Home again

For the first time in many months, our whole family is under one roof again. What a blessing it is to renew fellowship around meals again, and to have precious family time together. We know these times are to be savoured as our children are growing up.

Andrea is learning the ropes of working within our ministry, and hopes to become a research assistant for Peter. There are so many hats to wear and responsibilities to chose from. By the time her summer (ahem, winter) break is over, she will have experienced cross training in many aspects of our work. We are blessed to have her on board.

Christopher goes from strength to strength. We are still praying for God to intervene and allow his levels to improve. He still stands at 40% function of his graft kidney, and we pray that this would increase as God wills.

Calvin's gymnastics training is intensifying as he prepares for Western Province qualifications, and Daniela is really enjoying taking art as a subject for High school. This involves theory lessons as well as practical work.

As a family we strive to keep Scripture as our standard for the education of our children. This is hard as we go against the current cultural mandate. I am still praying for help with our homeschooling, especially in the Science department. Thank you for your prayers that we would keep strong and stay the course.

We continue to be grateful, knowing you pray for us. May God bless you in all you do.

With love,

Lenora

Once a week visits

Finally, we have made it to the 'once a week' Hospital visit category. Christopher is still testing positive to the 'BK virus', which immunosupressed patients are very susceptible to. This virus attacks the graft kidney, and the steroid dose needs to therefore be kept as low as possible. So the balancing act continues. The right amount of steroids are needed so that the body does not reject the donor kidney, but levels that are too high will prove to be a breeding ground for this virus.

Christopher still has the stent, which will need to be removed in a week or two. This has caused some Urinary Tract infections, which are being treated by antibiotics.

Apart from these few hick-ups, we are back on a road to a semblance of normality. Christopher is active in Scouts again, and is starting to step up his physical training as well.

We are all anticipating Andrea's arrival tomorrow. She will be such a help and encouragement to all of us, and I will appreciate having an extra driver again. Thank you for your continued prayers for Peter as he travels Stateside. He has been blessed with good fellowship and productive meetings, as well as Radio and TV ministry opportunities.

We are grateful to God for using you to encourage us. Many continued thanks,

Lenora and family

'Tricky' and Travel

Thank you, for your encouraging notes and letters. 'A burden shared is a burden halved' stands true for us, and we continue to be grateful.

The Doctors are using the term 'tricky' to describe Christopher's medical situation. He is susceptible to viruses because he is so heavily immunosuppressed, and these viruses will attack the graft kidney, if not brought under control. His creatin levels, however, are still rising, and this means that he still needs an adequate amount of steroids. Finding the balance is the juggling act at this important juncture.

We continue to be in the day ward at the Hospital twice a week. The average time spent there is anywhere from 1/2 hour to 3 hours. The interruption to our school routine continues to be significant, so my hopes of catching up have been put on hold for now.

Peter left for a month long itinerary in the United States. His travels will be extensive, but the quality of meetings are encouraging. Some of the highlights will be: 'Way of the Master', for a conference on discernment, as well as Coral Ridge Ministries, R.C. Sproul's Ligonier Ministry and South Western College (where Andrea is finishing up her first year of studies). He will literally be traveling from Coast to Coast. Thank you for your prayers for him, that he would be sustained physically. It has been a very busy time for us as a family and as a ministry. The night before he left, we had the privilege of launching his latest book 'Faith under Fire in Sudan' (the third updated and revised version).

We look forward to having Andrea home again for her first summer break. She will be a most welcome addition to our schedule, and will provide extra support in so many ways. She looks forward to working at the Mission during some of her stay at home.
We continue to be ever grateful to South Western College and friends on their support team, for making this Missions Scholarship possible for Andrea to study there. What a privilege and adventure this has been.

We covet your prayers as we walk along this 'tricky' road with Christopher. May we be faithful in caring for him, and may we not miss any of the many lessons God has for us as a family.

With love and so much appreciation,

Lenora and family

Still so vulnerable

Hi all.....just a quick up date and request for renewed prayer. Christopher and I were at the Hospital this morning for routine blood work and a check up. The results show his creatin levels are continuing to rise. There is chance this is due to the medicines after the recent surgery, and that this needs to settle down.

The more probable case though, is that the graft kidney has just taken so much assault and the wear and tear is showing. At present calculations, the graft kidney has between 40 and 50% function.

