God does hear prayers, but sometimes not as we expect. I had thought that after Liz was anointed with oil and started having typical pain for kidney stones, that her stone had broken after lithotripsy. We were scheduled for an x-ray and consultation with the urologist this last Monday. Sunday night, we received a note from the urologist who has treated both of us in the USA saying that he has a laser therapy which might well be helpful and offered to help should she come to the USA. Neither Liz nor I slept well that night, believing that the note was not by chance, but God opening another door.

Monday, x-ray showed the stone unchanged. After consulting with Dr. Ramsoek, the urologist, he recommended the laser therapy in the USA. It is safer (out patient treatment), faster (with three stones seen, and 2-3 treatments per stone separated by two weeks per treatment), and more effective (one potential problem stone on the left is inaccessable by the equipment available in Suriname). We are busy packing up and closing things down for a four month stay - since we were already scheduled from August 3rd to November 3rd. We will be flying out of Suriname on June 24th, seeing the urologist in the USA on June 25th, and she will be scheduled for surgery as an out-patient on either Tuesday or Wednesday June 29th or 30th.

We would appreciate your prayers at this time, as there are a number of items to take care of. I believe that by tomorrow, all the radio and TV stations will have four months of broadcast materials and have been paid for the broadcasts. I will be completing the final exam of the Advanced Bible Institute on Tuesday. Monday, I will give another lesson for the regular Bible Institute, and I am completing making DVDs for the remaining two lessons for each student. Then they can complete their lessons at home, and one of our ladies, Georgette Haynes, will give them their final exam and calculate their exams. The pastoral staff will be busier as I will not be available to help out in preaching, but that is the situation any time that we are in the USA, and they are fully capable of taking care of things. We are working on arranging transfer of funds for the Sunny Point project so that the church work will continue. As I mentioned, the work is progressing nicely. However, after these funds are exhausted, then the work will need to stop until more funds are available. Kenneth Domini, who is supervising the building, has already slowed down the building process. We have a total of about $16,000 still available. We will probably need another $50,000 to complete the building. We would prefer not to totally stop and then start again. The jungle starts to take over very quickly, and you lose time clearing the growth before resuming building. Please pray to that end.

I would ask for continued prayer for Kalow Palata, the new senior pastor who has taken over the main church in my place. I had mentioned that some persons, including two pastors, were not happy at his selection. It appears that one of the young men wanted the post, and his brother-in-law decided to support him. This involves two large families in the church as well as other persons. They have now decided to start their own church services about 200 yards from the church, and are apparently attempting to reach others in the church. This is always a difficult situation. Coupled with Kalow’s medical problems (longstanding back injury from his time in the army), and his son’s amputation of his right arm, he needs much prayer support. I had hoped to be available here to help him, but now he will be basically without any direct support from myself until we return in early November. The Lord is surely refining him. What has been a joy is to see him properly responding to the challenges. He has not become bitter or thought about quitting.

Prayer requests:

1. Liz’s return to health. The nephrostomy tube, which has kinked and leaked several times, will function well until it is no longer needed. That the surgery will be a total success, and that we will be able to avoid further stone problems (she is a metabolic stone former)
2. Health and strength for the work here
3. Safety traveling
4. Details to work out concerning our departure - especially continuation of funds
5. Safety on the road here in Suriname
6. Our time in the USA. (I have not really taken a vacation in years, since one week in Florida about 15 years ago. Maybe the Lord is saying something.....)
7. The situation at the main church
8. Gwatoes Palata has had a successful reconstruction of his upper arm (humerus broken in several pieces). Pray for total healing and then finances for a prosthesis so that he may be able to work. (He was groomed to take over Kalow Palata’s furniture making business which Kalow has used to support his family). We had hoped to be able to set up a project for Gwatoes, but that was not possible. Any gifts should be directed to us to forward to him. Any gifts directed through the mission will be charged as personal taxable income.