T h i s r e p o r t m a y com e as a shock to you as it did to us. Unless God intervenes, my lov ing Fa ther may call H ome in months, weeks, o r even days. On ou r w ay home to Taiwan , we stopped at Japan, Korea, and Okinawa, v isiting friend s, w in dow shopping, and sight seeing. W e visited friend s in Taipei who lived tw o doors from a m issionary d o ctor’s home. I had no intention o f seeing a doctor about a back ailment. I assumed it was ju s t a sprain that wou ld take time. But because he was so close, I decided to have a check-up. He suggested X -ray s — not only o f m y back, but o f m y lungs. I was amazed to learn that m y righ t lung had collapsed and that tum ors were ve ry prom inent. The spine showed tw o vertebras a ffe cted w ith wha t appeared to be cancer. “ A s f o r God, H is w ay is p e rfe ct . . . Perplexed, but not in despair.” Humanly speaking, th ings could not have seemed more complicated. H ere w e were, w ith all ou r baggage, headed f o r Tainan, 300 m iles south. I wou ld now have to remain in Taipei where medi cal fa cilities were available. The ship was sailing, so we rem oved a su itcase f o r m e : then D ick and the ch ildren headed f o r home. I entered a lovely m issionary hospital designed p rim a rily f o r m issionaries. The Chinese Christian nurses a re like special nurses. They cannot do enough f o r me. M y doctors here consulted w ith a top rad iolo gist fr om the m iddle west. He fe lt a t th is poin t fu rth er rad iation wou ld have little e ffe c t and on ly make me sick. D ick has so many decisions to make, but the Lord is g iv in g grace. It has not always been easy
to discuss fu tu re plans, but the L ord has given strength and we see H is hand in lead ing us. D ick will make a home f o r the ch ildren so they can return week-ends — should the L ord take me Home. D on ’t p ity me. “ To depart and be w ith Christ wh ich is fa r better.” N ow , to this point, I have been w r itin g on a very human plane. There could well be the “ Heze- kiah p lan” in wh ich case God would again p er fo rm a m iracle and p ro long m y life as did He Hezekiah’s as recorded in II K ings 20. My present cond ition , a ccord ing to the doctors, is “ very seri ous.” But the L ord is able to strengthen lungs and bones aga in ! A ga in , this could be an attack o f Satan. God can “ raise up a standard against h im .” So, please p ray that H is will be done and His name be glorified whatever the outcome. Tears come a b it fre e ly when I th ink o f the darling ch il dren and the w onderfu l husband the Lord has g iv en me but I dare not demand to remain w ith them. I would rather have my “ three D ’s ” — Don (1 6 ), D orothy (1 3 ), Darlene (10 ) motherless than cool tow a rd the L ord because o f prayers out o f H is will. I was say ing to Dick, “ I f the L ord takes me Home, it will be like a rriv in g in heaven at 8 a.m. and then he and the ch ildren wou ld jo in me at noon .” F o r me — where 1,000 years is but a day in H is sigh t — our separation will be m inimal. But f o r .loved ones, parents, and friend s le ft behind, tim e seems long. But, in any case, God is sufficient f o r any situation. Should there be someone Who still has not settled his relationsh ip to Jesus Christ, I p ra y that you will do so. Then, some day, not too fa r away — what a reunion we shall have!
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
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