009

Home Alone???

I hope you aren’t thinking that I got lost on my way home and that I am still wandering around the countryside. I actually returned home on September 2nd. Coming home to an empty house was difficult, and in many ways still is. Adjusting to being truly on my own is taking time. But the Lord spoke to me as I was driving through the state of Washington heading west to Oregon, that I would not be alone. Jesus reminded me of what he said in John 14:23, “if anyone loves me, he will keep my word; and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and made our abode with him.” So, even though I am only having to cook for one, there are actually three of us at home here, four if you count the Holy Spirit.

I keep in touch with Wil by cell phone and Facebook. His birthday is coming up on October 25. Send him a note to encourage him as that date approaches. He is doing well and enjoying his new life as a college student.

I have been trying to keep busy with activities related to OMF; contact making in campuses here, with missions prayer meetings and my local church involvement.
My vegetable garden is nearing its end of productivity. Only squash, tomatoes and carrots left now. Karen’s dahlia beds are in full bloom however and really brighten up the outside of my home, and the inside when I cut some and bring them in.

Thank you to all of you who have written to assure me of your continued care and prayer. That has been a real encouragement to me. God bless you all.

Posted by David at 9:40 AM

August 22, 2009

On the Road Again

I’m on the road again. Wil and I left home in Aug 15 on our way to Chicago and Moody Bible Institute. Day one we made it to Bozeman, Montana. Day two to Fargo, North Dakota. Day three to La Crosse, Wisconsin where we stayed with Karen’s brother Bill. Then on day four we made it to Chicago. On Wednesday, Aug. 19th we got Wil settled into his dorm room. He is on the top (19th) floor of the dorm and has a fantastic view of downtown Chicago. They had orientation meetings for both the new students and their parents that day ending with a dedication service at 7 pm. After that I said goodbye to Wil and left him to head north to visit family in northern Michigan. That is where I am right now, sitting in the Bookworm, a small book shop and coffee bar owned by my brother Kim. I will spend a few more days here before heading back to Oregon also stopping to see Karen’s brother again and two churches in Wisconsin and North Dakota that support us in our work with OMF.
I hope to be home again by Sept. 3. Then I will truly be an empty-nester. Pray…

Posted by David at 9:20 AM

July 24, 2009

Dave and Wil on the move

It’s been over a month since I’ve written here in my LampinenLog. Partly because life has been very routine up until two weeks ago. On July 11 Wil and I started a week long trip up to British Columbia to visit dear friends, most of which are former colleagues of ours from the Philippines. The first stop, however, was at Whidbey Island, WA were we attended the retirement ceremony of a former US navy friend. Larry has served 37 years in both active and reserve duty, starting as an enlisted man and retiring as a Commander.
It was a privilege to be there to see my friend recognized for his faithful service to his country and for all his accomplishments along the way.

Our first stop in B.C. was in the town of Mission where we visited Alan and Bonnie. Alan is a Lutheran pastor there and we went to church with them on Sunday morning and a church picnic. Then it was on to Langley to spend time with Ike, Trudy and their four boys. Ike and Trudy head the Gateway Missions Training Center there. Their friendship goes back to Manila where their two older boys were classmates of Wil and Ben at Faith Academy. Both Wil and I enjoyed the time spent with them. Then on to Surrey where Tom and Vicky live. They are retired OMF Philippines missionaries working with Christian radio. I still remember trekking up a steep path to get to their remote radio station that broadcast to the Mangyan tribal peoples on the island of Mindoro.
Then we took a ferry to Vancouver Island to visit Cedric and Valerie who we first met when they are managing the OMF guest house in Manila. We had a great time with them sightseeing in Victoria, hiking and a visit to Butchart Gardens. We took a different ferry back which put us in at Anacortes, WA and in time for Friday rush hour traffic in Seattle, arguably the worst on the west coast. But apart from that Wil and I had a great time.

What I need to add is that the day before we left on this trip Wil received acceptance letters from both Moody Bible Institute and Multnomah Bible College. This left us with the difficult task of choosing between these two really good schools. All during our travels we talked and prayed about the decision and Wil has decided to attend Moody this fall. We are in the midst of getting all the paperwork in and preparing for his moving to Chicago. A huge adjustment for both of us.

Along with this I am planning for an OMF picnic potluck here at our home on Saturday. It looks like we will have about 25 people attend; those who participate in the OMF prayer groups and several couples who are looking to go as missionaries to East Asia. Should be a good time of fellowship. Only problem is that it is going to be a hot day weather wise, 90 + F.

Also my church has approved my request to conduct a GriefShare support group here this fall. Pray for me as I prepare to facilitate this group and that it will be a real help to all who will attend.

Sorry for rambling on like this. I do hope all of you are doing well and enjoying your summer.

Posted by David at 10:05 AM

June 6, 2009

Another loss

I received word this morning that my sister JoAnn passed away early this morning due to pneumonia. She also had lymphoma which had compromised her immune system.
JoAnn was 58 years old. Please pray for her husband and her 8 adult children. I will be flying back to Michigan on Monday to attend her funeral. I will be there until Saturday. Pray for Wil as he stays home on his own for that week and works part-time.

Wil graduated from high school last night. It was a delight to be there for that ceremony and see him reach this milestone in his young life.

Posted by David at 2:41 PM

May 20, 2009

New Feature on Lampinenlog

With the help of my website guru there is now a new catagory here on the website where I can upload documents that you can access on line or save to your own computer. The first document is an article that Karen wrote last year entitled, Lessons I Learned in My Garden.
It is good reading, so if you go to the CATAGORIES menu (to your right) and click on the link LIBRARY you will find this file. I also think you will find it just below this update.

Wil and I are doing well. Karen's flowers are blooming brightly and I got the vegetable garden mostly in last Saturday. Wil is busy with end of school year activities and his hair is growing back quickly.

Posted by David at 3:36 PM

April 23, 2009

Spring flowers and Spring play

I have put new pictures up (finally). Last night was opening night for the Spring production at Wil's school. Wil is playing the part of Daddy Warbucks and he did an excellent job in acting and singing. You can see Wil with his new hair cut.

I have also put up some pictures of some of the Spring flowers in our garden. They are a wonderful reminder of Karen's love for God's creation and her working with God in creating beauty around our home.

Posted by David at 10:04 PM

February 17, 2009

Remembrances and Reminders

January 9 marked two months since Karen passed away. As a remembrance Wil and I went to the Oregon Symphony concert that evening. Karen loved music and I know she would have enjoyed listening to the orchestra play, and especially the classical guitar piece. But then I thought that in heaven she is hearing even more beautiful music; music that is focused on worshiping her Creator and Savior. She may very well be playing in heaven’s orchestra, with a beautiful new golden flute.

Last week was ‘prayer meeting week’, with three OMF prayer meetings, Tues., Fri., and Sat. Saturday was also, as you know, Valentines Day. Another unavoidable reminder that my Valentine of 21 years is no longer here to receive a card or candy or flowers. But I thank God for those 21 years that I had with my Karen. She was a gift to me from a God whose love will never die.

Wil is in the process of filling out application forms for colleges and scholarships. He goes snowboarding most weekends and plays indoor soccer once a week. He is doing well in school and is preparing to be in the school’s spring production once again. This year they are doing “Annie”. He has been cast in the role of Daddy Warbucks, the wealthy businessman who adopts little orphan Annie. He told me that he will have to shave his head to fit the part. That will be different!

Posted by David at 7:21 AM

January 23, 2009

I am back home from Denver

I returned home last night from Denver, Colorado where I attended the OMF USA’s annual Mobilization Conference. It was good to reconnect with the other OMF mobilizers from around the country and a few from Asia. I find that I always enjoy and learn from hearing what others are doing and to get updated by our colleagues working in the US headquarters. I came away encouraged and challenged to keep on praying for and looking for those that God is leading toward service for him in East Asia.

In another way it was difficult attending this conference for the first time without Karen. But the love and concern expressed by everyone there was very encouraging. On Thursday morning we had a remembrance service to commemorate the 14 members of the OMF family from the US that had passed away in 2008. Most were elderly retired workers but others were younger; like Andrew Prak (age 17), a young appointee working as a policeman who was killed in the line of duty, and of course, Karen. We viewed the photo tribute of Karen that was shown at her memorial service here. I am so thankful for the caring ‘family’ that I have in OMF.

This morning I was reading a prayer in a devotional book entitled, “Valley of Vision”, which is a collection of Puritan prayers and devotions. I’d like to share part of it with you as it expresses well what I feel was Karen’s heart and devotion to her Lord.

Thou art my divine treasury, in whom all fullness dwells,
my life, hope, joy, peace, glory, end;
May I be daily more and more conformed to thee,
with the meekness and calmness of the Lamb in my soul,
and a feeling sense of the felicity of heaven,
where I long to join angels free from imperfections,
where in me the image of my adored Savior will be completely restored,
so that I may be fit for his enjoyments and employments.
I am not afraid to look the king of terrors in the face,
for I know I shall be drawn, not driven, out of the world.
Until then let me continually glow and burn out for thee,
and when the last great change shall come
let me awake in thy likeness,
leaving behind me an example that will glorify thee
while my spirit rejoices in heaven,
and my memory is blessed upon earth,
with those who follow me praising thee for my life.

I think I could truly say that I am not the only one who is praising God for Karen’s life.
I am making this prayer my own.
May it become yours as well.

Posted by David at 12:39 PM

January 3, 2009

Snow, sorrow and psalms...

Sorry for the long silence. How do I sum up the past two weeks? Snow, sorrow and psalms. We had a lot of snow. More than most people in the Portland, Oregon area can ever remember having. I rather enjoyed being ‘snowed in’. We had about 18 inches of snow here at our house. Wil on the other hand enjoyed getting out, either on foot or in his 4-wheel drive vehicle to spend time with his friends and on Mt. Hood snowboarding. We both got out on Christmas Eve and went to a church family’s home for a time of fellowship, food and fun. On Christmas day we went to another church family for Christmas dinner and in the evening to a Portland Trailblazer basketball game. Sadly the Blazers lost but it was a fun time for Wil and me and for Wil’s two friends Seth and Alex who came with us. On New Years Eve we went to different friend’s homes. We both enjoyed being with our friends and I especially was encouraged by a time of sharing and prayer as we approached the midnight hour.

The reality of Karen’s absence from our lives has meant experiencing sorrow. Tears flow often each day as I remember her, as I have sorted out her belongings, and try to pick up the pieces of our life that she handled in our home and in our family. New Years Day was especially difficult as it was a dreary, cold and rainy day here and Wil had spent the night with friends and was not at home.

That brings me to the Psalms. God’s Word has a wonderful way of lifting me out of my self absorbed sorrow and turns my focus onto the Lord and his great and unfailing love for me as his child. Each morning as I open my Bible, God has a special passage ready for me; word of comfort, a promise, a reminder of who He is and who I am in Christ, that stirs up hope and joy in my heart and the strength to face the new day.

Thank you to all who have sent cards, e-mails or left messages on our Lampinenlog website. These have all been a real encouragement to me.

Posted by David at 8:51 AM

December 19, 2008

US Homeside OMF Tribute to Karen

OMF-USA Home side Tribute to Karen Lampinen

Dave & Wil, Karen’s family members & church family, on behalf of the OMF USA Home side, we want to express our heartfelt condolences to you. We can only begin to imagine the deep loss you must feel.

Karen leaves a legacy that will not be forgotten. That legacy includes the costly, pain-filled testimony of how she walked through the long valley of the shadow of death these past few years. You walked it together, with dignity, grace and peace, to the very end.

2 Corinthians 4:16 states, “Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” Karen lived that verse in a way that we could clearly see. Even as her body grew more ravaged, her spirit grew stronger. Her life was lovingly poured out for her Lord with nothing held back.

We are so thankful for the way her life touched ours and so many--- and that now she has thrown off all pain & sickness and is fully alive!

Thank you, Karen, for your radiant smile.
Thank you for singing hymns and praise songs with a voice so melodious and clear.
Thank you for your warmth and cheer.
Thank you for being such a life-filled, loving and wise woman of God.
Thank you for encouraging those who came to encourage you.
Thank you for your faith that never wavered, that the Lord could and would heal you however He chose and that you wanted only what He wanted.
Thank you for showing us how to live life fully and freely, and how to fight for life with courage and tenacity.
Thank you for your single-minded, whole hearted desire to glorify Him above all, in and through it all.
Thank you, Karen. Your gift to us of your life lives on, and we are grateful. We will not forget you.

---from your OMF-USA family, December 2008

Posted by David at 2:45 PM

Tribute to Karen from the OMF Philippines Field

OMF Philippines Field-side Tribute to Karen Druliner Lampinen*

In 1977, Karen Druliner arrived in the Philippines to join OMF’s church planting work in Bicol. However, her linguistic abilities were discovered early on. As a result, she was asked to help instead with the field’s language and orientation program. She accepted the change of plan and served very well. In fact, in her 28 years on the field, she always had some kind of role in that program.

The field rejoiced when one language learner, David Lampinen, showed romantic interest in Karen. We also shared their joy when God brought them together and then gave them two wonderful sons. They were very much a family in ministry together.

Karen eventually managed to do some church planting. She served fruitfully on a number of teams. The healthy churches which those teams planted fondly remember her friendliness, her sparkling faith, and her musical skills. She helped many Filipinos learn to use their musical abilities for the glory of God.

Over the years, Karen was also a valuable member of Regional and Field Councils. Being deeply involved with Filipinos, she made comments based on what she felt was best for them and the developing churches among them. Her insights indirectly equipped the rest of us to serve them more effectively.

Karen was also a big sister to many OMFers who came to the field after her. She helped us adjust to the country, its languages and its cultures. She made time to discuss with us the struggles we were facing and the decisions we were making. Her prayers encouraged us to press on.

In recent years, Karen and her family faced difficult trials. We watched her respond to them. She communicated openly about her feelings and the things she was wrestling with. Throughout it all, she remained an outstanding witness to God’s boundless grace and infinite wisdom.

Karen has now left her earthly tent and is clothed with her heavenly dwelling. For that, we are thankful. Nevertheless, OMF Philippines will greatly miss her.

*The above was written by Andy Smith, on behalf of the OMF-Philippines team. Andy writes: “As it suggests, I knew Karen very well. She was my closest "big sister" in OMF. It is my joy to be Wil's godfather.” December 2008

Posted by David at 2:42 PM

December 13, 2008

Thoughts on Karen's Memorial Service Day

This is the day of Karen’s memorial service. Countless numbers of people have given of their time to prepare the church school gymnasium into a worship center where we will celebrate Karen’s life. This morning as I was going through my daily readings in God’s Word, I came to Psalm 45, which is entitled a wedding song. Verses 10-15 tell of the King’s princess bride being prepared to meet her groom. Today, for me, that bride is Karen being escorted into the presence of the one person she loved more than me.

I also came in my readings to Isaiah chapter 61. What a promise of comfort is contained in this passage for those who mourn! In Psalm 45 the Lord is reaching out his hand to receive his bride. In Isaiah 61 God is reaching down to those of us still here on earth to give comfort, peace and hope. All praise be to God!!!

Psalm 45:10-15
Listen, O daughter, consider and give ear: Forget your people and your father's house. The king is enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord.
The Daughter of Tyre will come with a gift, men of wealth will seek your favor.
All glorious is the princess within [her chamber]; her gown is interwoven with gold.
In embroidered garments she is led to the king; her virgin companions follow her and are brought to you. They are led in with joy and gladness; they enter the palace of the king.

Isaiah 61: 1-3
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion-- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.

Posted by David at 8:00 AM

December 11, 2008

Confirmed time for memorial service

I have spent time today with the worship leader who is helping organize the memorial service for Karen and also a couple of hours with the funeral director and we are going with the times that I mentioned in yesterdays update which are as follows:

Saturday, Dec. 13

12:30 to 1:30 P.M. An open casket viewing/visitation

2:00 P.M. The Memorial Service

Refreshments will be served after the service

Location: Damascus Community Church, 14251 SE Rust Way, Damascus, OR 97089

The viewing and memorial service will take place in the gymnasium on the south end of the church facilities.

The church’s website has driving directions: www.damascuscc.org

Thank you again for your continued prayers for Wil and myself.

In lieu of flowers we would ask that you would consider a donation in memory of Karen be made to any of the three organizations listed below:

American Cancer Society: donate on-line at www.cancer.org or by phone 1-800-227-2345

Damascus Christian Student Financial Aid Fund: make checks payable to Damascus Christian School and mail to 14251 SE Rust Way, Damascus, OR 97089

OMF International: donate on-line at www.omf.org/us or mail donation to OMF International,
10 West Dry Creek Circle, Littleton, CO 80120-4413

Posted by David at 8:47 PM

December 10, 2008

Memorial Service for Karen

Although this will not be confirmed until later on Thursday, we are looking at having Karen’s memorial service at 2 P.M. on Saturday, Dec. 13 at Damascus Community Church here in Damascus, Oregon. We will have a viewing/visitation as well starting at 12:30 P.M. I will confirm these times for you tomorrow afternoon.
The address for the church is 14251 SE Rust Way, Damascus, OR 97089

Thank you for your continued prayers for Wil and myself.

In lieu of flowers we would ask that you would consider a donation in memory of Karen be made to any of the three organizations listed below:

American Cancer Society: donate on-line at www.cancer.org or by phone 1-800-227-2345

Damascus Christian Student Financial Aid Fund: make checks payable to Damascus Christian School and mail to 14251 SE Rust Way, Damascus, OR 97089

OMF International: donate on-line at www.omf.org/us or mail donation to OMF International,
10 West Dry Creek Circle, Littleton, CO 80120-4413

Posted by David at 9:49 PM

December 6, 2008

The first week of December

Karen has gotten steadily weaker and less mentally alert as the days pass. She is no longer eating solid foods and at present is taking in very little water or other liquids. Her brother Bill and his wife Renee came in from Wisconsin on Wednesday evening and have been a great help to me with caring for Karen, both of them being nurses. We have experienced to love and caring of so many friends who have come to help in practical ways and to be an encouragement to all three of us. Thank you for your prayers. And a special thank you to all who have dropped by for short visits, brought in food, helped clean the house, sat beside Karen and held her hand when I have been busy, sang hymns and choruses to her,sent cards and e-mails, phoned and given hugs.

Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it for me.”

Posted by David at 12:45 PM

November 30, 2008

The past few days

We had a quiet Thanksgiving Day here at home this past Thursday. It was a bright sunny morning but rainy the rest of the day. Dear friends came over in the afternoon and brought a wonderful Thanksgiving meal with them. We took time to read about the first Thanksgiving and shared what each person was the most thankful for while we ate.

On Friday, Karen had the fluid build-up in her abdomen drained again. This time they removed three liters. This relieved a lot of the pressure and pain that has been building up over this past week. But afterward she was still very weak and unable to eat more than a few spoonfuls at dinnertime.

Saturday went a bit better. Karen was able to eat more and we had a good visit from long-time friends coming from Seattle and St. Louis.

Today, Sunday, we made it to church and enjoyed the worship, teaching and fellowship. The sun was shining when we got out of church so I took Karen for a short wheel chair ride along the sidewalks near the church. The fresh air and sunshine did us both good -a real gift from God. She has only been able to eat about a half a cup of soup today. She continues to weaken in body but not in spirit.

Posted by David at 4:26 PM

November 19, 2008

Catching up

Last week was busy for us with four prayer meetings for OMF missionaries including the one for Cambodia where we said farewell to Daniel and Suzanne Prak who returned to Cambodia on Tuesday.

On Sunday afternoon we took Wil to a preview weekend at Corban College in Salem, OR. Wil spent the night in one of the dorms while we stayed with Jim and Louise Morris, retired OMFers. On Monday we attended several sessions for parents, a chapel service and sat in on a class. Wil is looking at Corban and several other schools here in Oregon.

On Tuesday I lead my morning Bible study at church and then went in for my chemo treatment and then went to our church’s missions prayer meeting in the evening. Today I have not been feeling well, pain levels have been higher and nausea has kept me from eating very much. The hospice nurse will be coming to see me on Thursday and I have an appointment on Friday afternoon to have the fluid drained from my abdomen again. Hopefully that will relieve the pressure and pain I am feeling today.

Posted by David at 11:13 PM

November 8, 2008

Feeling drained

Another appointment was scheduled for November 7 to try to drain my abdomen. I can’t say the procedure went perfectly, but the radiologist was able to get a catheter in safely and drain 2.2 litres of fluid. There is more there, but this helped greatly to reduce the pressure on the abdomen. Now I can sit comfortably again to read and write emails. I had taken Vicodin and even morphine to try to get the pain under control.

We have also asked for the support of the Kaiser Hospice team. When Ben was ill we learned how quick and good they are at handling palliative care and my co-pay on medications is covered as well. We’ve been able to talk more with Wil about how he is processing all of this. Basically he isn’t ready to give up hope of a cure for me, but does understand that my time here may be fairly short. We had parent-teacher conferences with Wil’s teachers yesterday and are grateful that despite the academic and sports pressure, he received all As for the first quarter. We are very proud of him.

Posted by David at 3:58 PM

November 3, 2008

Started a new chemo today

Dave and I really appreciated having a few days to digest the news from Dr. Bigler before my regular monthly appointment today. We had lots of questions and he was patient in answering. It appears that the pain in my pelvis is also caused by the spread of tumors. Until now there was nothing definitive on the scan. So now the cancer has spread to every organ it can and I am faced with cancer side effects, not just chemo side effects. My counts were good today and I was able to have a new chemo. This one I will receive each week for three weeks followed by a week off. Whether the blood counts will remain good enough to continue treatment remains to be seen. We also discussed pain management and Dr. Bigler recommended switching to Vicodin along with stool softeners to handle constipation. I talked to Elena, Dr. P’s wife on Saturday and she recommended several natural ways to relieve the pain in my swollen abdomen. The first involves taking castor oil! Not drinking it, but rubbing it on my stomach, then covering it with a flannel cloth, plastic, and lastly a heating pad. That has given more relief than anything I have tried. And this, along with Vicodin, gave me a number of pain free hours today. I am still not able to eat enough to keep my weight and energy levels up. Pray that nausea will not be a big problem with this new chemo drug.

I was not able to have the procedure last Thursday to drain some of the fluid in my abdomen because the ultrasound technician was unable to find a safe place to insert a catheter. Apparently my bowels are floating all over the place, making it hazardous to insert a catheter. Not getting the catheter meant I was able to go to Wil’s district soccer game. He scored the only goal for their team and they all played really well, so I would not have wanted to miss it. His next game is tomorrow (Tuesday) in the State playoffs.
Pray for good weather and that I will feel well enough to attend.

Posted by David at 8:34 PM

October 20, 2008

Busy times

It’s more than two weeks since you’ve heard from us. During that time we’ve had visitors, two soccer games a week, contact with the Prak family, Dr. P’s family, and Patty’s husband Denny. We’ve appreciated being able to continue to be involved in their lives. We’ve also had the three regular OMF prayer meetings, two weekly Bible studies, and been to the campuses of Multnomah University and Western Seminary, and Friday night outreach to international students from Portland State University. So the combination of a lot of activities, a lot of gardening, and not a lot of energy has been the reason I haven’t written. I had Doxil again on Oct. 6th and it seems as though it’s a bit harder to tolerate every month. Pain in my leg has often made walking harder.

We leave on Friday for San Francisco and the wedding of Dave’s nephew Craig. Craig is marrying a Filipina, Tammy Alcantara, and they have asked us to be sponsors for their wedding. This is a Filipino/ Spanish custom where you have godparents not only when dedicating a baby, but when you marry. We will be Ninong Dave and Ninang Karen to this couple. Their wedding is on October 25th, Wil’s 18th birthday. That would be more of a problem except that Wil is busy this weekend with a youth group activity so we wouldn’t see him anyway! We didn’t manage to celebrate early, so that will have to wait until after our return.

I have a CAT scan the day after we return, a Muga scan the following day, and see my oncologist on Nov. 2 to find out the results and whether I’ll have another round of Doxil. I asked not to have neupogen shots again since that had lead to so much discomfort. I’m finding that I can handle two activities a day, but if I try to do much more, I’m spent. The good news is that after several months of gradually losing weight, I’ve come up a few pounds. That is very encouraging since not taking in or keeping down enough calories leads to more lethargy. Often it’s nothing but God’s supernatural strength that keeps me going.

Posted by David at 8:08 PM

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

August 29, 2008

Sad news to share

This has been quite a week. On Wednesday morning Denny called and let me say goodbye to Patty. She was in a coma so I’m not sure whether she could hear anything I said, but I so appreciated his calling and giving me that opportunity to speak to her. She died at 9:04 that morning. Then today I was at Interstate for chemo, but again my counts were too low to proceed. I see God’s hand so clearly in the timing, both the delay of a week, then the further delay, because I was able to find out that Dr. P was in ICU at the hospital nearest his home. Dave and I went to that hospital and were able to see his wife and daughter, and I was able to say goodbye to another precious friend. He was still at home and able to speak to his wife at 6 this morning, but hemorrhaging in the brain started and though he was rushed to the hospital, there was nothing more they could do. Basically he is brain dead, but his heart is still beating and they are waiting until their son can get to the hospital this evening before disconnecting the tubes. So two of those I love and who knew one another through me, are getting to meet face to face in heaven.

Since leaving the hospital, Dave and I have been trying to contact the Eastern Orthodox Church and visiting funeral homes and getting information about cemeteries. Apparently Dr. P and his wife had not talked about the possible need for these sorts of arrangements, and she isn’t yet able to decide whether she wants to have his body buried or cremated, so there are many difficult decisions ahead for her and the children. The daughter is in complete denial right now, trying to get her father to wake up, so this too is hard for her mom. I’m sorry if I’m going into too much detail. I have no doubt that Dr. P is going straight to heaven, but the rest of the family have far less assurance and thus are struggling more. They have no relatives in this country, haven’t church connections locally, know very few of their neighbors, and this is a very lonely place to be. Please pray we will be able to be of support, both spiritually and practically.

Posted by David at 4:59 PM

July 25, 2008

Scan results and travel plans

The Doxil is working! There is some decrease in the size of tumors and nothing new showing up (though the spots in lung and liver are “too numerous to count”!) and since I’ve tolerated the side effects better this past month, I had another dose yesterday. Apparently there is a limit to the amount of this drug that I can take because of the potential damage to my heart. The doctor said I’m about half way to that limit, so if it keeps working, I’ve got another 5 months or so.

I hoped I might be able to see Dr. P while I was at Kaiser yesterday since he was there for his radiation treatment, but that didn’t work out. His appointment was more than two hours long, targeting eight different places around his knees. He called me after he got home and commented on how hard it is to lay still and how hard the table is when you haven’t any spare fat. That’s how I felt about the last MRI I had!

Actually I’m having another MRI early Sunday morning. I seem to be having more frequent headaches and we need to find out if it is because the cancer is spreading again in the brain. I had hoped for an earlier appointment, but that wasn’t possible. I don’t know whether we will get the results before we fly to Minneapolis on Monday evening. I really want to get to my brother’s wedding (Aug. 2) and to see friends in the Midwest. We will be there for two weeks. Please pray the headaches, if they continue, will be tolerable and that nausea will not become more of an issue with traveling and probably eating in restaurants some of the time. My diet is pretty limited, but I have managed to regain a few pounds.

Wil had a great time at the youth camp. The first thing he told us was about all the new twists and turns he was able to do on the wakeboard! Later we heard about the spiritual content of the week. His ankle is still a bit weak, but he’s getting around without the brace. Pray it will be strong enough by the time conditioning camp for soccer starts in August.

Oh, I know some of you expect a garden update. We’re enjoying beets, potatoes, broccoli, zucchini, radishes, lettuce, peas and beans, plus strawberries, raspberries, marionberries and blueberries. The day lilies are at their peak and I counted that I have 21 different specimens thanks to my neighbor JoAnn, and the dahlias are starting to open, but I messed up the tags, so am being surprised daily by the discrepancy between what I thought I’d planted where and what colors and sizes are turning up. Pray the garden will survive our absence. This isn’t the best timing, but Bill wasn’t thinking about our garden when he and Renee made wedding plans!

Posted by David at 1:54 PM

July 17, 2008

Waiting on scan results

Today is the 21st anniversary of the day David asked me to marry him! We celebrated that evening by going out on a very rainy night in Manila to a Pizza Hut and having a pitcher of root beer along with our pizza! The menu will be different tonight (my stomach isn’t too happy with pizza these days) but the joy of having declared our love to one another is as special now as it was then.

We had a great time in Sun River in Central Oregon. We were able to go biking twice and enjoyed time with our friends. We have many memories connected with Sun River from when we were there with Ben and since then with close friends. It was good to get back again for those two days.

I had a CAT scan yesterday. Getting an IV started went very quickly and smoothly, but the vein burst part way through the scan so I ended up with a lump the size of an egg near the injection site. My body has absorbed most of the contrast dye now and it’s not too painful and thankfully, enough of the dye to get clear pictures of my lungs and liver. I won’t get the results until I see my oncologist next Thursday. I think the lower dose of Doxil has been a bit easier to tolerate and I’ve felt better with less nausea. Next is finding out if the Doxil is working.

I’ve just been on the phone to Dr. P and there are two specific areas where he needs prayer. First, he has had to start on daily radiation treatments which will continue for several weeks because nodules containing multiple myeloma cells were found in the area around both his knees. He assured me that this doesn’t mean the stem cell transplant was a failure. Stem cells only work to correct multiple myeloma in the blood, not the skin tissue. So hopefully the radiation will kill all that has spread to the knees. What concerns me is that his knees were already damaged from previous radiation and he is still needing to use a cane to walk. Please pray that the radiation will kill the cancer cells without doing more damage to his knees.

