For over two months, I've been the "voice" keeping everyone informed and updated on Bob's health challenges. It's time for Bob to "speak" for himself. Although he doesn't have much energy or interest in sitting at the computer, he sent the following message a week or so ago to the Pacific District Office and Family of Churches and here it is for you to read:
"I suppose you’ve heard through the grapevine that I have cancer. It was Good Friday when the Doctor confirmed that I had an inoperable, advanced cancer mass in my lower abdomen (Urothelial Carcinoma). It was discovered as they sought answers as to why my kidneys had almost completely shut down. I will be starting chemotherapy Friday May 13th for about 25 weeks. Since there is no cure for the type of cancer I have, the goal of chemo is to stop the growth of the cancer, and ideally have it become dormant for some time, but there are no promises from the Oncologist. The human prognosis is not promising, but my life is in God’s hands and He only needs to speak a word for it to be gone, so Carol and I are learning to live a day at a time—paying attention to what God is doing. We’re also learning to make moment-by-moment choices to affirm that God is thoroughly good, is constantly at work for our good, ensuring that all things work together for our good, and He is completely trustworthy. You hear stories from others who are experiencing significant difficulty or suffering, and how they wouldn’t change what they’ve learned about God through the experience. They seem a little surreal when you hear them, but when you experience it yourself it is wonderfully true, as we are finding. God is helping us to avoid dwelling on the “what if” and “if only” kind of thoughts, and centering on a “what is God going to do with this” mindset. So what came as sobering news on Good Friday, will end in new life sometime—we just don’t know when. For now we have everything we need from God’s hand and are grateful."
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