Don't Forget Your Chopsticks–Preparing for Surgery

Last week Russ' PET-CT scan went well. He fell asleep during the procedure so it went quickly for him. I was able to get a letter written analyzing results of an achievement test so I felt accomplished. To top it off, as we left the hospital we passed a bank of red geraniums. Red geraniums always make me happy. They're like love notes from God to me showing me who He is. That's why this pot sits outside our dining room window as an earth-bound glimpse of God's beauty.

Today we heard great news from the doctor. Russ' cancer has not spread and appears localized in the top layer of his skin. We scheduled surgery for November 15 followed by a two-week hospital stay. The physician plans to take skin from Russ' upper chest by his collar bone to do a skin graft on his ear after he removes an area of skin about the size of a quarter. The doctor called it an easy operation. The biggest concern involves Russ' medication. The doctor doesn't want to take him off blood thinner because he is at a high risk for another stroke. However, if he doesn't go off of it, he could have excessive bleeding which would prevent the skin graft from taking and require another surgery. The doctor concluded that since the risk of another surgery is less life-threatening than another stroke, he will have Russ keep taking his usual medication.

After a chest x-ray and electrocardiogram we were sent to an office to explain what we need to do to prepare for surgery. The receptionist kindly went through all the instructions in Japanese as I wrote them down in English for Russ.

"No thank you. We do not need the $800/a day room complete with telephone, TV, refrigerator, toilet, and bathtub. The no-charge room with six people works fine for us." (This was not a hard question. On the way to the hospital Russ prayed aloud that most of all God would use this experience to led people to Himself and secondly to take care of his health. We believe we've been sent to this hospital because God has people He wants us to meet.)

Now for the list of things to take to the hospital. We need to be careful not to forget pajamas. Russ was concerned that he would have to fit his big American body into a little yukata (cotton summer kimono) like the medical staff attempted to put him into when he first had his stroke. It did not work. Among other things the list includes toiletries, chopsticks, a cup, tissues, medicine, a writing utensil, and earphones. I talked them out of the earphones to watch TV. If Russ suddenly has a hankering to watch TV while he's in the hospital I'll know that something happened to his brain during surgery to cause such a dramatic shift. He's a die-hard book fan.

While I've made light of a rather serious situation, be assured that we are very grateful to God for the fact that Russ' cancer was caught early. We know that the surgery won't necessarily be an easy recovery since he'll have general anesthesia and there is the danger of excessive bleeding. We choose to face each day with joy and prayer because we are in His care.

Thank you so much for your prayers!

"If cancer, okay."

As we approached the dermatologist's office, Russ prayed aloud, "If cancer, okay. We'll deal with this in faith." The doctor reviewed the results of the biopsy with us. It is malignant. This was a surprise to us, but not to God who loves us and grieves with us as we navigate through the challenges of life here on earth.

Russ has a large mole on his left ear that has been growing. When we were in the US this summer, Russ' mother urged us to get it checked. To make a long story short, it needs to be removed. Russ has been referred to a major university hospital in downtown Tokyo. Tomorrow he'll have a PET-CT scan to see if the cancer has spread and then we meet again with the surgeon on October 28 to schedule surgery.

Thankfully the cancer was caught in the early stages. Challenges include the size of the mole, his other disabilities, and the medications he takes. Please pray with us for successful surgery, that the cancer has not spread, God's continued peace in our lives, and that we'll be a light for Christ to those who do not have the hope we have.

"Make Me Three Nice "ch" Sounds"

A lovely Australian couple came to Japan for a two-week missions trip. The husband put his construction skills to good use working with two other guys giving the neighbor above us in our mission house a new bathroom. We are so grateful! The floor had rotted out and just in the nick of time we were rescued from having our upstairs neighbor's bathtub in our kitchen sink.

The wife is a skilled speech pathologist and worked with Russ everyday! Until she came, Russ only had one session since his stroke five years ago with an English-speaking speech therapist. This was the first time for Russ to have on-going speech sessions other than working with me. Bethany worked him hard and we saw progress! I listened in and learned things we can continue to try in the days ahead.

I was especially amused when Russ started picking up Aussie phrases and sprinkling them in his conversations. Now that Bethany is gone, he's back to American English, but it was humorous to have him ready to "give it a go" and call me "mate."

I used to work with Russ on speech everyday during his 8-month hospital stay, but haven't been able to keep that up since he's come home. I've been inspired with Bethany's visit and am trying to use pockets of time here and there that might otherwise be missed. We hope that by working on articulation and language processing, Russ will increase his ability to communicate with others. We welcome your prayers.

Church Retreat

The church we attend (Musashino Chapel Center) is celebrating 30 years of ministry this fall. The last week of September, 130 people traveled up to the mountain town of Karuizawa where we worshiped together and enjoyed rich fellowship at a church retreat.

Highlights included the small group we were assigned to, the natural beauty of Karuizawa, the creative architecture we found on our walk, and special friends. The pastors (English-speaking and Japanese-speaking) gave inspiring messages. An overseas visitor invited by a Japanese friend made the life-changing choice to follow Jesus. There was great rejoicing in heaven and on earth.

Musashino Chapel Center has three Japanese congregations and one English-speaking international service. We dearly love our brothers and sisters who attend.