Goodbye--God be with you!

Aunt Ketty left about an hour ago from her home in Kasana. She begins another chapter in her cancer journey.

Today she and her family will enjoy time together in Kampala. They will have lunch at the guest house where Aunt Ketty stayed last week while waiting for appointments at Mulago Hospital.  She made some good friends there among tribe-mates and wants to introduce them to her beloved children and husband. They will laugh together and indeed cry together as they say goodbye at the end of the day.

It was hope-producing to hug her and send her off in the arms of the Lord God who has made a way for her to seek treatment in Nairobi. And it was hopeful to pray together as they were all loaded in the van, looking forward to their day together. Yes, we're sending her off to the unknown from our perspective, but we're secure in God's goodness, sovereignty, and ultimate control.

When I asked if I could post the pictures I'd taken this morning before they left she said, "Oh, yes please!" She covets your faith-filled prayers and asked that the following be lifted up:"that even as I leave my husband and children behind, My Father God will always fill in this gap as an intimate Father and Mother to them and that they will feel His love through the people who will be around them." And, "I want God to give me ears to listen, from Him a heart to always yearn to trust in Him no matter what the journey will look like and the peace of mind wherever I be--I want God to turn this adventure into an opportunity for me to preach His word to those who will be next to me." And lastly, "for God's mighty healing in my life--Doctors are going to treat me I know, but I want to trust God for my total deliverance and healing."

And now the photos she wanted to share:

Ketty, far left in back, Emma, Uncle Okoth, Florence, Ivan, Millie
Front, LtoR Merab, Israel, Mercy, Isaac

Aunts Ketty and Betty

Uncle Okoth and twins, loaded in and ready to roll!

The boys, excited to go to town, but not so sure they want to say goodbye to Mom, yet!

The girls decided they wanted to be in the very back of the van.

Here I am between my two neighbors: Kate and Ketty, spelled different, but pronounced the same! Kate is holding baby Stella one of our precious special needs babies!

Goodbye hugs to dear neighbor Aunt Lucy! Between Lucy and I we will keep a keen eye on the children!

 And they finally drove away after hugs and photos and prayers for God's hand to be upon them all!

The bus leaves at 11 p.m. tonight. Thanks for your prayers!!!!!

Today and Tomorrow

It's the day we celebrate Jesus' Resurrection!

The day is beautiful and the usual birds are singing their songs in our neighborhood of foliage. And the sweet smell in the air draws me beyond nature to the powerful message of salvation we have in the LORD JESUS CHRIST. May his sacrifice and ultimate gift of LIFE be in my constant awareness, bringing me in humble thanksgiving for His gift of forgiveness and relationship with Him.

We read Mark's account this morning around the breakfast table and discussed some of the details of the events. Now Geoff and the boys are already down at the church structure setting up benches, meeting with the worship team and spiritually and logistically readying the place to receive those who will come to worship God who gave and gives His all for us, His beloved creation.

Today, however, Acacia and I will be staying at home. Seems the supposed 24-hour something or other she dealt with on Thursday, and we thought she was done with, is not completely finished wreaking havoc. We spent the better part of the night up and uncomfortable and she is now resting again after only being awake about an hour while everyone else got spiffied up for the Resurrection Day service.

Today, next door, while the above was taking place at our house, the neighbors--the Okoth family--were blessed to have a series of family photos taken for them by one of our staff members who wields an exquisite camera angle. A group of us intimately involved with the care, planning, and logistical management of Ketty's cancer management and treatment made a decision together to move her care to Nairobi. Some family photos together before they must spend many weeks apart were in order!

Being that the best advised treatment from experienced oncologists is concurrent chemo and radiation, and being that the only machine in Uganda has been down and it is uncertain when it will be repaired, we are transferring her to M.P. Shah hospital in Nairobi. Tomorrow the Okoth family will travel into Kampala together to spend the day with "mommy." They will have a nice lunch and a chance to see Aunt Ketty off to the bus.  One of our nurses, Kimberly, will travel with Ketty and work out the details of accommodation and appointments during the first week or so of their time there. Hopefully, Uncle Okoth will be able to follow in time after getting the children settled with a family friend who will care for them here while mommy and daddy are both gone.

Please continue praying with us for this very dear family. We have been privileged to walk through the details of how to navigate Nairobi with a fellow missionary here at New Hope Uganda who grew up in the Nairobi area. She has been invaluable in giving us phone numbers, contacts, guest house names, reviews of the available medical establishments, etc.

