We All Can Praise

Pastor Rodel, the worship leader at International Charismatic Service in Metro Manila sings a solo in Tagalog that encourages everyone to worship, without regard to their singing quality. Today was the 32nd anniversary for ICS.

December 2007 Newsletter

Our final newsletter for 2007 is now available online. Click here to go immediately to this newsletter. You can also find this and all our previous newsletters on our website at http://YourWorldMissionaries.org/.

Thank you for your prayer support in 2007. Please continue to pray for good health for us all, for financial provision, and for effectiveness in our ministry.

Chemo Update

I visited the cancer center today for my first six-week check-up. I've just finished cycle one of y chemo and they tell me I'm doing great. It was truly not the news I wanted to hear. Doing great? My feet were hurting so bad during weeks three and four that I could hardly walk. How can that be doing great? They tell me that relative to other chemo patients, my pain and discomfort was only a level two. They don't consider adjusting your chemo until your pain gets to a three. A three? What is a three? If my feet exploded with each step I took during those two weeks my pain could not have been any higher. Nevertheless, they have assured me that the new steps I am taking to keep my feet healthy will keep my pain in check for the next cycle. Please join us in prayer that this is the case and that the pain is a thing of the past. This will be especially important here in cycle two as I will be traveling in Southeast Asia during weeks three and four of this cycle.

Cancer Changes Your Prayers

Lots of things in my life have changed since I was diagnosed with cancer. First, I had to cut back or shuffle around my 2007 travel plans with Book of Hope. Then there was the truly restricting concept of surgical recovery that left me home bound for three weeks following each surgery. That is no easy task for a type-A never been sick worker such as myself. But one area of impact is something I had not expected. My prayers have changed.

No, it's not that I didn't expect aspects of my prayer life to change. The fact is, when you hear the word cancer mentioned by any doctor and the fear and uncertainty that comes with that word starts to overwhelm you, your prayer life will change. I've met those who never really had a prayer life for whom their diagnosis of cancer was the catalyst to start praying. I know others who have been mighty prayer warriors who nevertheless saw a dramatic change in how they prayed when the word cancer hung over them like a dark cloud. That happens and I expected those changes.

No, the change I'm alluding to is different. It is the the simple change in the simplest prayer that nearly all believers will pray. It is the new conclusion to my mealtime prayer. I've been driven by necessity to add an appendix to my prayer. "And Lord, please don't let this meal make me sick." Each time I sit down at the table, the question of impact runs through my mind. My question is not will this meal be good, but is more like will this meal be good to me? Will I be able to go through the day and night without getting sick off of what I'm about to eat? This is my current challenge. And this is my current prayer need; Lord, please don't let this meal make me sick.

Merry Christmas From The Brown Family - Your Assemblies of God World Missionaries at Book of Hope

UPDATE: Two Urgent Prayer Requests

Thanks to all of you for your prayers. Rebecca was released from the hospital Sunday afternoon. She seems to be doing well. Please continue to pray for a quick, complete, and complication-free recovery from the surgery. As for my feet, there is still pain, but much less than before. Praise the Lord! Please continue to pray that all the side effects from this medication will go away and that I will complete my year of treatment with no additional problems. Again, thank you all for praying. You are an awesome group of prayer warriors. I can't imagine going through the things we have gone through this year without you.

Cold Showers

One of the greatest joys when waking up each morning is pulling myself out of bed and stepping into a steaming hot shower. The hotter, the better. Today, that is simply a memory from days before chemo. The drugs I am taking are causing my skin to break down. As a result, I can no longer take hot showers. It's lukewarm to cold water that greets my body each morning. Even drying off after the shower has changed. No more rubbing the towel here and there to dry away every little drop of water. Now, its patting here and patting there. A simple shower seems to take ten time longer than before.

So, is it worth it? Absolutely! While I'm being a little more careful about how I care for myself, my chemo drugs are busy hunting down and killing any of those pesky little cancer cells that may remain in my body. Cancer Free! I'm declaring it. I'm believing it. And I'm doing everything I can to make it happen. Thanks for your continue prayers for a complete deliverance from cancer.

Pray For Kristy Dykes

Please join us in prayer for Kristy Dykes. She was diagnosed with brain cancer several months ago. She has undergone surgery and will start radiation therapy on Monday at 3:00pm (est). Her husband is asking prayer warriors around the world to join together at that time. Please join with us and pray for a miracle for Kristy. Also, be sure to check out her blog and read how our Lord is taking here through this challenge. She and Milton are posting updates nearly daily. The bolg can be found at http://christianlovestories.blogspot.com/.

Two Urgent Prayer Requests

I need to ask our awesome group of prayer warriors to come together in prayer for our family once again. We have two pressing needs.

1. Rebecca had surgery today. It should have been very minor outpatient surgery. However, as frequently happens with Rebecca, minor things quickly turn into something more exciting. Her sodium level dropped and she has been unable to keep down any food. Either of these things would have keep her in the hospital. With both, the doctors have decided to keep her overnight. Please pray that her sodium level will quickly return to normal and that she will be able to keep down her food so she can come home tomorrow morning or as soon as possible. Also, pray for a quick and complete recovery from this surgery.


2. I have been nearly unable to walk for the past ten days. During the last few days that I was in Russia I started to have problems with my hands and feet. It turns out I have had a toxic reaction to the oral chemo that I am on. My hands are not too bad, mostly just ugly to look at. However, my feet are causing me great pain. The folks at the cancer center have given me some things to do and stuff to take to help correct the problem. However, it may take several weeks before I'm back to normal. And, there could be some long-term damage to my hands and feet. Please join with me in prayer for immediate relief from the pain and for our Lord, the greatest physician anywhere, to touch my body and restore everything to perfect health. Pray that there will be no further complications from this chemotherapy.

The Brown Family - Video Update

We have just completed our first video update. It is a short video that describes what we have been doing in the first half of our first term of missionary service.