How God is speaking to us...

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

This has been our prayer and God has graciously been giving us His incredible joy, peace, and hope as we trust in Him.
It is also our prayer for you!




Tuesday 28 June 2011

A not-so-brief report from Carol!!!--now what would you expect??

Bob went to bed quite a while ago, but it's just a bit too early for me--so I thought I'd add a post on our blog.  So many things have happened this past week that remind us of God's love and presence with us and I wanted to share some of them.


A week ago, a young man (just 14 years old), who we've known since he was born, came to visit us.  He and his dad came to visit Bob when he was first in the hospital before he had surgery.  Wil showed such a deep concern for Bob at that time and prayed for him with incredible faith, love, and understanding.  Wil has continued to carry a special burden for Bob and this time came to visit us with his mom.  We were touched beyond words at Wil's heart for God and for us, as he and his mom took our hands and prayed so beautifully for us--with such tenderness and tears freely flowing--SO amazing for a teenage boy, who really is quite a normal, even zany kid!!  That day, Wil was "God with skin on" to us!!


The next day Bob's cousin Lyle Gabrielson and his wife Elaine from Penticton, were in town and took us out for lunch.  Elaine had breast cancer eight years ago and underwent surgery and chemo and has been cancer-free for many years.  It's always so encouraging to hear stories of others who have faced similar challenges and are doing well.


Last week was such a full week for Bob that he kind of "crashed" on Thursday and stayed at home while I galavanted a bit.  Our friends Chris and Lyle Hopwood (Chris was Bob's secretary at CBC for over 12 years) have recently moved from Victoria to Abbotsford, so I drove out there to visit them and see them in their new home.  They are just like family to us.
It seems that when a person comes down with cancer, they become aware of myriads of ways to fight the disease in alternative ways.  This past week we've been reading an excellent book on fighting cancer through a nutritional program, which has raised a number of questions regarding Bob's treatment and what options we might have in addition to or replacing the traditional--chemo, etc.  It can seem almost overwhelming, especially as Bob is facing not only incurable cancer, but kidney failure as well.

Saturday morning we read from our favourite devotional book "Moments with the Savior" about Jesus healing the hemorrhaging woman in the crowd as she reached out in faith and just "touched the hem of His garment".  After reading and praying, we began to discuss some of the options we might have in Bob's treatment--including chemo, dialysis, following a stringent nutritional program, and any number of combinations or discontinuing any of these.  None of the options looked very appealing, and we agreed that our preferred option would be "touching the hem of His garment"!!!

We really do need wisdom as decisions will most certainly need to be made this week particularly in regards to going on dialysis.  We see the nephrologist tomorrow morning and are looking forward to getting answers to a lot of questions.



Saturday evening Bob got a wonderful footrub from a dear friend who took a reflexolgy course a while ago.  At first I thought that I'd watch to see if I could learn how to do it myself, but I think we've decided that she will be a frequent visitor at our house!!!

(I've goofed by mistakingly putting two of the same picture up, but I don't know how to correct it without waking Bob up, so I'm just going to leave it!!)

Bob was able to go to church yesterday, a real plus since he'd just had chemo on Friday.  I attended a friend's birthday party in the evening, but Bob had a special visitor while I was away who even brought supper for the two of them to share together.

This afternoon Bob received two units of blood at the Peace Arch Hospital just two blocks from us, and we're hoping that he will have a little energy boost through this.  Just after Bob got "topped up", his brother-in-law Jerry Bouma, Vi's husband, came by for a couple of hours and had supper with us.  He was here on business from Edmonton.

It's always so special having family with us, since none of our family live close by at all.  However, we're getting ready for a big "influx" of family beginning on Wednesday with the arrival of my brother Jim and then Barbie.  Following their visits, Bob and I plan to fly to Regina for six days, arriving home in time to welcome Vi and Bart for a three-day visit.

So you see, our lives are SO BLESSED!!

Friday 24 June 2011

Back to Chemo

There's not a lot of news to report this week, but next week will be crucial in lots of ways.  Although Bob had a rest from chemo for a couple of weeks until today, his hemoglobin has really dipped so he's continued to be very tired.

He'll be getting three or four pints of blood on Monday afternoon which should give him quite a boost.  It would have been so much better if he'd gotten the blood before his chemo today, but that's not what happened.

On Tuesday Bob will see the nephrologist and we'll be talking about whether he'll go on dialysis.

Then my brother Jim arrives from southern California on Wednesday and will be with us for a week.

And Barbie's coming July 4 thru 12!!  So we have lots to look forward to.  Hopefully Bob will be feeling well enough to enjoy their visits.  You can be sure that I will enjoy them with enough enthusiasm to make up for both of us!!

Sunday 19 June 2011

Back from Birch Bay

Bob and I returned yesterday afternoon from our three day holiday at Birch Bay.  Dear friends gave us the use of their small mobile home (like a cute little cottage) in a large park near the beach.  No TV, computer, radio, or phone--so we were blissfully unaware of the final Stanley Cup game in Vancouver and the awful aftermath.

We did lots of reading, sleeping, eating, talking, and a bit of walking, playing games, and sitting at the beach.  Such a renewing time.  Our reading ran the gamut from the sublime--reading Randy Alcorn's book "Heaven"--to the ridiculous--reading Erma Bombeck's book "A Marriage Made in Heaven OR Too Tired for an Affair"!!!!  You get the idea.  Her chapter entitled "In Sickness and In Health" was not only hilarious, but prompted some honest sharing about the different ways that Bob and I handle sickness and care-giving and what we both need from one another right now.