For further detailed updates on Aunt Ketty you may visit Kimberly's blog. We made a decision to keep her as the "official" updater on this situation being that she will be in Nairobi with Aunt Ketty. Her blog address is http://www.choosingtoliveanundauntedlife.blogspot.com  In addition, she will be periodically posting a blog on the New Hope Uganda website  www.newhopeuganda.org

We have no way of knowing what to expect financially from this process until we get to Nairobi and get going with appointments and treatment. If you desire to donate, please do! I am sure we will need it along the way! You may visit the New Hope Uganda website for details on "The Ketty Okoth Cancer Fund" and how you may give.

Uncle Okoth and Aunt Ketty addressed the church a couple of weeks ago and shared their deep faith in God's hand for good in their lives. Their twins are shown with them here. Today, the church will be praying for them again as Ketty prepares to move her treatment to Nairobi. She will leave tomorrow evening with Aunt Kimberly on a bus to Nairobi.

The church service is well under way now and the praise can be heard all the way to our house!  I can hear Geoff's voice ringing out over the shouts and celebration to our Savior!

Blessings to you all.
Mary

Moving Along, Somehow

This past week plus has been filled with a huge variety of activities, most of which have revolved around Geoff's leadership in the Children's Spiritual Development department and Aunt Ketty Okoth's appointments with Mulago Hospital in Kampala.

Geoff and team hosted a successful Biblical Manhood and Womanhood day recently. Of course there are some details to be worked out as this was the first one of the year, but the teachings and activities were well received and were a great start to this year of BMW days! Immediately after finishing BMW on Friday, he turned his attention to preparing to preach on Sunday and then to finishing up the details for this week's activity.

He and his team, along with some of the primary school teachers, are at Musana Camps this week with our Primary 7 students. They all left early Sunday morning and will arrive back at Kasana Thursday afternoon.

These students are in their final year of primary school--a heavy year academically as they prepare for two days of government exams which culminate eight years of primary school. Many, many years ago (1994) the leadership here changed the schedule on the very first group of primary 7 students one week when they realized as Uncle Jay Dangers said, "We're losing their hearts." Ever since that year, there has been a special week for the P7 class in which they take their attention off of the academic pressures and studies and aptly hone their "sense of purpose, camaraderie, and a desire to do their best for the Lord's honor and glory." (Quotes taken from Jennie Dangers' book, The Long Road to Hope which is the history of Kasana Children's Centre from beginning to early 2006.)

What "P7 Week" has continued to be is a time for the leadership to invest in the students in a variety of ways: skills activities, the teaching of Biblical principles, games, competitions, special meals and even line dancing, to name a few. Since that first week in 1994, the students have come to look forward to their special week, but as leadership we were coming to realize that some of the original focus and meaning of P7 week had been lost. In need of a revamp, the CSD team took the reins and decided to incorporate the thrust of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood messages while soaking in the beauty and ruggedness of the Musana Camps site. I love the fact that amidst all the hiking, pitching tents, intense teachings, skills activities, swimming and even some fasting (!), Jennie Dangers who was an active participant of the very first P7 week twenty years ago is also a core leader of the group at Musana Camps with this year's P7 students!

I've been excited as I've prayed for the leadership team in their preparations and now for the children and staff who are experiencing this major change-up to what some have come to view as a "rite of passage."Will you pray for this group of people who are part of a very new approach to a long-standing tradition?  As I've planted myself in front of the computer this morning to bring you this blog,  Geoff texted to request prayer. Seems this morning has been tough and they feel they are plowing hard ground.

Just as in the early years the leaders felt they were losing the hearts of the children and needed to do something to break the "hardness, coldness, and frustration," so we feel a need to do the same by intentionally focusing on the tenets of Biblical Manhoood and Womanhood in order to give our kids a fighting chance in this society. A society which touts its own "wisdom" and pits its inhabitants against the truth of the Lord God's good ways for men and women. Thank you for your prayers!

For Aunt Ketty, a woman of great faith in our good God, the past week or so has been physically tiring.  The cancerous growth in her esophagus does not completely obstruct her swallowing, but it does make it more difficult. She eats as well as she can, but has still lost 4 kg! Traveling into Kampala is no easy jaunt and this, having been done 4 times since I last wrote, has also taken a toll on her fight against this cancer invasion. And, with all these journeys, she has still not started any treatment!!

