Memorial Service for Elly

Lunch: Provided following the service

Date: January 11, 2025

Time: 11:00 AM

Location: Creekside Bible Church

623 Pine St, Rogue River, OR 97537

We will begin by gathering for a few opening words, followed by singing and worshiping God together. A short testimony of Elly’s life and her new life in Christ will be offered, after which the Gospel will be declared, focusing on Christ’s life, death, burial, resurrection, ascension, rule, reign, and His soon return.

A few Elders and Pastors have been invited to share their memories of Elly and to speak of Christ and His Gospel. If you feel led to contribute something along these lines, please email emp.trevor@gmail.com to ensure we have enough time for all who wish to speak.

Please come prepared to point us to Christ, His Word, and His promises.

Visiting the Gravesite:

For those who would like to visit Elly’s home gravesite after the service, please provide advance notice via email so we can know how many to expect. We will also send you our home address. Please bring boots, as the area is not as prepared as we’d hoped yet.

If you have any suggestions for what could be written on her gravestone or marker, we welcome your thoughts.

Help Needed:

If you’ve read this far, thank you for your attention and support. For those who are local, we would greatly appreciate any help in putting things together for the service. I will be purchasing food and desserts from Costco but will need assistance with setup at the church, perhaps meeting there around 10:00 AM.

In addition, we will also need help cleaning up the church after the service and lunch. If you are available to stay and assist with this, it would be a huge blessing. Any other offers of help or suggestions are also deeply appreciated. Please feel free to reach out with any questions, ideas, or desires to contribute.

Thank you, thank God, and thanks be to Jesus for His perfect promises.

-

For those speaking at Elly's memorial, or if you would like to share something on her page beforehand:

Please consider reflecting on a particular godly trait that Elly exemplified. There are many, and a few that stand out to me are:

Edit: - Best thing about sweet Elly was she ALWAYS pointed to Christ ❤️- I agree Heather, thanks for this. -

A Joyful Spirit – Elly radiated joy, even in difficult times, reflecting the biblical teaching of rejoicing in the Lord always (Philippians 4:4). Like the women of faith in Scripture, she trusted in God’s goodness, which gave her joy and strength. Proverbs 31:25 says, "She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come." Elly’s joy was not dependent on circumstances, but rooted in her faith, allowing her to smile through the storms.

Humility – Elly embodied a humble spirit, always placing others before herself.

Boldness and Courage – She faced life’s challenges with unwavering strength and faith.

Patience and Longsuffering – In times of trial, she persevered with grace and endurance.

Love and Good Works – Elly’s life overflowed with love, always seeking to serve others and do good.

Seeking to Please God Above All – She lived with a deep desire to honor God in everything she did, while still encouraging and uplifting others along the way.

Modesty and Devotion to Her Husband – Elly carried herself with modesty, keeping herself devoted entirely to her husband, both in appearance and in heart.

Dedication to Her Children – She was committed to patiently teaching, training, and disciplining her children in obedience to God and to their parents. "Wisdom is proved by her children."

is Better

So thankful I could be by her side for the last 3 years, and especially this last night. The one day each of us await.. has arrived for Elly. She went from my arms to the arms of her strong Savior. (12/23/2024 @1am) He is able to save to the uttermost.. ALL who look to HIM! I was blessed to have much time with her last night, taking care of her and just sitting holding her hand, squeezing her hand, as I spoke more of our living hope, in Christ Jesus who was resurrected from the dead. So we also, who are united to Him, (Gal 2v20) will be resurrected with a perfect body of RIGHTEOUSNESS to live forever together with the LORD. She who was at peace in soul while here with us, is now worshiping her King with no pain. Let her life of faith encourage us to run the race with a bit more sincerity and zeal, asking God for all wisdom and knowledge to press on.. That He might receive the GLORY!

Thank you all my dear dear Brethren who are praying for Elly to recover. We have so many friends who are supporting us and holding us up in different ways that we are again and again shocked at God's kindness towards us. We are hopeful at least 51% through the trouble with dropping the harsh dr|\/|gs before we switched to the natural ones. Yes we don't know how may days.. but she is getting stronger! Today is a bit better than yesterday. I also have a report from yesterday ** We walked out to the porch. Trying to work up to taking short walks outside as we are used to doing together. Thankful for the extra sleep she has in the last 12 hours. Just a bit more than before. I'm at 5-6 now and she is at 4-5 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period. The difference is, she is trying to sleep 75% of the day, but gives up exhausted after 15-45min. Lord please help her. Thank you for praying. (I did switch away from Spurgeon Morning at times, reading to Elly from the Bible, Valley of Vision, Matthew Henry's emailed scripture devotional. Thankful for the many means of Grace God gives us. https://soundcloud.com/trev-n-elly/reading-of-spurgeon-11-26-2024-morning

There, in heaven, this infinite fountain of love — this eternal Three in One — is set open without any obstacle to hinder access to it, as it flows forever. There this glorious God is manifested, and shines forth, in full glory, in beams of love. And there this glorious fountain forever flows forth in streams, yea, in rivers of love and delight, and these rivers swell, as it were, to an ocean of love, in which the souls of the ransomed may bathe with the sweetest enjoyment, and their hearts, as it were, be deluged with love! -- Jonathan Edwards

If you are following us on Facebook, you will be able to view the most recent health update videos.

Please try to use the link if you want to watch, even without your having a Facebook sign in. If there is enough requests, I can also move the videos to a different platform, maybe one that isn't the "BIG 5".

11/21

Elly still going through trouble sleeping as she moves through the transition. Pray for confidence in Christ, and hope during the fight. He is our hope!

11/20

Thank You for Supporting Us on This Journey 💕

For those who are asking about food or meals:

We’ve been recently making significant changes as a family to help Elly heal. The number one focus of our battle for her to live is to remove all GM0 and processed foods from our diet and eat for health. We began this as the foundation of our new health direction, and we did this before transitioning away from the old medicines. Together, the Emptage home has committed to transforming our meals as a family.

I’ve (Trevor) taken on the task of cooking these new meals and teaching our older daughters how to prepare them. Although I’m always looking for better cooks to show all of us a simple classic meal if you wanted to come teach. I’m also handling the preparation and administration of the new plant-based medicines we’re exploring.

