Caroline

Caroline Grace Kellogg made her entry into the world on May 5, 10 days early. She weighed in at a healthy 8 ibs, 5 oz. Daniel’s mother was kind to stay with us for a couple of weeks while Hannah took care of her newborn. Siblings Nathaniel and Rebekah are happy to have a new sister. Hannah will need lots of prayers as she manages a household with 2 toddlers and a baby.

Sara announced her engagement to David Breitling with a wedding date set for 2 pm, August 3. David is chief tech officer for a company that does personnel background checks for various organizations. David has a strong and growing relationship with the Lord, Jesus Christ. He has never been married, has high moral standards, and is very active in his church. I’m grateful that the Lord has kept me alive long enough for me to get to know David.

Martha has a new job working at a doctors clinic affiliated with partnermd.com - focusing on quality proactive health care with an emphasis on prevention. She will use her nursing and functional medicine skills as a ‘health coach’ to patients. The clinic is only a 4 minute drive from her house. Philip continues his work at our IMB office, about 8 minutes from their house.

Amazingly, my one child who hates to travel, will be taking a trip in June to Norway. Jonathan will be attending a music festival in Bergen, Norway’s second largest city. He will be part of a tour group along with about 50 others. Jonathan visited me last Saturday, along with David’s family, plus Sara and her David. Jonathan has lost an incredible amount of weight in the past 6 months.

As for me, I’m losing weight, too, but for a different reason! My appetite is very low. I’ve lost 40 pounds during the past 2 years. Digestive and breathing issues remain. I have tumors everywhere, large and small. Surely my time on earth is very short now; my ‘promotion’ could happen anytime.

I was thinking the other day that it would be incorrect to say that Mark has courageously battled his cancer. First, it takes no courage to accept what I cannot change, especially when the change will be for the better. Secondly, each one makes his own decision about dealing with cancer. I never tried to battle this one, but just allowed it to take its course. I had no treatments, no anti-cancer medications, no anti-cancer diet. In the end, I know the cancer will lose. Because God chose me in Christ before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4), I will win. Because I have already passed out of death into life (John 5:24), I will win. Because God has prepared an incredible place for me in eternity (1 Peter 1:4), I will win. I am content to let this cancer do what cancer does, because in the end, I will win.

Hospice

I signed up for Hospice care last week. Hospice is a type of health care that focuses on comfort and quality of life for the terminally ill. It began in the U.S. in the 1970’s and received Medicare funding in the 1980’s. Jan was under Hospice care for about a week before her ‘promotion’. Hospice provides a team of doctors, nurses, and social workers for those who are diagnosed with less than 6 months to live and who are no longer seeking curative treatments.

Hannah’s baby is due in a couple of weeks and she needs to focus all her attention on being a mother to Nathaniel, Rebekah, and now Caroline. Although I’m still able to take care of myself, my condition could quickly change at anytime and Hospice can provide immediate care. If my ‘promotion’ doesn’t come soon, I’m going to need help with breathing issues and Hospice has resources for that.

But enough about me. How are you doing? I know many of you have struggles and challenges that you are facing, some far more serious than mine. I’m blessed to know that in the middle of your busy life you take a few moments to read my monthly updates. Just as the Lord has graced me with His joy, I hope you, too, experience the joy of the Lord despite the difficult trials you may be experiencing.

One of my favorite verses is James 1: 2-4… “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance (steadfastness). And let that endurance have it’s perfect result, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.” A trial can produce a fountain of positive results if we seek to know why God allowed it and then respond to it as Jesus would. As a bonus, trials make Heaven look so much sweeter!

I never know when one of these updates will be my last. So, thank you, again, for taking the time to read this. And may the joy of the Lord be your strength.

Heaven's Gate

Well, I thought about giving an outlandish introduction for April Fools Day, but then decided against it. (For my Philippine readers, April 1 is April Fools Day in the U.S. when people often say crazy things or perform silly pranks.) So, instead, I'll share the following...

I was recently asked if I was angry at God for having cancer. I replied that, as Scripture explains, God chose me in Christ before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4), He sent His Son to pay the death-penalty I deserve, He has forgiven my sins, He rescued me from hell, He adopted me as His child, He has imparted to me His Holy Spirit, He has shared His wisdom, He has prepared a place in Heaven for me for eternity. How could I be angry? Cancer is my ticket out of this hell-bent world and into my home in Heaven. If anything, I am grateful for the cancer.

Of course, if I didn’t have cancer, I likely would still be in the Philippines doing what I could to make Christ known. But regardless of whatever momentary discomfort or pain cancer produces, “I do not lose heart. Although my body is dying, my inner spirit is being renewed day by day. For this momentary light affliction is preparing me for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Cor. 4: 16-17). As long as I stay focused on what is to come, and not on who I’m temporarily leaving behind, my heart is filled with joy.

Yet, I suppose it’s natural to focus on immediate concerns. Cancer doesn’t make it easy to leave this world. I mentioned last month that I made a visit to the ER which included a CT scan. It revealed the following:

Multiple tumors in both lungs. The largest is 73x51 mm, about the volume of a tennis ball, in my left lobe.