Yesterday she traveled in to see the radiotherapist with the understanding that she would start her radiation treatments. They marked the areas in the morning and told her to return at midnight. Yes, midnight! It was the first available appointment on the ONLY machine in Uganda. As Ketty and one of our nurses, Kimberly, nervously wondered if the car hire they'd ordered was actually going to arrive, they received a call from the doctor. "Don't come," he said, "the machine is broken. Call me in the morning." This morning they were told to TRY again tonight. Another appointment with the oncologist this morning which we'd hoped would give the plan to start the chemotherapy asap, instead yielded the news that they want Ketty to wait to start the chemo until after they see her response to radiation. We could be talking at least three weeks! Don't just pray for Ketty and her family . . . pray for me and my high level of frustration!

Ketty is at peace and she fully trusts God. Her calm approach to all of this is very different from my dismay! Praise God for the faith, trust, peace, joy and contentment in Ketty's heart. (Lord, I confess I desperately need some of that!) Honestly, I don't have a problem with God, it's with this very inefficient system we're dealing with here!--ok, enough venting.)

As I have walked with Ketty and Okoth through this time so far, it has been a privilege. So many people helped us and stood with us during our diagnosis and treatment last year and I wanted to "pay back" though that is truly impossible! Yet, helping the Okoth's navigate this maze-like medical system is one small way I can indirectly thank those who helped us. Aunt Ketty has said many times that if I or another staff member hadn't been with her to help her make decisions and get to appointment places, she would have thrown up her hands, gone back home and said, "Take me, Jesus!" She's not merely being dramatic folks. This inefficient system is enough to drive a non-believer to say the same! So, pray with us, please. Put your faith on it! When we've hit glitches, we've seen God's hand covering the delays and bringing good from it, and we expect He'll continue to redeem these seemingly unnecessary (to us) wait times.

To end on a lighter note, the rains have made everything beautiful! Lush green, healthy crops, magnificent flowers and a sweet smell to the air. The children of Kasana are finishing their first term of studies next week which means they are in final exams these next few days. The heavy rain this morning doused many as they made their way to their classrooms. But, they weren't getting too terribly wet, as the ministry recently received a LOT of rain coats! As students and staff walked past our house it was difficult to decipher who was who.  Everyone has the same color and style of coat and this morning each person looked identical with their rain ponchos zipped up and hoods down!

Such a Deal!

God’s economy is the real deal! What an amazing amount of stuff God can pack into a series of 24 hour periods!!!

This past weekend we had the privilege of having Julia Dangers stay with us. Our kids love being around her, so when her parents were planning a weekend away, we jumped on the chance to keep her with us for the weekend. They all enjoyed playing together Friday night and Saturday and Kakande, being our close neighbor dropped in frequently as usual. Julia loved this as Kakande is her fellow classmate in the special needs class. They had much to laugh and joke about! On Saturday morning they made faces and enjoyed their inside jokes from class for a good hour before breakfast, and then we invited Kakande to sit down with us for a pancake feast. What a rich blessing to have an open home!

Kakande is at the left and Julia is on the right, and EVERYBODY is enjoying pancakes!

On Sunday we were blessed to host our dear friend Kambo over lunch! We hadn’t seen him in quite awhile as he’s been out and about on different building projects. We’d sent him a “where are you these days?” message last week and he’d promised to come on Sunday. His usual m.o. is to show up at suppertime--but, we already had four young ladies invited to supper, so we weren’t sure how we were going to be able to visit with everyone at the same time and fit in a good, newsy, “connecting” visit with them all. When Kambo showed at lunch, it was God’s timely blessing! Seeing his smile and listening to his praise for God’s involvement in his life was encouraging. But, in a short couple of hours he was off again to investigate yet another business opportunity--life is never dull with Kambo around!

 With his exit, I jumped in the kitchen immediately and began to prepare for our evening pizza party! The four young ladies who lived in our house for us while we were gone last year will be saying good-bye to one of their members in a short while and we wanted to make sure we were able to have them all together for supper and to say “thank you” for their house-sitting. Despite all my efforts to get things together for four pizzas and have them ready when the girls arrived, I found myself still chopping and grating, shaping dough and cooking sauce when they knocked on the door. No problem, three of them started a rowdy game of cards with the kids and the other one worked with me in the kitchen. It was a great time and just what I needed before starting this busy, busy week.

Egyptian Rummy kept them happy while Kimberly and I prepared pizza!

