Dear friends,
It is almost the end of April! Time is moving faster and faster it seems. I remember watching the clock in 4th grade and it taking FOREVER for the hand to move five minutes to the 12 and the bell for recess. Now the hours of the days fly by much too fast.
Since Easter I got done coordinating an outreach day for our church. We had 15 teams fan out all over the city of Spokane to spend Sat. morning painting, gardening, clearing trails at a camp, mending fences, washing windows, organizing closets...at ministries all over the city. It was a fun day. And now I can move on to my next project. Probably sending out a letter.
I had my last insurance paid Physical Therapy session yesterday for my knee. It still has a way to go, so I am trying to get it back to par. Marc, my PT, told me I only have a few month window to regain movement and strength in my knee, so I have been working hard on my exercises. My surgeon and PT said my quad isn't strong enough yet, so they suggested biking at a gym. I researched and found the least expensive one. Tomorrow I will meet with a trainer and learn the machines my PT wants me to use. I go almost every day to at least bike and I think it is helping.
My recent medical discovery was that my PT thinks scar tissue is pulling on the right side of my diaphragm and that is what causes the pain I get on my right side by my ribs. So the bad news is that scar tissue is causing that intermittent pain, and the good news is that cancer isn't causing it! That is always a plus for me. This scar tissue could be from my tram flap breast reconstruction. I see my breast cancer surgeon tomorrow for a check up and will ask her about it. She will be checking my ever growing scar tissue to make sure she thinks I am still clear of cancer. She is a very wonderful doctor. I have a scan on Friday for her too.
I am on a very strict diet to kill an overgrowth of candida in my intestines. I am also not eating gluten for a few months. There has to be a lot of creativity to figure out what I can eat. Greg is doing this with me since it is just the 2 of us.
I got my shots for Africa and am still alive. I went to Seattle for a Kidzana sponsored consultation with 18 others regarding the job of reaching all of the world's children with the Gospel. These consultations will be held internationally as well to get input from the 2/3's world. It was amazing to be there with this key set of leaders.
Jenni turned 20 on the 29th. Allison turns 23 on May 2nd. I am feeling very old and achy these days. They said on the news tonight, that they think someone in town has the swine flu. I hope all of you will be careful, and I will try to be also.
I will let you know how my visit with Dr. Moline goes tomorrow. Blessings- Nancy Fritz
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
Easter and India!
Dear friends,
It is Easter and I wondered how the weather was in Denver where our church traditionally has an outdoor Easter service.
Thursday night's service included communion and foot washing, and on Friday night Greg and I watched The Passion of the Christ together here at home. Remembering the price He paid for us to have the ability to be in relationship with Him for eternity, is a healthy thing.
It was cloudy here today and rained in the afternoon, so no croquet this Easter. Fellowship at church this morning was excellent. The music, the message, the celebration of the resurrection of Christ... what a privilege to worship freely in this country! We had a wonderful dinner with our small group (16 of us) and watched the little ones hunt for eggs.
I left my phone at their house which I discovered after getting home. I went back to get it just in time to receive a call from the president of Partners International's wife, Anita. She wanted to know if I could come over (they live close by) and explain Kidzana to two Indian leaders who are staying with them. One is someone I have wanted to meet for a long time, Moses Swamidas, and with him is Rev. Promoth. Moses has connections to our church in Denver, and is also one of PI's partner ministries. He is a leader in the Dalit Freedom Network based in Denver who I have worked with on curriculum as well. Rev. Promoth was married a year ago and they are expecting their 1st child in 5 months. He also told us that he hosted 4000 people at his wedding! That is a serious wedding!
Anita also took the Kidzana training like I did, and she and I are praying for an opportunities to help provide this training to our partner ministries in the 10/40 Window. These men are working primarily with the Dalits of India and shared about the 200 churches planted and the 3000 children in their Sunday Schools and Christian Bible Clubs. They have a desire to do an excellent job discipling these children while they are young so they will grow up with Christ and have a firm foundation in His love and the truth of the Gospel before fatalistic Hindu thinking has taken hold in their hearts.
Well, by the time our discussion was done, we were trying to figure out the best time for Anita and me to go there to train about 200 of their children's leaders. We have been formally invited. We would plan to teach those who would in turn teach other leaders of children. And then they would train others and the training would spread among the 200 churches and other church plants Lord willing, keep spreading and more and more children would get excellent Christian education and discipleship. So maybe in January Anita and I will go. Feel free to pray with us!
I am currently working on my preparation for Ghana this summer. I need to raise some of the money to cover my 2 week trip. The plan is for us to go to a city in northern Ghana and do a Kidzana training of leaders from all over the north. They will come in for the training for 2 days. After that we will go to 3 different villages and spend 2 days in each, do a children's program Kidzana-style so the workers there can use what they have learned with our assistance. We will also focus on women and men's ministry looking for long-term connections for our church. We are adopting this region and hope to find practical things we can do to help them with their ministry.
So, again, my heart is on the other side of the world dreaming of millions of children who will get to learn about Christ's love and be discipled and established in a solid walk with Christ. It would be a privilege to be involved with this. Let's see what God does! I have made some interesting medical discoveries this week that make a lot of sense in light of the medical issues I have been facing. I will tell you about that next time.
I hope you had an excellent Easter with those you love, and got to reconnect with the One who loves you most! Blessings- Nancy Fritz 509-990-8465 nancyfritz@aol.com
It is Easter and I wondered how the weather was in Denver where our church traditionally has an outdoor Easter service.
Thursday night's service included communion and foot washing, and on Friday night Greg and I watched The Passion of the Christ together here at home. Remembering the price He paid for us to have the ability to be in relationship with Him for eternity, is a healthy thing.
It was cloudy here today and rained in the afternoon, so no croquet this Easter. Fellowship at church this morning was excellent. The music, the message, the celebration of the resurrection of Christ... what a privilege to worship freely in this country! We had a wonderful dinner with our small group (16 of us) and watched the little ones hunt for eggs.
I left my phone at their house which I discovered after getting home. I went back to get it just in time to receive a call from the president of Partners International's wife, Anita. She wanted to know if I could come over (they live close by) and explain Kidzana to two Indian leaders who are staying with them. One is someone I have wanted to meet for a long time, Moses Swamidas, and with him is Rev. Promoth. Moses has connections to our church in Denver, and is also one of PI's partner ministries. He is a leader in the Dalit Freedom Network based in Denver who I have worked with on curriculum as well. Rev. Promoth was married a year ago and they are expecting their 1st child in 5 months. He also told us that he hosted 4000 people at his wedding! That is a serious wedding!
