Memorial/Celebration of Dave's Life

 A week ago today

Dave breathed his last breath

And entered into eternity

with Jesus.

It has been a week of processing

for all of us.

Lots of tears, hugs, laughs

and sharing of memories.

We are so appreciative

of all the thoughtful

and loving messages we have received.

We'd like to invite you to

remember and celebrate Dave's life with us.

When: July 24, 2021 at 2:00pm

Where: Crossroads Neighborhood Church

             7555 Old Military Road NE

             Bremerton, WA  98311

Coffee and Donuts Reception will follow.

The memorial/celebration will also be live on YouTube.

The link will be posted here on the blog prior to July 24.

In lieu of gifts, donations may be given

The Coffee Oasis (thecoffeeoasis.com)

Additional Information:

We will not have an open mic at the memorial/celebration.

If you would like to email a memory/story of Dave,

We will print them and create a memory board

to display at the reception.

Memories must be submitted by Tuesday, July 20.

Please send your memories to:

david.frederick@thecoffeeoasis.com

We look forward to sharing this time with you.

The Finish Line

 Yesterday

4:15pm

Dave crossed the finish line

I'd like to share some words

our son Daniel penned this morning.

"I really felt like we lived

in that "thin place'

for the last week.

Heaven was almost tangible

as dad straddled two worlds

especially as he slept the final two days.

Those days were amazingly serene

for how busy my dad's life was.

Being there at the last moment

was like

watching a small step

not a giant leap.

Like a door opened

and gently closed.

No struggle.

God held him between here and there.

God has been so faithful

through this sad

and glorious journey."

Thank you all for walking this journey

with us.

We will write again

when we have a time planned

to remember and celebrate his life.

On the Last Lap

 This is Cindy...

Prior to cancer

Dave has been a runner

I remember when we first were married

He ran in tennis shoes :)

(He was also an excellent tennis player

He played for South Kitsap HS and Biola University)

He wanted to run a 4 minute mile.

Cancer has been an endurance race

There have been some sprints

and there have been a lot of grueling, long up hills

He is now on the last lap 

The crowds in the stands cheering him on 

have been amazing

But now we are all watching in hushed silence

as he nears the finish line.

The Hospice nurse and social worker

were here yesterday.

What caring, compassionate, knowledgeable women.

They helped us to better understand this final lap

They described him with one foot here

and one foot in heaven.

He is looking back to us 

as we remind him of our forever love for him.

And he is looking forward

to those awaiting his entrance into eternity.

We have seen this as he rests peacefully

and then we stir him, seeking a response.

It seems like it makes him struggle to return to this reality.

So now we are the fans watching in hushed silence

as him finishes the race.

We let him rest 

We sit with him

We gently put a hand on him

We quietly sing a song to him

We whisper affirmations of our love to him.

I read a beautiful liturgy yesterday

this phrase jumped off the page to me

"We are not nursing this dear one back to health,

We are stewarding his slow surrender of it."

Wow!

We are stewarding his slow surrender of it.

What a privilege.

The Waters Part

 This is Cindy writing again…

Parting Waters has been the theme

That has run through my head time and again

The past 4 days.

Not many hours after Dave dictated

The last blog entry to me

He started into a hiccupping, vomiting fit

That would not stop.

We had to call 911.

They are amazing.

One of the crew in particular is my hero.

Dave was transported to the ER in Silverdale

Which was again packed to capacity

Because he wasn’t deemed an emergency emergency,

He was placed in a wheelchair in the waiting room.

This mother hen about lost it!

I knew that in his state of weakness

He would truly end up an emergency emergency.

The EMT worked his way up the chain of command

Advocating for Dave

And the charge nurse came to get Dave

(and me which wasn’t the protocol, usually I have to wait in the car)

She took us directly back

Medication was given to curb the hiccupping/vomiting

And the decision was made that Dave needed to be hospitalized.

Jonathan flew in from Colorado

And then our 4 children and I took shifts

Two at a time together

To feed him ice chips, rub his head, and help him

Through gripping hiccups that took his breath away.

This is very scary to him and to us as we continue

To navigate the hiccup challenge.

The next waters that needed to be parted...

Getting him home with the Hospice supports in place.

What a roller coaster

“Mason county can’t get you set up until middle of next week…

If you stay at your house in Bremerton, we can get Hospice set up by Sunday…”

Dave really wanted to be home

So Bremerton was decided upon

The time was set

Ambulance was to pick him up at the hospital at 3:15 and

The Hospice nurse was scheduled to meet us 

at the house at 4:00 on Sunday

The hospital bed was ordered, delivered and set up on Friday

Then…

“Hospice doesn’t usually set up infusion pumps for families

To give their loved one IV meds at home”

Dave can take nothing by mouth

Or the vomiting resumes.

This was unsolved problem for 3 days.

“Ok, the Dilaudid can be set up with the infusion pump

But the other meds will have to be suppositories”

Ugh!

“We can’t get the infusion pump for Sunday

We’ll try for Monday...

Oh, we can't reschedule a Hospice nurse to meet you

Until Thursday!”

WHAT????!!

We sent out the call for prayer

And once again God parted the waters.

Suddenly 1 ½ hours

before the originally scheduled ambulance pick up time

The infusion pump with the Dilaudid was available

The Hospice nurse could be rescheduled for 4:00

And the transfer happened as originally planned

So, we are home

The biggest surprise when we got here

Was the ALL the meds are IV through his port.

So much easier.

(We are learning all sorts of new skills!)

We have an air conditioner and 2 fans directed

On Dave

Wool blankets are stapled up over the windows

To keep the heat from the sun out.

Being home is so much more comfortable

It has allowed grandchildren to get

Their grandpa hugs.

So, how is Dave?

We are in our last days.

He is very weary and very weak

He has had nothing but sips of water by mouth

Since Sunday a week ago.

He can communicate very little.

His days are in God’s hands

And Dave is ready to enter His presence.

A friend texted me the thought that

God is anticipating Dave’s arrival

Just as we anticipate the arrival of someone we love.

I like that.

Thank you Thank you

For all the loving, praying and support to our family.

We feel SO loved.

 

 

 

 

---

 [D1]

Hospice

 This is Cindy 

taking a dictation from Dave...

This is a hard blog to post

Dying is not easy

But I want to be transparent in dying

as I was hoping to be in living.

