Laying awake, listening to the comforting assurance of my husband’s restful breathing beside me, like a rhythmic symphony written by the One surrounding us with His peace. So much to pray for as song birds begin to wake up Rome… no words, just stillness, warmth,  and a deep gratitude for every moment we have together.

I had hoped to update everyone when we had news from Mike’s latest biopsy results, but we are still waiting. We were able to leave the hospital late Monday afternoon, so I’m packing things up at our apartment. Mike will have another blood test and see his doctor on Monday, then God willing (when his doctor gives Mike a thumbs up to travel) we will head back to Washington in the next couple weeks.

Mike is still in a lot of discomfort as he recovers from his surgery. His incision is healing nicely and his post-surgical edema is going away slowly, but he still struggles with digestion and nausea. His last blood test showed that his bilirubin level is back to normal. (His high bilirubin level was the first indication that something was wrong.) His lipase level (which was very high after his surgery) is also coming down, indicating there may not be an obstruction that would require a pancreatic stint to allow flow from his pancreas.

We’re in a place where taking one day at a time is the only option open to us. Living in the moment is a good lesson for this chronic planner.

Our prayer requests are pretty much the same, but include a huge answered prayer: It looks like our international insurance through Aetna will be a lot better coverage in the States than we originally thought. Initially (when we bought the plan through Shepherd’s Staff) we were told that it would be great coverage internationally, but would likely only cover about 50% in the states.  It now looks like we may only be responsible for 20% and that may even have an annual cap. That’s really good news! Please pray for continued grace to cover all those details.

• Please continue to pray for opportunities to encourage others and point people to a saving faith in Jesus Christ
• Pray for our family as they eagerly await our arrival back in the states
• Please pray the tests reveal a treatable variety of cancer and for Mike’s complete healing!
• Please pray that all Mike’s medical records will travel safely through the mail, as we were told this is our only option. Mike’s doctor assured us he will give us copies of everything his doctors in the states will need
• Pray we can easily pack up and wrap up all our accounts here (rent, gas, electricity, garbage, phones and internet)
• Please pray for travel mercies and turbulence free flights
• Please also pray for our dear friend and co-laborer, Jen Birkey, as she searches for a roommate to share the rent in our apartment. She moved in with us in December because her roommate got married and she didn’t have the resources to cover the rent of their apartment on her own. She went back to the states for the holidays and her sister’s wedding, then returned a couple weeks ago while we were in the hospital. She has truly been a gift from the Lord, even bringing me some real home cooked meals while I was staying in the hospital with Mike (living mostly on peanut butter, crackers and apples).

Thank you Lord, for our amazing friends and family!