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.