Anita also took the Kidzana training like I did, and she and I are praying for an opportunities to help provide this training to our partner ministries in the 10/40 Window. These men are working primarily with the Dalits of India and shared about the 200 churches planted and the 3000 children in their Sunday Schools and Christian Bible Clubs. They have a desire to do an excellent job discipling these children while they are young so they will grow up with Christ and have a firm foundation in His love and the truth of the Gospel before fatalistic Hindu thinking has taken hold in their hearts.
Well, by the time our discussion was done, we were trying to figure out the best time for Anita and me to go there to train about 200 of their children's leaders. We have been formally invited. We would plan to teach those who would in turn teach other leaders of children. And then they would train others and the training would spread among the 200 churches and other church plants Lord willing, keep spreading and more and more children would get excellent Christian education and discipleship. So maybe in January Anita and I will go. Feel free to pray with us!
I am currently working on my preparation for Ghana this summer. I need to raise some of the money to cover my 2 week trip. The plan is for us to go to a city in northern Ghana and do a Kidzana training of leaders from all over the north. They will come in for the training for 2 days. After that we will go to 3 different villages and spend 2 days in each, do a children's program Kidzana-style so the workers there can use what they have learned with our assistance. We will also focus on women and men's ministry looking for long-term connections for our church. We are adopting this region and hope to find practical things we can do to help them with their ministry.
So, again, my heart is on the other side of the world dreaming of millions of children who will get to learn about Christ's love and be discipled and established in a solid walk with Christ. It would be a privilege to be involved with this. Let's see what God does! I have made some interesting medical discoveries this week that make a lot of sense in light of the medical issues I have been facing. I will tell you about that next time.
I hope you had an excellent Easter with those you love, and got to reconnect with the One who loves you most! Blessings- Nancy Fritz 509-990-8465 nancyfritz@aol.com
Friday, April 03, 2009
My 10th anniversary since breast cancer!
Dear friends,
A year. 365 days strung together. Each has a name, a tag that makes it special. Some of them become very memorable- your birthday, your wedding day, the day each of your children were born, and the days that you receive news that shakes your world. Sometimes great news, and sometimes hard news.
When April 1st rolls around every year, it brings with it an avalanche of memories for me. That was the day I began my cancer journey 10 years ago. April 1st, 1999, I went to the doctor so he could tell me the lump I was feeling was really nothing to worry about. A few days later I received a call from him. I was mystified as to why in the world he would be calling me. My mind started catching on when he mentioned my mammogram results, a 2 cm cancer tumor, and telling me to go see a surgeon in the next few days. I was in shock. I was afraid of the unknown and mostly wondered what this meant for our family. I still had our kids to raise. They needed me and Greg needed me. I didn’t have time for cancer!
Well, here I am still alive 10 years later. I have learned a lot- not just about cancer. I have learned that God is deeply in love with me. -That if I have to go through hard stuff, He is right there with me in the center of it. He is real and trustworthy. I have put my life into His hands and given Him the freedom to be the author of my days. He will decide how many I will have and how the journey will progress as I live them. He has done miracles for me.
I should have known better, but during the 7th year a biopsy of what seemed to be nothing, again resulted in phone calls from doctors. By then I had learned to clue in more quickly when the doctor calls me. That time it was chemo and radiation. Another 8-9 months of dealing with all that came along with that diagnosis. I didn’t have time for cancer that time either.
I haven’t physically bounced back from that year of treatment as well as I did the first time. I have less strength and other medical problems to deal with, but I can still enjoy the ministry the Lord is giving me to teach missions to kids. Greg and I have just entered the empty nest years (or at least months, until Jenni and Jesse come home for the summer). I am looking forward to a mission trip to Ghana this summer with our church to help train children’s workers in the north part of the country in how to do effective ministry and discipleship with the kids in their spheres of influence. It’s like shooting the Missions and Christian Ed balls into the corner pocket and winning the game. It is a God thing!
So after 10 years of living with death as a possibility from cancer, I have tried to live my life so that I make my days count. I am grateful for them and don’t take them for granted. That should be true if all of us, but there is some extra dose of reality about it when the questions of whether it will come back and when, etc., frequently lurk in the back of your mind. I for one, want to say “YAHOO! and Hallelujah!” to the Lord for these10 amazing years. I have friends who are already with the Lord, perfectly healed from cancer. For now I have things to contribute this side of heaven and I pray I will be faithful to do them well. In my weakness His strength is made perfect. What an amazing God. If you don’t know Him, it is probably hard to understand my perception of Him and think of Him as loving. I have learned not to ask, “Why me?” but rather, “Why not me?” David Jerimiah’s book, A Bend In the Road put into words what my heart has learned over the years. He also has had cancer a few times.
Well, I need to get some sleep, but wanted to let you celebrate with Greg and me on this special 10 year anniversary!
Blessings- Nancy Fritz nancyfritz@aol.com 509-990-8465
A year. 365 days strung together. Each has a name, a tag that makes it special. Some of them become very memorable- your birthday, your wedding day, the day each of your children were born, and the days that you receive news that shakes your world. Sometimes great news, and sometimes hard news.
When April 1st rolls around every year, it brings with it an avalanche of memories for me. That was the day I began my cancer journey 10 years ago. April 1st, 1999, I went to the doctor so he could tell me the lump I was feeling was really nothing to worry about. A few days later I received a call from him. I was mystified as to why in the world he would be calling me. My mind started catching on when he mentioned my mammogram results, a 2 cm cancer tumor, and telling me to go see a surgeon in the next few days. I was in shock. I was afraid of the unknown and mostly wondered what this meant for our family. I still had our kids to raise. They needed me and Greg needed me. I didn’t have time for cancer!
Well, here I am still alive 10 years later. I have learned a lot- not just about cancer. I have learned that God is deeply in love with me. -That if I have to go through hard stuff, He is right there with me in the center of it. He is real and trustworthy. I have put my life into His hands and given Him the freedom to be the author of my days. He will decide how many I will have and how the journey will progress as I live them. He has done miracles for me.
I should have known better, but during the 7th year a biopsy of what seemed to be nothing, again resulted in phone calls from doctors. By then I had learned to clue in more quickly when the doctor calls me. That time it was chemo and radiation. Another 8-9 months of dealing with all that came along with that diagnosis. I didn’t have time for cancer that time either.
