takes place this coming Tuesday, the 26th of October. I am less afraid this time around, as my body will surely know what is coming. If the pattern continues, after a few days, I will be on the up again, and will be feeling as good as one can during Chemo! God has prepared me for each of these sessions, and I know that He will go before me again on Tuesday.

I have lost all of my hair, and have become quite adept at wrapping scarves and turbans around my head. I am grateful that our summer months are upon us, as being bald is quite chilly. I continue to boost my immunity as much as possible, without overloading my liver. The children too, have joined me by increasing their vitamin input.

Calvin made the National Gymnastics Team. We are very proud of his achievements and hard work. Due to the incredible time commitment this was however, we have sadly had to give up this sport. He has now taken up Fencing again, and the coach says that his gymnastics background has aided greatly in terms of co-ordination. Calvin and Christopher both continue to be very involved in Scouts, and are adapting to our new home school curriculum. Christopher is very keen on trying out a 'regular school' now, and we look to God for guidance in this respect.

Daniela has done very well in Art this year, producing some great paintings. We look forward to having Andrea home for Christmas, although it will only be for three weeks. My sister Debbie is planning to join us as well, and will be a great help to me as I will be on my last leg of Chemo then.

We are grateful to you for your prayers and good wishes during this continued journey of Chemo. Thank you for upholding Peter during this time, as he holds the Fort and keeps everything together. He has been very involved in the Lausanne Conference, and was honored at the launch of the new 'Operation World Hand-Book' for his vast amount of contribution to this project.

I have my ups and downs, good days and bad days. On the good days I am grateful for good care, for God's sovereign provision and for His plan for all of us. On my bad days, I feel a tremendous sense of loss and bereavement. I wonder what the future holds and how much time the Lord will grant me with my family.

What a great blessing it is to know that all of our days are pre-ordained and that daily obedience to God is what gets us through the bends in our journey. No matter what road lies ahead, we can travel it knowing God has the outcome in His hands.

Thank you for your encouragement,

with love,

Lenora and family

of Chemo went down without much ado. The nurses did not struggle this time in finding a good vein, and the 3 - 4 hour infusion went well as my friend JoAnne and I enjoyed sweet fellowship. So this is the second of the three main infusions I am scheduled to have. After the third one at the end of October, the next nine will be minor ones with less side effects. This will bring us to the end of the year. My body must have know what was coming, because I have been able to cope better in the days that followed. The nausea and the tiredness are still severe, but this time there was no vomiting. I am grateful indeed.

Peter had a very fruitful time of ministry in Canada and in the US, and is winging his way home as we speak. This should be the last of traveling for the rest of the year. It will be great to have him home again for a lengthy period of time.

We are entering our Summer Season, and it seems that during this time of the year I always approach several projects around our home and Garden. Peter and I are working on creating more space for books and are busy turning our school room into a library and guest room. I enjoy these projects as it allows me to evaluate where we have been and where we are going. In our spiritual life as well, this type of self - evaluation is valuable and necessary.

We have had a difficult road this year in terms of health issues in our family. This has forced us to evaluate, take stock and set priorities for the road ahead. Ideally, tragedy should not be the onus that causes us to 'spring clean'. But sometimes God uses difficult times to get our attention.

We pray that we will stay alert to His calling and prompting daily, and that with wisdom we will heed His call.

....my son, if you receive My words and treasure up My commands with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom, inclining your heart to understanding; Yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord. Proverbs 2:1 - 5

Thank you for your many notes of encouragement, and for helping me through this difficult time.

With love,

Lenora and family

can be very frustrating, but it has given me the opportunity to remember that we are being looked after by very capable Doctors. The Chemo session for September 28th has been delayed until next week, October 5th. This was due to my white blood cell count being way too low. Had I gone ahead with my Chemo infusions, the white blood cell count would have gotten even lower, and this would have made me very susceptible to infections.

So I went in twice for sub-cutaneous injections of Neupogen. This regulates and stimulates the production of white blood cells from the bone marrow. The side effects were harsher than I expected in terms of severe body aches and a crushing 24 hour headache. But mercifully this has subsided, and my body seems ready for 'round two' of Chemo.