For those who are local and wanted to help with meals:

• Please, no restaurant gift cards.

We’re slowly finding organic, high-quality food and learning to cook simpler meals.

• If you’d like to provide something, organic soups or partially prepared, natural meals are a blessing.

Family recipes made with love are welcome as long as they avoid sugar, processed foods, and GMOs. Avoiding gluten is no longer a family main concern, but sugar is—along with all the unhealthy “poisons” like MSG we used to eat, understanding that we might have to pay a price for this "fast" food.

Your love, prayers, and support continue to carry us through this fight. We are beyond grateful for every kind word, gesture, and offering. Thank you for standing with us. ❤️ - Trevor and Elly

11/19

**Prayer request UPDATE** (pray Elly to get real good sleep) - Thanks Everyone for your prayers/support. Elly still having a very rough time right now, but 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬, 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈'𝐦 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥. Please specifically pray that God would be pleased to use the switch from Big Ph@rm/\ to pure plants to actually heal Elly for real and good! We know her race may soon be over, but God could also use our meager efforts and bless them to her health. During the withdrawal process, I am taking care of most things for her, as the different medicinal herbs need to be mixed or prepared. (doses of different sorts every half hour or more) Praise God for providing everything (including experience help locally and far away) we need at this time, sometimes it is daily provision we need to trust Him for. But especially for faith. That is our main request. That God would increase our love of Him, our obedience of Him, our treasuring and adoration/worship of Him would increase. For our good and His Glory!

To all our friends who continue to help us financially: We deeply appreciate each and every gift as a blessing from God. We believe that even the trials we face are blessings, preparing us for Eternity.

Let us all press forward for the Kingdom of God with prayers, proclamations, and rejoicing in every circumstance, with thankfulness toward Him. If you're able to support our family, mission, or evangelism, the easiest way is through Zelle using emp.trevor@gmail.com—there are no fees, and you can set it up as a recurring gift. The @Trevor-Emptage works for Venmo. Reach out if you also want to have any evangelism resources. We are happy to ship you our Custom Tract or something else if you are out there trying to point sinners to Christ!

We remain incredibly thankful and humbled by all the ways God provides for us through His people. GSG is another option for giving, and it also shares the story of Elly's battle and our journey of faith (link in the comments). By God’s grace, we are taking each step forward.

Please also consider supporting other local soldiers of Christ and be encouraged to treasure Christ more deeply. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you 𝐛𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 in proclaiming His great name — loudly declaring His majesty and His power to save sinners.

If you haven't recently, I consider reading the book of John. As it says: "These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name."

(For those asking how they can give, I adapted this message from a comment on our recent livestream.)

Blessings, Trevor

11/18

Please know that we *so* appreciate your prayers, encouragements, and supports. We dearly wish we could speak with each one of you directly about the delights that are found in following Christ. The Lord bless you dear ones!

<VIDEO LINK>

https://www.facebook.com/1179314079/videos/548369911387663/

11/4

Found new way to make the baby giggle, which of course makes the mama giggle.

<VIDEO LINK>

https://www.facebook.com/1179314079/videos/3456597371138915/

11/3

Please pray for my wife. Elly of Trev N Elly . Pain related to progression of disease has increased 3x in the last 3 months. The last 3 weeks have been worse. We need a miracle. Either way. We need God's help. She is a wonderful godly woman, wife, mother and truest friend for those who are sincere. May God make us more like Him. May we find more examples along the way, for His glory and our joy.

-Trev: We were able to join in several evangelism events, including in Seattle outside a Microsoft convention to preach and hand out tracts with the entire family. We also were able to visit twice at Elly's old PP in Tacoma where she had ministered the Rescue that is found in Christ for anyone who would repent, (specifically mama's who would murder their babies). 

9-26-2024 update

The Lord has been sooo kind to us in countless ways during this fellowship/evangelism trip! We had the blessing of getting to fellowship with my very dear sister in Christ, Bridget! We first met on the streets evangelizing in 2008 when I was pregnant with baby Eliana, and we have spent countless hours together since then, nearly all of them engaged in evangelism on the streets or in front of abxxxn mills. Bridget is a tracting machine, and any dear Christian would benefit from spending time with her - her zeal for the Gospel & evangelism is contagious, refreshing, and helpful! I'm also reminded of the huuuge blessing that her two dear daughters were during our years outside of PP - they spent so much time playing with little Eliana and Elise so that we could call out to mamas to have mercy on their babies & to share God's holy law & precious Gospel with our lost & dying neighbors. 

I'm so thankful for the time we had with Bridget and God's great kindness in uniting hearts together in Himself. Praise be to God for sweet fellowship with the saints!

9-24-2024 update

We had the wonderful blessing of visiting our former Church here in Washington yesterday, sitting under the faithful preaching of the Word, worshiping alongside dear saints, and fellowshipping before and after the service. And I was blessed to sit next to my very precious friend and sister in Christ, Chris! What a precious gift the fellowship of the saints is! 

We are looking to join with any (theologically sound) evangelism outings that are going on in the area. If you are in the Western Washington area and are or know of anyone who is participating in Gospel outreaches here, please let us know! We have some plans but would love to join with other saints as well, hoping that the Gospel is going forth on the streets ( ----> My very dear and precious friends/family, may I ask you: when you see crowds of people or even just one person near you, do you consider the state of their soul(s), and that apart from Christ they will perish in their sins, in my dear friend, for all of eternity? Dear friends/family, if your soul is not burdened with the souls of those around you, may I encourage you to plead with God that you would have a growing concern for eternal things, the glory of God in Jesus Christ and the souls of your neighbors? That may seem like a radical prayer compared to this world and even compared to many theologically sound church circles, but when we consider the Bible, it doesn't seem so radical does it?).

9-20-2024 update

I want to apologize for not having provided any health updates since I was discharged from the hospital last month. They took more scans when I was in the hospital and did find that the disease is progressing as the tumors on my liver are growing and a cluster of lymph nodes in my back (?) area have tumors on them. A more recent CT scan also showed that my spine has some degenerative thing happening related to the cancer/treatments. My oncologist has changed me to a new chemo regimen and she is hopeful that this will help fight the cancer. I've had one round of this chemo so far and it was pretty me. We are continuing with chemo and also some natural treatments, although the side effects from both can be quite troubling. 