I haven’t physically bounced back from that year of treatment as well as I did the first time. I have less strength and other medical problems to deal with, but I can still enjoy the ministry the Lord is giving me to teach missions to kids. Greg and I have just entered the empty nest years (or at least months, until Jenni and Jesse come home for the summer). I am looking forward to a mission trip to Ghana this summer with our church to help train children’s workers in the north part of the country in how to do effective ministry and discipleship with the kids in their spheres of influence. It’s like shooting the Missions and Christian Ed balls into the corner pocket and winning the game. It is a God thing!
So after 10 years of living with death as a possibility from cancer, I have tried to live my life so that I make my days count. I am grateful for them and don’t take them for granted. That should be true if all of us, but there is some extra dose of reality about it when the questions of whether it will come back and when, etc., frequently lurk in the back of your mind. I for one, want to say “YAHOO! and Hallelujah!” to the Lord for these10 amazing years. I have friends who are already with the Lord, perfectly healed from cancer. For now I have things to contribute this side of heaven and I pray I will be faithful to do them well. In my weakness His strength is made perfect. What an amazing God. If you don’t know Him, it is probably hard to understand my perception of Him and think of Him as loving. I have learned not to ask, “Why me?” but rather, “Why not me?” David Jerimiah’s book, A Bend In the Road put into words what my heart has learned over the years. He also has had cancer a few times.
Well, I need to get some sleep, but wanted to let you celebrate with Greg and me on this special 10 year anniversary!
Blessings- Nancy Fritz nancyfritz@aol.com 509-990-8465
Thursday, March 19, 2009
The world was in our home last week!
Dear friends,
It is hard to know where to start. I want to tell you about our time last week at our Partners International leadership planning meetings. We had leaders come in from each of PI's 10 areas of the most difficult and least reached areas of the world. These area and international leaders came with reports and met to set plans for the year. Greg and I were privileged to host in our home a man who planted the church among the Dani tribal group in Papua New Guinea many years ago, our international leader for disaster relief, and a city leader of Oasis India who leads a team that rescues minor girls from human trafficing- age 5-17.
Can you imagine the conversations around our dinner table several evenings as we asked questions, listened to them discussing issues with each other and hearing story after story from their personal experiences? Wow. Can I just say that those of you on our support team OWN A HUGE PIECE of what is happening. If you are involved in our ministry, you are evangelizing the church in China, Indonesia, West Africa, Central Asia, India, etc. You are making a tangible difference in the lives of the extremely poor. You are giving clean water to those who did not have access to it. You are training pastors, women and children. You are on the front lines with those being persecuted for their faith. That is what this ministry is about.
A brother in the Middle East disappeared last week during our meetings, and several days later we got word that he had been taken to prison, persecuted for his faith and was later released. Yesterday we got word that he is now experiencing internal emotional struggles when faced with going back to the same area. What did they do to him? How is his family and the church he belongs to doing in the aftermath of one of their own having this happen to him. Please pray for him and those like him who face these issues regularly. One leader shared that 6 of his top leaders (he was showing us a picture of 2 of them) are now gone- martyred for their faith within the last year. Wow.
We also heard story after story of very exciting church growth and of many coming to Christ. I was able to share with these leaders about the training provided globally by Kidzana to equip leaders in children's ministry. They asked great questions and I think Kidzana will end up becoming a blessing to our partners. Connecting them with this valuable resource and explaining how the training works made me feel like I had thrown a 3 pointer at the buzzer in the last quarter of the professional basketball playoffs! What a privilege to meet and encourage these brothers and sisters!
Anita, from Oasis India, has never been in the US before. She is a wife and mother of 2 girls. She goes on brothal raides to rescue and rehabilitate girls. She is beautiful and articulate. She says to see Slumdog Millionaire. It is acurate and deals with some of the issues. There are layers and layers of issues, which it didn't go into, but is totally true. Greg and I took her to see an amimal display at Cabella's (moose, elk, grizzlies, etc.), Lake Cour d'Alaine in ID, Spokane Falls and WALMART! She told me she got a second wind and jetlag fled when her gaze traveled around the inside of our Super Wal-Mart! That was so cute! She has become a treasured friend. Anyone want to go with me to Bangalore and visit Oasis there? We are invited!
I could go on all day, but I will have pity on your schedule. Our son, Jesse, is in Timbuktu right now. It is very hot there and the church is small. There are many Muslims with less than a percent of Christians. Jesse and Taylor met the country leader and traveled together 1000 kilometers across the country of Mali toTimbuktu. They will be there for 17 days. Please pray that they are able to bless the church there. They want to be servants, not tourists.
My knee is healing. It has been almost 3 weeks since surgery and I did steps last night with no pain. I start PT tomorrow. On Friday I went to the doctor and had it checked to make sure it wasn't a blood clot because of it hurting in the same place and way it did last summer when I had a clot there in my upper calf. There was no clot. I still have the bakers cyst behind my left knee, and it has enlarged and moved into the top of my calf also. That hurts, but isn't it all relative when you think about Saheed being persecuted last week? Or the girls being kidnapped into the sex trade?
Thank you for your love and prayers. And thank you for reading this and for anything you are doing to help those less fortunate. Greg and I hope to raise our support back up to 100% to lessen the amount given to Greg in salary to supplement our support. We desire to see more go to these partners I have told you about. If you want to know more about how to become part of our personal ministry and support team, please send me or Greg an email: nancyfritz@aol.com or gregf@partnersintl.org. May the Lord bless your day! Nancy Fritz (509)990-8465
It is hard to know where to start. I want to tell you about our time last week at our Partners International leadership planning meetings. We had leaders come in from each of PI's 10 areas of the most difficult and least reached areas of the world. These area and international leaders came with reports and met to set plans for the year. Greg and I were privileged to host in our home a man who planted the church among the Dani tribal group in Papua New Guinea many years ago, our international leader for disaster relief, and a city leader of Oasis India who leads a team that rescues minor girls from human trafficing- age 5-17.
Can you imagine the conversations around our dinner table several evenings as we asked questions, listened to them discussing issues with each other and hearing story after story from their personal experiences? Wow. Can I just say that those of you on our support team OWN A HUGE PIECE of what is happening. If you are involved in our ministry, you are evangelizing the church in China, Indonesia, West Africa, Central Asia, India, etc. You are making a tangible difference in the lives of the extremely poor. You are giving clean water to those who did not have access to it. You are training pastors, women and children. You are on the front lines with those being persecuted for their faith. That is what this ministry is about.
A brother in the Middle East disappeared last week during our meetings, and several days later we got word that he had been taken to prison, persecuted for his faith and was later released. Yesterday we got word that he is now experiencing internal emotional struggles when faced with going back to the same area. What did they do to him? How is his family and the church he belongs to doing in the aftermath of one of their own having this happen to him. Please pray for him and those like him who face these issues regularly. One leader shared that 6 of his top leaders (he was showing us a picture of 2 of them) are now gone- martyred for their faith within the last year. Wow.