The second issue is his disability insurance. Kaiser had instituted long term disability insurance, but the insurance company they hired has denied Dr. P’s claim! Please pray that this will be sorted out before he loses all benefits. It is a strain on him, especially as he got the news at the same time as starting radiation. He remains hopeful and grateful for our prayers.

We haven’t heard anything from Wil who is at the water ski and wakeboard camp in Idaho this week. They are in a remote campsite so we aren’t expecting news from him and assume he is having a great time and that his ankle is strong enough for him to be out on the water. He returns home on Saturday.

Posted by David at 4:15 PM

July 11, 2008

God news for Wil

Good news should be shared quickly, thus I’m sorry I didn’t get this out on Tuesday. When Wil went in to get a cast on his leg he was told that he hadn’t fractured the fibula in his right leg. The ER doctor who read the x-ray wasn’t used to looking at x-rays for adolescents and misread the growth plates as a fracture! The ankle was badly sprained, so being on crutches and keeping his weight off of the leg for ten days was probably the best thing that could have happened. Wil came away with an ankle brace and nothing more, is able to drive again, and most importantly, to go to his youth group Water Ski Camp, leaving about 4 am Saturday! This was an amazing and unexpected answer to prayer.

Our visitors have been a huge blessing too. The Burdicks are like family to us, and Wil and Dawson hit it off as usual, clowning around together and entertaining the rest of us. The 4th of July visitors didn’t arrive until the 5th, but that was OK. And the Baldwins have been with us today and overnight tonight. Next week Dave and I will be the visitors, heading for Central Oregon where we will stay with the Phillis family for a couple of nights. It’s hard to say whether diet changes, prayer, or just the joy of seeing dear friends, and receiving phone calls from others, has accounted for my feeling better most of this past week. But in this too we give God the glory for the great things He has done.

Posted by David at 10:21 PM

June 19, 2008

Mostly news about Wil

Wil passed his written and behind-the-wheel driving tests today with flying colors. This afternoon he drove himself to work and later to a soccer game. He is a good driver and apart from the expense, we are glad he is now able to drive. His grades arrived today and since his lowest grades were two B+s, he is eligible for an insurance rate reduction. Having taken Driver’s Education classes last summer also lowers the rate, but it is still high for a teenage boy.

Probably some of the most memorable parts of his trip to the nation’s capital were the unexpected parts, like watching the Marine band practice for a program at the Iwo Jima memorial and spending a night in the airport in Chicago on the return journey because of inclement weather in the Midwest.

A couple serving in East Asia are back in Portland for the summer and were able to share at the two prayer meetings last week. Both are articulate speakers and did a great job of explaining their ministry and giving us much fuel for prayer.

We had a quiet week with Wil away and me not feeling too well, but did manage to celebrate Dave’s birthday by going out for lunch and getting him some new clothes. I’m relieved to report that I’m feeling a lot better this week. My mouth is almost free of mucositis and I can play the flute again and even manage to do a bit on the piccolo, important since our annual Freedom Celebration at church is June 29th and that involves playing a number of marches which need the piccolo part. The combination of muscositis and cramping in my hands was making it almost impossible to play. I’m scheduled for another round of Doxil on June 25th so would be grateful for your prayers that I’ll still be able to play on the 29th.

We’ve seen more of the sun in the past week than in the previous six months. Nights are still cold and most of the time I still feel cold, but this has been great for lifting our spirits. We have so much to be grateful for, most of all the privilege of knowing and loving and serving the Lord Jesus.

Posted by David at 9:54 PM

June 7, 2008

School's out for Wil, plus other news

The school year ended for Wil at noon on Friday and he immediately took the corn rows out of his hair, with the help of some of the girls at school! Since he is used to shampooing his hair daily, he said it really felt good to wash it after two weeks. The initial look of kinky hair was weird, but after washing it, it was back to his normal straight. His school choir sang at graduation last night, and with lots of help from other parents, we finished the clean up after graduation by 10 pm. Dave and I were in charge of that since it seemed a less daunting task than decorating or ordering food! We had learned a while back that the junior class parents are responsible for putting on the graduation, and since Wil and all the other juniors, and many of their parents, were leaving about 4 this morning for Washington, DC, all were anxious to make quick work of the clean up! Wil insisted that he wouldn’t be able to sleep, but he was. We figure he’ll be sleep deprived by the time he returns late Saturday night, and he didn’t need to start out staying up all night before the trip! He phoned when changing planes in Denver and sounded in good spirits.

Thank you for praying for a vehicle for Wil to drive! We were able to find one very quickly and easily and Wil is happy with it. It’s a 1997 Chevy Blazer, heavy enough and with tires that will get him up Mt. Hood for snowboarding next winter, and solid enough that if he is in an accident, the other vehicle will probably sustain more damage than his. He is very excited, and has his driver’s license test scheduled for June 19th.

Karen is finding that different side effects seem to hit at different times after Doxil treatments. Nausea was a problem the first week and now the pain in her mouth is back. There doesn’t seem to be a time during the month that is free of side effects, so life can feel rather a slog. We watched the Rose Festival parade on television this morning. There was some drizzle, but the not downpour that often accompanies the parade. Usually after the Rose Festival, the dry weather comes. This has been the coldest spring on record so we hope that within a few days we’ll start to see the sun and stop shivering.

Posted by David at 7:51 PM

May 26, 2008

Our time in Denver

Our flight to Denver went smoothly and we really enjoyed the fellowship with other OMFers while there. We had a day long training seminar on how to help churches sharpen their missions focus, half a day on adult learning, half a day thinking through our Bridge Asia volunteer program, and half a day squeezing in everything else. Can’t say it was a restful time, but we were there to work and many aspects were beneficial. Our flight back was two and a half hour’s late, so it was 2 am Sat. before we got home. Wil was a at friend’s house Friday night in preparation for a trip to the coast on Sat. morning, so we didn’t see him until we picked him up Sat. evening.

Apart from a mini crisis on Tuesday evening, his week went well. He had been swimming the previous Sunday at a party following the last play performance. That was the day the temp went up to 98 degrees F. here and he didn’t have enough sun screen to prevent a burn. By Tuesday evening, the sunburn was really bothering him and he was not feeling very good when he called us. He said there were three spots on his chest where it felt as though something was biting him or needles were being poked into his skin. I think the pain was bad enough to scare him. We suggested he call a family friend who lives fairly near us and who is a nurse. We continued talking to him by cell phone until Mary Kay arrived to take a look, give him some ointment for the burn, Tylenol, put ice on the sore spots, and pray with him. We called him again later and he was a lot calmer. The next day were the student council elections. He didn’t become class president, but vice president. He said he prayed asking God to control the election, not sure whether he had time to be president, but willing to serve. So this is a good outcome. He’s there on the council to help, but without primary responsibility for handling meetings and arranging details.

I’ve been taking Prilosec for a week and that seems to be keeping my stomach calm. I haven’t needed too many nausea tablets and have kept almost all of my food down. Constipation is still a frequent problem and I’m not regaining lost weight very quickly, but today was able to work in the garden for several hours. This morning I took Wil to a hairdressing salon for the first time in his life! Until now, Dave has always cut his hair. He didn’t have a haircut, but had his hair braided into what are called corn rows (tight braids all over his head). He was allowed to let his hair grow for the play, and didn’t want to cut it to be back within dress code for the last two weeks of school! While he was doing that, I got my ears pierced! I had had that done during my first term in the Philippines, but the ear lobes got infected after the brain radiation and I had to let them grow shut, so now will be able to wear earrings again.

Tomorrow I have a CT scan at 3 pm, with an appointment for an IV start at 2 pm. Then I see Dr. Bigler on Wednesday.

Posted by David at 10:07 PM

May 20, 2008

Quick Update as we're out the door

This will be quick since we leave for the airport and our trip to Denver for Mobilization Team meetings in about ten minutes. I’m glad to be well enough to fly, but still am not feeling great. Talking to a Kaiser Permanente nutritionist was really helpful in knowing how to prioritize food intake and fight the nausea. Pray for Wil on his own and for this to be a profitable time for Dave and me.

Posted by David at 8:01 AM

May 15, 2008

Mixed Medical Findings

We saw the radiation oncologist this morning and were able to get the results of the brain MRI and of the bone scan I had on Tuesday. The good news is that the bone scan shows no sign of the cancer spreading to my bones. The MRI, on the other hand, shows the tumors have shrunk a bit, but nine were still visible on the scan. With that many, they don’t consider zapping them individually. The plan is to wait until symptoms suggest that they are growing again, so at least I don’t have to have regular MRIs. Headaches have not been a problem since the radiation treatment started. I’m left with pain in my leg which the doctor thinks might be tendonitis. The only treatment for that is anti-inflammatory drugs like Ibuprofen, but that upsets my stomach. I’m doing a very ineffective job of juggling constipation, nausea, soreness in my mouth and throat, and frequent vomiting even without taking Ibuprofen, so don’t know what the answer is to improved life quality just now. Pray the Lord will show me a better balance. Apparently the only other thing which will help the pain in my leg is not walking and tendonitis can take a long time to clear. That isn’t an encouraging prospect but the Lord has poured in His grace to handle each situation as I’ve had to face so far, and I’m sure He won’t fail me this time.

On Saturday we saw Dr. P for the first time since his transplant. He had just returned from fishing and was able to display his catch of three more trout! Apparently the cat gets more of the fish than he does, but he enjoys the exercise and getting out, especially with all of his family. His hands are healing well and he was in good spirits.

A few days of warm weather are predicted for Portland and the sun was actually shining when we woke up this morning. It was wonderful to walk out on the porch and feel warm. We’re praying it won’t be too hot the next three evenings for the final performances of Cinderella. I have a school commission meeting tonight and we have a number of things to fit in (including a wedding!) before our trip to Denver next week. We did manage to till our garden and most things are now planted, including the dahlias.

Our hearts are burdened by the news we are getting of deaths in China and Myanmar, and especially in the latter country, the difficulty in getting aid to those still alive. Please don’t get side-tracked in praying for me and forget these weighty issues.

Posted by David at 1:47 PM

May 6, 2008

Visiting family

Dave and one of his brothers and two of his sisters were able to spend a night at the coast on Sunday. They loved having that time away together, with lots of reminiscing. We so appreciate Tony and Gail being willing to come out to the west coast for a visit. Tony and Gail also helped me to plant most of the flowers we’d ordered through Wil’s classes’ plant sale while Dave was constructing a pumpkin carriage for the school production of Cinderella which opens on Thursday evening. Rehearsals have been long and demanding. Saturday night Wil got home after 10 and last night it was about 9:30. He has decided to run for president of his student council next year, so needs to produce a paper saying how he can benefit the school. I hope he can keep going for the remaining three and a half weeks of school, followed by the trip to Washington, D.C. There is a job possibility on the horizon that would allow him to earn some money and probably start driving, so we’ll see how that develops.

I haven’t had the results of my MRI yet and don’t see the radiation oncologist until May 15, so probably won’t know anything before that. I was on my back trying to keep from moving my head for almost an hour and a half having the MRI…NOT a pleasant experience. Pepcid seems to be dealing with the nausea, so I’m eating better and have more energy. It’s not exactly warm outside, but warm enough to work on some garden chores. Soon it should be warm enough to plant dahlias! The pain I mentioned hasn’t subsided, but it hasn’t gotten too much worse. At some point I will probably need a bone scan but I’ll need to wait until my present oncologist sees that as necessary.

I talked to Dr. P this morning. He is still bothered by the effects of the rash on his hands, which now are covered with dry, flaky skin. He said they look worse than they feel. He’s been fishing again and came home with another three trout. He reckons his spirits improve when he is able to be outdoors doing something rather than sitting at home feeling cold. I heartedly agree!

Posted by David at 9:11 PM

April 23, 2008

More rain and new pain

Well, we’re in Oregon, aren’t we? What made me think there would be long enough breaks in the showers to work in the garden?! And there has been a threat of snow and freezing temperatures night after night. My energy level hasn’t been too high, so I probably wouldn’t have been able to do much gardening anyway, but Dave and I did manage a visit to tulip fields south of Portland on Friday afternoon. When we left home it was hailing, we saw a bit of sun on the drive there, and as we were nearing home, we had a bit more hail.

I tried to contact my new oncologist late last week, but hadn’t heard back from him before my appointment today. I had blood tests which show that all my counts are good. I was able to talk to him about the persisting side effects and he said to keep taking Pepcid to counteract excess acid that causes nausea. After looking at my mouth and confirming thrush, he prescribed a special mouthwash for that. Dr. P had suggested that I wait a couple of weeks before having another dose of Doxil to try to let the radiation and chemo side effects settle down. That sounded good to me, and Dr. Bigler was agreeable to a one week delay. So my next chemo treatment will be on April 30. I have been experiencing pain in my left pelvic area and after examining me the Dr. Bigler ordered an x-ray as it looks like the cancer may have spread to the bone there. I had the x-ray this morning.

Dr. P is experiencing some GVHD (graft versus host disease) in the form of a rash on his hands. Since he received stem cells from another person, this is normal, but we’re praying that it will not become too severe. I shared the verses in Psalm 118 and 119 with him last week, and he told me that when he was in for his blood tests on Monday, a lady gave him an article on a boy miraculously healed in Texas and the article mentioned the same verses! He was excited to share that with me. His family will be celebrating the Russian Orthodox church Easter this weekend and he will be able to watch services from the cathedral in Moscow.

We celebrated Passover on Sunday with two families joining us. Dawn’s father is Jewish so it was very special to have him with us, sharing his memories of how his family celebrated when he was a boy. Dave and I watched a Jews for Jesus presentation on the Christian significance of different aspects of the Passover traditions and found it very moving.

Posted by David at 1:36 PM

April 14, 2008

Ups and downs

Yesterday at church I talked with a friend who has lymphoma and has had many different chemo treatments. She told me about something her oncologist prescribed called 'Magic Mouthwash' that had helped her. So I called the advice nurse who contacted the on-call oncologist and he prescribed it for me. We picked up the magic elixir (something they produce in-house at Kaiser) and I took two teaspoonfuls yesterday and have had three so far today. The inside of my mouth is MUCH better and I can swallow without pain! Hallelujah! Now I wish I hadn’t waited so long to ask for something. But when you don’t know help is available, you don’t know to ask, right? Must be a spiritual lesson there somewhere.

I think my numbers were off in my last update. Dr. P said today is Day 25 for him, so I suggested he needs to celebrate since he is now a quarter of the way to Day 100! We both still struggle some with nausea and food not tasting the way it should, but God allows us to support and encourage one another medically and spiritually. I think we both look forward to weekly chats.

Last week was so full of very welcome company and meetings that it was nothing short of a miracle that God kept me going through it. The Schlitts were able to participate in a kick-off meeting to a new OMF prayer group in Vancouver, WA. No one came who hadn’t notified us they were coming, but everyone who came is ready to be part of such a group, including a young man interested in becoming a missionary with OMF. Some who couldn’t come on Friday evening have also indicated a willingness to join the group. One couple volunteered to host the monthly meetings at their home. So the time involved in organizing the meeting was well spent and we were helped a lot by Jim Morris who spoke and Louise who helped with food and decorations.

The next couple of weeks aren’t so busy, so if I keep feeling stronger and there are long enough breaks between rain showers, we will be able to do some weeding and planting vegetables. It was about 80 degrees F. on Friday…and today we’ve had hail!

Posted by David at 10:19 PM

April 10, 2008

Trusting the God of Miracles

I’ll start with the miraculously good news. Dr. P was discharged from the hospital last Saturday! His counts suddenly began rising, his medications were shifted from IV to oral, his white counts were high enough that he no longer needed neupogen shots…so he was able to spend the last day of his mother’s visit to the US at home with her! Isn’t God wonderful?! Pray on. He reckons that up until Day 100 (he’s at 23 now) his body is still very susceptible to infections so he is still very much at risk. But he is out of his ‘prison’ and able to walk and exercise more easily, and in great spirits. No news could boost my spirits more than that.

Actually, the past two weeks have been rough physically, though God’s encouragement has been very real. Side effects of pain in my mouth, gums, throat, and stomach have lead to nausea and difficulty in swallowing. I thought it was all from the chemo and was really discouraged because if I was going to be this sick and weak for two weeks after every treatment, I wasn’t sure how long I’d be able to tolerate the Doxil even if we discover that it combats the cancer (I won’t know the answer to that until I go through another round of Doxil and have another CT scan). But Dr. P thinks the pain I’m experiencing may be a delayed side effect of the radiation. If that is the case, it will eventually subside and hopefully not return. Tuesday I felt limper than a rag doll, but I’ve had a bit more energy on Wednesday and haven’t struggled as much with nausea. My weight is down to about what it was when I was 16, even lower than when I had dengue fever in Manila. It’s nice to be a size 10, but not to be so weak! I’d been trying to stay away from sugar, but right now I need every calorie I can get. The joy of the Lord is my strength, but I sure haven’t any apart from His.

In my devotions on March 18 the Lord spoke to me very clearly through two verses in Psalm 118 and a number of verses in Psalm 119. I have never felt that any particular passage that spoke about healing was intended for me, but that day as I read Psalm 118:17-18 I felt He was telling me that this was His word to me. It makes no sense in light of the medical findings and I honestly don’t feel as though I grabbed at it as one would a plank to keep from drowning in the ocean. I’ve hesitated to share it this publicly in case you viewed it as me grasping at straws. But Romans 4:20 in one translation reads, “No distrust made him (Abraham) waver concerning the promises of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that He could do all that He had promised.” That verse has been a favorite of mine for about 36 years and I want to be like Abraham and give glory to God and see Him continue to strengthen my faith.

We’ve loved being able to spend time with Chris Nemeth and her family from Seattle, Bonnie and Alan Boerner from Mission, BC, and later this afternoon Richard and Marilyn Schlitt are arriving from Abbotsford, BC. An added surprise was having Ezer Matias and his family stop in last Saturday on their way from CA to WA. We hadn’t seen Ezer for about 15 years. At that point he worked with us on the church planting team for Lord of Life. We loved seeing him and Lorna and their three lovely daughters.

Posted by David at 1:45 PM

March 28, 2008

Snowy Lampinen Update

It’s more than ten days since my last update and some of you will be wondering how I’m doing on the new chemo. Dr. Bigler thought it best to wait a bit longer after finishing radiation, so I didn’t start on Doxil until yesterday. The list of things I’m not to do the day before or for 3-5 days after is a mile long and suggests I could do with a few slaves to wait on me! Vacuuming, chopping vegetables, gardening, even typing are frowned on so I’m cheating right now. Instead of Decadron (dexamethasone), I was given Zofran as an anti nausea drug and told to continue taking it for two more days. I haven’t had a big appetite but have continued eating. The main side effect I am experiencing is constipation so I’ll ask Dave to make some of his marvelous prune tarts. Wil gets home in the morning and I’ll do an April prayer bulletin in the next few days, but thought maybe I should fill you in a bit before that. If you like bizarre weather, I wish you were here. We’ve had snow falling for several hours yesterday morning and again today, sunny patches, hail, hard rain, and what Dave called snow berries (like hail, but not as hard). Apart from my morning walks in the snow, I’ve been glad to stay indoors.

Posted by David at 2:04 PM

March 19, 2008

End of radiation update

The team at the radiation clinic sang a ‘graduation’ song and handed me a certificate as I walked out after my final treatment today. I am getting tired, and the roots of my hair hurt (the way it feels if your hair is really dirty and you try to comb it a different way, except quite a bit worse) and hair is falling out a lot more now, but I haven’t had bad headaches and have hardly taken any Tylenol over the past week. God clearly answered prayer after that first treatment.

I phoned Dr. P on Monday and he sounds good. He finished the IV chemo yesterday, is resting today and will receive his brother’s stem cells on Thursday. Keep praying!

Wil is almost packed, and I think he’s getting excited about the trip to Mexico. The money needed came in (thank you, Lord) and all his paperwork is turned in. Only problem is that we have to be at the airport at 4:45 am on Thursday!! I see an oncologist on Friday and will probably start on another chemo drug then. We’ve decided not to travel as far as Canada during the break, not knowing how I will react to a new drug. There is plenty to do in the garden if I have the energy to pull weeds! Wil helped us plant two new trees on Tuesday and Dave and I planted two lilac bushes earlier in the day. No need to water in this weather!

We are remembering being in England for Easter last year, and the wonderful service at Albert Hall on Easter Saturday. We’ve probably watched the DVD at least a dozen times, and plan to show it to more friends here in the coming days. We serve a Risen Savior who fills us with hope and joy and peace day by day. Hallelujah!

Posted by David at 2:51 PM

March 9, 2008

A touch from the Lord

On Thursday morning I had the first of ten radiation treatments. As the day went on my headache became worse and worse. By 6 pm I was too nauseated to eat and was freezing cold. Dave and I had been planning to go to a church that has people pray for healing on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and we went even though I was feeling awful. When we arrived we learned that there wouldn’t be a prayer time that evening, so we got back in the car. I prayed, telling God that I knew it didn’t take special people in a special place for Him to answer prayers for healing, and asking Him to please do something to help me. Well, He did! Never before have I had an experience like it. First, the top of my head started to feel hot. Then I stopped shivering, and the pressure in my head began to ease. By the time we got home I felt fine and ate some supper! Isn’t God marvelous?! I felt well all evening, and the next day went through the second round of radiation. I could feel a burning sensation as the rays hit my scalp, but had only a very mild headache afterwards which never got worse. It is now Sunday evening and I’m still feeling well. Yesterday I went to an extremely helpful conference on Breast Cancer Issues and today have been to church, had a friend over for lunch, then worked in the garden and went for a walk with another friend. At the conference both regular exercise and gardening were recommended as good therapy so I’m happily doing things I enjoy!

Before my radiation on Friday, Dave and I visited Dr. P and met his mother. Even though we couldn’t communicate without him as interpreter, it was a joy to meet her and have time to visit with him before he goes into hospital for a stem cell transplant this Wednesday. First he will have an even heavier dose of chemotherapy, destroying his own immune system, then be given his brother’s stem cells. He will be very susceptible to infection until those stem cells find their way into his bone marrow and start producing new cells. Please pray for him especially during that two week period.

My friend Patty came through her surgery last week and is at home now. And Aimee and her mother were able to spend a night at home as well, though they are now back in the hospital for ongoing therapy. Aimee’s recovery has been a series of miracles too.

Posted by David at 10:03 PM

February 26, 2008

Surprising News

I had a monthly appointment on Friday with an oncologist (not Dr. P who is off work until after his stem cell transplant, now scheduled for mid March). When I mentioned that I’d been having headaches, the doctor ordered an MRI…and I had it the same day! I saw the doctor at 12:30 and was in for the MRI at 5 pm. I am astonished by the speed with which things happen here compared with in England and extremely grateful for the excellent medical coverage we receive through Kaiser Permanente. The doctor tried to contact me with the results of the MRI on Monday, but we were at the missions conference and couldn’t connect. I spoke to him today and he explained the results show the cancer has spread to my brain, the one area that chemo can’t reach. So I will need to have radiation, and an appointment with a radiologist is scheduled for next Tuesday. On Monday I’ll have a CAT scan to check on my liver, and then will probably need to stop the oral chemo while I have radiation. That will probably be for three weeks straight, but I will know more after the Tuesday appointment. So, having thought there would be nothing to report until the end of March, suddenly quite a lot is happening. Please pray for skill and accuracy for those administering the radiation. Apart from tiredness, I don’t yet know what side effects to expect. I gather I’ll need to take dexamethasone (Decadron), a drug I don’t like and which effects my sleep. When I know more of what to expect, or what I’m actually experiencing, I’ll let you know more.

My life is in God’s hands and He is my source of strength. This week I’m especially grateful to have the joy of talking with students who really want to know God’s will for their lives. It helps me stay focused on Him and not on myself. Thanks for your prayers.

Posted by David at 10:36 PM

February 7, 2008

Friends in need

A number of dear friends are struggling right now and my heart and prayers go out to them. The 18 year old son and 14 year old daughter of Kelli, one of the ladies in my Bible study, were involved in a car accident yesterday. A car running a stop sign plowed into the passenger side of the car as Matt and Aimee were on their way to school. Aimee was life-flighted to OHSU and is now in the Pediatric ICU at Doernbecher. The miracle is that with damage to her heart, spleen, liver, ribs, and skull, she is alive. It will be several days before they take her off sedation and see whether she can breathe without oxygen. The family is surrounded by relatives and friends who love them dearly, but as you can imagine, this is a very stressful time for all of them. Matt was released from hospital today and able to visit his sister. Please join us in praying for Aimee’s full recovery, and for all of the classmates at Matt and Aimee’s school who have been shaken by this event.

Patty was due to have her last round of chemo yesterday. Pray her body will be able to tolerate that, and that she will soon be strong enough for surgery to remove the tumor in her breast. Two of her sisters and other close friends have been able to spend time in California supporting Denny and Patty. Just wish we were closer.

Another friend Sandy had a stroke while driving just a few days ago. Mercifully she was able to pull the car over without hitting anyone or injuring herself. She will be hospitalized for 3-4 more days while doctors try to treat a clot in her heart with blood thinners. Please pray that she too will regain her strength.

Now for the good news! I phoned Dr. P today and hardly recognized his voice (he sounded so much better than during other phone visits recently). He told me they learned yesterday that his brother’s stem cells are a match and he can donate them to Dr. P! His mother and brother can stay in the country until the end of February, so there will be time to harvest the stem cells. His mother has adjusted to seeing her bald, skinny son, and isn’t crying all the time. Dr. P will go in for another four days of chemo next week Wed. or Thurs., so please pray on. His hemoglobin and white cell counts are still very low, the M protein in his blood (the indicator of how advanced the multiple myeloma is) dropped from 6.8 to 1. Lots to praise God for in that situation.

I’m doing well. The only side effect from the Tykerb is acid reflux and Pepcid does a pretty good job of controlling that. I’ll have a CT scan again at the end of March, and don’t anticipate having anything more to report before then. Dave saw a surgeon today about having another hernia repair, but the doctor doesn’t want to risk it when Dave has already had three surgeries to the same spot. We need to make sure he doesn’t try to do any lifting.

Lent has begun, and my friend Nancy and I have agreed to walk and pray for half an hour each morning. We’re both better at staying focused on prayer for others when we pray together.

Posted by David at 11:01 PM

January 27, 2008

Travels and surprises

I will thank you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done. (Psalm 9:1)

It is our friend Ed who puts up the verses you find at the top of the website each day, but this one for Sunday the 26th is so perfect that I want to start with it as I do this update. There is a lot to tell you about our week of missions’ conferences and the OMF Mobilization Conference in Denver, but I’ll save that for our February prayer bulletin and tell you about the other bits now.

Thanks to cell phones we were able to meet up with Wil in the airport in Denver last Sunday and hear about his snowboarding exploits before his flight left for Portland. Doing double black diamonds (i.e. some pretty difficult runs) and gaining confidence on unfamiliar slopes was a treat for him. Hansel Lee who took him up encouraged him to try new things and he found he could do them. He also was able to spend two evenings with MK friends who live in the same subdivision as the Lees. For Wil, early to rise doesn’t necessitate early to bed!

We got home on Thursday evening, not in time for Wil’s indoor soccer game, but in time to hear he made two goals! On Friday I had a Bible study in the morning, then a doctor’s appointment in the afternoon. Dr. P wasn’t there so I saw another oncologist who suggested I wait until March for another CT scan. My counts are doing OK on the Xeloda and I’ve not been bothered by side effects. We saw Dr. P the Thursday before we left for Denver as he was waiting to be released from the hospital. I talked to him this evening and learned that his brother and mother are arriving in Chicago tonight and fly on to Portland tomorrow. He sounds good and has been able to go up and down stairs using a cane. That’s great improvement in mobility, and an ex-ray showed that new bone is growing where one of the breaks had been. But his counts have been low all week, so though he was prepared to go to work on Monday and Wednesday, his oncologist wasn’t ready to let him! Pray the counts come up without his needing another blood transfusion and that the time with his family, welcome as it is, will not be too exhausting. Pray too that they will be able to find out quickly whether there is a possibility of his brother being a close enough match to donate bone marrow.

Now to news of yesterday. My dear husband, in collusion with my friend Nancy and a number of others that she pulled in on the planning, arranged a surprise 60th birthday party for me that lasted for about twelve hours!! Nancy whisked me away blindfolded on three different occasions during the day, first to her house for a brunch with ladies from my two Bible studies, then home for a lovely salmon dinner Dave had prepared that we shared with his sister JoAnn and her husband Pat, then to the church for an open house for friends. So many people helped with the planning and no one whispered a word to me. The biggest surprise was having Dave’s cousin Curtis walk in with his wife Karen (another Karen Lampinen!), their four children, and Curtis’ mother Aunt Ruth. That was a surprise to Dave as well since we didn’t know that Aunt Ruth was visiting out here from Michigan. I think the only thing that could have been a bigger surprise would have been to see my brother walk in. It was a very special day, planned by very special people, and shared with even more special people. I am so rich in friends, and that includes all of you reading this who are scattered around the globe. Thank you for being a part of my life.

Posted by David at 8:53 PM

January 16, 2008

Our time in Hawaii

It’s hard to choose the right superlative adjectives to describe our week in Maui. Everything about the trip and time there was positive: warm, sunny days; a fantastic place to stay (on the ninth floor of a very attractive 12-storey building) right on the beach and near shops and public transport; good company; new experiences like a whale-watching boat trip, a luau, a marvelous church service on the beach with turtles swimming nearby listening to the music; familiar experiences like being awakened by birds singing, enjoying fresh papaya, pineapple, and avocado, and excellent fish; doing lots of walking. More than anything the week was restful and relaxing. We walked a lot, read a lot, swam a lot, slept a lot, and thoroughly enjoyed being together. It was even more special than our honeymoon and we’d love to visit Hawaii again sometime, health permitting. We’ve got some wonderful sunset photos, but probably won’t have time to put them on the website until the end of the month.

