TRANSPLANT DECEMBER 21

Dear Friends, It's day 4 after the transplant infusion. Rob's counts are very low - as expected and in his words it's "kicking his butt". His energy/strength is very low, the chemo is continuing to affect him from one end to the other (sore throat and digestive issues) and he doesn't feel like eating. As I said, all of this is expected but we are obviously hopeful that he will turn the corner soon. And as soon as his blood counts begin to recover (the stem cells take 7-10 days after infusion to mature and to be released into his bloodstream which then improves his counts), the symptoms that I listed above should begin to change for the better. The visits from family and dear friends, the cards, emails and prayer have certainly been an encouragement to us. We realize that all those things are part of what God uses to help us. We also continue to realize that God means every minute of this to be used toward our sanctification. We hope that we will be better servants on the other side of this and that we won't forget the many ways (in areas of trusting Him, being concerned about others and realizing that a relationship with Him is all that matters here on earth) that God is currently dealing with us. We also think that underlying all of this, He has drawn us closer to Him. Not in any mystical, undefinable way but in that He is changing our thoughts to reflect His Word. Please know though that we have our struggles also. We have fears and times of anxiousness. Many times we feel that we are almost out of strength. But we remember that the apostle Paul spoke of having difficult times yet in the end, he did not despair. And that is because he was upheld by God's "gracious, omnipotent" hand. And so the same for Rob and I! God never lies, He always sustains us and never leaves us. His goodness is constant and His power unending. We love you all and are so blessed through all your support and ministry. Merry Christmas! Kim