A full day!

Ethan and Elli visiting Papa Frank and Grandma Vickie. Complete with backpacks and roll-aboard luggage. Papa Frank, Grandma Vickie and all the farm animals excitedly greeting them!

Yesterday, Saturday 3/13, was a full day for us. At 5:30 a.m. we were awoken with a phone call from Jenni, my sister-in-law, full of great news from Papa Frank's surgery. Some of the great answers to prayer included:

• he handled anesthesia well
• the tumor in his colon was "massive" and quiet bumpy, indicating it was getting ready to spread throughout his abdominal cavity. We are so grateful they found it and it was so quickly removed!
• After removing it, the Dr.s were able to reattach his colon, which means he will not need an external port for his colon to continue to function.
• The Drs couldn't find the spot on his liver and when they biopsied the section where the spot was, it came back negative for cancer cells.
• Jenni & Vickie were together in the waiting room through the surgery and were encouraged the entire time by the reports the Drs continually sent out to them. They blessed us beyond words with frequent little update emails, from her iPhone (praise Him for technology) of how surgery was going.
• Papa Frank got Ethan's special picture (above) before going into surgery. We sent it to the aforementioned iPhone. I think every family with someone overseas should get one of those things!
  

Papa Frank will be in the hospital recovering for 5 days. The Drs have given him 6 weeks to recover from surgery before starting chemo. Some of the cancer has spread into his lymphnodes. We are praying the chemo quickly wipes it all out.

At 6 a.m. we found out our friends E n J were on the road, and moving, to get back to our city. After sitting on the road from the capitol for 5 days, sleeping in their truck 2 of the nights, E n J and their 4 precious kiddos made it back to our city around 11 a.m. and all of us were at their home to joyously welcome them home.

I'm up a lot at night and these 2 prayer requests are what I bring before the Father. The other is to ask Him for a home in which to live while we are in Wichita. He abundantly answered on Saturday. As we fell into bed last night, emotionally exhausted from the day, Austin and I joked that we should check email . . . maybe Father had provided us a house as well, and the news was waiting in our inbox. That answer is coming another day! I'd love your prayer with us for Frank, his healing and the second round of chemo before him. And for the perfect home for us to live in for 7 months!

Thanks!