Overall I have had many challenging days, but the Lord has been kind and good in it all, and Trev and the girls are SO helpful and such a blessing. I have not been feeling well enough to get out regularly for evangelism, though when I do go out the Lord has opened opportunities for Gospel conversations and of course passing out Gospel tracts. There have been many mornings where getting up and going is hard, but I find such relief in turning on the audio Bible and listening to God's Word. It is such a blessing to get my mind off of myself/things below and onto "things above," and what a precious gift it is, to have the promises of God in the Lord Jesus Christ, even as this earthly tent seems to be unreliable and troubled. Having my mind turned to the Word is such a helpful perspective check, and compared to the judgments of God that He poured out in the past*, my afflictons truly are "light and momentary."

All that said, the Lord has kindly provided the opportunity for us to have an evangelism / missions /Gospel / abol---on trip, and we're SO thankful to Him for being given the time / energy / ability to share the soul saving Gospel in the Pacific Northwest. We would SO appreciate your precious prayers for us and those we will encounter. 

--------------------

*Friend/family, please beware, He will judge *all* in righteousness, so flee to Christ in repentance for your rebellious sins and faith in Jesus as the*only* way to be forgiven by a holy God - none of us are promised even one more day.

My sweet Mom took this picture as we stopped at hers and my step Dad Vince's house for a late lunch today. So thankful to see them!

I want to apologize for not having provided any health updates since I was discharged from the hospital last month. They took more scans when I was in the hospital and did find that the disease is progressing as the tumors on my liver are growing and a cluster of lymph nodes in my back (?) area have tumors on them. A more recent CT scan also showed that my spine has some degenerative thing happening related to the cancer/treatments. My oncologist has changed me to a new chemo regimen and she is hopeful that this will help fight the cancer. I've had one round of this chemo so far and it was pretty me. We are continuing with chemo and also some natural treatments, although the side effects from both can be quite troubling.

Overall I have had many challenging days, but the Lord has been kind and good in it all, and Trev and the girls are SO helpful and such a blessing. I have not been feeling well enough to get out regularly for evangelism, though when I do go out the Lord has opened opportunities for Gospel conversations and of course passing out Gospel tracts. There have been many mornings where getting up and going is hard, but I find such relief in turning on the audio Bible and listening to God's Word. It is such a blessing to get my mind off of myself/things below and onto "things above," and what a precious gift it is, to have the promises of God in the Lord Jesus Christ, even as this earthly tent seems to be unreliable and troubled. Having my mind turned to the Word is such a helpful perspective check, and compared to the judgments of God that He poured out in the past*, my afflictons truly are "light and momentary."

All that said, the Lord has kindly provided the opportunity for us to have an evangelism / missions /Gospel / abol---on trip, and we're SO thankful to Him for being given the time / energy / ability to share the soul saving Gospel in the Pacific Northwest. We would SO appreciate your precious prayers for us and those we will encounter.

--------------------

*Friend/family, please beware, He will judge *all* in righteousness, so flee to Christ in repentance for your rebellious sins and faith in Jesus as the*only* way to be forgiven by a holy God - none of us are promised even one more day.

My sweet Mom took this picture as we stopped at hers and my step Dad Vince's house for a late lunch today. So thankful to see them!

9-1-2024 - From Trev. Elly is still having trouble, but we are very thankful to be able to manage it at home with our wonderful girls. (Elly will post update soon on all the other details)

8-23-2024

We are back at home now, praise the Lord! I will try to update with more details tomorrow, but in the meantime we wanted to thank you SO much for your precious prayers, love, and encouragements!

8-22-2024

Hospital evangelism again 🙈 

Checked in to ER and praying for answers to ongoing sharp abdominal pain 😥😬🙈 Thank you for praying dear friends and family ❤️ 

(Pic from a better day 😊, but praise the Lord, He is good to us ALL the time, and is trustworthy, and worthy of everything)

(2 days ago)

I had another infusion appointment this morning; they generally are scheduled once every three weeks. My doctor removed the chemotherapy part of the infusion today so it was only immunotherapy and pre-meds, but they knocked me out for the last 5 hours or so. I'm SO thankful for Trev and the girls' help when I'm so incapacitated (and every other time! The Lord is SO kind to me through them and all of our church / family / friends!). My oncologist doc said that after six rounds of the chemo that I have had, they don't want to give me this specific chemo any more since the side effects could become long-term, staying with me even if I don't take the chemo any more. I am still taking an oral chemo regimen along with the immunotherapy infusions, and though we're not sure why my CEA numbers have gone up (mostly holding steady at a pretty high number) and my pain level is still hard to manage, they said they are comfortable with the maintenance oral chemo because the CT scans show the lesions are relatively steady/not getting larger. We are also using some natural protocols to supplement the "traditional" treatments. We are SO thankful to God for each day and for the help I'm receiving in many ways. Thank you dear ones for praying for me / us! The Lord has been SO gracious and continues to show Himself worthy of all joyful adoration and obedience through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. Before the infusion this morning, I had the blessing of speaking with a kind lady named Alice who also is trusting in the Lord with her cancer diagnosis and treatments; what a difference it makes if our BIGGEST problem (our sin against a holy God!!) is taken care of in Christ! Everything else is just details. That said 🙂 I do appreciate your prayers for endurance in the physical trials that come along with the diagnosis. Thank you all SO much for your precious prayers, love, support, and encouragements! The Lord bless you dear ones!

Pic from today checking in at the infusion center and of me and our littlest sweet potato last week

Over the last few weeks my CEA numbers have been going up, as has my pain level (they've upped my pain meds to address this 😬, trying their best to keep me away from any Tylenol and ibuprofen), so they scheduled me for another stat CT scan today, just three weeks after the last scan. Hoping for some answers, but trusting in the goodness of the Lord. Remember dear friends, the enemy of our souls always wants to make us question God's goodness, and to plant seeds of bitterness - so hold tight to the Savior!

You keep him in perfect peace

    whose mind is stayed on You,

    because he trusts in You.

Trust in the Lord forever,

    for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.

