Update - March 5, 2007

Greetings!

It has been a while since I last posted. While it has been a busy few weeks, I am long overdue. Thanks so much for your faithfulness in visiting here. I check daily for traffic, and both amazed and grateful that you continue to visit. Thanks for carrying us on your hearts, and for your prayers for us.

This will be a quick update - I will provide a more thorough update this week. I just wanted to post tonight (0r this morning!) to get you up to date. Muggs has been feeling very well these last few days! She just goes and goes, and seems to rest a bit less than earlier on in the treatment. Last week, she made a couple of trips to the playground with the girls, and we all went to see Chandler in a play at The King's Academy on Saturday evening. He had a significant role, and did an excellent job - as did all of the kids. This may have been the first time some of our friends, who are also on staff at TKA had the opportunity to see Muggs since she started treatment.

This week (Wednesday) Muggs will receive her fourth treatment. She will receive the same chemotherapy drugs, with the new drug (Avastin) added to the treatment. The plan at this point is for her to receive fluids on Friday - to prevent the severe dehydration that she has experienced. This helped a great deal last time. She will likely have fluids again early the following week.

Since so many of you have commented on the specific prayer requests, I thought I would provide a few here. I am adding a couple of requests for some friends of ours as well. They are walking similar roads of suffering, and although I didn't ask their permission to include them here, I am sure they would appreciate your prayers. First, Chandler has a friend from school that has been battling an rare and extremely aggressive form of cancer. As I understand it, Joseph Lee was in remission for quite a while, but a tumor appeared in his bicep last fall. He has been undergoing chemo and radiation since then. A few weeks ago, as they were consulting with the surgeon who was to remove the tumor, the surgeon found no evidence of the tumor - it had disappeared! We praise the God who heals - both miraculously, and through the common grace of medicine.

Here are some requests to help inform your prayers:

Muggs' white blood cell count is low (after a check this week). Please pray for protection against infection. A couple of the children have been sick recently, and we are thankful that Muggs didn't catch whatever was going around

• Please pray for Muggs this week as she receives the medication - that the side effects will be minimal and managed effectively
• Pray that we would continue to depend on the sufficiency of Christ, and press-in to Him during this time, and be aware of our desperate need. We want to experience all that He has for us, and hear Him more clearly
• Please pray for our friends - Doug and Debby. Doug is battling colon cancer, and is having a particularly difficult time. He is currently hospitalized as a result of some side effects of his treatment. Debby has been a tremendous means of grace to us, and has served us - even as she is walking a difficult road as she cares for Doug and their children.
• We became aware of another young woman who, about two years ago, was diagnosed with the same form of cancer that Muggs has. Sharon is still undergoing treatment, but is doing well these days. I had the chance to meet her husband Rob for breakfast a few weeks ago, and he has been an encouragement to me. They too, have young children. They are believers and are trusting God for Sharon's healing. Please pray for Sharon's continued improvement and healing.

Thanks again for all you do to care for us, both tangibly, and through your prayers on our behalf. We are so grateful for you. Our prayer for you is that you sense God's pleasure for the way you have ministered to us during this time.