Nancy continues to improve although still on pain meds.  This week the numbness in her arms and hands receded to almost normal.  This was the last area to get bad so logically would be the first to get better. We think healing is in reverse order.  Back pain has slightly improved and she is moving about much more and generally feels better.  She has also begun to gain some weight back.  Thanks for praying.  

Praise the Lord for machinery. The excavator loaded about seven loads in pickup truck and the house is gone. Thanks to the ladies who keep us fed during the day. The one lady at the church is named Tamara. She works hard to get us breakfast and dinner each night. Praise the Lord for them.

Steve has a small cut on his thumb, Chris still has a cold. Josh's back is much better. We moved the huge wood pile today. We had kind of a fire line going. Norm did not sleep well again last night. Kathleen is ever there with medicine or tylenol. Thank you. Steve walked down to the store and brought back a watermelon, Mars bars and Snickers. Josh's face lit up. Yesssss!

Praise the Lord for hot shower at Vasily's. This is a tremendous blessing to us all. After our showers we visit and use the internet. Thank you Lord for providing these somewhat small things that we all take for granted it seems.

The mosquitoes are terrible! Josh and Chris keep on killing them but there are more. Kathleen hit one against the wall around 5:30am and it made a big noise. Jacques and Steve continue to snore.

We also have some sort of maintenace man staying in the other back room and he snores also. Poor Norman.

We are all sore and stiff necked. The beds are pretty much two by fours but we are glad to have them.

There will be a church meeting in Sarata Noui Saturday at 4:00pm (we are still planning) and of course we will be in the service here in Moldova on Sunday morning. Someone will go and pick up tickets for us during the service. Vasily did call today and he said they will be ready. He will have to drive us to Balti. Praise the Lord. Thank you for praying for these tickets. Pray that we will have a safe trip on the train.

Thank you all for praying for us, you are such a warm and friendly people,

Your 2008 Ukraine team, Norm, Chris, Katy, Steve, Kathleen, Josh, and Jacques

Last week a medical team was in Moldova holding clinics and working with our contact Vasiliy K. ahead of our team. One of the medical people wrote the following moving account which we request you prayer for. “One guy was bedbound for the last two years after being electrocuted and broke his back (paraplegic). He had a bad infection (septic) of the blood, urine and bedsores. He was alert, looked horrible, but will die in the next couple of days. Sad thing is that we told his family to send him to the hospital and they informed us he would not get treated (would probably die regardless). All we could do is offer Tylenol. Jim (our neighbor from Tacoma) said a prayer. The family was crying, while the 4 small children smiled at us from another room...sad! This house was about 200 square feet, made of mud with a straw roof.”

Below is a report from out team after arriving in Moldova….

The leg from Chicago to Warsaw was very long and then we had to ride in bus another 8 hours and then another bus to Balti and then Vasiliy drove to Falesti. The buttocks were very sore. Josh does not drink coffee or tea and so Vasily bought him 7 bottles of Pepsi. Caleb took us on a small tour in Odessa and we stopped in McDonalds. That was fun. Lots of people were taking pictures and so Chris will organize them all.

Everyone here is okay. Chris has a cold, he was going to take Nyquil tonight. Jacques has the sniffles. Norm could not sleep in same room with Jacques because of the snoring! Steve snores too but Norm did not hear him at first. He did not get much sleep. Today we were demolishing a house in the village of Sarata Noi. It was fun but it was not OSHA certified. We got a lot done today and maybe tomorrow we will finish. Some local construction workers (3) helped us today. It was warm today while the sun was out but it became colder as we quit for the night and waited for Vasily to arrive.

Urgent prayer request: Vasiliy took our passports to purchase train tickets for Sunday. At first he was told that they were fine and then later was told it was all booked. So he had to drive to Balti to get them. Some lady promised him they would have tickets but he would have to reserve and then purchase on Sunday. She did take his money though!

Thank you all for praying!

Katie got bit by a bee and so one of the workers told her to put an onion on it. It worked well and she feels better now. She just had a shower. We are at Vasiliy's now. Norm is next in the shower and then Catherine and then Jacques.

Steve and Catherine are a big help. We thank the Lord for their service and there help in many ways. They are seasoned travelers!

