This is part 2 from the post below, “See Jesus in the Flames.”

Update on Julia…Thank you so much for your prayers. We got the biopsy report that Julia did have renal cell carcinoma as the doctors suspected, but it was stage 2 and grade 2. Stage 2 is because of the size (8.5 cm, about 2/3 the size of the kidney) and grade 2 (meaning it’s not as aggressive). The lymph nodes were clean, it appears to have not spread and the doc felt all the organs around looked clean. Nothing more is required except 6 mos follow ups for two years and then once a year the following three years. Julia can’t lift the kids for another 5 weeks but can return to work in 3 weeks. Prayer would be appreciated for a healthy recovery, help watching the kids, and grace until life returns to normal. The doctor is optimistic for a long and healthy life.

So…really cool story in the midst of this story.

We prayed fervently for God to lead us to the right surgeon and oncologist for Julia’s impending surgery. Wayne was out-of-town, so I felt alone in this decision with the kids. Although he was leading a university-students’ tour of Israel, I knew Wayne was joining our prayers too. We were consulting by phone frequently and agreeing together for God’s divine guidance.

This time-critical event drove us to urgent prayer and inquiry. The ER docs said that Julia’s kidney had to be excised soon to stave off metastasis.

Wayne suggested that Julia see first her primary care physician, Dr Vasu Nalajala, for a recommendation from him because he knew us personally. Nalajala suggested Dr. James Vestal because he was/is both an oncologist and urologist. Nalajala had sent patients to him in the past, and it is very unusual to find a physician with both skills.

When Dr Vestal saw Julia, he said that it was atypical to treat a patient this age (35), with clear-cell, renal-cell carcinoma, and that Julia was too young to have been exposed to carcinogens.

Daniel told the doc that Julia had lived in Ukraine for three years in her early childhood. And Vestal said, “Ohhhh, now that is very interesting…” We didn’t know exactly what he meant by that, but we found it very interesting too!

Then Dr Vestal inquired the reason why, and of course Daniel explained that Julia had had the opportunity to grow up as a missionary kid and had lived in several nations from ages 8 to 22.

Dr Vestal loved that! He explained that he regularly took time off from his practice to do medical missions abroad and had traveled to many places in the world.

Yesterday, Wayne and I both accompanied Julia for her post-op surgery visit. Dr. Vestal was very happy to see us and spent extra time chatting.

Julia had told Vestal that I had been a urological nurse and had worked for an urology practice for over a decade in Oakcliff, TX. The doc laughingly invited me to take out Julia stitches if I wanted! 🤣🤣🤣

Vestal also told us that he wished that he had all the money in the world so that he could retire from his practice and spend all of his time doing medical missions.

This made me tear up and my heart soar with joy!

What a connection we felt with him, especially in the hostile culture of today when Christians and missionaries are openly mocked, marginalized, and sometimes despised. Our battle is not flesh and blood. We found a kindred heart and kindred soldier. It became a sweet kiss and token from heaven that God had been leading us around every blind corner.

At first, we had felt completely in the dark just walking down a long, black hallway groping our way—searching for a light switch to flip on—seeking knowledge and wisdom to make wise decisions. God had been leading us in the murkiness of the moment, even as we stumbled in stunned confusion and pain at first.

Also, it was no small feat that Dr. Vestal was able to remove with skilled precision Julia’s large tumor laparoscopally rather than cutting the conventional cavernous gashes doctors used to carve upon human frames in the olden days of nephrectomy surgeries. The tumor was 2/3 the size of Julia’s kidney!

We are so grateful to Dr. Vestal for his painstaking care and craft in creating a smaller incision. It makes all the difference to aid swifter healing.

May God be praised eternally for Dr Vestal-a fellow missionary and a very skilled surgeon!

This was a blistering trial with a great ending, revealing our Father’s goodness and love.

More stories to come…