We made it home to Washington

After a wonderful time with Jonathan

but a difficult time

We flew home yesterday

making it through the check out counter

where they weren't going to let us board

because we didn't have a back up battery 

to the oxygen concentrator

which we were not told about.

Once on the plane

the Alaska flight attendants were wonderful

in providing extra oxygen when needed

As were our fellow passengers.

The descent was rough

But made it through with the extra oxygen.

Our son Jonathan went with us 

helping us along the way

We couldn't have done it without him.

Our Friendster Melissa picked us up at the airport

and brought us home.

We are so thankful for so many friends who have offered

food, transportation and support

all along the way.

Thank you

Today is the day you hope would never come

Entering into Hospice

Makes dying a reality

But I want the reality of dying to be as transparent

as the fight for living

Dying is leaving loved ones

that you care so much about

Going through drawn out pain

that you wish you didn't have to

But in no way do I want it to diminish

the reality of the hope I have in Jesus

Of entering into eternity with Him

That death is not victorious

I have a rock solid hope in Jesus

Not just wishful thinking because

I am dying 

but rooted in years of rock solid evidence

that He is who He says He is 

and He will do what He says He will do

This might be my last blog

but Cindy will finish it for me.

It truly is day by day

Only God knows.

Dave

Road Trip - Day 5+ (Genesee, Colorado)

How do we spell relief?

Arriving at our son's home in Genesee, Colorado

Which we did yesterday, Friday, about 3:30pm!

We are so thankful to have made it

All the way to Jonathan's 

Through all the challenges we have encountered

Mostly due to my bodily weakness.

And yet our car wasn't sure if it was going to make it the last bit either...

The last half of yesterday locking up the brakes

So that at times on I-70

We were unable to travel at more than 15mph!

So an early morning auto mechanic appointment on Monday

Will determine both 

The fixing of the windshield wiper motor

And the extent of what it will cost to fix the brakes

Not to mention anything else that they discover!

In other words...whether or not we still have a car

Or will donate it down here

Because it would cost more to fix than it is worth!

As for Cindy and I...

We will either way

Not be driving back to Washington

(There is no way my body can handle anymore)

But staying a few more days with our son and family

And then flying back...

A quicker and much less painful end to our adventure!

Thankfully also

My doctor was able to prescribe some pain medication

To take the edge off my suffering

Which we picked up today at a local pharmacy.

He has been a rockstar!

The oxygen has also been a huge blessing

Making it much easier to breathe

At the 6,500 foot elevation where they live.

Thanks again so much for caring and supporting us

In this little adventure we have undertaken!

I will follow up in a few days

When we figure out exactly what we are going to do

And how it looks like we will be proceeding

Once we return to Washington

Regarding treatment or no treatment.

My body is definitely winding down

With treatments seeming to hurt me more than help.

Till then...

Dave

Road Trip- Day 4 (Green River, UT)

I am actually writing at 2am on Day 5

Since I couldn't sleep.

Yesterday ended with a crash 

Emotional that is 

Not a car crash!

So I didn't get the blog done

Before we headed to bed.

So this will be brief

As I hope I'm going to get sleepy real quick

And want to try my hand at snoozing!

In terms of traveling

It was another uneventful day

No drama

No car problems

Just a looooooooong 

Very hot day 

That took its toll on both of us.

We made it to our destination

Green River, Utah

At about 6:30pm

The earliest we've arrived at one of our destinations thus far

As Cindy plowed through with driving.

We were finished when we arrived

And collapsed into the hotel

Well at least I did immediately

And Cindy did after bringing in all of our belongings!

Which led to a brief

But serious recognition

That we didn't have it in us to make a return car trip home.

So...what to do?

We hope to arrive at our son's tomorrow

Where we will stay for a few days

Probably longer than originally planned

To fix the windshield wiper motor

And to decide what's next

Which at this time looks like a flight home from Denver

And possibly Stephanie and Tim flying down to drive our car home!

Quite the change, huh?

It seems that this adventure became a bit more than we could handle

Which is probably what many of you were thinking from the beginning!

So...

That's it for now

Looks like we weren't the great adventurers that we'd hoped to be...

Hope to catch up with you at the end of today

To say that we arrived at Jonathan's in Genesee

And give you another update.

Thanks for listening,

Dave

Road Trip - Day 3 (Pocatello)

We made it to Pocatello, Idaho this evening

About 8pm

With NO MISHAPS along the way!

Wow!

We looked ahead at the weather forecast

Which predicted sun the rest of the way

So we took off without repairing the wiper motor

In order to get in at a more reasonable time

With the plan to fix the wiper motor

When we get to our son's in Colorado.

Cindy is amazing

Doing all of the driving

While I sleep the majority of the time.

It's a good team concept!!

We ate at a late lunch/early dinner

In Dillon, Montana

We enjoyed miles and miles of beautiful scenery

Thousands upon thousands of acres of pasture and farm land

Alfalfa

Potatoes

Cows

Very thankful for air-conditioning!

The plan is to head out by noon checkout tomorrow

And set our sites on Green River, Utah

As our final stop before arriving at our son's on Friday, June 18.

I know that some of you are disappointed

By the lack of drama in our traveling today

But for us it was a delightful respite

And we would be happy to continue our trip 

The rest of the way

In the same fashion!

Appreciate you all...

Dave

Road Trip - Day 2 (Missoula)

Well...we made it to Missoula, Montana this evening

At about 8:15pm

Mountain Time

About 2 hours later than our expected arrival...

More excitement!

To put it into a nutshell

Which when thinking about it

Isn't a very big object...

We had car problems today.

We encountered an unexpected rain storm

Beginning in Idaho

And continuing on into Montana.

No big deal for Washingtonians

Except that at that moment

Our windshield wipers decided to quit working!

Yes...you heard correctly

Who would have guessed.

We did everything we could to keep moving

Stopping every 100 yards 

For several miles to unjam the wipers

Then...

We jurryrigged (spelling?) an extension cord to one of the wipers

So that when it jammed I could pull on it to keep it moving!

Maybe I missed my calling and should have been an inventor??

Except that only worked for several miles

Until they permanently jammed

And really didn't provide that great of visionary improvement

In the downpour that was upon us.

So for several more miles

Cindy displayed her exceptional driving skills

In inclement weather 

By driving without windshield wipers

Until that really became too dangerous 

And we pulled over and called AAA

For a tow the rest of the way into Missoula

About 70 miles away at this point.

