Dear Praying Friends,
Greetings in Jesus’
Name. Again, we want to thank you for your faithful prayers on our behalf.
We constantly sense the fervent prayers of God’s people. Many
have written asking for an update. Please forgive me for taking a little
longer on this one, it just takes a lot more effort these days to put
them together.
My recent CT scans
only confirmed what I had been feeling for some time: the tumor growth
is continuing...aggressively at that. In fact, the radiologist simply
reported the lesions in my lungs are now “too numerous to count.”
There is growth on the old ones and new ones have popped up. Since our
last update I have gone on supplemental oxygen for several hours a day.
I have also started on a chemotherapy drug that is designed to slow
tumor growth. It is a once-a-week injection and it knocks me out for
a couple of days. This particular drug has been successful on other
cancers but is still considered experimental for metastatic kidney cancer.
Renal cancer is rare, difficult to treat, and very unpredictable.
I scour the Internet
often to try to identify any new kidney cancer treatments. At the same
time understanding that I am in the advanced stages of the disease.
Those are the facts and I must face that. I haven’t “given
up” because I know I serve a miracle working God who can change
things instantly. However, whatever God has in store for me, I pray
I can speak like Paul when he said:
Philippians
1: 20 - 22 “I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be
ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ
will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me,
to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the
body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose?
I do not know!”
2 Corinthians
12: 9 - 10 “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for
you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will
boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power
may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses,
in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when
I am weak, then I am strong.” While I have breath I will
continue to love life, enjoy the Lord and my family.
Our son Bryan is
back from the Persian Gulf! Upon learning of my condition, Bryan’s
superiors decided to return him Stateside so he could be close to me
during my illness. He has returned to duty in the Bay area until his
Cutter returns this summer. This was all unknown to us and Bryan surprised
us all when he drove in Wednesday afternoon with 10 days of leave. What
a boost to our spirits that was!
Additionally, last
month I received another serendipity: I have a Filipino-born U.S. Navy
Chaplain friend, Lt. Commander Don Biadog who is currently serving as
Command Chaplain at the U.S. Coast Guard Training Center in Petaluma,
California (north of San Francisco). He was born and raised in Bacolod,
Philippines and became a Navy chaplain after attending seminary in the
U.S. He was stationed in Okinawa where he encouraged Pastor Glenn Kennedy
to go to Bacolod with our medical mission team. In a sense he is responsible
for us meeting and ministering to Maritess Emalon as well as the many
other thousands over the past several years. He told me a several weeks
ago he was making a trip to see me, meeting me at the Christians in
Action office. He made it for lunch dressed up in his Coast Guard dress
clothes. He'd told me he was bringing something down for me...I had
no idea what. At any rate, with the whole staff present he made a special
presentation on the fine work of the U.S. Coast Guard and he mentioned
Bryan's name and commended him in front of the staff many times.
He then switched
the presentation from military to missionary (he came to the Lord in
the Philippines through a missionary) and how we need to honor them
as well. He then pulled a letter from an envelope and read it out loud.
Here is what the letter read:
January 21, 2003
Dear Doug:
I am sorry to learn
that you are going through a difficult time and want to send you a note
of encouragement.
Laura joins me
in sending you best wishes. We hope you will gain comfort and strength
from the love of your family and many friends. Our prayers are with
you.
Sincerely,
/signed
George W. Bush
Yes, I got a letter
from the White House signed by the President! Chaplain Biadog has a
friend at the White House and he presented my situation to him, thus
the letter. Thank you, Chaplain Biadog. God is good to send special
things into our lives to bless us.
Please continue
your prayers for our children: Jeremy (he found a job in Portland, Oregon
– an answer to your prayers), Bryan, and Kim. Thank you for your
prayers for Becky as she is in the last phase of her registered nurse
training. We are looking forward to her graduation in just a few months.
Please hold up in prayer Christians in Action’s Philippine medical
mission outreach set for April - and for Pastor Glenn Kennedy as he
organizes it. God bless you.
Holding onto Him,
Doug Sutherland
