Busy Morning

 We were kept busy this morning but at 9:30 am took the time to all meet in the main room for prayer. After the prayer Skip read a couple letters to us from prisoners. The first letter included a tithe check for around $25.00 from a prisoner.  That is always amazing. They could spend their hard earned paychecks (usually just a few dollars a week) at the prison commissary. Below is a short video of Skip reading one of the letters. 

I was too busy to stop and take more pictures until we were ready to sit down for a piece of pie and a cup of coffee. 

We really do enjoy working together. Today we had 17 Bible requests and about 70 studies with 1 of the prisoners finishing the basic study and 2 others finishing the intermediate study so sent out 3 certificates. 

Lots of Laughter

When we arrived at the Berean office there were already a group of volunteers hard at work. Mom started on envelopes while Ray, Shirley,  Shirl, and Vonnie opened mail.

Skip and Marvin were working on the computers and Kathy was our reader.

Sharon joined us today and mom was able to keep Sharon busy with envelopes.

The group soon moved into the other room to start folding 200 of the first sets of studies going out today. 

Marvin was kept busy making copies so these sets could be made and ready for mailing.  Marvin also came up with a great idea. When someone finishes the first set of 50 he wanted to include with the certificate of completion a paper of how to read the Bible in a year.

The front side is the instructions while the back side are the verses.

Kathy was really happy with what came in today. A couple weeks ago she received a letter from a prisoner sentenced to Life that she felt needed a really good Bible such as a Life Application Bible.  She talked to Bill and Bill was able to contact the prison for how we could make that happen. Well today that prisoner sent back a card!  

She opened it and exclaimed, "He got it!" "I'm so glad to know he got it!" We had a lot of smiles and a lot of laughter today. The video also shows Ray hard at work at the postage machine.

Postage went up again and each time that happens we have corrections and adjustments that have to be caught and made before mailing anything out. We were really thankful Ray was there to work the machine.  Bill is now at Mayo Clinic and could be there for months. Below is an update from Bill: I was asked to give you all an update on where I’m at health wise. It’s difficult at times to write about our journey because I know that everyone has their own journey and I’m not trying to act like mine is more important than others. I do get a lot of questions so it may be easier to send updates, but understand that I am not trying to focus on myself.

I have had radiation 4 times and I have had 4 immune therapy treatments, but the cancer is continuing to spread around my body including my face. Radiation has helped certain tumors but there are too many to radiate all of them and it does stop any new tumors from popping up. There are probably 80 tumors of different sizes on my skin and muscle lining , but thankfully there doesn’t appear to be any on my organs at this time.

Since the immune therapy doesn’t seem to be shrinking the cancer Mayo’s wants to start chemotherapy next week along with a trial of super high injections of Vitamin C every other day. It’s chemo for 3 days in the hospital then 3 weeks of Vit C and then repeat. The Doctor thinks that after 2 cycles (6 weeks) that we will know if it is helping. If not then they will most likely do a bone marrow transplant after a final super dose of chemo to kill everything off. They have to get the cancer in remission before the transplant. So that’s were we are at for the next 6 weeks or maybe the next 5 months. We may be able to go home some weekends if I feel ok. Please pray for our children because it will be hard to be away from them that much. God is in control and holds us in His Hands. We are so thankful for His presence and blessings.

Love, Bill and Joan

Please keep Bill and Joan in your prayers. This has been a hard journey for them. Below is a recent picture of Bill and Joan's family.

Back To Work

 After a 2 week break mom and I were back to work at the Berean office and this time Diane came with us. She told us it had been 7.5 years since she helped out at this office. About time she is back to work!  

We were really happy to have her. The real story is she took today off of her 'real' job at the law office to join us. We had a good group of volunteers and everyone went right to work.

Vonnie soon moved to the other room to start stuffing envelopes with the help of Ray and Shirley and once that was done started on Bibles. Joan arrived to pick up studies for grading.

She came in to meet Diane.

We had 40 Bible requests today and plenty of studies. Diane took the picture below of Marvin and me entering the the Bibles. 

Roanoke is taking some for grading this week. Below is a short video of some of our morning.