Then about a half hour into waiting

For the tow truck to show up

The sun came out 

We cancelled AAA

And drove the rest of the way to Missoula

Arriving at before mentioned time!

We checked into our motel

Bought some pizza for dinner

And are now officially wiped out

From our day's adventure.

Please keep remembering and praying for us...

I kind of crashed a bit ago

Had a good cry

With lots of hugs from Cindy

As the difficulty and challenge of this adventure

Is settling in

Due to the swelling in the lower part of my body

And the difficulty breathing

Note: I used oxygen when we got to the motel

And it helped for which I am thankful.

So...that wraps it up for Day2

It is 11:15pm our time

And we are ready for bed...

Tomorrow we will decide whether to get the windshield wiper motor fixed

Here in Missoula, if possible,

Or head out an maybe take care of in Colorado 

When we arrive there.

Thanks for listening!

Dave

Road Trip - Day 1 (Ellensburg)

We made it to Ellensburg

About 10pm tonight

Getting away at 6pm 

Instead of 4pm

Due to a challenge

In getting the oxygen supplies

We are taking with us

In case oxygen is needed in the higher elevations

We will be traveling through and to.

Note: This would not have even been possible today except for a wonderful friendster who went to the oxygen supply place and personally made it happen!  Thank you!

We had a delightful

But brief

Stop in Tacoma 

To have dinner with Cindy's mom

To pick up the wheelchair she had for us to use

And then on the road

For the first leg of our journey!

So...the adventure has begun...

Some things to pray about:

1. Endurance for Cindy.  She will be doing all of the driving, the hauling of belongings in and out of the hotels and taking care of her needy husband.

2. Grace for Dave. My feet and legs are very swollen despite the medication I am taking. My breathing is also not what it should be even after having 1,600ml of fluid drained from my right lung. 

Tomorrow morning we check out of our hotel by 11am and begin our next stage to Missoula, MT!

Off to bed...

Road Trip - Day 0 (Emergency Room)

Today is Sunday, June 13,

The day before our eagerly anticipated Road Trip begins

And all the adventures that will go with such RT!

I am going to attempt a brief, daily

Chronicle of our RT

With a highlight of its excitements and challenges

For your entertainment and prayer.

So...why not start with today - Day 0

Preparation Day?

It was certainly

A typical way that we seek to do things!!

It started at 4:30am

When I attempted to get up 

To use the bathroom

And I couldn't

I couldn't breathe!

It was really 

SCARY...

I thought it might be the first time that 

We needed to call 911

To bring me to the ER.

Thankfully within several seconds

I was able to begin breathing

Though with difficulty and very shallowly

And we decided that

We could drive ourselves to the ER

Which we immediately did

Arriving at about 5:45am this morning.

NOTE: If you need to go to the ER

That is the time to do it!

The last time we attempted the Silverdale ER

I waited in the ER waiting room

SIX HOURS

Before being seen!

This morning?

SIX MINUTES!

Hallelujah!

And with incredible doctor and nurse care

And within 4 hours of arriving

And lots of tests...

I'd had a thoracentesis (fluid draining)

Of my right lung

Removing 1,600ml of fluid!

Note: That is a LOT!

Opening the way for me

To BREATHE again

And for us to continue 

Preparation for our RT tomorrow!

YES!

Soooo thankful...

So that about sums up Day 0

Preparation Day

Because after such a procedure

All I'm really good for is sleeping

Which I'm pretty skilled at!

Our plan is to depart on our RT

Tomorrow about 4pm

After Cindy's last day of spring classes teaching

Stop at Cindy's mom in Tacoma

To have dinner 

To pick up a wheelchair

And then to continue on to Ellensburg

Where we will spend our first night!

Well...

Looks like I need to sleep again!

Good night,

Dave

Road Trip!

Call us crazy and you are probably right on target!

After all...

I took my family to a rebel controlled community to live

With graves in the front yard and back

Of which amoebic dysentery

Gigantic spiders and cobras

There was no lack!

I left a secure job

With no viable means of support

With street and homeless youth to build a rapport.

Believing in each case

The calling of God

Though considered by many

That our senses of us had been robbed!

So now...

To the road we have been called!

No...I'm not blaming this on God

Nor even insinuating that is Him 

Who has called us this path to trod.

We just want to do it!!

Cindy and I have so many fond memories

Of motorcycle trips together

Along the 101 highway down to California

The North Cascades

And across the Canadian Rockies.

So...

Despite the pain 

The difficulty walking

The recent very difficult chemo side effects

(Of which I am much better)

It is time for another road trip together

Taking it easy

Stopping when need be

Together two weeks on the road

(In the car)

Just shifting into enjoyment mode!

That's it...

We have put any treatment on hold

As we will be considering when we get back

How God wants us to move forward.

(More on that later)

Our plan is to be gone two weeks

Heading south to our oldest son and family in Genesee

Then looping back a different route

To enjoy the beauty this country is about.

We leave in two days

That we can do this is certainly a reason for praise!

We would appreciate your prayer and positive thoughts

That any problems would come to naught.

Thanks again for your incredible support!

Many blessings,

Dave

41 Years!

Today, June 7, is Cindy and my 41st wedding anniversary!

Who would have imagined during this tumultuous cancer journey

With all of its ups and downs

That we would have reached this milestone?

And yet here we are 

By the grace of God

And my oncologist...

So...this blog will be a 

Remember When?

Much of it

Only known to my bride and me

To the rest of you...a mystery!

Remember when...

We met at Millersylvania

The first of two Bible camps!

Remember...

The tragedy of your landlady

When instead of your parents

You reached out to me?

Remember...

The melting of the mocha pies

As I looked into your eyes

And asked you to be my wife?

The farmer and miss skit

Which was quite the hit

As we revealed to our friends

The upcoming life together

That was soon to begin?

Remember...

Our amazing wedding day

When before 500 family and friends

We committed to each other

A forever yay?

Our beautiful and crazy honeymoon

On an incredible sailing yacht

With multiple dangers fraught?

I remember...

The amazing wife and mother

You showed yourself to be

During our three year adventure

In a rebel controlled area of the Philippines!

Raising our children...

Fearing my kidnapping...

Living for Jesus

Even when they didn't believe us...