On Thursday we are sceduled for another scan. I can hope that this will reveal some answers, but am afraid I find it hard to be hopeful these days.

Our new school term started today, and I must say I had high hopes of being able to focus on catch up work and an uninterrupted work environment. But it seems we have not arrived at that state yet.

Please pray with us, that as this continued road of uncertainty, twists and turns unfolds that we would not loose heart.

Not only is the graft kidney vulnerable, but I feel that way right now too. Thank you all, for upholding us in prayer. Thank you for being the Aarons and Hurs in our life.

We love you,

Lenora and family

New Growth

Most of our dear readers and friends live in the Northern Hemisphere, and I am guessing you are beginning to experience the joys of Spring. It is my favorite season and as a gardener I enjoy watching young plants pushing their way to the top to compete for space and a place of pride in the flower beds.

Here, in the Southern Hemispere we are experiencing the beginning of Autum.Our days are getting noticably shorter and there is a definite 'nip' in the air. But as a family we are enjoying new growth.

For Christopher, he prays for growth physically, as he has always been behind in this area. His earnest prayer is that he will finally have a chance to catch up in size with all of his friends.

In our school setting, my prayer is for academic growth. With the many medical procedures and set backs, Christopher has fallen behind. It is going to require discipline, maturity and dedication for us to catch up.

New growth in any area of life is vulnerable and tender. Strength and maturity comes with nurturing, patience and spiritual input. Pray with us, that we would be able to persevere in this area as a family, and thus enjoy success in a tangible way.

The Surgeon removed Christopher's remaining drain yesterday. This is a great relief, and we praise God for what looks like a new chapter ahead. The Doctor told me that he feels this will have solved any remaining 'pluming' problems and that, with the exception of removing the stent in a few weeks, almost all of the procedures are over.

Time will tell how much effect the many anesthetics will have had on Christopher. But God is the Supreme Healer and in Him alone we trust.

We were all sad to see my sister Debbie off at the airport. What a joy it was to have her visit and to renew fellowship. God blesses His children indeed.

Thank you for traveling this journey with us, and for continuing to be such an integral part in this chapter of our lives.

With gratefulness,


Lenora and family

The beginning of the end.....

By God's grace, Christopher's surgery was a success. It was a three hour procedure during which they anastomosed his native ureter to the graft kidney. This is meant to alleviate the blockage that has been troubling the pelvis of the graft kidney. We thank our Heavenly Father that the surgeons have arrived at what we hope will be the beginning of the end of a very long road.

The recovery period was not without a tremendous amount of pain, and Christopher spent 11 days in the hospital with two drains. One of them was a urethral drain and the other, which is still in situ is called a perinephral drain. We are hoping to get this removed today.

We trust the Lord completely for Christopher's healing and that the Doctors will arrive at the correct level of medication now. There have been problems with administering a dose of immunosuppressants too high, which has meant that he has developed a virus. This virus thrives in a heavily immunosuppressed body, but on biopsies and blood tests shows up as rejection. The results to see if he tested positive for this took more than two weeks, and we discovered that the worst thing the Doctors could have done is increase his medication. Now we walk a tight rope to arrive at the correct amount of medication that will cause the virus to die out, and yet his body not to reject the graft kidney.

We praise God for our fearfully and wonderfully made bodies and that He has always had His healing hand upon Christopher. Thank you, our dear friends for walking this long road with us so faithfully, and for allowing us to experience your support and friendship.

We are very privileged to have my sister Debbie visiting us for Easter right now. The Lord has blessed us with many hours of fellowship and it is a blessing to have her support during this time.

We continue to covet your prayers for complete healing and that we would be alert to all that God is teaching us. May our Heavenly Father bless you as we celebrate His sacrificial death on the cross and his glorious resurrection.

With gratefulness and appreciation,


Lenora and family

shorter wait than thought......

Good morning to our dear persevearing friends and supporters!

Christopher was checked in to Hospital this morning to re-insert another stent. The blockage had returned and some form of intervention was necessary. But the surgeons have changed their minds, and it will now be major surgery instead.

They plan to open up his previous incision sight, and re-connect his old ureter. I am uncertain of the actual mechanics of this, but will keep you updated as I learn more.

In the meantime, we appreciate your earnest intercession, as this is a much more invasive procedure than we had planned on.

With love and appreciation,

Lenora and family