In our previous blog we talked about the cancer diagnosis our neighbor received last week. This week we are juggling the numerous appointments for that along with preparing for the upcoming events in the Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (BMW) teachings. So, early Monday morning Geoff and I left for Kampala with Bogere and Aunt Adhe to take care of a variety of shopping tasks for the Children’s Spiritual Development Department. Adhe and I headed down into the garment district in Kampala to find the items necessary for the projects planned for the girls for this Friday’s BMW event and for the five-day-long P7 week in two weeks time. We met back together with the boys for lunch and arrived home relatively early (4 pm) considering all our errands in Kampala. 

Yesterday I was up at 4 a.m. and off to Kampala early again with a van full of people to accomplish various medical and personal tasks. I accompanied Uncle Okoth and Aunt Ketty to Mulago Hospital to meet with the oncologist for the first time. As we rounded the corner of a building looking for the entrance to the cancer institute, we were warmly greeted by a woman who, before we even introduced ourselves, asked, “Are you from New Hope?” My eyes widened and I asked amazed, “Are we that obvious?” She was the doctor with whom I had communicated these past few days. She took the necessary papers from Ketty, directed us to the records department and instructed us on where to wait. Considering that there were roughly 50 people waiting in the institute’s vicinity, and having heard stories of people who have waited all day long each day for four days at mulago before they are ever seen by a doctor, I don’t consider our 45 minute wait even a drop in the bucket! One amazing thing to note is that this Dr. Victoria to whom we were referred turns out to be someone who's been to New Hope before. She and her husband are linked to the Kiwoko Hospital down the road from us and they were present when one of our church members, Dr. James, Ketty's referring doctor, was married to one of our daughters. Ketty was blessed to realize this connection as she looks to being under Dr. Victoria' care.

Our initial visit yesterday was with another oncologist, however, but we found him friendly, capable, thorough, kind and a believer who encouraged Ketty in her faith. He allowed every question we had and graciously spent as much time with us as we needed. He gave us the following list of tests to complete and furthermore gave us the names of places to go for them. In one day we were to obtain five different blood tests, two CT scans, an EKG, an echocardiogram, an audiology exam and a chest x-ray. When he mentioned the chest x-ray he said it would have to be done outside of Mulago, for they were out of film yesterday. (The national hospital out of x-ray film? Not an uncommon dilemma here, but still catches me surprised at times!) Given the usual inefficiency at Mulago which led to the inability to reasonably expect to accomplish all of that in one day there, plus the impossibility of receiving an x-ray, we decided we would do everything except the (free!) blood work somewhere else. So, as soon as Ketty’s blood was safely in the vials, we headed out to move around Kampala to begin checking things off our to-do list. At about 1 p.m. we arrived at our first stop where we hoped to complete the EKG and echo, chest x-ray and both CTs. 

Just trying to stand in the queue to pay for the tests was a feat in itself. To line up in an orderly fashion is not the norm here; waiting your turn in the queue is unusual; walking up and pushing your papers in front of someone who’s been standing and waiting for many minutes is the way the majority functions. Alas, having stood our ground for what seemed like TOO long before being assisted, after paying we found out that they no longer do echocardiograms there as the doctor has ceased showing up to do them. Seriously? sigh. Thankfully, Kimberly, one of our nurses at New Hope who had come to Kampala with a young man for a different appointment across town, was now done with their dr. visit and had joined us. She went to again endure the cashier queue and receive the refund, while I waited with Ketty for the rest of the tests. 

Once in the radiology area for the CT scans, Ketty saw the following scripture painted on the wall and in it she found great peace and comfort, "Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise," Jeremiah 17:14 She returned from the CTs praising God with a huge smile!

Four hours after beginning our time at that particular hospital, we were on our way to the next medical establishment to get the echo. None of us had ever been to this next place, so despite all our eyes scouring the streets for the building, we missed it and had to circle back around! But, even in those small details, God was in control for in our double back we saw the next building requiring our presence--the audiology center, also a building none of us had ever seen before. 

Once the echocardiogram was done Ketty and I traveled to the audiology building to complete her hearing test. The technician there preached to Ketty and proclaimed God’s healing power and goodness over her while she set up the test. Afterward they prayed and worshiped God together. Ketty left so encouraged that instead of taking a boda (motorbike taxi) back to the other place to pick up the echo results, she suggested we walk back. We didn’t just walk, we skipped and bounced as we relived the events of the day and God’s favor that had preceded us to each appointment, each encounter, each exam and through all the traffic we’d traversed!