The one down side of being away was not being here when Wil was selected to be in the honor court for his class at the homecoming game. He was selected during Spirit Week and the game was on Friday, so there was no way we could attend. Apparently the event was videoed and hopefully we’ll get to see it. He had his youth pastor and our friend John stand in as his parents for the occasion! Now he is packing for a special trip to Denver. OMF friends have offered to take him snowboarding, and since Dave and I need to be here for the Mission Connexion meetings on Friday and Saturday, Wil is going ahead of us on Thursday. We’ll see him in the airport in Denver on Sunday as we arrive and he leaves to return to Portland.

We got home late Sunday night and on Monday I learned from his wife that Dr. P had been hospitalized and wasn’t doing well. Over the weekend one of his doctors thought that all efforts at treating his multiple myeloma should be stopped, basically leaving him to die. As I’ve said before, he is a fighter, and insisted on receiving a heavy round of chemo (non-stop for four days) to see whether the cancer could be brought under control. We saw him Monday evening and he was looking amazingly well. He’s needed quite a few units of blood and platelets, and with that has been able to tolerate the chemo. He is hoping to be well enough to go home in a few days. Other doctors are less optimistic. His brother is planning to come to the US at the end of the month. There is just a chance that his brother’s bone marrow would be a close enough match for him to be a stem cell donor. If he is a match, please pray that Dr. P will be strong enough to survive another stem cell transplant. He and his family really need our prayers. Dave’s comment last night was that probably the best birthday present I could have had was being able to see him, and see for myself that he was doing better.

We will be in Denver for the OMF Mobilization Conference from Sunday until Thursday of next week. Our friend John will be staying with Wil again that week.

Posted by David at 7:57 PM

January 5, 2008

Off To Hawaii

Greetings from wet and windy Oregon! We may wake up to snow in the morning, pray not. Wil spent the day on Mt. Hood, came home exhausted, but very positive about all the new powdery snow. The sun was shining there this morning and he had a great time. We spent the evening with Filipino pastors. As several are facing difficult situations in their churches, it was particularly good to be able to pray with and for them.

In the morning we leave for Maui! We’re packed and excited, and very much looking forward to dry, sunny days and temperature nearer 80 than 40 degrees Farenheit. Our friends Roger and Linda have already been there three weeks, and they, plus neighbors here who have been to Maui often, have been giving us advice on what to bring. We will be staying in a condo next to our friends Fred and Nancy (from Massachusetts and friends since we were together in London) and are also looking forward to time with them. Since this is our first visit to Maui, or anywhere else in Hawaii, everything will be new and novel, but hopefully will be a lot like some of the beautiful parts of the Philippines. Wednesday is our anniversary.

Our friend John Graham has agreed to stay at our house with Wil. This coming week is Spirit Week and Wil is excited about the outfits he will be able to wear to school and all the special events that are part of the week. As social chairman for the Student Council, he feels it’s his responsibility to get everyone to participate!

It wasn’t until the end of my first week on Xeloda that I began to experience side effects, and now I’m off it until next Friday, so I don’t think it will hinder our enjoyment of this trip. Thanks so much for your love and prayers.

Posted by David at 10:47 PM

December 27, 2007

After christmas Activities

Boxing Day isn’t celebrated in the US, though it seems most Americans are moving boxes or bags that day in shopping malls, either exchanging gifts received or shopping for after-Christmas bargains. We succumbed and joined the throng, getting Dave the first new suit he has had since I’ve known him! He isn’t much into wearing suits, but I think it looks great. Wil spent a gift card he had been given on a wrap-around nose and mouth cover to keep him warm between goggles and neck while snowboarding.. He says the wind can be pretty fearsome on Mt. Hood. And I got a stainless steel cooking pot to go with the set I got for Christmas. Then we headed for Kaiser Interstate for my appointment with Dr. P. He gave me my Muga scan results and there is no sign of any problem with my heart. He is sure the pain I’ve been experiencing is in my esophagus and beyond, and prescribed Pepcid to try to deal with that. I think it is helping already. On the chemo side, his recommendation is that I take 500 mg of Xeloda in the morning and 300 in the evening. When I started on Xeloda before, I was taking 1 gram am and pm, so this is less than half as much. I’ll take it for seven days, then be off for eight days, then back on for seven. If I can tolerate that amount for two months, we’ll do another scan to see whether it is working to shrink or at least control the tumor growth. I feel OK so far.

Dr. P was in good spirits, but his color wasn’t at all good. The medicines he was on were suppressing his immune system and lowering his red cell count drastically, so his hemoglobin was about 7 (the low end of the normal range is 12). He was planning to get a transfusion today and that should help considerably. His family had a quiet Christmas and will celebrate more on Jan. 6, watching the services from the Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow via satellite TV!

After we left the clinic yesterday, we went to visit a 91 year old friend in the hospital. She had a stroke last Thursday and we couldn’t rouse her when we stopped in on Friday. But yesterday she was sitting up, smiling, and able to communicate. Her son said that she talked more with us than she had with anyone for several days. You could see that she understood what was said to her, but she couldn’t always say what she wanted to in response. She is a precious, godly woman, loved by everyone who knows her.

Patty had a good Christmas. Haven’t heard yet how her next round of chemo went yesterday.

For me again this year the highlight of Christmas was listening to the Lessons and Carols from Kings College Chapel in Cambridge, England. I love that service, with such a clear focus in the readings on the Bible’s message of salvation. Hearing words from carols written centuries ago that proclaim the true meaning of Christmas thrills my heart, especially when most television programs think the true meaning is the story of Santa Claus! St. Nicolas must look down from heaven in horror at how his acts of kindness have been twisted into something so far removed from a focus on Emmanuel -- God with us – the son of God setting aside His deity and being born as a tiny human baby in order to identify with us. We had a lovely candlelight service at church on Christmas eve and then enjoyed having a number of friends join us on Christmas Day. Only one Christmas in the past twenty years were we near family, so it has been our practice to share the day with friends who might otherwise be alone. I enjoyed preparing the meal, and Wil was a great help with clearing up. Later in the evening we joined other friends to play some challenging games. And this evening friends will join us to play games and remember that today is Ben’s birthday. Right now Wil is playing indoor soccer. Tomorrow is the start of the Campus Crusade Winter Conference here in Portland. We will be representing OMF at this event that runs through New Years Eve. Guess that brings you up to date, probably with far more detailed news than you wanted to hear.

Posted by David at 11:45 PM

November 28, 2007

Check up results

We're just back from a monthly checkup and Dr. P was there to do it! It was his first day back in the office, and apparently he had phoned to see when my appointment was so that he could be there. Bless his heart. He had finished another of the books I'd given him to read. I was his first patient and he was looking well, though I'm not sure he will look quite so well by the end of the day after seeing more patients and having another radiation treatment himself. I learned that scans showed two new lesions, the one that broke his right femur, and a second in his lower left leg. Both are receiving radiation. He is a fighter!

My blood tests results are all in the normal range and I'll have routine Muga and CT scans towards the end of December, before my next check up.

We have sent our Christmas letter to those on our email distribution lists. If you normally check this website but didn't receive one, and would like to, we can send you the pdf file. Please let us know. It has been a long time since those distribution lists were updated and we realize that needs to happen.

It's raining hard right now, which means snow on Mt. Hood! Wil's youth group has a retreat there this weekend but Wil says they will be inside most of the time. He would rather be snowboarding! We may have a wet reception for our Scottish friend Gordon who will be with us for the weekend.

Posted by David at 2:36 PM

November 23, 2007

Lots of Thanksgiving

I remember that my mother would spend the Thanksgiving holiday writing Christmas cards. We have been working on a Christmas letter, but were slowed down by having to copy all of our email addresses back into a new computer. Nothing could be retrieved from the old one, even by a fellow who specializes in retrievals. But because we had had trouble with Juno about two months ago, Dave had backed up the address lists. We still had to reload each one and redo the distribution lists, but at least not all of that vital information was lost. It made me realize just how much all of you mean to us. The prospect of losing touch with friends around the world was not a happy one. Most of our photos were also backed up, but each day we discover information that has been lost.

Dr. P came through his surgery well and got home the following Thursday. He is in much less pain now that a new pin has been added to his leg. He's getting around with a walker again, and will be starting radiation. I'm not sure when he will be well enough to see patients in clinic. Thank you for your prayers for him. Patty has felt well over Thanksgiving, but will have her second round of chemo soon.

Wil's vacation started on Wednesday and we took him and a friend up to Mt. Hood snowboarding. It was a beautiful day and Dave and I hiked in the snow for about an hour. That was all our pounding hearts could take! Then we had time to sit and read while the boys got their snowboarding leg muscles back in shape. Now Wil is praying for rain down here that will settle as snow on the mountain.

On Thanksgiving day, after watching the Green Bay Packers defeat the Detroit Lions, we went to our friend Alice's for dinner. A Thai exchange student Wil's age was there as well. We enjoyed introducing her to a very American meal and explaining it's history. Then we played a geography trivia game and Scrabble. Good fun. Dave has been fighting a cold, but apart from that we're all well with much for which to thank God every day.

Posted by David at 8:05 PM

November 12, 2007

Prayer needed for Dr. P and Computer

Help! Our Toshiba computer has crashed. We can’t open it to get email addresses or read emails or any other material saved there. At this point I can’t even do an update on the website because I don’t know the address for putting in updates. When you read this, we will have figured out a way to at least access the website.

We have an appointment with friends in Vancouver on Saturday, but don’t know their phone number and now their email is lost so we can’t reply to it. We’ve been working on a newsletter, but don’t have the distribution lists. And on it goes.. Pray we'll be able to get the computer repaired quickly.

But an even bigger concern right now is getting word to you to ask you to pray for my oncologist, Dr. P. Another lesion has appeared on his right leg and from the level of pain he is experiencing, the leg has probably broken. He’s having surgery Monday morning. In case you’ve forgotten, he has multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer that can cause breaks like this even in large bones like the femur. He was still doing exercises to strengthen that leg after skin grafts were done to help in recovery from surgery for a break nearer to the knee of that right femur almost a year ago. Dave and I were able to visit him and his wife at their home yesterday and pray for them. Because they hadn’t become connected with a local church after moving to Portland before all of his health issues started, they have not been getting the support of a local church. This has been a very lonely time for them. They have done so much to help me and many others, and I feel helpless right now in knowing how to support them.

My friend Patty had a rough time after her first round of chemo. Low blood counts put her in the hospital for several days, but she’s now been able to return home. Pray she will be able to eat (without nausea) and regain strength before she has another round of chemo. Another friend here in Damascus is scheduled to have quite radical surgery for breast cancer on the 16th. These days of waiting aren’t easy for her.

Posted by David at 11:12 AM

October 24, 2007

CT Scan Results are in

Wil insists he doesn’t need to write the letter asking for support for his trips until he knows that he is accepted to go on the Mexico trip. Thank you to all of you who asked to receive his letters. We’ve made a list of names, and when his letter is written you will hear from him. Right now, he is out trying to sell wreaths and poinsettias to raise funds for the trip to Washington, D.C. It’s a wet afternoon, so I don’t know how he and his friend will get on.

This morning while I was at a weekly prayer meeting for Wil’s school, Dr. P called with the results of my CT scan. This is the first time that the second scan on a given regimen hasn’t shown an increase in the size of the tumors. Basically, they are the same size as two months ago, so the Tykerb is holding things steady, but not decreasing the size. I see Dr. P on Friday and we’ll need to decide whether I should to go back on Xeloda to try to shrink the tumors further, or whether to continue as is for a few more months. It sure has been good to feel well for the past two months and have energy for gardening, walking, Bible studies, etc.

Wil’s soccer season ended this week. The kids played well as a team with good passing, good communication, and excellent defense. But they weren’t able to score too many goals and lost their last game. If they had won it, they’d have gone on to district playoffs, so it was disappointing to be that close and not quite make it.

We were near Rockaway Beach on the Oregon Coast with one of the church community groups over the weekend. We appreciated the teaching and fellowship, and were able to get to the first meeting of a new OMF prayer group near Banks, OR on the Saturday afternoon. Banks is about half way between Damascus and the coast, so we went from there instead of from home. Thirteen attended and Mary who shared with the group was able to clearly explain the history of Cambodia and how it affects life there today. Lots of fuel for prayer.

On Monday, we interviewed a lady applying to OMF. Another couple from her church are actually at the OMF Candidates Course in Colorado right now. We’re encouraged by the missions interest in that church. On Saturday, we will be at Multnomah Bible College and Seminary for a one day conference for people who have been on short term missions trips or who are interested in going. Pray for good contacts to come from that day. In the evening Wil and a classmate are having a joint birthday bowling party for their class. Since neither has a home big enough to invite everyone, this way they can all get together to celebrate.

Posted by David at 5:48 PM

October 12, 2007

A Busy Start to October

This has been the busiest start of a month that I can remember! In the first few days we were finishing preparations for the missions conference at Shan Creek, in southern Oregon near Grant’s Pass. Then we spent three fabulous days with the church there, the most missions-minded church we’ve been to in a long time. We were so encouraged and blessed by their interest in serving God and the amazing ways they served us. We would love to see an OMF prayer meeting start with members of that church as a core. One lady has been a prayer partner of Dave’s since before he went to the Philippines! Only God knows how much has been accomplished in and through us through her prayers. What a treat it was to meet her.

We hit rain and there was an accident on the highway ahead of us on our way home Sunday afternoon, so our visitors from Victoria, BC were here almost two hours ahead of us. They came to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving with us and we had a fabulous turkey dinner on Tuesday evening. We couldn’t do it on Monday because Wil had a soccer game. So far this month, Wil has had four soccer games (2 wins and 2 losses), his final two behind-the-wheel classes for Driver’s Ed (he passed the course!), and today his worship team lead the high school chapel. He just started playing the guitar in August and needed to concentrate hard on the chords as he played, but we were amazed that he could play in front of an audience already.

Our visitors left yesterday and this is the first chance I’ve had to sit down and do an update. I now have an appointment for a CAT scan on the 18th and will see Dr. P on the 26th so we will know whether Tykerb alone is effective in shrinking the tumors in my liver. The sun was warm this afternoon and we were able to do a bit of gardening. Wil’s birthday is in two weeks, but we haven’t talked at all about how we will celebrate it.

As well as his class trip to Washington, DC in June, Wil is hoping to go with some of his youth group to Mexico for a work project during his spring vacation. He needs to raise money for both trips and in addition to various fund-raising events, one way is by asking people to help support him. He wants us to tell him who to send letters to and this is tricky since we are used to OMF’s non-solicitation policy. If any of you would be interested in helping Wil, could you email us saying that you would like to hear from Wil and saying whether you want to receive his letter by post or email? He needs to get the letter written this weekend! Thank you!

Posted by David at 7:12 PM

September 27, 2007

Vegetables and Nutrition

Apologies to those of you who used to get email notifications when we had done a website update. Somehow the system broke down and that feature stopped working. If you get an email this time, we’ll know the system is repaired. And this would be a good time to add a thank you to Ed Darnell, a special friend at church, who sorts out all of these problems for us. I’ll just do a quick update now since I see the doctor tomorrow and we’ll be doing a monthly prayer letter in just a few days.

I have a few aches and pains, but all in all am feeling really well. No nausea, vomiting, painful hands and feet (in fact the damaged skin is peeling off and what’s underneath looks fine). But I haven’t been taking Xeloda for the past month and don’t know whether my oncologist will suggest starting that again. I’m reading a book I was lent more than a year ago called “Beating Cancer with Nutrition” and finding it really helpful. I skimmed it before, but am reading carefully this time and realize I need to make a lot more changes to my diet as well as adding vitamin and mineral supplements.

Rain is predicted for tonight and tomorrow, but we’ve had glorious autumn days for the past week or two with clear skies, warm sun, and cool nights. Even though our squash didn’t do well this year, I’m ready for fall vegetables and our turnips and rutabaga are big enough to eat already.

Posted by David at 10:13 AM

September 13, 2007

Back to the books

This is the first full week of school for Wil, and the start of the fall program for us. The second week of the month is the heaviest for me since three monthly events take place during that week. MOMS is a group for mothers with pre-school children (I’m a ‘Table Mom’ which means I get to know a group of women during the year and lead discussion of topics our speakers have introduced). The Damascus Christian School Commission is like a school board at Wil’s school. The third event which usually takes place during the second week is our OMF prayer meeting, but this month that has been postponed until week three so that we can hear from a couple currently in Portland who work in Cambodia.

My two Bible studies meet weekly, one on Believing God on Tuesday mornings and one on Daniel on Friday mornings. We’ve run out of books for the first one and the second will meet tomorrow. Both are Beth Moore studies with teaching videos, so my preparation is just as a facilitator. During the summer a group of ladies at church were reading through the Bible together and that continues this fall. I’d like to keep reading along with that group as well, but need to be very disciplined with my time to keep up with three studies.

Our visitors from New Zealand left on Monday. It was good to catch up with them face to face after a number of years of only email contact. We spent one long day at the Oregon Coast and visited mutual friends in Salem on route to Wil’s first soccer game of the season, but apart from that I’m afraid they had to fit in with our routine. They’re now on their way back to spring in the southern hemisphere and our temperatures have dropped considerably. So far I’ve only canned four quarts of tomato juice (more like a V-8 juice with nine different vegetables) and seven pints of tomato sauce (for spaghetti) but it looks like we’ll have enough ripe tomatoes for at least one more batch. The green and wax beans are starting to bear more again and lettuce is coming along as well as parsnips. Rain is predicted in a few days, so Dave wants to get the path from our back deck to the gate resurfaced before that happens. We’re trying to decide on the most economical and long-lasting way to do this. Dave starts teaching the gospel of Mark on Sunday mornings in the Heritage Community Group at church.

I’m feeling pretty well and very grateful for the strength, energy, and joy the Lord gives day after day. Keep praying that the chemo will do what it is supposed to do and keep shrinking the tumors in my liver. Keep praying as well for Dr. P.

Posted by David at 10:54 AM

August 22, 2007

News too good not to share right away

I’m sorry to bother you with another update so soon, but want to share the news that the tumors have shrunk considerably. Dr. P was in the office today (what a marvelous answer to prayer!) and sent the results as soon as he saw them. I didn’t get the exact numbers, but he said the largest had shrunk from about 3 cm to 2 cm, a considerable reduction after less than two months on the new drugs. He wants me to go back on to just the Tykerb for a week, then see about taking Xeloda again.

The flowerbeds are tilled and shrubs planted. Now to add a few more perennials before it gets too hot. We had corn for lunch today along with BLTs with delicious ripe tomatoes!

Posted by David at 1:38 PM

August 21, 2007

Pains and plants and play

My ‘good’ week turned out to be no better than the bad ones (side effects seem to be cumulative, so I was still feeling more than a manageable amount of pain when off the chemo). That lead to my doctor telling me to stop both the chemo drugs last Friday and consequently I’m feeling quite a bit better now. Yesterday I had a CT scan. It took two tries to get a needle into my vein, but other than that, the test went well. I’m hoping to hear the results soon, but may have to wait until next week since Dr. P isn’t back at work yet. He is off the four IV antibiotics but still on two strong oral ones that give him nausea and make him weak. He continues to be optimistic, but he really needs our prayers for healing. At this point, his leg is too bent to be able to walk and he certainly isn’t able to drive.

If the chemo has done a good job of shrinking my tumors, I’m ready now to start back on them. If not, we’ll need to look for another drug to try. I’m scheduled for a Muga scan next Tuesday to see whether the Tykerb has done any heart damage. The pain in my chest may be caused by acid reflux or it may be heart-related, so this test should provide helpful information. But it means having another IV line in my arm, so please pray they’ll be able to get it into a vein on the first try. The ones that don’t work are the most painful.

We’ve had two days of rain, so the ground is now soft enough to use a roto-tiller to dig up the area where the rhododendrons were removed. I’ve got Oregon grape and viburnum to take their place, and while we’re at it, I’m hoping to have another flowerbed that we’ll be able to see from our family room windows. Too many of our flower beds can only be seen when we’re outside. This is wonderful weather for weeding and I think we’ll be eating our own corn in a few days. I made fried green tomato quiche for a Bible study this morning. It was delicious!

Wil has two hours of soccer practice each morning and three hours of driver’s education each weekday afternoon for the next two weeks. He is nursing a pulled muscle in his right thigh that makes kicking the soccer ball a bit painful. Pray for quick healing.

We’ve needed to switch to a different phone service. During the transition period there were a few days when we could call out but couldn’t receive incoming calls. That now seems to be resolved, but we still are unable to get answerphone messages. Sorry for the inconvenience that may have caused some of you. The phone needs healing too!

Posted by David at 1:37 PM

August 13, 2007

Walking gets harder

Please pray for my oncologist. He wasn’t able to leave the hospital as planned because when his surgeon came to check the wound he found it was infected. That lead to emergency surgery lasting about 3 hours, and another week in the hospital on very strong IV antibiotics. He is home now, but still on the IV antibiotics and can’t put any weight on that leg. He said he is weak, but glad to be home, and very grateful to all who are praying for him. I’m hoping he’ll be back at work by the end of August when I’m scheduled to see him again. I have a CAT scan scheduled for Aug. 20 which will show whether the current chemo is shrinking the tumors in my liver.

The last time I visited with Dr. P in the hospital, his wife Elena was there. She is a naturopathic doctor who has studied a lot about treatment of cancer side effects. I have an appointment to see her on Friday, so now both husband and wife will be my doctors!

I tried to do a bit too much last week while I was on the heavy dose antibiotics and ended up with very sore feet and blisters. On Friday night when I couldn’t walk, Wil was pushing me around in a desk chair with wheels. He said it would have been easier in a wheelchair! Tightness in my chest also got pretty severe and prevented me from going for a walk. I’m doing better now and have worked in the garden this morning, with Wil following my instructions on digging holes and moving plants. Yesterday friends were here who mentioned they had pulled out some rhododendron bushes with the winch on the front of their truck. Since they had come in that truck, we asked them to pull out two large bushes in front of our house. It was quite exciting to watch. Now I need to figure out what shrubs to put in their place and what new flowers to add to the landscape.

Posted by David at 1:46 PM

July 29, 2007

Update on my Oncologist

Dave and I were able to see Dr. P (my oncologist) briefly this evening. He was moved from ICU to a normal room this afternoon. The surgery lasted six hours instead of eight and the skin and tissue seem to be connecting as they are supposed to. He has a monitor that allows him to listen to the blood going through the reconnected vessels, so he is monitoring his condition himself! He lost about 1 ½ units of blood during the surgery so is feeling weak, but his leg is less painful than before the surgery. I realize that many of you won’t remember that all of these surgeries have been necessary because he has multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer. The malignant cells congregated in the bone marrow of his femur (the large bone between hip and knee) and broke it about ten months ago. They needed to put in a metal pin, then do chemo and radiation, but the area behind his right knee never healed. He has had various treatments over the months, but nothing brought healing. Hopefully now that leg can heal and he can regain strength and mobility. He is hoping to be released from the hospital on Tuesday. It was such a joy and relief to see him looking as well as he does right now. Thank you so much for praying for him. When I visited him last week, after a friend and I prayed for him, he asked if he could pray for me in Russian, his heart language. What a blessing it is to be cared for by a brother in Christ.

I’ll stop in again to see him tomorrow with some flowers from our garden, and check on what level of medication he thinks I should try this coming week (when I start on the Xeloda again on Friday). I needed to take Imodium once today, but have felt reasonably well all week. Just as well since we have quite a few visitors coming this week. Char and Beth Kennicutt will be with us from Tuesday til Sat., Pam a mutual friend comes overnight on Wed., and some other friends will be with us for the afternoon on Thursday. Then we are off to Central Oregon for the weekend with friends from church.

Wil has been busy painting our deck at the back of the house. It was badly in need of a coat of paint, and he’s done a really good job. Looks like we may have our first ripe tomato by the end of the week, and I’ve already frozen 7 quarts of green beans. I’ve learned that when faced with ill health, I don’t like seeing unhealthy plants. Now too it is a special joy to be surrounded by beautiful flowers and plants. Each seed turning into a new plant is a miracle. And each of several daily visits from a pair of hummingbirds to our fuchsias is a special gift from the Lord. May He give you special glimpses of His goodness today.

Posted by David at 10:11 PM

July 25, 2007

Prayer Answers and More Prayer Needed

Thank you for praying for me, and for my oncologist. From taking Tykerb alone, I learned that those 5 tablets daily weren’t causing diarrhea. And when I added a lower dose of Xeloda (6 tablets a day instead of 10) I had almost no side effects. Today and tomorrow I’ll increase the dose to 8 tablets a day, then have a week off Xeloda. My body may be able to tolerate the original dosage if I build up to it gradually.

Dr. P. was in the hospital for two days last week, but he needs to go back for a much more major surgery this Friday. There is no healthy tissue left behind his right knee, so his doctor has decided to do a very complex skin graft, taking skin and soft tissue from his back and connecting the blood vessels in it to the sides of the hole (he said it looks like a crater!) behind his knee. The surgery will take about 8 hours, which in itself will cause a lot of stress on his body. Pray for the surgeon, and that this graft will heal. Dr. P will be in ICU for at least two days after the operation.

Wil has been working hard since his return from camp. He has worked for two different neighbors, as well as helping with chores at home. But he returned from camp with a back cough and ‘swimmers ear.’ The pain in his ear hasn’t stopped yet, but it didn’t prevent him from playing in an indoor soccer game on Sunday afternoon! We are enjoying having him home and hearing more about his summer.

Posted by David at 8:32 AM

July 18, 2007

Going back onto the chemo

Could you please pray for my oncologist, Dr. P. as he has surgery today to remove scar tissue behind his knee that hasn’t healed in the many months since a rod was inserted. He has tried all sorts of unsuccessful treatments. Pray that this will lead to new skin growing, the wound closing, and eventually to greater mobility in that leg.

I phoned him Sat. night because I just kept getting weaker. He said to stop taking the Tykerb for a few days to let the diarrhea stop. Also, a friend brought me some oral rehydration packets on Sunday afternoon, and replacing the electrolytes I’d been losing helped a lot in making me feel better. I was ready to go for a short walk by Sunday evening and feeling like myself again by Monday. Praise God!

But this morning I started taking the Tykerb again, and am scheduled to add the Xeloda on Friday. Pray I’ll be able to tolerate it better this time and not get so weak. I’m pouring in Ambrotose, an immune system booster, while I’m able to swallow it to strengthen my system to better fight the chemo side effects. Thank you for fighting with me in prayer.

Posted by David at 9:14 AM

July 14, 2007

Denver Trip and New Chemo

Thank you for your prayers. Even though our flight into Portland from Denver was a half hour late, we got to Wil’s gate about five minutes before he got off the plane! We were all tired, but grateful to be together again and to get home safely. A thunderstorm had delayed a lot of flights on Thursday evening, so the airport was the busiest I’ve ever seen it. And even though I have had severe diarrhea since the second day on my new medicines, I was able to manage the flights and to attend all of the training sessions. But with trips to the bathroom at least a dozen times a day, I’m feeling awfully weak now. We had hoped to go on a hike this morning with a group from church, but now I can’t handle more than a very a short walk. It’s hard to believe that in one week I’ve gone from feeling fit to feeling very ill. After seven days on the Xeloda, I’m to have seven days off, so am hoping that cutting out those 10 tablets a day will help me regain some strength. Haven’t seen any change so far. I need your prayers to keep going and not get discouraged. At the moment I can’t imagine being on these drugs for even one month. But maybe God will turn things around in the next few days.

We walked over to church with Wil at 4:30 this morning, but didn’t wait to see what time they actually left for the high school water ski camp at Dworshak Reservoir in Idaho. Wil got to demonstrate wakeboarding on a new board at the camp in Maine (to his delight) so he’s more in practice for this week when he will probably be in the water more of the time than he’s on land.

The volunteer training was excellent (we’ll say more about that in our next prayer letter) and we got the new computer with Lotus Notes from OMF while we were in Denver. This morning I’ve been doing some weeding. Friends watered the garden while we were away (not an easy task!) but the weeds flourished during the hot weather, as did the broccoli and corn.

Posted by David at 10:38 AM

July 6, 2007

Picnic, Fireworks and Chemo

Dave’s talk on Freedom at the Filipino Church picnic went really well. People moved closer to hear him and he shouted, so was heard even though there was no amplification equipment. Thanks for praying. It was a very warm day, but our picnic site was under large shade trees. Most of the group had left by 5 pm when we decided it was time to head home. After a couple of quiet hours watching Wimbledon and other sports on TV we went to the bank of the Wilamette River in downtown Portland to see the evening fireworks. We had a great viewing spot and the fireworks were impressive.

On July 5th we saw Dr. P who recommended switching to two different medications. Both are ones I can take orally, so I won’t have to spend a day a week at the clinic. Instead, I’ll be downing 15 large tablets a day. One, called Xeloda or Capecitabine is to kill the cancer cells. The other Tykerb is similar to Herceptin, which I’d been taking for more than two years. Herceptin is supposed to stop the cancer cells from growing back. It works on the outside of the cells. Tykerb has just been released to the public after going through various trials. It works on the inside of the cancer cells. 65% of patients on this combination of drugs have problems with diarrhea, 44% with nausea, and 26% vomiting. Also 53% have “palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia.” How’s that for a mouth-full?! It means redness and hot, itchy palms and feet. The other drugs I was on caused fairly severe diarrhea, so I’m hoping this won’t be a lot worse. But we fly to Denver tomorrow on a very early flight, so I’d appreciate your prayers that I figure out how to take the meds (one has to be taken an hour before food, the other with food, both with lots of water and you can’t take water through the security check!). Also that I don’t need the bathroom at times I can’t get to one (like during takeoff and landing, etc.) and that the side effects won’t be too bad while I’m in meetings Monday-Thursday. I started taking the meds today and haven’t felt too bad so far.

