What a Journey!

I have so much catching up to do here, I'm not sure where to start. The last time I posted was early September, and at that time we were getting news of some concerns at home. Angela's cancer had returned, she'd had a CT scan, a biopsy, and then another surgery on her tongue in early September. When she and Dave were told there was not a cancer-free margin on the section that was removed from her tongue and yet another surgery would be necessary, we were very troubled and began wondering if we should come home. Around that same time Sister Yamashita, who had just replaced me in the mission office, was having health problems and ended up in the hospital with gall stones. Bruce and I went back to Kichijoji to work in the office for the rest of the month - staying in our Fussa apartment and driving to and from Kichijoji each day.

Dave and Angela were having a difficult time getting more information from the cancer clinic, and we were feeling the irony of being in Japan to provide support to Air Force families while our own Air Force family in Oklahoma seemed to have the greater need. We discussed the situation with President and Sister Wada, and they were very supportive. We had a couple of conversations with doctors, one our bishop in the Yokota Ward who does head and neck surgery and whose own father had this kind of cancer. The other doctor is a medical adviser for missions in the Asia North Area. They shared information that was very sobering about the surgery and treatment that are often needed in cases like this. We were so anxious and concerned, and when we finally, prayerfully made the decision to come, it was like a weight was lifted - we felt so calm and settled, confident that it was the right thing to do. This was confirmed when we were able to have Church Travel book our flights, at our expense but at half the cost we would have paid had we booked them ourselves.

Our travel date was Wednesday, September 30th. We worked at the office on Monday and spent the day Tuesday packing and getting ready to go. Wednesday morning, literally as we were loading the car and getting reading to head to the airport, we got a call from Dave and Angela. It was Tuesday afternoon in Oklahoma and they'd finally gotten a call back from their doctor. He told them there had been a section missing from the two pieces of Angela's tongue he had removed in the Sept.3rd surgery, he didn't know how that had happened. Apparently there was a cancer-free margin (contrary to what a nurse had told them earlier) but it wasn't big enough to satisfy him and he felt the need to go back in and take out another section to be sure. But he was optimistic that this time he would get it all and that chemotherapy would not be needed. So Dave and Angela called us to say, "It looks like you maybe don't need to come, we're so sorry, we didn't know" -- and we said don't be ridiculous, this is only good, wonderful news and we are still coming!

Just wanted to throw this picture in I took with my iPad from the window of the limousine bus we rode to Narita Airport in Tokyo. This is Tokyo Bay.

Bruce and I traveled together to Seattle and on to Salt Lake City, then I flew to Oklahoma City while Phyllis and Syndee met Bruce at the airport and took him up to Logan (he would drive out to Oklahoma a few days later). Dave and Angela met me in OKC, where we went straight to Rudy's for dinner and then back to Enid. Angela's surgery was early Thursday morning. The pathologist took a look at the section they removed from her tongue while she was still under anesthesia, and the preliminary report was that it was cancer free. Then within a week, they got the full path report and a satisfactory margin was clear! We are so grateful and have felt very blessed, as Angela is still able to talk and eat. She struggles with residual effects of the radiation treatment she had last year, but she doesn't have cancer!!

I have to include this, from an email Angela sent out to the family a week after her surgery:

Oh my goodness, what a journey! I have known from the beginning that I'd be okay but this was sure an intense trial of my faith. I can't tell you my faith was strong the whole time. It did shake and when it did I felt the Spirit leaving and the fear consuming my whole self. It became clear to me that if I made the decision to stop trusting the Lord, trusting in His atonement, trusting in the answers to my prayers, then I'd have to go through this on my own and it wasn't pretty. It was painful, scary, it was literally hell. But if decided to trust the Lord and not doubt, then my Savior would take over all the suffering and I'd have peace. He lives! Our Heavenly Father is as real as the people that you see everyday. He loves us. He wants us to grow, be happy and become like Him. If it wasn't for trials and the experiences we have in this life, we wouldn't be able to grow and reach our potential. "There is no other way". And He is so merciful that He doesn't leave us alone throughout this experiences. He sends angels to help us out, and Hi Spirit to comfort us. I know this because I just lived it.

Thank you for your prayers and fasts. They have made all the difference!! Thank you for your sweet emails, phone calls, texts, visits, hugs, thoughts. We have felt the love of God for our family through you!