Storms in the Summer
This summer has been a season of storms with the waves seeming to crash down one after another. Heather’s mom Janice went to be with the Lord on June 24th. One week later her dad Bud was taken to the emergency room complaining of pain under his arm. On July 1st he was admitted at the same hospital where our family had walked out a week prior thinking we would never return there again. He was diagnosed with Acute Leukemia shortly after and has remained hospitalized since that time.
Bud completed his first round of chemo and unfortunately tests showed this week that it was not successful and a high number of cancer cells remain in his bone marrow. He is currently undergoing a second round of chemo that is much more intense in an effort to try to wipe out the cancer completely, but it will seriously compromise his immune system in the process.
At times it is surreal to see the same doctors and nurses and to be at the same hospital on the same floor…only this time with our dad. Psalms 34:18 says, “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit.” We continue to trust that God is good, our faith has been made stronger and we are able to continually share the hope we have in the midst of the ongoing storms that we are facing. Please pray for a miracle that Bud would be healed, that he would have minimal side effects from the chemo, for protection against infection or fevers and strength to continue to press on with long days in the hospital.
Rays of Sunshine
Despite the sadness, there have been rays of sunshine this summer. We were able to spend a weekend in the mountains at the CC WestGrove Young Adults summer retreat. Bond had the privilege of teaching the Word and encouraging the young adults to reach their generation with the good news of Jesus Christ. Bond has also had the opportunity to teach at several churches and was also able to attend the Pastor’s Conference at CC Costa Mesa.
Heather was able to share about the ministry in Nepal with the ladies at Packinghouse in Redlands and was part of the planning committee for the Women World Changers Conference that took place this past month. The goal was to encourage women to step out and use their lives to impact others for Christ both here and abroad. There were over 150 women that attended the conference and several that Heather was able to encourage and pray with who are seriously considering moving overseas to serve the Lord.
Finally, we hosted a Celebration of Life for Heather’s mom Janice where we laughed, cried, shared memories and talked about the hope of heaven that comes from knowing Christ. It was a sweet celebration with family and friends and for those of you who were not able to join us, here is a link to the slideshow that was shown during the service: http://youtu.be/yjgERom8BeE
We are so thankful to each of you for your support, prayers, encouragement, love and for standing with us during this difficult time.
Serving Apart for a Season
We were scheduled to leave for Uganda last week to serve for the summer, but given the situation here at home we
canceled our flights and have adjusted our ministry schedule. Although we have always served together, we see the need during this season to serve both here and abroad. Bond is planning to leave for Nepal on August 7th to kick-off the first official semester at the CC Bible College in Kathmandu to teach and pour into the next generation of pastor’s and leader’s. Click here to watch a short video about the ministry we are blessed to be apart of in Nepal: http://youtu.be/MgwvgPyhWqE
Heather will remain in So. CA and will continue to serve at the mission’s office while also caring for her dad at the hospital and for the responsibilities of his affairs at home. Our prayer is that once he recovers, we will be reunited to serve together in Asia and that we will only serve apart for a short season.
With Love from So. CA,
Bond and Heather Gaona