I have a good and dear friend in Cape Town who will go with me, as Peter is away at the moment. I am bracing myself for the side effects of the infusion, and pray that I will be able to cope better this time around.

God sustains His children, and our family is no exception. He goes before us, and in obedience we follow His perfect will for us. Our children are coping well and know what to expect this time. Our ministry staff is on stand-by, and is very supportive with meals and lifts for the children. God supplies our every need.

May He be your comfort and guide this week, no matter what you are facing. Thank you, for being partners with us as we walk this road. As my mother always says, 'we will be your Aaron and Hur', as we hold your arms and help you maintain your strength.

Gratefully,

Lenora and family

is allot less scary than I thought! So while the first three to five days were an emotional roller coaster, it did get better with time. The nausea abated somewhat, I did not need to sleep during the day anymore, and before I knew it, life returned to a sense of normality again.

God has been good, and has allowed me to recover more strength than I believed possible. Peter returned home after a 3 1/2 week packed ministry trip around South Africa. His support and encouragement have allowed me to see things more positively again. Things have gotten better with each passing day, and I am so grateful.

This coming Tuesday is my next session, and by all accounts the second and third one will be easier than the first. I know what to expect now......AND I know that it gets better again. My hair started falling out yesterday, so this is a new experience for me. I am glad now, that I had it cut short.

My Chemo sessions have become almost like a deadline or a departure for a trip. I am timing everything according to my next bout with chemo.....and try to finish as much as I can before I will be out of action again. It makes my 'good days' more efficient, and allows us to coast during my 'down days'.

Your sustaining prayers and encouragement during this difficult time help us to keep on keeping on. I am grateful to be surrounded by your love. May our Lord and Saviour be your strength and hope today and tomorrow.

With love and gratefulness for each new day,

Lenora

The day for my first Chemo Therapy treatment was brought forward, as I was deemed ready and my wounds had healed sufficiently. As I entered the Oncology department, I suddenly realized the implications of my forthcoming treatments, and must confess that I was afraid. So many people were sitting all around in comfortable chairs, hooked up to treatments, while sipping tea and chatting with a loved one. I wondered what the story was for each of these people, and what type of cancer they were struggling with.

The nurses struggled to find a good vein to use, but managed on the third attempt. During the next 4 and 1/2 hours I watched each medication, and subsequent flushing with a saline solution course through my veins. I marveled at the ability God has given Doctors to treat this disease, and was thank full to be in such a lovely facility. I think that the reality of Cancer hit me during this time, and I realized I was not going to make it through this without God's everlasting love and grace. Suddenly, my previous strength and resolve seemed altogether inadequate to get me through this next chapter in my life.

All of our family's medical situations up to this point - Christopher's birth with renal impairment and all the many many surgeries he has been through; my struggle with hepatitis; and then the nephrectomy / transplant - have been circumstances where God has given us as a family a measure of strength, support, encouragement and just the ability to trust Him fully . So while there were tough times, we rested in the full assurance of God's sovereign plan for each of us. I must humbly confess that this time I feel much weaker and unable to face things as confidently as before.

Perhaps it is the constant nausea, or the vomiting, or the subsequent inability to cook for the family and take care of the things as I usually do. Perhaps it is the feeling of being out of control. Perhaps it is having to rely on others like I have never had to. Or perhaps it is just wondering if I will be cancer free when this is all over with.

Because Scripture confirms it, I am certain still, that God is in this, and that He will carry each of us through this. I am so grateful to all of you for your prayers, letters, emails, cards, advice and friendship. 'Thank you' does not seem adequate.

As tears roll down my cheeks, I must continue to ask for your prayers and perseverance, for alone we surely cannot get through this. Pray for Peter as he handles a very very full schedule with so many increased demands; for my parents as they do so much to be supportive of us as a family and as a mission; for Andrea, as she feels sad to be away from us during this time; for our children here at home, as they cope without me for much of the time, and of course for me, that I would be a good witness to other patients and friends.

I am ever grateful to all of you, that we are not alone. May God bless all of you with an abundance of good things.

Gratefully,

Lenora