Update on Class at Yale

The class at Yale is going really well for Tim and he is so excited to be a part of it.  He has 11 students participating and they are very intrigued by the topic.  This Tuesday, he will be discussing the Biblical principles of government.  He will open the Bible and show the students the principles that directed the founding fathers to formulate our government.  A few of the students have indicated that they have never been exposed to this viewpoint and they find the discussion challenging and fascinating.  One student shared how much she was enjoying the class and that it was the fastest hour and a half that she has had in law school!  Please pray every Tuesday night from 6:00 - 7:30 that Tim will have favor with the students and wisdom as he guides this class.

Amazing Opportunity

We live just outside of New Haven, Connecticut, which is the home of Yale University.  Ever since we moved here and started our church (www.cbcbranford.org), we have always wanted to reach the Yale community.  Tim has recently been given an amazing opportunity and is so excited about the potential.  A young man in our church is a student at the Yale Law School.  He recently submitted Tim's name to be a guest lecturer there at Yale, and the request was granted.  So, starting tomorrow night (1/24) and going for the next 13 weeks until the end of the semester, Tim will be leading a one credit reading group for the law students there on the campus of Yale! He will be lecturing and leading a discussion on the Judeo-Christian heritage of our American forefathers and the influence their beliefs had on the founding of our country.  There are already about 9 students signed up and there is the potential for several more.  Please be in prayer for Tim as he leads this group.  It is a huge commitment as he has to add a lot of extra study and preparation time to his week, but he is really looking forward to it and what the Lord could do through this class. 
(Update: He just returned from his 6 week visit with the oncologist.  Things still look great - Praise the Lord!)

Chicken Pox ... Seriously?!?

Tim woke up on Monday morning with little red spots all over himself and he was itching like crazy!  At first we thought it may be hives, but called the oncologist just to be sure he was okay.  A visit to the doctor that afternoon confirmed that he definitely had chicken pox. Seriously?  Chicken pox at this age???  Apparently, stem cell transplant patients are highly susceptible to the chicken pox and shingles viruses. The doctor gave him a very strong anti-viral medication and by yesterday, the spots were fading and the itching had begun to subside. He is feeling much better, now.  And you thought chicken pox were only for kids!  We are just wondering who he unknowingly shared them with in the days leading up to the rash breaking out.  Um...sorry about that...

This is just one incident in a long line of things that have happened to us since the week of Christmas.  Remember that nice, quiet week I was hoping for in my last post?  Well, that was only a dream!  Two days before Christmas, Tim got pink eye and then gave it to two of the kids.  Then, on Christmas day, our hot water heater quit working.  Two days after Christmas, our boiler unit went out and we found black smoke billowing through the basement.  No one was injured - just the bank account.  Then, I got a bad flu bug and then the chicken pox got Tim...  and then...well, there is more, but I won't bore you.  It's just that something we affectionately call the "Zac Curse" has struck yet again.  It's our version of Murphy's law - anything that can go wrong will go wrong and it will usually happen in a cluster of several consecutive events.  We joke about the Zac Curse to keep from crying when things happen like this one after the other after the other.  We realize that our troubles could be much worse, but a string of challenges like these has the ability rob us of physical, emotional, mental and spiritual strength.  Having a sense of humor - and spending a lot of time in prayer - certainly helps get us through the tough days.

Merry Christmas!

It's hard to believe that Christmas is this week - where did this year go?  I am glad to have made it through this past fall - it has been an extremely busy few months for me.  But, the Lord gave me grace and helped me prioritize and get everything done in the right time. Now, all the shopping is done, the Christmas program at church is over and I am just planning Christmas dinner this week. Ahhhh - I am looking forward to a relatively quiet week...I hope.

McKayla is doing much better since starting the medication for her JRA.  She is experiencing less pain in her knees and wrist and the swelling is going down. The x-ray that she had in November showed significant swelling, but no joint damage.  Now that the swelling is subsiding, she is gaining better range of motion in her knee.  She is also showing less fatigue throughout the day.  We are very grateful to see that she is making progress and beginning to feel more like her perky self. She will be on the medication for at least another year - she has to go a full year with no symptoms before the doctor will begin to decrease the medication and eventually take her off of it completely.  So far, she has done very well on it with little to no side effects.  Thank you to all of you who are praying for her.

Tim is still feeling fabulous and got another good report at the last doctor's appointment.  They are now stretching his appointments out to every 6 weeks instead of every 4 weeks.  He has begun writing a book about things the Lord has done and taught him throughout the last couple of years and is very excited about how the Lord is leading in that endeavor.  We'll let you know when it's done!

Michael is 14 now and doing really well!  The intense autism therapy that he received this year has allowed him to make some significant gains academically, socially, mentally and physically.  We have continued "home therapy" this fall and he is scheduled to have another evaluation in January.  We are looking forward to seeing the results of those tests.  He loves his karate classes and is moving up the ranks.  He's also very proud that he is just barely taller than I am now!

McKayla is 8 and was baptized in August.  What a sweet service that was!  She is doing really well homeschooling this year and is enjoying piano lessons.  She played soccer this fall and was the star defensive player on the team - way to go, McKayla!  She loves Master Clubs at church and is memorizing lots of Scripture -she loves earning those badges!

Mark is now 7 and loves homeschooling this year, because as he says - he doesn't have "to wait for all the other kids in the class to answer the questions. That's soooo boring!"  :)  He enjoyed playing soccer this fall and is excelling at the piano.  He loves Mario Kart and Legos, Legos, Legos!

Please continue to pray for our oldest son, Matthew, who is now 18.  He is attending classes in a program out of state and enjoys his job.  It has been a rough year with him, but we know the Lord is working and we trust Him with Matthew's future.

Thank you for following us on this journey.  The Lord is so faithful to us and gives us exactly what we need for each day.  We are excited to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ - May all of you have a wonderful Christmas with your family and friends.

McKayla

Our daughter, McKayla, is 8 years old and has the sweetest personality.  She has a real heart for the Lord, and she truly cares for others.  We are so blessed to have been given the privilege of raising her.  When she was only 18 months old, she was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis.  It was very hard to watch her as a toddler experience stiffness in her joints and hear her cry out in pain during the night.  We battled it for about two years with different medications, and then finally the JRA went into remission when she was around 4; however, the remission was only for 6 months.  So at 4-1/2 years old, she went back on the treatment plan.  Again, it took about two years of treatment, and then at the age of 6-1/2, the JRA went back into remission.  It was a such a huge blessing that while Tim was very sick and going through his cancer treatments, McKayla did not experience any symptoms from the JRA and we were able to cut back on the frequency of the doctors appointments.

In June of this year, she began complaining of knee pain and experiencing extreme fatigue.  In August, the doctor determined that the arthritis had become active once again, and started her on just an anti-inflammatory treatment, but she has not responded to that.  So starting on Monday, we will begin the treatment plan that we have done twice before.  Please pray that McKayla will once again be able to tolerate the medications and that her body will respond in a way that forces the JRA to be calm again.  McKayla has such a sweet spirit and has not let the pain and stiffness steal her joy.  She doesn't complain and tries to be as active as her body will allow. One thing it has hindered her from doing is riding her bike. She loves to ride with Tim and the boys, but it has just been too painful for her. We are hopeful and praying that by the spring, she will be able to go on bike rides with her daddy again.  Please pray with us as she starts back on the medications that the side effects will be minimal and that she will respond positively.

Tim continues to feel great and has an enormous amount of energy!  We praise the Lord for the good reports he continues to receive from the doctor!