We also heard story after story of very exciting church growth and of many coming to Christ. I was able to share with these leaders about the training provided globally by Kidzana to equip leaders in children's ministry. They asked great questions and I think Kidzana will end up becoming a blessing to our partners. Connecting them with this valuable resource and explaining how the training works made me feel like I had thrown a 3 pointer at the buzzer in the last quarter of the professional basketball playoffs! What a privilege to meet and encourage these brothers and sisters!
Anita, from Oasis India, has never been in the US before. She is a wife and mother of 2 girls. She goes on brothal raides to rescue and rehabilitate girls. She is beautiful and articulate. She says to see Slumdog Millionaire. It is acurate and deals with some of the issues. There are layers and layers of issues, which it didn't go into, but is totally true. Greg and I took her to see an amimal display at Cabella's (moose, elk, grizzlies, etc.), Lake Cour d'Alaine in ID, Spokane Falls and WALMART! She told me she got a second wind and jetlag fled when her gaze traveled around the inside of our Super Wal-Mart! That was so cute! She has become a treasured friend. Anyone want to go with me to Bangalore and visit Oasis there? We are invited!
I could go on all day, but I will have pity on your schedule. Our son, Jesse, is in Timbuktu right now. It is very hot there and the church is small. There are many Muslims with less than a percent of Christians. Jesse and Taylor met the country leader and traveled together 1000 kilometers across the country of Mali toTimbuktu. They will be there for 17 days. Please pray that they are able to bless the church there. They want to be servants, not tourists.
My knee is healing. It has been almost 3 weeks since surgery and I did steps last night with no pain. I start PT tomorrow. On Friday I went to the doctor and had it checked to make sure it wasn't a blood clot because of it hurting in the same place and way it did last summer when I had a clot there in my upper calf. There was no clot. I still have the bakers cyst behind my left knee, and it has enlarged and moved into the top of my calf also. That hurts, but isn't it all relative when you think about Saheed being persecuted last week? Or the girls being kidnapped into the sex trade?
Thank you for your love and prayers. And thank you for reading this and for anything you are doing to help those less fortunate. Greg and I hope to raise our support back up to 100% to lessen the amount given to Greg in salary to supplement our support. We desire to see more go to these partners I have told you about. If you want to know more about how to become part of our personal ministry and support team, please send me or Greg an email: nancyfritz@aol.com or gregf@partnersintl.org. May the Lord bless your day! Nancy Fritz (509)990-8465
Saturday, March 07, 2009
Knee Mending
Dear friends,
It has been 8 days since I had my left knee surgery. Thank you for praying if you did! So how did it go? Here is what I can tell you... Dr. VanderWilde apologized on the video he was making of my knee that he couldn't see a clear cause for the Baker's cyst on the back of my knee. There was a tear in my meniscus, a partial medial tear, but since it was in the middle of the meniscus and not on the edge, he couldn't trim it away or repair it. There was plica under my patella, which I think is the knee cap, that he cleaned out. I think that is arthritic debris.
So this was done on the 27th about 1:30 as scheduled. The nurses getting me ready found out I have had breast cancer, and all of them came over to talk to me. One of their co-workers was having a port put in that day to begin her chemo treatment for the exact kind of breast cancer I had- lobular. I actually had lobular and ductal cancer. Anyway, I was able to give them some tips to pass along to her and answer some questions they had. It was a very special time that I felt strongly the Lord was in the middle of. What were the chances of all those factors coming together like that at the same time? I even wrote a square for a quilt one of them was making for her!
Everything went fine with the surgery and we were home by 4:00. I didn't get nauseous and honestly that day my low right back hurt so much it overshadowed my knee completely. The pain meds helped my knee to not hurt at all and my back less, so it was all good. A friend brought over 2 meals so we had dinner that evening with lots of resting thrown in. My knee was great on Saturday, but my back was bad. They told me at pre-op that they would be putting clean fluid in my knee during surgery that might make it feel really good for a day.
Sunday we went to church and oh the knee pain! I didn't notice my back hurting any more. That day my knee swelled up big and I understood the need for the pain meds. This week I haven't driven, but I think I will be able to on Monday. I haven't done any pain meds today, and it is doing OK. It is still swollen, but less so every day. If I do too much it swells, if too little, it gets stiff. So I am doing my exercises and icing 3 times a day and have my post-op appointment next Friday. Then I expect to do PT for a month, and I'll be ready to roll!
We wonder at my string of physical problems and really think it is due to do chemo 2 times and then radiation. It just wore my body out and made my more susceptible. I don't want people to think of me as "the one who always has medical problems." But first of all I hope they see the Lord in me.
Jesse turns 18 tomorrow in Dakar, Senegal, and the father of the family he is living near and who is the Partners International boss he is reporting to, Rene Nbongo, is in Spokane and will be speaking at our church tomorrow morning. That is exciting! March Madness has begun and Eng Hoe arrived here from Malaysia yesterday evening. We had a great visit with him last night.
One last blessing I will tell you about...Greg had to go to Denver Wed. morning until yesterday, and I didn't think being at home alone was a good idea since I couldn't drive. So I invited Sarah M. from Partners to stay with me for those 3 days. She is 21 and volunteers at the ministry since she was layed off in January. She took such careful and good care of me while Greg was gone. We had a lot of fun and talked and talked. Oh, and we went to the grocery store and I drove around in one of electric carts! First time for everything I guess! I didn't run anyone over, but stopped so fast I almost went over the handlebars! Anyhow, God used her to bless me- big time! Thanks Sarah!
Well, I will sign off and try to connect with Jesse. Our family is going through the book of Proverbs this month, each writing something about what we have read and commenting on what the others have said. Since we are so spread out, it has been wonderful. Thanks for starting that Greg! Blessings to you today and don't forget to turn your clock forward!
Blessings- Nancy Fritz 509-990-8465 nancyfritz@aol.com
It has been 8 days since I had my left knee surgery. Thank you for praying if you did! So how did it go? Here is what I can tell you... Dr. VanderWilde apologized on the video he was making of my knee that he couldn't see a clear cause for the Baker's cyst on the back of my knee. There was a tear in my meniscus, a partial medial tear, but since it was in the middle of the meniscus and not on the edge, he couldn't trim it away or repair it. There was plica under my patella, which I think is the knee cap, that he cleaned out. I think that is arthritic debris.
