ERIPE ME, DOMINE! DELIVER ME, O LORD!

Thursday, January 27, 2010--Seattle WA, 45 degrees mostly cloudy.

I was released this afternoon from the U of W Medical Center. I spent an entire fortnight,15 days, battling a host of complications from the stem cell infusion. The fever abated in three or four days and then digestive complications set in. My blood counts remained at zero for over a week and so I had to have platelets and red blood transfusions. It was and is a real battle to feel like eating anything. I've lost 20 lbs over the last 2 weeks, but it's not the kind of weight loss program anyone would voluntarily submit to. About 4 days ago I began to show signs of white blood cells and they have increased significantly every day. All of my other counts have begun to emerge and the Medical Team was delighted with my progress. I have been forcing myself to walk every day and that helps keep muscle tone and digestive health. The list of medications I have to take is overwhelming: Ropinirole; Cholecalciferol; Neupogen shots to boost white blood cell count; 1500 ml of normal saline for hydration; Potassium chloride and Magnesium sulfate as needed; Lorazepam, as needed; Diphenoxylate/atropine as needed; Tacrolimus to prevent Graft vs Host Disease; Mycophenolate to prevent GVHD; Acyclovir to prevent infections; Fluconazole to prevent fungal infections; Multivitamin without iron; Amiodipine to lower blood pressure caused by other meds; Pantoprazole to treat acid reflux; Ursodiol to prevent liver toxicity. The biggest problem I'm dealing with currently is large bone pain as a result of the Neupogen shots to boost white blood cell production. I can appreciate the pain Hanna went through during her Neupogen treatments to manufacture over 7,500,000 white blood cells. I don't know how long I will have to have the Neupogen shots, hopefully that will be over next week.

We continue to receive cards and communications from people all over the country. The power of prayer is so evident and we feel God's deliverance and protection. Time seems to slow down some days and fly by on others. Kriss flew home to Walla Walla on Monday to take care of some things at the church and on the farm. She will be back in Seattle tomorrow, Friday. Calving is going well with some great neighbors and friends doing a tremendous job. We have 14 calves on the ground and 10 more to go. The weather has been ideal for calving and everyone looks healthy and vigorous. We should have plenty of hay to get through the winter and into spring when the new grass comes on. Things continue to go smoothly at the church, thanks to a great staff and lay people who are so faithful to be the Body of Christ in action. My goal is to be done with my treatments here in Seattle by Easter. The Medical Team was so excited this morning when they could inform us that engraftment is fully in place and Hanna's stem-cells are working overtime to create a completely new immune system. Barring unforseen complications, God is using this amazing process to save my life and give me a sustainable immune system that can last for many years. I am physically very weak, but can feel the strength of all of your love and prayers.

Aix-en-Provence, France, January, 1972.

Moving into town and having a bigger and more private flat, made married life much more enjoyable. Our IAU Basketball Team began our good-will tour and we had exhibition games every weekend. For the most part, we were good ambassadors for the Institute for American Universities as well as the USA. We only had one unpleasant experience when we played a team that had a 7 footer who had played on the French National Team. He was unstoppable. One of the guys from Kalamazoo University said he would take care of Goliath, but we had no idea what he meant to do. The next time we lined up for a free throw, Goliath got the rebound, of course, as well as an intentional elbow down the middle of his back from our Kalamazoo Kid. Well, Goliath was enraged, appropriately so, and since he had the ball in his hand he decided to retaliate and proceeded to chase our guy around the court until he could bean him with the ball and threaten him within an inch of his life. Of course the referees only saw the second infraction and proceeded to kick Goliath out of the game. We decided it would be only fair to make our bad guy sit out the rest of the game. Without Goliath, their team didn't have a chance and everyone was reconciled by the end of the game. There was always a big party following the games and we enjoyed them immensely. Kriss and I were the only married couple on the team and when we were introduced, we immediately became the darlings of the party. I was the shortest player on either of our teams, but I played with such an intensity that they just loved to see the little guy do big guy things on the court. Kriss and I received toast after toast during the post-game parties, mostly having to do with a lifetime of love and lots of children. When they realized I could speak French fluently, my stock kept rising in their estimation and it was a blessing to build bridges between cultures.

Around the end of February, I was approached by the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics at the Universite. He had heard about the IAU All-Americans and wanted to know if the team would represent the Uiversite in the upcoming national collegiate tournament. All the guys were game and somehow the Director got them enrolled and we started the playoffs. We did very well the first three rounds. Our best game was the Southern Regional Championship in Montpelier. We all got medals for winning our Region and I still have it in the dresser in our bedroom. If we could win the next game, we would go to Paris to play in the Final Four.  Tragically, almost one half of the team had firm commitments either to travel, or return to the States. We ran into a Sports Universite team which did nothing but prepare people for national teams. Being out manned, we didn't stand a chance and ended the game playing 5 against 4, due to people fouling out. I remembered giving up playing basketball in High School because I felt God calling me to go to another High School my senior year. I felt like God was giving back the opportunity to play basketball in France to make up for the sacrifice I had made a couple of years before.

We grew closer as a married couple during that winter and spring. We met some missionaries who worked with North African Missions, but had been banished from North Africa and did radio outreach across the Mediterranean Sea. They had a correspondence Bible course that believers could follow and God worked in powerful ways, in spite of human roadblocks. We went over to their homes on Sunday evening for a Bible study and encouragement. They had a telephone in their flat and Kriss was able to phone home and talk with her mother, which was a great blessing. God was guiding and blessing our lives and we felt a sincere call into ministry. There was a very scary night when all of those dreams could have been lost, I'll tell you about it in the next installment.  Robin