Multiple tumors in the liver. The largest is 56x44 mm, slightly larger than a ping-pong ball.

A tumor encases and constricts the renal artery leading to my right kidney. (Left kidney was surgically removed in 2004.)

A huge tumor completely surrounds my pancreas, 120x160 mm, that’s about the size of a large potato. This tumor also encases and constricts the inferior vena cava, the primary vein leading to the heart.

A tumor in my lower central abdominal area is pushing against and constricting my bowel loops.

There are tumors from my neck down my back, including one inside my lower spine.

These tumors would explain my lower back pain, my digestive and breathing difficulties, as well as other issues. With this much cancer, I just don’t see how my body can hold out much longer. For this reason, I want to use this opportunity to thank everyone, again, for praying for me and my family, and following me along in this cancer journey, as well as in our ministry through the years. The Lord has been generous to allow me to hang on this long. Even more generous, as unworthy as I am, by His mercy and grace, to have Heaven’s gate open and ready for me to enter. I’m excited to do so.

(Jude 1: 24-25) Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time, now and forever. Amen!

Smiles And an ER Visit

Things that might be said at my funeral…

“I heard he had a smile on his face when they found him.”
“Well, he sure took a long time to go.”
“Yea, I thought he was going 4 years ago.”
“You know, he didn’t do any cancer treatments.”
“Maybe that’s why he lasted so long. Hahaha!”
“He didn’t even bother to eat all those weird health foods. Just ate whatever he wanted.”
“They said his favorite snack was Peanut M&Ms. Ate them all the time.”
“Well, his initials were M. M.”
“You know, I always thought he was kinda smart and innovative, but now it’s hard to think outside the box when you’re in one!”
“Hey, that’s a terrible thing to say. If you want to be funny, talk about someone else.”
“Ok, my cousin says that just before he dies, he’s going to swallow a whole bag of popcorn kernels, then get cremated.”
“A friend of mine said he wanted to be cremated and his ashes put in an hourglass so he could still participate in family game night.”
“Shhhh! Stop it, y’all. The service is about to start.”

Well, just to be clear, I don’t eat M&Ms ALL the time. Sometimes I substitute them with a chocolate chip cookie! Maybe if I had put myself on a strict diet of healthy foods, I would have lived longer. But as Martha once said, that would have a negative effect on my quality of life! Yet, I expect the moment I step into Heaven, I won’t be disappointed with my choices. In the meantime, as one old man said, “I wake up each morning, and if I don’t see candles or smell flowers, I get up.”

Regarding my health, February was a relatively good month, up until the past several days. New pains and a stopped-up plumbing sent me to the ER yesterday. After examining me with a CT scan, they recommended a drastic, quick-fix solution that got things flowing again, at least for now. As I’ve indicated before, I never know if these episodes are ‘the beginning of the end’ or just another dip in the roller coaster cancer ride of highs and lows.

Regardless, the promise of Paradise and the hope of Heaven are precious treasures that bring me peace, especially during difficult times. I’ve done such a good job of describing to little Nathaniel the beauty of Heaven that now he wants to go there with me. I explained that first he must do the task that God put him on this earth to do, to make Christ known to others, through word and deed. If he loves the Lord with all his heart, then he’ll get to Heaven someday and I’ll be there to greet him. For those of us who treasure the Lord, may the reality of Heaven bless you with joyful smiles each day.

Milestones

I couldn’t sleep. In addition to the huge throbbing tumor on my left abdominal area, I now had a new competing soreness on my right side. Neck pain radiated across my left shoulder, then down my back. My pain medication took away my appetite. Nausea wouldn’t go away. I questioned whether I would make it another two weeks.

That’s how the new year began for me. But by the end of the first week, I was feeling better. The past couple of weeks have been comparatively good. But, as I’ve said before, my cancer is so extensive that anything could happen at any time. Still, it’s nice to have some days when I feel relatively good.

A major milestone will happen to me this month. On February 15, I will be officially retired. My nearly 40 years of service with the International Mission Board will come to an end. Actually, for the past 4+ years, the Mission Board has been in service to me. When I returned from the Philippines in July, 2020, the Mission Board was generous to keep me on medical leave. My initial 1 to 2 years of life expectancy has turned into four and a half, so it makes sense to transition me to retirement. I have been super blessed to be a part of this organization. Even though I have felt useless these past 4 years, I will miss being a part of it.

February 8 will mark 18 years since Jan’s promotion to Paradise. I often see her remarkable legacy in the lives of our children and continue to hear about her amazing influence in the lives of her friends. She was much more active during her cancer adventure than I have been with mine. It always puzzles me why God took her first and left me. Maybe Heaven will someday give an answer.

February is also valentine’s ‘love’ month. I put ‘love’ in quotations because I believe most have an elementary idea of what genuine love is. I know I’m still learning. In the New Testament, love is usually connected with a commitment to give (John 3:16) or to sacrifice oneself (John 15:13; Eph. 5:25) for the well-being of others. No mention of romance. I am so grateful that God’s love for me was never dependent on my deeds or performance. It was entirely His gracious choice, for which I will be eternally thankful. I hope your year is off to a good start. May His grace and peace be yours in abundance.

