Here is what is NEW

Just a little update on my brother Kary. Today he met with many different doctors and nutrionists. This place is very focused on meeting the needs of the patient entirely. He has a counselor and pastor assigned to him and they go to laugh therapy to get the great endorphines working. They look at all medicines and natural therapies as well and everyone that is there loves God..doesn't get much better than this for cancer help. So far the plan is to have immediate bypass surgery ( this is not the big surgery yet) and will have fractionalized chemo starting right away too. He will be there for 4-5 weeks to have this done. He will come home for two weeks and then return for another month for radiation and then they will decide about the BIG surgery. He will also be receiving natural supplements and feedings too so he will not lose more weight. It is great because here in Washington and Oregon they wanted to spread everything out over many months and that just gives the cancer more time to spread. They said he is young enough to handle the intensity of a more aggressive treatment:) That is just what we wanted to hear. You can pray for their daughter Brittany as she will be apart from them for quite awhile with my mom.

Also, my liver has continued to cooperate and the levels are returning much more to normal. They said in one month I should be back to normal levels and then we will start to work on my chronic anemia and weird blood. I am having an MRI to make sure the spot on my liver is nothing. I am choosing not to be fearful over that!!! I truly never dreamed I would have a blog and then on top of that be writing about my LIVER!???! Life is strange:)

Also, we are so thankful we just received word that our friend Delynn, who is in Ethiopia adopting Dawit ( age 6) is doing great. Her new son has taken to her with open arms and keeps asking when they are going home to America. She is a first time mom and so we are so thankful that things are going great! He loves to ride bikes and his mom is an avid rider--perfect!


God is good!

Malachi's First Slide Ride--Hold On

My Brave Brother

Here is a picture of my amazing brother Kary and his wife Regina and Brittany ( 8 years old) this past Sunday as we had a family get together to send him off to Tulsa Oklahoma for his cancer treatment. He is so peaceful to be around and such a fighter. He is an engineer and is approaching this treatment in much the same way he works his math formulas and planning. If anyone can beat this with God's guidance it will be my little brother. We are 13 months apart and he was always the one that did well in everything. The teachers were always so happy when I would take a class after him and I would have to quickly explain that my brother and I are very different. I saw school in such a more social way than he did:) I was always proud of him, and his courage has made me more proud of him than ever. Thank you for your prayers!

In His Shadow

I have been finding such comfort knowing we are truly in God's shadow. Psalm 91 lets us know that we are as HIS baby bird in a nest completely covered by HIM.

Timing is Everything--- or is it?

Today we found out that my brother's tumor is cancer. He is so strong and has a good outlook. They have had nothing but doom and gloom from the doctors here so he will leave on Tuesday for Tulsa to Cancer Treatment Centers of America. This is a wonderful place and my dad had treatments there too. We only wish this had been the first line of defense so my brother is going to make this his first. They are cutting edge, but look at the whole health picture and love God so we are thankful Please pray for him to have complete healing and comfort for our family-- this is very hard on my mom and his wife as you can imagine. Brittany will be staying with my mom most of the time so that will be nice and the kids are going to church day camp next week together.

The day in May I was rushed to the hospital is the day we were going to sign our acceptance papers for moving to Ethiopia. Aser even had to call and let them know it would not be faxed back that day as we had an emergency. The day before we had made an official announcement for us that we would be moving to Ethiopia and Aser would be building the translation center for Wycliffe Bible Translators and I would be teaching at the SIM school called Bingham Academy. We were going to live on the compound of the school and have to be there by August 11th. This would have been a whirlwind, but it seemed like God was laying such a clear path for us to move and then BAM we hit a brick wall that we could not avoid. It is going to take me up to 3 months to regain my total strength and I need to still figure out my blood stuff. Then when my brother was diagnosed we knew for sure we would not be moving to Ethiopia soon. I am not sure why God led us to the doorstep of Ethiopia and then the door would not unlock. Was He seeing if were willing to sell everything and step out in faith? Is it that we may still go, but now is not the time? I can rest knowing that God is in control, but sometimes it would be so much easier seeing a plot map detailing His will. I can still smell Ethiopia and see the vividness of it all. It seems easier to stay here with five children, but there is still such an ache in my heart for Addis Ababa. Just knowing that if I was an Ethiopian woman and got as sick as I did and did not have access to such great care and tranfusions I may have become a stastic-- it really makes you think about the suffering there. We will see where God leads us and I hope we will be open enough to still hear His voice.

Thank you for your prayers--

We are begging for prayers in our family right now

I am sorry this has not been updated recently. I, Kimberly, have Hepatitis A that resulted from our International Travel Clinic oversight ( that is another story--since I did request it and thought I had it- Even for four days at hospital I told the doctors, " Oh yeah I am sure I had it!" ). Malachi was positive and his doctor missed it on him since they had such a hard time getting any blood when he first arrived. My liver enzymes have started to turn the corner now and I am still very yellow with intense itching. I have never felt anything like this before-- it is even under toenails at times. I am very slowly getting my strength back. Three weeks ago they were telling me I probably had a cancer that was not very treatable so I have been very thankful that this is something I will conquer with little side effects. It may take 3-6 months, but much better than the original prognosis. However, HERE IS WHAT WE ARE BEGGING FOR YOU TO COME ALONGSIDE AND PRAY WITH US FOR:
My younger brother Kary, age 38, was rushed into the hospital two days ago and they have been doing all kinds of tests on him. He has lost about 30 pounds lately and has not been feeling well in his stomach. Well late this evening we received word that they found tumors on his pancreas. We are hoping tomorrow they will go in and do a biopsy and then by early next week we will know exactly what we are dealing with. They did say he will have chemo no matter what which leads us to believe this is a cancer. We are stunned! My poor mother who has been caring for Malachi for me while I have been sick lost my father to cancer only 7 years ago-- this is so very hard on her. Kary is married and his wife Regina has a daughter that my brother has taken as his own. He is such a wonderful man and I am in agony over his pain and prognosis. WE NEED A MIRACLE and I do know God provides those. Thank you for once again praying for our family. He is a hospital right now in Vancouver, but will probably come over to the Portland side. God is faithful and I know we do not understand His plans, but I pray for mercy and grace over my brother right now. PSALMS 91!!!!