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Monthly Archives: May 2011

Crossing the generations!

31 May

I’m thoroughly enjoying speaking and interacting with young people at a Jumpstart camp at Capernwray Bible College in Geraldine, South Canterbury this week. Interestingly, all seventeen of the young people are home-schoolers from as far away as Cambridge in the North Island to Dunedin in the South. I was a bit nervous as the age range is 14yrs to 17yrs and I’m an old fogey who sometimes thinks that generation speaks a different language with different idioms, etc. BUT, we’re getting on fine.

The weather is cool but the log fire burns brightly in the beautiful old homestead where the Capernwray campus is situated. I return to Nelson on Friday afternoon.

 
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Posted by on 31 May, 2011 in Family, Personal

 

Another excuse for a family get-together

26 May

When Bronwen and I visited Auckland to preach at Long Bay Baptist Church on 22 May, my brother Gordon and his wife Cathy gathered rellies together for lunch on Sunday. There were over 30 people present ranging from cousins, brothers, nephews and neices and their children as well. Out of my own father’s family of 5 brothers, 4 of the brothers’ descendants were represented. It was a great occasion to celebrate memories before Bronwen and I flew home later that Sunday afternoon.

My health remained good after a health scare the previous Wednesday when I had what appears to have been a bleed within the liver. The pain was so great I had to revert to the strongest pain-killing medication available. It felt as if I had been whacked in the side with a log of wood and I wondered if I would be able to travel to Auckland on the Friday afternoon. The pain gradually abated over Thursday night and Friday and by Saturday the pain resembled that of a bruise. By Sunday I was back to my usual Panadol medication to keep any pain under. It was nice to know that there are sufficient reserves in my body, that though the liver is distended, the body is healing itself of these annoying little ‘side’ issues.

 
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Posted by on 26 May, 2011 in Devotional, Medical, Personal

 

May you Live Life to the Full to the End

26 May

That was the title of the Sermon I delivered at both services at Long Bay Baptist Church on Sunday 22 May. The church have been running a series of special Sundays throughout the month of May with messages titled “May you …” covering restored relationships and other crisis situations of life. Because of the battles I have encountered in the last two and a half years I was invited to Auckland to speak on the issue of maintaining enthusiasm for life in the face of impending death. The message seemed to be very well received and can be downloaded by visiting the church website and going to sermon archives. The sermon date is 22 May. There may be other topics that will interest you as well.

 
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Posted by on 26 May, 2011 in Articles, Devotional, Personal

 

Another little miracle!

20 May

Over the past 3 years God has given us many little evidences of His presence with us.

Yesterday we got a phone call from our daughter, Philippa, in Winchelsea, Australia about a miracle she received.

While I was in Hobart recently I had to have a blood test. The account for $50 was sent to me at Pip’s Winchelsea address and she paid it without letting me know she had done so. Two days later she was in the Geelong Public Library browsing and came across a book on amazing recoveries from cancer. With me in mind she decided to read it and while she was doing so, out popped a blank envelope with $200 in it!

In that particular book, after she had just paid an account she could not really afford to pay, was this another sign of God’s smile on our lives? Another watering of the seed of hope?

 
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Posted by on 20 May, 2011 in Family, Personal

 

What a difference a pint makes!

16 May

On Thursday I received 2 units (about 600ml) of blood at the Day Stay Unit, Nelson Public Hospital. As appears usual, Friday was a wipe-out: it seems the body initially tries to fight the new blood. On Saturday I watched Abraham play soccer in the morning, then flew to Wellington in the afternoon to stay with my ‘spiritual son & daughter’, Andrew & Hannah Gan and their lovely family.

With Andrew, 'Lulu', Vicky & Hannah at 'The Beijing'


We enjoyed a scrumptious meal at a chinese restaurant in Wellington on Saturday evening, endured a Wellington gale and storm on Saturday night before preaching at the Chinese Baptist Church in Newtown on Sunday morning. There was a church lunch, and then I met with the young people in the afternoon.

When I got to the airport to return to Nelson I was met after check-in by a family delegation from Tawa. Shona & Bruce, Helen & Peter and my neice, Amanda, Aubrey and their children. Helen is celebrating her 60th birthday today so it was nice we could get together.

Helen, me and Shona


the family delegation from Tawa

Last weekend, one service on the Sunday morning exhausted me. This weekend I had 2 flights, and 2 services over 36 hours and still felt quite well at the end of it. What a difference a couple of units of blood makes!

 
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Posted by on 16 May, 2011 in Family, Personal, Photos

 

Latest Oncology report

10 May

Had my two-monthly visit with the oncologist today.

I recounted the fun and games I’d had while in Australia and asked why the duodenal ulcer keeps bleeding when I’m on a high dose of Omeprazole. She said that my ulcer is not a typical ulcer and therefore does not react or respond as ‘normal’ ulcers would. Mine is more like an injury or ‘disease’ caused by the leakage of the first dose of radio-active spheres I received into my liver (December 2008). The CT scan taken in Geelong a couple of weeks ago, at the time of my last big bleed, showed no evidence of small or large bowel obstruction or anything that might suggest a cause for the large bowel bleeding. No ‘pooling’ was evident either that would suggest a site for the bleeding and no focal aggressive bone lesion could be seen.

The CT Scan did show large multiple hepatic metastasis and lower lobe lung metastases but we knew that already. The Oncologist palpated my stomach and noted that my liver is distended (enlarged) and tender in places but from the blood test results affirmed that the liver function is holding its own.

Any pain is still being controlled by Panadol only, so the Oncologist does not believe any further intervention is warranted at this stage. She encouraged me to continue to accept speaking engagements as I feel able, but to ensure I also get adequate rest.

 
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Posted by on 10 May, 2011 in Family, Medical, Personal

 
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