Kathy brought cinnamon rolls and lemon poppy seed muffins for our treats. We all enjoyed eating those while visiting. Thank you Kathy. It was a good morning!

Gift For Christmas

 Mom and I were a little late to the Berean office this morning not arriving until 9:30 am. When we arrived everyone was already hard at work. Skip couldn't come today and neither could Shirley L so we were a little short handed. Marvin worked at the computer entering studies and Bible request since Skip was missing. Kathy and Leila were the readers. Shirley, Ray and Vonnie worked on opening the studies and mom worked on stuffing envelopes. Bruce ran the postage machine along with labels and studies. 

Once the studies were finished Ray went out to wrap Bibles.

Joan came to take studies for grading. She also hands them out to other volunteers each week. We so much appreciate the volunteers that are willing to grade these studies. 

We  had a lot of mail today so have a lot of studies to grade.  We also had 37 Bible requests which were filled. The Bibles were mailed out at the Hanna City post office along with the next set of studies for everyone that returned a study this week. We sure hope those Bibles make it to the prisoners on our before Christmas. What a gift that would be. 

A Hard Journey

 We got home too late last night to post about our work at the Berean office Tuesday. When we arrived there were already plenty of volunteers hard at work.

Skip had come early and had the coffee done and the mail sorted. Everyone went right to work. Below are a few pictures.

Once we were finished we gathered in the first room around the table. Bill read Psalm 46 and then told us about his cancer journey. We know God is in control and we know God is always good but sometimes when there are no answers here on Earth, we are tempted to ask, "Why". None of the many doctors have been able to treat Bill's cancer. It is extremely rare and now it has become painful. Bill read Psalm 46 (the refuge Psalm) at Magdalena at a wake, after a horrible death of a mother with 4 children and now is clinging to this Psalm when the pain of cancer is bad.  You see Bill and Joan adopted those 4 children one got married this year and 3 of them are still living with them. Below is a picture of Bill and Joan's family with their children and grandchildren.

Please pray for this precious family, pray for peace, pray for healing but most of all pray that God will be glorified during this cancer journey. 

Prayers

 We didn't have a lot of mail as the Thanksgiving holiday slowed down the mail getting to the prisoners. We still got a lot of work done in a short amount of time. At 9:30 am Marvin's alarm goes off each Tusday to remind us to pray. Today the camera was left running while Bill prayed. We are reminded how short life is. Please pray for Bill. He doesn't complain but he is now in pain from the tumors. 

There doesn't seem to be anything the doctors can do for him. He has such a rare cancer that not even Mayo clinic have been able to help him. Below Chuck is applying labels to envelopes so we can send the next set of lessons to the prisoner. 

Benj and Skip were in charge of entering and printing out the labels. Benj also did the certificates today AND ran the postage machine as Bruce was not able to come.

Mom has a new job today. She was putting folded studies into the business reply envelope.

Below Vonnie, Shirley, Bill, Chuck and Aunt Jinnie are all working on studies.

Marvin, Benj and Kathy were kept busy in the other room. Kathy writes letters to inmates while Marvin and Benj were working on an advanced study.

We were happy with how much got done today and very thankful Bill is still able to come in to help. Today he took a call from a prison in Texas that asked if we could send Bibles and studies directly to the chaplain. Bill got those all ready for mailing and those were dropped off at the Hanna City post office today along with the other Bibles requested by individuals.

Make Our Day

 Aunt Jinnie, mom and I took the wheel chair to van to the Berean office this morning. We had a good group of volunteers and really got a lot done. Below are a few pictures of the morning.

Above and below Marvin put a new battery in the clock and was hanging it getting it just right.

Kathy hard at work answering letters.

Chuck was running the postage machine when it froze up. Marvin turned it off and back on again and it worked.

Skip and Shirley are working on Bibles while Shirley and Aunt Jinnie are working on studies.

Skip, Shirley and Aunt Jinnie.

Below Marvin is holding his phone with a picture of me working at this office. 

This was at 9:30 am right after the prayer.

Marvin's phone has an alarm set and goes off at 9:30 each Tuesday morning to remind us it is time to pray.  We pray for the inmates and for this office.

 Shirley read us an encouraging letter today. 

Those letters really make our day.