September Update

Dear Praying and Supporting Family,

We have been pretty poor bloggers as of late. To much travel and to long of hours when we are here in the Calgary Office. It's hard to believe that our last update was the middle of July :(

First of all a recent update on Barbara.

Her latest blood work indicated a cancer count of 1.1 (one point one) which is considered in the normal range. Also her most recent CT-PET scan showed no visualization of any cancer sites anywhere in her body. She returned to work as a special-ed/severely handicapped teacher for the LA School District on August 29th. We continue to praise God for the miracle of healing that He has and continues to do in Barb's body. Your prayers have been a vital part of that process. She is still on the aggressive chemo-therapy requiem but the doctor will not give her many more of these kinds of treatments, perhaps only one more but possibly as many as three. When this is finished he will likely prescribe some kind of more mild maintenance chemo just to make sure, at least in his mind, that the cancer will not return. Barb also continues with her strict alkaline diet which we believe is also aiding in her healing. Thank you for praying and please do continue to pray because while huge progress has been made things are still far from "normal"
after a grueling 10 months of battling for her life. God is good and we all give Him praise for all that He has done. While we were were at Barb and Erik's on vacation
in late July we held a family praise time in which we sang, read Scripture, gave testimony and all placed rocks in a fountain as a visible reminder to Barb and to all of us that Jesus is our rock and our fortress and the one who freely gives us living water welling up to eternal life. Pray for Erik as he is now back in school for his final year of study leading to a degree in speech pathology


While in S. California it was wonderful seeing Jon, Amy and family as they were home for the summer touching bases with their partners.

They returned to Asia two days ago. Please pray for them as they settle back into life there and especially for Jeremiah as he starts starts school at an International school in another part of town. Alenna will return to her previous school and of course Sydney Grace and little Madelene will be at home. Amy will be taking one more semester of full time language study so she would appreciate you remembering her for that. Jon will once again take up his teaching responsibilities at the language school.

We visited with Tim, Naomi and kids, both on our way down to California and on our way back.

It was great being with them as well as with Joan's sister Judy and brother in law Jim and Joan's Mom. Tim has gone back to work for Noritsu, the Japanese company that he work for previously for a number of years. He started back with them just a few days ago.

We also saw Ruth while in S. California.

She spent a good part of her summer studying as she is working on a Master's Degree in math. She is now back to teaching Jr. High math as well as taking some courses for her MA degree. She teaches for the Norwalk/La Mirada School District.

We loved seeing our grandchildren and even had a chance to see 9 of the elven all together.


We especially enjoyed spending time with our youngest grandchild Madeleine.

Along with our responsibilities here in Wycliffe Canada we both have been traveling especially Joan as she has been doing down to LA to be with Barb the first few days after taking chemo-therapy. We both were also in Nebraska at the North American Forum of Bible Agencies in late August.

Please pray about the sale of our house in Idyllwild, California. We have officially put it on the market but residential house sales are slow in the US at this time so we need just the right buyer to come along.

Barb's Mot Recent Update

Dear Family & Friends,

It;s been awhile since we updated the blog but we have been waiting for the results of Barb's most recent CT/PET scan. On Monday of this week she saw her oncologist and received more good news. These most recent scans when compared to the ones in April showed marked improvement. Actually they were negative for any active cancer which verifies what her blood cancer count of 2.3 also indicated. Does this mean she is cancer free? No, but it does mean that the cancer is not active. In fact the scans indicated no visualization of previously seen lesions on both the lungs and liver. The cancer cells are either dead or dormant and no new ones are appearing. We praise the Lord for this incredible good news and can only attribute it to your prayers and the prayers of others in the Body of Christ around the world. Her unsaved doctor even attributed it to both the chemo and to prayer. :) He has been absolutely amazed because in December he only gave her six months to live.

Regardless of this good report the doctor wanted her to continue to take her last two treatments of agressive chemo. She had # 8 yesterday. Joan and I are on two weeks vacation and arrived here in LA on Wednesday evening having driven straight through from Vancouver, WA. We were 4 days in the Vancouver/Portland area visiting Joan's Mom, Sister Judy and Brother-in-law Jim and our son Tim and his family who are now living in one side of the duplex that we bought in Portland. We also got to see Naomi's parents, Larry and Barbara Podmore, who were visiting from Manila. They work for Far East Broadcasting Corporation, a Christian broadcasting network sharing the Good News of Christ throughout Asia.