In seven hours we managed to complete all the tests ordered, and at a little before 8 p.m. we were on our way home. Not many of us had eaten all day, but we counted that a small thing compared to what we had accomplished! Back in the van, sitting in the massive jam heading out of town, we ate our cold pizza which Kimberly had purchased a couple of hours previously for us.

Finally, home at 10:30 p.m. I found myself unable to sleep! I was too excited over our day of victory! I’d be surprised if someone could even accomplish all of those tests in one day in the developed West! Geoff and I certainly didn’t through our cancer journey! We often waited a week or two to secure an appointment, and then came the wait for the results. Except for the CT scans yesterday, we walked from each appointment with results in hand. (Tomorrow a.m. I pick up the CT results.)

And the cost of it all? “Such a Deal!” Take a gander at the total cost of the tests yesterday--about $400, including all consultations with three different doctors. Who is paying for it all? People from across the world have heard the call to prayer for Ketty--some of them have committed donations for her health care costs and the upkeep of her salary. (Our New Hope Primary School will need to hire someone to teach Ketty’s Primary 2 class while she is undergoing treatment. Hiring another teacher is not in our budget, so donations are required to meet this need.) We have initiated a fund to cover the medical costs and her salary. You may go to our New Hope Uganda website and click on "donate" to find where you may send funds. Include a note specifying that it is for the "Ketty Okoth Cancer Fund."  Any remaining monies after her completed treatment will be kept in an emergency medical fund for others' medical needs as they arise.  Our organization's website is www.newhopeuganda.org

Thursday (tomorrow) we will journey back to Mulago, with test results in hand, to meet with Dr. Victoria concerning the medical plan of attack. Our faith plan has already been in full swing and our peace and hope are secure! We praise God for how he has gone before Ketty and paved the way expediently and with a graciousness from His loving heart. Most of the people we interacted with yesterday were believers who spoke encouraging words to us. We are grateful to God for His very evident love shown in so many ways to Ketty.

Thanks for your prayers and support! I wish you could meet her--you would be encouraged!!!

Special Prayer Request

Okoth & Ketty with Israel

One of the great parts of being in family is how that family stands together in times of trouble.  In our family we saw that first hand last year as we battled cancer. Our family, both biological and extended, really brought encouragement to our lives. 

Yesterday was a time that brought back many memories of last year.  We have a dear family working with us here in Kasana who are direct neighbors to us.  I am not sure exactly how long they have served with New Hope Uganda, but it has been many years, as we found them here back in 2006.  Their names are Ketty and Casmil Okoth and they have seven children.  

We have all been praying for the past two weeks as we waited for the test results to return from a growth that has developed in Ketty’s throat.  Yesterday the biopsy came back. It is cancer!  To be specific, it is Poorly Differentiated Squamous Cell Carcinoma situated in the middle third of her esophagus.  We are confident that God, the one who created us all is going to carry them through this.  Though we don’t know the outcome exactly, we do know that He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us.  As a cancer survivor myself I was blessed to be able to stand with the family last night as they brought the news to their children.  After the tears and the many words spoken by Okoth, the father, and myself, Ketty herself began to share with the children where her hope is coming from.  She spoke boldly to them about their need to trust God and not man.  I was inspired by her faith and encouraged as this mother of seven shared with them how Jesus is and always has cared for her despite the trials she has faced in her life. She encouraged them to make Jesus their Lord and Savior especially in this time.

We are praying for God’s hand to work in her life, and we are asking for total healing and strength for them all.  But we are also looking to see how we can be sure to get the best medical care for her as possible, thus why I am writing this.  Here at New Hope we typically provide medical care for all our staff members though we often don’t have to fight a battle like this one.  Financially right now we do not yet know what her treatment is going to cost, but we do know it will be exceptionally large even in African standards.  We are looking for a way to cover Ketty’s salary as well as the extensive medical costs she will be facing.  We want to look at all of the options which might include surgery and radiation in Kampala or possibly traveling to Kenya or even South Africa.

We are sending this out as a prayer request, that we as God’s global family could stand in prayer on behalf of our sister and her family.  Please be in agreement with us for her healing as well as God’s provision.  Donations toward this need can be made through New Hope Uganda to the Ketty Okoth Cancer fund.  All donations will serve either medical expenses or the upkeep of her salary as we pass through this together.  Any excess funds remaining when the battle is finished will go to our emergency medical fund.  

In His service,

Geoffrey Britton