Making Progress

1 Corinthians 13
"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

We haven't posted all week, because the news came in little by little, with nothing major to report. Here's a recap of what we've found out this week.

There is a fourth match, and this one is the best option so far. This is a 20-year-old female. Generally males are better than females because women who have had children produce antibodies that make them less than ideal as bone-marrow donors. But this young lady has not had any kids. Her age makes her a better option than even the 37-year-old man we had before. We still don't have an update on whether any of the potential donors have passed the necessary physicals, but we're hopeful. We ask that you continue to lift up all these potential donors. Their generosity is greatly appreciated, and we ask God to bless them richly.

In the meantime, we're progressing with the preparations for March 9, which is Tammy's scheduled admission date to KU Medical Center for the transplant. She underwent another series of chemotherapy shots this week (with the last one tomorrow). On Tuesday, we begin a three-day set of tests and consultations to make sure we're ready. They include lots of physical tests, as well as "psychological evaluations" to make sure we're prepared for the road ahead. We believe we're ready, but you might continue to keep us in your prayers. We know there will be things we're not expecting. Only God's grace will get us through them.

Following the tests next week, we're probably in "relax" mode until March 9th. There won't be too much more to do to get ready.

Please continue to keep our family in your prayers. Julie is still in Ethiopia. She'll return next Wednesday night. She actually gets to come home for a couple of days next weekend. David Lee has been real sick this week, visiting the doctor twice and having him say, "Wow!" when he looked at David's throat. He's doing better today, but he still needs to get better. Tammy is tired all the time, and tired of being tired. David is trying to hang in there with so much on his plate. He's trying to get his business ready for him to be away from the office a lot during Tammy's recovery time.

Because this is Valentine's Day, we are very aware of God's unconditional love. Even though we don't deserve it, He showers us with blessings every day. We pray that He does that to you today.