We’ve heard from Wil more this week. I don’t think it’s because he misses us as much as because he has free time before he is in charge of airsoft games, so uses that time to phone. His cabin got the award for the neatest room the first day, but they haven’t managed to do it a second time. Wil says they are good about going to bed and getting up at the right times, but not very good at cleaning. But he sounds pretty tired, so maybe he isn’t getting as much sleep as the campers. Tomorrow the first group leaves, and on Sunday the next group arrives.

Posted by David at 4:16 PM

June 27, 2007

CT scan results

I’ve just returned from having a regular physical exam since I’d not had one for several years. While I was there, Dr. P phoned with the results of the CT done on Monday. It shows some progression of the liver nodules. The one on the left side of the liver is now 3 x 3.3 cm, up from 3 x 2.4 cm. The nodule on the right side of the liver measures 2.1 x 2.6 cm, up from 1.8 x 1.1 cm. I’m disappointed, as I’d hoped they were continuing to shrink or disappear altogether. Dr. P said that with the liver nodules growing, we need to talk about possible chemo changes. I’ll see him on July 5th.

The good news is that despite being on Taxol since December, my hair has been growing back! It’s only about ½ inch long right now, and a lot more grey than the hair I lost in March, but I like it better than wearing a wig. There’s no accounting for why I have hair on my head and nowhere else on my body, but especially on warm days I’m glad not to have to wear the wig. God continues to be in control, though we don’t understand exactly what He is doing and why.

Wil phoned twice yesterday, the second time while standing in the Atlantic Ocean! He said the work crew had worked so hard that they were having a day off at the beach, and his phone had a signal when away from the camp. He seems to be enjoying himself!

Posted by David at 3:32 PM

June 22, 2007

June activities

Hopefully you believe the saying, “No news is good news” since we’ve been very slow in writing. We’ve enjoyed the last three weeks and just haven’t stopped long enough to do an update. Wil and the others made it to the camp in Maine safely. The drive took about five days and they arrived at two in the morning on June 13th. Meanwhile we went to the coast for two nights for Dave’s birthday. We left Sunday afternoon and arrived in time for a walk on the rocks at Cape Meares. The tide was really high that evening. In the morning, we drove south along the coast to Cape Lookout State Park. We hiked a “moderately difficult” five-mile trail with beautiful views, old growth forest, and LOTS of ascents and descents. We were so tired by the time we returned to Cape Meares that it was hard to stay awake until bedtime! But the weather was great and the time away very relaxing. On our way home we stopped to visited the parents of an OMF missionary and enjoyed lunch and fellowship with them. We rushed home from there to host the monthly OMF prayer meeting that afternoon.

Since last writing I’ve had another three chemo treatments. During the first, there was a leak somewhere in the system and most of the Taxol went into my clothes and on to the floor! I’d fallen asleep after having the IV Benadryl so didn’t notice that I was getting wet. I don’t think much of the chemo went into me because I felt good all that week and had more energy. The next week hit me harder, and the third treatment took even longer than usual. We left here at 9 am and got home at 4:30 pm. I’ve been able to continue with my walks since, but am slowed down a lot going up hills. This Monday I have a CT scan that will tell us what is happening to the tumors in my liver. Please pray the nurse will be able to get an IV line into a vein in my arm without too much trouble. I’m hopeful that the results will show less evidence of cancer, but the days of waiting for the results aren’t easy.

Last weekend we had visitors from north of Seattle. Stephanie and I were students together at Bethel College in the fall of ’82. She and her husband moved to the northwest last fall, but this is the first time we’re been able to get together. We took them to the Rose Gardens in Washington Park. It seemed as though all of Portland chose that Sunday to visit the gardens, but with good reason. The roses were spectacular and the sun was shining. The weekend before was the Rose Festival. Apparently it usually rains the weekend of the parade and this year, the centennial parade, was no exception. We chose to watch the parade from inside the Memorial Coliseum, so had a good, dry view of a marvelous parade with lots of excellent marching bands.

This weekend another couple from Seattle, former OMF missionaries in Thailand, will be with us. They and their prayer group were very supportive of us when we were in Seattle with Ben, and have continued to pray for us. As well as Bible studies, and work (some of that gets fitted in too!) we’ve enjoyed the garden. Peas, strawberries, lettuce, radishes, onions and garlic are all we’ve harvested so far, but those have tasted great. Zucchini, cucumber, potato, pepper and tomato plants are all flowering. Looking forward to some good homegrown meals.

Posted by David at 9:51 PM

May 24, 2007

A packed and productive two weeks

We’ve had a packed and productive two weeks since last writing. The time at the OMF Mobilization Conference was stimulating, refreshing, and encouraging. We will go into more detail on that in our June prayer bulletin. We got back on Friday night and spent Saturday helping Wil with his wildflower notebook, a project for his biology class. He had taken more than 100 photos and had to get them all correctly labeled and arranged to hand in on Monday. On Sunday, he was part of the group prayed for who will be going to help at the camp in Maine this summer. This weekend they are having a garage sale to help raise funds for their trip. Wil will leave for Maine on June 7 th and we’ve been able to get him a return ticket for July 12th, in time to do laundry and repack for Water Ski Camp on the 14th!

Sunday evening Dave and Doris Nichols arrived. They have been based in Houston, Texas during their home assignment and will return to the Philippines in August to take up the personnel role in OMF we had been asked to fill before having to leave. They are good friends and we thoroughly enjoyed having a few days with them. Do pray for Doris as she has gall bladder surgery on June 5th. The Nichols left on Tuesday evening, just before I took part in the elementary/middle school band concert and Dave hosted our Care Group. Wed. I had chemo and didn’t have the energy to do much else afterwards. I’ve been on a different steroid as a pre-med the last two times I’ve had chemo and this one seems to be less detrimental to sleep. I wondered whether it was the cause of a skin rash on my hands, but Dr. P assures me that prednisone is more likely to cure than cause such a rash.

This morning we had a phone call from the chairman of the Missions Council at Gold Hill. We realize now that the decision to drop our financial support was based on some misunderstandings, and in fact has not been implemented. We apologize for writing prematurely and before talking directly to the Missions Council. We are in no doubt that we are loved and valued by many at Gold Hill. And God kept our hearts at peace with regard to our financial needs when we thought their financial support was stopping. It was a good reminder that He is our provider and He can provide through whatever means He chooses.

Posted by David at 9:38 AM

May 11, 2007

From Pennsylvania to Oregon to Colorado

I enjoyed my trip to Pennsylvania last weekend to attend my cousin Kathy's daughter's wedding. Chellee was a beautiful bride and the wedding a lovely, God-honoring event. I appreciated having time with my aunt, cousins and their kids. It’s eleven years since we were last all together. One lovely surprise was discovering that I knew another student at Indiana University of Pennsylvania besides Chellee. Hannah is an MK from the Philippines and I’ve known her since she was a few months old, but didn’t realize she was now studying there.

Thanks for praying for Wil as he made decisions on classes for next year, and committed himself to helping at a camp in Maine for a month. He will help to prepare the camp grounds and be a counselor for a week before returning to Oregon for his youth group water ski camp. Then he will probably work as a caddy until soccer practice begins.

The results of my Muga scan were good and my blood counts have been good as well. I’m also rejoicing that God has answered prayer for Linda. She has been an out-patient for about two weeks and hopes to return to her own home today! I saw my oncologist and he looks good, his blood is now clear of multiple myeloma, and he is regularly working two days a week. Unfortunately his leg is still very stiff and painful and he isn’t able to bend his knee very much. Both are grateful for our prayers.

No response yet from our church in England. We leave on Sunday for OMF meetings in Colorado.

Posted by David at 8:33 PM

April 25, 2007

Back to chemo

Today was my third chemo treatment since returning from the UK. It will be followed by a week off chemo, during which I’ll have a Muga scan to make sure that my heart isn’t being adversely affected by the Herception (given along with the chemotherapy). I probably won’t have another CAT scan for at least another month, so don’t know at this point what is going on in my liver. But I have almost as much energy as while in England, and for that I am very grateful.

Please pray too for my friend Linda who has multiple myeloma and had a stem cell transplant 19 days ago. She is struggling a lot with nausea, has trouble even keeping down medicines to help deal with the nausea, and has developed a fungal infection on her skin. It isn’t too itchy, but it is uncomfortable and she won’t be released from the hospital until: a) her blood counts come up, b) she is free of infection, and c)she is able to keep down at least two liters of liquid a day. Just now those criteria seem overwhelming to her. Pray too for her husband Roger who is with her in the hospital as caregiver. She has already been in the hospital for more than three weeks.

Wil’s first three performances as Aslan in his school production of “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” were powerful. God certainly has His hand on Wil’s life right now. He was able to make up all the work he missed while in Manila, remember his lines in the play, catch up on sleep, sell bracelets for a ministry to the poor in Manila, and just about keep up with his chores at home. We’re proud to be his parents.

Dave attended the Ethnic Workers Summit in Seattle last weekend and found it very helpful in connecting and networking with others. He has also added new photos to the website, both from our trip and from the play. Take a look when you have time.

Posted by David at 9:27 PM

March 26, 2007

Travel Update

These was great celebration in the Lampinen household when Wil’s passport arrived. That freed us up to pursue our travel plans as scheduled. Wil attended classes on Wed. morning and then we took him to the airport for his 2:30 pm flight. Then we were free to finish packing our bags and focus our minds on our trip. Our flights, Portland to Chicago, Chicago to Boston, and Boston to London went well, arriving at 6:30 Friday morning. We have enjoyed our time thus far with dear friends at Gold Hill Baptist Church and the big 60th birthday party of Tim Wells at Farnham Castle on Sunday afternoon. Today we will be flying to Belfast and will spend three days with former OMF colleagues from Northern Ireland.

We got word of Wil’s safe arrival in Manila late on Thursday night. After only about three hours sleep he was ready to get up and go to Faith Academy the next morning with his friend Dawson. We’ve heard nothing since so assume he is having a wonderful time and keeping busy.

We want to thank all of you for praying for Wil’s passport and for all of us as we travel and visit with friends. We are rejoicing in God’s goodness and truly enjoying fellowship with friends here.

Posted by David at 1:21 AM

March 20, 2007

Passport has arrived!

PRAISE GOD!!!
Wil’s passport was delivered to our front door by FEDEX at 8:45 this morning. Thank you all for praying for this. God has answered.

Pray now for a safe and straightforward trip for Wil to Manila and that he will truly enjoy his time there. His flight is at 2:30 P.M. tomorrow (Wednesday). Pray too for Karen and me as we pack and prepare for our time in England and Northern Ireland.

Posted by David at 8:00 AM

March 18, 2007

Karen's Brother needs prayer

Thank you so much for your prayers. We still don’t have Wil’s passport, but our hearts have been much more at peace since we did the last update. An email from fellow OMFer Alex Smith suggested we call our State Senator, Gordon Smith, and gave us the phone number. Dave phoned and was able to explain our dilemma to a sympathetic secretary who in turn was able to contact the Seattle passport office. The secretary phoned back later that afternoon saying the passport should reach us by Tuesday, without our having to drive to Seattle. So though our hands are still empty, we are proceeding with plans to travel, and our faith level is much higher.

I’m really concerned about my brother just now. Bill is in the coronary care unit in a La Crosse hospital, having had a heart attack last week. Two of his arteries were 90% blocked and he had shunts put in. But he has had several episodes of breaking into a sweat and turning a grey color and been rushed back to the hospital. The last attack happened while he was at church on Sunday morning. I talked to him this afternoon and he sounds good, but he is on a lot of medication and doesn’t know yet what’s wrong or how long he will be hospitalized. His friend Yvonne will be leaving at the end of the week to visit her daughter and new grandchildren in California, so he will be on his own. And I won’t be near enough to be of any help for the next two weeks either.

Posted by David at 9:19 PM

March 16, 2007

Passport Saga Continues

When we had written a letter to the Passport Office in Seattle that would be hand-delivered, we thought we could hope for a response from a human being rather than a computer. The person at the counter refused to even look at the letter. We got through by phone to the national number again early this morning. They said we might be able to get the passport by keeping our appointment on the 20th, but there is no guarantee that that will work either, since the automated appointments (the only kind you can get) are for passport applications, not collecting a renewal.

We know how much the stress of this is affecting us. We can only imagine what it is doing to Wil as his hopes rise, then are dashed once again. Late last night we were ready to call the airlines to see whether there was any way we could re-book his ticket at a later date, but when we asked him this morning how he would feel about that, he said that he’d almost cried last night, thinking that now he wouldn’t be able to go.

We do not understand the whys and wherefores of all this, but we know that we have a caring God who knows what He is doing and is wanting to work more patience and perseverance into all three of our lives. Pray that we do not allow discouragement to enter in.

Posted by David at 7:46 AM

March 14, 2007

Passport Panic

Only others in the midst of applying for US passports right now can begin to understand what a backlog exists and how long it is taking to get passports. When we applied for a renewal, we were told we would have the passport in six weeks. Now they are saying ten weeks! We applied on January 18th, and need to have the passport in nine weeks in order for Wil to be on his scheduled flight to Manila. We have been emailing and phoning daily for the past week, and today finally managed to get through to a human being (at 6:30 am!). She told us Wil’s passport will be processed in Seattle on March 19 or 20, then mailed to us. I asked if we could pick it up in Seattle and she said we would have to get an appointment. That took several more hours, but we now have an appointment for 9:30 am on the 20th, the day before Wil is scheduled to fly to Manila on a non-refundable ticket!! We got the appointment through a computer, not a human being, so still don’t know for sure that going there on the 20th will result in our receiving the passport.

A member of our church has an appointment in Seattle for tomorrow morning to have a change made to her passport. We’re writing a letter and asking her to hand it to someone in the passport office, asking that they notify us if coming on the 20th will or will not result in getting the passport. Please pray that letter will meet with a favorable response. We know that the staff in Seattle, and all the other passport offices around the country, are overworked, and must be feeling the same stress we are just now. Thank you for your prayers. We’ve had two good but hectic weeks and have a very full calendar between now and our departure dates. Now we’re trying to come up with a Plan B for Wil, so that if he isn’t able to go to the Philippines, he will be cared for and we can still go to England. That isn’t an ideal arrangement, but it seems better to lose the cost of one ticket than all three.

Posted by David at 12:29 PM

February 21, 2007

Shrinking Tumors Update

I had chemo and Herceptin today after seeing Dr. Panutich! I went in on Wednesday instead of Thursday because he was working today. He is looking good, and smiling, but still has a lot of pain in his leg, probably caused by the radiation. So walking is painful, and bending his leg is even more painful, but he’s persevering. And he had good news for me: the two largest tumors in the liver have shrunk about 25-30%. The largest went from 4.2 x 3.3 cm to 3.0 x 2.4 cm now; the next largest from 2.3 x 1.5 to 1.8 x 1.1 cm. None of the others have grown and no new lesions have appeared. So the Taxol is working!

We’ve arranged the treatment schedule to accommodate our time in England, and he doesn’t think with the good response so far, that it will hurt to be off Taxol for a couple of weeks. I’ll have enough Herceptin before I leave to cover me for the time away.

Also, Susan did an excellent job of getting the IV line into my arm last week on the first try, and all went smoothly with the CAT scan. In fact, I was walking out of the clinic by the time I was scheduled to have the scan! Thank you SO much for praying. Whenever I’m waiting for results, I’m aware that the news could be bad and my time limited, so I get back to work on my book! I’ve done a draft of the chapter on Ben, mostly editing the website updates. It’s 48 pages! I need to get more writing done before gardening starts in earnest.

Dave is making arrangements to two high school Bible classes on teaching the Bible in culturally relevant ways. Also we’ll be speaking at a retreat for International Students. Wil is fighting a cold and cough, but so far hasn’t missed any school. Play rehearsals have started.

Posted by David at 9:30 PM

February 14, 2007

Happy Valentine's Day!

We enjoyed meeting with Multnomah students last Wednesday and discovered that many, like Dave, had come to study there after spending time in the military. It was a joy to hear their stories and be able to pray with them for the Lord’s guidance for their futures. We also enjoyed the Couples Retreat last weekend, with twenty other couples from our church. The weather was good and we were able to enjoy a long walk on our free afternoon, play a number of fun, crazy games, eat well, get to know new people, and benefit from the video series on “Love and Respect.” This morning at the MOMS group we were again looking at marriage, an appropriate theme for Valentine’s Day!

Tomorrow I have another CAT scan. Please pray for the nurse to be able to get a needle into one of my veins for the contrast dye. The last time I had this scan, my vein collapsed and dye went into my arm. That was quite painful. I’ll get the results of the scan the following week and know whether the Taxol is killing fast-growing cells causing the tumors in the liver. It certainly has killed the fast-growing hair cells in my body. Dr. Panutich is not having another stem cell transplant and has been working one day a week in the clinic. He is hoping to increase that to two days a week, and I’m hoping I’ll be back under his care soon.

We mentioned in our last update that Wil is going to the Philippines for his spring break and we’re going to the UK at the same time. We now have our flight booked, leaving here on March 22nd and arriving at Heathrow early the next morning, and returning April 9th in time to meet Wil’s flight the following morning.. We’ve also booked a flight to Belfast from March 26th to 29th to see a number of former OMF Philippines colleagues, including the maid of honor and best man at our wedding! We’ll stay with Sam and Dorothy Ryans at their bed and breakfast, along with Eilish Agnew and Ruth Platt. Apart from a birthday party on the 25th and the trip to Ireland, we will be at Gold Hill. We aren’t going to go racing around the country on this visit, but hopefully will see friends who are able to visit us there.

Posted by David at 5:30 PM

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

December 28, 2006

Results of Thursday Appointment at Kaiser

We’ve given you a rest from updates over Christmas. Healthwise, there wasn’t anything to report until I saw Dr. Leimert today and found out whether the tumors in my liver had grown or not. His comment was that the tumors were “relatively indolent but not inactive.” I complimented him on his command of English! Of the three largest, two have gotten bigger (4.1 x 2.8 to 4.3 x 3.4 and 1.0 x l.0 to 2.3 x 1.5) and one has stayed the same. The smaller ones haven’t changed. I tried suggesting that the two that have grown be zapped, but Dr. Leimert wasn’t willing to consider that unless the pain I was experiencing from them was really debilitating. I’m not in pain yet from the cancer, but I probably will be by tomorrow or the next day from the Taxol I had today. I didn’t have any adverse reaction when they gave me the chemo (they give premeds first to deal with the probable side effects and then start the chemo very slowly). But the common side effects of Taxol are: decrease in red cells, white cells, and platelets; sores on lips, gums, and stomach lining; har loss; numbness, tingling, weakness of hands and feet, arms and legs; mild to severe body aches, especially in the legs. I won’t bore you with the less common side effects! Reminds me of sitting in Batangas City with Dode Pack when she had dengue fever (an illness carried by mosquitos). She was reading from Merck’s Manual about what she might experience and it was a long, long list.

Our Christmas has been quiet and good. We haven’t had lots of parties to attend, just a few get-togethers with friends from church, and two families with us on Christmas Day and a few relatives here the day after Christmas (Boxing Day in England). Again this year a highlight was being able to listen to the Nine Lessons and Carols live from King’s College Chapel in Cambridge, England. It was broadcast at 7 am Christmas Eve morning, our time, so I only got to hear half the program before going to church to practice for our morning service. But we were prepared this year, and Dave taped the rest of the service, and downloaded the words to all of the service. And, wonderful as it was to listen to those lessons and beautiful carols written many centuries ago, it was also wonderful to participate in the Christmas services at church here. A year ago I couldn’t play my flute, and this year I can. The excitement for Wil has been getting his own snowboard. He’s off now to look for boots on sale. Then he will be itching to get up to Mt. Hood to try out the new gear!

My friend Linda and I were able to borrow wigs and a number of hats from the American Cancer Society so I can keep my head warm when the hair goes. Of course we are disappointed that the tumors have grown at all when we were hoping the Lord would shrink them, but He knows how in His sovereign plan, He means to use this for His glory.

Posted by David at 3:35 PM

December 7, 2006

Doctor and patient updates

Good news on Dr. Panutich! He was released from the hospital on Nov. 30, two weeks after having a stem cell transplant. When I spoke to him on Sunday he said he was still feeling weak since his counts are low (very anemic and compromised immune system) but I learned today that he has been to his office at the clinic twice already this week. He is sure that prayer has made a difference in his speedy recovery and he has a strong fighting spirit.

It was Dec. 7, 2005 that I started my first round of chemotherapy. I remember only too well how hard those first two weeks were and didn’t want to have a replay this year leading up to Christmas. So again I’m dragging my feet on starting on a new type of chemo, until after Christmas. I’ll have a heart test and CAT scan on Dec. 20th (pray for an easy IV needle insert!) and start the weekly chemo on Dec. 28th, the day after Ben’s birthday. The lumpectomy showed the lump to be malignant, as expected, with quite narrow margins. If that were the only cancer in my body, I’d need to do radiation now, but since the liver is the more major problem, I need to go on to Taxol, a more toxic, systemic treatment. Having the chemo weekly means I’ll be getting smaller doses and maybe my body will find it easier to tolerate. But hair loss, and all the other side effects that go with killing all of the fast-growing cells in my body is what lies ahead, but not just yet.

Posted by David at 11:03 PM

November 23, 2006

Wonderful Whirlwind time in Manila

It feels as though we are in a wonderful whirlwind! We’ve seen two former helpers: Pusing who was with us last term, and Mila who was with us when Ben was born. Both are strong in the Lord and doing well. After a relaxing afternoon (including a swim!) and evening with the Burdicks, Dave spent Tuesday at PMA and Karen was at Faith Academy. In both cases we thoroughly enjoyed catching up with friends. That evening was the OMF prayer meeting at the Mission Home, so reunions with more friends who are like family to us. Anne Stanworth spent half a day traveling to Manila to see us since she won’t be able to attend the Women’s Retreat. After another dental appointment on Wed. we went to Manila Bay to watch the sunset and had dinner on a boat in the bay. On one side we saw the incredible beauty of God’s creation in an awesome sunset; on the other, the colorful lights and sounds of the bustling city. We also drove past the new Mall of Asia, said to be the largest in all of Asia. Considering how long it took us to drive around, I’m glad we hadn’t planned to walk through it!

We have been so conscious of all we have to be thankful for every day, but on Thursday we celebrated American Thanksgiving. Even though eating is getting rather difficult (three teeth are prepared for crowns and waiting for them to be fitted on Monday), we enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving Dinner with Larry and Mary Caldwell and family. I discovered what a wonderful cook Mary is, and Dave was able to discover the spiritual heritage of our hosts.

In about an hour we leave for Calapan, Mindoro. The bus to Batangas City pier will take about three hours, the boat about an hour, and this evening the retreat begins. We won’t have our computer with us, so no more news until after we get back to Manila on Monday afternoon.

Posted by David at 5:12 PM

November 14, 2006

Off to Manila

Last Wednesday I was able to see Dr. Schwarz, the surgeon I saw shortly after returning from Manila. He has agreed to do a lumpectomy to try to remove the lump in my breast, though warning me that until he goes in he won’t know just how much the cancer has spread and whether he can get it all. But he’s willing to try and has scheduled the surgery for Nov. 30th, the day we return from Manila! Our flight is due in at 6:30 am and I’m scheduled for the op. at 10:30 that morning. It probably won’t take very much anesthetic to knock me out after our long flight. Ginny, a friend who is also a nurse, will pick us up from the hospital and go with me to the hospital. That way Dave can come home and get some sleep. The flight from here to Japan is about 11 hours and it’s another four hours to Manila, plus the waiting time between flights.

Lots of meetings with friends have been arranged for our time in the Philippines. We will be staying at the OMF Manila Center most of the time, but paying visits to Faith Academy and spending time with friends from three of the churches we’ve helped in over the years. We’re excited to be this close to departure.

Wil was on a retreat with his high school youth group over the weekend and tomorrow he goes on a Student Council retreat. He’s busy packing now, trying to work out what he needs at each place he’ll be staying. We’re just about packed and leave in the morning.

Posted by David at 10:29 PM

November 5, 2006

Early Thanksgiving

We celebrated Thanksgiving early because we’ll be gone on the 23rd. And it seemed fitting to celebrate it with other OMFers, since most years we’ve been with our OMF family rather than our earthly relatives for that celebration. Dick and Donna Andrews, OMF Northwest Directors were coming for dinner Friday night, so we surprised them with a turkey dinner and all the trimmings. We have so much for which to be thankful. You, the myriad of friends stretched around the world who love us and are praying for us, are a major reason for our thankfulness.

Thank you for praying for me and for other friends with cancer. Lana is finishing up a round of chemo now and will have a transplant at OHSU when a donor match is found. So far she has had an infection after each round of chemo. Pray that pattern will be broken this time. Linda looks great and has another month of oral chemo before they will do further tests to see if she needs a transplant. And Harold has been told he’s doing really well and probably will only need quarterly check ups after his chemo for lymphoma in the kidney. Dr. Panutich is doing well. He and his family went out for a meal to celebrate his wife’s birthday, and to a play. Last week he had apheresis over the course of three days and they were able to harvest enough stem cells from his marrow for him to go in for transplant on Nov. 14. That will also be at OHSU (Oregon Health & Science University; Doernbecher Children’s Hospital where Ben spent so much time is a part of OHSU).

Talking to Dr. Panutich about my situation was encouraging. He suggested I get an ultrasound to check out the lump in the breast and see a surgeon to find out whether a lumpectomy would be a possible way to treat it. And he still sees other options for treating the tumors in the liver without going to Taxol. I am having pain in my right arm. I think it’s because the remaining lymph nodes may be enlarged because they are fighting the cancer cells in the lump.

Wil leaves for a Student Council retreat the same day we fly to Manila. When he returns he will spend the weekend with one friend, the next two nights with church friends who live very near us, then the Thanksgiving break with other close friends who have a son in Wil’s class, and the last few nights with yet another church family. It’s his choice to go to a variety of places. His comment was, “I’m a missionary kid; I’m used to moving around a lot!”

Posted by David at 10:31 PM

October 31, 2006

PET Scan Results

I know that many of you have been waiting for PET scan results. I’ve just received them now and don’t fully understand them. Nothing is said about the size of the tumors in the liver, just that one in the left lobe is “intensely hypermetabolic” and a much smaller one on the right side also showed up. But it also showed a 1.2 cm area in the breast that is “mildly hypermetabolic” compared to normal tissue.

Dr. Leimert wants to see me at noon tomorrow and order a new mammogram/ultrasound even though I just had one a couple of months ago. So, results are in, but answers aren’t! All I can do is let you know what we hear step-by-step. We can’t book tickets to Manila until Dr. Leimert says it’s OK to do that.

I was able to have the PET scan on Thursday instead of Friday, which meant I didn’t miss my Bible study or Wil’s soccer games. I’d hoped it might mean I would have had these results earlier, but I guess God is needing to teach me more about waiting with patience. I’ve been thinking more about the verse in Hebrews 12:1 that says we are to “run with patience the race that is set before us.” Seems like a contradiction in terms, doesn’t it? But what is clear, is that our focus has to stay on “Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” There is nothing like having no ability to plan apart from medical concerns to teach us just how true that is.

Posted by David at 1:23 PM

October 25, 2006

Good News and Wil's Birthday

God is answering our prayers. I had emergency treatment this morning on the tooth that was causing a toothache (drilling a hole in the crown and putting medicine into two of the three roots), so should be able to wait a while for further treatment. Then at lunch time we had a call from EPIC Imagining. First the lady said she was sorry she couldn’t get me in for the PET scan before Friday, then as we talked she figured out a way to do it tomorrow, Thursday, at 12:30. That means I can be at home for at least part of the Bible study on Friday morning, and don’t have to miss Wil’s game. It also means that we will have the scan results earlier.

Now can you please pray they will be able to get the needle into my veins without too much hassle? It has taken three tries the last two times I’ve needed to have an IV start (for my last Muga scan and CAT scan) and the false starts are painful and can leave bruising which makes it hard to use those veins in the future. Thanks so much.

We gave Wil his gifts this morning before he left for school, and took him a special lunch. We’re preparing a meal he has requested for dinner, even though we’ll only be at home together to eat it for about 15 minutes between his soccer practice and my orchestra practice. Taking some of his friends out for a meal will have to wait until next week because we can’t fit it in until then. We are so thankful to the Lord for a son like Wil who is growing in wisdom, stature, and his relationship with the Lord Jesus.

Posted by David at 3:31 PM

October 23, 2006

Treatment Update

Thank you for praying! Dr. Leimert consulted the GI Specialist right away, and then emailed me to say, “In patients with more than 3 lesions (as is the case in your liver), localized surgical procedures for metastatic breast cancer are not successful, and Dr. Hanson (the GI specialist) does not recommend this approach.” (That means 'no' to the RFA procedure of zapping just the one largest tumor).

”We did, however, discuss another option. There is a relatively new technique using radioactive glass beads (Yttrium 90) which can be infused into the liver via the hepatic artery. There is a physician at St. Vincent's who does this procedure (Dr. David Liu). We would need to convince ourselves that there is no other metastatic disease elsewhere in your body, and a PET scan might be the best way to do that (although no test is foolproof in that regard). Let me know if you are interested in pursuing this non-chemotherapy option, and I can get the PET ordered and can contact Dr. Liu for a consultation.”