So this was done on the 27th about 1:30 as scheduled. The nurses getting me ready found out I have had breast cancer, and all of them came over to talk to me. One of their co-workers was having a port put in that day to begin her chemo treatment for the exact kind of breast cancer I had- lobular. I actually had lobular and ductal cancer. Anyway, I was able to give them some tips to pass along to her and answer some questions they had. It was a very special time that I felt strongly the Lord was in the middle of. What were the chances of all those factors coming together like that at the same time? I even wrote a square for a quilt one of them was making for her!
Everything went fine with the surgery and we were home by 4:00. I didn't get nauseous and honestly that day my low right back hurt so much it overshadowed my knee completely. The pain meds helped my knee to not hurt at all and my back less, so it was all good. A friend brought over 2 meals so we had dinner that evening with lots of resting thrown in. My knee was great on Saturday, but my back was bad. They told me at pre-op that they would be putting clean fluid in my knee during surgery that might make it feel really good for a day.
Sunday we went to church and oh the knee pain! I didn't notice my back hurting any more. That day my knee swelled up big and I understood the need for the pain meds. This week I haven't driven, but I think I will be able to on Monday. I haven't done any pain meds today, and it is doing OK. It is still swollen, but less so every day. If I do too much it swells, if too little, it gets stiff. So I am doing my exercises and icing 3 times a day and have my post-op appointment next Friday. Then I expect to do PT for a month, and I'll be ready to roll!
We wonder at my string of physical problems and really think it is due to do chemo 2 times and then radiation. It just wore my body out and made my more susceptible. I don't want people to think of me as "the one who always has medical problems." But first of all I hope they see the Lord in me.
Jesse turns 18 tomorrow in Dakar, Senegal, and the father of the family he is living near and who is the Partners International boss he is reporting to, Rene Nbongo, is in Spokane and will be speaking at our church tomorrow morning. That is exciting! March Madness has begun and Eng Hoe arrived here from Malaysia yesterday evening. We had a great visit with him last night.
One last blessing I will tell you about...Greg had to go to Denver Wed. morning until yesterday, and I didn't think being at home alone was a good idea since I couldn't drive. So I invited Sarah M. from Partners to stay with me for those 3 days. She is 21 and volunteers at the ministry since she was layed off in January. She took such careful and good care of me while Greg was gone. We had a lot of fun and talked and talked. Oh, and we went to the grocery store and I drove around in one of electric carts! First time for everything I guess! I didn't run anyone over, but stopped so fast I almost went over the handlebars! Anyhow, God used her to bless me- big time! Thanks Sarah!
Well, I will sign off and try to connect with Jesse. Our family is going through the book of Proverbs this month, each writing something about what we have read and commenting on what the others have said. Since we are so spread out, it has been wonderful. Thanks for starting that Greg! Blessings to you today and don't forget to turn your clock forward!
Blessings- Nancy Fritz 509-990-8465 nancyfritz@aol.com
Friday, February 27, 2009
Knee Surgery Tomorrow- Friday
Dear friends,
Surgery tomorrow
It is another surgery eve. I think these evenings, like those before upcoming trips, get me feeling like there are a lot of things I need to get done that just can't wait. I scramble to get as much done as I can. This time I am getting the house ready for our Partners Intl. guests- Eng Hoe, John Decker and Anita. I have gotten groceries and some meals planed for when they come on March 6th. I have done my dentist, eye doctor, nephrologist, chiropractor and gyno. appointments this week. The bedrooms are ready and the towels washed. Thanks to Barb Moody, I learned how to do hospitality when we lived together at Marengo House back in Pasadena.
Since I won't be able to do steps much for a week or two, I have to do all the things that involve the basement and steps before we leave at 11:00 for the surgery center. So, since after midnight tonight I am not allowed anything to eat or drink until I get there, I have a tradition to stay up until midnight and drink a lot of water and eat a little meal just before midnight to be ready for the next 12 hours. Of course I feel very thirsty at 12:15 already! It is human nature to want what you can't have, right?
Here is my prayer request for tomorrow's knee surgery...
Dr. VanderWilde told me clearly that there is a very good chance that this surgery will fix the problem in my knee. There is also a smaller chance that it won't work. I think that if we all pray, the Lord, in His goodness, will hear our prayers and answer them, and the surgery will work. I was told at pre-op that I might be able to tell right away. I described the cyst problem I have going on in my last entry, so I won't do it here. This week has been like the last stages of pregnancy in comparison to my knee. You are so ready to be done being pregnant, that you are willing to go through the birth process partly just to not be pregnant anymore! My knee has been so sore this week, that surgery couldn't come soon enough. I am so grateful for this chance to have it repaired since the alternative is living with it the way it is, for the rest of my life.
*So pray that Dr. V. and his team will be able to get in there and see all that they need to see, and will be able to make the corrections that need to be made. He expects it to take about 35 minutes. I will be out. Pray that he sees everything he needs to see as he will be working with a scope in a small area. I think he will video it for me. I will let you know how it goes as soon as I can. I will be up and walking some every day and have exercizes to do. I had to get surgical compression stockings to wear to prevent clots in my legs, but I didn't have to do the Lovenox shots in my stomach like I did last summer. I am so very grateful! I also picked up my pain meds today. He told me I would really need them. Well, I am ready and may the Lord go before me.
The Kidney Doctor...
Basically he said that as long as there is not protein in my urine, he isn't concerned about the blood in my urine, since it is not that severe. He asked for an additional urinalisis to look more carefully for a few things, and told me he would call me if he saw anything wrong. He hasn't called in 2 days, so I am in the clear on the kidney issue. That means I can pursue the trip to Ghana with our church this summer to do some awesome Christian education training for the leaders there. I prayed that the Lord would open or shut the doors according to His will, and so far it looks like going is His plan for me!
Allison and Jesse
We got to skype with these 2 separately on Sunday afternoon for over an hour each. I can't go into a lot of detail now, but they are both doing fine. Jesse is about to turn 18 on March 8th and is homesick for American food. He had escargo and rice the day before we talked. Allison laughed and said she also has had that recently. I will tell you more about that later. I need to get to bed and finish up my list of "must do's" in the morning before we leave.
Thank you for your prayers for me and for us and for our family and Partners. We treasure that in a huge way!
Blessings- Nancy Fritz nancyfritz@aol.com (509)990-8465
Surgery tomorrow
It is another surgery eve. I think these evenings, like those before upcoming trips, get me feeling like there are a lot of things I need to get done that just can't wait. I scramble to get as much done as I can. This time I am getting the house ready for our Partners Intl. guests- Eng Hoe, John Decker and Anita. I have gotten groceries and some meals planed for when they come on March 6th. I have done my dentist, eye doctor, nephrologist, chiropractor and gyno. appointments this week. The bedrooms are ready and the towels washed. Thanks to Barb Moody, I learned how to do hospitality when we lived together at Marengo House back in Pasadena.
