Below is the latest update from Dee Ewart’s husband Peter; we would appreciate your prayers for them both at this time.
Dee began her last planned cycle of chemo. All went well and she was able to spend most of the day asleep or dozing. Back pain, the original symptom, had returned but she has been given a low dose of liquid morphine to deal with that. The pain is much reduced since it went on the prayer chain. The cumulative effect of the chemo is taking its toll and Dee is pretty weak, although she was very much well enough to enjoy an extended visit of her brother Digger and sister-in-law Cathy and a family gathering last Sunday when 15 of us enjoyed the sunshine, good food and company. However there is no escaping that this is a very difficult place to be and both anxiety and depression are around – unsurprisingly as there is plenty of justification for both.
At the end of this cycle, Dee will have both a CT and a PET scan. In early July, we hope the thoracic surgeon at the Brompton will operate on a ‘young, fit and good operative candidate’. Any surgery will probably be followed by chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy to ‘mop up’ and ‘hold things at bay’.
One FAQ needs answering – No, Dee has not lost her hair. This is a rare side effect on the particular chemo cocktail Dee is being treated with.
Please continue to pray, specifically that • Dee will sleep through the nights to keep up her strength and spirits. • The masses will shrink, and • Medication will keep the back pain at bay and alleviate the depression and anxiety.
We continue to feel lifted up by all your loving support shown in so many ways.
I first got to know about Hope Now 20+ years ago at St Helen,
Bishopsgate. Working in the nearby Lloyd’s Building, I would go to
their Tuesday lunchtime services.
During May, as the 2010 holiday season approached at Kompas Park (KP),
Khreshchatyk deep in Ukraine, the annual pilgrimage of work teams from
the UK took place.
My name is Alyona. 9 years ago me, my parents and all our big family (I
have three sisters and one brother) came to Ukraine from Moldova.
Because of some difficulties with the language, I missed one year at
school.
We had, at the Hope Now Bible School, a very rich graduation service of
sermons, testimonies, poems and songs. Everyone serves the Lord, as he
is able. The Lord blesses, He uses His clay vessels as He wants.
On Sunday the 30th May, our dear friend and colleague Heather Baker
finally gave up her ten-year battle with cancer but won the prize of her
high calling in Christ and entered into the presence of the Father by
His grace.
01.05.2012 Pray for the music group Zozulenka, and their teacher Natalya, as they busily practice for their return tour here in November
02.05.2012 Pray for preparations that are being made for the cycle tour this summer, and for opportunities for the participants to share their faith as they cycle around the villages
03.05.2012 Pray for Brenda and Ksenya as they speak today at the meeting of the Oasis Group at Locks Heath Church
04.05.2012 Pray for Jon and Ali as they attend the Baptist Assembly annual meeting in London until 7th
05.05.2012 Pray for our students at Universities and Colleges as they complete their studies for this semester and take their end of year exams
06.05.2012 Pray for all those who receive food packages through the feeding programme, that no needy person/family is overlooked
07.05.2012 Pray for David John as he completes his preparations for the teaching sessions at the Pastor’s Conference next week
08.05.2012 Pray that we will have full teams of volunteers for all the camps that will take place this summer at Kompas Park
09.05.2012 Pray for the young people from Rainbow House in South Africa, and for Margaret Ferguson as she supports them in their studies
10.05.2012 Pray for the work of the mobile medical unit, and for Dr Doreshenko to fully recover following his recent illnesses
11.05.2012 Pray for the ongoing support of the Mission Fund, which undergirds all the various projects that we have, that adequate funds will be received each month
12.05.2012 Pray for Larisa and the work she does with the family support group, which encourages mutual sharing and prayer
13.05.2012 Pray that the Humanitarian Aid system that we use to send money to Ukraine becomes quicker and more efficient
14.05.2012 Pray for Anastasia Vovk as she plans camps in various villages around Cherkassy, and pray she finds a team of helpers to assist her
15.05.2012 Pray for safety in travel for Jon, David Reddaway and David John as they travel to Ukraine for the Bible School Graduation and for Ksenya as she returns to Ukraine to help Alla at Kompas Park
16.05.2012 Pray for the ongoing work of Cherkassy’s first sheltered accommodation, especially now plans to renovate the house have been drawn up and the costing received
17.05.2012 Pray for the Church twinning programme, that more UK Churches will offer to twin with a Ukrainian Church for mutual support and encouragement
18.05.2012 Remember before God all our children in cottage homes, thanking God for the security and love they receive from their foster parents as they grow up in these Christian families
19.05.2012 Pray for the work party travelling to Ukraine today, to prepare Kompas Park for the summer season
20.05.2012 As Jon, David and David return to the UK, pray for the newly graduated students as they take up their responsibilities back in their churches
21.05.2012 Pray for the children in the orphanages we support, and for Larisa and Misha as they oversee our work in them
22.05.2012 Give thanks for all our volunteers who come in and help with the monthly mail out, and do other jobs so willingly, often without being asked
23.05.2012 Pray for Jon and Ali to be refreshed as they take some time off together and have a break
24.05.2012 Pray for ex-prisoners who are now leading churches and serving in their communities that they will be faithful to what God has called them to do
25.05.2012 Pray for the young people in our pre-independence homes, that they grow in confidence as they study and plan for their future
26.05.2012 Pray for Vika Lavrenko and Stanislav Dyachenko, sponsored children who celebrate their birthdays today, also for the quiz at Ashley BC this evening in support of our work
27.05.2012 Thank God for our Board of Directors, whose support of the work of Hope is so encouraging; pray especially for the two new Directors to become more familiar with Board matters.
28.05.2012 Pray for Alla Kostyunina and her team as they prepare in detail for the planned camp activities at Kompas Park during the summer
29.05.2012 Pray for Misha in
all the work he does at Alpha House and in the Ukrainian Office of Hope Now; pray also for the plans he and Lena have in using Alpha House as a summer day camp in August
30.05.2012 Pray for Vlad Serdyuk, one of
our sponsored children, as he celebrates his birthday today
31.05.2012 Pray for Cyndee and Darrel Knight and the Hope Now supporters in America, especially in their plans to visit Kompas Park this summer
