Peace prayer letter – February, 2012

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea…” Psalm 46:1-2

Family Update
We apologize for the delay in this update on Lucas. We thought we had sent an update out after his ENT visit, but several people have recently asked about him and we realized we had not. We were able to have Lucas evaluated by a pediatric ENT specialist at the University of Iowa Hospital. After the doctor’s exam, a hearing test, and a CT scan, we were given three options. The first was that Lucas was a candidate for reconstruction/repair surgery of his ear. He would have a 70-80% chance of having hearing established to his deaf ear. This surgery would necessitate a lifelong relationship with an ENT. The second option was a bone anchored hearing aid (BAHA). This device bypasses the middle ear and conducts sound waves to the inner ear via the bone located behind the ear. Each of these two options comes with its own benefits and risks. The third option was to wait until Lucas is older and capable of understanding the options before making any decision. The doctor’s recommendation was to wait and we believe that to be the most prudent choice at this time. We are thankful that Lucas continues to hear great out of his hearing ear and has no issues with his speech.

We received some unexpected news last Friday. Athena had a breast cyst surgically removed on Wednesday and the surgeon sent it on for a routine biopsy. He called on Friday afternoon and said he was “shocked” that the report came back showing cancer. He said by all indications it was just a cyst. On Monday morning we met with a medical oncologist. This week he will go to the lab to personally view the slides, view Athena’s previous mammogram films with a radiologist, and speak with the surgeon. We are scheduled to meet back with him on February 2nd to nail down a treatment plan. He has already mentioned the need for more surgery, chemotherapy and possibly radiation. The biopsy report indicates it to be a fast growing, aggressive type of cancer. We will know more after Athena’s next appointment with the oncologist. Please pray for the doctor as he thinks through the best treatment regime for Athena. Pray for us we go down this path God has set before us.

Amazon Update
What a blessing it has been to be able to “chat” with several of our teens and friends in Brazil. The marvels of modern technology! We are thankful that God has given opportunities for us to still be involved in their lives. We sure miss the teens. They just finished up a week long retreat hosted by one of our coworkers upriver who has a camp facility. We’ve heard that the retreat went well and that several decisions were made. Pray for these teens to be putting into practice what they have learned.

Your partners in reaching the world for Christ,
Lloyd, Athena, Julia, Jessica, Jacob, and Lucas Peace