Katya's Story (Part 2)

I have been a long time competing this story of Katya, the mother of a lady who attended our services, who found out she had cancer. Katya's last few months of life were eventful but peaceful as she gave her life to Christ. If you are just now reading this post and have not read the first part of Katya's story, here is the link:


For those of you who remember Katya's story, finally, here is the continuation...

Through the regional hospital, Katya was referred to a gynecologist at one of the two main cancer hospitals in the city of Krasnoyarsk. We were thinking that the ultrasounds they had done on her probably revealed a mass in or on the female organs and therefore they referred her to the gynecologist at the cancer hospital. No one told us this for sure but we assumed this was the case. During her visit with the doctor, he explained to her that there was no room for her to be admitted but that she could pay money and he could admit her anyway. They have so many beds for patients who receive the free medical care but then for those who pay they also can get a bed because they are going in as 'paying' patients. That would be fine with everyone, if everyone had to pay. However, when you offer free care to most and in order for some to receive care when the space is limited you charge them, not many people look kindly upon that. Katya was told there was an "unusual spot" showing up on the ultrasounds but because of the amount of fluid in her abdominal cavity it was difficult for the technician to see completely what she was looking at.

Katya sitting in the chair with her two granddaughters on the floor to the immediate right.
This was a Sunday morning during services held in our home.

Here is where Katya's story gets interesting...David had just been to football practice on a Sunday afternoon where he found out that one of his players' Mom was about to take a trip to the United States. When he inquired as to what she would be doing in the US, the player explained that she was a doctor at one of the two main cancer hospitals in the city. He also mentioned that if we ever needed any help in the area of cancer patients to let him know and that his mom could help us.
 God had already taken care of Katya's need when this football player came to practice that past Sunday afternoon! Through this player's Mom, we were able to get her seen again by the gynecologist that told her there was no bed available for her. Once she completed two more tests, Katya's records were reviewed and she was given a specific date to go to the other cancer hospital for a 'commission' meeting where several doctors would begin the process necessary for her to be admitted and the surgery to be done. Praise the Lord for the doors HE opened for Katya!!

Once the day arrived, and after spending some time at one hospital, my husband drove us to the other cancer hospital where the surgery would be done. Katya and I waited in line to be invited into the room where the doctors would discuss her case and at that time talk to her about the upcoming surgery. About an hour and a half later, they called her name. We went into the room and Katya sat down anxious to hear how soon they would schedule her surgery. The date was scheduled and Katya reminded the doctor that she was the same doctor who did a surgery on Katya's sister not too long ago. Thankfully, this doctor is known for better than usual bedside manner so they chatted a little. Finally, we were done and happy that Katya could walk a little to try to relieve some pain from sitting and waiting to be seen. We were also hungry! Thankfully, while we were in the hospital, my dear husband drove to get us lunch. Katya was like a little child eating a wrap from KFC! She had not been able to keep much food down with the fluid built up in her abdomen which pushed on her stomach and other organs making even breathing difficult. But, she sure enjoyed some food with us and this memory became a favorite one of our time together taking Katya to the hospital.


...to be continued. Part three, coming soon.

Wounded Soldiers (Katya's story - Part One)

(NOTE: I began writing this post as it is dated, back in February of 2013. I struggled with how to write and express all that happened as my husband and I fought for months to help this dear lady, Katya, receive medical care she so desperately needed, as well as, help her family cope with the reality of her illness. This post is the beginning of the wonderful story of Katya's salvation and the precious few months she lived as a Christian.)


This past week was a blur to us.

Almost like a nightmare that we would really like to forget.

As you pass through these halls it is almost like you are walking through a war zone;

walking past wounded soldiers weary from the fight.

In reality, it is the local cancer hospital where people should be able to come to find rest and seek treatment.

Being one of two cancer hospitals in the entire region rest and relaxation is a far cry from what you see

on the faces of those who have found themselves here.

Instead you see people, many of whom have traveled for miles just to have their diagnostic tests done and

hopefully be "lucky" enough or "sick enough" to be admitted the day they arrive.

They are exhausted from standing in lines

for endless hours only to be told they must come back later,

or even that there is no room for them at all, unless they can pay for their medical care.

