Prayer Request For Thailand Missionary Family

Last Spring we were privileged to have the Sorenson family, missionaries to the deaf in Thailand, here to help us in filming a special version of The GodMan created specifically for the deaf. The following is a communication we recently received from the ministry the family works with. Please lift them up in your prayers.

Dear Friends and family of Mark, Lulu, Marissa, Krysta, Tyler, Nathan, Hanna, Stephen and David,

I am sure most of you know that Mark had a very serious biking accident on January 5, 2008 in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Mark was preparing for a triathlon. As he was practicing “speed” biking, he suddenly came to an open ditch. He went headlong into the ditch with such force that his helmet actually broke in half.

Mark was temporarily paralyzed, some local villagers who found him called an ambulance and he was transported to a local clinic. This clinic realized they were not equipped to deal with his injury and transported him to a local hospital.

Mark had both X-rays and MRIs. He was admitted to the hospital. He has damage to his cervical spine; especially in the areas know as C5 and C6. This damage gave him a lot of pain in the neck and shoulders, as well as numbness, weakness and limited range of motion in his left arm.

Now several months have passed. Mark has had medication, heat pack, physical therapy and several consultations with Thai doctors. However, he is still experiencing significant problems. He has tightness of the neck and shoulders, sometimes radiating into his fore arm. He then experiences “pins and needles” in his fingers. At times he experiences difficulty in breathing. He has also had the “pins and needles” tingling in his left leg. He can not type on the computer or sign for any length of time, and is often very tired.

Recently, I (Mike Buus – DOOR) agreed with his family that it is time for Mark and family to come to the US and get some second and third opinions. The Sorenson family was scheduled to come home later this summer for “home ministry,” therefore; it was a simple matter to change the dates.

The Sorenson family will be returning to the U.S. on May 8th. Mark has appointments with specialists on May 14th.

We ask you to join us in prayer that the doctors would have great wisdom and insight into the best course of treatment. Pray for Mark’s healing. Pray for the family as they travel a great distance. Also pray that the additional finances would come in to get them through this period of time in the U.S. Mark hopes to keep up his leadership and translation work while he is recuperating.

Grace and peace,

Mike Buus

President DOOR International

Changing Roles, Increasing Responsibilities

As we approach the completion of our second year of full-time ministry at Book of Hope, we are seeing our responsibilities change and grow. For the first two years of our work, our primary responsibility was to direct the new movie ministry work at Book of Hope. That included direct leadership over our distribution activities for The GodMan as well as oversight of the development of new versions and dubs of this movie. In December 2007, our executive team at Book of Hope asked us to assume some new responsibilities. We will continue to provide leadership for our new media ministry products, including The GodMan. However, we will now be serving as co-leaders of a new ministry group within Book of Hope. This new role will put us in the position of identifying, developing, and implementing new ministry concepts for Book of Hope and for our ministry partners. We call this new group the Innovation Team. We are thrilled to have Jeremy Varo-Haub, one of the most creative people we know, serving with us as the creative director for the Innovation Team, and Vinny Cesar, a man with an amazing eye for detail, serving with us as an international coordinator on the team.. Please join with us in prayer that the Lord will bless and anoint our work on the Innovation Team and that through this work many new tools to reach children and youth around the world with the gospel message can be discovered.

April 2008 Newsletter

Our April 2008 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/. This months newsletter features photos and news from Wayne's trip to Southern Asia, as well as an update on the health concerns for him and Rebecca.

Prayer Update

We covet your prayers!

The past month has been very difficult for us. It started four days before Wayne left for Southern Asia. Rebecca was hospitalized with an infection in her throat that was resistant to traditional antibiotics. She had to be hospitalized so that they could give her some very strong IV antibiotics. Wayne actually had to leave for Southern Asia hours before Rebecca was released from the hospital. That was very hard for him and for her.

Rebecca continued to be sick with various problems over the 17-day period that Wayne was in Southern Asia. At the same time, Wayne was starting his fourth cycle of chemotherapy. The first cycle back in November was very difficult for Wayne; however, the second and third cycles included only the most minor of side effects. But this fourth cycle was more like the first than the other two. Wayne suffered with significant pain, digestive issues, and fatigue as a result of the chemo. Nevertheless, God was faithful. His touch on Wayne during this period allowed him to continue his work with only minor adjustments.

While Wayne was dealing with his issues in Southern Asia, Rebecca continued to be feel ill. On the day of Wayne's return, she was once again admitted to the hospital. Like the earlier hospitalization, this one was due to an infection that traditional antibiotics could not resolve. This time, the infection was in her ear and she required stronger IV antibiotics. She ended up staying in the hospital for eight days before the infection completely cleared. Even so, her trademark joy-level never diminished. Each time a doctor or nurse came into the room, she would be all smiles and squeals, especially for the young male interns - students from Nova Southeastern University's medical school.

As of today, Rebecca is healed from her infections and is as full of energy and joy as ever. Please join us in prayer that her health will continue to be strong and that God will protect her from any future attacks from the enemy. Wayne is in the final week of cycle four of his chemotherapy. He starts cycle five on Thursday. Pray with us that this cycle will be uneventful and free of significant side effects. He has a total of nine cycles of treatment, ending in November, the day before Thanksgiving. And pray for Tammy. Being the only healthy person in the home has put her in a double caregiver role. Pray for strength and patience for her and for protection from any attack of the enemy.

January - March 2008 Newsletter & Video Update

Our first newsletter for 2008 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/.

You can also access our first video update on our YouTube site at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egTj-BWjww0.

