Prayer answered

February 22, 2007
Well, we have good news. Our friends (and neighbors) in Plainfield have offered to let us use their condo in Az for a very reasonable price for 6 weeks. We are all set.
As some of you know I have been having trouble with laryngitis since my cold in January and I saw the ENT this morning and he said I have a partially paralzed vocal chord from my thyroid surgery in December. This is a common complication and it could improve over the next few months but I can use my voice and the left vocall chord will try and compensate for the lack of movement on the right. Anyway no treatment, no surgery, just time.
Joe had some nausea the last two mornings but the rest of the day was OK. We are diving every day as we only have a few days left to get this in. We are trying to watch the sunsets and take in as much of this as we can while we are here. Will keep you informed of our plans but we are so thankful that all the pieces have come together now. Again, thanks for your prayers. God Bless Mary Anne

2-21-07

It’s been awhile since we blogged and there have been some changes. Joe is still feeling about the same but our daughter Karen has checked into a doctor in Phoenix that is oncology, homeopathic alternative medicine. We have decided to go and spend some time with him. Therefore we are leaving Bonaire on the 9th of March instead of in April and will probably be in Phoenix for a month at least. He is a strong proponent of raw vegan diet, getting your immune system built up and getting you body in an alkaline state. He uses insulin therapy and then very low dose chemo to attack the cancer cells directly. We will go to Chicago for a few days and get a P ET scan done and some blood work and then drive to Phoenix. We will stay with Karen for a few days but hope to rent a house or condo for the remainder of the time. When Karen mentioned coming sooner than the end of April Joe thought about it and prayed for a sign from God that this would be the right decision. The next day I asked Joe if I could talk to him about something and said maybe we should consider going back early. When we went to switch the airline tickets and make dates for the tests everything went so smoothly, we just feel this is the right decision. We will arrive home on the 9th of March and hopefully leave for Phoenix the following Tuesday or Wednesday, stopping in Kansas City at the international House of Prayer and spend some time w ith Kelli who is on staff full time there now. For those you who don’t know, she was Karen’s missionary friend in Russia and has continued to be part of the family since then.
We have had a wonderful time in Bonaire for these two months and missed some awful weather in Chicago. We have spent time with our friends from several European countries, Roland and Renata, Peter and Segrid, Rudy and Josiann, and our stateside friends, Ed and Jayne, Bob and Diane, Steve, Lorre and others that have made our stay so worthwhile. Of course our island friends will be staying here, and if all goes well we hope to use our third month in the fall. We did start a small group with our church down here and that has been a great experience. Joe has been able to lead worship twice while we were here so he hasn’t gotten out of practice.
Our prayer needs now are that the tests will not show any further deterioration in the organs, that Dr. Lodi will be able to help us put this disease behind us, and that we can find suitable lodging in Phoenix. We also need prayer for Joe for courage to go through these tests again and know that whatever the outcome, it is in God’s plan. Thanks you again for all your concern and prayers and we will keep you updated on any changes. God Bless all of you. Our church’s verse for February is very fitting. Phil 4 6-7
Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God and the peace that transcends all understanding will guard your minds and hearts in Christ Jesus.

Enjoying Bonaire

Hi dear friends and family,
We haven't posted in way too long but the good news is we are doing so well.
Joe has had a week of no pain and very little queasiness. The last children left a week ago and his week with them had some pain which is always scary but this week has been great. We have been diving every day and have seen some wonderful things -- like free swimming green moray, turtles, unusual fish etc. We have also seen, from the shore, humpback whales which are rare for Bonaire. We've also seen dolphins. We hope to swim with the dolphins but it is hard to guess where they will be.
We have many friends on the island right now and some more coming so they help fill the loneliness we feel now that the children have left. Joe was not sure he would even be here so we know we are blessed. We heard that another cc friend Mark Clements lost his battle about two weeks ago. We were sorry to hear that and his sister Stacie was responsible for getting the website going to let us keepin touch with each other.
We had our second small group meeting from church here last Tuesday and it went well. It is nice to get to know the permanent residents of Bonaire who share a faith with us and it adds a dimension to our stay here that is very necessary.
We spend each Friday night at the Ribs Factory even tho we don't eat ribs anymore. We do, however, get to join our friends there.
We have been here one month and hope to be here for two more. I still don't have my voice back completely, but it keeps me from talking too much at one time.
Again, thank you to all of you who are praying and caring for us and we thank God for you each day. God Bless and we will try and post sooner the next time.
We're off to dive in the beautiful Caribbean! Mary Anne