You see, the situation here in Russia with cancer is critical.

The numbers of patients is growing.

I just heard a statistic that 5,000 children in Russia are diagnosed with cancer each year.

Less than half of them will actually receive care.

The best hospitals are not in the small towns but in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and other large cities.

Then there is the older generation which comprises most of the patients here in our area.

We currently have two cancer hospitals in Krasnoyarsk.

They are overflowing with needy patients.

Take Katya, for example, the mother of one of our most faithful ladies.

This week was spent just doing our best just trying to get her admitted to the cancer hospital.

You see, she started telling me sometime last month (January 2013) that she was having trouble swallowing.

I told her she should see a doctor.

Fast forward a few weeks later and we find out she is in the hospital because of fluid building up in her abdominal cavity so much that she could hardly stand up. We understood what this more than likely meant - CANCER.

Katya was released from the hospital after they kept her for almost a week (if I remember correctly). The doctors told her she needed to be seen by a doctor in the city because they did not deal with these type of situations like hers. They really told her very little and eventually a doctor there agreed to drain some of the fluid off of her abdomen to ease the discomfort. While she was in the hospital a lady in her room kept telling her not to worry or be afraid that she would be okay. This Orthodox lady showed her prayers from her book of prayers and told Katya that she needed to buy a cross from the Orthodox church and "pray" those prayers. Katya returned home on a Wednesday so just after the service, I took her daughter, Sveta, and grandkids home from the service to try to talk more with Katya about her medical and spiritual needs. The Lord chose the perfect time for us to talk this time, as I had tried before to sit down with Katya and share God's plan of salvation with her but was unable to. This time, we talked a bit about her medical problems. Then she began sharing with me about what her roommate had told her and about her fears as she lay in that hospital bed. The conversation led right into sharing the gospel! I was able to reassure Katya that SHE can't handle what is in store and can't know the future but God does and wants to use this to draw her to HIM! After talking a little, Katya agreed to let me read some Scriptures to her while her daughter and granddaughters sat across the room. Katya soon expressed her desire to come to Christ and place her faith and trust in Him to save her. I prayed for Katya and then offered for her to pray and accept Christ and she cried out to God verbally and asked Him into her heart begging Him to save her! What a precious prayer Katya prayed to a loving heavenly father! She said "Amen," and she hugged me. Relief was audible in her voice. Her daughter hugged her while I sat with her teen granddaughter and noticed tears streaming down her face as well. We all rejoiced in that moment as we had all prayed for years for Katya to come to Christ!

From that point on, we strongly desired that God would be glorified in Katya's life no matter what the outcome! That evening I told Katya that whatever news she may hear as she goes into the cancer hospital for further testing, it will be God's will for her life and she can safely trust in His promises. That very evening she became visibly at peace even through her pain and suffering, now that her eternity was settled!

(to be continued...)

Answered Prayer!

We wanted to give you all an update on our recent prayer request for our car. It is running well and David has already taken it in to have the transmission fluid changed after the repairs. It is a huge blessing to have our car again! But, the even greater blessing is that as of this past week, we were able to pay for our house siding too! The Lord provided the funds to meet both needs...and then some! We greatly appreciate your prayers for us. 
In the next few days, David has to drive out to a village to purchase some wood necessary for hanging the siding (according to how they do it here). This week the siding will be delivered and then next Monday, May 21st, our Christian builder friend and his employees will be out here to install it! I will post pictures of the whole process on our building blog. 

A Love Story

I remember a few years ago, during our annual VBS program, a lady who walked into the main foyer of the cultural building and boldly asked (with a grin on her face), "Why didn't you invite your neighbors?" I honestly didn't know who the lady was, where she lived, and I didn't recognize her grandson who had walked in with her. I  thought and thought about whose wife she might be and how she could be our neighbor if I knew all the neighbors on each side and across the street from us! I quickly let her know that our kids themselves had taken handfuls of invitations outside with them to invite children to VBS and asked her forgiveness for "forgetting" to invite her grandson. She smiled and continued to sit in the foyer while we signed the children up and listened to their verses for the day.