Thinking we were

CIA spies

Believing lies

Until they witnessed our lives.

Remember...

How sick you were too

I thought I was going to lose you!

But God made you strong

Even running a half marathon!

I remember...

The dozens upon dozens

Maybe a hundred and fifty all told?

You have cared for in our home

Who never had a home to call their own.

The hundreds upon hundreds

Maybe thousands all told?

Who through The Coffee Oasis

You became a mother

Young men and women who had no other.

I remember...

The Masters degree you earned

And the incredible instructor at Olympic College

Helping those who've given up learning

Math and History learned!

And all of the above accomplished

And so, so much more

While being for 41 years

My incredible wife, encourager, lover and friend

The mother of our four children

And ten grandchildren!

I love and adore you

I am so thankful for you!

Yours,

Dave

NOTE: In case you wondered...we are NOT in Seattle having radiation treatments. The chemotherapy infusions have caused enough havoc on my body so that we are waiting to see how they are handled before we proceed with any radiation.

Yay! + Yuck!

The pain and the pleasure go together!

Those were the words that popped into my mind

As I stood at the back of the Burwell Coffee Oasis

Listening to a hundred plus people singing songs of praise to God

At a Sunday morning church gathering

While at the same time as a family

Experiencing a very difficult time

And wondering...

Should I be doing this?

Pastoring a growing church

Directing a non-profit serving homeless youth

When our lives were anything  but "put together"?

The pain and the pleasure go together

That's been this cancer journey for me...

A lot of hard

A lot of good 

As I've seen God in His amazing 

Goodness and Greatness

Use the hard to accomplish the good!

That's been again the experience of the past couple of weeks

After my last blog...

My oncologist immediately got approval 

For me to have a chemotherapy treatment

Two different chemo drugs that I had not previously had

In an effort to deal with the cancer invasion

Into my lymph system

And its impact on my mobility

Rendering me incapable of walking without assistance.

It is working!!

I am now able to walk again 

With the slight aid of a cane for stability

The swelling decreasing

The pain lessening

That is the...YAY!!

I am thankful...

Oh...but the YUCK!

It has been hard

As the chemo has ravaged my digestive system

Seven straight days of hiccups!

Phlegm that blocks my airway

Rendering me unable to breathe

For several seconds at a time!

Scary!!

The pain and the pleasure go together

I am thankful...

It is scary...

What is next

I do not know what it will be

Whether entering into eternity or

Living many more years on earth?

What I am learning

Is that 

The pain and the pleasure go together

And the more I trust in

The goodness and greatness of God

In the midst of this very hard journey

The more content

I am daily to live today!

Enduring the pain

Enjoying the pleasure...

Thanks again for listening

And walking with Cindy and I through this cancer journey.

You are a blessing!

Dave

Discouragingly Downward

How could I have imagined the many twists and turns

Ups and downs

Unknowns and uncertainties

That would be brought on by this cancer journey?

When we lived in the Philippines

The young men who didn't work

And just hung out doing nothing with their lives

Were called "kain, tulogs"

Eaters and Sleepers!

That's what they did with their lives

And now that's mostly what I do with my life!

Eat and Sleep...

What a life!

It often makes me struggle with the point and purpose

Of why I'm still around

And what value or worth I bring to the world

As I go day to day 

Hurting and sleeping and eating.

Starting immunotherapy again last Friday, May 21

Seemed to go well

No bad reactions during or after the infusion

Though I don't know if it provided any help either...

Time will tell, I guess

In the meantime

Things have gotten discouragingly worse.

It seems that the mesothelioma

Has invaded my lymph system

Resulting, as you know, in my right lung filling with fluid

And now...

Causing serious swelling and pain

In my groin and left hip

Resulting in me now being unable to walk

Without a walker 

And with a lot of pain.

It has made me much more dependent upon help

And placed a much greater burden on Cindy

Though she wouldn't call it a burden.

This new development has resulted in 

Many tears and discouragement

Grappling with my diminishing physical state.

My initial emotion was anger...

WHY this?

Haven't I gone through enough?

But as I've made it through a few days now

With this new discouraging development 

It's weird 

But I find myself singing a song in my head

That brings me perspective and peace

"Oh Lord, you are beautiful,

Your face is all I seek.

And when your eyes are on this child,

Your grace abounds to me!"

Crazy!

It was Job who said at the beginning of his immense sufferings

"Shall I receive good from the Lord and not bad?"

In life they do go hand in hand

Although it is easy for us to

Delight in the one and complain about the other!

The plan is to add chemotherapy now 

To the immunotherapy

With the hope that it might impact the cancer's

Invasion into the lymph system.

We'll see

How it goes 

And if my body can handle it...

But in the meantime I want my song and prayer to continue to be:

"Oh Lord, you are beautiful,

Your face is all I seek.

And when your eyes are on this child

Your grace abounds to me!"

How I need His grace every minute of every day!

Thanks for listening and supporting and praying...

Dave

Grateful and Anxious

I am so thankful for the incredible wedding weekend

I was able to enjoy with family and friends

This past Friday and Saturday!

The weather was amazing...

How often do you get

75 degrees and sunshine

In the middle of May

In western Washington?!

Wow!

To be alive to experience the celebration

With all of our kids and grandkids

To be able to walk our youngest daughter

Stephanie

Down the mulch pathway

Created by Cindy

Overlooking our beautiful lake property

And then perform the wedding ceremony

Uniting Stephanie and Timothy

As husband and wife

Was a privilege I would not have thought

I would be alive to experience

Several months ago.

I am grateful.

I am now recuperating 

From the weekend!

Spending hours sleeping away the exhaustion

That comes with such an output of energy!

But, I am so grateful.

I have also been struggling

With some anxiety

Over what lies ahead...

The uncertainty and unknown

Of the impact

Immunotherapy and Radiation

Will have on my body.

This Friday I begin again immunotherapy infusions

Every three weeks.

The following Monday

I am tentatively scheduled

To go to Seattle

To get prepped

For proton radiation therapy

To begin on June 7

Our 41st wedding anniversary!

The plan will be

For Cindy and I to temporarily

Move to north Seattle 

For the 4-5 weeks of the proton radiation therapy

Which will take place

Monday through Friday 

During those weeks.

In the meantime...

Breathing is getting harder again

Which indicates that another thoracentesis

Is on the horizon in the near future

To drain fluid from my right lung.