I replied that I would like to go ahead with the PET scan and had a call just a few minutes ago saying the first available slot for the scan is this Friday at 8 am. That isn’t ideal timing since not only do I have a Bible study then, but Wil is playing in a soccer tournament. So I’d like you to pray there will be a cancellation earlier this the week and I can have the scan done sooner and get an appointment with Dr. Liu. I need to go on line and learn more about this procedure and the possible side effects.

Wil has said he is happy for both Dave and me to make the trip to Manila and he wouldn’t mind staying with a couple of friends while we are away. And there are flights available using our frequent flyer miles on a number of different days in November. If we could go from about the Nov.14- 30 we would be able to keep all the appointments already on our calendar and tie up with a lot of friends in the Philippines, as well as getting my dental work done. I have an appointment this Wednesday to have some emergency work done on the tooth that hurts. This would mean I can wait until I get to Manila for the root canal and not be in pain on the trip. Through an OMF friend I’ve been in touch with my dentist in Manila and he says he will fit me in as soon as I can get there, and do the work in the time I have available. As an added bonus, there is a retreat for OMF women in the northern part of the Philippines from Nov. 24-26 that I could probably attend. It would be great to see so many friends all in one place, and the speaker for the retreat is a close Filipina friend. For all of that to work, I need to get scans, consultations, and treatment done and then be well enough to make the trip by mid November. Some of my friends here are praying for the 4 Ts: teeth, tumors, travel, and timing!

Posted by David at 4:20 PM

October 19, 2006

Teeth and Tumors

In our last two updates we’ve mentioned my toothache. I had a root canal redone two weeks ago, but went back to the endodontist yesterday to find out why I still have the toothache. Now he is saying that the tooth next to the one he worked on is the one causing the pain! I’d had my doubts about the rightness of the first diagnosis, but the pain was spread over a three- tooth area, and I just wasn’t sure. So now I’ve used up the amount our insurance company will pay in a year, and still am faced with a large out of pocket bill. We’ve already paid about $500 personally. I’m so frustrated with the system here that I’d like to go back to Manila to have Dr. Jonathan Perez do the needed work. Not only do I trust him more (he’s looked after my teeth for more than twenty years) but I think I can get things done faster and for less money. It looks as though I can also get a flight using frequent flyer miles, thus saving money, and getting to see many friends in the Philippines.

A further complication has come into the picture today. I went in to see Dr. Leimert, the oncologist treating me while Dr. Panutich is on leave. He reported that the results of my last CAT scan show that one of the tumors has more than doubled in size since May. He suggested I start on Taxol, a more toxic form of chemo. When we discussed this with Dr. Panutich, he had several other suggestions, one being that depending on the position of the large tumor, it might be possible to reach it with a scope and zap it. The medical name is Radio Frequency Ablation (RFA) and means introducing radio microwaves through a transcutaneous needle. If that dealt with the one tumor that has grown, I might be able to continue with Navelbine to treat the smaller ones which seem to be responding to that form of treatment. Since Navelbine is far less toxic than Taxol, I would prefer to stay on it rather than face all of the side effects that accompany killing all of the fast growing cells in my body.

So, a lot of things are up in the air right now. Pray that Dr. Leimert will be open to considering another treatment option and will contact the GI Specialist right away. It would be best if that treatment could be done before I go to the Philippines. Alternatively I need to leave as soon as possible in order to get back and start on Taxol. I know that that will be far more debilitating and could well mean I won’t be strong enough to make the trip in the future.

Posted by David at 2:40 PM

September 21, 2006

Health Update

Dave has posted two photos from the Race for the Cure breast cancer fund raiser on Sunday. Almost 50,000 people participated and it was encouraging to see so many survivors in pink shirts and caps as well as the thousands of supporters in white. The walk only took an hour, but we waited to cross the starting line for an hour before that because so many were joining in near the beginning of the race. The weather couldn’t have been better; cool during the walk, and sunny and warm afterwards.

Saturday was also a gorgeous autumn day for Wil’s first soccer game. They played in Colton, a very small town about 30 miles away. The drive was beautiful, our team played well and won, and Wil got to play at least a quarter of the game. On Tuesday they played a really tough team and lost, but kept the opposition from scoring at all in the second half. And today they played again in slightly wetter conditions. Dave and I weren’t able to be at that game, but it ended in another win for Damascus. Wil has been fighting off a cold this week but seems to be on the mend now.

Dave and I were able to visit Dr. Alex on Monday and Wednesday. He’s doing well and managing to get around better with a walker. The toxic effects of the chemo hadn’t started bothering him yet. Another friend, Lana, was in a room across the hall. She has leukemia and was in because her weakened immune system wasn’t able to fight off an infection without antibiotics.

I had chemo today. The good news is that my hemoglobin is back up in the normal range for the first time since starting chemo. That means I am no longer anemic and consequently have more energy. The results of the Muga scan were good too. I’ll have another CAT scan Oct. 12 and when I get the results of that will know what’s happening in my liver. After chemo two weeks ago I really felt yucky for a few days. I’m glad to report that I feel a lot better tonight. That’s good since I leave for a Women’s Retreat tomorrow! It will be good to enjoy fellowship with other women from the church, including one who has just been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, the same illness as Dr. Alex. I’ve been studying up on their form of blood cancer.

The bad news is that I’ve got a toothache! I was able to get in to see a dentist yesterday and he reckons I need to have a crown and root canal replaced. That means going to an endodontist and I can’t even get in for a consultation until next Wednesday, so I’m on pain medication until the work can actually be done.

Posted by David at 9:26 PM

September 14, 2006

Race For The Cure

This Sunday is the Portland area Race for the Cure, a fund-raiser for the breast cancer association. I’ll be doing the 5 k. walk with my neighbor JoAnn and some of her family. She is the one who has given me a number of day lilies and as we’ve talked I learned that she had breast cancer years ago and since then has participated in the walk. I’m not sending fundraising letters or emails to friends, but if any of you wanted to support this cause, let me know and I can send a copy of the email which has a link to the website where you can make a donation on line.

Please continue to pray for my oncologist, Dr. Panutich (his first name is Alexander, so if it’s easier to pray for Dr. Alex; the Lord will know who you mean). He now has a rod in his leg from the hip to the knee (because the tumor broke the femur), has been through radiation, and will start chemotherapy at the hospital near us on Monday. Besides dealing with multiple myeloma himself, his wife Elena’s mother was diagnosed with uterine cancer and she has returned to Belarus (the part of the old Soviet Union nearest Poland) to visit. Elena has struggled with the very different level of medical care and concern there. Their background is Russian Orthodox, but they were involved with a Russian Baptist church when they lived in Minneapolis. We are trying to link them with Russian Christians here since they haven’t become involved in a church locally. I believe Dr. Panutich’s faith is strong, but I’m concerned about their need to be part of a supportive church community right now. His goal is to get back to work within six months because if he can’t, his medical benefits will end at that point.

With the school year and fall church calendar well underway, our diaries and calendars are quickly filling up. Most of the activities are at or near church, so involve walking rather than lots of driving. We’ve had a good summer and enjoyed a colorful flower garden and productive vegetable garden. I’m sorry to see leaves turning brown, feel the nip in the air, and accept that things won’t be as pretty for the next few months. But sedum, dahlias and chrysanthemums are still providing lovely color, at least until we have a frost. We’ve dug our potatoes and harvested the last of the corn. Bugs got more of the cauliflower than we did, but most of the other vegetables have done well.

Posted by David at 12:39 PM

September 5, 2006

Labor Day Weekend Update

We had an early Labor Day Weekend get-away at Pacific City on the Oregon Coast. Ron and Eilene Roecker, dear friends from church, invited us to their holiday home up on the hill overlooking both the coast and the mouth of the River. The view was spectacular, the coast very sandy, and the weather record-breakingly hot on the Friday (91 degrees). But on the beach there was an off sea breeze making it cool enough to wear a jacket and windy enough to fly kites, even Wil’s trick kite. Wil’s friend Seth went along and he and Wil spent many happy hours skim boarding. I’d never even heard of skim boarding, but both boys were very proficient after two days of skimming along the beach on the thin film of water left by receding waves. On Saturday afternoon the mist came in and the views were transformed but still beautiful. Dave and I walked on the same beach we’d visited the day before, but this time saw it through the mist. We ate well, slept well, and enjoyed the warm fellowship and break from the garden.

Dave and Ron both had responsibilities at church on Sunday morning, so they started back early and the rest of us made it in time for the second service at church. We were glad not to be on the highway at times of heavy holiday traffic. But on Monday I went with my friend Ginny to the Swan Island Dahlia Show in Canby, Oregon, the largest dahlia growing business in the world with acres and acres of different dahlias. We were equally indecisive in choosing our favorites, but did order some for next spring planting.

School starts for Wil on Wednesday. So its back to an earlier morning routine for us all. We have several church missions committee meetings coming up this week and a ministry fair at the church on Sunday morning. Then the monthly fellowship of Filipino pastors on Monday the 11th, an evaluation meeting for the Asian Youth Congress, and Bible studies starting. Today I canned more tomato juice and tomato sauce today and have chemo again on Thursday, so life continues to be full for all of us.

Posted by David at 5:20 PM

August 17, 2006

Vacation in Michigan and Wisconsin

We got on the plane with a large bottle of homemade fruit juice just minutes before the restrictions on taking liquids on board in carry-on bags as we left Portland last Thursday for our two week vacation. We flew to Minneapolis and from there drove a rental car to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula where we spent the first week with Dave’s family. It was a great time of seeing brothers, sisters, uncles and aunts as well as long time friends, while relaxing and enjoying the warm sunny days. We stayed with Dave’s sister JoAnn and her husband Pat at their lovely lakeside home.

Yesterday we drove from there to Chicago to visit friends and tomorrow (Friday the 18th) we drive on to La Crosse, WI for Karen’s high school reunion and time with her brother Bill. Bill’s son Bill Jr. and his wife and newly adopted son, Matthew will be there as well for the weekend. We will be in the La Crosse area until the 22nd and fly back to Portland on the 23rd.

Karen had her chemotherapy treatment on the Wednesday before we flew and will have her next treatment the day after we return to Portland, August 24. Praise God, she was feeling well enough to fly and has felt well throughout the trip thus far.

Posted by David at 8:21 AM

July 24, 2006

July News

I’ll let Dave tell you more about the Asian Youth Conference in our next Prayer Bulletin and in the meantime try to hit some of the highlights of the past few weeks. I’m sorry for the long delay in doing an update. It’s not because anything is wrong, just that we tried to fit in a lot of visits with friends while Wil was away at camp and the garden has taken more time as we’ve needed to water morning and evening, pick and deal with the produce.

This month we’ve been able to attend open rehearsals of the Northwest Chamber Music Summer series on Wednesday mornings. These have been almost more fun that regular concerts as we’ve been able to hear the musicians discuss how to phrase different passages, change dynamics, or try playing a piece at a different tempo. In addition I was able to go to a performance of Thornton Wilder’s ‘Our Town’ last night and enjoyed that as well.

Just before Wil went to camp, he caddied during a tournament. It was tiring, but he earned a lot more than on regular days and that was encouraging after having had a number of fairly low-pay days in the previous weeks. He has also been promoted from a 1A to a 2A caddy which means he gets paid more for each round. The night before he left for water ski camp he was able to attend a special get-together of people who had attended or taught at Faith Academy. The school is celebrating it’s 50th anniversary this year and get-togethers like this were arranged in 10 cities around the US and in other countries as well.

Once again camp was a very positive experience for Wil, the highlight being that he has learned to wake skate as well as wake board. I’m not sure I understand what that means, but he’s proud of his accomplishment. He thrived on the rustic, rugged camp life (no electricity, no running water, sleeping in tents or under the stars) and even seemed to enjoy the chores he was assigned. Now he just needs to get back into the swing of doing chores at home!

While Wil was away we had the opportunity to get together with several of Dave's cousins up in Battleground, Washington. Some where here from the East coast and thus we seldom see, but were in the area attending church meetings. It is always a special treat to spend time with family.

We have friends arriving from Canada tomorrow and quite a full week, including my next chemo treatment on Thursday. We’ve invited our neighbors for coffee and dessert on Friday to introduce them to a family we know who have just moved in on our street. We’re hoping it will be a way for us to meet many more of our neighbors. Then Sat. is a community event called Damascus Day in the Park where we also hope to connect with more people in the local area.

Posted by David at 8:58 PM

June 16, 2006

Busy June thus far

It’s hard to top the news in our last update, but I’m sorry to have kept you waiting this long to hear more. Just this morning I was catching up in my journal on what has happened since Wil finished school on June 2. The next day he caddied, I bought a number of plants at a sale, and Dave and I went for a seven mile hike with friends from church. We had visitors the following week, then the Philippine Independence Day celebration on Dave’s birthday, then we took off for Sunriver for three days with the Phillis family (friends from church). We got back late on the 14th and I had chemo yesterday, so the only reason for not writing sooner, is we haven’t had time! Dave has spent many hours helping his friend Dave with a woodworking project (the end of June is their deadline for completing 4,000 chisels!!). I’ve spent free hours in the garden, and Wil has had a few very lucrative days caddying. One day he caddied 36 holes and earned $75. That may prove to be his record daily income for the year; he took it as an excuse not to caddy again for a few days!!

The results of my Muga scan showed that my heart is stronger now than the last time I had a test, so that result was more good news. But news of two very dear friends, both of whom have been like parents to me, is not so good. My Scottish ‘mum’ has had a recurrence of cancer in the bone and needs to undergo chemo again after doing really well for the past five years. And our neighbor and former landlord here in Damascus is having chemo for lymphoma in the kidneys. Two dear friends in England have been dealing with breast cancer in recent weeks as well. It’s easier to handle the side effects of my own treatment than to know that others I love are struggling. If possible, could you remember them in your prayers too? They all know and love the Lord, but that doesn’t take away their pain.

In the last update I mentioned being able to play my flute again. Well, the music we’re doing for a special Fourth of July program involves lots of marches and marches have piccolo parts… so I went online and ordered a piccolo through E-bay! It was my first time to use E-bay and a bit scary, but the instrument has come and I can play the music. It wasn’t an expensive instrument, but I’ve never had my own piccolo (just played the one the school owned) so this is a treat. I’m glad we don’t have a dog; the sound would drive one crazy. Even I need to use an ear plug in my right ear when I’m playing it. It’s better if I practice when no one else is home.

Wil gave his dad a jigsaw puzzle as an early Father’s Day present. He figured Dave does puzzles when he’s on holiday, so he needed it to do while we were in Sunriver. I’m starting to get into helping a bit more with the puzzles, and Wil doesn’t mind coming along to put in the last few pieces.

We will host the Portland area OMF prayer meeting on June 20th. Two couples on their way to Singapore for orientation and then off to other parts of East Asia will be with us for that meeting. Since the Lord isn’t allowing us to return to Asia at the moment, it’s good to be part of the support team for new workers He is calling out. Pray too for Dave as he prepares for conducting a workshop at the Northwest Asian Youth Conference, July 10-13, focusing on high schoolers.

Posted by David at 10:05 PM

May 18, 2006

Health Issues Update

It’s only a few days since our last update, but I could use your prayers. I’m experiencing quite a bit of pain in my back, left of the spine and a few inches below the waist. I don’t know if I’ve pulled a muscle or pinched a nerve or done something else crazy, but it is making sitting and lying in bed fairly uncomfortable. I was rejoicing in having been able to stop taking Naproxen (similar to Ibuprofen) since the pain in my arm has lessened, but this pain seems to have increased as the effect of Naproxen in my system wears off. I have an appointment with the physical therapist on May 25th and hope I can keep going until then. It’s awkward because there is still more planting to do in the garden, our friends the Otterbachs will be arriving tomorrow for a week, and I’m speaking at a ladies’ meeting this Saturday, plus we have extra meetings with the speaker who is here for the Missions Emphasis weekend at our church. So I’d like to be able to keep going and not be distracted by pain. Yesterday evening I realized that the series of little annoyances I’d faced that day were probably spiritual attack. If I am sharing what God wants me to on Saturday, I guess Satan would like to prevent me doing so.

Another concern is that my neutrophils were too low to have a full dose of Navelbine on Tuesday. That was especially surprising since I didn’t have chemo last week, just Herceptin, so there should have been time for the counts to come up. Low neutrophils means my immune system is too weak to handle the chemo. But my hemoglobin is doing a bit better, which means I’m less anemic.

Wil was elected the Social Chairman for next year on Student Council. He’s on a field trip with his class today to visit Mt. St. Helens on the anniversary of its eruption. We look forward to seeing photos when he returns. He was able to caddy last Saturday, so is encouraged to continue doing that Saturdays until school gets out (June 2nd is his last day) and then more regularly. Dave has put in a lot of hours helping another Dave with a deadline he needs to meet on a carpentry project.

Thank you for your concern for us. Please let us know how we can be praying for you.

Posted by David at 10:36 PM

May 15, 2006

Mid May Update

The weatherman says the temperature today will reach the high 80s Fahrenheit. That means we can plant corn and beans and will have to do a lot of watering to keep the new grass and already planted raspberries, strawberries, beans, peas, and lettuce from drying out too much. It may also shorten the season for the beautiful rhododendrons at the front of the house as I don’t know whether they can take that much heat. We’ve enjoyed the gardening, getting acquainted with neighbors, and all the beauty around us.

We also enjoyed hosting the OMF monthly prayer meeting May 9th and look forward to appointees and others with an interest in OMF joining us in the future. I marvel at the way God enables us to pray for people we’ve never met, as well as for some who are already close friends serving in very varied situations in Asia. Our hope of visiting the Philippines this summer isn’t going to materialize. Just when we thought we had enough frequent flyer miles for two tickets, we learned we would need twice as many miles to fly in August!. Wil is gradually accepting that disappointment.

Today Wil is giving a speech and the voting will take place for next year’s Student Council. He is nervous about giving the speech. He said he has lots of ideas in his head and hopes they will come out clearly. He didn’t write out a speech. He seems to have caught a virus from one of our visitors, but threw it off quickly and was able to come with us to a Mother’s Day concert of young artists from the Portland area. It is hard to believe the level of talent God has given to these accomplished musicians between ten and sixteen! We witnessed some very professional performances.

We attended an excellent seminar session on evangelism during the Sunday School hour at church yesterday. A refreshing and challenging reminder of how to get past and break down the barriers that separate us from the unsaved, or as the leader called them, “those still missing from the family of God”.

Posted by David at 8:27 AM

April 23, 2006

Spring Update

The pace of life seems to have increased since our last update. I had to read back through my journal to remember what has happened since I last wrote. Spring arrived! We’ve had a number of sunny, warm days that beckoned us outside. We’ve felt like homesteaders as we’ve worked on clearing a very overgrown corner of our lot. All the seeds planted April 3 have sprouted (the impatiens were the last to surface) and we’ve had to replant the beans into larger individual pots since it still is too early to put them into the ground. The greenhouse is now chock full, with everything waiting for flower and vegetable beds to be prepared. And I’ve enjoyed getting to know more of our neighbors as I’ve asked their advice on how best to grow different things.

Wil surprised us one day by announcing that he was starting a Bible study among his classmates and asking us what book of the Bible we thought they should study! I’m not sure that he puts in as much time preparing for a Bible study as we would, but we’re delighted that this is something he wanted to do and that others are attending. Wil’s plan for the summer is to caddy at a golf course. He’s done two training sessions and went a third time to caddy, but was rained out. He’ll have time to do more after his play is over (performances are 27-29 in the evenings, with a matinee on the 29th as well.

In addition to preparing Bible studies, Dave has been helping a friend with his business, as well as contacting Filipinos. We’ve been asked to lead and host the monthly Portland OMF prayer meeting the second Tuesday of each month. We’re happy to do so, and those attending are willing to come to our house for it. So we’re hoping some from our home church might want to attend. It meets at two in the afternoon. We need to get organized in getting prayer requests from OMFers from Oregon.

Over the Easter weekend we were able to spend time with Jody’s husband Dave and with Aunt Mabel’s daughter Laurel and her family. After so many years in the Philippines, we appreciate the opportunity to spend special occasions with family. Dave’s sister Gail is coming on Friday, so we’re trying to get cousins and their families together for a visit on Saturday, with some going to the matinee of Wil’s play, “How the West was Dun.”

A year ago on Easter Monday, I flew to Singapore to have a biopsy of the lump I’d found. Last year Easter was in March, so it means that the Lord has given me more than a year of relatively good health since that trip and the diagnosis of cancer. This year on Easter Monday Dave and I drove to Arlington, WA, to the bed and breakfast where we’d been for a Sonscape retreat last September. We enjoyed visiting with Bob and Lisa who run the River Rock Inn, as well as Larry and Barb, who had returned to lead another retreat. Two of the couples attending this time are friends we encouraged to attend, so we got to visit with them too, then left when their retreat officially started. Lots of stimulating conversation and time for contemplation.

Right now we have Marilyn staying with us. She is from Minnesota and is visiting relatives in the area as well as us. Our connection goes back to All Nations Christian College, even though we weren’t students there at the same time. Yesterday we went to see the rhododendrons at Crystal Springs Gardens. The timing was perfect to see scores of varieties of azaleas and rhododendrons.

Last night I got a call from my cousin Jean to say that Uncle Owen had just died. He was the last of Mom’s immediate family, and the last of all the Hussa cousins of his generation. I’m waiting to hear plans for the funeral. I want to be with family just now, but need to juggle other commitments I’ve made for the coming week as well. Please pray for Owen’s children and grandchildren, and his wife Helen, who will feel the lost the most.

Posted by David at 8:44 PM

April 10, 2006

Busy and fun days with visitor from England

Our friend Mike Baldwin was with us from last Wed. evening until this morning. We packed in as much sight-seeing and exposure to the culture of Northwestern America as we could in his short visit, including climbing to the top of Multnomah Falls, visiting the Oregon Coast, hiking along a river coming down from Mt. Hood, attending an Oregon Symphony concert, and meals at three very different but picturesque restaurants. He joined us for Bible studies and church services as well. We loved having him here.

Wil enjoyed the high school Spring Fling on Saturday evening. It was a ‘Sadie Hawkins’ event where the girls invite the guys, so he didn’t have to ask someone to go. I’m not sure how well he knows the girl who invited him, but he seemed to enjoy the event, as well as all of the socializing before and after. He did well at getting his lines memorized for the school play during spring break, but still has rehearsals every day after school and most Saturdays between now and opening night April 27th.

Tomorrow I’ll have chemo again, neutrophils permitting. I enjoyed visiting with my oncologist last week. He was just back from a visit to Belarus, his home country, and it was great to hear about his trip and more about his Christian background. He reported that the last test on my heart shows that the Herceptin I’m taking doesn’t appear to be damaging my heart, so that’s good news. But I discovered on our hike to the top of Multnomah Falls that the chemo has weakened my lungs, and lack of aerobic exercise coupled with low hemoglobin meant I had to stop frequently on the climb to let my heart rate slow down. Walking in the area around our home doesn’t involve such steep climbs!

Just before Mike arrived we started a lot of different seeds in the greenhouse Dave built. The broccoli and lupines are coming up already! Hopefully the area behind our house will be dry enough to plow, rake, and seed very soon so that we can have a flower garden and lawn there. Azaleas and early rhododendron are blooming already and we’ve discovered that one of the bushes at the front is a white lilac.

Our warmest greetings to all of you as we look forward to celebrating Jesus’ resurrection this coming weekend. He is risen indeed.

Posted by David at 8:33 PM

March 17, 2006

Report on trip to Ohio

We are so glad we were able to visit my uncle and aunt last weekend. Thank you to those of you who prayed we would be able to communicate. On the Friday just Dave and I visited Owen and Helen, and when I learned that Owen didn’t have his hearing aids in, I sat directly in front of him and shouted! He heard every word and we had no problem understanding his speech (because of the Parkinsons there are times when he isn’t easy to understand). I may not see him again here on earth, but look forward to having more time together in heaven. We learned a new game from Kathy and her husband Rob, and my cousin Jean came up on Saturday evening, so we got to visit with her as well.

The flight before ours on Sunday morning was delayed because of engine trouble, so we left Columbus ahead of the 7:15 am flight (ours was at 9:20) and had good connections on all the flights. Wil seemed to have had a good time in our absence and the first thing we heard is that he has been asked to the spring banquet (it’s a Sadie Hawkins, which means the girls invite the guys). He is busy now with play rehearsals after school every day. And friends who were moving gave us both weight lifting equipment and a ping pong table. Wil is delighted and busy lifting weights already.

This month I’m having chemo every other week, so only had Herceptin on Monday. Tuesday I saw the physical therapist and learned that I’ve made some progress in terms of increasing range of motion with my left arm. The month before there was no change, so that’s good news. Progress is still slow, but I’m keeping at it.

We’ve enjoyed a very brief but special visit with Annemarie Pableo, a former OMF Philippines colleague from Germany, still working in the Philippines with her husband Nilo. This is her first visit to the US and we’re delighted that she made Portland her first stop! We receive God’s blessings in so many ways.

Posted by David at 4:29 PM

March 9, 2006

Off to Ohio

Time for a quick update before Dave and I leave for Columbus, Ohio to visit my cousin Kathy and her parents. Uncle Owen is about 85 and has advanced Parkinson’s disease. He is falling a lot and the care facility where he and Aunt Helen reside is suggesting he may need hospice care soon. So this visit may well be the last I have with them.

The exciting news last weekend was that Damascus Christian School’s varsity boys’ basketball team came in first at the state tournament for 1-A schools!! The girls didn’t do as well, but it still was exciting for the school to have both teams, and their cheerleaders make it to state. Wil wasn’t there cheering, but he did enjoy another chance to snowboard during the break from school.

I had chemo and saw Dr. Panutich on Monday. He’s happy with my general health, but said I will need another heart scan since the Herceptin is hard on the heart. That is scheduled for March 23, just before we leave for Wil’s spring break. The next CAT scan will probably be at the end of April or early in May. He is happy to schedule treatment around our travel plans and is encouraging me to do the things I want to, including a visit to the Philippines!

I’ve sent the first draft of four chapters of my book to a friend who is an editor and agreed to look at them. Pray for Linda as she seeks to advise me in this writing process. Today I started on another chapter.

Dave met with area Filipino pastors on Monday evening and with the pastor of a local Chinese church who is organizing an Asian Youth Conference for July. Dave will lead a workshop there and try to promote this among Filipino churches. Pray God will help him to make more strategic contacts week by week.

Posted by David at 1:31 PM

February 28, 2006

The joy of the Lord

We are happily tired at the end of the Multnomah Missions Conference. Interacting with so many different people, standing a lot, and juggling responsibilities that continue despite the conference (like starting Monday morning getting chemo, then going straight to the conference; needing to feed and spend time with Wil and prepare for Bible studies we are leading) led to physical tiredness by Friday evening. But the joy of meeting so many godly young men and women earnestly seeking God’s will for their lives was energizing and exciting. We hope that God will lead some of them to join OMF, but more important than that is that each hear clearly from the Lord as to His plan for them, and then walk forward in obedience.

Dave’s testimony was not a flashy success story of lives saved, but a very honest sharing of the twisting path on which God has led him. He focused on how at each painful twist in the path, God has proved Himself trustworthy and faithful. I pray that as those students meet struggles in years to come, they will remember Dave’s message of hope even when walking through the valley of the shadow of death or under a sentence of death. A friend who came to that closing session of the missions conference emailed us saying to Dave, “you are a man who has lived out his beliefs, and has developed a POWERFUL message backed by your life.”

Excitement is high at Wil’s school as both the girls’ and boys’ varsity teams are on their way to state competitions next week. That means three days off school for everyone else (I tend to think that’s the main source of Wil’s excitement!). Wil spent Saturday snowboarding. His first time this season. He came back exhilarated and exhausted, not minding the bumps from falls. He needed the exercise after two weeks glued to the Winter Olympics on TV!

This is my week off chemo, so time for my body to gain strength. I’m feeling tired physically, but encouraged spiritually. When I walked into my dorm room the first term at All Nations more than 30 years ago, there was a card on the bedside table which said, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” I think I’m slowly learning what that means.

Posted by David at 1:11 AM

February 21, 2006

Another Prayer Answered

You prayed and once again God did a miracle! Last week my neutrophil count was 1.7 after not having chemo for a week, and today, after a week of chemo, the count was up to 2.7! I continue to stand in awe of our all powerful God. But since He could raise Christ Jesus from the dead, I guess we shouldn’t be surprised that He, our Creator, can cause neutrophils to replenish quickly in my body when He wants that to happen. I’m grateful too that my immune system is strong enough so that I can attend the Missions Conference at Multnomah Bible College this week without worrying about catching germs from being in a crowd. It’s good to connect with college students wanting to know God’s will for their lives, and to enjoy meeting up with fellow missionaries we’ve met at past conferences. Dave has been asked to give a testimony on Friday morning, the final session of the conference. Pray the Lord will anoint him to speak with boldness and make him an encouragement to students wondering just how far they can trust God. Dave will also be teaching the “Heritage” Sunday School class on Sunday morning, going through II Peter chapter 3. Pray for time to prepare during a busy week.

Wil didn’t go snowboarding on Saturday. He was disappointed, but we were relieved since we’ve had below freezing weather at home and Mt. Hood was a LOT colder and windier this weekend. We’re grateful not to have lost power in the high winds, especially as our heating system is electric. But the liquid in our hummingbird feeder froze and the poor hummingbird who visited it couldn’t get a drink!

Posted by David at 10:05 AM

February 15, 2006

Good news and prayer needed

Right this minute I’m thankful for snow! Yesterday neighbors were mowing their lawns because after almost a week of sunshine the grass was finally dry enough to mow, and Wil washed the car. And this morning snowflakes are coming down! Earlier it was cold enough for them to blanket the ground. Now most are melting as they land. But still it’s beautiful to get a taste of the kind of weather that brings back so many memories for Dave and me of Midwest winters in our youth. Wil shares our enthusiasm if not our memories, and wants to go snowboarding on Mt. Hood this weekend. First he needs some snow pants!

