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!

Mike is recovering so nicely from Monday’s surgery that he may be able to check out of the hospital this weekend. His doctor didn’t preform the resection surgery that he had planned because he found diffused cancer cells throughout Mike’s pancreas and in several lymph nodes, indicating the cancer is advanced and therefore the resection wouldn’t benefit Mike. He did take out his gall bladder and put in a permanent stint to keep his bile duct open. He also took tissue samples from several areas and sent them for analysis. Mike’s doctor and radiologist are not sure why the cancer didn’t appear on the PET scan and other scans. There is a possibility that it may be an endocrine pancreatic cancer that might respond better to chemo than the more common exocrine type of pancreatic cancer. We are now in waiting mode again as these test results won’t be in until next week.

When we have the results and Mike is well enough ,we’ve decided to travel back to Washington so we can be near our family while he goes through the next steps of his treatment.

• As we walk through this journey, meeting medical professionals and other patients who need to know the reason for the hope we have, please pray that God will continue to use us to encourage and point people to a saving faith in Jesus Christ
• Please pray the tests reveal a treatable variety of cancer (or better yet, a miraculously disappearing cancer)
• Please pray we won’t have any difficulty obtaining all Mike’s medical records before we leave
• Pray we can easily pack and tidy up everything here
• Please pray for travel mercies and turbulence free flights
• Please pray for our dear friend and co-laborer, Jen Birkey, as she searches for a room-mate to share the rent in our apartment
• Please pray we don’t run into issues with our global insurance coverage during Mike’s medical care in the States
• Pray for our family as they walk through this with us
• And most of all, please pray for Mike’s complete healing!

A prayer gathering for Mike is scheduled for this Saturday,  February 20th at The Gathering House, meeting room #2 (733 w Garland) in Spokane. Feel free to drop in anytime between noon and 3:00pm.

“For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there among them.” – Matthew 18:20

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

This promise is getting a lot of personal application lately! After almost a month of various tests and scans, we are still waiting for a specific classification, stage and prognosis of Mike’s cancer. The most likely areas for its origin include his biliary system or his pancreas.

The good news is that Mike’s blood work and bilirubin level improved enough that he was able to leave the hospital this week. Today he went back for a blood test, on Monday morning he’ll have a PET scan, and on Thursday he’ll have a laparoscopy procedure to get a biopsy of a nodule found in his pancreas. Depending on the results, he’s likely to be scheduled for surgery on Monday, February 15^th. We’ll post an update when we find out more.

I can’t help but wonder how we would manage this cancer thing without the peace of God that transcends understanding. This certainly isn’t a battle we would have chose, but knowing the One who provides every breath we take, gives us the confidence that we are in His very capable hands! We know He can bring complete healing to Mike. We know that He’ll provide the strength we need for the days to come. We know that He loves us!

Thank you all for continuing to pray with us through this! Your prayers are certainly making a difference.

Here are just a few of our prayer requests that have already been answered:

• We were able to get all of Mike’s scans and test results from San Giovanni (no small miracle)
• God has opened doors to share the love of Christ with patients and medical staff
• We’ve been able to get some much-needed rest in our own bed
• The peace of God IS transcending all understanding and guarding our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus!

Pray. Wait. Pray. Wait. Pray. Pray. Pray. This is our life. All around us, everyday, people are in the same place. A couple is sitting in their doctor’s office waiting for answers. A military wife is opening her door to men in uniform. Someone is snapping out of their daydream to the sound of screeching brakes. Countless waiters in countless waiting rooms, watching time unravel before their eyes. In this place, more than any other, I’m so thankful to know we are held by the One who created time and space! The One who said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”  (John 16:33)

For almost two weeks, Mike has been hospitalized while doctors run test after test. A biopsy of his liver revealed that he does have cancer. A cat scan revealed the cancer has not spread to Mike’s other organs. Now they are studying his pancreas, bile duct, and gallbladder to determine the exact type of cancer in order to give us a diagnosis and prognosis.

