Whirlwind Trip, Medical Need

Thank you so much for praying for my (Jennifer’s) trip to the US.  The first week and a half (May 22-30) was spent in Missouri attending meetings with fellow consultants and trainers.  We looked at how we can better train and consult missionaries through the language and culture acquisition process, shared helpful things that we have learned in the field as well as ongoing areas of challenge, and started the process of revising and streamlining our language and culture acquisition curriculum.  It was a very profitable time for me, especially because of the opportunity it presented to learn from veteran consultants.

After the meetings finished, I flew to Texas to spend 2 weeks with my family.  I stayed with my dad, stepmom, and sister, and also got to see my brother and his family, my mom, all of my aunts and uncles, and quite a few of my cousins and their families.  I got to visit one of our supporting churches while I was there (and one while I was in Missouri also.)  This was the first time I’ve been home since Maw Maw (my grandmother) passed away, so I went to visit her grave as well as her empty house.  That was pretty emotional, but I’m thankful to have those reminders of how much she meant to all of us and how much she blessed our lives.  I’ll see her again because of Jesus!  And I know she would have liked it that I spent a lot of my time at home doing things I love, which she also loved—swimming, climbing trees, exploring, hiking, etc.

I got back to Asia Pacific on June 17, after almost exactly a month away from DJ and the kids.  We were more than ready to be reunited by that point!  The kids are on their summer break from school right now, so we’re spending time with them in between work responsibilities.

Just when we thought most of our travels were finished for this year, we found out just after I got back that DJ will need to go to Australia sometime soon to have the skin cancer removed from behind his ear.  It has become very clear to us through trying to deal with this situation in-country as well as communicating with an American doctor who has extensive experience working here that it would not be wise for DJ to have this surgery here.  We need to go somewhere with doctors who are used to dealing with Caucasian skin problems, and Australia is the closest place that fits the bill.  It will also likely be less expensive than Singapore would be.

Please pray with us.  This is a significant strain on our finances, as well as being quite overwhelming to plan.  Pray that we’ll choose the best option for financial stewardship as well as for medical care so the cancer can be removed completely and not recur.  We are incredibly thankful for our Australian coworkers and others who have freely shared their contacts and knowledge to give us direction and put us in touch with potential clinics/hospitals as well as with families who may be able to host DJ while he is in Australia (it looks like he’ll need to be there for 7 to 10 days.)  We should be able to file a claim to have our medical insurance reimburse us for the cost of the surgery, but because treatment is taking place overseas we will have to pay up-front and then wait for the reimbursement process (which recently took well over a year for our coworkers.)  And of course we’ll have to cover travel and lodging expenses.  We aren’t sure yet whether DJ will make this trip alone or whether I will need to go with him.  We are very thankful that the treatment he needs (Mohs surgery and skin graft) is available on the same side of the world as us, and we know that none of this catches God by surprise.  If any of you would like more specific details about this, feel free to ask.  Thank you so much for supporting us in prayer through highs and lows for many years now.  We appreciate every one of you.