The daily challenge of the cancer journey continues on...

Appreciate you all listening and supporting,

Dave

Breath

"It's in Him that we live and breathe and have our existence"

Tomorrow will be my third thoracentesis in a month!

(Note: A thoracentesis is the draining of fluid from one of the lungs)

The realization that a thoracentesis is needed

Begins with

Feeling pressure in my chest

Increasing shortness of breath

As the fluid builds up in my right lung

Making it difficult to lie on my back

Put on my socks

Take a shower

Without having to pause

To catch my breath

To breathe normally.

It is scary...

Something those of you with

Asthma

Emphysema

Chronic Bronchitis

Understand much better than me.

Feeling like you are breathing through a straw

Fighting to catch your breath

When others around you have no difficulty breathing.

I think it's the closest I come to panicking

In this unpredictable cancer journey

That I embarked upon over two years ago

As I struggle to breath

Wondering if my next breath

Will be a breath

Or blocked

By the fluid building up in my lung!

Then it dawned on me

A couple of days ago

As I was gasping for air

That the Spirit of God

Is called the Breath of God!

The One I need to really live

And breathe

And spiritually thrive!

How desperate I am to physically breathe

Yet how easy it is for me to live 

Without His breath

Breathing spiritual life into me

Spiritually sustaining and enabling me

To be all that God has made me to be!

My doctor isn't certain what is causing the fluid 

To build up in my right lung

Part of the ongoing uncertainty

That has plagued this cancer journey

Though probably in some way the result of 

The enemy cancer lurking in my chest cavity.

The plan is to begin again soon

Immunotherapy 

With the hope that it will slow or stop

The growth of the mesothelioma

Tumor and nodules in my lungs

As well as proton radiation

To reduce the size of the tumor

Hovering above my heart.

The challenge and uncertainty

Of these treatments

Being the toll they will take upon my body

And its ability to handle them...

More on those treatments

As they become solidified.

My ERCP surgical procedure this past Monday

Was successful

In removing the stent

That had been placed in my bile duct 

To reduce the inflammation

That had been causing 

A sludge blockage

And extreme pain!

Yay!

That's it for now...

Thanks again for following my journey

And providing such incredible encouragement

To me

Along the way!

Blessings,

Dave

Unconditional Love

 An Ode to My Wife on Her Birthday

What a great deal I got…

Nothing I could have bought

Or even with luck sought.

All my life that which I longed for…

A love not dependent on my performance

Or importance

Or output

But consistently

And lavishly

And persistently

Committed to loving me

As me

Cancer ridden me!

My amazing wife…

CINDY!

God’s personification of unconditional love

To me

In my sickness

Weakness

Weariness

And pain

Committed to caring for me

When I give up on me

Committed to supporting me

When all I can manage is eat and sleep

Committed to loving me

Unconditionally!

Even when I try to push her away

Her love doesn’t for a moment sway

Through thick and thin

She’s in it to the end!

Unselfish, sacrificial

Love Unconditional

An amazing reflection

Of God’s unconditional affection

For us

In Jesus!

Who loved us

Not because we were righteous

Or winners

But when we were sinners!

Jesus

Died for us!

And the Father loves us!

Not only when we obey

Or from the straight and narrow never stray

But simply because we are His

God’s kids!

Unconditionally loved!

Yes!!

Happy Birthday Cindy!

More Opportunities to Trust

“But if I go to the east, he is not there;
    if I go to the west, I do not find him.
9 When he is at work in the north, I do not see him;
    when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him.
10 But he knows the way that I take;
    when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold." (Job 23:8-10)

Nothing has been easy about this cancer journey...

My last blog on April 14 stated:

The next opportunity for dependence

Although I'm sure there will be others also!

Is on May 3rd...

Never were truer words spoken!

I am writing this blog

Having just awakened from a much needed nap

Following ANOTHER thoracentesis of my right lung today

Just 9 days after the one referred to in my last blog on April 13.

This thoracentesis followed two ER trips

Within those 9 days

Because of increasing pain and shortness of breath

Which revealed in addition to continued fluid accumulation

A pneumothorax in my right lung.

A pneumothorax is a collapsed lung. A pneumothorax occurs when air leaks into the space between your lung and chest wall. This air pushes on the outside of your lung and makes it collapse. My pneumothorax was a collapse of only a small portion of the right lung.

A pneumothorax can be caused by a blunt or penetrating chest injury, certain medical procedures, or damage from underlying lung disease. Or it may occur for no obvious reason. Symptoms usually include sudden chest pain and shortness of breath.

So there you have it...

A pneumothorax

Which the doctors do not have any idea how it happened!

My latest opportunity to depend and trust!

These opportunities to trust

Which are always filled with challenging pain and so many unknowns

Continue to breed the question "why?" 

Why Lord is it necessary to go through this pain?

Why Lord can there be no break in the pain?

Why Lord, me?

And yet even though I do not know what He is doing

Or why He is doing it

I am learning to trust Him!

This cancer journey has rocked my world

Ripped in pieces my life

And yet it has not destroyed my foundation!

"He knows the way that I take

And when He has tested me

I will come forth as gold!"

This is definitely not because I have great faith

Or some great ability to trust

Oh no...

My faith has been rocked to the core many, many, many times!

Rather...

It is because I'm convinced of who God is

And that He is worthy of my trust

And that He is good and will cause all these things to work together for my good

Though I cannot, in my limited vision and understanding, 

See or understand what is happening or why...

"I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day." (2 Timothy 1:12)

Still learning to trust,

Dave

P.S. I am so thankful to be alive to celebrate one week from today the birthday 

Of the most amazing and loving woman that exists

And that I am privileged to call my wife!

From Faith to Faith

"In the Gospel the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith."  (Romans 1:17)

That's it!

It struck me as I am recuperating today from yet another surgical procedure

I had yesterday...

A thoracentesis (i.e. draining fluid) of my right lung...

And feeling pretty punky (Is that a word?)

It's amazing how such a procedure traumatizes your whole body.

That such is exactly what this hard cancer journey provides...

One opportunity after another to depend desperately upon God

In my weakness and pain and suffering

In order to know and experience better him and his strength and power

In a way that I would not otherwise

Because when things are going okay

It is easiest to depend on my own strength and wisdom and power

Rather than on God's.

Well...hopefully remembering will help me

To do a better job of depending...

HELP!