Since I won't be able to do steps much for a week or two, I have to do all the things that involve the basement and steps before we leave at 11:00 for the surgery center. So, since after midnight tonight I am not allowed anything to eat or drink until I get there, I have a tradition to stay up until midnight and drink a lot of water and eat a little meal just before midnight to be ready for the next 12 hours. Of course I feel very thirsty at 12:15 already! It is human nature to want what you can't have, right?
Here is my prayer request for tomorrow's knee surgery...
Dr. VanderWilde told me clearly that there is a very good chance that this surgery will fix the problem in my knee. There is also a smaller chance that it won't work. I think that if we all pray, the Lord, in His goodness, will hear our prayers and answer them, and the surgery will work. I was told at pre-op that I might be able to tell right away. I described the cyst problem I have going on in my last entry, so I won't do it here. This week has been like the last stages of pregnancy in comparison to my knee. You are so ready to be done being pregnant, that you are willing to go through the birth process partly just to not be pregnant anymore! My knee has been so sore this week, that surgery couldn't come soon enough. I am so grateful for this chance to have it repaired since the alternative is living with it the way it is, for the rest of my life.
*So pray that Dr. V. and his team will be able to get in there and see all that they need to see, and will be able to make the corrections that need to be made. He expects it to take about 35 minutes. I will be out. Pray that he sees everything he needs to see as he will be working with a scope in a small area. I think he will video it for me. I will let you know how it goes as soon as I can. I will be up and walking some every day and have exercizes to do. I had to get surgical compression stockings to wear to prevent clots in my legs, but I didn't have to do the Lovenox shots in my stomach like I did last summer. I am so very grateful! I also picked up my pain meds today. He told me I would really need them. Well, I am ready and may the Lord go before me.
The Kidney Doctor...
Basically he said that as long as there is not protein in my urine, he isn't concerned about the blood in my urine, since it is not that severe. He asked for an additional urinalisis to look more carefully for a few things, and told me he would call me if he saw anything wrong. He hasn't called in 2 days, so I am in the clear on the kidney issue. That means I can pursue the trip to Ghana with our church this summer to do some awesome Christian education training for the leaders there. I prayed that the Lord would open or shut the doors according to His will, and so far it looks like going is His plan for me!
Allison and Jesse
We got to skype with these 2 separately on Sunday afternoon for over an hour each. I can't go into a lot of detail now, but they are both doing fine. Jesse is about to turn 18 on March 8th and is homesick for American food. He had escargo and rice the day before we talked. Allison laughed and said she also has had that recently. I will tell you more about that later. I need to get to bed and finish up my list of "must do's" in the morning before we leave.
Thank you for your prayers for me and for us and for our family and Partners. We treasure that in a huge way!
Blessings- Nancy Fritz nancyfritz@aol.com (509)990-8465
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Back in Spokane and interesting health issues
Dear friends,
Last Weekend in Denver
Home and relaxed on a Saturday, catching up with email and my blog, breakfast with our adopted exchange daughter Lindsay and her friend Annie, Greg putting in a water softener in the basement. I am very happy about how my weekend in Denver went. I saw Shelby (Greg's sister) and Paul, I visited with several friends and had a few missions meetings with folks. We had about 80 or so kids the first hour at church, and about 50ish the second hour. The lesson on Saint Patrick was very fun, but I also tried to connect it with their own lives now. I tried to help them know how to listen for God's voice, and to learn to pray for children at risk because of poverty, AIDS, natural disasters, war, slavery, etc. I used some of my Kidzana training. I will be doing this program again on March 4th at our church here in Spokane, and then we are going to have a Saint Patrick's Day lunch at the office and have fun with the curriculum then also. Thank you for praying for my trip! My one big sadness is not seeing more friends. Since I taught both hours of the main service, I missed getting to church myself to connect with friends.
Amazing Chiropractor in South Denver
Now my two doctor appointments in Denver... I saw Dr. Craig Lewis (County Line Chiropractic) by Broadway and County Line where Albertsons used to be. He is a very gifted guy. He is humble but has several degrees- bio chemistry, acupuncture, anatomy, chiropractic, physical therapy, and just did training in how to help chemotherapy and radiation patients, etc. He is very informed on supplements and wants to get a Naturapathy degree also. He has saved lives by recognizing symptoms- sometimes life-threatening, like an abdominal aortic aneurysm in a woman recently. She had no idea it could have exploded and killed her at any moment. He also realized that another patient was actually having a stroke but didn't know it. Anyway, Craig is a sharp guy. He adjusted me and checked out the 2"diameter sore spot on my right hip next to my back bone. It feels black and blue all the time and I have to sit with a pillow if sitting for long. My Spokane doctors can feel a muscle bunch there, and we did the bone scan and earlier a CT scan of my right kidney and bladder to check for cancer. No cancer is in my bladder which we have checked with a camera. We have tried massage, adjusting, the bone scan (which came back clear for bone cancer metastasis last Friday- Praise GOD! I am so grateful for this news!), and nothing helps it stop hurting. By the way, Craig said he will see anyone from my CHCC Breast Cancer Support Group- Friends for Life- free the first time. And anyone who says I sent them, he will only charge $25 for appointments.
So Craig (Dr. Lewis) carefully checked out all the angles and did some diagnostic things, and feels pretty confident that there is something inside that is inflamed (kidney or something like that) and that the pain I have is radiating out from there. He did one slight twisting move on me that especially hurt and made me yelp. He told me later that there is no way that should have hurt, and doesn't on any of his other patients. The only cause he knows is something inflamed internally. Well, I am set to go to a nephrologist (kidney doctor) on Tuesday afternoon at 2:00 this week already because of the blood in my urine. It would be a relief if that would be the answer to these symptoms along with the occasional huge pain I get just under my right ribs when I twist a certain way. We checked my ribs for bone cancer last year because of that pain. I know nothing about kidneys and probably should check out Kidneys for Dummies at the library.