What is next for Barb? She will have her 9th and last seheduled agressive chemo on August 1st and then the doctor will evaluate if she needs additional lower levels of some kind of maintainance chemo. Barb and Erik need wisdom as to what they want to pursue after the last agressive chemo. In addition to the chemo Barb has been maintaining a very strict diet which includes taking Goji juice from Nepal, Mangosteen juice from the Philippines, a special kind of tea from Africa and also regular amounts of fresh wheat grass. All of these juices are extremely high in alkaline as are all the other foods that she is eating. Recent studies from John Hopkins clearly indicate that cancer cells do not live in an alkaline environment. At least one of the clinics that we looked into early on indicated that this is their primary mode of treatment. They simply alkaline the body and starve the cancer. So right now we are attributing Barb's incredible progress, first of all to prayer and God's power to heal and secondarily to Barb's diet and the chemo. The combination is working and we continue to covet your prayers until the day when Barb is declared totally cancer free. It has been and continues to be a journey in which God has taught Barb and all of us new things concerning His marvelous grace. There are so many things in life that we take for granted, including good health, and it is only through these kinds of experiences that the Lord takes us to new depths of understanding concerning His love, grace and mercy.

Our daughter Amy, husband Jon and four kids, Jeremiah, Alenna, Sydney Grace & Madeleine are home for a short break from Asia. They are in Idyllwild, CA so next week we will go up to Idyllwild and spend some time with them. We will also look into working with a real estate agent to sell our Idyllwild house. Please pray about this as we definitely need to sell it in the next few months in order to pay off the Portland duplex.

On Thursday of next week we are planning to have a family time of praise to the Lord for all that He has and continues to do for all of us. We are hoping that Tim and Naomi can join us by skype for this time of celebration.

Next Friday we will drive back to Portland and then on Saturday back to Calgary and back to work on Monday morning. Our daughter Ruth will accompany us to Portland and we are looking forward to that time with her. She will spend time visiting her brother and family, grandmother, and Aunt & Uncle in the Portland area.

Immediate prayer requests would include 1) Barb as she gets beyond these first few days of chemo, especially the nerve pain in her hands and feet which is one of the side effects of one of the chemo drugs. 2) Our visit with Jon, Amy and kids. 3) Our long drive back to Calgary over a two day period and 4) Giving attention to some of the pressing needs of Wycliffe Canada upon our return. We love you all and praise God for each one of you.

Love & Prayeers

Dave & Joan

Hi Everyone,

You are probably thinking that we forgot how to post on our blog seeing how it has been so long.

We have been so busy with ministry here in the Wycliffe office and with Joan traveling back and forth to LA to be with Barb that we have hardly had time to sit down at the computer after work hours. Also we have been waiting for the doctors to actually run some additional tests on Barb so that we had something more definite to report on her ongoing cancer treatment. As you may recall she had a very encouraging report after her 4th round of chemo.

She has now completed her sixth treatment and visited the doctor yesterday in preparation for the seventh treatment on Thursday of this week (June 21) After this last treatment the doctor did run a blood cancer count test and told Barb the results yesterday. We have more GREAT NEWS to report. When she started treatment the cancer count was nearly 700. After her first treatment it dropped to 90 and after her third treatment it had dropped to 59 and now after this sixth treatment it has dropped to 2.3 (not 23 but 2 point 3) which is in the normal range for all people because we all have some cancer cells running around in our bodies. Does that mean Barb is now considered cancer free? No, as more definitive tests are needed and the doctor plans to do another CAT/PET scan soon which will indicate more fully the effectiveness of the treatment. What this most recent test does show is that Barb has come a very long ways in her treatment and continues to show great improvement. Her doctor who is a non-believer even said to her yesterday "It really makes me happy when miracles happen." He has continually been amazed at the progress Barb has made as he was not optimistic at all when treatment was initiated. For Barb and all of us this is a testimony of God's healing power and the power of the prayers of the Body of Christ. You have been and continue to be a critical part of what God is doing in Barb's body, mind and spirit. She is scheduled to have an additional three treatments the last one being given on August 1st. Things to continue to pray about are.
1. Barb's ability to continue to handle these last three treatments
a. She is needing to get shots to build up her white blood count before each treatment.
There are some side effects from these shots. We thank the Lord for her medical
coverage which pays for the shots which are extremely expensive.
b. Her most serious side effect to date has been the neuropathy (extreme nerve pain) in
her hands and feet. It has been lasting longer after each treatment. Pray it will not
not cause any permanent damage to the nerves.
c. Pray that all other side effects will continue to be minimal as they have been
throughout all the treatments to date.
d. That Barb will be able to find the balance needed between a busy life with five
children and needed time for rest and refreshment. Summer vacation is now here
so the schedule is a bit more relaxed.
2. Pray for the whole family as they have now moved into Erik's childhood home and are
in the process of living in a house that is undergoing some major renovations.
3. Pray for Barb as she stays focused and disciplined in terms of her diet and other
things she is doing which we believe are aiding in the healing process.
4. Pray for all those who have been such a big help to Barb and family. The school where
the girls attend continues to bring the evening meal. They have been doing this for five
months now. For the LA school district that continues to show support and have Barb
scheduled to return to the classroom in the fall. For Joan as she goes down to be with
Barb and family for the first week after the chemo is administered.