Rather than mentally and emotionally and spiritually battling...

I GIVE UP!

Not that everything will now be hunky dory!

Pain is still pain

Suffering is still suffering

Weakness is still weakness

But the focus of my thoughts does make a big difference

Either hoping and trusting in God's goodness and purpose

Or just mentally struggling with my wretched situation.

And there certainly has been and continues to be

Plenty of opportunity to struggle throughout this cancer journey.

(I guess we are all faced with such opportunities almost every day!)

It was last Thursday that I went to the ER

Because of difficulty breathing and sharp pain in my right back

But after waiting 5 hours 

And with no hope of being seen within this century

I left preferring to be in bed at home

Rather than sitting with no hope of being seen

In an uncomfortable ER waiting room chair.

My oncologist scheduled the thoracentesis for yesterday instead

They drained 1,500ml of fluid out of my right lung.

The shortness of breath, pressure on my chest and sharp pain in my right back

Immediately have improved

As I am working at breathing deeply and reinflating my lung.

(You can pray that I work on this hourly despite the pain!)

The next opportunity for dependence

Although I'm sure there will be others also!

Is on May 3 when I will be having my third ERCP surgical procedure

To remove the temporary stent placed in my bile duct

In order to reduce the inflammation that was causing blockage

And a lot of abdominal pain.

In the meantime we continue to ponder and pray 

About what is next...

Right now we are leaning in the direction of proton radiation of the tumor

Which would take place in north Seattle

At the SCCA proton radiation center.

We do covet your prayer as this decision is still very much in process.

Thank you again for your incredible support and encouragement

As we travel this cancer journey together.

Blessings,

Dave

Decisions Decisions

Before I give the latest update on my cancer journey

And the major decision that Cindy and I have to make

I think it is REALLY important to remember that

Tomorrow is Easter

And we are celebrating the fact that...

Jesus is Risen!!

Being on this cancer journey

With a prognosis of incurable, terminal cancer

Makes the reality of Easter

Very REAL!

The fact that Jesus died on the cross

Was buried in a tomb for three days

And then came ALIVE

Bodily resurrected...

Gives sure HOPE that I too

When cancer (or something else)

Ends my life on this earth

I too...

Because of my hope in Jesus

Will LIVE again!

Forever live again!

YES!

That is our Easter hope...

Thank you Jesus!

And now for the decisions that are before Cindy and I...

We met with my oncologist yesterday

And he laid before us these four options 

That he thinks we should consider

And decide upon in moving forward

From the least aggressive to the most aggressive approach:

1. Begin again one immunotherapy drug

2. Begin again two immunotherapy drugs

3. Begin again two immunotherapy drugs and one chemotherapy drug

4. Do nothing and as cancer grows provide comfort for pain

These are the options before us keeping in mind two things...

*That I haven't had any immunotherapy or chemotherapy

Since December because of the toll it was taking on my body

*That I am still in the middle of the surgeries

Because of the gallbladder and bile duct issues I've encountered

Requiring another ERCP surgical procedure

In approximately 2-4 weeks.

So...

What to decide?

When to decide?

Will any of the decisions make a difference or merely cause more pain and trauma to my body?

Is radiation still a possibility?

Are there any other options out there that are not yet known to us?

So...

Thank you again for your support and prayer

As we seek God's wisdom in making 

These life and death decisions.

We do need wisdom as we feel the weight of these decisions before us

And the impact they will have on my life and death

Wanting to make the most of the days that God gives me

But not prolong life merely to prolong life

If it is merely prolonging pain and agony 

And an inability to really enjoy life

When, because of Easter,

I have endless LIFE promised!

Blessings,

Dave

P.S. HAPPY EASTER!!

I am Loved

This cancer journey has been so hard

Daily wrestling with the gnawing pain

That finds one way or another to present itself

Causing a sense of hopelessness

That my end of days will be nothing more than

One form of pain or another.

This morning was a good example

Waking up with my whole body 

Throbbing and aching

From who knows what or why...

Resulting in a not untypical

Time of body-shaking sobbing

As Cindy attempted to comfort me

In my pain and sadness and hopelessness.

I told her as we lay there

"I feel like I've lost my way"

As my life and thinking for months and months

Has been consumed with hardly anything else except the pain

That plagues me virtually every minute of the day

With momentary hopes of relief being shattered

With a new variety of pain and suffering that presents itself.

It has made me long for heaven

But struggle to end my last days on earth well

(However many they may be)

Being so preoccupied with my pain.

Why does God allow such suffering?

Why is it necessary?

How do I end well when in such pain?

Questions and more questions...

Kind of reminds me of reading the book of Job!

Then Daniel shared a song with me this morning

That again helped bring back perspective...

"I am Loved" by Matt Brock.

Reminding me of who I am and whose I am

And helping me again to rest in the TRUTH

And in God's goodness and good purposes

Which I might never understand 

But I can trust and embrace.

A few lines from the song

Which were just what I needed...

"Just as I am, you welcome me"

"There is no disappointment in your eyes"

"There is no shame, only pride"

"I am your child and that's all that matters"

I don't know about you

But when I'm suffering

My mind goes crazy and not in a good direction!

I think the worst

I believe all kinds of lies

The enemy puts in my mind

The failure I am

The mistakes I've made

(And there have been a lot!)

And become overwhelmed with regret and failure.

Maybe, a huge part of this pain and suffering

Is to come to the point

In my absolute weakness and pain and hopelessness

That I believe...

I AM LOVED

Simply because...

I am God's child

And...

HE loves ME!

Period!!

Not because I've accomplished or achieved anything!

Just me weak and in pain

Unable to accomplish hardly anything

Loved!

Thank you Lord!

Thanks for listening to my ramblings!

Dave

Hospital Bed Blog!

 I am writing from my hospital bed after surgery this morning!

After the last two surgeries

The gallbladder surgery and the ERCP

To clean out sludge in my bile duct

The pain continued and I ended up back in the hospital

And I needed another ERCP today to put in a stent because of inflammation in the bile duct that was causing intense pain when I tried to eat.

It seems to have been successful 

Yay!

It did end with some excitement 

Bringing several doctors and nurses 

To my room as my heart started acting crazy!

Not wanting to do anything the normal way 

I ended up with heart a-fibrillation

That will need to be addressed.  

