“The history of missions is the history of answered prayer.”
(Samuel Zwemer)
We have experienced the answered prayers of the Body of Christ that have lifted our spirits and strengthened us greatly the past two weeks spent in the hospital intensive care unit. Eric and I are excited to share with you what God has been doing on the mission field! Being stuck in the ICU has brought opportunities to share Christ with people from Haiti, Hawaii, Japan, Afghanistan and Nepal!
“We must be global Christians with a global vision because our God is a global God.”
(John R.W. Stott)
The very day we rushed Eric to the ER, our Haiti school sponsored students “Summer Fun Day” was in process after much planning. Haiti has been a war zone for the past few years and it is always a battle to bring joy in the midst of such suffering.Smiling photos of the Haiti kids we personally know and love kept filling up my phone in the very moments Eric was initially fighting for his life. The clashing of our two very different and yet very same worlds was not lost on me in those moments or since.Our Texas Haiti came to the hospital to pray over us and celebrate our 24th anniversary with a Fiji inspired party. Julienne prayed in the Kreyol language and manner just like we would have experienced in Haiti.One of Eric’s mission fields has been the Pickleball courts. This Pickleball friend came to visit him and shared how Eric’s loving kindness and grace without judgement had pointed her life back to God, her husband, church, and new life in Christ. She wanted to tell us that she was being baptized the next morning.Eric’s Pickleball community held a Pickleball tournament benefit in Eric’s honor. Several have shared with us how many lives Eric has impacted for Christ on the Pickleball courts that led to this sweet gesture of love and care for Eric and our family. We are in awe of God’s goodness to use us for His glory wherever we work, live and play!The hospital care team sent a chaplain to visit us the second night. Her name was Elizabeth and she was pretty new on the job. When she asked to hear a little of our story and found out we are missionaries and Eric is a pastor, she got a little bit shy and told us she was intimidated. Eric shared that all she needed to share is the Truth and leave the responses/reactions to God. I asked her to share her story and we had such a sweet time of fellowship. She prayed over us and we prayed over her and the ministry God has given her to this hospital. She told us with joyful tears she would never forget us and that we were sending her off with the courage to boldly declare Truth. This was the first of many similar conversations and precious ICU prayer times since. We have some serious prayer warriors!Another day, one of the housekeeping staff popped her head in and Eric just knew right away she is from Haiti. Her name is Marie and she has been in Austin for three years on humanitarian parole. At first she kept saying, “No English” until (with a big smile) she realized Eric was speaking to her in Kreyol. Eric was blessed with Marie visits the next two days. Such sweet gift from God to have a new Haitian friend!
The halls of this ICU have been bathed in prayer. Our sweet nieces and nephews made scripture art to decorate the walls. We have moved rooms three times now and each time the nurses have to take it down and read it. One nurse taped it all on another nurse for the transport and they walked down the halls of the ICU declaring, “Look, we are covered in scripture!”
I’m going to be vulnerably honest here. The 4th floor of the ICU is not the floor where anyone wants to be. It is the floor where critically ill patients come to die. If I have already witnessed several deaths in the two weeks we have been here, how many can we imagine the medical staff endures on a regular basis. Morgan was one of the nurses that prayed with us. She left this note before her last night shift with us ended. Since we have been here so long, we did get to see her again. 🙂 We have had the privilege to hold hands and pray with medical staff, and share the hope of Christ with the families of those who have lost family members in the room next to us. There was a family of strong believers and our sweet conversations about the Lord took place in front of the nurses station where they were listening. While our new friends were waiting for their husband/father to peacefully pass, they wrote, “I get to meet Jesus!” on the outside of the door for everyone who passed by to see. It was a reminder that even if our prayers are not answered in the way we want, our hope is still “getting” to meet Jesus.I woke up at 4 am to find Eric in deep conversation with his nurse from Japan. I couldn’t hear them from across the room so a few hours later I asked Eric what their conversation was about. He texted me what he had written down after Coco left the room. “Good morning Father, I’m not sure what prayers went up last night for my nurse and/or for Japan, but God you are on the move & working. I’m so humbled for the privilege to talk about Jesus. Thanks for the open door. Coco (my nurse from Japan) was just very open about belief & having never been to a church or ever confronted with the thought or opportunity to consider who Jesus is. She says, I need to think about him & who he is. She has been in the USA for over 18 years & has never had a spiritual