Category: News (Page 70 of 100)

Friends of Haiti,

First, an update: The results of Terry’s bone marrow test at the end of July showed the cancer is a stage 2 rather than the primary stage – not what we expected. She completed the first cycle of treatments during August, had a week off, and then started the second cycle August 28th. She will have eight of these and then see if it is working prior to the stem cell transplant. Both of us appreciate your cards and prayers.

In Haiti, school begins September 8th; we expect all our schools will start on time. It’s important we not lose sight of how important these schools are to the children and their parents.

According to a report provided by USAID in Haiti, access to a quality education remains a key obstacle to Haiti’s social and economic development. Their surveys indicate approximately 35 percent of Haitian youth are unable to read or write, and that the average Haitian child spends less than four years in school. This report shows that a generation of Haitian youth is at risk for not having the necessary knowledge and basic skills to succeed in the labor force.

How important are our schools? According to the same report, more than 80 percent of primary schools are privately managed by nongovernmental organizations, churches and non-profit organizations, such as ours. 80 percent of the schools – a very large percentage to say the least.

For low income families (and we don’t even know anyone but what we would call low income families), even though public schools there are free, the annual school expenses account for about 40 percent of what little income they may have.

Our schools are very important to the villages and areas we work, not only from an educational stand point but as a way to earn a living for the teachers as well. We appreciate all of you who support a child through us and you who provide supplies and offerings for the schools throughout the year.

Thank you again for prayers for Terry’s treatments, and for the help and support you provide for our friends in Haiti.

Serving HIM together,

Steve and Terry

Friends of Haiti,

In the years we have been sending a newsletter there have been very few times that we have brought up the subject of our personal or health problems and we have always said this is to be about our friends in Haiti rather than us. Sometimes, though, things happen that others need to know about to pray about, and this is one of those times.

Terry has been having blood test after blood test, MRI’s, biopsies, full body x-rays, bone marrow testing, pretty much everything you can think of for the past three months and we have been told recently that she has multiple myeloma. They believe it is in the primary stage; that is good news rather than a stage 1 or worse that little can be done for. Another bone marrow test will be done the 31st of July and the stage it is in will be a little more exact.

Mutiple myeloma is not curable but it is treatable, especially in the primary stage. The medication she will take is by mouth except for one injection each week, and won’t cause some of the side affects traditional chemo does, like loosing your hair. If the treatment works in killing the cancer cells in the bone marrow and in her spine as well, she will have stem cells taken from her blood and then “transplanted” back in after the treatment is finished to rebuild the marrow. Testing will done at the half way point to see if it is working, so we ask your prayers for that.

We ask for your prayers that her health other wise will be good since this affects her immune system, that the treatment does not cause problems other than those we know it will cause, and for her from a mental aspect as well.

A lot to pray about but we know all of you who receive this by mail and I know you will. Terry and I have been married just over 39 years and together longer than that, so I know her well enough to know that she is fully trusting in God with this and in fact the first words she said was, “God already knew this.”

Thank you for praying about this, thank you for your help with the programs and our friends in Haiti. They know and are praying as well.

Serving HIM together,

Steve and Terry