Isaiah 26 v 3-4

Thank you all for your prayers, encouragements, and love! The Lord bless you dear ones!

(Pic of our precious little Olivia outside of PP last week 🙂 )

UPDATE:

The scan basically said there are no significant changes. There are a couple of words we need to look up but I think overall the narrative says things are consistent. Very thankful, thank you for praying! ❤️ - Elly <We are still concerned about how things are going so we are spending extra time/energy to add some natural protocols back into the mix, praying God will use something that will make a difference for good. - Trev>

Blessings and thanks to God for all of you who pray so regularly for Elly and our family. We appreciate your prayers and support more than can be communicated. May God bless you with the blessings you lavish upon us in Christ.  As with anyone's life, there are ups and downs, God granting each one of us the strength to press on, Family/Church/Civil Spheres and Outreaches frequently must go on. <Pic from recent outreach>

New longer updating coming soon (Elly just now got another CT scan today)

Apologies for those who get updates here and not on Facebook. Posting here a few short updates Elly has been making. 

June 21st

One year ago today the tumor was removed from my colon, one day after the cancer diagnosis, and ten days after our little Olivia was born.

The cancer had already metastasized, but in all these things, the Lord knew. He has given us SO many opportunities to share the soul-saving Gospel in ways and places we would not have been able to, and we trust He will continue to use this trial for His own glory, and for our good, no matter what direction this goes. The Lord is SO good and kind to us! ALL glory to God alone! Thank you all SO much for your love, encouragement, support, and prayers!

June 17th

At the palliative* care doc appointment. Thank you for praying dear friends and family 🙂

*she just helps with pain management - yes I am still getting treatments, and doing some natural at home too

June 16th

 wrote this exactly one year ago today. Little did we know this was the first visit to the ER out of three within a week, and only on the third one would we find out the true reason I was having troubles. But the Lord knew...praise God for His perfect Providence and goodness! 

Also, thank you all SOOO much for your precious prayers all this time!

June 11th

One year ago today! Our precious little Olivia was born, as weak as I was (little did we know what things we would find out in the following days, but the Lord knew!), and oh how our hearts rejoice at the countless blessings the Lord has given us! 

(And wow how have our precious daughters grown!)

4-26

Please continue to pray, Elly is very weak and struggling to find rest/energy/health. Still fighting the effects of cancer/treatment. -Trev

4-25

I was released from the hospital yesterday evening, here is a pic of us waiting in the room for the discharge papers. Praise the Lord! So glad to be back home. Still have health challenges and some unanswered questions but I think it's all part of the cancer thing. Thank you for praying!!

4-22

Well we thought of making a run for it but I'm still hooked up to this IV and they still don't know what's going on in my abdomen, though based on several scans/x-rays they're pretty sure it is related to the surgery I had in late January. I'm scheduled for another CT scan this evening which hopefully will yield more answers. And maybe after that I will be able to not have a restricted liquids-only diet .Thank you SO much for praying dear friends and family! We are so thankful for you and for our precious friends and family who are helping us practically during this challenge. The Lord has been so good to us in the ups and the downs and we are thankful to be repeatedly reminded about our desperate need for Christ and that our ultimate hope is not in this world. We are thankful that our biggest problem has already been solved - our innumerable rebellious sins against God have been forgiven because of the shed blood of Christ (dear friends and family, if you have not yet - flee to Jesus in repentance for your sins and faith in His Substitutionary sacrifice for our sins & perfect life of righteousness on our behalf to be accepted by God "in Christ alone!"). Everything else is just small details. The Lord bless you dear ones! "For He who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

4-20

We are back at the ER, it's definitely busy with a full waiting room this time. Elly still is having serious side-effects from the colon cancer treatments. Please pray that she is actually helped, same reason we went to the ER last week. -Trev Trevor Emptage

4-19

Happy times with baby at the doctor earlier today (smiling here but I may have cried earlier today from pain ). Trying to get help for my multiple challenging side effects from treatments, possibly from meds administered at the hospital too. Thank you all for praying!

4-15

*Update 3* Thank you for all your prayers and support. We are now resting, fully checked into the hospital for probably a two-day stay. They haven't found any serious problems in fact I think they found some good news after another CT scan. But she was having some complications due to the chemo. Should have more updates in a day or two. **** Please pray. Elly very weak and has fever and is in ER. *Update 2* They will be keeping her at the hospital. She doesn't have a flu according to the tests, we just got a CT scan and we are waiting for results. We're still looking for why she had such a high fever. Nothing bad found yet *Update 1* Answered prayer! Blood drawn and they switched to use port for the IV. Specific prayer request for successful IV. (First two trys veins didn't cooperate) Thank you! -Trev

3 updates here today, health/etc video at bottom and some evangelism, and I will try to send out the most recent ones soon/tomorrow.

4-11

Lots of ladies at the store got a kick out of Olivia being carried like this She loves it and feels totally safe with Daddy

4-11

We are out at PP and would appreciate your prayers dear Christians. Already very "lively" here with many advocating for mxxxxer

4-9

https://www.facebook.com/1179314079/videos/311262518421314/

Update and other things we remember as we go 🙈

Edit to add: included info on health, evangelism, how to get your posts more seen, and upcoming evangelism conference, and I think that's it.

3-4-2024

I just started my first round of a new treatment and would appreciate your prayers dear friends and family. The Lord is so gracious, and has been exceedingly and shockingly good to one such as me, He has given me a very kind lot in life, and I can say with the Psalmist that "the lines have fallen for me in pleasant places" (Psalm 16 v 6). Side effects may not start for three to four days, so please do keep us in prayer, including my dear Trevor and our precious children.

"If none of God's saints were poor and tried, we should not know half so well the consolations of divine grace." -from today's morning devotion of Spurgeon's Morning and Evening (if you don't have this book dear friend, please get it asap, it's also available online).

-----------------------Later on that same day----------

Done with treatment yay 🙂 Not feeling great but we stopped to get a coffee and handed the young man at the coffee shop a Gospel tract. He was super thankful/surprised and said he'd never gotten one before. Friends, please consider that this young man, maybe twenty years old, lives in a country where we have the ability and the freedom to hand out Biblical Gospel literature and he's never gotten a Gospel tract yet. Please consider buying some Biblical Gospel tracts and handing out the "silent preachers" to your lost and perishing neighbors, for the glory of God, that "the Lamb who was slain might receive the full reward for his suffering!"