Bio Meridian Feedback
From Craig I went to see Connie Wright at Dr. Susanna Choi's office- www.integratedobgyn.com. Connie did a session of Biomeridian Feedback on me. Men and women go to her for this testing. She uses a computer that has a large library of frequencies on it for all sorts of things- body systems, supplements, prescriptions, foods, etc. Everything has it's own measurement in frequency- like a fingerprint. I hold a copper cylindar with a little wet cloth in my left hand. She systematically uses a little sensor to touch places on my right hand and foot to check my body systems. Each time a little marker travels across the computer screen and lands in "stressed (red)," "healthy (green)," or "weakened (yellow)." Guess what showed up red/stressed? My liver, joints (knee messed up, and it knew!), my stomach, and kidneys (we shall see this week). My small intestine was yellow. It showed that I am not absorbing nutrition through my intestine and Connie said it indicated "leaky gut syndrome." My pancreas is good but it is not processing protein or fat- especially protein. So Connie checked all my supplements. She also does this with the same computer. It showed which ones work for me, and which ones don't, and dosing, etc. It is fascinating. And all of it is talor made for my body. We aren't just guessing, we know. We changed many that I have been taking to new ones, changed doses and added a protein powder I am now doing 2 times a day. It absorbs quickly and will help my intestine heal.
She also thinks that I may have a sensitivity to gluten. I already know I am allergic to the protein in dairy products and even ffound in many non-dairy products- casein. She said the molecules for casein, soy and gluten are almost identical. So after my knee surgery and a few weeks of recovery, when I can get around again, I will begin a diet that eleminates all three of these things- soy, casein and gluten. It will be hard work, but she gave me some great tools. Many people are on diets like this so there are lots of resources. Maybe after my intestines recover, she thinks from the damage caused by chemo two times, I can go back to gluten. Soy feeds the type of cancer I had, so I try not to do that anyway. She thinks these things can affect my joints, weight and make me feel tired all the time. I slept two days this week until after noon and slept the whole nights after also.
I got a look at my bone scan at my knee surgery pre-op on Thursday. What DID show up was antritis on my 6th neck vertebra on the left, my hands, my knees, some in my ankles and in my hips near the siatic nerves. That was interesting to see. And no cancer! Yipee!!
Knee Surgery 2/27 at 1:00 p.m. for 35 minutes
As far as surgery next Friday, Dr. VanderWilde will be shaving the edge off the arthritis on the back of my knee cap (which looks like hair rather than a smooth and slippery surface currently) checking the whole joint for any other problems, and trimming my torn meniscus to remove the flap which is letting fluid out into the Baker's cyst on the back of my knee. The flap prevents the fluid from being able to go back into my knee and the cyst can never go away without this repair. Dr. V said there isn't a guarantee that this will work. Sometimes it doesn't, but there is a very good chance that it will. Without trying this, I can expect a whole life of the pain and achyness I have had for the last 5 months. With the surgery I can probably go back to just the arthritis- which is livable. I can expect 2 weeks of a lot of pain, and then with a month of PT, I will be back to my normal in 6 weeks from surgery. I could run 7 miles a day if that was normal for me- which it isn't! But it does mean I could handle Ghana this summer if the Lord opens it up for me to go with our Spokane church. We have to purchase tickets soon, so I still need the answer to the kidney question before committing. Please pray that I get some answers soon from the kidney doctor. I will let you know after I see him what he thinks.
March Madness Week Approaching at Partners
I hope you are having a nice day. It is actually sunny today and the 80 inches of snow we had is slowly melting. There are places you can see the ground and others with several feet still. About 2 weeks from today, after surgery, our international leader friends are arriving from 10 regions around the 10/40 Window. We call that "March Madness Week." The North Africa area director and the man who spearheads our natural disaster response and preparedness ministry will be staying with us. After one of them leaves, we have an Indian lady coming who does work in Bangalore (I think) to free young women from sex slavery abductions. Wow! I am very blessed to have these folks in our home. I will cook meals ahead of time so that when I can't walk much, we can still get by. I know from last time that I have to have WHITE rice for them! Brown rice just doesn't cut it!
Our Family
Jesse is doing well in Senegal. He is learning French, teaching English, helping the Partners ministry there in any way asked of him. He and Taylor are helping to teach computers and are learning to play the djembe drum from a guy named Parfait. Jesse is very glad that he is there longer term so he has a chance to make and build relationships. He LOVES it there! Thank you for praying for him. He is working on thank you's to those who are supporting his trip. He didn't receive the list of names before he left, so he is working on it from there. You should be hearing from him sometime soon.
The girls are fine. Laura is at work in Baltimore, Jenni at Grove City and Allison in South Korea. Greg just turned the water back on after installing the water softener, and so far so good! He is a very talented guy! He had to do electricty, plumbing and installation. He isn't sure I appreciate just how valuable and talented he is! (I do!) He was asked to be an adjunct professor in the fall at Whitworth University teaching "Inter-Cultural Communication and Ministry." He is excited and has already been working on his curriculum. He just had his 51st birthday this week. And he is still the cutest guy ever! It is time to finish this so you and I can both get to the other things we have to do today. Blessings to you all! Nancy Fritz nancyfritz@aol.com and 509-990-8465
Last Weekend in Denver
Home and relaxed on a Saturday, catching up with email and my blog, breakfast with our adopted exchange daughter Lindsay and her friend Annie, Greg putting in a water softener in the basement. I am very happy about how my weekend in Denver went. I saw Shelby (Greg's sister) and Paul, I visited with several friends and had a few missions meetings with folks. We had about 80 or so kids the first hour at church, and about 50ish the second hour. The lesson on Saint Patrick was very fun, but I also tried to connect it with their own lives now. I tried to help them know how to listen for God's voice, and to learn to pray for children at risk because of poverty, AIDS, natural disasters, war, slavery, etc. I used some of my Kidzana training. I will be doing this program again on March 4th at our church here in Spokane, and then we are going to have a Saint Patrick's Day lunch at the office and have fun with the curriculum then also. Thank you for praying for my trip! My one big sadness is not seeing more friends. Since I taught both hours of the main service, I missed getting to church myself to connect with friends.
Amazing Chiropractor in South Denver
Now my two doctor appointments in Denver... I saw Dr. Craig Lewis (County Line Chiropractic) by Broadway and County Line where Albertsons used to be. He is a very gifted guy. He is humble but has several degrees- bio chemistry, acupuncture, anatomy, chiropractic, physical therapy, and just did training in how to help chemotherapy and radiation patients, etc. He is very informed on supplements and wants to get a Naturapathy degree also. He has saved lives by recognizing symptoms- sometimes life-threatening, like an abdominal aortic aneurysm in a woman recently. She had no idea it could have exploded and killed her at any moment. He also realized that another patient was actually having a stroke but didn't know it. Anyway, Craig is a sharp guy. He adjusted me and checked out the 2"diameter sore spot on my right hip next to my back bone. It feels black and blue all the time and I have to sit with a pillow if sitting for long. My Spokane doctors can feel a muscle bunch there, and we did the bone scan and earlier a CT scan of my right kidney and bladder to check for cancer. No cancer is in my bladder which we have checked with a camera. We have tried massage, adjusting, the bone scan (which came back clear for bone cancer metastasis last Friday- Praise GOD! I am so grateful for this news!), and nothing helps it stop hurting. By the way, Craig said he will see anyone from my CHCC Breast Cancer Support Group- Friends for Life- free the first time. And anyone who says I sent them, he will only charge $25 for appointments.