After eleven days at San Giovanni Hospital (a government facility) we moved to the Rome American Hospital and Mike has a new Doctor who comes very highly recommended. He told us the cancer appears to be small and localized and that he wants to know everything he can before proceeding with surgery. Praise the Lord for this answered prayer of a second opinion!

Here are just a few of our amazing praises:

• A friend at church (just happened) to notice that Mike was jaundice and insisted he get a blood test right away.
• Our insurance was finally able to work out an arrangement with this private hospital even though they don’t have a contract with them.
• We have an awesome church family here! Many of them have been running all over the place trying to get us moved here, trying to get Mike’s records moved here, and checking in on us. We are forever indebted to Evano, Vincenzo, Antoinella, Justin and Tessa (just to name a few)!
• We have amazing family and friends all over the place, lifting Mike up in prayer and supporting us through this!

PRAYER is definitely our biggest need right now! Thank you so much for taking the time to lift Mike up in prayer!

Here are a few specific Prayer Requests:

• Please pray that San Giovanni hospital will expedite the release of Mike’s test results. Pray they put aside their political bureaucracy to give us all his slides, contrasts, and pathology results so Mike’s new doctor can study them and Mike doesn’t have to go through the same tests again! He has already had to re-do an MRI yesterday, so his new doctor could examine it in a timely fashion.
• Comfort and peace for our wonderful family back in the States
• and please, ESPECIALLY PRAY FOR A COMPLETE HEALING FOR MIKE!

There are days when time stands still. Everything you are, all your hopes and dreams are caught in a holding pattern while you wait. Everything stops. All your important plans, meetings, and chores no longer matter. Swirling questions collide with emotions in a jumble of unspoken thoughts while you pray, fervently and unceasingly, “Lord, make me brave.”

Seven days ago Mike and I went into the San Giovanni Hospital in Rome. While we were at church last Sunday, a doctor friend told him he should get a blood test because he seemed jaundice and felt really itchy. The blood test showed his liver wasn’t functioning properly, so he was admitted. A series of tests revealed that the bile duct between his liver and gallbladder was crimped due to pressure from blockage in his gallbladder. On Friday they put in a stint to drain the backed up bile. They also took a biopsy of his liver and sent it to be tested, to determine the cause of his issues. They told us the results probably won’t be in until Tuesday, so now we wait.

Since the hospital will only let visitors in from 12:30pm – 2pm, then from 3pm -4pm, and again from 6pm -7pm, I spend a lot of time sitting in the hallway, wandering through this ancient hospital while waiting to see my husband.

I’ve learned that waiting always has a purpose in God’s plan. So as I wait, I bring all my questions to the only One with all the answers… The One who holds the entire universe together and still takes time to paint a sky while He holds my hand!

He doesn’t owe me any explanations. I know my husband belongs to Him. I know that from the beginning of time, He knew the exact number of days I would walk with this man I love. He saw this day. He knew my heart’s cry. None of this is a surprise to Him.

He also knows that I’m a visual learner (He should, He’s the One who wired me that way) so He often speaks to me through pictures. Today, this is what He showed me…

“Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me? (Jeremiah 32:27)

As the most brilliant colors I’ve ever seen illuminated the dark swirling clouds, He whispered in the depth of my soul, these words that I will cling to…

Do not fear, for I am with you;

do not be afraid, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you; I will help you;

I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand.”

 – Isaiah 41:10

Please pray for Mike’s complete healing… for wisdom for the doctors and medical staff… for the light of Jesus to shine through us where ever He brings us… And Lord, please make me brave! Perhaps the light of Christ shines brightest in the midst of clouds.

What a fun afternoon!

Thank you for praying! 

