Dear Friends,

We wanted to take some time to share with you what has been happening in our lives. We have some encouraging and exciting news regarding Penny! We are grateful that you care and pray for us. We enjoyed some quality time with our children in Adelaide and were able to meet our granddaughter, Sufjan. She is such a treasure and a delight. Being grandparents is indeed a fulfilling experience!!

Jaci has switched from health science to nursing studies. We know she will make a wonderful nurse when she is finished. She is enjoying her studies and has made her house a real home for her and Caleb who share a rental house together.

We rejoiced with Luke & Pe and they continue to settle into life as parents. Please continue to be praying for them. Luke still has not heard from the specialist yet about what will be happening with his hip. He is needing a hip replacement but the doctors are wanting to delay this as long as possible. Luke’s condition has meant he has had to quit work. He is enjoying his visual arts course and is producing some fine work!

Zac is enjoying settling into life as a student and both he and Michelle are now feeling more settled here in Adelaide. Zac is studying community and disability rehabiliation, his end goal still being paramedics. Please continue to be praying for them as they seek the Lord regarding their future and as to how long they will stay in Australia before relocating to the States.

Caleb has pursued a Bachelor of Arts majoring in philosophy but due to a misunderstanding within the Sth Australian Tertiary entrance board about his year 12 certificate he going to have to wait until mid-year to apply again. Once he begins then, all our kids will be studying in Adelaide.

Penny has finished all her tests and scans which resulted in the doctor saying he was quite confused and didn’t know what to make of the results. The cells which fight the cancer have been increasing in number and the cancer shows signs of retreating and being treated. The wonderful thing is that Penny has not treated her cancer the traditional way and so when the specialist says it shows signs of being treated he is presuming Penny has been undergoing chemo and radiation! What is confusing our doctor is that while the cancer cells are decreasing in number, the tumour is increasing in size. This increase in the size of the tumor accounts for why Penny’s pain has been increasing. We left our last doctors appointment very encouraged, and Penny remains determined to see this cancer finished off, once and for all.

To help this process Penny and I are going back down to the health clinic in Malaysia for more intensive treatment. Please be praying for her during this time that the cancer will continue to retreat and that the cancer fighting cells continue to multiply. Penny didn’t go to the health clinic last year and has felt the effects of not going. Their treatments really seem to have a positive effect on her health and wellness.

Penny was also able to make a quick trip up to Brisbane to see her family and to spend time with her Dad. This may well be the very last time she sees him. It was a bitter sweet time but a joy to her to hear Dad say that he was proud of her and her work. They said goodbye knowing that they would probably not see each other again.

I (Paul) continue to enjoy my new roles as location leader for YWAM Chiang Rai as well as regional leader for YWAM Thailand. These new roles have meant a rather rapid increase in the amount of meetings and travel I have had to undergo. It has been challenging yet rewarding. I am very grateful for Joanna, a lady who has stepped in to be my PA. My passion for leadership development and training is still very strong and my roles now afford me the opportunity to actually start to put some things on my heart into place.

To help me in this I have felt to go to Spain to do a Leadership Development Course, after which I hope to be able to see it implemented in the northern region of Thailand and to see our young Thai’s and other YWAM staff mentored and developed in their leadership. Please be praying for me in this as it means I will be away for six weeks (in April/May) and this is a long time to be away. Fortunately I have a good leadership team working with me. Because of the length of time I will be away we have felt that it is important that Penny will also travel to Spain midway through this course. This is a real sacrifice for Penny as it means more travel, and flying is not so comfortable for her.

Thanks again for your love, your prayers and for your support and encouragement. I hope that you can take heart in what you have read and can see God at work. God is good and He is faithful, we are very thankful. You have played an important part in this. May you experience the love of the Lord in your life.

With love,

Paul and Penny.