The food is good and plentiful as you said. I will email you again when I get a chance

Thank you from the 2008 Ukraine team. –Jacques Brown

Nancy saw our lung doctor about her sarcoidosis on 9/19.  He first expressed appreciation for our family in light of meeting our army boys, little Gabriel and reading the tract about Gabe which his daughters also read and were moved buy it.  We praise the Lord for what God continues to do.   He was also amazed at how good Nancy looked and had progressed.  He still didn’t know why she has so much back pain or arm/hand numbness.   Since those things appeared simultaneously it is likely caused by sarcoidosis and he didn’t think it necessary to see a neurologist.  He recommended continuation with the medications, exercise and good food.  He will see us mid-November and will take pictures and tests of the lung/lymph areas then to see how they are coming.  Nancy spoke at a women’s retreat over the weekend which was a challenge but a blessing too.  As of today 9/22 her numbness in the hands seems to be receding and daily she continues to feel better little by little.

 

Both Awana and Youth Group will start and run simultaneously from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. this year.   Awana is an fun and active program for kids 3 years through the 6th grade where trained leaders guide children through age-appropriate material that teach God is real, God loves them and God has expressed His love through Jesus Christ.   Awana gets kids into God's Word and God's Word into kids.

Youth Group is for 7^th – 12^t grades at the same time. It is our purpose to glorify God through a ministry that empowers students to meet God, to know God and to serve God out of love for Him.   They will meet in the barn Youth Center.

 

Nancy improved more last week.  She has felt better, looks better, had visitors, sat up more, walked more, got her hair cut and came to the morning worship service today.  Pain is still there but more under control.   This next weekend she will see the lung doctor.  Pray for more of an appetite since food generally does not sound appealing and it is a struggle to eat.

Nancy continues to have good days for which we are thankful.  It appear the meds are affecting the sarcoidosis as explained in earlier updates.  We’ll know more in two weeks.  She rests much, pain is under control and is making calls.  Her hand does not work right yet so she can’t answer email or write.  Pastor does some cooking which may be why she has lost nearly 20 poundsJ  Thanks for praying.

 

Our first sent missionary, Jon Mitchell, will speak Sunday Sept. 14 during the 10:30 and 6:00 p.m. services. Jon and Dee have served in Brazil for over twenty years. We had the privilege of visiting them this spring in Brasilia where they are church planting. See our April 2008 ARCHIVES for a report on the Brazil trip. Jon will be preaching in the morning service and giving a PowerPoint presentation in the evening.

Today has been Nancy’s best day since being released from the hospital a week ago.  She rested much, paid some bills and rested some more and called her siblings. There have been challenges in dealing with pain but we are making progress.  Our family doctor has been helpful.  She still is weak and affected some by the meds.  But we are praising the Lord that we are home and the kids are here often.  She will sit out church one more Sunday to gain more strength.  We see our specialist in two weeks about progress.  Thanks for praying for us.  

 

 

Today is Nancy’s third day of treatment meds at home for sarcoidosis (It is not cancer but can look like it).  It is early but there seems to be some improvement.  She is able to sleep better at night...and so am I.  She is also eating a little better and maintaining weight which will help her not be so weak.  She still has major pain at times from the back around the abdomen to the front but we are learning to control it with morphine.   In the evening it seems to be most intense.  We’ll see the doctor about this soon.   Pray for these things.  When we are weak He is strong.   

 

Update on Nancy Suko

Nancy came home yesterday (Sunday) noon and felt reasonably good until the evening. Pain soon was out of control and she was in misery as we prayed, walked the floor and even talked about going back to the hospital. This was hard for Ezra and Elijah on their last night here before going back to the Army and eventually Iraq.

Finally, she took the first pill (prednisone) for treatment of her condition around 8 p.m. About 1 a.m. she fell asleep and slept the full night. She woke up almost pain free and said, “I have not felt this good since July.” It was amazing. She got up, took a shower, got dressed and ate breakfast. She still is on some pain meds but the pain is much less and she is relaxed.

Our boys left at 10 a.m. for Fort Hood finally seeing their mother feel good. Elijah gave her a country western hymn CD this morning for her birthday. That brought tears since she we were thankful to the Lord for the relief. She is have a manicure now and feels much better. Pray the healing continues.