Giving Thanks (11/26/2006)

Hello to All,

Although 2006 was not the year we had hoped for, we are very grateful for God's presence and comfort, his provision and strength during the last six months. Here is our Top Ten List for giving thanks today.

10. Provision of a new job. I started with Tribridge (www.tribridge.com) at the end of March as a result of an interview with a competing consulting firm the previous September. I was an independent consultant prior to Tribridge - no sick or vacation time, no health insurance, and compensation based on billable work. My managers have graciously given me flexibility so that I can be with Ann in Houston.

9. Graduation from seminary. We are grateful that I graduated (May 13th) before the full force of the storm hit. Taking classes under the present circumstances would not be possible. Coming up a few classes short would have been exasperating.

8. Timing of my heart attack. We are thankful that my heart attack (May 15th) proceeded Ann's surgery and initial diagnosis (July 26th). Fortunately, I had regained much of my physical and emotional strength. It would have been messy if Ann's cancer had hit first.

7. Character of our doctor. Our doctor at M.D. Anderson is competent, confident, and compassionate. We need all three to have the strength and courage to fight.

6. Generosity of family and friends. Countless emails, cards, and calls have encouraged us. Delicious meals, bags of groceries, school lunch money, and gift cards have kept the kids from suffering with my cooking. Friends and family have sent generous gifts. Co-workers from Dallas and Florida have donated vacation time and cash. Our church in Iowa continues to give, as they have since we left nine years ago. Our home Bible study group here in Dallas has been indispensable. Don't go through a storm without one. We know that God has not abandoned us because you have been with us, bearing our burdens (Gal 6:2).

5. Sacrifice of our moms. Both our moms have put a portion of their lives on hold in order to help us out. Both have already been with us for extended stays. Ann's mom returned for Thanksgiving and will stay past Round 5. My mom is returning for Christmas and will stay past Round 6.

4. Courage of our kids. It's hard to know at times how our kids are doing. As might be expected we have had a number of family meltdowns. However, we take heart that teachers, youth pastors, and friends have all observed that the kids seem to be handling the separation, fear, and uncertainty quite well. We are grateful for your heartfelt prayers for our kids.

3. Faith of our friends. DeeDee, a nurse in Dallas, prayed for the initial diagnosis (90% certainty) to be wrong because God was the God of the 10%. She was right and the pathologist was wrong. Sergio, an elder in our church in Dallas, prayed for healing when I had no hope. I thought it was a nice gesture, but naive. Joe and Terry, a pastor who himself was healed from 4th stage melanoma (www.fbcwr.org), encouraged us to trust God for complete healing. It was ok for Ann to want to live and to be there for our grandkids. Charles, our pastor from Iowa, not only drove down for our first appointment with the oncologist, he is also leading the church to fight for Ann's life through prayer. Many of you have expressed your passionate prayer that Ann be healed. The list can go on and on. Your faith carries us when we are paralyzed (Mark 2:1-5).

2. Toleration of Chemo. Ann has completed four tough rounds of chemo and is holding up remarkably well. We expect that she will be able to make it through six rounds with this regimen. The test results after Round 2 indicated that the chemo was killing the cancer. We will have another group of tests on Thursday and will learn those results on Friday. We pray that six rounds will be enough.

1. The hope of Scriptures. We have been reading the Bible together each day since we first learned Ann had cancer. It was the only way we could deal with it. The Psalms provide us with comfort. The gospels provide us with hope. We believe in the resurrection of the dead (John 11:25) and we believe that Jesus heals in response to faith (Mark 10:51-52).

We hope that our Top Ten List will encourage you to see the Father in the midst of your own storm.

Thank you for your passionate prayers,
Howard & Ann
Paul, Drew, Hannah, & Matt

Recovery from Round 4 (11/21/2006)

Hello to All,

We returned from Houston a week ago after successfully completing Round 4. Our doctor was very pleased at how well Ann has tolerated the chemo. The immediate goal is to make it through Round 6. At that point the side effects of the chemo will be weighed against its effectiveness in retarding the cancer to determine if Ann continues two more rounds, takes a break, or tries another regimen. Ann is ready for a break.

When considering the toxic nature of her chemo regimen, Ann is doing tremendously well. She has only had occasional nausea, her internal organs are still functioning perfectly, and we have not had to postpone any treatments.

When considering what her "normal" life was like, she feels pretty crummy. She started to feel good after Round 3 on the day we returned to Houston for Round 4. She needed a platelet transfusion after Round 3. Today she will receive both a platelet and a blood transfusion. We need to expect that each round will be incrementally more difficult.

As might be expected the physical fatigue contributes to emotional fatigue and this recovery period has been the toughest emotionally. We are all tired of the stress.


Prayer Requests:

• That Ann would tolerate today's transfusions without any negative reactions. (The platelet transfusion last month resulted in a precautionary trip to the emergency room.)
• That Ann would enjoy Thanksgiving this week without worrying about what next Thanksgiving will bring.
• That God would completely heal Ann in his way and in his time so that she can know our grandchildren.
  

Psalm 90:13-15
So teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom.
Do return, O LORD; how long will it be? And be sorry for Your servants.
O satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness, That we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
Make us glad according to the days You have afflicted us, And the years we have seen evil.


Thanks for praying and caring for us.
Howard & Ann