I’m also thankful for Dr. Panutich, my oncologist, who is becoming a friend. I feel as though his heart is rejoicing when my results are good, and he shares the pain when they aren’t. So I’m glad when I can make him happy! He showed us the new CAT scan results on his computer yesterday. This time the radiologist commented on only two lesions (tumors) which were “decreased in size and conspicuity.” I think that means they were less conspicuous than previously. One now measures 2.9 x 2.3 cm decreased from 3.8 x 3.7 and the other 1.6 vs. 2.2 cm. People have started asking me when I will finish chemo. I don’t think that date is yet in sight. Probably if/when the tumors no longer show on CAT scans and no new ones appear, Dr. Panutich will then suggest going back on to an estrogen inhibitor for as long as that will work.

My neutrophils were high enough to have chemo yesterday, but just. They were 1.73 after a week without chemo, and need to be at least 1.0 next week to continue. I guess God is stretching our faith, bit by bit, to believe He can build up my body even when the chemo is tearing it down. Pray on! Also when I saw the physical therapist and she measured my range of motion, there has been hardly any change over the last month despite my doing exercises more faithfully. Please pray I won’t give up.

We are thankful too for time with dear British/Canadian friends. Cedric and Valerie took advantage of the sunshine last week to come down from Victoria, BC and were with us from Thursday to Sunday. They are a delight to be with and it’s the first time they have visited us, apart from a meal with us in Manila years ago. They had to be home by Monday morning for Cedric to have a procedure done at their local hospital, and Valerie rang last night to say the surgeon had actually operated on Cedric and he will be hospitalized for a few days! Do pray for his quick recovery.

The cross of Jesus Christ speaks far more powerfully of love than do red hearts. But I’m thankful for a day when we are reminded to say ‘I love you’ to special people around us. With the love of the One whose heart was broken that ours might be made whole, I want to say I LOVE YOU to each of you today.

Posted by David at 10:54 AM

February 10, 2006

Give Thanks

I know I did a long update yesterday, but Dr. Panutich just called to say the CAT scan shows the tumors in the liver are shrinking! Hallelujah!! One that was over 4 cm is now 2.9; another that was 2.2 is now 1.9, etc. He expects the tumors to continue to shrink as I continue with Navelbine. So keep praying up my neutrophils so that I can have the chemo every two out of three weeks! I’m scheduled for the next chemo (if the neutrophils are high enough) on Monday and on Tuesday I see the physical therapist again to see if I’m gaining any range of motion in my left shoulder. My right arm has been more painful the past few days as well.

Rejoice in the Lord, pray without ceasing, IN EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS, for this is the will of God, in Christ Jesus concerning YOU! (I Thessalonians 5:16-18)

Posted by David at 1:22 AM

January 29, 2006

Please pray for Cousin Jody

I’ve mentioned Dave’s cousin Jody in the past and would ask you to pray for her and her family right now. We’ve been to see her today to say goodbye until we meet in heaven. She was diagnosed with liver cancer in early October. We last saw her a month ago, when neither she nor I were feeling very well, but she has lost ground quickly over recent weeks and her liver isn’t functioning at all now. Her spirit is strong, but her body very weak. Her husband Dave is outwardly calm and it’s tremendous to see how his family (parents, sisters and their families) as well as Jody’s parents and brother and many cousins are there to support them. Friends and neighbors have been wonderful too. Jody is ready for heaven, but the loss for Dave and their four children (the oldest is 13 and Jody was home schooling them) will be huge. God is pouring out His peace. Pray especially for Jody’s mother and brother Duane who haven’t a close relationship to Jesus and are very needy people.

Wil still has a cough, but by Thursday was able to return to school and play in basketball games on Thursday and Friday. The Lord answered your prayers for him and for us in that we didn’t catch his germs. I’ll find out Monday morning whether my neutrophils are high enough to have chemo. Thank you supporting us and those we love.

Posted by David at 1:52 PM

January 25, 2006

Pray on for neutrophils

My neutrophils were high enough to have chemo yesterday, but I need to ask you to keep praying for them to go up. It’s the chemo that causes them to drop so quickly, and they were only at 2.14 yesterday, so only prayer is going to cause them to bounce back fast enough to have more chemo next Monday. My hemoglobin is gradually dropping too and may account for some tiredness. But having said that, we’ve had a good and busy weekend with Missions Fest Northwest, and welcome visitors. Many young people attended Missions Fest and on Sat. evening those under 25 were asked to stand. Those sitting near them prayed for each young person to know God’s direction for their lives. We were blessed to have Steve Saint as keynote speaker and to meet Mincaye, now a radiant believer, but one of the men who killed Steve’s father and the other missionaries in Ecuador 50 years ago this month. The movie “End of the Spear” tells of those events and opened this weekend. Be sure to see it!

Wil came home with fever and chills Saturday evening after an outing on Mt. Hood with his youth group. He has been home since and still has quite a bad cough. It has been hard to care for him and stay away from him at the same time! Because my immune system is weak I could easily catch his flu/cold and not be able to shake it, so I’ve tried to keep a distance from him while still looking after him! Not easy. Please pray for his recovery and that neither Dave nor I will catch what he has. He had to miss a basketball game last night and a soccer game tonight, as well as school of course.

I haven’t let you know the results of the cortisone shot I had at the beginning of the month. I think it helped a bit and after seeing the physical therapist and taking Naproxen, an anti-inflammatory medicine regularly, I’m able to keep going with exercises. But progress is very, very slow and I’d like to see faster results.

On Monday evening Dave attended the monthly prayer fellowship of Filipino pastors here in the Portland area. It was a good time of interaction and prayer with Dave being able to share about the missions seminar we have done in Manila and want to offer to these Filipino congregations here as well. Pray for a positive response and openings to conduct the seminar here and have other ministry opportunities as well.

Posted by David at 3:07 PM

December 30, 2005

Feeling good for Christmas

I’ll start with the medical first, then tell you about our Christmas. I did see Dr. Panutich, my oncologist, yesterday (28th) but I wasn’t able to have the Navelbine (chemo) because my neutrophil counts were too low. That’s not good and I need to ask you to pray that my body will be able to make more neutrophils (a part of the white blood cells that makes our immune system work). I did have Herceptin and will go back next Wednesday, Jan. 4 to have another round of Herceptin, and Navelbine, if the counts are high enough by then. That’s the bad news. The good is that I’ve learned that all of the negative side effects were from the Navelbine, and without it I feel good! In fact I’ve felt myself again ever since Christmas Eve day and have been eating enough to almost put back the weight I lost during the two weeks when I could hardly eat!

I still felt a bit of nausea on Christmas Day, but when I tasted the stuffed pork chops we had at noon it tasted WONDERFUL!! Nothing had tasted that good to me since before I started chemo! So God answered prayer very specifically. I haven’t taken pain medication for over a week, and my system is working without laxatives and stool softeners, and the pain in my left arm has been bearable. The other good news is that I have an appointment on Jan. 3 with a nurse practitioner in the orthopedic department. If she agrees that I need a cortisone shot, she can administer it then. I understand that for some people cortisone can provide almost instant relief. For others it is a painful injection which doesn’t seem to do any good at all. A lot has to do with the skill of the person doing the injection. I will be seeing Amanda Clark. Please pray the Lord will give her wisdom in knowing whether this is the right way forward for me, and if it is, skill in giving the injection. After six months of pain I am so ready to have relief!!

The ‘up’ side of not having chemo this week is that we were able to see Dave’s sister JoAnn and her husband Pat over for dinner last night and tonight our niece Sarah Lampinen and her friend Darren are coming! These things wouldn’t have been possible so soon after chemo. And in addition I went for a walk this morning and shopping this afternoon! God is good.

We had two very special mornings on Dec. 24 and 25. At 7 am our time it was 3pm Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and we listened to a live broadcast of the Nine Lessons and Carols from Kings College Chapel in Cambridge, England. It was superb!! I started crying during the opening prayer and sobbed for an hour and a half … with joy! We followed the words to the hymns and carols (Dave found them on the internet) so the service was even more meaningful. It does something to me to realize that people in the 13th and 15th centuries understood the significance of the birth of Jesus, and to listen to the words they wrote. Then on the 25th, after singing Happy Birthday to Jesus, we read some advent readings together and had a time of prayer and worship as a family. THEN we opened stockings, and later other gifts. The Lord was so central to this Christmas and it was a very, very special one. Thank you for praying!!

Dave and I spent time praying together the morning of the 27th, remembering Ben on his birthday and praying for people whose life his had touched. We had chocolate pudding pie with a homemade Graham cracker crust for dessert as that was his favorite, and it was such a treat to share the day with Bonnie and Alan Boerner, visiting from British Columbia, who had been with us in Manila ten years ago on Ben’s third birthday! I’ve also been able to talk to friends in England and Ireland and Germany as well as various parts of the US in the past week. I’ve never before been so grateful for telephones or so aware of how rich we are in friends.

Posted by David at 10:50 AM

December 23, 2005

Lavish Love

I wish all of you in the midst of frenetic activity had the special gift God has given me this year of time to be still. I wish I had the energy to bake cookies and interact with neighbors, but I don’t, so we’ve had a very quiet week. I started making a list of things God has done to show me His lavish love. There are a number of things on the list but I’ll mention just two: our Christmas tree is the most beautiful we’ve ever had. It’s about 7 feet tall, not too wide so fits in the space we had available for it, beautifully proportioned, and looks just lovely with tiny white lights and our assortment of decorations going back to my years as a single in the Philippines, and including things the boys have made over the years. Of course many of the decorations are from the Philippines, including the parol at the top. As I look at each it reminds me of precious memories of people and places that have been significant in my life.

Another is an electric throw or fleece I was given by two of the ladies in my Bible study. I didn’t know such a thing existed! It’s cozy and warm and I can plug it in wherever I am sitting and feel warm. I was extra grateful for it today as I sat at a window in Kaiser’s oncology unit receiving my injection of Herceptin. I’m sure glad I didn’t wait until Christmas to open this gift! I didn’t have the chemo (Navelbine) this week, so may not get as many flu symptoms as the first two weeks. It’s still a struggle to get and keep food down, and to get it through my system. An enema last night helped some. Please pray the Lord will give me enough energy to be able to enjoy Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We plan to spend time with two different families on Christmas Day. Wil invited friends over for this evening, but while our calendar is very open, other people’s are full and we haven’t been able to connect. But he had basketball practice today and yesterday afternoon we went to a one-man show of “This Wonderful Life.” It was an amazing performance, but not quite as good as the movie. Still, it was good to get out and see the downtown lights (not nearly as spectacular as in Manila!) and watch everyone else rushing around. On the 27th, Ben’s birthday, our friends Bonnie and Alan will be with us. We’re glad that they can come down from Canada to spend a bit of time with us, then on the 28th I see Dr. Panutich and have the next round of chemo.

Posted by David at 12:58 PM

December 17, 2005

Out of the pit

It’s not long since I last wrote, but I want to thank you for your prayers and let you know that God has lifted me out of the pit*. That’s where I felt I was last week. I’ve never known so much pain and weakness. Everything seemed out of control and I had no idea where to go for help. I’ve come to appreciate the monitoring and adjusting of drugs, etc. that was done for Ben as an in-patient. On my own at home was scary. But yesterday, while waiting for the second round of chemo, I was able to talk to a Kaiser pharmacist who knew more about the drugs and side effects. She thinks I actually had the flu on top of chemo side effects, and that’s why I felt so miserable. I felt like I had the flu, but never having had chemo, couldn’t tell what was a ‘normal’ response from my body. So the chills, burning throat, low grade fever and aching bones may all have been a result of the flu! I’m now on a different anti-nausea medicine which seems to be helping some and not making me as sleepy. I’ve kept more food down and not had another round of diarrhea (though the effect of chemo and the pain medicine is constipation, so keeping my system moving is one of the battles).

Even though I had someone lined up to lead the Bible study in my place, I was able to do it this morning and to get to Wil’s basketball game this afternoon. He again got a basket and played well for the time he was in the game. We’re proud of him! To say that I feel well would be an exaggeration, but I’m a lot better than the day after chemo last week and it really helps being able to use the port for blood draws and receiving IV medicines. Food doesn’t taste good and I can’t handle more than a few bites at once, so my specific prayer requests are that I’ll be able to take in adequate nutrition to stay healthy and that my bowel system will work. Not very glamorous requests, but where things stand at present.

*Psalm 103:4

Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
Bless the Lord O my soul and forget not all His benefits.
Who forgives all my sins,
Who heals all my diseases,
Who redeems my life from the pit,
And crowns me with love and compassion.

Posted by David at 1:30 PM

December 15, 2005

Side Effects

I feel a bit as though I’m watching dominoes topple one after the other as side effects from one thing cause something else unpleasant. Initially the tendonitis in my left arm was caused because I overused it when the right arm was healing after surgery (removal of lymph glands). This past week, I became very constipated because my body reacted to the Vicodin I was taking for pain (so much so that I needed to make a trip to the emergency room and see a doctor yesterday morning). An enema (one of my least favorite things) led to relief on that front. The chemo makes me nauseated, so I haven’t kept much down for the past few days, and that means I’m really hungry right now, but can’t eat or drink because I scheduled for surgery (insertion of the portacath) this afternoon. My left arm feels like a pin cushion because all of the blood draws and things that have gone into my system so far have had to go through those veins. Because the lymph nodes have been removed from my right arm, it isn’t safe to use the right arm for any of this, though the veins there are in better shape. And so it goes. Can’t say it’s been an easy week, though there have been some bright moments. I’ve enjoyed several good morning prayer walks with my friend Nancy and have had visits from other good friends which have been a real encouragement to me. And there was a sunrise one morning that was absolutely spectacular; it seemed God was saying, “The heavens proclaim my handiwork and I want you to celebrate my goodness.”

This is Wil’s last week of school before the Christmas break. He has a class Christmas party on Friday and two basketball games this weekend as well. Pray that we will be able arrange for him to spend time with his friends during the holidays and that we will be able to have some good times together as a family.

Posted by David at 3:05 AM

December 9, 2005

Results of First Round of Chemo

I know many of you were praying for my first round of chemo yesterday. The Lord heard and answered your prayers! The lab had trouble drawing blood for tests, and had to repeat the procedure since the first draw of blood clotted. That delayed starting the chemo for about an hour, but the nurse (Debbie) who put in the needle for the chemo was a pro, took her time and did an excellent job. It took about two and a half hours to get everything into my system, but I was lying in a hospital bed and reading a book during the process. When we saw that all was going well, I encouraged Dave to go out for a walk and do some shopping. I took anti-nausea medicine as soon as we got home and that made me really sleepy. But we’d been able to have dinner (cooked by Wil!) and put our Christmas tree in a stand before Wil left for youth group. I’m so grateful that Wil had gone before I started experiencing the negative side effects. Basically I felt as though a steam roller had run over me! I had severe diarrhea for a few hours and fever and chills, but once I fell asleep was OK until morning. I’m feeling pretty good today, just not quite sure how much energy I should expect to have. Thanks again for praying.

Posted by David at 6:17 AM

November 8, 2005

Prayer request for Thursday

It’s not long since our last update, but I have a special prayer request. The last time I had a CAT scan it took five trys to get the needle into a vein without it collapsing. Every time it didn’t work was quite painful and lead to a large black and blue spot. Part of the problem is that since the lymph glands in my right arm have been removed, they have to use the left arm and the veins there are smaller than in my right arm. My veins are small and collapse easily. This was a problem in Singapore as well. But now with the tendonitis in my left arm, I’m not sure that I can get my arm into position over my head, let alone hold it there for the length of time it takes to pump in the contrast dye. Last time they had to use a tiny needle and the procedure took about three or four times as long as normal. And I didn’t have tendonitis then! All that detail to say I’m more than a little nervous about going in for this scan on Thursday morning at 10 am and would value your prayers for the Lord’s peace between now and then, and for the technician who will be inserting the needle. Thanks so much.

Posted by David at 8:17 AM

October 28, 2005

Wil's birthday report

It’s almost three weeks since we’ve done an update. Some of you have spotted the new photos on the website, the before and after shots of our home. These are already a bit out of date since I’ve finished making curtains for Wil’s room and for the family room since Dave took the photos. And no, everything doesn’t always look as neat as in the photos! Dave is very good at seeing that things are in order before getting out the camera.

Wil was 15 on Oct. 25th and now wants to know when he can get a learner's permit to learn to drive! We suggested he could drive when he can afford car insurance. That has taken the wind out of his sails at least temporarily! We’ve also said he can have a dog as a birthday gift, but we’re still looking for the right one. I’m sure I can’t handle a large puppy, yet Wil wants a dog with some life in him. Pray we’ll find the right one to love and welcome into the family. Wil had 7 friends over for an air-soft war last Friday evening. He and his friend James spent the afternoon building blinds to hide behind when shooting. Air-soft guns shoot small, round plastic pellets and our yard is now covered with these colorful ‘bullets.’ Only boys could enjoy shooting each other by the hour! They also managed to totally consume a two layer birthday cake. Since there were eight of them, Wil cut the cake into eight pieces. Dave and I didn’t even get a taste! Some of the boys spent the night, getting to sleep about midnight since they had a soccer game the next day. We thought that would be the last of the season, but they are in a tournament tomorrow and Saturday, so have had practices all week. They finished the season with three wins and two ties and lost the rest. That’s a huge improvement over the team’s first year when they lost every game! It’s also amazing that we had good weather for almost every game (though with rain coming down steadily right now and predicted for the next two days I think this tournament will be a mud bath).

I had another blood test in the middle of October and the results again are in the normal range. That’s good news! I’ll have the next CAT scan in mid November. What has been hardest to handle is the pain in my arms, especially the tendonitis in my left arm. I’ve lost a lot of range of motion due to the pain in moving it and am having to fight through the pain to regain range. With ice and Ibuprofen I’m making some progress, but it sure is slow. It’s hard even to move my arm enough to get dressed. But the lymphedema in the right arm isn’t bothering me as much, so that’s a help. I’m trying to do a lot more walking before winter rains make that more difficult. Just as rainy season is ending in the Philippines it’s starting here!

We’re having an open house on Sunday afternoon so that people from church can see how their prayers for us settling in have been answered. Many helped in the early stages of painting, etc. and haven’t seen the result. We have much to be thankful for, most of all our loving, wise, compassionate Heavenly Father.

Posted by David at 1:30 PM

September 20, 2005

Encouraging Times

We slipped up and didn’t post our Sept. Prayer Bulletin on the website, so some of you haven’t heard from us for almost a month. Sooner or later we’ll get better organized! The Prayer Bulletin just went up, two weeks after it was written, so I’ll update you just on what has happened in the past two exciting weeks.

Wil is enjoying school! He’s on the soccer team as secondary forward (that means he comes in when the primary team has scored a certain number of goals). His first game is tomorrow night and he’s very proud of his new uniform, number 15. He doesn’t seem to be stressed by school work so far. We haven’t seen any grades yet, but he thinks he’s doing OK. One night he had so much homework that he stayed home from youth group to get it all done. We appreciate the sense of responsibility shown in making that choice. For his elective he is taking New Testament Greek (!) and his teacher was Dave’s teacher for Greek at Multnomah, and is also our Community Group (Sunday School) teacher. We’re in Romans for the second year. That book is so rich that we’re happy to be studying it at a slow pace.

The freshman class is also selling Entertainment books this month. That won’t mean much to you non-Americans, but it’s a fund raiser for their trip to Washington, DC in a year or two. Wil already has orders for about 10 books. If any of you would like to order, they are available for cities all over the US, Canada, and even different countries. They cost $30 for here in Portland. If you order through Wil then he and Damascus Christian School get credit. So let us know if you’d like one for your area and we can tell you the code to put in for his school.

A number of very special things have happened during these past two weeks. One was having my friend Linda Storey here to visit. She and I got acquainted in England about 30 years ago when she and her family were living in England and attending Gold Hill Baptist Church. We did a lot of walking and talking, and fit in hiking, kite flying, beach walks, and swimming as well as shopping and mundane chores. Linda left on Saturday morning, and Dave and I were able to go from the airport to the dress rehearsal of the Lord of the Rings Symphony! The performance was brilliant, I think even more fun than seeing the concert since we got to see where the conductor thought more practice was needed. Afterwards I learned that tickets for the evening performance started at $50 each! We were able to go free having signed up for a classical series starting next week. After the concert, we went on a tour of the Portland Center for the Performing Arts, right next door. We’d never been to that building, so learned a lot and enjoyed the tour, and now want to get to some plays as well! Some of you will know that during my first two years in England I went to concerts or plays or operas or ballets almost every night of the week! During the years since then, and especially during those in the Philippines we were lucky to get to one once a year. So we’ll try to find a healthy balance now.

Recently we had arranged, on very short notice, to attend a week long retreat for pastors and missionaries run by a group called SonScape. The organization is in Colorado, but they are running this retreat at a bed and breakfast north of Seattle, WA from Sept. 27-Oct. 5. Other missionaries from our church had attended a SonScape retreat and encouraged us to consider going. When we stopped to pray about it, and considered that we’ve had very little time to stop and process things since I was diagnosed with cancer in March, we decided to apply to go. We know that the stress level we’ve faced these past two and a half years could easily have flattened us both and we praise God that He has repeatedly picked us up and kept us going. But we see too that this is the ideal time to draw aside for a week to spend time with Him, in beautiful surroundings, and with trained counselors there to help us process things, as we seek to know His plan for our future.

Our church encouraged us to put together a Transition Team to help us with processing all of the changes we’ve been through, and planning for the future. We asked two couples who had been missionaries and needed to return to the US, plus a third couple from the church who have a heart for missions and a lot of practical, business experience to be on the team. We met for the first time the day we were considering applying to SonScape and they encouraged us to go ahead. We are grateful to have them as a sounding board as we look at where we are now and plan ahead. We were able to share with them our vision of continuing to be involved in challenging Filipinos to become global Christians and involved in cross cultural ministry, right from here in Portland.

God really seems to be confirming that plan as He has led Dave in making contact with strategic Filipino pastors in the area at strategic times. This led to our attending a meeting yesterday with Pastor Joy Tira and Professor Enoch Wan, two of the editors of the book “Scattered: the Filipino Global Presence.” Dave will meet with them again on Wednesday to plan for a city-wide Filipino missions conference. Pray the Lord will continue to open doors in this way.

Posted by David at 5:17 AM

August 24, 2005

Some good news

We’ve just returned from the Kaiser Interstate clinic where I saw both a physiotherapist and my oncologist. Christie, a member of our church, was the one to show Dave and me how to do a variety of massage motions to reduce the lymphedema (fluid retention) in my right arm, and Gwen gave advice on other aches and pains (tendonitis in my left arm and bursitis in my left hip; interestingly Dave has the same two complaints)! I was also shown exercises to gradually regain strength in my right arm, so it was a profitable hour.

Dr. Panutich had sent me the results of the blood tests done last Tuesday, so already on Friday we were encouraged that those results showed that the liver function was back in the normal range after two readings that were high. Then today he showed us the results of the CAT scan which show no change in the size of the tumors in the liver. More good news, since last time they had grown. He explained that the Femara won’t kill the cancer cells, my body has to do that, but it is inhibiting their growth and we may see them shrinking by the next time I have a scan. He is suggesting dropping the blood tests to every two months and the scan to every three months or even longer unless I am aware of some change in my body. It was also encouraging to hear that even if the Femara stops working, there are other medications we can try before needing to consider chemotherapy. I’m certain that God is using the Femara, and vitamin and mineral supplements I’m taking, but attribute this good report to God answering the prayers of friends all around the globe who I know are praying for me. He is a God of miracles and I’m delighted that for now He has chosen to let my life be a testimony to His healing power. HALLELUJAH!! This also allows us the freedom to make plans more than a couple of weeks ahead.

We weren’t exactly sitting with our feet up while Wil was at camp last week. Dave and I probably worked more hours than we should have bringing order out of chaos in the house. But our labors have resulted in a very attractive home (at least we think so!) and places for most of our belongings. The guest room is still a shambles, but we were happy to welcome Dave’s cousin Ruth and her husband Peter Dow as our first overnight visitors. We have a hide-a-bed sofa in the living room and they assure us it’s very comfortable! The outside is looking more inviting thanks to five big pots of petunias out front and a huge fuscia on the deck at the back. Friends who are going to be traveling for the next two months thought we might like their annuals and we are trilled to have them to enjoy.

Wil was delighted in all the ‘loot’ he brought home from camp. They had a carnival on Friday night and won tickets for playing different games. Five tickets got him a pair of shoes, two a pair of shorts or T-shirt, etc. He came home with FOUR pair of Adidas shoes, two pair of slacks and two shorts, a sweatshirt and about four T-shirts! Apart from collared shirts and socks, he has all he needs for starting school! He also got a very nice haircut (nothing extreme this year!) and manicure. He made new friends and enjoyed time with kids he’d met before, so all in all it was a good week for him. Dave and I were able to spend a night at the coast before collecting Wil on Saturday morning. We stayed at a friend’s cottage as we’d done two years ago, and enjoyed long walks on the beach. There was a full moon, so a very low tide, and we saw thousands of starfish and sea anemones on the exposed rocks in the morning, and migrating sandpipers the evening before. What a treat! So all in all our hearts are overflowing with praise to our awesome God, and thanks to all of you who have been praying us along each step of this journey.

Posted by David at 7:43 AM

August 18, 2005

We've moved

Life has been more chaotic than usual for the past ten days, hence no word from us since we returned from the OMF US headquarters in Colorado on August 7th. We thoroughly enjoyed the time in Littleton. God is doing exciting things all around the world, and we loved hearing first hand reports of His work in China, Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan, as well as the Philippines. Sharing in small groups, as well as talking individually with different mission leaders was extremely helpful. We have a tremendous support team in Littleton, and I think I came to appreciate them more this time than ever before. We took a bit of a detour on our way back west, traveling first to Grand Junction, CO to see Brent and Kim Burdick and their four kids. You’ll remember that Wil stayed with the Burdicks when we had to leave ahead of Wil in May. They are now on home assignment, based in South Carolina, so it was wonderful to be able to see them while they were visiting Brent’s parents in Colorado. The next day we played tourist for a few hours, visiting The Arches National Monument. The red sandstone formations of pinnacles, arches, petrified sand dunes and balanced rocks were spectacular. We hiked around for several hours, until Wil turned his ankle! Then we headed back to Salt Lake City to spend another night with Peggy. There needs to be a word beyond hospitality to describe a friend who not only gave up her bed for us, but took Wil to a movie when we were ready to crash!

Another 13 hour drive got us back to Portland, grateful to step into familiar surroundings and drop into familiar beds. From Monday to Friday we worked on getting our things into our new home on Wiese Road. The new floors looked lovely, especially when Dave got new baseboards in, and other finishing touches completed. Though easy to write about, that chore took Dave almost a week! We were able to sleep here by Friday night and finished moving things out of the other house so that another missionary couple from our church could move in on the 15th. We now have beds, sofas, table and chairs, and are figuring out where to put things. The kitchen is reasonably well organized now and today Dave got the washer and dryer into the utility room. I’m sitting now in the guest room / office, the last room to get organized. We’re really happy with the look and feel of the house and hope to welcome many friends here. The electric kettle, teapot, and cups are out and already getting put to good use.

On Sunday after church we drove Wil to Camp Ukandu on the Oregon Coast. He and Ben went to this camp together two years ago and he is again sharing a cabin with Robert who he got to know there then. Robert has the same type of leukemia that Ben did (AML) and underwent a bone marrow transplant last September. He has had a really rough time since with severe graft versus host disease. It’s a miracle he made it to camp this year. Please pray this will be a good week for him, and that he and Wil will be able to reconnect despite the major changes in both their circumstances. What drew them together initially was their love for the Lord and we’re praying they will be able to minister to each other and to others this week. It’s a unique privilege for Wil to be with kids who all either have cancer or have someone in their family who does.

It’s cool today after weeks of hot weather. We aren’t complaining about needing to wear sweaters! When we took Wil to camp the temperature there was 40 degrees cooler than in Portland!! So I hope they aren’t freezing when the temp. here is only 69. Yesterday Dave and I both had doctors appointments, and tomorrow I’ll have another CAT scan of the liver. Then I see my oncologist on Tuesday the 23rd to learn the results and know how to plan for the coming months.

We don’t yet have a phone line or internet connection, so need to go elsewhere to check and send emails. The cable internet connection should be connected in another week.

Posted by David at 11:34 AM

July 27, 2005

Update from Portland

While Wil enjoyed wakeboarding and tubing, lots of food and good fellowship at Water Ski Camp, we worked on our ‘new’ home painting, cleaning, planning what we need to get, going to garage sales, etc. On Thursday morning we were finally able to get our shipment from the Philippines. We needed a pickup truck and a trailer, plus extra hands to manage the weight, but now everything is in the storage building at the new house. We opened the crate of paintings and spread them out around the house. It was a bitter-sweet experience to see them again! Sweet because they are familiar and part of ‘home’ for us, but bitter because it’s still hard to think of here rather than Manila as ‘home’.

Next week the flooring will be put into the house while we are away at the OMF Home Assignment Get-Together in Littleton, CO. Then when we get back we can start moving things into the house. We leave very early Saturday morning and hope to get there by early Sunday evening, spending the night in Salt Lake City with my college roommate Peggy. Since we won’t be there very many hours, I’m glad we got to see her and her daughter Karen here in Portland last week! Last Saturday afternoon we attended an OMF Northwest picnic her in Portland with several new workers who are planning to go out to Asia later this year and three other experienced missionary couples. It was great sharing and fellowshipping with them.