Fatigue

Have you ever been tired? I don't mean that end of the day, following lots of mental or physical work, where you are ready to curl up on the couch and take a nap kind of tired. I mean where you are so tired that you can't focus on doing the things you love. Things like reading, watching a favorite TV show with your daughter, taking a walk around the block with your wife. And then having to deal with that kind of tiredness day in and day out. That is my definition of fatigue. And that is the most significant side effect of my chemotherapy.

There are lots of side effects from the chemo. Many of them of a nature that I will not share in a blog. But the one that is having the greatest impact on my life is fatigue. I can't really tell you when it first hit. It just seems to have crept into my life and taken root. There are nights when I can sleep for ten or twelve hours, wake up and start my daily routine, and within a few hours be sitting in a chair or on the sofa with no energy or drive to do anything.

I've been blessed in that God has allowed me to stay focused through the workday at Book of Hope. However, where I used to spend two hours or more each evening reading or studying, now I can hardly focus on that task for 15 minutes. And on most evenings, staying up past 9:00 is a real challenge. It is kind of sad in that I'm in bed well before my teenage daughter.

I'm sharing this so that you can join with me in prayer for release from fatigue. Pray for energy to work a ten-hour day and still be a participant with my family in the evening. Pray that I will have the focus to continue my studies. Those studies are critical if I ever what to reach ordained minister status with the Assemblies. And pray that fatigue does not disrupt my international travels and the tasks that I perform as I travel around the world. My next trip will be to India from March 28 through April 14. Pray for the strength and stamina to be effective day and night during these weeks.

Cancer Update

Yes, I know it's been some time since I posted an update on ministry or health issues. Sorry about that. This post is to let you know that I'm doing well. I am nearing the end of my third cycle of oral chemotherapy and will start the fourth cycle on Thursday. There is a pattern that is starting to develop. There are two different pills that I take during my six-week chemo cycle. One involves four pills each morning for four weeks. The other is two pills in the morning and two in the evening for six weeks. Based on my first three cycles, things start out easy, build up to mild complications in the later part of the second week, then get harder by the end of the third week and continuing that way until the end of the fifth week. From that point to the end of the cycle things get much easier.

Okay, you say, so what does it mean to be easy, mild, or hard. Well, there has really been no consistency with those definitions. The first cycle was devastating to me. There were times during the hard days that I could hardly move and I was so tired that I didn't even want to get out of bed. However, since then, God has bless me. The hard periods of cycle two and three were both better than the mild period of cycle one. My nurse tells me that it is normal for patients to develop resistance to the toxicity that causes the side effects. However, it is also normal for side effects that seemed to be behind a patient to suddenly flare up in a future cycle.

My prayers for this period of my life remain consistent. I am asking the Lord to give me the courage to walk down this path He is taking me down and to help me to have the strength to overcome any physical issues that may arise. I've also been praying for my hair, but it does not appear that my hair is on the top of God's issues list for me. But that's for another posting.

Thank you for praying with me and my family. We feel your prayers and I know that God is listening. I am getting stronger with each cycle of chemo and I fully believe it is the hand of the Lord that is making that happen.

One more note: I'm losing weight like crazy. I don't recommend cancer or chemo as a traditional weight loss plan. However, it feels good to be 30 pounds lighter than I was before the ruptured appendix that started all this one year ago.

New Photos From Southeast Asia Travels

I've added new pictures from my travels in Southeast Asia, including: Thailand, Cambodia, Philippines, and Indonesia to our site on Flickr. You can find them at http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourworldmissionaries. Enjoy and feel free to leave comments.

Pictures From Thailand On Flickr

I've added some new pictures from my travels in Thailand to our site on Flickr. You can find them at http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourworldmissionaries. Enjoy and feel free to leave comments.

Southeast Asia- January Update

Wow, it is hard to believe that January is almost over. This has been an incredibly exciting month. I have been traveling throughout southeast Asia for most of the month. Those travels have taken me to Thailand, Cambodia, and the Philippines. Tomorrow morning I leave for a few days in Indonesia before starting the long trek home. Lord willing, I will be back home with Tammy and Rebecca on Saturday evening. Be in prayer about that as one of my international connections only allows for an 80 minute layover in Korea. It sometimes take longer than that to get through the security checkpoint at the transfer desk.

I have been amazed by the courage and commitment of our ministry partners in each country we have visited. With one exception, all of these partners are nationals who work with little or no pay to reach children and youth in their communities with the gospel. Why would they work so hard for so little? They measure their compensation differently than most in the USA. They see their compensation in more eternal terms and not just in how much money they will have at the end of the month. These men and women are truly living a life of service and sacrifice in order to take the good news to a people who are not always receptive or understanding.

The southeast Asian region is culturally, economically, and religiously diverse. There are areas that are heavily Buddhist, Christian, and Muslim. In some places, two or three of these groups peacefully coexist. However, in other areas there is extreme hostility toward anyone bringing a Christian message. Nevertheless, the young men and women who make up our national distribution teams work tirelessly to take the gospel to every child and every young person in their area. Please pray for their safety and for provision of every need as they continue to minister.

Most striking for me was the cry of pastors and lay ministry leaders in one area we visited. They are desperate for laborers. The pastors have vision, but lack the resources to see those visions become reality. The political and religious situation is open in a way that it has never been open before, yet there are few workers ready to respond to go through these open doors. This is truly a modern and living example of the harvest fields being white for the harvest but the laborers being few. This openness may last for many years. However, it is just as likely that it will close at any time. Pray with us for the Lord of the Harvest to call out laborers. And pray that those who are called with not delay one minute in responding to that call.

While I am excited to be coming home at the end of the week, I am going to miss this area of the world. There are many places in this world where the people have touched my heart. However, few of them have touched me in the same way as those here in southeast Asia. I haven't even left yet and already my heart longs to return.