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.