Pray for our summer schedule as we plan to spend time with Tim and family and Joan's Mom and sister and brother-in-law in the Portland OR/Vancouver WA area. After that we will go to a be with Barb for that first week after the seventh treatment. Jon and Amy and family will also be home from Asia at that time and will be in S. California so we will be able to see them as well as daughter Ruth who lives in Santa Ana , CA. Our time is fairly short so we will drive long days and work in as many activities as possible

Pray also for the sale of our Idyllwild, CA house. We are anxious to get it sold.

Thank you for your love, prayers and encouragement to Joan and I and the entire family as we have and continue to walk this journey of faith. We love and appreciate each of you so very much.

Dave & Joan

Great report on Barb

We are thrilled to update you on Barb's recent doctor visit and want to share this with you so that you too can praise our loving Lord for his healing in her body. This calls us to even more prayer for her and thanksgiving to our merciful God that has and will continue to answer all our prayers for Barb and family.


A personel note from Barbara Routh written yesterday, May 3/07

Hi My Dear Prayer Warriors,
I have great news to report! I had a PET/CT scan on Monday and today I visited my dr. for my regular pre-chemo checkup.
He had the results from Monday's scan. He said 'you couldn't ask for better news' and proceeded to read me the summary findings. Basically all the lesions have been reduced in size and number, many disappeared, and all have shrunk in size and density. I attribute this incredible reduction to your constant prayers!! We have shed tears of joy today, realizing how God is healing me.
Here are some quotes from the report. '...markedly improved in size and metabolic activity...non visualization of the previously seen multiple focal areas...marked reduction in the size and number of metastases. Previously there were too many to count with lesions measuring up to 2cm in the lungs. At present there are fewer than 20 lesions, less than 6mm diameter. ...marked interval improvement with tremendous dimiution in number and size of pulmonary and hepatic (liver) metastases...' My Dr. said he'd never seen the word tremendous in a report :)
So today I feel tremendous and in awe of God's grace. The Psalm for morning prayer today was Psalm 91 and that gave me much courage to go to the dr. appointment. To GOD be the glory!! Keep those prayers going please. They are the answer.
All my love and appreciation,
Barbara Routh

Update from Afar

Dear Praying Family and Friends,

It's been awhile since I have updated this blog but life has been a bit on the wild side the last three weeks. Joan and I had wonderful days with Jon and Amy and family in Asia, especially getting to know the new grand daughter God brought into all of our lives. She is a real sweetheart and a very good baby. Jon, Amy and family are doing well and continue to grow and improve in their fluency of the language. I left them on the 9th of April and went to Singapore for Asia-Pacific Area Meetings of Wycliffe and SIL. It was wonderful to be back with old friends from throughout the region. Exciting things are happening and I am delighted that Wycliffe Canada gets to be a part both by sending personnel and through funding of projects. We are also deeply connected through our worldwide prayer ministry.

I am currently in the Philippines spending time with The Translators of the Philippines that we had the privilege of helping to establish back in the early 80's. I'll also spend time with the Area Office and the Philippine Branch of The Summer Institute of Linguistics which we were a part of for the 31 years we were in Asia. I am also getting to touch bases with some dear Filipino friends while here including former Philippine Ambassador to the United Nations, Sedfrey Ordonez.

