April 2025:
Dear Partners,
I am writing, this morning, for two reasons:
·
To thank you for your prayer and support.
Thank you!
·
To ask you to pray for us as we travel to Guam.
First for those of you who only hear from us through these
reports, let me give you a brief thumbnail of the whirlwind. In January,
Kathy’s annual mammogram showed an abnormality. Further scans and a needle
biopsy identified a tiny malignant tumor. A mastectomy was the best option. The
surgery was done on March 19. Kathy is healing well. For those of you who knew
and prayed, Thank you. We thank the Lord for a good medical team and local
support.
We had been planning to go to Guam to meet with our fellow
Liebenzell missionaries and other partners. When we shared this plan with
Kathy’s surgeon, her response, without a moment’s hesitation, was, “Go.” So we
leave Thursday April 24, and get back May 5. I (Howard) will be participating
in the annual Board meeting at Pacific Islands University (PIU). We’ll also be
seeking to recruit some of the students to be involved in an intern opportunity
at our mission headquarters and retreat center in New Jersey. It is a great
opportunity. We’ll be meeting with our missionaries who serve at PIU. Please
pray with us. We need the wisdom of the Lord, and we want to love with His
love.
Also pray for contacts with other missionaries we’ll be
reaching out to. It’s an ongoing process. Thankfully, our LMUSA family is
growing. Since our last letter, a new, young family joined our team in Ecuador.
An early retired couple plans to join our team in Guam, later this year. We
have young people who are headed on short-term trips this summer. Please pray
for them.
We don’t want this to be a one way matter, so let us know
how we can pray for you. We are aware that the wind blows in your life, too.
Ministering
to those who are reaching out,
May 2025:
Dear Partners,
I’m writing in the outpatient surgery waiting room at a
hospital in Lewisburg WV. This hospital’s chief claim to fame is this where my
granddaughter, Kira, was born. I’m here this morning waiting on Kathy. She is
having a port inserted. The purpose of the port is to enable Blue Ridge Cancer
Care to administer a series of chemotherapy infusions. The first one will be
tomorrow.
Some of you knew about this next step in our lives that
began in January when a routine mammogram revealed a tiny mass in Kathy’s right
breast. That led to another mammogram, a scan, needle biopsy, a mastectomy on
March 19, and now a pretty aggressive series of chemo-infusions.
Though the tumor was tiny and was found early, it is an aggressive
sort, thus justifying this full-court-press kind of treatment. Kathy will
receive infusions about every three weeks. At first three drugs will be used.
Later that will be reduced to just one of them. She has been prescribed various
oral medications to help her along the way. She feels well. Both of us are
confident that this is the right thing to do. We are confident in and pleased
with the medical team. And, more than anything, we are trusting in the Lord. “Thy
will be done.”
We waited to put out this latest news because we didn’t want
this to be the main topic of conversation on our trip to Guam. We just returned
from that trip, last night. It was a good trip, but:
·
Both of us caught a cold or something.
Thankfully, it was a short-lived bug.
·
Some of our colleagues are dealing with some
difficult times, so some of our conversations were intense.
·
I participated in the PIU Board meeting. That’s
always a full time.
It was good to get to see some of our friends on that side
of the world. In particular it was good to see some of the students in whose
lives we invested using what they learned in serving others.
·
Praise the Lord for safety over the many miles.
·
We thank the Lord for the good care Kathy is
receiving.
·
Reaching out with kindness and encouragement is
always appreciated. It is a privilege to encourage these fine servants.
·
Thank you for your prayer, support, and
encouragement.
·
Please pray for Pacific Islands University—enrollment,
staff, President Ian Richards, and especially that the students will learn,
grow, and use what they gain in the Lord’s work.
·
Please pray for Kathy.
·
Kathy and I are in conversation with
missionaries around the world. Pray that we’ll have wisdom to be able to
encourage them in their work.
Ministering
to those who are reaching out,
Howard
& Kathy
You
can support our ongoing Missionary Care ministry here.
You can get in touch with us by email, text or phone.
Kathy’s phone number is (540) 620-7077; her email is kmusiq@gmail.com. Mine are (540) 620-8429
and hmerrell@liebenzellusa.org