conversation God gave us. Little mustard seed plant 🙌 Lord, allow this seed to take root & go generations deep into this family line. In Jesus name!”Alex’s heart grew for missions when he traveled to Honduras with Eric in March. What a blessing to hear how God is growing the ministry through Alex, his family and church family!Evan and his friends came to visit and pray over Eric. Only two months ago, Eric was serving with these young men on a mission trip in the Dominican Republic. May each of these experiences enlarge their faith and ours.We go way back with these “kids.” Ben, Kelli, Miguel and Peter were among our close knit group of our youth group seniors the year we moved to Haiti. They all came to serve with us in Haiti two different times. Miguel lived and served with us in Haiti for nearly a year. Miguel and I still suffer chronic joint pain from a mosquito born illness the two of us contracted in 2015. Miguel’s sweet spirit through sickness and the uneasy daily Haiti life was (and still is) a gift from God to our family. It was so fun to spend time sharing so many memories of what God has done in each of our lives over the years and looking forward to what He will do next.So many dear, old and new friends have come to sit with us in this sad and beautiful time. The first morning in the ICU I was told Eric had a 0% chance of leaving the hospital. He had not been able to communicate well for a few days prior due to low oxygen levels and being deathly ill with aspiration pneumonia. I lay on Eric’s bed and cried out to God that He would allow Eric to wake up with clarity of mind and connection to be with our family and friends. God answered my prayer in a miraculous way that day. As soon as the first visitors (the elders and staff from our church) arrived, Eric perked up and has been able to communicate and connect since that day!
There have been periods where Eric is unable to talk the past few weeks. Some days are better than others and he is able to talk a little. One day, friends were visiting at a time when Eric was unable to talk. Our friend Tanya wrote the note to Eric on his whiteboard, “Share the gospel without words.” Eric, being funny, replied, “that goes without saying.” Their conversation stems from the quote, ““Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary, use words.” In other words, “Actions speak louder than words.”
Being confined to a hospital bed the past two weeks and the two weeks prior at home has not been easy. It is tempting to let frustration and anxiety have their turn. But these are not the “actions” we want to “speak” if we are to reflect the Light of Christ. I think of Paul and Silas singing in prison (Acts 16) that not only lifted the spirits of the other prisoners but culminated with the jailer and his whole family coming to Christ.
The life of Amy Carmichael, missionary to India, has always been an inspiration and encouragement even though and especially because she spent the last twenty years of her life bedridden with debilitating pain. While serving in India, Carmichael received a letter from a young lady who was considering life as a missionary, asking, “What is missionary life like?” Carmichael wrote back, “Missionary life is simply a chance to die.” Amy’s response to hardship was to say, “If we’re revived by grace and filled with the Holy Spirit, we’re capable of bearing fruit in season and out of season, in fertile ground and in the desert, when life is easy and when it’s not.”
The mission field is wherever we are. The circumstance does not shift the capability of the Holy Spirit. It is in the most difficult times that we are nearer to Him more intensely than ever before.
“The spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions. The nearer we get to him, the more intensely missionary we become.”
(Henry Martyn)
Thank you for lifting us in prayer the past few weeks. Shortly after sharing the last post about Eric’s surgery on June 24th–that we had greatly hoped would aid in his full recovery–the surgeons came to inform us that they could not continue with the second part of the surgery to try and clear the infection in Eric’s trachea because they had discovered a large, cancerous tumor in that area. This news was shocking to everyone. They had previously thought this spot on the CT scan was either a pocket of infection (Eric had been suffering for months from infections of H-Flu, MRSA, and hospital acquired bacterial pneumonia) or granulation tissue that had grown due to scarring after the previous surgery. They never suspected the spot could be a cancerous tumor because this type of cancer (squamous cell carcinoma) neither originates nor spreads to the trachea/windpipe. Austin’s top surgeons said they have never seen this before. It is apparently very, very rare for this to happen. Eric was heartbroken when he woke up from anesthesia and heard the news.
We spent that night at the hospital and Eric’s team of doctors told us they had made all the necessary calls to get Eric referred to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. The San Antonio location which is closer to us does not treat this type of cancer. Eric’s throat was very sore for about a week after surgery but since the surgeon was able to remove the upper granulation tissue in this throat, his airway opened up a little and breathing improved some. We were thankful for this small reprieve.