By God's Grace

Another Christmas ends, and a new year begins. Packed away are scenes of snowscapes and sleigh bells, snowmen and wise men, manger scenes and mistletoe, silent night in starlight, gold ribbons and bows, scented candles aglow, cinnamon spiced tea and a tinseled Christmas tree. Time to put away the sugary treats. Sigh. I think I drank enough eggnog this holiday season to float a sailboat.

New Year’s Resolutions? None. No need to aim to be a better person; I’m already sweet and humble! No need to try to eat better; I still follow my cancer diet - eat whatever I want. No need to live as long as I can; the Lord has already determined the number of my days (Psalm 139:16; Job 14:5). No need to commit to losing weight; my body will eventually do that anyway. No need to wish for peace; the Lord has blessed me with plenty.

Saturday, the 21st was our Moses Family Christmas. All my youngins gathered at David’s house for lots of smiles, hugs, sharing, praying, and singing. With Jonathan’s encouragement, Martha and Philip surprised us by flying in from Virginia. Even Sara’s dog joined in the fun. We enjoyed watching the grandkids open some of their gifts. A race car set seemed to be the biggest hit. Food was abundant as was the joy. Grandpa (me) sat in the rocking chair most of the time just taking it all in.

A couple of days later, my cancer attacked me pretty hard. Pain medication and rest seem to have gotten me through it. When those episodes happen, I never know for sure if it may be the one that ends in my ‘promotion’. But as I write, I’m feeling better, grateful that the Lord blessed me with another Christmas with my family, yet ready to go whenever He calls. I’m very much amazed that He has kept me here to ring in another year.

And for you, another year to see what God will do in your life. As always there will be ups and downs. But rejoice in the downs (James 1:2-3) because that’s where we usually experience our best fellowship with the Lord. As holocaust survivor, Corre Ten Boon would say, even in the deepest downs, the Lord is deeper still. Each day of the year, may you cherish His mercy, experience His grace, rejoice in His sovereignty, share His love, and live in His joy.

A Missions Story

For my cancer adventure, November gave me some bad days, some not so bad days, and even a few good days. Breathing issues, digestive issues, abdominal pain issues all remain, but this is what cancer does, so no surprises.

More importantly, this is the time of year when we remember the Southern Baptist Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for Overseas Missions. For those who gave last year, you helped our missionaries reach 879,798 people with the gospel, among whom 141,206 became new believers. As you pray about giving this year, I want to share again an occurrence that happened to me exactly 10 years ago, in early December, 2014. I hope it affirms God’s presence to you as much as it did to me….

A late-season tropical storm passed through the central Philippines, unleashing torrents of rain. The windshield wipers clapped wildly as my truck splashed along the muddy road, carrying a load of passengers to the funeral service of Bro. O-ing. Ten years ago he had placed his trust in Jesus Christ, serving Him faithfully through his church until a few weeks ago when, at the age of 63, cancer took away his strength and then his life.

We had to leave the truck along the dirt road and walk the remaining distance to his house. Huddled under my umbrella, I measured each step along the slippery path as mud oozed over my scuffed shoes. Too poor to afford the services of a funeral home, the family had erected a makeshift shelter in the dirt yard with bamboo poles holding up an over-sized tarp. Because of the relentless rain, men were digging little canals around the large tent, channeling water away from the seating area inside. Other men were poking the underside of the tarp with poles, forcing water toward the edge and preventing it from pooling on top.

Bro. O-ing’s sister had asked me to give the message. She told me that most of the people there would not be Christians. Many of them were saying that O-ing’s early death was God’s punishment for becoming a Baptist. Had he not been baptized as a Christian, he would still be alive. The message I was planning to share would dispute such thinking. It would point to the beauty and glory of Heaven, and the rich reward God has for those who live in obedience to the Lord, Jesus Christ.

But the problem on this dark, cloudy Saturday morning was that no one could hear anything. The ocean of rain pounding on top of the tarp made it seem like we were on the inside of a rapidly beating drum. The noise was deafening. As the service began, I prayed, “Lord, this is your message, not mine. The people need to hear it. So, would you please stop the rain.”

There was no letup in the downpour as the opening song began. I could see mouths opening but I couldn’t hear anything coming out. There was no break in the dark clouds above. But during the second stanza, the rain lessened. By the end of the last stanza, it stopped! The ditch diggers laid down their shovels and sat down next to the pole punchers as I stood to speak.

Tropical storms do not easily withhold their bounty. But for 40 minutes, the turbulent clouds closed their doors and the skies were silent. I sensed the Lord’s presence and I spoke with joyful boldness. Later, the sister told me that the message opened the eyes of many to understand the sure hope of eternal life that belongs to those who walk with the Lord, as Bro. O-ing had. After I finished and sat down, the closing song began, and the pounding rain returned.

Two thousand years ago, the skies opened up, revealing a bright star that pointed the way to a tiny manger where the King of kings had just been born. Ever since then, His message of salvation has echoed across the continents. And when any of us are willing to share it, God is willing to quiet the clouds and still the storm so that all may hear.