----A few days later--------

https://www.facebook.com/1179314079/videos/704696045174287/

Quick video answering questions from a recent post #Gospel #Evangelism #GospelTracts #GreatCommission

Two Updates This time:

I was discharged from the hospital last night and we slept in our own beds again last night, praise the Lord! Thank you so much for your precious prayers and encouragements! And thank you again to the dear saints who SO lovingly help us out during these challenges! Jon, Casie, Randy, Kathy, R&K E., and all the other dear ones the Lord has surrounded us with. And to my precious Trevor, I could not ask for a more loving, supportive, and wonderful husband and Dad to our kiddos. The Lord is exceedingly kind to us ❤️

-Elly

2/2/2024  -- Thought we'd do hospital evangelism again 😬🙈😊🙈 Getting checked back in to the hospital because of inflamed small intestines (I'm quite uncomfortable but not in pain per se). They're running blood work to make sure there is not a leak from the surgery last week, but the doctor we initially saw does not think there is. He said the problems I'm having are not too unusual, praise the Lord. Thank you for praying!

Hello dear friends & family! We are outside of the local hxmxsexxxl "church," across the street from the courthouse, sharing the Gospel, passing out Gospel tracts, and the men are preaching Christ. Praise be to God for such a privilege, to point fellow sinners to the Savior!

I wanted to give a health update as many have asked, and I cannot thank you enough for your precious prayers and encouragements! I want to insert here that when I make a post and you comment on it, I read every single comment and I'm SO thankful for you dear ones. I often have memories of former interactions that we have had as I read your comments, remembering the kindness of God in blessing me with such dear friends and family. Once again I ask your forgiveness, and offer my sincere apologies for often not responding to the comments. I appreciate *every* single one of them. My time and energy is just very limited. That said, I hope each of you dear ones know that I do not take for granted one encouragement, prayer, anything. I'm extremely thankful to God for you dear ones. What kindness and love He has shown to me through you!!!

So back to my health. I have surgery on Friday related to the colon cancer. I am very thankful to have this surgery, but I very much need your prayers for recovery, and encouragement and strength for my dear Trevor and precious girls as they function without Mama for a bit. I will probably be in the hospital 2 to 3 days, and I'm not looking forward to hearing that my baby is too heavy for me to pick up for awhile (I hope they don't say that!). We will of course be going to the hospital with a large pile of our Gospel tracts, kindly provided by Andy at Gospel Tract Planet (TractPlanet . com). The last time I was at this hospital for my emergency colon surgery, when the cancer was first discovered, we handed out probably around 100 or more Gospel tracts. Friend, would all of this not be worth it, if the Lord would graciously save even *one* soul who otherwise never would have heard the Biblical Gospel? It absolutely would be worth it! "That the Lamb who was slain might receive the full reward for His suffering!" The Lord is worthy, and He is good, and it is a precious thing to trust in Him for this life and the next.

As I mentioned in previous posts my cancer activity numbers (CEA) were higher than usual, somewhat significantly higher. But we are not sure if that was related to a parasite cleanse and other things going on in my gut, as the gut is where the CEA numbers are tested. We are hoping and praying and working towards healing, trusting the Lord and doing what we are able. That said, I have been feeling weaker this week, but the Lord knows. I very much look forward to this surgery being over and in two and a half weeks after the surgery I will have my CEA numbers tested again. Please do pray for wisdom as to what protocols to implement after the surgery to try to boost my body back up. I have been weaning off of the at home treatment plan we got in Tijuana as the supplements and meds have run out, and I am trying to be aggressive with the various protocols that fight cancer, including diet of course.

We are extremely thankful to God for every day. When I went into the hospital in June of last year they said I had 6 to 12 months to live (I'm assuming if I did nothing). Praise be to God, there has been much healing with my time in Mexico and various helps given, but most of all the precious prayers of the saints. I wish I could tell each of you in person my deep heartfelt gratitude for your great kindness and precious prayers during this trial. And my dear friend, if your sins have not been forgiven by our holy God through the Lord Jesus Christ, if He has not (yet) granted you genuine repentance for your sins and saving faith in Jesus Christ as your only and perfect Substitute, let me urge you today to "seek the Lord while He may be found." While my health is challenged right now, friend, any one of you may enter eternity before me if the Lord were to ordain it. We are not promised to even make it to our pillows tonight. Consider your sins before a holy God, who is just and perfect and will not accept merely an apology, not even with tears, as payment for your sins. He will only accept the perfect righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ as He absorbed God's wrath on the cross for the sins of His people as the only way He could forgive a sinner like you or me. Please consider your eternal soul in light of God's holy justice, and flee to Christ for mercy. I look forward to seeing the precious faces of each of my dear friends and family who have been reconciled to God through Christ on the other side of eternity (or on this side, Lord willing!!) - and I hope that means each one of you dear ones reading this. The Lord bless you dear ones!

I wanted to give a slightly past-due update. I'm sorry for not giving this sooner, but for several reasons the most recent CEA testing (cancer activity numbers) was somewhat inconclusive. One thing that they have been doing for a couple months now is using a new machine to test my CEA, as they said the old machine needed re-calibrating, and this new machine gives higher CEA numbers than the old machine (until recently they were providing me with both sets of numbers), and therefore the numbers I now have do not give a full picture of the progress. Additionally, I have been on a certain med for the past month that disrupts normal activity in the gut, which is where the CEA activity is measured, so there's that. And lastly, I did a parasite cleanse recently and that too very likely affected the CEA numbers. All that said, when I saw my oncologist a couple of weeks ago she said that my CEA numbers had doubled (with the new machine's calibration) and was showing at about 150 - much higher than before. But with all the points above, we are not alarmed, and either way we are trusting in the Lord. He has been faithful thus far and has given grace for all of our needs, and every breath is a mercy from our dear God. Overall I have been feeling very good, though this past week I have had an ongoing cough, which today I can gladly say is starting to go away (yay!) - likely just from detoxing, no biggie. I have a test on my colon later this week to test readiness for surgery on it, and next week I have another scan to see how the lesions on my liver are doing, as well as another blood draw to test my CEA numbers, and finally another appt with my oncologist. We are SO thankful to God for His goodness poured out on us through and because of our dear Savior Jesus Christ, and we give many thanks to God for each of you dear ones who love, pray for, support, and encourage us! The Lord bless you dear ones!