Dave’s left arm is complaining at all he has asked it to do these past two weeks. Pray it will cooperate until the painting is completed, hopefully today. I’ve learned how to paint with a roller, and in theory how to use a paint sprayer. Yesterday Wil spray painted the inside of a storage shed we will be able to use. He’d rather be playing with friends than working at the house. Pray we’ll find a balance of work/ play acceptable to all. I think that hanging up clothes and painting are strengthening my right arm! My second month blood test showed no change from the first. That’s good news according to the doctor. Slightly elevated numbers on some tests are probably because of the hormone medication I’m on. I’ll have another CAT scan in the middle of August so don’t expect to know anything more medically until I get the results from that. I feel good and am enjoying all the beautiful flowers and fruits and vegetables this land produces.

Posted by David at 12:18 AM

July 17, 2005

Back in Portland

How much we have to be thankful for! About 5,000 miles on the road without mishap. Many dead deer along the road and almost as many live ones that we didn’t hit. A very comfortable ride all the way, and enough space to bring all the belongings we wanted to back from the Midwest. And for me, it was the PEOPLE we were able to spend time with along the way that made the trip so very special. We didn’t do a lot of sightseeing. Wil wasn’t in the mood, and it was a low priority on days when the temperature outside the van was near or over 100 degrees F. ! But we did appreciate the variety of scenery and architecture along the way. To Wil, one river looked much like another. But I enjoyed counting how many times we crossed the Snake River, the Wisconsin River, the Mississippi, etc. Our drive from Boise, Idaho to Portland was the only one that involved driving after dark. And was it ever good to be ‘home’ again and in our own beds on Thursday night. The next morning we saw how much the tomato plants have grown, new things blooming in the hanging baskets, and new leaves on the tree out front.

Last weekend we were in Fargo, North Dakota. We arrived just as the US Navy Blue Angels swooped and buzzed over the city! We wondered whether the whole country was under air attack until we discovered that we were hearing the finale of an air show! The rest of our visit wasn’t as loud, but it sure was special to have time with old and new friends at Salem Evangelical Free Church. They were so supportive during the time Ben was ill, and this was the first time we’d been able to be with them since. We felt so loved, and welcome, and so much a part of the church. Wil had a great time with kids his age, and we hated having to leave on Tuesday morning!

We came via Boise to pray with a couple the Lord has used in a deliverance ministry. A friend in Switzerland had told us about the Thornbergs and they were willing to take time to pray with Dave and me to make sure that Satan has no remaining strongholds or even tiny finger grips in our lives. We look forward to walking in the freedom the Lord Jesus wants us all to experience.

A joy for me was being able to swim Thursday morning in Boise! We stayed at a motel with a pool and it was the first time I’d been able to swim since my surgery. My right arm wasn’t strong enough to do too many laps, but I could swim and now want to do more. I’ve had to pass up volleyball games and tennis these last weeks, but I’m very grateful that I can get back to swimming. I do have some pain, but it’s manageable. And apart from that I’m continuing to feel well and trying to get in lots of walking and healthy eating. Monthly blood tests will show whether my liver is continuing to function normally.

We had hoped to get our shipment of personal belongings from the dock on Friday, but that wasn’t possible. So early next week we will get the shipment and be able to move it out to a storage building next to the modular house where we’ll be living in a month or so. We went out to see the house and are very pleased with the new paint job on the inside. Flooring will be added this coming week and the rest of the painting completed. At least now we can lend a hand with the work. Lots of cleaning up around the outside makes the house look less abandoned and more welcoming. We know many people have invested many hours in the project already, and we are so touched by their concern.

Wil left at five this morning for Water Ski Camp with the rest of the senior high youth group from church. He was nervous and excited about going, nervous because he hasn’t yet managed to get up on water skis and because he’s afraid he might not get enough to eat (!), and excited because after a month away from friends here, he’ll be with them for a solid week. They had an eight hour drive to get to Dworshak State Park in Idaho and will be sleeping in tents on the ground. A new experience for Wil!

Posted by David at 6:14 AM

July 6, 2005

Back in Michigan

We’ve had lots of time with different branches of Dave’s family while we’ve been in the Copper Country (another name for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan). Besides Tricia’s wedding on Saturday, a special highlight was visiting Aunt Selma who was 101 in May! Her hearing is still good, and her memory amazing for her age. She did tell me that she has lived in that house all her life, and considering she’s been there since she was married, it has been almost all of her life! I asked the secret of her long life and she told me it was being thankful and trusting God. The truth of that is unmistakable in her countenance. As well as visiting, we’ve been packing. We brought two small chairs with us from La Crosse, and have now packed a very old china cabinet and boxes of our memorabilia into the back of our mini van for the trip back to Portland. Now that we will have a place to call home in the US, we decided it’s time to consolidate our belongings in one place for the first time in our married life! We probably won’t get quite such good mileage with the full load, but my resourceful husband and son figured out how to get all the boxes into the van! Just pray we don’t have a flat tire on route because I don’t know how we would be able to get to the spare tire!

Yesterday was the 4th of July. Since we had been to good parades and fireworks displays in the past few weeks we didn’t go to the local celebrations yesterday, but instead spent the afternoon and early evening at Dave’s brother Kim’s farm with his extended family. Wil devised a most unique croquet course to inaugurate a new croquet set. This morning we had breakfast with the pastor of Evangel Baptist Church here in Houghton, Steve Wilson and his wife Marsha, a great time of fellowship and prayer.

We’ve enjoyed our time here, but Wil is getting impatient to be back in Portland with friends. He would gladly head straight back from here, but since we aren’t sure when we’ll get here again, we want to see as many more friends in the Twin Cities and Fargo areas as we can. Pray for patience for him to be able to wait another 9 days before reaching Portland! We are so grateful for the safe travel, good health, and many good reunions so far.

Posted by David at 9:07 AM

June 27, 2005

Wisconsin Fireworks

It’s more than a week since our last update. We’re now in Holmen, Wisconsin where my brother lives. Holmen is just north of La Crosse, where I was born and lived from third grade until finishing college and leaving for England in 1970. On our way here we drove through Bangor, where we lived with my grandmother and visited cousins of Mom’s, the cemetery, and the village park. It’s amazing how many memories are tied to those places. Today we drove past the farm where my grandmother was born. It’s good to see it still standing and still a farm. So many area farms are turning into housing estates! My brother has shown us numerous properties that he owns and is renting or remodeling. He doesn’t rest much.

Now let me back up to Saturday, the 18th. It was a beautiful, sunny day and about 50-60 people met in the cemetery for Sandy’s burial. Her son Erik had designed the tombstone and ordered white lilies to go on either side of it. The service was short, with two hymns and prayers, and a eulogy from a close friend. Afterwards most came to Jo Ann’s for coffee and brunch. Lots of time for visiting with cousins and aunts and uncles. The afternoon before we were watching a parade and Sat. evening, after a meal in the park near the canal, we watched fireworks! It turned out that the weekend of the 18th was Bridgefest, a local summer celebration with lots of activities. Sunday we spent the morning with friends at Evangel Baptist Church and the afternoon with family. Monday we made travel arrangements and Tuesday headed off for Chicago! We spent two nights with Greg and Ruth Scharf and Gordon. When they were busy we had time to rest, and when we were together there was no shortage of conversation. We also enjoyed meeting Sally, a friend who is living with them this summer, and seeing her art work. We went from Chicago to Milwaukee where we spent a night with my nephew Bill and his wife Jessica. We wanted to see their home as well as them, and the hours we spent together were a special treat. I couldn’t be any more proud of that couple than I am. Friday was their 5th anniversary and it’s a joy to see what wise choices they have made and continue to make in their lives. Friday night found us near Madison, staying with Peggy who has been a friend since 7th grade, and her husband Jon at their log cabin in the woods. Nestled in the hills just south of the Wisconsin river, it’s a wonderful place to enjoy the beauty of birds and bats and woodland and prairie flowers. Wish we could have stayed longer!

Back here in Holmen we went to a fantastic fireworks display tonight with musical accompaniment of patriotic marches. We will be here until Thursday when we will be going back to Upper Michigan for our niece, Trisha’s wedding on Saturday, July 2 and stay there through the Fourth of July holiday. On our way back to Portland we are planning stops in Ellsworth, WI, Minneapolis, MN and Fargo, ND.

Posted by David at 12:20 PM

June 17, 2005

Friday morning...

We awoke Friday morning to cloudless skies and a mirror-like lake just beyond the deck at Dave’s sister JoAnn’s home in Upper Michigan. We decided to drive through from Fargo on Thursday, so surprised everyone by appearing in time for dinner Thursday evening! We made the 2,000 mile trip in three days, driving 720 miles the first day, 776 the second, and 480 the third. It feels good to be staying in one place today!! And we saw views in Montana to rival even the mountainous beauty of Switzerland! The ‘badlands’ also have a unique grandeur, as do the rolling plains. We’ve been drinking in the phenomenal beauty of our homeland.

The drive went smoothly, the van was extremely comfortable to drive and ride in, and Wil glanced at scenery between videos and computer games! Now that we’re here we can begin thinking about how to visit as many family and friends as possible while we’re in the Midwest, since we don’t know when we’ll be back here again. We may try to fit in a trip to Chicago during our ‘Wisconsin’ time. The one glitch we’ve had is discovering that our cell phone doesn’t work here, so we are borrowing one from JoAnn for a month. The number is 906 370 0047 if any of you are wanting to contact us.

More relatives will be arriving today for the burial service of Dave’s sister Sandra tomorrow, which means Dave will be able to connect with a lot of cousins. Annie has a son Wil’s age and JoAnn has grandsons his age, so we should be able to keep him away from the computer part of the time. He and Dave went out in a paddle boat this morning!

Now the lake is rougher, with waves lapping against the shore. But both views are beautiful and we are reminded that God has created each day and so much beauty for us to enjoy. We want to rejoice and be glad in Him.

Posted by David at 12:18 AM

June 14, 2005

Test results

I’ll start with the news many of you are waiting for. Dave and I talked to Dr. Panutich this morning and his recommendation is that I continue with the hormone treatment for another two months, then repeat the scans. The tumors in the liver have grown, but not drastically, and the estrogen inhibitor still may cause them to shrink over a longer period of time. If there is still no improvement by the middle of August, I’ll have to consider chemotherapy. The better news is that the bone density test shows the Femara is not having an adverse effect on my bones, so I can just continue with calcium and exercise.

I’ve stopped taking most of the pain medication I was on, and most of the time am not in any more pain without it than when I’m taking it. I’ve seen a lovely physical therapist and she has shown me stretching exercises to do and made other recommendations to guard against lymphedema. Hopefully the more I stretch, the less I’ll be bothered by scar tissue and nerve damage.

Now we’re packing to leave for Michigan early tomorrow morning! We were able to buy a 2002 Nissan mini van which even has a small TV screen in the back seat! That’s the answer to our concern for how Wil would handle the long trip. The Corolla we’ve been driving doesn’t have air con, isn’t an automatic, was hard for me to climb out of at the curb, and had no leg room for Wil in the back seat. He’s now at least three inches taller than me and when we bought the Corolla he was about 5 inches shorter!! Do pray for safety in travel as we seek to reach Houghton, MI by Friday. We will visit my brother in La Crosse, WI before returning to Houghton for a niece’s wedding on July 2. We’d like to have a more leisurely journey back to Portland, stopping to visit friends en route. But we aren’t sure when our shipment from Manila will arrive! We are trying to leave adequate instructions and documentation for someone else to get the shipment through customs, etc. but hope it won’t arrive until after we get back.

Thanks to help from Lori Bryan, an interior decorator we met at Damascus, we’ve now selected floor coverings and wall colors for the modular home owned by the church and which we will rent once renovations are completed. All the present flooring needs to be removed and replaced, and it certainly will look and smell better when all of this is done. We’ve been given or been able to purchase a number of items for the house, and will continue with that project when we return mid July. We have to be back before July 16th so that Wil can leave for the high school water ski camp! Wil is looking forward to that, and to starting at Damascus Christian School in the fall.

‘Streams in the Desert’ has continued to be a source of inspiration to us. I want to close with an excerpt from one reading last week: If a person allows it, he can find something at every turn of the road that will rob him of his victory and his peace of mind…. Faith can change any situation, no matter how dark or difficult. Lifting your heart to God in a moment of genuine faith in Him can quickly alter your circumstances. God is still on His throne, and He can turn defeat into victory in a split second, if we will only trust Him.

Posted by David at 6:21 AM

June 2, 2005

Wil's return!

This may be quite a long update as a lot has happened since I last wrote. Of course the biggest news is that Wil surprised us by coming off the airplane with a new hair style and hair color! We’ll post a picture of the new look when we have one. A new friend at church has offered to do a family photo, but we aren’t sure we want one until this new look has grown out! It’s actually not as extreme as when he came home from camp two years ago with his head shaved in the shape of a tic tac toe board! Despite the hair ,Wil is a great kid and we’re very proud of him. We got a copy of his standardized test results, and apart from math, it looks like he’s ready for college already! He has quickly contacted and gotten back in with his friends here. He’s at youth group tonight as I write.

On Saturday, after he’d had another breakfast (he’s hungry about every two hours), he wanted to go somewhere and do something! Remember he’d just had a flight from Manila to Portland, but that didn’t slow him down. We ended up rafting down the Clackamas River that afternoon with the Jeskes! We had two rafts, one for those who wanted to stay dry (Dave and Dawn Jeske and me) and one for those who wanted to get wet (the three kids) plus my Dave. That made for a fun and memorable afternoon. On Sunday evening we were invited to a pot luck meal with one of the church’s Community Groups and there were lots of kids there Wil’s age. Playing volleyball and other games, and just hanging out together got him back into the swing of things with his friends here. Fortunately Damascus Christian School breaks for the summer at the end of this week, so Wil will be able to spend more time with friends. Monday was a holiday, and he spent much of the day with his best friend James from Sunrise Middle School. They haven’t kept in touch while we’ve been away, but you wouldn’t have known that seeing the way they reconnected. We know many of you were praying and God has answered wonderfully.

Several phone calls and contacts with Filipinos have surprised us too. On Sunday we were talking to Tess de la Pena from Malvar, Batangas who is now married and living in North Carolina. And it was a three way conversation with her parents in the Philippines!! We didn’t even know you could do such a thing! Tess’ father is Wil’s godfather. Then today Dave went to a prayer meeting with some pastors in our neighborhood and found that one of them is from an ABCCOP church in Bocaue, north of Manila, and another was the husband of the nurse who helped us when I went for the radiology appointment. She remembered us from our visits there with Ben.

God has encouraged me too through my visit to Dr. Schwarz, the surgeon I saw yesterday. Dr. Schwarz’s wife also has breast cancer, and they have a child the same age as Wil. So he was very sympathetic and showed more than just clinical concern both for me and for Wil. I liked him immediately, and appreciated that he too was very positive about the treatment plan I’m on. Through him I felt the Lord was saying to me, ‘You need to plan to live, not to die.’ Dr. Schwarz’s wife was diagnosed four years ago, and is now getting her pilot’s license!! He has given me referrals to physiotherapy and the cancer counseling center, plus lots of information to read on breast cancer treatment and related issues. He also thinks that my wound is healing well. Some of the pain I’m experiencing is caused by nerves being cut when removing the lymph nodes. But it’s gradually getting a bit less. It doesn’t look as though there would be much point in my having radiation at this point, but was good to get a second opinion on that.

The scan that will determine future treatment is on June 7. I’m praying I may get the results in less than a week (i.e. before I see Dr. Panutich again) so that we will know whether we can go to the Midwest. We have looked at several houses for sale in the Clackamas area, and also a double wide mobile home recently purchased by the church which would be another housing option. We haven’t yet made a final decision on where Wil will go to school next year, but at this point are leaning towards Damascus Christian School. A family in the church has offered to pay Wil’s tuition for next year if he wants to go there.

So we have seen some lovely answers to prayer and been encouraged that God is with us and guiding step by step. It’s still hard to have so much uncertain, but we’re doing well and trusting that when God knows we need to know the next step, He will show us. That’s really what living by faith is all about, isn’t it? Thank you for being fellow pilgrims with us.

Posted by David at 1:30 PM

May 24, 2005

Talked to Wil

We talked to Wil yesterday morning and he seems fine. In the photos you’ll see some taken at the Middle School Banquet on Sat. night. We’re grateful for the way he has been able to reconnect and stay connected with friends there. These last few days may be harder for him as he realizes that he will probably not see most of these friends again. He has stayed all but one night with the Burdicks and got his papers and projects turned in. Pray for the Burdicks as they leave for home assignment on May 31. Not an easy task with four kids, one graduating from high school and heading for college. Wil flies on Sat. morning, the 28th and like us, arrives here at the same time he leaves there!

Our week has been full and fun for us. We’ve enjoyed reconnecting with family and friends. Dave’s sister JoAnn and her new husband Pat have just bought a home near Vancouver, WA, just across the Columbia River from Portland. We saw it and them last week before they flew back to Michigan. JoAnn’s daughter Tricia is getting married July 2nd and Dave’s sister Sandy will be buried June 17th (no winter burials in that part of Michigan) so if I don’t need to start chemo we would like to be in the Midwest for those events, and to see my brother in Wisconsin. Tonja Lampinen, Sasha’s sister and Tony and Marsha’s daughter, is getting married this Sat. and we would have loved to be there for that, but Wil’s arrival and doctors appointments here made that impossible.

I see a radiologist May 25 to see whether he thinks I need radiation treatment, have a bone density scan on May 31, and the same day see a surgeon just to make sure everything is healing as it should. Then on June 7 I’ll have another CAT scan of liver and lungs, and see Dr. Panutich on June 13. By then we should know whether the hormone treatment is working. If it is, we can travel, sort out housing, and begin to really ‘settle’ here in Oregon. We feel more comfortably perched than settled at the moment!

PMA staff are in upheaval at present and need our prayers. Death threats were made against two of the leaders and this has led to staff vacating the office and a total disruption of routine. They need to move to a new location, but this hasn’t been found yet. Pray for God’s peace which passes all understanding to guard their hearts and minds right now. Otherwise panic and fear could easily take over. Dave has been making calls to connect with Filipino pastors in this area. We want to stay as involved as we can with Filipinos and hope this will lead to see many in this country getting involved in cross-cultural missions.

Posted by David at 2:21 AM

May 17, 2005

Synchronization

Our computer hadn’t made the time change the last time I wrote, so some of you will have seen a May 14th posting on the 13th! I think that we and the computer are now functioning on Pacific time more or less. We went to Kaiser Permanente’s Interstate office on Friday morning and met Dr. Alexander Panutich (pronounced pa noo’ tish) who is from Belarus, Russia. He was at the University of Minnesota before coming to Portland. Haven’t found out yet how long he’s been in the US or about his family! He, and the rest of the staff in the oncology department, were very kind and friendly. Dr. Panutich is happy for me to continue on the hormone treatment for another month before doing another set of scans. If they show that the spots have shrunk or stayed the same, I can continue with this treatment plan and just have scans every three months. So the results in June will determine how I spend the following three months. If this treatment isn’t proving effective, I’ll need to move to chemo. I’ll also be seeing a radiologist, and have a bone density scan. But I haven’t dates yet for other appointments. Things don’t move as fast in the US as they did in Singapore!!

From the doctor’s appointment we went to Doernbecher Children’s Hospital to visit staff there who became friends during the time we spent there with Ben. It was a lovely reunion, even though we want to see many others who weren’t on duty at that time. Then we had a fabulous lamb dinner with the Jeskes, and went with them to see “The Sound of Music” at Damascus Christian School. The cast were excellent and we thoroughly enjoyed the evening.

Saturday was quieter. We explored our neighborhood and found a Filipino store just a few blocks away! With a name like ‘Mabuhay Grocery’ we knew it had to be Filipino! That was a treat. They didn’t have Silver Swan soy sauce, but they did have Sky Flakes, Selecta ice cream, lots of other products from the Philippines!!

We learned more about the new Community Groups (adult Sunday School classes) at Damascus Community Church and enjoyed seeing many friends yesterday. Went out for lunch with part of our community group at a Mexican restaurant and that was good too. So we’re slowly getting back into the life of the church.

Wil seems to be doing okay back in Manila and is busy with end of term projects and assignments at Faith Academy.

Posted by David at 2:41 AM

May 14, 2005

Arrived in Portland, OR

The last time I wrote, May 9th, we’d had a good night’s sleep and last night we had another! Can’t say as much for the ones in between but we survived and were able to keep going. Dave and I didn’t leave our Cambridge St. house until about 6:30 pm the night before we flew, but by then the house was empty and clean. Many friends helped in different ways to make that possible. We sure couldn’t have done it without them. We spent our last night with Wil at the Burdicks, once again appreciating their love and hospitality, then left for the airport about 5:15 am. John and Paula Richards got us there in record time and took the new photo you’ll see on the website just before we entered the airport. So our farewell to the Philippines was officially documented!

Our trip was uneventful and on the Tokyo-Portland flight we had four empty seats across the aisle from us and were able to stretch out to rest. We were still weary when we arrived in Portland, and getting through immigration and customs, and recollecting baggage took a while, but still we were at our ‘new’ home by mid morning. And what a surprise we had when we arrived! There was a turkey roasting in the oven, a freshly baked angel food cake on the counter, and all the trimmings for a thanksgiving dinner. After we had unpacked a bit and had a few hours sleep, we ate and realized how much we had to be thankful for. The house is a comfortable, 2 bedroom, nicely decorated bungalow with a wood burning stove , completely furnished and equipped, in a good location for shops and getting to the clinic I need to visit. It is owned by a member of our church whose mother lived here until last February. We feel positively spoiled.

We are still getting turned around time-wise, but have been able to get our warm clothes and other personal bits out of the barn where they were stored. Yesterday the sun came out (!) and today I have an appointment with the oncologist, so more news soon.

Posted by David at 12:34 AM

May 9, 2005

Contacting us in Portland

This is a very quick update before we pack the computer to give you contact information for us in the US. Initially we will be staying at the address below:

5507 SE 66th
Portland, OR 97206
(503)777-0219

but it might be better to send mail to c/o Williams, 15093 SE Legacy Ct., Clackamas, OR 97015 as I don’t know how temporary the above address will be or whether anyone would be able to forward it once we aren’t there. The Williams aren’t planning to move in the immediate future. Their chocolate Labrador Bailey just had 13 puppies!!

Something else we gave away was Wil’s cell phone, so that is coming back to us too! The number for it is 971-219-4050.

Dave reckons we needed about 24 hours more than we have to be totally ready to leave. But we fly in about 20 hours, so that will have to be enough! God is good and has helped us through a very hectic week. We’ve not been getting much sleep, but last night was a lot better. I’m sure we’ll sleep on the plane!

Posted by David at 10:24 AM

May 5, 2005

May 5th Update

It’s more than a week since I’ve done an update. Our break in Calapan was really refreshing. Swimming in the ocean one last time let my body relax so much that I was asleep by 8 pm that night!! Since most other nights have been quite short, that was very much an example of the Lord giving to His beloved sleep. We are waking with the birds these days, not the alarm clock or even the Hail Mary’s broadcast from the nearby Catholic church. Two barrels and about a dozen wooden boxes are packed ready to ship, most things we needed to sell are sold (pray people don’t now change their minds on wanting things!) and we will take what is left to a White Elephant sale at Faith Academy on Sat. which raises funds to support the summer work program for high school students.

Wil was a finalist in the middle school speech contest last week. He and a friend did “Who’s on first?” by Abbot and Costello. They did a great job in memorizing their parts and acting, and we were really proud of him/them. He has a research paper on gambling to complete after we leave and some other projects as well, but at the moment is more focused on the middle school retreat this weekend, and the banquet in two weeks time. We can tell the hormones are kicking in because this time he wanted to go to it with a girl!!

My pain (from the surgery a month ago) has been well controlled with medication and most of the time my heart has been at peace, even though right this minute I’m feeling panicky. There is so much clutter around us and I don’t know where to begin to bring order out of the chaos. But I know the Lord will help us through today and each day to come. It was lovely to see how God has continued working in the lives of many friends in Tanauan, and how a housing project for the poor, begun when I was in Tanauan, has continued to provide refuge and hope to many families there. Tuesday evening was our last OMF prayer meeting and it was a foretaste of heaven: singing hymns together and affirming the Lord’s goodness. Dave spoke with a power that has been given him through testing. In a way it felt like getting to go to my own funeral (when that day comes, I’ll be long gone, so I was delighted to get in on this trial run!!) There’s no way to describe what it has meant to me to be part of the OMF family for more than 28 years. In my mind that includes all who are former OMFers scattered around the world as well as the group still here on the field, and with only a handful of earthly relatives on my side of the family, I feel so privileges to be so rich in friends and family in the Lord.

When we have contact information in the States we will post it. There are possibilities of places for us to stay initially and then longer term, and the car we gave away when we left Portland was given to the church a few months ago, so will be available for us to use when we get there. God is good, and while we are focusing on the remaining untied strings here, He is working out His plans for our future. We’ll be here in Brookside until Saturday night, then with the Burdicks until we fly on the 10th to Portland.

Posted by David at 7:45 AM

April 15, 2005

Plan A, plan B

It seems like as soon as I write an update, everything changes! Well, not everything. I do still need to return to the US for medical treatment and since there is no way of knowing what drugs will be most effective in containing my cancer, or how long they will continue to be effective, it’s clear that we need to consider this as a permanent move. But God could decide to heal me completely or to keep the malignant cells under control through medication for years to come, so the future continues to be in His hands. He knows the number of our days, and what He wants to accomplish in and through us.

We saw a second oncologist on Tuesday and Wednesday in Singapore, Dr. Karmen Wong, a lovely sister in Christ. The ‘Plan A’ she recommended was identical with Dr. Khoo’s, but she also said that ‘Plan B’ could be to begin with the aromatase inhibitor treatment, and if or when that proves to be ineffective, move to Plan A. We have opted to start with Plan B, and I have already been taking these tiny tablets for several days with no adverse side effects. Their job is to inhibit estrogen in my body and hopefully contain the tiny spots that have shown up in the liver. This treatment will need to be monitored every two months through blood tests and CT scans. As long as it is effective, I can continue on my one-a-day tablets. If the spots start to grow I’ll need to have a central line and start on chemo.

Going with Plan B allowed me to start treatment sooner, and return to the Philippines for almost a month before returning to Portland, Oregon. My surgeon, Dr. Chua, gave me permission to fly with Dave and Wil, and took us all out to dinner the night before we left! We should have been treating him!! Dr. Wong has given me a large enough supply of the medication I’m on to keep me going for almost two months, but just in case there are any snags along the way, our OMF doctor doesn’t want me to wait more than four weeks before returning to the States.

Wil wants to stay to finish the school year at Faith Academy and we think it will work out for him to stay with friends for the last two weeks. So our first concern is to find a seat on a plane for Wil with a missionary/ family traveling to the US soon after May 26th. He is OK with taking a short connecting flight after he get to the States to join us, but doesn’t want to make the trans-Pacific flight alone. Please pray that we will be able to get Wil a booking soon. Many return to the States from Faith Academy for the summer. So the trick isn’t finding someone going, but combining that with an available seat. Once he has a booking, we will try to get seats ourselves on a flight on May 10th, arriving in Portland May 11th. If we can’t get a ticket for Wil, Dave will stay in Manila until he and Wil can fly together. We are already receiving offers of accommodation from friends at church, so have no doubt that we will have a roof over our heads when we arrive.

Dave’s next concern is sorting and selling and shipping belongings and Karen’s is seeing as many friends as possible and healthy closure before leaving the Philippines. Ask God to give us the grace and strength, wisdom and peace to finish well on both fronts.

Posted by David at 1:57 PM

April 11, 2005

He is in control...

Dave and Wil arrived in Singapore on Friday evening and on Saturday morning we all met with Dr. Khoo, an oncologist. The treatment plan he recommended sounds good to us especially since it is less toxic and maintains quality of life (minimal side effects, i.e. no hair loss, not too much nausea) and treatment can be either twice in one week and then two weeks off or once a week for two weeks and then one week off. I will need a portacath (similar to the Hickman catheter Ben had) to receive the two medicines. From a comparison of scan results after two months (since the cancer has already spread beyond the breast tissue) we would know whether the treatment is succeeding, and, if it is, I would only need to continue it for a total of six months, followed by daily tablets of an oral medicine.

If everything worked perfectly, it would be okay to have the treatment here in Singapore, with Dave and Wil here at least during Wil’s summer vacation. But since we can’t be sure everything will work that way, and our insurance here may not cover the costs, our OMF doctor is strongly recommending that we return to the States for treatment.

OMF’s insurance policy in the U.S. for us is through Kaiser Permanente (a Health Maintenance Organization). Ben received excellent care through them and we expect the same will be true for Karen. But it’s hard to accept that this means leaving Asia and returning to Portland, OR within the next few months, and for Karen, even sooner. We are waiting to hear how soon treatment needs to begin, whether it could start in Singapore and be continued in the US, and how to make it possible for Karen to be back in Manila for as long a time as possible to say goodbye to friends and help with packing. Dave isn’t anxious to do that alone again! What is sure is that Wil will stay in Manila until the end of this school year. His last day of classes is May 26th.

Thank you for praying for us as we’ve processed information thus far. Please pray that we will be able to do something for the next two days that we will all enjoy as a family. Karen’s incision is healing well and she is gradually reducing the amount of pain medication she’s taking. We’ve been able to move from the OMF headquarter compound to a lovely condominium complex with a swimming pool so the Lord has provided a haven for us as a family. The only drawbacks are that Karen isn’t able to swim yet, and the phone isn’t connected, so we can only access emails here at the office. But Dave and Wil (and possibly Karen) will return to Manila on Thursday, so this is just a temporary break in communication.