Eric was scheduled to preach for three services at our church on June 30th and had prepared for this before going into the hospital. It was one of the reasons we had pushed for the surgery to happen early in the week so that he would have as much recovery time as possible before the next Sunday. Eric was graciously given the option to pass this off to someone else, but we felt strongly that this was important for Eric to do. Our church, Fellowship Church of Plum Creek, where Eric is on staff part time as the Mission’s Pastor, has been going through a summer series on the pastoral staff’s favorite scripture passages while Lead Pastor Chris is on sabbatical. It was Eric’s turn to share his favorite from Acts 1 with a focus on Jesus last words in Acts 1:7-8.
He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
These have always been Eric’s favorite verses to live out and share. Yet, preaching a sermon titled “Last Words” after just finding out you have cancer…again…was a heavy task. We do not believe it is a coincidence that this happened. Eric preached the message with a sore throat, pain in his head and neck along with several unusual technical difficulties that also felt like forces trying so, so hard to steal his voice. Our oldest son who hasn’t been to church in years came that Sunday to hear his Dad. He also brought two friends. That really meant a lot to us along with all of the people who have taken the time to reach out with kindness and pray over us.
Waiting for the first of many meetings with doctors at MD Anderson.
Our first meetings with Eric’s new team of cancer doctors at MDA were on July 11th, and 12th, in Houston. First, we met with the surgical team who explained that the tumor is inoperable due to its size and location in the windpipe. The tumor is currently covering 80% of Eric’s airway. This is the reason he has been struggling to breathe all these months. There is 20% airway left and we do not exactly know how fast the tumor is growing.
The red circle is where the tumor is and the doctor’s white pointer arrow next to the bottom of the circle shows the airway space that is left.
There is nothing to do to help Eric be able to breathe with the tumor there because the tumor is in the middle of his airway where they would normally be able to do a tracheotomy. We were told by the surgeon at MDA that because squamous cell carcinoma in the trachea/windpipe is so uncommon and they have not had these cases, they really are not sure how this cancer or Eric’s body will respond to treatment. We were also told the reason Eric has this ‘very uncommon” cancer in his trachea. It did not originate nor spread. It was implanted there. Somehow, squamous cell carcinoma cells that were previously present on Eric’s tongue before they were successfully removed on January 25th, 2023, were surgically transplanted into his trachea by accident during one of his previous surgeries which involved multiple medical teams. This was very difficult news that we were hearing for the first time. Eric has been the model patient. It was rare for him to get this kind of cancer on his tongue in the first place as he has never smoked anything nor drank alcohol. He bounced back quickly after extensive surgeries and was in great shape physically. He worked so hard on speech therapy during the months that followed. Then, about eight months after being healthy and declared “cancer free”, Eric began to have strange symptoms that quickly turned into chronic pain in his head and neck. All the many doctors Eric went to would offer various suggestions and treatments, none of which helped. We were told over and over this is just a “tricky case.” Because no one in the medical field thought cancer could be there, they didn’t bother to check and actually told us all the things it could be but that, “it couldn’t be cancer.” So the transplanted cancerous tumor has (in the past eight months) been poked with a steroid shot, cauterized two times, cultured and scraped during scopes and surgery–all surely helping the cancer to grow. We heard several times from multiple, kind doctors at MDA, ‘I’m so very sorry. This should not have happened to you.”
However, the medical team at MDA was very elated that Eric has not previously had chemo or radiation as at least there is now that option to try. It felt very strange to hear that the “good news” is rounds of chemo and radiation. The current thought for treatment recommendation is nine weeks of two chemo drugs along with immunotherapy that will be administered once every three weeks. This is to try and shrink the tumor as it cannot receive radiation in its current state. Then, six or possibly seven weeks of radiation (also probably alongside more chemo). The radiation treatments are five days per week and we were told arrangements would have to be made for Eric to live near the hospital the duration of that time. This is all the medical hope we are left with and even if Eric goes through all that, there isn’t any amazing guarantee.