I have been reflecting on God's Providence in life this year, and in the lives of loved ones. It has been a challenging year, knowing so many dear ones who have passed into eternity, some to eternal joy in Christ, some not ((weep)).

I found out that another dear person I met in Tijuana, J, passed into eternity today, hearing the wonderful words "Well done, good and faithful servant." His dear wife Elizabeth became a good friend to me when we were down there, and she is now a widow, and on the other side of the country, so I cannot hug her or physically help her. This was their second time in Tijuana, and J's body had been ravaged by the full dose ch*m0 treatments he received in the US; he was in a wheelchair when they arrived this summer but he left walking and feeling much better (he planned on continuing to fight cancer back at home, where costs would largely be covered by insurance). But his lungs were destroyed by treatments in the past, and he finally succumbed today.

Another dear lady I met when I was there passed away while we were in Tijuana, her body succumbing to an infection that they just could not get under control - they tried both in Tijuana and in San Diego, to no avail. She had been one of the chipper, bouncy people I met when we first arrived. Some of the dear ones we met there arrived in very poor condition, trying to recover from what they went through in the US, and all were trying to find natural-minded health that was not confined by orgs with an $ agenda.

Please pray for my dear friend A, who is currently back home and undergoing the best treatments available to her, but trusting the Lord in all these things. Please also pray for all dear ones we encountered there, and their support family/friends who were with them.

The Lord in His Providence allowed some of us to walk into that treatment center, and some to practically crawl in. I appreciate my friend Dennis (who recommended the center and is now cancer free) urging me and Trevor to not delay going to Tijuana if we were able (and I give MANY thanks to God for His amazing kindness shown through SO many dear ones who prayed, encouraged, and supported us heading to Mexico for treatment - SO many thanks - I wish I could thank *each* one of you in person, expressing genuine heartfelt gratitude!).

This has been an interesting year, trying in many ways, but in every way - an opportunity to give glory to God. Every person we came into contact with in Mexico* received a Gospel tract; I hope and pray that those outside of Christ consider(ed) their eternal souls before a holy God, prior to that last breath they take/took. And I pray that you, dear friend, consider it too. We each have to face God on the day of judgment. Will you be able to say, with full confidence (*not* in yourself - but in **Christ**) that Jesus is your only and perfect Substitute in every way, and the only reason God would ever let you into heaven? I mean, very truly, friend - would you confess yourself to be completely deserving of God's full, just, and holy wrath because of your sins, if it were not for the unmerited grace of Jesus Christ? The Bible clearly tells us in 1 Corinthians 13 v 5 to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith. Please do so, friend. GoodPersonTest com / AreYouPretending com. Whether we are healthy and live a long time or our life is cut short by disease or an accident, we must all face the God who made us on the Great Day of Judgment (even if you, Romans 1 style, deny that He exists).

"One life to live

Twill soon be past

Only what is done

For Christ will last"

The Lord bless you dear ones!

*Everyone at the hospital & docs here in the US received tracts, too

We want to thank *each* one of you for your precious encouragements, support, and prayers! We are SOOO thankful!! The Lord has been exceedingly kind, and is good in ALL He does (whether it is good news or bad news).

The CT scan I had a couple of weeks ago was the second one performed in Oregon; the first one was performed on June 19th. The 6/19/23 CT scan showed that I had about 15 lesions on my liver. When we arrived in Mexico at the beginning of August, they performed an ultrasound on my liver and found that there were many more lesions than the CT had shown just six weeks earlier. My cancer activity (CEA) numbers were also significantly higher by that time - the 6/19/23 CEA (in Oregon) was around 300 and the beginning of August CEA (in Mexico) was around 950 (we are continuing to praise the Lord that this number is down to the high 30's now!!). Toward the end of our stay in Tijuana, they did a CT scan and found that I had many lesions on my liver still, though they gladly reported that the number of lesions was definitely reduced from that initial ultrasound in Mexico. During our last week there they performed a surgery to apply an immunotherapy treatment directly to the four largest lesions on my liver.

We were expecting to not get great news about the lesions, as the Mexico ultrasound/CT scan had shown more than the original 15 lesions found originally in Oregon and my layman reading of the recent Oregon CT scan results (online medical report) had me thinking there were many lesions. BUT we found out from our local doc on Thursday that the Oregon CT scan results from a couple of weeks ago show that the 15 original liver lesions have remained the *same* size - there has been no growth in the lesions - praise the Lord!!! They also found that there are three little spots they didn't see before, but they acknowledge them as a possibly just being more conspicuous now. It is amazing that they are seeing many less lesions than when we first arrived in Mexico! And now we're back to the original number, and holding fast! Our oncologist said that the goal is to either see the lesions not growing or to see them shrinking - both are good news. But now you might see the challenge in explaining this all - as the Oregon docs didn't see/perform the ultrasound or CT scan done in Mexico, they cannot (legally?) compare and say there has been vast improvement (though the CEA numbers and non-growth says *a lot* praise the Lord!!). But based on looking at the data of the tests and observations in the two different countries, we are praising the Lord for excellent news 🙂 I am so SO incredibly thankful for the healthy treatments given in Mexico (at Immunity Therapy Center fyi) and the ongoing at-home treatment plan, and am SO thankful for the help we are getting (limited as it may be, by our choice) from the docs here.

We are praising the Lord and thanking Him for His unending mercies found in Christ alone! Thank you, dear friends and family (SO much - seriously I wish I could thank *each* one of you face to face with genuine heartfelt words) for your precious encouragements, prayers, support, and kindness. The Lord has been exceedingly kind to me/us during this trial. The Lord bless you dear ones!

Pic: Our precious little Olivia, who is 1 week older than my official cancer diagnosis, is now 4.5 months old! We're SO thankful for her, and the joy she brings to our family is immeasurable. Children surely are a blessing from the Lord!!