The reading for today (April 11) in L. B. Cowman’s Streams in the Desert spoke to us very clearly. We don’t pretend to understand why God has taken us back to Asia twice expecting to start a full term and then pulled us out again after less than a year, but we do know that He is in control of our lives and plans to use this to His glory.

Posted by David at 4:29 PM

April 8, 2005

Friday Morning

It’s early Friday morning here in Manila. Wil and I are getting ready to fly to Singapore to spend a week there with Karen. We have an appointment tomorrow with Karen’s surgeon and an oncologist to go over all the lab test results and talk about proposed treatment options, which will most likely be chemotherapy of some sort. Karen is due to have the drainage tube removed from the incision today and will have a bone scan and two other tests done.

We are still trying to work out accommodation for us as a family for the week we will be together in Singapore. There are a couple of options staying with other OMF staff but we would like to be on our own as a family. Some OMF people are away next week so we may be able to stay in one of their apartments.

Pray that we will know God’s grace and strength as we receive what ever news the test results and the doctors tell us. Then we will need wisdom in knowing the right course of treatment and where that treatment should take place (Manila, Singapore or U.S.). We are at a place where we are totally cast upon the Lord. Everything else goes on hold once again as we with on Him and see what He has in store for us.

Psalm 34 has been a source of encouragement to me over the past two weeks as I am seeking to memorize it. One verse says, “I sought the Lord and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.” Pray that we will know the “peace that passes all understanding” guarding our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus in these coming days.

Posted by David at 7:07 AM

April 4, 2005

Love and Prayers

This is Karen’s report after being released from hospital in Singapore today.

I've just returned from Gleneagles Hospital where I received very caring,efficient treatment, and good food! Even had lamb and broccoli and creme caramel on Saturday (the Lord knows those are some of my favorite things!)
And Melody, the nurse who admitted me, is from Angeles City in Pangasinan (a couple of hours north of Manila). I was in a 4 bedded room, but only about half the time was it full and noisy. The other half (including all day Sunday) I had all the space to myself, which was lovely. When I went to check emails I saw that there were 39 new messages and assumed I would be downloading a lot for other people...but they were all for me!! Thank you
to all who wrote so quickly and are praying for us. To be honest, I
preferred getting the hugs via email this time, since my right arm is still rather sore! It's rather uncomfortable typing as well just now, so am afraid I will only be able to manage updates, and not individual replies.

More information has come in from various tests I've had done, and I now know that I will need to have chemotherapy instead of radiation treatment. So that changes the time frame quite a bit. I still need to have a bone scan, chest scan, and results from the lymph nodes which were removed at the same time as breast tissue before seeing the oncologist. Then she will be able to plan treatment and give and idea of how long that will last. The surgeon said that it might be from six months to a year. So, instead of just a few weeks, we need to think in terms of a longer time frame and consider what is best for all three of us.

Our OMF doctor feels we need to be together to talk to the oncologist and consider treatment location options, so we are trying to arrange for Wil and Dave to fly to Singapore on Friday. Wil has been taking standardized tests last week and this, but will complete those tomorrow. Dave needs to get the next PMA newsletter out. Pray he'll be able to concentrate and do that by Thursday! And I need to have these other scans done as well as visits to the surgeon. I still have a drainage tube to carry around. It is passive drainage, so coming out slowly. Reminds me of Ben swinging his bottles of
medicine around!

I think this is easier for me to process than for Dave and Wil. For them it's once again being at a distance when receiving news we'd hoped not to hear, and being fearful of what that means in the future. So it is important for us to be able to process this together. A friend has given us a gift which will cover their airfares! Please be praying both for a speedy recovery from the surgery I've had, wise counsel from the oncologist, and the Lord's guidance as we consider so many different factors in making the
decision of where I have the chemo. Apparently we have about a month to work this out before I will need to start treatment. Dr. Chua suggested I look for a wig, but that idea doesn't appeal to me at all! Pray too that I'll be well enough so that we can enjoy some walks together in the Botanical Gardens and other parts of Singapore. Back to memory building.

Thank you all so much for your love and prayers. We will keep you posted and let you know how the Lord guides us in planning for this coming year.

Posted by David at 3:44 PM

April 1, 2005

URGENT PRAYER NEEDED

Karen flew to Singapore on Monday morning and had an appointment with a surgeon (Dr. Chua) there that same afternoon. He scheduled her for surgery to remove the lump in her right breast the following (Tuesday) morning. On Thursday Dr. Chua phoned Stroma Beattie (OMF Medical Advisor) to say that the lump was malignant and I would need further surgery.
(Here is her account)
I saw him Thursday afternoon, had a chest x-ray and liver CT scan, and now am to report at 11 am today (Friday) for surgery at 1 pm. I will be in the hospital for 2-3 days, then need to recover from this surgery where a section of the breast tissue will be removed, before having radiotherapy. Some information from pathology reports will only be available next week, so long term planning on treatment can't be worked out until then. The lump is only 1 cm in diameter, so has been caught very early. God was good to show me of its existence and give me a strong enough niggling concern to do something about it. quickly. I feel fine and am not as surprised by the news as I think Dave and Wil may be. The area where the mammotome (a procedure where the lump itself was removed) is still tender, but hasn't stopped me from being able to play the flute at morning prayers here at OMF. After today's surgery I may not feel up to playing for a while.

Please pray especially for Dave and Wil as they have had to process this information without me there. Pray too that God will guide us in knowing where we each need to be when in coming weeks. I could possibly return to the Philippines for a week or so before returning here for the five weeks of radiotherapy. It's good to have so much clear information so quickly, and to know that in another week we will know even more. The speed with which things are handled here in Singapore, and the level of expertise, are truly amazing.

One special gift from the Lord is Sau Kit. We met through a mutual friend in England (they had been in nurses training together) when I was here on the Orientation Course in 1977, and have kept in touch since then. Kit has already taken me out for dinner twice, collected me from the hospital after my first surgery, and just been a tremendous support. I'm also extremely grateful for the support of staff here at OMF HQ. They were wonderful when we were here with Ben, and are just as loving and caring now. So I'm in good hands (whose hands could be better than the Lord's) and feel the support of those around me. If possible I feel the Lord has given an even greater measure of His perfect peace than He did when Ben was ill. I've been able to read, meet interesting people, enjoy the Lord's presence and not worry! He gets all the credit for that. If you want to contact me via email, you can write to ihq-guest@omf.net and put my name in the subject line.

By next week I will probably also be able to get emails here on lampinenkaren@omf.net .

Posted by David at 2:50 PM

March 27, 2005

EASTER WEEKEND

The fact that Jesus is risen and alive is so much a part of our lives, that in some ways it’s hard to get more excited about it on one day that we commemorate His resurrection. Yet if this event hadn’t taken place, all the rest of life would be totally empty! The Good Friday and Easter services we attended this year showed us how strong our own cultural bias is for more traditional hymns, but praise God He reaches people in cultures with very different backgrounds, and no Christian background at all, and puts joy in the hearts of His children. We can sing the hymns at home! And the fear and processions of a dead body hanging on a cross or lying in a glass-covered coffin remind us that many in this nation still are focused on the death of Christ and not on His risen life and power.

On Palm Sunday afternoon we checked in to a local hotel for a three night break from the heat. What a treat to be cool enough to enjoy a hot bath, sauna, and hot Jacuzzi!! Dave and Wil played tennis two mornings and we all enjoyed the pool and fabulous breakfast buffet. Since we don’t have cable TV at home, Wil enjoyed being able to watch programs he doesn’t often see, mostly sports and cartoons. So though short, we were grateful for a break and Dave completed the jigsaw puzzle he got for Christmas, so that made it a real vacation for him.

We were particularly glad for that break together because I fly to Singapore early tomorrow morning and don’t know how long I’ll be gone. A mammogram two weeks ago showed that a lump I’d been feeling is about 1 cm. in diameter. Since a biopsy was recommended, our OMF doctor in Singapore suggested I have it done there as their diagnostic and treatment facilities are much better than those in Manila. I praise the Lord for the peace He’s given me over these past weeks. I’m not nearly as sure as I was a year ago that nothing will show up in the biopsy, but I know God is in control and that He is absolutely trustworthy. Hopefully I’ll only be gone a few days, but I’ve tried to prepare for a longer stay if necessary. Wil’s classes start again on Tuesday, so he will be back in a regular routine, making it easier for Dave to manage without me here. I’d value prayers for the trip to Singapore. Thankfully I won’t need to stay in the ‘sick bay’ where Ben and I spent two weeks in January two years ago. But going back without him is likely to trigger a flood of memories. And once again, Dave has to stay behind to care for Wil, so when I get the news, whatever it is, we will be separated. The fact that after several very hectic months my schedule is relatively uncluttered for April and May makes me think this might be why.

Pray Dave will be able to concentrate and get the next quarterly newsletter done for PMA. Once again we’re behind schedule, not having received the information we’ve asked for from different groups, so he needs to follow up on a lot of different people and stay focused. That may not be easy for him for the next few days! Wil seems unconcerned about my trip. Just wants me to bring him a gift from Singapore!!

Posted by David at 3:41 PM

March 14, 2005

Last week was a full one

Last week is a full one for us, with one or two things happening each day. Monday and Tuesday are taken up with PMA’s Annual General Meeting. The Condensed World Missions Course which started on Feb. 23 is now in its final week with 20 students attending. Very positive responses from everyone so far even though we have experienced several glitches in scheduling and with audio visual stuff. This is also the last week of teaching for Karen’s class on Teaching Principles and Practice. Wil’s mid-semester break starts on Wednesday and we have Parent/Teacher conferences then as well. Dave will be attending the Missions Mobilization Summit meeting Wed through Sat. this week as well. Pray for top church and missions leaders who will be attending. We are hoping to get a few days away during Wil’s school break, but haven’t made any definite plans yet. We are needing a rest.

Karen’s speaking at the Women’s Retreat went very well. She sensed that God used her to speak to many of the women who were there.

God bless you all as we approach Holy Week and remember the death and resurrection of our Savior.

Posted by David at 9:28 AM

February 19, 2005

All of us going in different directions

Last week saw us all going in different directions. Wil enjoyed his week of Outdoor Education which included a day and over-night at Taal Volcano and another at the seaside studying marine life. Karen was involved in OMF Admin. Council meetings at the OMF Manila Center for three days. Dave was working on PMA projects and keeping the ‘home fires burning’. Last Sunday was the 13th Anniversary of Lord of Life Christian Fellowship, the church we helped start in Fairview, Quezon City. It was great to be with them on this occasion, to see the growth of the church and see friends we haven’t seen in a long while.

This week Karen and Dave attended a 2-day training course to equip us to lead the new 3rd edition of the Condensed World Missions Course (CWMC). Karen will be directing one such course starting next week in Quezon City, meeting twice a week for four weeks, with Dave assisting on occasion. We have also been involved on a committee that is developing a curriculum for training Filipino missionaries. On Thursday the proposed curriculum was presented to a group of pastors for their input and suggestions. That was a very helpful meeting, as they gave insightful ideas acknowledged that much involved in equipping missionaries is the responsibility of the local church.

On Friday and Saturday (Feb. 18 & 19) Karen is speaking at a women’s retreat for some 150 women from Southern Luzon. The retreat is being held in Lucena City, a 4-hour bus ride south east of Manila. Pray for lasting impact in the lives of these women through the things that Karen shares with them.

Upcoming activities include the CWMC, a PMA fund raising dinner, a band concert for Wil, a follow-up event for the young people who attended the National Youth Missions Congress in Dec. and the 2-day annual General meeting for PMA, March 7 & 8. We also now have our church small group Bible study meeting at our home on Thursday evenings. The plan is to split the group into two in a months time with us taking on the leadership of one of them.

As you may know, on Feb. 14th, Valentines Day, terrorists planted bombs that exploded simultaneously in three locations in the country, one here in Manila. This has left the country apprehensive and the government looking at new ways of preventing such happenings. Pray for safety and for the government as they seek to apprehend the terrorists and bring resolution to long standing conflicts between the government and certain rebel groups.

Posted by David at 8:37 AM

February 5, 2005

Ben's first anniversary in heaven

Ben was happily remembered on the anniversary of his graduation to heaven February 2nd. The program began in the new elementary library where a reading corner has been set aside in memory of Ben. A plaque with his name and favorite verse was purchased with money raised by his classmates, and other purchases (like an LCD video projector for the elementary computer room) were mentioned. Thanks to a sizeable gift from OMF, the total in the Ben Lampinen Memorial Fund was about $7,000 and Faith Academy has been able to use that to meet a variety of needs. Elementary principal Steve Taylor, a fellow OMFer, led that portion of the program in the library and we then moved to the audio-visual room for a short candle-lighting service led by FA Chaplain Don Mackay. We were able to view the PowerPoint of Ben’s life (using the new LCD projector!). Some of Ben’s friends and their parents shared memories of Ben (mostly about his peculiar likes and dislikes food-wise and fun things they had done with Ben). One mom shared how Ben had given her daughter a bloody nose hitting her! It was an accident; he was trying to hit a boy who was being mean to her; the boy ducked and Ben ended up hitting her instead! At least he was trying to be chivalrous!

We’ve struggled with painful memories and the sense of loss particularly in the past few months (with the celebration of Thanksgiving, Christmas, Ben’s birthday, etc.) but most of our memories of Ben are of happy times shared, his sense of humor, his love of hugs and of special family times. We adapted prayers from a book called “The Empty Chair” for the candle-lighting. Beforehand, when Wil read one of them that said, ‘How we wish he could return’ (speaking of Ben), Wil said, “But I don’t wish he could return. I wouldn’t want him to be in pain like that any longer.” And Wil is right. We are far happier to have Ben completely healed and happy in heaven than to wish him here with us as we last saw him, so weak and in so much pain. We started to wonder whether in heaven Feb. 2nd is celebrated as Ben’s birth-day, the day his life in heaven began. Since Ben’s choice of food for his birthday was usually pizza, chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream, that’s what we had on the 2nd. Wonder what he had in heaven? I think the day was one of healing for us, and for the Faith Academy community who couldn’t be with us for the memorial service last year. Take a look at the photos.

Thank you to all of you who remembered, wrote, and prayed for us. We again felt the thick layer of prayer holding us up. We are so aware that God in His mercy took Ben out of the pain of this world, and by His grace is keeping us going while we wait for the day when we too will get to join Jesus in our heavenly home. Our job in the meantime is to make sure that everyone in the world knows they are invited to the banquet being prepared for us in heaven where we can spend eternity with our Creator and Savior.

Posted by David at 7:28 AM

January 11, 2005

Dave's sister Gail phoned

Dave’s sister Gail phoned on Saturday evening, our time, with the news that their oldest sister Sandy had died. I think it was still Jan. 7th in California when she died. Sandy’s 60th birthday was in December, so again we have the feeling that God took her home early. She hadn’t been in good health in recent years, but there wasn’t the same sense of saying a final goodbye when we last saw her in May that I’d had in saying goodbye to Aunt Lillian. I wish Dave could be home with his brothers and sisters to process their grief together, but he doesn’t feel it’s right to go. Please pray for Sandy’s husband Ken, one of the most loving and devoted husbands I’ve ever met, and for Sandy’s son Erik who lives nearby. Both are going to need loving support at this time and we’re too far away to give it except in prayer. And pray for Dave who has many memories of growing up with Sandy even though they haven’t lived near each other as adults.

We hope we can make arrangements this week for a service for Ben at Faith Academy on Feb. 2nd. We showed the PowerPoint we had used at Ben’s memorial service during our OMF conference and were able to thank our fellow OMFers for their prayer support. Seeing the photos was a help to some who had never met Ben, and a reminder to others of how his life had touched theirs and vice versa. We’ve made more changes in the photos now including more of Ben with classmates at Faith to show on the 2nd. Pray that this will be a healing time for kids who have been missing him. We had a note from Nat, Ben’s best friend in Portland. It’s special to us to know that we aren’t alone in remembering him.

Wil started second semester today at Faith Academy. He will be in the Junior High Band this semester. Pray that he will enjoy playing his trumpet and will fit in with the others who have been in the band all of last semester while he was in Art class. He has kept up with trumpet practice but wasn’t over anxious to join the band mid-year.

Posted by David at 1:34 PM

January 4, 2005

We had a good time at the OMF Conference

We had a good time at the OMF Conference held at a beach resort on Samal Island near Davao City in Mindanao. We flew down on Tuesday, Dec. 28. The 1½ hour flight was smooth and vans were waiting to transport us to the boats that took us across to the island. The resort was quiet and relaxing and the fellowship and teaching from the Gospel of John were great. The Lord arranged housing so that we were lodged next door to young OMF couple whose first child was stillborn. The shared loss of a child linked us as couples and led to many opportunities to talk together. We didn’t see much of Wil during the conference except at meal times and at night. There was a special program for all the MKs (Missionary Kids) including young teens and Wil enjoyed the beach and other recreational activities as well as just hanging out with other MKs his age.

We flew back to Manila early in the morning of New Year’s Day and then attended the wedding of the daughter of our OMF Philippines Field Director in the evening. It has taken two days to recover from short nights and the travel. Wil is on school holiday until Jan. 10. The ninth will be out 17th Wedding Anniversary. And the 14th is Karen’s birthday. We will be busy working on the PMA Newsletter, due out mid month. Karen’s teaching resumes too on Jan. 12th and she has Precepts training meetings the following week.

Posted by David at 8:18 AM

December 27, 2004

Ben's Birthday

Today would have been Ben’s 12th birthday. It’s a strange feeling to know that he was eleven, but will never be twelve. Dave and I found ourselves wondering whether birthdays are celebrated in heaven, and if so if the annual celebration is the birth date on earth or the anniversary of their arrival in heaven? What a lot we will learn when we get to heaven that Ben already knows. We found a quite place (rare in the Philippines!) and spent some time this morning remembering, and hope to watch videos of some of Ben’s birthdays later today, but first we have to get things ready for conference as we leave early tomorrow morning.

We enjoyed some special times with friends over the holidays, and for the most part it’s been a good holiday season. We know people are praying for us and it feels as though those prayers are between us and the pain of loss. And as we pass each milestone, we are reminded that just as God has seen us through in the past, so He will in the future. So we add to our pile of memories and reminders of His faithfulness as this year 2004 comes to and end. Thank you for supporting us through the past years.

Posted by David at 2:02 PM

December 6, 2004

December 6 Update

Wil’s wish for more time off school was granted. Not only was he off Monday and Wednesday last week for official government holidays, but Thursday and Friday as Typhoon Yoyong came through the country. But thankfully Manila was spared a direct hit and there was hardly any damage done here in Metro Manila. We had about three hours of strong winds and rain Thursday night and that was it. School could easily have been help both Thursday and Friday! So if you heard reports on the news, they were showing photos of other parts of the country. With over 12 million people here in Metro Manila it really is a matter for praise that this highly populated area was spared.

Thank you for praying us through the remembering associated with Thanksgiving. The early part of the week was pretty tearful, but God’s grace, always sufficient, enabled us to be thankful for knowing Ben for eleven years. We reread a helpful book called ‘The Empty Chair’ and have tried to be more deliberate in making plans for Christmas, Ben’s birthday on the 27th, and even the anniversary of his death on Feb. 2nd. We would like to have a simple service at Faith Academy on the 2nd when those who knew Ben here can gather to remember him and give praise for his life. But in the meantime, there will be a very short service this Thursday, Dec. 9th to dedicate the things the Ben Lampinen Memorial Fund was used for at the school. This will be in the elementary library from 2-2:15. We are trying to put together photo album pages of Ben’s school years for this. The photos were sorted chronologically after we got back, but until now we hadn’t been able to face actually making decisions about which to include in an album covering his life. Even the prospect of this short program is making our stomachs churn, so we’d value your prayers for the 9th. That same evening is the PMA Christmas party! Not ideal timing, but a lot of things are not under our control.

Posted by David at 8:49 AM

November 22, 2004

November 22 Update

It’s typhoon season here now, so damp, rainy days and musty smelling clothes. We need the rain and the cooler temperatures are welcome too. Wil would like there to be enough rain to close school (!) but he has two days off next week that the president has declared national holidays, so his wish will be somewhat granted.

This week we have two days (Wed. & Thur.) of Strategic Planning scheduled with the PMA staff and board of trustees. Pray that as we meet and seek the Lord that He will reveal to us His plans and purposes for us and PMA in the coming new year. In the middle of this Karen will still be teaching her class on Teaching Principles and Practice. Good thing is that our planning meetings will be held at the school where she is teaching. The second day of planning is also American Thanksgiving Day. We will be going to have Thanksgiving dinner with two other American families that evening.

We have much to be thankful for, including the fact that our home country has a day set aside specifically to remember God’s goodness to our nation. But at the same time we struggle with memories of Ben hospitalized here in Manila this time two years ago, and last year, when by Thanksgiving we knew Ben wouldn’t be with us much longer. Pray that we will experience God’s grace and comfort as we move into the holiday season.

We want to let you come visit us here at home in Brookside Hills Subdivision, Cainta, Rizal, Philippines. If you go to the photos link you can come in and have a look around.

Posted by David at 11:36 AM

November 15, 2004

Mid-November

Dave checked his journal and found that November 14, 2002 was the day Ben came down with the high fever that led to him being admitted to hospital here in Manila. So for two years apart from the Lord, Ben has been the focus of our thinking. We were playing a game the other night and found that Ben had drawn trees around the edges of the instruction sheet. Such tiny reminders, but so welcome. If he were still here with us he would probably have received a scolding for scribbling on the instructions!

Wil changed the focus of his English paper from the day of Ben’s death to the day we spent at Epcot, one of the Disneyworld theme parks. He said that the good memories of Ben enjoying that day helped him through the painful ones of Ben’s last weeks. He could remember lots of details of the 12 hours we spent at Epcot, whereas he only remembered what happened in the hour or so after Ben died, and his paper was to cover a day! And the paper was due a year to the day from the day we spent at Epcot!

Today is the end of Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, and has been declared a holiday here in the Philippines, so Wil is at home and had a friend stay over last night. We praise God for the good friends He has given Wil, and for the improvement in his school work. He got an A- on the last science test! I have to concede that he is now taller than his mom, much to his delight. As he goes up, the chubbiness decreases. He may be a basketball player yet, though at the moment they are doing soccer in intramurals.

I’m into my second week of teaching the course on Teaching Principles and Practice. I realize that I am asking my students to make a paradigm shift from rote memorization to analyzing and processing type thinking, so need to be patient with them as they wonder what on earth we are doing. Asking them to consider factors in effective teaching was too large a step, so I’m working on ways to break down that concept and help them begin to think in new ways. Fifteen weeks to go! That course, plus the Precepts Bible study I’m leading on Hebrews are keeping my mind focused and making me more productive.

We conducted a Missions Involvement Seminar at Faith Fellowship, the church we attend, on Saturday November 6. It was part of missions month and we had 40 participants, mostly cell group leaders. It was the third one we and other PMA staff have done since our return in July. We are finding ways of improving the seminar and hopefully making a more effective tool in helping local churches discover the plan of God to reach people from every tribe, tongue, people and nation with the Gospel and help them see how they can have a part in it.

The theme for 2004 at Faith Fellowship has been “The Year of the Lord’s Favor” taken from Luke 4: 19. We see this phrase in the front of the church every Sunday. But when we look back on 2004 we find it hard to see it as a year of God’s favor. There was nothing favorable in Ben’s illness and death. But the other day I read the passage from Luke 4 again in the New King James Version and there the phrase is translated this way:

“To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

Yes, we can accept the events of this year as coming from the hand of our loving and all wise Father in heaven. And from Romans chapter 12 verse 2 we know that God’s will is ‘good, acceptable and perfect.’

Posted by David at 3:25 PM

October 29, 2004

Aunt Lillian Died

I’ve just had an email from my home town saying that Aunt Lillian died at 7 am Wisconsin time on October 28th. She had been in the hospital for about a week with congestive heart failure and pneumonia. She said she wanted to die and at 95, with failing eyesight and hearing, life must have seemed pretty empty. Her mind was sharp until the end and my brother’s pastor had been to see her the night before she died. Apparently she had also told Yvonne, my brother’s girlfriend, that she was praying now. My heart has been so burdened for her, knowing that she had to make a decision to follow Jesus before she died in order to spend eternity in heaven with Him. Now she no longer needs our prayers as her destiny has been determined. Lillian was very different in personality from our mother, but still she has represented a link with Mom’s generation for almost 30 years since Mom died in 1975. Lillian was the family historian with a brilliant mind for factual information. Her main hobby was playing solitaire, in recent years on the computer. And I was proud of the fact that in her 90’s she learned to use a computer to send and receive e-mails. That made communication with her and my brother so much easier. Lillian didn’t want to live in a nursing home, and thanks to Bill and Yvonne’s care for her during the past two years, she never needed to. Until then, with support from Bill, she was able to stay in an apartment and manage alone.

If losing a kitten brought back much of the pain of losing Ben, I reckon that as we process this new loss we’ll struggle again. I wish I had the same assurance that we will see Lillian again in heaven that I do for Ben. But all I can do is keep trusting in our merciful and loving Heavenly Father, knowing He gave Lillian every opportunity to accept His love. How she responded was her decision. My nephew Bill was able to visit her a few days before she died and I’m so grateful for that.

Posted by David at 9:13 AM

October 26, 2004

The busiest week.

It turned out that the week Wil was off school for mid-semester break was the busiest week Karen and I have had work-wise since our return in July. We did manage two days at the beach over the weekend at the beginning of the break. It was the first time we have been out of Manila and to the ocean since returning here on July 20th. We left Wil at the beach with friends while we returned to Manila on Sunday night for a 3-day Missions Trainers Consultation (Mon-Wed). This went very well, with 40 missions trainers attending. Wil came home on Wed. afternoon but Thurs. was spent preparing for a Missions Involvement Seminar we presented on Friday. We did have the weekend together and had some good time as a family before school started again.

Life seems to get busy in patches like that. This past week has been
more manageable. We had an office staff meeting on Monday but have been working from home the rest of this week - much less stressful, especially not having to drive or commute in on public transport. Karen is working hard to prepare for the class she will start teaching on November 10 on Teaching Principles and Practice. This is for students at All Nations College, a four-year Bachelors level school for those going into full-time ministry as missionaries or pastors. This 3 credit hour course will run through March of 2005. We have another Missions Involvement Seminar scheduled for Sat. Nov.6th at Faith Fellowship, the church we regularly attend.

Monday was Wil's 14th birthday. He had two of his friends overnight
Friday night for a small early birthday party. Wil is now as tall as
Karen and outweighs her by at least ten pounds. He is longing to be
significantly taller than his mom. The day of his birthday he got a
haircut (first since we were in Germany!!) and that led to tears and
slamming doors. We definitely have a teenager in the house! And today he's home sick with a fever and nausea. Maybe that was starting and triggered the temper. Wil didn't want to miss school because he's enjoying an art project and had soccer intramurals after school!

Posted by David at 10:35 PM

October 8, 2004

Off to the Beach!

We’re just off to the beach for three days. It rained hard last night
and still is overcast this morning, so we wait to see what the weather
will be like. It will be our first trip out of Manila since we returned in July. Hard to believe Wil is already a quarter of the way through eighth grade. We met with his teachers and were very encouraged by their reports. Several commented on the good circle of friends he has chosen, his creativity, and good contributions to the class. His math and science were still the lowest, but C+ is better than we had expected and it looks as though he’s capable of getting both into the B range. Thank You, Lord, for helping him to do so well through this transition.

He will be doing a paper in English on a significant day in his life and he’s chosen to write about the day Ben died. Pray that will be a helpful and healing exercise for all of us. It’s still hard seeing people for the first time since Ben’s death. We saw quite a number last night at the Faith Senior Class play. It’s good to reconnect, but the first topic needs to be Ben before we can go on to other things. One of our OMF colleagues has suggested to us and to OMF Literature that they print our website journal entries as a short book. Pray we’ll know whether this would be the right thing to do, and whether if it happens, it should include guest book entries as well.

Dave and I have been fighting colds all week, so with getting the six-page PMA Missions Post printed, folded, labeled and into the post (we won’t tell you how many hours that took!) we haven’t had a lot of energy for planning for this weekend away. It’s now 9:15 am our time and the last thing on our ‘to do list’ is an update. Dave and I need to be back Sunday night ready for a three day Missionary Trainer’s Consultation in Antipolo. PMA is sponsoring this so we will have numerous responsibilities during it. Also Dr. Met Castillo, founder of PMA and director of Great Commission Missions Training Center (GCMTC) in Antipolo, has asked me to teach a 3 credit semester course on Teaching Principles and Practice in the B.A. course he is now offering. That runs from November to March. I’ve not taught anything like this before and my own teacher training was over 30 years ago (!) so it is a daunting yet exciting prospect. As I do reading in preparation for teaching I’m getting more excited at the challenge and potential of helping a group of students learn to teach in creative ways when their own education has consisted mainly of rote learning.

Wil will stay at the beach until Wednesday with the Burdick family.
We’ll be together on Thursday, then we have another Missions Involvement Seminar on Friday. Wil starts classes again the following Tuesday. Pray for health and healthy interaction.

Posted by David at 10:15 AM

September 4, 2004

Our Anniversary

9/9/04
Today is our 200th month wedding anniversary! Since we got a late start on marriage and weren't sure we would make it to 50 years, we decided to celebrate each month. Often the celebration has been very limited, and even some of the yearly anniversaries haven't been much of a celebration (last January 9th we were just flying in to Portland after being stranded in Minneapolis for 4 days and the one before Ben and I were in Singapore and Dave and Wil were in Manila!) but tonight Dave and I are going out to a Swiss restaurant to commemorate our fabulous holiday in Switzerland last summer. Many of our photos taken there look like the came off of a calendar, so we will put some up on the website to share with you.

Posted by David at 12:48 AM