A Difficult Cycle

I am currently starting the fifth week of my fifth cycle of chemotherapy. I have to say, this has been a difficult cycle. Each cycle seems to be unique, with a different side effect being dominant. The list of side effects doesn't change much, but it appears that each side effect has its day in the sun, or in this case, its cycle to be the mother of all side effects.

You've seen previous posts about hand foot syndrome. That was a major issue in cycle one and came up again briefly in cycle four. There has been the ever present chemo-gut sickness that seems to be more pronounced in the evening. This has been there for every cycle, but seemed to be dominate in cycle four.

This cycle has brought on two issues that I am asking you to pray for. The first, is one that has always been there but just not in a significant way. It is fatigue. Fatigue is that feeling of absolute total tiredness, a feeling that you can't even afford to expend the energy to get up from your chair. On some days, it is so bad that even the act of getting out of bed after nine hours of sleep seems to take too much energy. It isn't an everyday problem. Take this week for example, Tuesday was horrible. I slept nearly ten hours before waking up late on Tuesday. I woke up tired and stayed tired, no, exhausted, all day. However, the next two days were great, some fatigue, but no exhaustion.

The other issue that has come up this time is a new one. It is something that I feared when I saw it on the side effect list at the start of my chemo program. It is depression. Not the total dark, suicidal, kill me now kind of depression. No, this is just a vale of darkness that seems to fall over me when I least expect it. Sometimes, as I'm getting ready for bed. I'm so tired but can't get strength to sleep. That darkness will fall. Or maybe it's at the office and I just can't put it all together to complete an important task. That darkness will fall.

Finally, there is the issue of the findings from my last CT scan. Has my cancer returned? Or, is it simply unexplained shadows or a malfunction in the CT equipment? I go to the cancer center on Monday for a new set of CT scans, then back again on Thursday to visit with my oncologist. I believe that the weight of the fact that there may be something more that is wrong with me has only contributed to the fatigue and the depression that has been there for this round of chemo.

I'm being very open with everyone here. Open in a way that I have not really been before. Why? It's simple. I need your prayers. This cycle of my chemo and my current emotional state has been more than I had been prepared to carry. I know that our Lord is able to see me through this. Please pray with me that He will provide the strength I need to continue doing with I love to do each day at Book of Hope. Pray that the darkness that creeps up occasionally will be cast away with the enemy who brings it on. And pray that the visit to the cancer center will reap nothing but good news and praises to our Lord.

Thank you for your prayers and thank you to all those who have sent notes of encouragement. I truly appreciate you all.

Photos From Haiti on Flickr

Photo's from what is likely Wayne's last official trip to Haiti are now posted on Flickr. Click here to view them. Wayne has transitioned the Regional Director's responsibilities for Haiti over to Richard Luna, our Regional Director for the remainder of Latin America. Wayne will now be focused on Innovation, finding and developing the next new ministry tools and processes for Book of Hope.

Photos From Southern Asia & Brazil on Flickr

Photos from Wayne's April trip to Southern Asia and May trip to Brazil have been added to our Flickr photo archive at http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourworldmissionaries/.

A Week In Brazil

I've landed in Brazil. This is my third trip to this beautiful country. I will spend most of my time this week working with church partners in Recife and New Iguacu, near Rio de Jeneiro. My goal for this trip is to better understand how ministry takes place in Brazil, then work with our national leadership team to engage in a little innovative thought about how to be even more effective in reaching all the children and youth of Brazil. Please keep us in your prayers this week, as the work and planning we are doing will impact the ministry in Brazil for years to come.

The Saga Continues

I had a very interesting visit with my oncologist yesterday. Those of you who have been through cancer or helped a family member deal with this affliction know that the last word you want to use to describe a visit with an oncologist is the word "interesting." When I had my last CT done about 13 weeks ago, it was much like the previous two scans, showing a few small shadows, but nothing that was a concern. This week's CT scan shows a 1.3 cm spot on my lung and a 0.6 cm spot on my liver, as well as numerous swollen lymph nodes around my spleen. My oncologist was noticeably concerned about these findings. I am going to have the CT scan redone in five weeks and a determination will be made then about the need for a biopsy of the lung and liver.

Needless to say, this was difficult news to receive. Tammy and I continue to believe that the Lord is going to provide a complete healing. We ask that you join together with us in petitioning heaven for the same results. And pray for comfort. Five weeks really isn't that long, unless you have this type of issue hanging out there.

Pray For Healing For Dan Carl

I have been working closely with Dan and Liz Carl, our distribution team leaders in Haiti, for over a year. Together, we have developed strategies to reach the entire children and youth population with the gospel message in the next six years and have started the work to make that happen. Dan has recently been diagnosed with a skin cancer issue. Please review the note we received from the Carls yesterday and remember Dan in your prayers.


Dear Friends and Prayer Partners,

Greetings from Haiti. This is very last minute since we were asked to move quickly. Dan received some test results back last week from a mole that had been removed from his back a few weeks ago. The tests indicated that there was Malignant Melanoma Skin Cancer present. After consulting with a plastic surgeon yesterday, the decision was made to do a second operation to remove a larger section of the tissue to confirm there is no other Melanoma present. The surgery is scheduled for today at 10:00 AM here in Haiti.

This is being done as an out patient procedure with a local anesthesia. Normally, complete removal of the infected tissue is the treatment for this type of disease. The doctors believe that the Melanoma was still very shallow and was only beginning to go deeper into tissue below the skin. Therefore, after the operation, the tissue removed will undergo another test to confirm there is no Melanoma present.

Please pray that God would lead the surgeon to remove any remaining Malignant Melanoma that could be present. Our faith is in the Great Physician, Jesus Christ who is the only one who can heal Dan's body with or without the use of the surgeon. To Him be all Glory, Honor, and Praise!

Thank you for your prayers.

Love,
Dan & Liz

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.