January 25, 2008

Dear family & friends around the world! 

It’s amazing how quickly your life can change. We had long felt God speaking to us that 2008 would be an unusual year for our family, one that would bring much change & growth in many areas of our life, but we certainly didn’t expect He would use a serious illness, like stage four lymphoma, to bring it about. Isn’t God amazing?! He so sovereignly turns what the devil means for evil, into something good! God didn’t bring this disease upon Peter, but He’s using it to mature us and make us stronger. If only I could relay all the things God has been doing in our lives JUST in this short period of time!

I’m not trying to convince you that it’s always easy. In the past three weeks we’ve gone through every imaginable emotion, and we’ve envisioned many scenarios, everything from Peter getting supernaturally healed to the implications to myself and our children if he doesn’t get healed. We are staying positive and optimistic, and know without a shadow of a doubt that God CAN heal Peter and that Jesus healed ALL who came to Him, but we also know that not everyone gets healed. We do believe that we must contend for the breakthrough and that our goal should be to live as Jesus lived and believe as Jesus believed and NEVER take up an offence against God no matter what happens. We know that God is with us and that he is walking with us through the valley of the shadow of death and it’s amazing how much peace there is in this place! To be honest, just in light of what God has already done in the last three weeks, we wouldn’t trade this for anything. His goodness is unbelievable and the things he is doing in our lives and the speed with which he is doing it is absolutely amazing! What an honor to be so touched by God! I saw a quote today by Mother Teresa that made me laugh. She said, “I know that God won’t give me more than I can handle. I just wish He didn’t trust me so much!” It’s true that his grace is sufficient!  

Whatever God chooses to do, or not do, is up to Him. We will continue to love Him and trust Him regardless of what happens. But in the meantime we are full of faith, believing that God will be glorified through this ordeal and that the enemy can attempt to kill, steal & destroy Peter and our family, but in the end he will be sorry he ever tried!   

Video devotional:

We want to invite you to take a look at a 10 minute video devotional, which Peter and I did last week, for the King’s Kids International ministry family. (If you don’t have time to watch the whole thing, at least watch the end, where our family is together out in the desert.) 

http://www.kkint.net/index.php?id=143  

Peter started treatment as soon as we got the diagnosis 3 weeks ago. Initially that mostly consisted of major diet changes. Last week he started IV treatments, which he gets 2-3 times a week that are for the purpose of killing cancer cells while at the same time boosting his immune system to keep him from getting sick from anything else while fighting the cancer. On Monday this week he began an intense 30 day detoxification program, which literally has us both busy from morning to night. During this time he can only consume the juice of certain freshly pressed organic vegetables and fruit. In addition he is taking various cancer fighting medications that have had huge success both here in the states and of all places HUNGARY! I won’t bore you with all the additional types of treatment he is undergoing and some of them I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t want to know about! Fighting cancer the natural way is a full-time job and the amount of groceries, medicines, herbs, appliances and other remedies we’ve had to buy is enormous, but I have to say I do it gladly knowing that he doesn’t have to go through the horrors of chemo therapy.  

I also want to add for those who are concerned about him doing natural therapy that although chemo has been the treatment of choice by doctors for decades, a far higher percentage of people are being healed by natural means than those who do chemotherapy. That’s not to say chemo won’t work and that there may not be cases that really need to use that method, we certainly considered it, but we felt that God was directing us away from that means of treatment and we have complete peace in the decision we have made. Our decision was made through much prayer both personally and together with friends and family whom we trust to really hear from the Lord as well. We were all unanimous as we shared with each other what we were sensing from the Lord.   

God has been so faithful in all the ways He has provided for us: He has caused friends to intercede for us and bring us encouraging words, He has prompted people to help us out in practical ways (for example Feb. 2^nd people from our Yuma Church will have a “work-day” at our house), He has provided financially for all our needs up till this point and we know He will continue to. We’ve lived by faith in terms of not having a regular salary and being dependant on God’s provision for 20 years and we trust in His faithfulness. Next month it’s 20 years since Peter and I meet each other at our DTS with YWAM in Papua New Guinea… time sure flies when you’re having fun! 

Peter is doing well, although he’s not too excited about the all-juice diet, and he’s much too impatient to lay still for the 3-4 hour IV treatments (on top of the fact that he hates needles with a passion.) The doctor often has difficulty finding a suitable vain, partly because he has low blood pressure, and sometimes it takes many attempts before he’s good to go.  

We are facing some very real practical needs and one of them is that Peter must have 2-3 IV treatments per week. Our doctor (who’s a wonderful young Christian lady) has lowered the price for each one from $225 to $150. Here’s a very real way you can be part of Peter’s healing process, by sponsoring a cancer fighting, life-giving IV treatment. (See below for details.) 

 Prayer requests: 

• That Peter’s itching will go away. He still itches all over his body, and it’s worse at night, causing him to get very little sleep (or no sleep) most nights.
  
• That God will use this time to bring us closer to Him and to each other.
  
• That our car will endure the many trips we have to make to Phoenix for the IV treatments (3 hours drive each way) and that we’ll be kept safe on the road.
  
• For our friend and doctor Vanessa Edwards, that she will have God’s insight and wisdom as she’s used by Him in Peter’s healing process.
  
• For God’s continued provision for our emotional, spiritual, practical and financial needs.

We feel so very blessed, loved and cared for right now. Our heads are kept high because of your prayers and friendship. We are eternally grateful.  

With all my love and appreciation, 

Shanie (on behalf of Peter and the girls)