This post is doing double duty:

-Some dear ones have asked for a pic of our family including Eliana and Elise - this was picture was taken about a week after we happily reunited from our Tijuana healing adventures (thank you Grandma Candy for visiting and for taking the picture!). Eliana is on the far left and is now officially taller than I am 😳 and Elise is on the far right and is definitely taller too!

-I received the updated cancer activity numbers (CEA) today and it is DOWN over 11 points!! I'm at 37.3 right now (single digits are "normal" range) - ***praise the Lord***!!! 😭

The scan from yesterday still shows a lot of lesions on my liver but I'll have to get details of what that means from my doctor's appointment next week. The online medical portal has a lot of medical language that I couldn't quite make out, but I did read that they did not see the cancer spreading to other organs, so praising the Lord for that too! 🙂

Psalm 16 v 5-6

The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;

    You hold my lot.

The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;

    indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

Friends & family, thank you SOOO much for your very precious love, support, encouragements, and prayers! The Lord bless you dear ones!

Dear friends, please praise the Lord with us!! We went to our local Oregon oncologist yesterday for an appointment we had set before we left for Mexico. The Mexico docs wanted us to pursue getting an immunotherapy treatment here and our local oncologist said she will look into it (please do pray that she will approve and administer it!). The treatment was administered a number of times via IV as well as a surgery application directly to tumors on my liver, which seems to have provided good results. We were very encouraged and pleasantly surprised that our Oregon oncologist seems to be willing to work with the protocol that the Mexico docs recommend, even though as she noted "it is not the norm." But it gets better. We had blood tests run yesterday, and my tumor marker numbers came down even more. Read below to find out the numbers! I'll list what they've been since the cancer was discovered about one week after little Olivia was born:

-June 19 ~300

-July 25 ~600

-8/1 956

-8/14 897

-8/21 1227 (it shot up and was unreliable at the time because one of the treatments was troubling/affecting my gut)

-8/28 639

-9/4 367

-9/11 237 (last measure in Tijuana)

-And finally, yesterday's number -- is **48.1**!! Praise the Lord!!!

The oncologist is scheduling a CT scan to see how the tumors on my liver are doing. When they measured my liver function numbers in Tijuana, the function was always good - praise the Lord! They said that while it is unusual for the liver function to work well with tumors on it, it does happen sometimes - and we're SO thankful. There is still a real battle against the cancer and we don't know what the tumors / tumor images will look like, but we are very encouraged and giving many thanks to God!

I have been feeling very good since our return and am on the Tijuana-at-home treatment plan which includes many supplements and cancer fighting things. I'm SO thankful that I have had good energy to be able to serve the Lord at home & go for evangelism outings, even multiple times in a week! The Lord is SO good to us. When I was initially hospitalized I was doubly convinced that even if my body wastes away, as long as my soul is secure in Christ ( ----> as long as my many sins have been forgiven by God through Jesus Christ) then nothing else matters...that said, we're fighting for life, trusting in the Lord, and trying to use our time well - for the glory of God and good of our dear neighbors. I can't tell you how much of a blessing it is to serve our dear Savior by telling others about the salvation found in Him alone! We are all rejoicing in God's great kindness and hope and pray that we will use our time well. Thank you all SOOO much for your precious prayers, encouragements, support, and kindness!!

Soli Deo Gloria

We arrived safely home this past Saturday and are happily reunited with our precious Eliana and Elise! Please forgive my delayed posting - it's been a whirlwind of activity since we returned! We are SOOO thankful for all the dear Christians who lovingly cared for and helped Eliana & Elise & Trevor/me/baby Olivia during this time! We are SO happy to be back home. I have a boatload of meds/supplements I am taking and praise God, I feel very good. I do plan on starting one med that takes me down a few notches (or more) on Sunday, so I'd sure appreciate your prayers. The Lord has been exceedingly kind to us (including allowing us to have several days with the girls' Grandma Candy!). We were able to go out to the Farmer's Market yesterday for evangelism and then I made a happy mistake in putting Olivia's car seat in the stroller facing outwards (I have previously only placed it facing me), which she *loved*, and it encouraged loving mamas/grandmas at a store (after evangelism) to stop and say some kind words about Olivia - and easily opened the door for handing them Gospel tracts! Thank you SO much for your precious prayers, love, support, encouragements - I give many thanks to God for you dear ones!

From Trevor: Please pray as we seek to start working again with American Oncology folks.. We hope they will take all the work that has been done and continue with what is needed. 

Last Wednesday I had a CT scan to see how my liver is doing, which was covered in lesions when my colon cancer was discovered in Oregon in June. Apparently the ultrasound I had when we first arrived in Tijuana showed even more lesions than I had in Oregon six weeks prior. There has been improvement in the size of the lesions from when we arrived here, but currently there are still many to deal with.

I am scheduled for a (somewhat minor-ish) immunotherapy surgery tomorrow evening, a treatment applied directly to the liver cancer lesions. Please pray it goes well and I show enough improvement so that we can, Lord willing, return home on Saturday. The Doctor has prepared to send us home with a comprehensive at home treatment plan which includes two of the more serious treatments that can be administered at home (praise the Lord!), several recommended treatment machines/devices, and three months' supply of the recommended supplements. We will have the option to purchase more of these at home treatment plan items when our supply runs out if we still need them and choose to do so, which is wonderful since one of the treatments is a specific treatment for my own cancer taken from my own biopsy, and some these items/treatments are not available in the US. We will also be meeting with the naturopathic doctor back in Oregon, and possibly the oncologist to see if they are willing to work with the plan administered and recommended by the doctors there in Tijuana.

I am feeling hopeful and so much better, though we are coming to understand that fighting this cancer is going to be ongoing, long-haul work. That said, we are still praying for a miracle! We're SO thankful to have the treatments here, the upcoming surgery, and the at home treatment plan. Thank you SO much for your precious prayers, support, and encouragements! The Lord bless you dear ones!

From Trevor: We have been asked by some folks if we still could use support, and even though we can thankfully say that for now, these treatments and the ones in the near future are taken care of, there are many unknowns for a full healing, and we appreciate if anyone wants to continue supporting Elly's future needs.