• There is very little Sunday School material available in Italian. So, Hope and I have started working on a curriculum project for preschool – elementary age children. This is one of the reasons that I believe God brought us here. I’m so excited to see what God intends to do in and through this project! Please pray for God’s leading, creativity and grace as He establishes the work of our hands, as well as lasting fruit that will bless both teachers and children as we hold out the Word of Life!
• Last week and the week before we had a nice conversations with a man from Egypt who runs a Kebob place nearby. He spoke some English so we asked him what brought him to Italy. He said that he was tired of the religious persecution in Egypt. He’s from a Coptic Christian family. There were no other customers, so we asked him to sit with us and tell us about what they believed. It opened the door for us to share our faith and the main difference in our beliefs, primarily, the difference between religion and a relationship as well as our strong conviction that we are saved by grace through faith in the finished work of the cross. We quoted Eph. 2:8-9, then he quoted James 2:18 “You have faith; I have deeds. “Show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” It was a very friendly conversation (not argumentative in any way). But then he went on to say that he knows that he’s not walking with the Lord. He said that it may be easier for us because we probably haven’t seen real any persecution. He believes in Jesus, but said that he told God, “You are there and I am here. Let’s just keep it that way.” I had to do everything I could to keep the tears from flowing as I felt God’s heart for this young man. To make a long story short, he said that he knew that God probably sent us there that day! We invited him to church and yesterday he came! Please pray that he gives his heart to Jesus!
• Also, the other day I met a lady named Alexandra from California. She’s lived here for 15 years and makes a living singing in a bar. When the conversation started turning toward spiritual things, she quickly said, “I’m pretty much a pagan.” So I said, “Well, that’s where we all start out before we meet the Lord.” Please pray her and for many more open doors to share the good news!
• Pray also for grace in learning conversational Italian! In the mean time, praise the Lord that He seems to be strategically placing us in the paths of people who speak English!
• Refugees and immigrants are everywhere. Most of the locals are a bit frustrated with the situation, in part, because the job market is pretty slim as it is. You may have heard about the 700 people who died trying to get to Italy, but their boat capsized in the Mediterranean near Libya last week. Reports like this are in Italian news every week. One boat load of people threw all the christians who were onboard overboard, so it’s a good possibility that radical muslims make up a percentage of the immigrants coming in on boats. Italy’s migrant crisis is starting to draw the attention of the EU and UN as they try to figure out what to do with the boatloads of people entering Italy from the war torn regions south of the Mediterranean. Pray that they will come up with reasonable ideas to rescue the thousands of immigrants who are just seeking safety, yet find a way to keep those with wicked motives away. (Or better yet, that God will impact and change their hearts with His love!)
• This week we are going to Perugia for the Italy Calvary Chapel Conference. Please pray for God’s anointing, grace and much lasting fruit!
• As always, your prayers mean the world to us! Thank you so much!

Today marks one month that we’ve lived in Italy! Boy, did it fly by! We’ve spent most of this first month acclimating to our new culture, setting up our apartment, getting paperwork in order, meeting new friends and neighbors, learning the language and helping out at the church.

This is our new neighborhood…                                     

This is our neighborhood market…                

This is our apartment…                                                  

This is some of our church family…               

Thank you so much for praying for us! We’ve been very blessed to have many details that could have taken a while, come together rather quickly. “Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens.”~Ephesians 1:3

Our top 5 Prayer Requests…

• CC Roma’s Men’s Retreat – pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit and lasting fruit as men fellowship and study God’s Word together this weekend
• Our Resurrection Sunday Celebration – pray for our preparation of a Biblical dinner illustrating God’s redemptive plan through the beautiful, prophetic picture that God projected in the Passover meal. (I will be helping put together this experience for the children while the adults will enjoy a similar celebration)
• Calvary Chapel Italia Conferenza – April 29 – May 2 – Please pray that many will be able to attend this conference and grow deeper in our walk with the Lord as we learn from God’s Word with Pastor Joshua Black from Canyon Hills, CA.
• Health and healing for Mike – He has a bad head cold
• Language aquisition (Praise the Lord for free classes at the public library!)