This week Bob sees his oncologist and has chemo on Friday.  Then on the 28th he sees his nephrologist, the kidney doctor.  We're eager to see him and find out how Bob's kidney dysfunction can be addressed, as we have the feeling that his renal failure is what's really causing him to be SO VERY fatigued and is impacting his life even more than the cancer and chemo.

It was wonderful to be together in church this morning on Father's Day and have the energy to stay after and do some visiting with many of our wonderful praying and supportive friends.  We miss having our family around on days like this but have the happy prospect of seeing them all this summer.

Here are a few pictures taken in Birch Bay at our friends' cozy hideaway and also at the Semiahmoo Resort where we went for dinner one evening.  From our table by the window, we could almost see our condo building in White Rock looking north across the bay.  We are so blessed to live in the most beautiful part of the world!!!

Wednesday 15 June 2011

Going for a mini-holiday!!

Bob has a break from chemo this week so we're heading down to Birch Bay (just 20 minutes away plus the border crossing wait) for a three-day holiday.  Friends have a place there that they've generously offered us, so we're excited about having a little get-away.  We're finding that Mondays and Tuesdays following chemo on Fridays are the hardest on Bob, so he's on the "upswing" today.

We'll have lots of time to sit by the bay, read, talk, walk, eat, sleep, and thoroughly enjoy one another.  Although we're living one day at a time, we're beginning to make plans and dream about the future,  looking forward to visits from a lot of family this summer and MAYBE even taking a couple of short trips away ourselves.

There are ALWAYS so many reasons to be thankful and to recognize the goodness of the Lord!!

Thursday 9 June 2011

What's "Fair"?

Just finished receiving the gift of an extended neck-rub from my 'companion on the journey'--to deal with a persistent headache.  Gifts are all around me if I but take the time to look for them and be grateful for what they are.

A couple of times the thought has come that what I'm experiencing (Bob) is "not fair." But when I analyze the thought (or take it captive to use a biblical image), what I'm really feeling is that I deserve better than this, and moreover, God owes me something better than I've been given.  It robs me of peace and joy and makes me quite dissatisfied. It amazes me how quickly my thoughts will change if I return to a core belief that I have; namely, that God is good and completely trustworthy in how he treats me in life. This quickly leads me to consider a posture of thankfulness and soon I'm no longer thinking things aren't fair.

On another level though, it isn't fair.  This isn't what God had planned for us, and deep within we know or sense this somehow.  Our whole world--despite all its beauty--is broken, sick and 'fallen.'  And I, along with many who suffer, protest against the effects of sin on God's design.  I look forward to the day when all will be set right and all will be "fair," if we want to use that language.

Bob

Sunday 5 June 2011

Feeling pretty tired but not much nausea

Since Bob's chemo on Friday he's felt mostly tired with very little nausea, for which we are very grateful.  We even went to the beach last evening and had a picnic with a better view than any restaurant could offer!!

Yesterday we began reading a new book--"One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voskamp--an absolutely wonderful read for anyone wanting to "live fully right where you are"!! 





And although Bob wasn't strong enough to go to church with me this morning, he sat down at the piano tonight and filled the house with songs of thanksgiving and praise, ending with the hymn "Be Still My Soul".

Friday 3 June 2011

Getting ready for more chemo

This has been a busy, but very good week. Having the boys here was wonderful. We had some great conversations and it was important for them to enter our world and to see how well we're doing. They brought a lot of joy to our lives and we're looking forward to seeing them again with their families this summer.

 Our long-time friends Chris and Lyle Hopwood came for
lunch yesterday and picked Tim up so that they could get him to the airport in
Abbotsford later in the afternoon. Bob had an appointment with his
oncologist mid-afternoon so we couldn't drive Tim to the airport.


For those of you who don't know, Chris Hopwood was Bob's secretary at
CBC for over twelve years and she and Lyle were like an aunt and uncle
to our kids.


The oncologist said that the second chemo drug that they've been
waiting to become available has finally arrived, and so this afternoon Bob


will get two different chemo drugs, and may suffer more
side-effects. He's armed with anti-nausea medication, etc and we're
praying that he won't get too sick.


 The oncologist was encouraged that Bob has gained about eight pounds
in the past four weeks and also that his lower back pain has
decreased somewhat. She says that after another cycle of chemo, they
may be able to determine whether the chemo is helping to at least halt
the growth.

 
Bob's cancer is considered incurable, so they don't expect it to
shrink, however God can do anything!! Bob's hemoglobin is a bit low, but he doesn't need a transfusion yet. His anemia is certainly contributing a lot to his fatigue.

 
We have begun reading a new book together and are looking forward to
enjoying one another's company in the days ahead. The weather's supposed to warm up this week, so we're hoping to get out on the patio, since we may not be out and about very much.







 
This morning Bob prepared the most delicious breakfast and served it to beautifully to me before we had devotions together. What a perfect way to begin the day. God is SO GOOD!!


Wednesday 1 June 2011

David and Tim here

We've just spent a wonderful few days with David and Tim.  Bob's just driving David to to airport right now and Tim will be with us until tomorrow afternoon.  The brothers really enjoyed being together and went for walks at the beach and out for breakfast, and of course hung out with us as you'll see from the pictures.  Family is such a blessing and a real "treasure" at all times, but particularly "in times like these".

Bob has felt amazingly well while Vi, David, and Tim have been here.  He sees his oncologist tomorrow afternoon and has chemo again on Friday.

Sunday was a very special day for us.  Bob was able to be in church and following the morning service, the pastors, elders, and a few dozen other dear friends gathered around us and anointed Bob and prayed for God's healing touch in his life.  It was a very sacred time.