I finally found out that she was the wife of a man my husband had talked much with who lives on the next street that runs perpendicular to ours. I had just never seen them together in order to know they were each other's spouses. Tanya and Sasha are their names. Sasha can very often be found on his tractor plowing fields for those who live on our street. We have hired him several times to do some dirt moving work. He is a nice man who loves children. He is so sweet to give our boys rides in his tractor or even to stop and play with them if they are out in the soccer field across the street from our house. His wife, Tanya, could best be described as a spunky little lady with lots of personality. She doesn't come out much to visit with neighbors or anyone. She is just busy about her own business. 

Last year, when we held our first Ladies Tea celebrating the 8th of March, I tried to invite Tanya. I went to her house with an invitation but no one was home. I left the invitation and tried to come back later but still was not able to catch her home. The day of the Tea arrived and Tanya came! 

Below are a few photos of Tanya while she was picking out a flower pin I had made for each of the ladies to take home.

Tanya meticulously choosing the proper color of flower to take home.

Tanya joking with the other ladies.

Last year, when I talked to her about their grandson attending VBS, she told me that she had been sick and in the hospital. But, she didn't tell me it was anything serious. 

We spent some time with them both during a few memorial dinners for a neighbor who had passed away this past year. I noticed that Tanya had a constant cough as we sat and visited with them. Later I heard from another neighbor that they found out that she had cancer. I didn't know the full story or even what type of cancer.

Between New Year's Day and the Russian Christmas our kids and I bake cookies to hand out to neighbors and other businesses and offices in the village. I took some cookies to Sasha and Tanya this year for the first time. When I walked in I immediately noticed Tanya's slimmer appearance and hat to hide the hair loss from chemotherapy. As she and I stood there and chatted a minute (while David chatted outside with Sasha), she shared with me how she had cancer twenty years ago, had surgery and chemo, and now they had found it in her lungs. She talked about the woman she "used to be" compared to what she is now. With tears streaming down her face she said, "I don't go anywhere or talk to anyone. I don't let anyone in to see me. But, if you want to, you can come visit me." She apologized for crying when I just came in to bring her cookies and I promised her I would come back. I walked away from her door almost numb and trying not to cry since I knew her husband, Sasha, was sitting in our car talking with my husband. He smiled to me as usual and we left.

I came back the next week to visit with Tanya and Sasha was home with their grandson. I talked a bit with Tanya to try to get an idea of her treatment plan and what the doctors were saying. She said that her sixth treatment was due but it had been delayed for several weeks for many different reasons. The doctors told her that so far there had been no improvement with the chemotherapy. She was to go in the next weekend for the sixth treatment and after that the doctors would complete the PET scan and necessary tests and re-evaluate her treatment. Sasha later told me that might mean just send her home to receive no further treatment. After talking a bit with Tanya, she needed to lie down to rest. I left her to go into the kitchen and visit with her grandson and Sasha over tea. 

Praise the Lord for a great opportunity to witness to Sasha. He shared his heart with me and how he can't imagine life without his wife of twenty-nine years. I found out from him that she hardly eats anything and keeps talking to him about his life after she passes away. She keeps talking about living until March of this year. Sasha shared how he just sits with her by her side day after day, preparing meals for her all throughout the day to try to encourage her to eat. He hasn't been working recently and now knows he can't leave her side. I was amazed by his faithfulness in his wife's time of need. Sasha's care is far from the "norm" here in most homes you visit. He continued to share that it is so hard for him some days he just has to leave the house and take a walk in the nearby woods to clear his mind. Tanya had told me that often he just sits and cries. He showed me package after package of pills the local doctors had given him to calm his nerves. I shared with him that only Jesus can give him that peace he is searching for and can not find himself. Praise the Lord for His "peace that passeth all understanding"! I invited him to services or even to come to our house to spend some time talking to David. He hasn't come yet. David did try to invite him to attend a sporting event in the city but Sasha couldn't make it because he had to sell potatoes that day to help support their family.

Tanya has had her sixth chemotherapy treatment. Lord willing, I will be going to visit her in the next few days to see what the doctors plan to do further. Please pray for God to give me the exact words to say in this situation and that He would soften Sasha and Tanya's hearts that they would accept His wonderful gift of salvation.