Joan left Jon & Amy yesterday morning and flew directly to Los Angeles to be with Barb as she starts her 4th round of chemo today (LA time). Thank you so much for your many prayers on her behalf in regards to her white cell blood count. It did come up enough to where the doctors felt comfortable enough for to take this 4th round as scheduled. Barb and Erik are now also working more closely with a medical doctor nutritionist who wants to help Barb improve her current diet even more. This weekend Ruth and Barb and Ros are planning to attend a Women's Spiritual Retreat sponsored by the church denomination that they are all a part of. Pray that Barb will have recovered sufficiently well enough from the first few days of this round of chemo to be able to attend. Feeding the spirit and soul is even more important in the healing process than even chemo and diet. All things working together, a big part of which are your prayers, we are trusting the Lord to bring complete and total healing to Barb, body, mind and spirit. Thank you for standing with us through this journey.

Our daughter-in-law Naomi was able to spend two weeks with Erik and Barb and the kids. She was a great help and we are so very grateful that she was able to be there. This is the first time that Renatah was able to see her cousins.

James 5:16 states "Pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man, (or woman) is powerful and effective." While the context is not specifically speaking to physical healing I believe the principle applies to physical, emotional and spiritual healing and as God's people unite in prayer the Lord hears and answers because He does delight in the prayers of His people. We are so grateful to be a part of God's worldwide body, the Church. God's grace is sufficient for our every need.

God Bless

Dave & Joan on behalf of Barb and the entire Ohlson Family

Greetings From Asia

Dear Praying Family & Friends,

We arrived here at Amy & Jon's on Friday evening March 23rd and after a good nights rest we spent Saturday just kicking back and enjoying some relaxed time with Jon, Amy and the kids. In the late afternoon we all took a good walk, including Amy who was able to take the brace off of her mending broken leg a few days ago. After a good meal at a nearby restaurant we settled in for the night. At midnight that Sunday evening Amy started having contractions and by 3:00 AM she felt it was time to go to the hospital so she, Jon and Joan left for the 30 minute drive. I stayed at home to watch the older kids. Upon arriving the examining nurse told Amy she was 5 cm dilated, so she was thinking that she was in for a few more hours of labour. However, things progressed very rapidly and after about 5 really hard contractions little Madeleine Leigh was born at 4:00 AM March 25th Asia time. She weighed in at 2925 grams and is 48.5 cm long. She is beautiful with lots of light brown hair. Both she and Mom are doing great, they came home from the hospital at noon today March 27th. She is adored and loved by all especially Jeremiah, Alenna and Sydney.


Barb started her 3rd round of chemo Monday March 26th. The doctor is a bit concerned that her white blood cell count is down some, so she is going to need to be extra careful to avoid being around anyone with an infection as her immune system is not as well equipped to fight off any potential infection and it would take her longer to recover should she catch something. Thanks for praying that she will be free of infection and that her white blood cell count will build back up. We are very grateful that Naomi and Renatah will be able to go and be with Barb for two weeks starting on March 28. Renatah looks forward to meeting her cousins for the first time as well.


Several days ago she got the results of the blood work back after her first round of chemo. We are praising the Lord that after that first treatment the cancer count dropped from nearly 700 to just 90. The doctor and all of us are so grateful for the effectiveness of the chemo that first round and for the part that her strict diet is having on fighting the cancer in her body. Above all we believe strongly that this is a direct answer to all the prayers of God's people who have been asking the Lord to bring healing to Barb's body. Thank you for being such a great part of the faithful who are remembering Barb before the throne of grace on a daily basis.

We are enjoying being with Jon, Amy and kids and getting a first hand look at their lives and work here. Their use of the language is impressive after nearly two years of full time study. This language is one of the more difficult languages to learn. The weather has been great since arriving with beautiful warm sunny spring days. Once Amy has fully recovered from the birthing process we will likely do some tourist kinds of things. I will leave April 9th for Singapore to attend the Asia-Pacific Area Meetings of Wycliffe International and then go on to the Philippines for a visit. Joan will remain here to help with the new baby along with Jon, Amy and family. You know how grandmas love to be with the grand kids :) especially a brand new one.

Thanks so much for your ongoing prayers for the whole family and most especially for Barb's healing. God is good and we give him all the glory for what He is doing in all of our lives.

