Hard work pays off

Over this past week, hard work and determination have paid off in the case of Daniela and Christopher. The Royal School of Music Exam for Piano grade 5 is a senior level exam, and Daniela passed it last week. Her brothers had grown weary of hearing scales and arpeggios being practiced daily, but we are proud of Daniela for working so hard at it. Well Done!

Christopher and I travelled to Durban for a National KSISAS tournament. He won a bronze medal for a unison Kata, and the overall experience was very beneficial. The lead-up to this event had involved many many hours of training and practice.

I took Peter to the airport yesterday. He anticipates two weeks of key meetings and lectures in the US. In Arizona, he looks forward to seeing Andrea and on catching up with mom and dad in between meetings and Church services. The surgery to insert a pace-maker went well and mom is pleased with the care received and the recovery dad is making. Thank you for your prayers.

With each sub-cut injection I give Christopher I get more comfortable doing it and am grateful to have access to such medication. His hemoglobin levels being raised should help him to feel better in due course. He is tired often and his body battles to keep up at times, but no transplant date is set as of yet. I am to go to the hospital this week to finalize my tests as the donor. Many thanks for interceding on our behalf and for supporting us through this difficult time.

With love and gratefulness,


Lenora

Focus on Health and Family Reunion

Thank you to all who pray so diligently for Christopher, our family, and for those who know my folks, the medical situation concerning my Dad. It would seem that a focus for us as an extended family this year has been medical situations. We are encouraged by the many prayers that have gone out concerning the cancer scare for my Dad (Bill Bathman). The operation to remove the cancer was successful, and we praise the Lord for a gradual recovery. It would seem he still needs to be 'watched like a hawk' according to the Oncologist, but all in all he is cancer free. It was this difficult time in the life of our family that facilitated our recent family reunion. Andrea and I needed to be in Arizona anyway, to get her settled into College, and so my other two sisters - Deborah and Linda Joy - joined us, and we had a great time reminiscing. The last time we were all together was in the mid 1980's.

Thank you for continuing to lift Dad up in prayer. He is scheduled for surgery to insert a pacemaker next week. No surgery is risk free, and we are grateful that Dad is in the care of our loving Heavenly Father. This coming week, I will be learning to give Christopher sub-cutaneous injections to help keep his hemoglobin levels in the normal range. I appreciate your prayers.

What a privilege it is to have you as our support. God is good, and encourages us through you.

With love and thankfulness,

Lenora and family

The value of home-life

"When the results of life are all gathered up it will probably be seen that the things which have made the deepest and most lasting impressions in our homes and upon or children have not been the things we did with purpose and intention, planning to produce a certain effect, but the things we did when we were not thinking of training or influencing or affecting any other life.......our home-life itself!" J.R. Miller

Updated information on Christopher

Thank you, to the many friends and prayer partners who have continued to pray so faithfully for us as a family and specifically for Christopher's health concerns. We are humbled by the letters and notes you send us. God is good and continues to sustain Christopher. Our last appointment at the Renal clinic was last week, and his blood results are much the same. His levels continue inching up into levels that signify either it is time for dialysis or a kidney transplant. His hemoglobin levels though are dropping, and we will therefore need to start sub-cutaneous Erythropoietin injections. This is done so that the red blood cell production can be increased. I will receive training on how to administer these and will most likely need to give them twice a week. Because Christopher's immune system is compromised, he is picking up the various flu strains that are going around. My goal at this point is to keep him healthy, so that he does not need any further medications. Thank you for continuing to uphold him in prayer and I will keep you posted on any further developments. God bless you all, love, Lenora

College daughter settled in

We praise the Lord for the opportunity and privilege of sending Andrea to South Western College in Arizona. Andrea has been given a missions scholarship and is settling in nicely. She feels homesick for her friends and family, but has lovely Christian roommates. She plans to study English Literature / Teaching. Displayed on the picture is her almost finished quilt. She made this with our sewing teacher while homeschooling.