So Craig (Dr. Lewis) carefully checked out all the angles and did some diagnostic things, and feels pretty confident that there is something inside that is inflamed (kidney or something like that) and that the pain I have is radiating out from there. He did one slight twisting move on me that especially hurt and made me yelp. He told me later that there is no way that should have hurt, and doesn't on any of his other patients. The only cause he knows is something inflamed internally. Well, I am set to go to a nephrologist (kidney doctor) on Tuesday afternoon at 2:00 this week already because of the blood in my urine. It would be a relief if that would be the answer to these symptoms along with the occasional huge pain I get just under my right ribs when I twist a certain way. We checked my ribs for bone cancer last year because of that pain. I know nothing about kidneys and probably should check out Kidneys for Dummies at the library.
Bio Meridian Feedback
From Craig I went to see Connie Wright at Dr. Susanna Choi's office- www.integratedobgyn.com. Connie did a session of Biomeridian Feedback on me. Men and women go to her for this testing. She uses a computer that has a large library of frequencies on it for all sorts of things- body systems, supplements, prescriptions, foods, etc. Everything has it's own measurement in frequency- like a fingerprint. I hold a copper cylindar with a little wet cloth in my left hand. She systematically uses a little sensor to touch places on my right hand and foot to check my body systems. Each time a little marker travels across the computer screen and lands in "stressed (red)," "healthy (green)," or "weakened (yellow)." Guess what showed up red/stressed? My liver, joints (knee messed up, and it knew!), my stomach, and kidneys (we shall see this week). My small intestine was yellow. It showed that I am not absorbing nutrition through my intestine and Connie said it indicated "leaky gut syndrome." My pancreas is good but it is not processing protein or fat- especially protein. So Connie checked all my supplements. She also does this with the same computer. It showed which ones work for me, and which ones don't, and dosing, etc. It is fascinating. And all of it is talor made for my body. We aren't just guessing, we know. We changed many that I have been taking to new ones, changed doses and added a protein powder I am now doing 2 times a day. It absorbs quickly and will help my intestine heal.
She also thinks that I may have a sensitivity to gluten. I already know I am allergic to the protein in dairy products and even ffound in many non-dairy products- casein. She said the molecules for casein, soy and gluten are almost identical. So after my knee surgery and a few weeks of recovery, when I can get around again, I will begin a diet that eleminates all three of these things- soy, casein and gluten. It will be hard work, but she gave me some great tools. Many people are on diets like this so there are lots of resources. Maybe after my intestines recover, she thinks from the damage caused by chemo two times, I can go back to gluten. Soy feeds the type of cancer I had, so I try not to do that anyway. She thinks these things can affect my joints, weight and make me feel tired all the time. I slept two days this week until after noon and slept the whole nights after also.
I got a look at my bone scan at my knee surgery pre-op on Thursday. What DID show up was antritis on my 6th neck vertebra on the left, my hands, my knees, some in my ankles and in my hips near the siatic nerves. That was interesting to see. And no cancer! Yipee!!
Knee Surgery 2/27 at 1:00 p.m. for 35 minutes
As far as surgery next Friday, Dr. VanderWilde will be shaving the edge off the arthritis on the back of my knee cap (which looks like hair rather than a smooth and slippery surface currently) checking the whole joint for any other problems, and trimming my torn meniscus to remove the flap which is letting fluid out into the Baker's cyst on the back of my knee. The flap prevents the fluid from being able to go back into my knee and the cyst can never go away without this repair. Dr. V said there isn't a guarantee that this will work. Sometimes it doesn't, but there is a very good chance that it will. Without trying this, I can expect a whole life of the pain and achyness I have had for the last 5 months. With the surgery I can probably go back to just the arthritis- which is livable. I can expect 2 weeks of a lot of pain, and then with a month of PT, I will be back to my normal in 6 weeks from surgery. I could run 7 miles a day if that was normal for me- which it isn't! But it does mean I could handle Ghana this summer if the Lord opens it up for me to go with our Spokane church. We have to purchase tickets soon, so I still need the answer to the kidney question before committing. Please pray that I get some answers soon from the kidney doctor. I will let you know after I see him what he thinks.
March Madness Week Approaching at Partners
I hope you are having a nice day. It is actually sunny today and the 80 inches of snow we had is slowly melting. There are places you can see the ground and others with several feet still. About 2 weeks from today, after surgery, our international leader friends are arriving from 10 regions around the 10/40 Window. We call that "March Madness Week." The North Africa area director and the man who spearheads our natural disaster response and preparedness ministry will be staying with us. After one of them leaves, we have an Indian lady coming who does work in Bangalore (I think) to free young women from sex slavery abductions. Wow! I am very blessed to have these folks in our home. I will cook meals ahead of time so that when I can't walk much, we can still get by. I know from last time that I have to have WHITE rice for them! Brown rice just doesn't cut it!
Our Family
Jesse is doing well in Senegal. He is learning French, teaching English, helping the Partners ministry there in any way asked of him. He and Taylor are helping to teach computers and are learning to play the djembe drum from a guy named Parfait. Jesse is very glad that he is there longer term so he has a chance to make and build relationships. He LOVES it there! Thank you for praying for him. He is working on thank you's to those who are supporting his trip. He didn't receive the list of names before he left, so he is working on it from there. You should be hearing from him sometime soon.
The girls are fine. Laura is at work in Baltimore, Jenni at Grove City and Allison in South Korea. Greg just turned the water back on after installing the water softener, and so far so good! He is a very talented guy! He had to do electricty, plumbing and installation. He isn't sure I appreciate just how valuable and talented he is! (I do!) He was asked to be an adjunct professor in the fall at Whitworth University teaching "Inter-Cultural Communication and Ministry." He is excited and has already been working on his curriculum. He just had his 51st birthday this week. And he is still the cutest guy ever! It is time to finish this so you and I can both get to the other things we have to do today. Blessings to you all! Nancy Fritz nancyfritz@aol.com and 509-990-8465
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