March 14, 2007 Update

Dear Praying Family & Friends,

It hardly seems possible that it's been over a week since we last updated the blog. Thanks for your ongoing prayers for Barb. She is 10 days into her second round of chemo. Side effects this time around were a more severe rash which was very uncomfortable for a few days and the nerve sensation associated with anything cold. Both have improved over the last few days. Her energy level has been higher than expected and she has had virtually no nausea which is a direct answer to all of your prayers. This enables her to eat and drink well thus helping her to maintain her present level of strength. As of this posting we don't yet know the results of the blood work that will give some indication of the effectiveness of the first round of chemo. Hopefully we will have an update on that the next time we post. We are absolutely confident that your prayers are what sustains all of us during this trial and will be a major factor in Barb's long term healing. Joan and I were so encouraged during our week in Orlando when so many friends and colleagues came up to us and shared that they,their families,their home groups, their churches and friends were all praying. The Body of Christ is such an incredible blessing and source of encouragement during this time.

Amy is doing better each day in regards to her broken leg. In a recent e-mail she said she felt the baby has dropped and at a recent OB check the doctor feels the baby is doing fine and could potentially come at any time. We are hoping that the baby waits to make its appearance until after grandma and grandpa arrive on the 23rd but as you know babies come when they want to :)

We had a really good week in Orlando but the days were especially busy with meetings and fellowshiping with old friends and colleagues. We had a wonderful day on Saturday with Jon's parents Jim and Jan Holsclaw. Jan has finished her six of six scheduled rounds of chemo for ovarian cancer. They are anxiously awaiting the results of the most recent CT scan that will help the doctors to determine if any further treatment is required. We know they would appreciate you prayers during this time of waiting.

Strategic Planning Meetings have taken up most of our time since returning here to Calgary. Over the next few days I need to get the results of these meetings into a coherent strategic plan to present to the Board in May. Pray for clarity of mind as I and others distill our thoughts into a comprehensive and understandable plan that meets with Board approval.

We are adding a picture this time of our oldest daughter Ruth who is a school teacher in Norwalk, CA. She recently was chosen as the teacher of the year for her school. Way to go Ruth :) We are so proud of you.

March 4, 2007 update

Dear Praying Family and Friends,

Joan and I leave for the airport at 4:30 AM tomorrow to fly down to Orlando, FL. We will be there for the week attending meetings of the four largest Wycliffe organizations in our family of 50 entities around the world. The big four are USA, Canada, England, and Australia.
This is something that we do annually. This particular set of meetings will be especially important because of the changes going on in Wycliffe International, so you prayers are much appreciated. We will also be meeting with folks from New Tribes Mission with whom we hope to forge a partnership regarding the translation projects that they are doing around the world. In addition we will have some time with Jim and Jan Holsclaw, Jon's parents. As most of you are aware Jan has been undergoing chemo treatment for the last few months for ovarian cancer. She is finishing up her last of six treatments at the present time. It will be wonderful to see them. We return to Calgary on the 11th and will be here for 9 days before heading to various parts of Asia. We are really looking forward to time with Jon and Amy and being there to welcome a new grand child into the world.

Thank you so much for your ongoing prayers for Barb. She finished her first round of chemo a week ago and has had a good week without any drugs. She starts round two tomorrow. Pray that she will be able to tolerate this second round as well, if not better than the first. Pray especially for Erik as he and the many friends and colleagues who have offered to help will be able to come up with a schedule that will enable Barb to best cope with the treatment and its side effects, especially during the first few days. Ruth is planning on giving some help tomorrow after Barb gets back from the cancer center. Barb met with her oncologist recently and he said that the blood work done before the start of the first treatment showed a cancer count of 700. This is high and expected in stage four cancer but not as high as some which is often over 1000. We will have some indication of the effectiveness of the first round of chemo and the other things that Barb is doing once the lab reports are in. Your prayers in regards to the effectiveness of treatment is critical as we know that while medicine and diet are critical they can only do so much because it is only the Lord who enables the body to heal.

We are grateful that Amy's broken leg is healing and the doctor feels that she can now take the brace off at night to sleep. She saw her OB doctor and he said the baby is doing fine and has not been effected by the trauma to Amy's body. Do pray for a safe delivery coming up in the next three + weeks. Also continue to remember Jon as he keeps on with language studies and also picks up a lot of other duties that Amy normally does but is not able to do being on crutches.