Hopefully going home tomorrow 

To start healing

And gaining back some of the weight 

Lost with not being able to eat for the past couple of weeks  

It’s been an adventure!

But I would be delighted 

To have less adventure and less pain 

For awhile!

That’s about it for now

Thank you for all the prayer and support 

You all are appreciated so much!

Blessings,

Dave

Discouraged

My last post indicated that I had become pain-free following the ERCP surgical procedure.

Unfortunately, that was short-lived

And pain has come back.

It seems that I was needing to experience yet another challenge in this journey

And so I am now dealing with a bleeding stomach ulcer

Because of the oral pain medications I have been taking.

I am now on medication to deal with the ulcer

But as of today, Sunday, March 14,

The pain in my abdomen and tightness in my chest

Only seem to be getting worse.

It is very discouraging

To move from one pain to the next to the next

Wondering if there will ever be a break or solution to the pain

With questions plaguing me:

Is this really only a stomach ulcer?

Is the cancer spreading and what's really behind all these complications?

How much more can I really take?

Is this quality of life?

And so it continues to be really tough traveling this cancer journey...

There was good news on Monday

From the Cardiac CT scan.

It showed that there were 

No blockages in the heart

And that the walls of the heart were functioning normally.

Whether or not the tumor is impacting the heart

Is the big question remaining

And so my cardiologist has scheduled an MRI on March 25

To assess what impact the tumor may or may not be having on my heart.

My brother and fellow pastor, Scott Pennington,

Passed from death to life

Into the presence of the Lord

This past Tuesday, March 9, at 12:03pm.

NO MORE PAIN!

That seems very attractive...

The Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 12

That God's grace is sufficient

For the sufferings and weaknesses that we are facing.

I am finding it very hard

As this journey drags on

To trust and rest in God's sufficient grace.

I find myself too often consumed with the pain and misery

I am experiencing.

I guess that is how I need prayer most right now...

Thank you for listening, praying and being the encouragers that you are.

I appreciate you all,

Dave

The Saga Continues

My last post documented my gallbladder surgery on Saturday, February 20, 2021

And the hope that the pain I was experiencing would be rectified by such surgery.

Unfortunately, my journey has not been so simple.

The following Saturday, February 27, 2021 

I was again back in the ER with terrible pain

In my abdominal area.

Unfortunately again, after several hours in the ER

And a slew of tests

I was sent home with no knowledge of why I was experiencing such pain.

I made it a few days at home

Until the pain became impossible to endure

And returned to the ER

At midnight on Tuesday, March 2, 2021.

(I have certainly put Cindy through the ringer!)

The pain was so intense

Morphine hardly made a dent in reducing its severity.

Fortunately, this time

A CT scan of my abdomen 

Revealed infection in the liver

And a blockage of the bile duct.

A gastro-intestinal doctor was summoned

IV antibiotics immediately administered

And an Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) surgical procedure

(Quite a mouthful, huh?!)

Scheduled for Wednesday afternoon

To clean out the sludge blocking the bile duct.

I woke up from the ERCP

In terrible pain

Which was very discouraging.

Would I ever have a moment again without pain?

At 7pm I was given two Percocet pills (oxycodone and acetaminophen)

Which did nothing to relive the pain.

At 7:30pm I was given Morphine

Which again did nothing for the pain.

At 8pm I was given another Morphine injection

And was able to fall asleep.

I awoke at 11pm

PAIN FREE!!

It was a miracle!

I thought I was dreaming

I had not been pain free in months.

I was released from the hospital yesterday, March 5, 2021

And continue to be free of the horrible pain I was experiencing

My pain at this time the healing that needs to happen

Coming out of two surgeries in two weeks.

I am very thankful...very thankful.

And, at the same time,

Never cease to be amazed at all the crazy 

Twists and turns this cancer journey has brought.

Which brings up next Monday, March 8, 2021

I will be having a heart CT scan 

To try and determine what is going on with my heart

As I am retaining LOTS of fluid in my feet, ankles and legs

And the walls of my heart are not functioning as they should.

The concern is one of two things:

There is a blockage of one of the arteries needing a stent, or

The tumor is putting pressure on my heart causing its malfunctioning.

To say the least...

I am looking ahead to Monday

With a great deal of heaviness as to the seriousness of what we will find out

And what it means in moving forward.

Dear Father, please continue to teach me to trust in your goodness

And rest in your faithfulness! Please give me and my family your sufficient grace as we face the 

Uncertainty of what lies ahead knowing that you are good and cause all things to work together

For the good of those who love you and are called according to your purpose.

One final note:

I received an email from a fellow pastor and cancer companion, Scott Pennington, on March 1st

The day before I reentered the hospital

Checking to see how I was doing and

Letting me know that he had been in the hospital at the same time

I was in for my gallbladder surgery.

I saw today a Facebook post made on March 5th

That Scott is not expected to live past tomorrow, March 7th.

Cancer is a ruthless enemy!

It adds a renewed heaviness to my journey reading such things.

Please pray for Scott's wife and family as they traverse this juncture in his cancer journey.

Thank you again for your support and prayer,

Dave

Two Years + Surgery!

February 19, 2019 - February 19, 2021

What a two-year journey it has been

Since that fateful day when I visited my Primary Care Physician

Thinking I was merely battling with my every other year bout with pneumonia

To discovering a "circular mass" that ended up being malignant pleural mesothelioma!

What a two-year journey...

Being deemed incurable by the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance

Going through eight months of an incredibly strict and challenging alternative program

Beginning the traditional route of chemo and immunotherapy treatment in January 2020

With a "Hail Mary" prognosis of it being successful

Which unexpectedly brought with it a variety of extras such as: 

Dying and being brought back to the land of the living by CPR

Shingles

Atrial Flutter requiring a cardioversion

Gallbladder surgery - soon to be revealed!

And so this past Friday was to be a day of hilarious rejoicing and remembering

Celebrating God's grace in lengthening my life to two years and counting

When the prognosis was far less hopeful.

What a journey it has been

Which you can recount by reading

All the previous 80 blog posts

If you are so inclined and needing something to help you fall asleep some night!

BUT...

Instead I was at St. Michael's Medical Center (aka Harrison Hospital)

Awaiting gallbladder surgery 

Which happened yesterday, Saturday, February 20, 2021.

The adventure continues!!

This particular mini-adventure began on Thursday, February 18, 2021.

