Update on Mom's surgery...

(Written on the day of surgery-- Dec. 14th, evening)

Hi everyone,

Sorry I didn't write sooner but our internet has been down all day.
My Mom's surgery went very well. The surgeon was able to salvage the nerve that connects her vocal chords so her voice is fine. PRAISE THE LORD!
He also said that he's fairly certain he was able to get the parathyroids (that were also in question) but will know for sure, once he gets the pathology results (they should have within the week). The surgeon wasn't able to get the last bit on the left side, due to so much damage & scar tissue from previous surgeries, but feels confident that due to how small the growth is there, that it may not even be tumour. He is confident that they were able to get all that they needed too.
I had planned to go in to the hospital this morning but Callie woke up at 2am, throwing up and continued that on for the rest of the night/morning. So I wasn't able to get into Vancouver but Dad said that they'd be keeping her over night tonight, and hopefully sending her home tomorrow.
So overall, good results. God was so gracious and answered our prayers! He is so good and we're exceedingly grateful for such a positive outcome.

After talking to my Dad this evening, it sounds like Mom is in quite a bit of pain now, especially her throat from intubation, and her neck/chest from the incision. So please pray that she'll get a good rest tonight and that the recovery will move along speedily and with as little pain as possible.

Thank you again for your ongoing prayers. Its an incredible thing to know that so many people are lifting Mom in prayer! Blessings to you for your invaluable support & friendship.

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(Update: Dec. 15th, lunchtime)

Mom is HOME!! I just talked to her on the phone and had tears in my eyes as I pondered what a true miracle it was to hear her voice. She sounded good and is happy to be able to rest in the comfort of her own home and sleep in her own bed :) You can continue to pray for healing and the road of recovery ahead. But thank God for his abundant protection and goodness! We're so thankful!!

Will you pray?

Hey everyone!

I'm writing to ask you all for prayer. My Mom heads into surgery tomorrow morning @ 9:30am and we'd really appreciate all the prayer we can get!

Please pray that:

- the surgeon gets a good night's sleep tonight and is bright & alert tomorrow morning!

- peace for Mom as she goes into surgery

- wisdom & accuracy for the surgeons as they operate

- protection over Mom's vocal chords

- speedy recovery

Thanks for your support! Prayer is a powerful thing & we're thankful for a loving heavenly Father who hears our prayers.

A day of celebration...

Today, we CELEBRATE!

After months of battling to find renters for our townhouse, God finally provided us with a wonderful couple today! They are Korean church-planters here in Chilliwack and will be moving into our house next Wednesday. I cannot begin to tell you the intense relief this brings us. But most of all, its just another story of God's immense provision and faithfulness to us. He has provided in ABUNDANCE over the last few months and has given us unending proof of his promise to provide for us. We're so thankful to serve a God who cares so deeply. Thank you to everyone who has been praying for us and this specific prayer request! We're so thankful for this answer to prayer!!

Quick update...

Many of you have been asking how my Mom is doing, how our discernment meeting went, etc., so I thought I'd send you a quick update.

My Mom got into St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver last Thursday and the new surgeon re-ran all of her tests. It was a little discouraging for her to have to go through all of the ultrasounds, scopes, etc. all over again (she was originally told that wouldn't be necessary) but she was thankful that the new surgeon was at least making her a priority. The tests went well and she is officially on the list for surgery. Looks like it will most likely be sometime in January. Mom said she definitely feels like she's in good hands as this new surgeon said there is some new technology that can detect nerves within scar tissue. Although St. Paul's doesn't actually have this technology, he said he's going to do all he can to get his hands on it for her surgery. So you can pray that would be possible!
And, one neat thing that happened last Thursday-- after finishing one of Mom's tests, the surgeon came into the room and asked: "Do you have influence here?" She shook her head & he replied that he had never received a report from their Ultasound Dept. so quickly! She smiled & thought.....aaah yes. I DO have influence :)
So your prayers are definitely having impact. Thank you for praying and please continue to do so!

As for discernment with MBMSI, we met with their lead team today. It was a good meeting and both Jon and I felt very relaxed.... like chatting with old friends :) We came away from it, feeling very at peace and knowing that God has had this planned all along, and already knows the outcome. Therefore, we have peace in knowing that He has good plans for us. MBMSI will be announcing teams/locations on Wednesday afternoon, so we'll let you know as soon as we know!

Other than that, life continues to fly by. Hard to believe we only have just over a month left in training. This time has been busy, somewhat stressful at times, but also very fruitful and encouraging. We continue to anticipate the exciting times ahead!

So with that, I'll sign off for now and we'll be updating you again, after Wednesday's big announcement.

Need your prayers!

TUESDAY, October 19th
After visiting the surgeon today, my Mom found out that she has a cancerous tumour in her thyroid. She has had several thyroid surgeries in the past which means there is a great deal of scar tissue, making the now needed surgery virtually impossible to complete, without rupturing the vocal chords. The tumour is growing at a very rapid pace and there is now concern that if it isn't removed promptly, it may start to seep through the walls of the thyroid and into her blood stream. So essentially... this is a seemingly "lose-lose" situation. If she has the operation, she'll likely never speak again. And if she doesn't, it could be fatal. As you can imagine, the fear is very real for all of us right now, and though we're trying to keep an optimistic outlook, this is incredibly scary.

Her surgery has been set for Nov. 24 but it is very likely that they'll be shooting to do it on Nov. 3rd as the surgeon has an open day. This will be confirmed within the next few days.

Please pray for a number of things:
- pray for guidance & wisdom for the doctor as he performs this very risky surgery
- pray that the vocal chords will go untouched
- pray that the doctor will be able to remove ALL of the tumour
- pray for deep PEACE for Mom and our family

Thank-you for interceding in this way. I know Mom will appreciate all the prayer she can get!

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Friday, October 22

We could use more prayer for my Mom. She just got more discouraging news today.

The surgeon that was supposed to be performing the surgery in November has now called to say that he just doesn't feel comfortable doing it, and has decided to refer her to another specialist in Vancouver. This comes as a great discouragement because the fear is that now it will take even longer to get the surgery done. She's already been put through the "ringer" for the last 9 months, and the thought of having to go through MORE testing and waiting LONGER is absolutely defeating.

Please pray that this new surgeon will get back to her immediately, and that the surgery won't be delayed any longer. This is tough enough as it is, let alone the thought of it being put off.

Thanks & we'll try to keep you posted.

Prayer...

I've been sitting here tonight, with a very heavy heart for our friends Steph & Clay. I'd like to request prayer for them and their baby girl, Dallyce. She was born this March and they've had an extremely difficult road to walk. Dallyce has Spinal Muscular Atrophy (Type 1) and will likely never live the life that I'm sure they had imagined for her. I cannot even begin to imagine the pain and grief they are going through, and so I ask that you lift them in prayer. I believe that God still works miracles and that is my prayer for them-- that He would heal Dallyce and give her a long & full life. Click here to read their story.

PLEASE pray!

I'm writing tonight, begging for your prayers.  I can't give any details right now and I hope that you can understand that, but we got some bad news today and are asking for as much prayer as we can get.  Rest assured that Jon, baby and I are fine but our hearts are burdened for a loved one that needs your fervent prayers right now.  Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.