Our fast-paced and highly-transitional summer came to a sudden stop a few weeks ago with the beginning of a new school year. The weather is already changing -- cold mornings, rainy days, and colorful leaves are beginning to show. Our boys are enjoying being home-schooled, and it doesn't appear to be interrupting their social life in the least. Our house continues to be the "children community center" every afternoon when the public schools let out. (We were warned by some that our decision to home school our boys would be detrimental to our mission, but this just hasn't been the case at all!) We are actually considering starting an after-school Bible club for the neighborhood kids.
One neighborhood girl, in particular, has really taken a liking to April. She is a Muslim from Pakistan and comes from a strict Muslim household, but she's not intimidated at all by the fact that we're missionaries. Almost every day after school you will find her in our kitchen, helping April cook dinner and full of questions about the Bible, marriage, raising children, our culture, etc. April has met with her mother a few times to exchange recipes and now they seem to exchange food on a regular basis. They love our baking and we love their curries and kabobs. April has also connected with some other neighborhood ladies and is considering starting a Bible study with them. One woman (a white Canadian) said she's never been to church a day in her life but would like to meet with April regularly to study the Bible, as long as it's in our home. Her fear of church has not kept her from allowing us to take her son to Sunday services every week, however. In God's time....
Jeremy has been busy passing out Bibles in downtown Mississauga and trying to connect with people. At first we didn't see much of a response, but the last few times have been very productive with a lot more people taking the materials and asking questions. One day Jeremy took our son, DJ (10 yrs), with him and they really had fun together. We were very proud when DJ passed out Bibles to a group of kids in a park and clearly explained the Gospel to them. When we returned a few days later the kids recognized us and asked for more Bibles for their friends. We have yet to hear back from anyone -- please pray for some responses via phone/email (contact info is in each Bible), but many people are open to talking about the Bible for a few minutes on the sidewalk. We have only met six or seven people (out of hundreds) so far that own a Bible or have read any of it. The area we are targeting is definitely unreached!
We have a "vision team" from Emmanuel Baptist Church, Billings MT, coming to Toronto next week. We plan on showing them the area, doing some street evangelism together, and discussing how we can develop a solid and on-going partnership with their church. Please pray that this time will be productive and blessing to all of us. We also have a couple from Lifeway Church in Billings coming soon (Oct. 10-24) to help us with our ministry. Pray that the Lord will prepare them for this trip and allow them to plant several seeds. Of course, they will be here at harvest time and it would be great to see a harvest of souls! Pray also as we "scout" new unreached areas in the Toronto area to begin planting seeds.
Here's how you can pray:
Pray that our ministry and influence in our community among children will result in even more open doors and that hearts will be softened and genuine trust will develop between us and our Muslim and Hindu neighbors. Pray for the salvation of the Muslim girl we told you about (and her household), and for Pam, our white Canadian neighbor.
Pray that people will begin to respond to the contact info in the Bibles we're passing out on the streets. Pray again for a "person of peace" and for "gatekeepers" in the community that are open to studying the Bible with us. Pray that a discovery Bible study will develop SOON -- before the weather gets too cold and we're not able to pass out Bibles on the streets anymore.
Pray that the upcoming mission teams will be fruitful and that the Lord will speak powerfully to all of us while they're here.
Continue to pray for Jeremy's health. You can read the details in the post previous to this one (Parasites Part Three). Pray for more answers and pray that the new medication will work. Pray for miraculous healing too (please!) -- and that the enemy's plans will be thwarted.
PRAY FOR A KINGDOM MOVEMENT to begin right here in Mississauga! Pray that all the seeds that are being planted will come to fruition. Pray for a harvest of souls, and that many churches will result.
Parasites, Part Three: Third Time's a Charm!
My last visit to the doctor (Dr. Keystone, the most respected tropical disease doctor in Toronto) did not go well. He looked at my massive pile of medical test results and concluded I cannot have active schistosomiasis, despite the positive biopsy from my colonoscopy in March. He's a smart guy and has dealt with Schistosomiasis (Bilharzia) patients for years. Scientifically-speaking, he said it was very, very unlikely that I could have active parasites for a number of reasons:
1) The average life cycle of schistosomes in a human host is only eight years. My parasites would be around 17 years old now. (Schistosomes do not reproduce in the host, so there can't be more than one generation of parasites. They can lay tons of eggs, but the eggs never develop into adult parasites).
2) I was tested twice in the past year for Schistosomiasis (blood tests) and BOTH came back negative. This test is supposedly very accurate -- the first time. I would've only been tested once, but the doctor was unaware of my previous test.
3) My symptoms are extremely rare in Schistosomiasis patients -- there have only been a handful of documented cases where most of my symptoms are reported. Also, the severity of my symptoms is rare.
4) The drug I took this past Spring (Praziquantel) is 90 percent effective at treating my form Schistosomiasis, and 100 percent effective with two treatments. There are "rumors" of schistosomes in West Africa that have built up a resistance to the drug, but no solid proof that this is true. I was treated FOUR times in the course of three months at twice the normal dosage.
My positive biopsy could have just been the dead remains of the parasites, which Dr. Keystone said can last for years. He said my symptoms are probably the result of the damage done by the parasites rather than by the parasites themselves. What he couldn't explain is the sudden onset of the pain and the fact that the plethora of medical tests revealed nothing. He couldn't explain why I was passing blood. He also couldn't explain why I improved so much after each dose of Praziquantel.