How to Pray for Us in 2012

We are very excited about the start of a new year as we continue serving the Lord here in Siberia. As we look back over the year 2010 we praise the Lord for the work He has done in many lives. The ministry here can be ever so challenging, but in this new year as always, we continue to trust the One who is able "to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think." (Ephes. 3:20) We are so grateful for the opportunity He has given us to serve Him here in Russia.

We thank the Lord for each and every one of our prayer and financial supporters. Without you our ministry would cease to exist! We love you all and thank you for holding the ropes for us through the years we have been here and the years to come!

So, as we look forward to what the Lord has in store for us this year, we covet your prayers for our family and ministry. We pray we can keep you better informed through the use of our prayer letters and blogs. Please feel free to contact us by e-mail at any time. 

A missionary friend recently posted on her blog several prayer sheets she and her husband have picked up from churches as they travel on the topic of how to pray for missionaries. I enjoyed reading them and was thankful for some of the specific areas mentioned in which we often "forget" to pray for missionaries around the world. I pray they are a blessing to you in helping you pray more fervently and specifically for the missionaries your church or family supports.

Prayer Sheet Option #1:

How To Pray For Your Missionaries

SUNDAY - Our Relationship With God
a. Personal growth in the Word of God
b. An effective prayer life
c. Sensitivity to the Holy Spirit
d. Empowerment by the Holy Spirit
e. Victory over Satan and the flesh
MONDAY - Our Physical And Emotional Life
a. Good Health
b. Protection from disease and other hazards
c. Protection from hostile governments, religions, and nationals
d. Safety while traveling on planes, subways, buses, trams, trains, bicycles, taxes, animals, and on foot
e. Deliverance from discouragement, loneliness, and depression
TUESDAY - Our Family Life
a. A marriage that is a good testimony to the nationals
b. The children's education
c. The raising and training of the children
d. Strength for the children, especially teenage children, to withstand the world's temptations
e. The children to love the Lord and the ministry
WEDNESDAY - Our Ability to Communicate
a. Good success in language school
b. Ability to communicate God's Word with clarity
THURSDAY - Our Ministry
a. Boldness to witness
b. Open doors in schools, orphanages, prisons, etc.
c. Wisdom in preaching and teaching
d. Receptive hearts towards our witnessing, teaching, preaching, counseling, discipling, etc.
e. Fruit that will remain
FRIDAY - Our Need For Fellow Workers
a. Nationals to get their hearts stirred for service
b. Christians to surrender to God's call on their lives and come to the field and help us
SATURDAY- Our Country Of Service
a. Stability in the political realm so we can remain in the country
b. The leadership of the country to allow freedom in the distribution of the Gospel
c. People to have their eyes opened to the deception of their false religion
d. Protection of our country from natural disasters and catastrophes that would kill our people

Prayer Sheet Option #2:

How to Pray for Our Missionaries (notice on this one that the first letter of the day corresponds with the first letter of the prayer request)

Sunday - Spiritual life
Monday - Money
Tuesday - Temptation
Wednesday - Witnessing
Thursday - Team members
Friday - Family
Saturday - Safety

Prayer Sheet Option #3:

A Seven Day Prayer Guide: 
Sunday  - The missionary's own Spiritual walk, growth in grace
Monday  - The missionary's personal life, health, safety, emotional stability and well-being, 
avoidance of loneliness, and the desire of fleshly things  
Tuesday  - The missionary's family life, husband wife relationships, parenting, children, extended family from whom they are separated, and the model of a Godly family they display 
before those who observe them daily  
Wednesday  - The missionary as a communicator, facility with the foreign language, cultural 
adaptation, and communicating the truth by the example they set  
Thursday  - The missionary's ministry, teaching, preaching, witnessing, boldness, fruitfulness and satisfaction in their work, and open doors through which they may pass to share Christ  
Friday  - The missionary's relationship with fellow workers, a sense of cooperation and not 
competition, humility, consider others better than self, avoidance of pride, working with nationals  
Saturday  - The missionary's county of service, stability, freedom, governmental leaders, passports, visas, work permits, etc.