As had been increasingly the case for many days

I was in a lot of pain - particularly abdominal pain

That was becoming excruciating pain

Enough so that Cindy convinced me to go to the Emergency Room

Which we were able to accomplish

With Cindy canceling her Olympic College classes for the day

And us being able to drive up our steep Tahuya driveway with its 18 inches of snow!

I had managed to avoid visiting the new Silverdale hospital

But avoid it I was no longer able to do.

After many tests it was revealed that my abdominal pain was a bad gallbladder.

Who would have guessed the variety of mini-adventures

That would become a part of my cancer journey!

The surgery was initially scheduled for Friday

But was delayed until I underwent a heart evaluation

Since the latest CT scan newly revealed fluid in the area surrounding the heart.

More on this later...

The doctors were comfortable that my heart could handle the operation

And so it happened yesterday, Saturday

And, as you probably guessed, since I am writing this blog on Sunday

I did survive the operation!

And, it was successful

Meaning that I am now minus a troublesome gallbladder

That has been making my life miserable for who knows how long!

It will be interesting to discover over the next days and weeks

Just how much of my pain and weakness has been due to that little bugger.

A wonderful side note to my hospital adventure

Was the number of great conversations

That popped up regarding The Coffee Oasis and my love for Jesus.

God certainly does "cause all things to work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose"

Even trouble-making gallbladders!

It is certainly wonderful to be home with Cindy

After being separated for nearly two days throughout the ordeal

Due to hospital COVID restrictions not allowing visitors in hospital rooms!

That was tough...

I guess no more greasy hamburgers soaked in grease and then fried in more grease!

So...I think that brings things up-to-date with my cancer journey

So...until next time:

Remember that God is good

Eat less grease and fat

Love well your family, friends and strangers

Blessings,

Dave

Wandering in the Wilderness

My older sister, in a text to me this morning, 

Compared my current situation

To the wandering of the Israelites in the wilderness for 40 years.

It resonated as I thought about it...

Going in circles

Continual challenges and hardships

No goal or point or purpose

Except to continue wandering until the older generation was all dead!

And the result was...

Constant complaining, rebellion, unbelief and misery

Throughout their entire 40 years of wandering.

I'm sorry to say...

It does sound a lot like what I've been experiencing the past weeks!

After repeated calls to my oncologist's triage line

Because of my continued daily bodily pain and debilitating weakness

I had an appointment on January 29th

To receive a testosterone injection

To see if that would boost my energy level

As my last blood work showed an extremely low testosterone level in my body.

I have subsequently received two testosterone injections

Which, unfortunately, have not provided any miraculous changes to my body.

I will have blood work done again this coming Friday, February 12th,

Along with a third testosterone injection 

If the blood work continues to show a low testosterone level.

BUT...

The questions still remain:

What in the world is going on with my body?

Why the bodily pain and extreme weakness?

Is this ever going to improve?

Is this the way it's going to be until the cancer takes over and I die?

And, along with the questions, I'm sorry to say

This daily wandering in the wilderness of pain and weakness

Has produced...

More complaining than peace

More doubting than trusting

More misery than joy.

It's been some rough weeks

That I can't imagine having made it through

Without you all who are holding me up

But...

I can't say that I've navigated the past weeks well either.

It's hard to contemplate

Doing this for weeks or months or years

Pain and weakness

With no explanation or understanding

With treatment on hold.

I have been given a referral to a palliative care doctor

With the hope that they can help with pain management.

It doesn't "feel" like I'm dying

Just suffering...

Wandering in this wilderness cancer journey.

Which I do readily acknowledge

Is far less than many of you or your loved ones

Have experienced or are currently experiencing.

But...

That's where I am at today.

It's not where I want to be tomorrow.

I don't want to be like the Israelites as they wandered in the wilderness.

Forgetting God's faithfulness

Forgetting God's goodness

Forgetting God's provision

NO!

So...here is my prayer:

Oh God, I need you!  I desperately need you!  You are my Father.  I am your child. I am so weak. I am so inclined to complain, to doubt your goodness and to forget that you will cause all things-all things-to work together for my good and your glory! I am so easily distracted and derailed by my suffering. I'm so easily dominated by my body and how it feels rather than strengthened in my spirit by your Spirit to keep my thoughts on what is true and eternal. Please help me to live by faith. Please help me to set my mind on things above. Help!!  In the wonderful name of Jesus, Amen.

Holding Us Up

My daily battle with cancer and how Cindy and I are making it through each day is beautifully illustrated in a battle scene found in the book of Exodus in the Bible:

"The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites. Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.” So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army." (Exodus 17:8-13)

The daily cancer battle continues to be extremely hard...

It feels like I am daily getting weaker and weaker

I am pretty much reduced to listening to audio books or sleeping

With mobility very, very limited

In a deliberate progression

Towards my heavenly home.

And yet the weakness

Seems to be caused by the cancer treatment

And not the cancer itself

And so...we wait...

The doctor really has no clue what is going on with my body

Except hoping that it is being caused by the chemo 

And will wear off after awhile (weeks? months?) 

And bring some relief with the treatments discontinued.

Or will this be my new normal

For months and years to come?

So...we wait...

And as we wait...we battle...

Oh my...it is a battle

To feel so weak all the time.

Taking a nap 

And waking up more tired than when I fell asleep.

Feeling foggy headed

Without the energy or capacity

To want to do anything 

Except merely exist

Which let's you know 

How important writing this blog is to me

Because of the energy it is taking!

So...WHY this blog?

To reiterate HOW MUCH we need YOU

To be victorious in this battle!

All through the day and night the battle rages:

How am I going to make it through today/tonight-this moment?

The pain, the weakness, the discouragement,

The reality that this could be my reality 

For months and years to come?

It's not that I'm not fighting...

Praying, pleading for God's mercy and peace and rest

Meditating on truth

Listening to music

And yet the battle continues with an intensity 

I've never come close to experiencing before

And know that I can never win on my own.

And so...

THANKFUL for YOU

Who are holding us up in this battle

As described in the battle scene in Exodus!

Several times in the last couple of days

Many of you have reached out to Cindy or myself

Out of the blue to let us know you are praying for us

Some of you that we've never even met!

Wow!

You can't begin to imagine what that means to me

To get such emails and texts and messages!

THANK YOU!  THANK YOU!

That's about all I have the energy for tonight...

Dave