I don't think that we have told you in the midst of all of the above the Lord impressed upon us that it was time to sell our house in Idyllwild, CA and reinvest in Portland, OR. We are actually in the process of purchasing a duplex. Tim and Naomi and family will live in one side and once we finish up our assignment here in Canada we will occupy the other side. Pray for the sale of the Idyllwild house, the rental of the one side until we are ready to return to the Northwest and for Tim and Naomi as they get settled into their side.

Joan's Mom, Margaret, continues to make good progress in healing from her fall after the New Year. She now has her cast off and the wrist has healed well and she has 90% mobiity. In a few days, March 16th she will celebrate her 93rd birthday.

Joan's broken wrist is also healing but because she had the cast on for so long it's taking time to regain complete mobility and use.

Update on Barb & Amy

Dear Praying Family & Friends

It's been several days since I have added a new posting to the blog so thought I should do that before I leave early in the morning for two days in Langley, BC. Joan and I both return to Calgary late Tuesday night, Joan from LA and me from BC. Thought you might enjoy a picture of "the old folks" here in the wilds of Canada.


Barb continues to tolerate this first round of chemo well. It has been two weeks since she started. She is taking a 3 chemo "cocktail" two of which are taken intraveinously at the hospital and the other orally starting the night before and then morning and night for the next two weeks. She will have a week of no chemo until the next treatment starts on March 5th. Your prayers have made a tremendous difference in her ability to deal with the side effects, when compared with some patients, hers have been minimal. She is of course tired and requires more rest but she is up and about doing many of the normal things a mom needs to do. We are so grateful for all the ongoing prayers and for the really encouraging support that she is getting from church, school(s) friends and family. She really enjoyed having her friend of 22 years from Faith Academy, Barb Cox, spend 4 days with her, her sister Ruth has been over several times and for the last two day her brother Tim as been with her and the family. Tim works for Kodak and was in LA for training. And as you know Joan has been there the last two weeks. Do pray that Barb will regain stamina over this next week in preparation for the next round of Chemo and that she will be able to tolerate the second round as well as she has on this first round. Above all continue to pray that the chemo in combination with the diet she is on will result in the eradication of all cancer cell from her body.



Amy is adjusting to a 24 hour a day brace on her leg and getting around on crutches. Not an easy task when you are 8 months pregnant and have a very active 2 year old (Sydney Grace) to chase after as well as the two older children Jeremiah and Alenna. We had a three way Skype call on Friday evening with Barb's family and Amy's family and me here in Calgary. Modern technology makes staying connected a lot easier these days. Not like the old days when we relied on "snail mail" that took 3 weeks or more. And with video cameras connected with Skype you can even see the the others you are talking to. Now that is a plus, especially for grand parents :) Do continue to pray for Amy as she shared on the Skype call that her leg is still swollen and sore. Pray for Jon as well as he picks up extra duties around the house, keeps up with language studies and carry on with work.
Pray for Joan and I over the next couple of weeks in regards to travel. We both return to Calgary Tuesday night, late. We are here for a few days and then on March 5th we travel to Orlando for meetings. We return to Calgary on March 11th and go directly into another set of meetings here with senior leadership staff. During our time in Orlando we will be seeing Jim and Jan Holsclaw, Jon's parents. We are so grateful for all your prayers for Jan who is just now finishing up her 6th round of chemo for the treatment of ovarian cancer. Treatment results have been very encouraging. It will be wonderful to see them.

We are so blessed by you our brothers and sisters in Christ who have made this difficult journey to date easier than we would have imagined it could be.

Love & Prayers

Dave & Joan and for the whole family

Dear Praying Friends, February 19, 2007

I will be posting a new update on Barb in a couple of days but wanted to put one on for one of our other daughters. Barb's younger sister Amy and her husband (Jon Holsclaw) and three children are with another agency serving in Asia.


Over the weekend they went with friends to usher in the New Year. The festivities were complete with fireworks. One of the rockets that was designed to go straight up went side ways and struck Amy in the leg and broke the tibia. She is nearly eight months pregnant so the next few weeks will be challenging ones for her and the family as Amy will be on crutches for around eight weeks.