After telling me there was nothing he could do, he decided to take one more blood test. He said he was sure it would come back negative and that he was just doing it to prove his point that there are no living adult schistosomes in my blood stream. Last week the test results came back...POSITIVE.
Dr. Keystone said this is the first time he's ever heard of this happening, and he can't find any reliable research to show that this is possible, especially since my last two tests came back negative. Just to make sure, though, he is going to do some more testing. He said this past blood test showed that I actually have two different strains of Schistosomiasis. One of these strains may have been killed when I took the Praziquantel, which explains why I felt better. The other strain might be resistant to the drug, which is why I'm still experiencing some pain.
I asked him about treatment and he said he will have to order another kind of drug they used to use a long time ago to treat Schistosomiasis. He will have to order it from Africa, and it is not nearly as effective as Praziquantel. Hopefully it will do the trick (since there is no proof of resistance from schistosomes to this particular drug). If not, then he's not sure what to do. There are no other options that he's aware of at this point. This isn't your average parasite -- these are blood and liver flukes we're dealing with, and there are only a few drugs known to kill the adult worms.
Dr. Keystone had a serious change of attitude during this second visit. He was more concerned about helping me find answers and took my situation much more seriously. He actually listened to me! He said he wants to do a number of tests over the next few months to make sure my organs are functioning normally -- especially the liver. He also wants to do an "exploratory" exam to make sure I don't have bladder cancer (I about passed out when he explained how this would work -- and that I would be awake for the procedure!). He believes my colon and intestines are beyond repair and that I will most likely struggle with problems the rest of my life -- the damage done in these particular organs by the parasites is most likely irreversible damage.
Please pray for me as I undergo more testing in October. I will hopefully also take the new (old) drug in October -- please pray that it works! Continue to pray for miraculous healing. And continue to pray against the enemy. After I wrote my last article on the parasites many of you wrote to let me know you were praying more strategically, and my pain all but disappeared for the next three weeks! Even today I'm much better than before I sent out that update to our blog, and this happened despite my discouraging visit to the doctor. Someone was praying and I appreciate your prayers!
To be continued....
1) The average life cycle of schistosomes in a human host is only eight years. My parasites would be around 17 years old now. (Schistosomes do not reproduce in the host, so there can't be more than one generation of parasites. They can lay tons of eggs, but the eggs never develop into adult parasites).
2) I was tested twice in the past year for Schistosomiasis (blood tests) and BOTH came back negative. This test is supposedly very accurate -- the first time. I would've only been tested once, but the doctor was unaware of my previous test.
3) My symptoms are extremely rare in Schistosomiasis patients -- there have only been a handful of documented cases where most of my symptoms are reported. Also, the severity of my symptoms is rare.
4) The drug I took this past Spring (Praziquantel) is 90 percent effective at treating my form Schistosomiasis, and 100 percent effective with two treatments. There are "rumors" of schistosomes in West Africa that have built up a resistance to the drug, but no solid proof that this is true. I was treated FOUR times in the course of three months at twice the normal dosage.
My positive biopsy could have just been the dead remains of the parasites, which Dr. Keystone said can last for years. He said my symptoms are probably the result of the damage done by the parasites rather than by the parasites themselves. What he couldn't explain is the sudden onset of the pain and the fact that the plethora of medical tests revealed nothing. He couldn't explain why I was passing blood. He also couldn't explain why I improved so much after each dose of Praziquantel.
After telling me there was nothing he could do, he decided to take one more blood test. He said he was sure it would come back negative and that he was just doing it to prove his point that there are no living adult schistosomes in my blood stream. Last week the test results came back...POSITIVE.
Dr. Keystone said this is the first time he's ever heard of this happening, and he can't find any reliable research to show that this is possible, especially since my last two tests came back negative. Just to make sure, though, he is going to do some more testing. He said this past blood test showed that I actually have two different strains of Schistosomiasis. One of these strains may have been killed when I took the Praziquantel, which explains why I felt better. The other strain might be resistant to the drug, which is why I'm still experiencing some pain.
I asked him about treatment and he said he will have to order another kind of drug they used to use a long time ago to treat Schistosomiasis. He will have to order it from Africa, and it is not nearly as effective as Praziquantel. Hopefully it will do the trick (since there is no proof of resistance from schistosomes to this particular drug). If not, then he's not sure what to do. There are no other options that he's aware of at this point. This isn't your average parasite -- these are blood and liver flukes we're dealing with, and there are only a few drugs known to kill the adult worms.
Dr. Keystone had a serious change of attitude during this second visit. He was more concerned about helping me find answers and took my situation much more seriously. He actually listened to me! He said he wants to do a number of tests over the next few months to make sure my organs are functioning normally -- especially the liver. He also wants to do an "exploratory" exam to make sure I don't have bladder cancer (I about passed out when he explained how this would work -- and that I would be awake for the procedure!). He believes my colon and intestines are beyond repair and that I will most likely struggle with problems the rest of my life -- the damage done in these particular organs by the parasites is most likely irreversible damage.
Please pray for me as I undergo more testing in October. I will hopefully also take the new (old) drug in October -- please pray that it works! Continue to pray for miraculous healing. And continue to pray against the enemy. After I wrote my last article on the parasites many of you wrote to let me know you were praying more strategically, and my pain all but disappeared for the next three weeks! Even today I'm much better than before I sent out that update to our blog, and this happened despite my discouraging visit to the doctor. Someone was praying and I appreciate your prayers!
To be continued....
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