The drive home from Houston was weary and depressing. This certainly wasn’t the news we hoped to share. We prayed and processed the next day and talked to some friends who have walked through similar situations. We needed to ask the hard questions like, “If you knew before what you know now, would you still choose the same way?” We were encouraged not to feel pressured by time or doctors to start anything immediately but to take a few days to sit with this and pray. We so appreciate everyone who has reached out to us and those who care enough to dare to send us information on alternative cancer treatments. We have done our best to read and research each one. Since learning about his tumor, Eric has been trying several (non-main stream) things that have been proven to fight cancer in some people (not all.) We are praying that his body will respond well. But we also know this typically takes time, and time is an extremely critical factor due to the closing of Eric’s airway. He can choose to continue with his current non-mainstream protocol in conjunction with starting chemotherapy. Right now, (unless there is significant improvement or a sudden miracle), the plan is to start the first round of chemo next week.
Cancer (or any illness or unexpected tragedy or life interruption) is never convenient. Eric is supposed to be leading two separate groups to Romania and Tanzania in the next couple weeks. He still has this hope inside him that he will be able to go. Please pray in faith with us for this. We know the “significant improvement or sudden miracle” needs to happen for him to be able to travel. We know if/when Eric starts chemo, his immune system will be utterly compromised and making trips overseas (even if he feels a little better toward the end of the first chemo cycle) is highly ill advised.
Elisabeth recently started a new job at Handspun Hope (a nonprofit ministry in Rwanda) this summer (in addition to teaching during the school year and working remotely with our Haiti ministries) right around the time we got the new cancer news, but before we had all the details. Trying to balance everything has been complicated to say the least. We apologize to all those we have not yet answered or have not answered quickly. We see your messages come in and simply cannot respond a good deal of the time while at work or in appointments that seem never ending. But we feel loved and prayed over and cannot thank you enough for checking on us!
Our son Evan, who also has a rare medical condition, is at youth camp this week, but has two important doctor appointments over the next two weeks. Our oldest son is moving next week and we want to be able to help him. The girls are living at home and close to home and are typically able to help around the house. There is so, so much to do and we are not at all sure how it is going to get accomplished. Eric struggles physically to be able to do much and he hasn’t been able to sleep more than a couple hours per night since last November. People ask how they can help but most of our big to-do’s are things only we can do (like our jobs, and medical appointments and trying to organize it all.) But then our neighbor shows up to mow our lawn, a friend brings coffee and drops off supplements for Eric at the office, and we get another card in mail or text with a prayer. So, we praise God, Who is our Help, as he sends dear ones to help us in unexpected ways throughout each day. We are constantly reminded we are not alone in this. There is always hope! We can have peace in this process. Our hope is not in “trusting the process”, but in the keeper of our souls. Doctors make mistakes and processes often fail. In Christ alone, our hope is found. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, our Light, our Strength, our Song.
We sang this song on Sunday that echoes our heart’s cry. May God be glorified in our “times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority” as we trust the One Who holds every detail of our days within His hand. Oh, sing hallelujah! Our hope springs eternal! Now and ever we confess, Christ our hope in life and death. God is good. God is good.
Christ Our Hope In Life And Death
Song by Keith & Kristyn Getty and Matt Papa
What is our hope in life and death?
Christ alone, Christ alone
What is our only confidence?
That our souls to Him belong
Who holds our days within His hand?
What comes, apart from His command
And what will keep us to the end?
The love of Christ in which we stand
Oh, sing hallelujah
Our hope springs eternal
Oh, sing hallelujah
Now and ever we confess
Christ, our hope in life and death
What truth can calm the troubled soul?
God is good, God is good
Where is His grace and goodness known?
In our great Redeemer’s blood
Who holds our faith when fears arise?
Who stands above the stormy trial?
Who sends the waves that bring us nigh
Unto the shore? The rock of Christ
Oh, sing hallelujah
Our hope springs eternal
Oh, sing hallelujah
Now and ever we confess
Christ, our hope in life and death
Unto the grave, what will we sing?
“Christ, He lives, Christ, He lives!”
And what reward will Heaven bring?