As you know the last few months have been a season of challenge for us. The most serious of course being Barb's cancer battle. In addition we have been dealing with Joan's broken wrist. The cast is now off but it is taking time to get it fully functional again after nine weeks of being imobilized. We have also been concerned for Joan's 92 year old Mom who fell and also broke her wrist. I may have also mentioned in our December prayer letter that I was experiencing a medical problem with my kidneys and the doctor was asking me to get more tests. With all that has been going on I have not yet gone in for those tests. :( Pray that I'll be able to get in soon for the tests and that the results will be of a positive nature.

In all of this we are asking the Lord to give us a good balance between the fact that we are quite possibly under attack by the enemy of our souls and what the Book of James says in chapter one verses 2-4. "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance and perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." We certainly do not want to miss anything that God has for us during this time. Your prayers have been a great sustaining factor in our lives and we are so grateful for your ongoing commitment to continue to bring all of us and most especially Barb before the throne of grace. Because of all that Jesus has done on our behalf and because of your many prayers we feel confident in claiming the promises of Hebrews 4:16 "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." God's grace truly is wonderful especially during times like these.

Dave for the whole family

Update on Barb February 16th

Dear Praying Friends,

Here is the latest on Barb. It's five days now since she started her first chemo. Overall she seems to be tolerating the chemo meds pretty well. The nerve sensations and reaction to cold seem to be decreasing some each day. She has had virtually no nausea which is a real blessing. This allows her to eat and drink and keep hydrated. She has experienced some mild headaches but they are manageable. She is of course fatigued but is still taking walks and trying to exercise and keep her body toned and in shape as much as possible. She is sticking to her alkaline diet of natural organic foods including the Goji juice from Nepal and the mangosteen juice from the Philippines. Last night she started experiencing pain in the liver/lung regions and called the doctor, as this is one of the things she needs to report on, any new pain. He said this is somewhat normal as the chemo begins to work on the lesions in those areas. Things to pray about would include: 1) The chemo meds will be effective. 2) The pain in the areas of affected lesions will be manageable 3) That she will be able to manage the dizziness/lightheadness that she sometimes has. 4) That she will be wise and not try and do more than she should, and listen to her mother :) 5) Pray that in the midst of all of this she can actually gain a bit of weight. 6)Pray for Erik and the children as they adjust to a wife and Mom who is not able to do all that she did in the past. 7) Continue to pray for Barb and all of us that we will continue to stay close to the Lord and in tune with all that He has for each one of us as we journey this road together. Your prayers are our greatest resource. Thanks for standing with us, James 5:13-15. We know your prayers are offered in faith.

Update on Barb

Dear Prayer Warriors,

Here is the latest update on Barb. Yesterday, Monday, was her first chemo. Her husband Erik and sister Ruth were with her throughout the long day of treatment. She did well and had a good night of sleep. She has done well today and has been up a good part of the day as the doctors do not want her just staying in bed, only resting when she needs to. She and Erik took a good walk together today. She has not had any nausea for which we are thankful. Her major side effects to this point have been a little difficulty in inital swallowing but once she has taken a few bites that goes away. She also is experiencing nerve sensations particularly in her hands and is wearing gloves to avoid touching anything cold. The same is true for drinking and eating, things must be warm or hot.

Joan flew down today and will be with Barb and family for the next two weeks. I get to talk with and see them all on Skype so that is helpful in keeping me connected. We do continue to rejoice over the one positive thing that we have heard from the doctors and that is that the CT scan done in December and the one done last week showed no further spreading of the cancer nor any detectable growth in the affected areas. We feel this as a real answer to prayer. We continue to be amazed, humbled and so grateful for the worldwide Body of Christ who are praying for Barb and for the whole family.

Trip to California

On January 16th Joan flew from Calgary to LA to be with Barb who had surgery for colon cancer on the 17th. The surgery went well and Barb has made a good recovery. Dave flew down for a week starting on the 26th and the two of us flew back to Calgary on February 3rd. While in LA we celebrated grand daughters Claire's (9) and Elise's (7) birthdays. We also helped with the care of all the kids and Barb over the flus and colds that had hit S.California including their household.
As we have shared earlier Barb's cancer has metastasized to her liver and lungs. The good news is that a PET scan that she had Monday February 5th showed that there was no change in the growth or spread of the cancer from the initial CT scan done before Christmas. We attribute this to the prayers of all of you who are bringing Barb and the whole family before the throne of grace. Thank you so much and please continue to pray.