Merry Christmas, and A Happy New Year December 2007
2007 started out FUN! We went to my cousin’s cabin near Donner Pass and enjoyed winter with games, snowboarding, skiing and even dog sledding. It was a great mini-getaway. I worked my last shifts at Lodi Memorial Hospital in mid January without really knowing I would be ‘working’ in different hospitals with different ‘patients’. On January 26th, my sister was run over by a shuttle bus in Berkeley and sustained multiple injuries that almost ended her life. For 3 weeks she was on a ventilator, and for 2 of those weeks, was in a drug-induced coma. She has since made an amazing recovery and I have nicknamed her the “Miracle Woman” which all of her doctors agree with. It has been a long, difficult road for her, but God has been faithful to answer our prayers for her physical healing.
Jessica spent her spring semester in Honduras studying the culture, Spanish, and international development. What a great opportunity it was for her to experience living in a Central American country with a host family and study her area of interest. Bob and I visited her for a week, stayed with her ‘familia’, and toured the city of Tegucigalpa plus some of the surrounding countryside. We enjoyed riding the bus just about everywhere we went.
Dan and his girlfriend Ashley were part of a team of Biola students that visited Utah over Easter break to dialogue with students at BYU and share with people of the Mormon faith what Christians believe. At the end of school, Dan vacationed for a few days with Ashley’s family in Yosemite, enjoying the beauty of God’s creation and rest.
On the first day of our family’s vacation at a friend’s condo on the shore of Lake Tahoe, our world abruptly changed. June 19th was a beautiful, crystal-blue day at the lake, but late that night Dan complained of severe abdominal pain that we were sure was from appendicitis. We took him to the local ER where we expected to have our vacation disrupted by an unexpected surgery for Dan. Unfortunately, it turned out to be much worse than that. A CT scan showed he did not have appendicitis, but there were numerous large unusual ‘things’ in his liver and pancreas, which turned out to be malignant tumors. The diagnosis appears to be a very rare pancreatic neuroendocrine carcinoma. He received his first chemotherapy at Stanford Hospital on July 7th. Between the effects of his disease and the side effects from chemotherapy, Dan had a very difficult summer. Fortunately, just before school was to start in the fall, things started looking up. Repeat CT and PET scans have shown that Dan has had a remarkable response to the chemo and the dose has been adjusted so that he is now having few side effects. He has been able to attend college this fall, maintain a 16-unit load (with good grades), live in the dorms, and participate in extra-curricular activities.
We are grateful for your many prayers and God’s great mercy! So many people have helped us out, prayed incessantly for our family, and supported us in so many ways. We are blessed! Keep praying for the tumors to shrink into oblivion! If you want to read more about all this, please go to: www.daninthelionsden.blogspot.com.
To add to our summer madness, Matthew went off to China with Royal Servants two days after we learned Dan had cancer. Despite the uncertainty of Dan’s situation and the general chaos, we decided to let him go as planned. This turned out to be a good decision as he had an invaluable experience there. I had the joy of emailing him in China the news that he passed his AP U.S. history exam. Oh, I wish I could have seen his face. He had a marvelous trip and we are still hearing about it and seeing his pictures. Matt continues to enjoy playing guitar, bass, harmonica, piano, and now accordion. He is a very busy young man. He played soccer, ran cross-country, and was involved with countless school and church activities. He is also enjoying his art and choir classes in this last year of high school.
Bob has been working hard, playing music and had a great time with our church’s mission trip to Mexico in October.
On December 1st, we received the news that Dan proposed to his beloved Ashley and now they are engaged! No date is officially set, but they are aiming for early January ‘09. We are thrilled. For those of you who know them as a couple, you will readily agree they are meant for each other. We had the privilege of having Ashley in our home this summer (she took over Matt’s room, Red Sox sheets and all). I don’t think Dan or any of us would have made it without her help and presence.
Topping it off, my mother has been hospitalized 3 times this year with her last visit a result of a fractured hip. Like I said, I have been in the hospital a lot this year.
As I look back over my calendar, the days have been a blur and I don’t remember much. But what I DO remember is the fact that the LORD our God has seen us through great difficulties and continues to show Himself strong on our behalf. I am learning so much about God, about how the family of God takes care of the hurting and needy ones, about the power of prayer and the Word of God to feed my thirsting soul. In many ways, as crazy as this sounds, the lessons learned and the experiences we have had, temper the trials we have endured. You do not learn many of these precious things unless you walk through the fire with God.
As you can see, for many reasons, we are figuring out the new ‘normal’ in our lives. Matt and Jessica will be graduating in May ‘08, (Matt from high school and Jessica from Biola), and have a few ideas up their sleeves as to the roads ahead for them. Matt would like to follow his sister’s route of attending Calvary Chapel Bible College for a year before heading to perhaps Biola. Jessica is thinking of living with friends and working for a year before pursuing a career or further schooling. Dan will be a senior next year, finishing his degree in film.
This Thanksgiving we were reminded to be very thankful for many blessings and many loved ones in our lives. Most of all we are thankful to be children of the Most High LORD God who looks after His own with tender loving care and sustains us while achieving His plans and purposes in us and through us for His glory.
This Christmas we again marvel that God Himself came to us: Immanuel, God with us, to be our remedy for sin, to do for us what we can never do ourselves – make us holy and righteous in His sight, so we can forever enjoy His presence.
Christmas Greetings and God’s blessings to you from the Howen Family,
Bob, Jamie, Jessica, Dan, & Matt
rjhowen@sbcglobal.net
drbobinlodi@yahoo.com
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