Everlasting life with Him
There we will rise to meet the Lord
Then sin and death will be destroyed
And we will feast in endless joy
When Christ is ours forevermore (forevermore)
Oh, sing hallelujah
Our hope springs eternal
Oh, sing hallelujah
Now and ever we confess
Christ, our hope in life and death (oh, sing)
Oh, sing hallelujah
Our hope springs eternal
Oh, sing hallelujah
Now and ever we confess
Christ, our hope in life and death
Now and ever we confess
Christ, our hope in life and death
We thankeach of you for your prayers and support as Eric and our son Evan had the privilege of ministering in the Dominican Republic near the border of Haiti a few weeks ago. Evan’s school takes a mission trip for the upcoming seniors and Evan wanted his dad to go with him. “We shared the gospel door to door, in parks, at sporting events and at schools. We are all praising the Lord that over eighty people put their faith in Christ during the week. Our team had several different types of ministries to many different churches. One afternoon we went as a team to pray for Haiti. Evan prayed one of the most profound prayers for the country where he grew up. Haiti is in a world of hurt and we continue to pray for her political stability, but even more for her spiritual stability and a move of the Lord throughout the country.” -Eric
We are hoping to be able to get back to Haiti for a little bit this summer. The roads to our home are still inaccessible due to the gang and transportation issues. We are praying the deployment of Kenyan troops coming “soon” and the new government installation team will be positive steps toward healing the country
Eric has been in four countries in the last couple of months serving. While in Romania, he had an infection open up from his neck and has been battling this infection for over two months now. Over the last ten months because of the pain Eric has had in his neck (a potential consequence of his cancer surgery in early 2023 but his doctors aren’t completely sure) he sleeps about an average of two hours a day. This has been very rough. Today, Eric goes under the knife again and they will remove granular tissue from his airway. Then they will go through the neck and try to locate the infection and figure out what is causing it. Thespecialistswilltry to rinse out the infection and take a few samples for pathology. We appreciate your prayers for the surgical team, Eric’s recovery, peace that surpasses all understanding and provision.
“But I do not consider my life worth anything to myself, so that I may finish my task and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news of God’s grace” (Acts 20:24).
Here are a few recent pics to enjoy while awaiting the next news.
Our daughter Esmée is currently in India with her friend Alexia who was our housemate last year. What a joy to see our adult children serving the Lord!Evan and friends praying over precious people in the Dominican Republic.Evan opening the Word at church in the D.R.This sweet Haitian lady was so excited when Eric spoke to her in Creole. We have many Haitian friends on the other side of the island. Even though they are so close to Haiti, it feels like a world away.At the Haiti 🇭🇹 Dominican Republic 🇩🇴 borderEvan hanging with students at a school. The students all kept calling him “Chino” thinking he is Chinese because of Evan’s eye condition. This has actually become a common theme in Evan’s life and even Asians think he is Asian and people that don’t know us think he is our third adopted child. Evan takes all this with a smile and wonders if God is calling him to a people group who think he looks like them. Evan is planning a mission trip to Japan in the fall.Eric and Evan with a Pastor they served alongside. Always thankful for each opportunity God gives us to serve around the world!
Hallelujah is the universal word around the world for praise. When I think of how to sum up 2023, words like “hard” (so, so, hard) and “how” (How will I survive this?) and “heartache” (the kind where you feel like you can’t breathe and have just about given up hope), oh and also “hospitals” (because hospitals were definitely a theme for us in 2023–though I won’t share all of the episodes) are what come to mind. Honestly, I’ve tried hard not to remember the most painful parts we have survived. But can we know joy unless we understand sorrow? Isn’t our hallelujah more sacred when shouted in the storm? At the end of this long list of happenings in 2023, I am so very thankful to end our year with none other than Hallelujah!
“Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:7).
The world’s perspective says that all hope seems lost for our dear Haiti. Our missionary friend and mentor, Eleanor Turnbull, who served over seventy years in Haiti before meeting her Savior in 2020, shared often how far she had seen Haiti progress in her seventy years on the island. She always encouraged us during the toughest times that we do not know what tomorrow holds, so there is always hope. Eleanor’s hope for Haiti was unshaken because her hope in God was unshaken. We too have seen the believers in Haiti “afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed…” (2 Corinthians 4:8). This is unshaken hope. Elisabeth, shares this hope for Haiti. She continues to fight for the most vulnerable children and mothers, raising education sponsorships, working with our small business loan program for women, and encouraging our faithful leaders on the ground in Haiti. When I look at the present circumstances of the country of Haiti, I am a bit more pessimistic. Yet, on an individual and spiritual level, I have so much hope that Christ can and does intervene, even when we are perplexed and on the brink of despair. God is still changing lives through the Scriptures for an eternal hope that will not disappoint.