My heart is rejoicing at such a great God, and such a glorious Savior! What gifts He has given us in Himself, His Bride, His Gospel, His living hope that He places in the hearts of those He has purchased with His own precious blood. God is mighty, and greatly to be praised! All He does is right dear Saints, even in the hardest trials, He proves Himself to be good. I, my Trevor and our family are SO incredibly thankful to our brothers and sisters in Christ who have sprung into action exactly when we needed you the most. We serve such a wonderful God, and give many thanks to Him for each of you for your prayers, encouragement, and support. The Lord bless you dear ones! <video also on Elly's Facebook> https://www.facebook.com/1179314079/videos/1021206372399805/

I have been so enjoying letting this precious little girl take her naps in my arms lately when I am not at the clinic having treatments. I'm at the clinic now, preparing for a CT scan, and hoping and praying that the treatments I have received so far will prove to have shrunken the lesions on my liver. They tested my tumor marker numbers this week and we are praising God for good results on that test; there is far to go but it's definitely headed in the right direction. Thank you so much for praying!!

From Trevor: We have great news, numbers are down in the 300s after all the treatment. 3 would be for the normal average person so we're still several hundred away from not having the cancer active but it went down from 900. We request prayer that we receive strength/encouragement/funding so that we might be able to finish the treatment down here.. Doctor just now recommended that we stay at least two more weeks, and also we need to purchase treatments to take home. Costs have been about 10K per week and the take home treatments package is at least that or more. The wonderful folks, our friends at Abolitionists Rising are helping us again, and launched a video for Elly! This will hopefully help fund whatever treatments we still need here or at home Elly that she needs. Really hopeful that she will be helped even more now and be able to press forward the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness together with all of us who love her for many, LORD willing, many many more years! So thankful that we have been able to get this far. Praise God! https://youtu.be/6fkHrxtnDMQ?si=QYvke9MRV6z_VvjC

Multiple posts combined here. Starting on 8/26/2023

He fell asleep while we held hands last night. We had a difficult conversation at bedtime a couple nights ago as we discussed that it may indeed be God's design that I should not be healed on this side of eternity, and that I might see our dear Savior face to face soon. It is of course the sweetest hope to *see* and *be*with* my dear Jesus, but I do desire to spend this life together with Trevor and our precious children, especially as it breaks my heart to think of leaving them (and so many other loved ones) behind. And while I know we can never pay back even an ounce of what Christ had done for us (He has done it ALL!!) I also can't help but think that on my deathbed I would be ashamed to not have done more to bring honor to God's worthy Name...no matter what little work I may have given Him for the glory due to his Name. My friend, may I encourage you to consider what things will pass through your mind on your deathbed? Will your life have yielded much honor to Christ? He IS worthy.

8/29/2023

Another day...another IV poke 😬🙈 (they usually stay in three days but my body is having trouble with the IVs lately). I'm feeling better than I was, praise the Lord, but I do have another round of the challenging treatments on Thursday; side effects can last up to two weeks 😬 but it's necessary and I'm thankful 😊

9/1/2023

Yesterday I had another round of the treatment that has challenging side effects, and those can take a few days to set in. But today I still feel good, so Trevor, little Olivia, and I walked to the grocery store nearby before I left for the treatment center (since I am still feeling good I encouraged Trevor to stay at the apartment so he can do his remote computer work with more ease, not needing to do quite as much juggling with little Olivia there). I really like that the treatment center lets you choose whether you have the morning shift of treatments or the afternoon shift. I chose the afternoon so I can get as much rest as my body will allow. Treatments are about six hours per day, six days per week. We're so thankful to be able to get this help and my body does seem to be responding well to the treatments. I will have a CT scan next week and we are praying that it shows the lesions on my liver have shrunken...hopefully significantly! Thank you dear ones for your love, encouragement, and prayers! The Lord has been exceedingly kind to us in countless ways.

"As a father shows compassion to his children,

so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear Him." Psalm 103 v 13

(Pic of us at the grocery store)

8/25/2023

Snuggling my precious Olivia before leaving for treatments earlier this afternoon. It's been a rough week+ but praise God I feel better today (even with the ongoing side effects from treatments). I'll take one day at a time and give thanks to God for each one...even the hard ones. I thank God for the love and support of my dear Trevor and for your precious prayers on our behalf.

8/9/2023

Thank you so much for praying for us! My new treatments that have potential side effects went well yesterday, and though I am very slightly feverish today, I feel well. They said it could take one to three days for side effects to kick in, and we are trusting the Lord for grace for what may or may not come. Trevor has an ultrasound scheduled for his leg in less than an hour and they took blood work yesterday. We're so thankful for their willingness to help! It seems that we may be able to handle it here rather than him having to cross the border into San Diego. Little Olivia is doing well, healthy and cute as ever, easily contented, praise the Lord! We're so thankful for your precious prayers! I also want to mention, because I think of it regularly, how *much* I appreciate ALL your comments. I *sooooo* wish I could respond to them but most often do not have the time or wherewithal to do so, but *please* be assured I read and appreciate them all 🙂

Pic is from right before treatments yesterday; snuggling Olivia is my favorite "therapy" 🙂

Apologies for the late updates. Pulling these from https://www.facebook.com/elly.mcmashehu1 for those who have Facebook. Going to post a few here starting from 8/7/2023

I have had one full week of treatments now, praise the Lord! Tomorrow I start two new (additional) treatments that are supposed to have definite challenging side effects, so I would appreciate your prayers dear Christians. I have seen some other patients undergoing treatments that have made them quite incapacitated, and I am hoping and praying that I will still be able to communicate and pass out Gospel tracts to new people. Pictured on the left is my IV entry point covered up at the end of the day. Please also pray for Trevor - he has had some concerning symptoms that may indicate a blood clot in his leg. We spoke with my doctor here today and Trev will be checked out tomorrow. He may need to cross the border into San Diego to go to a VA hospital if it is something serious. Pictured on the right is Trevor on Daddy duty while I get my treatments 🙂 Thank you so much for praying! What a blessing to know that the Lord knows all these things, and that He is able to uphold His weak and needy children - that HE may receive all glory. Thank you so much for praying, dear ones!

Today is the first day of treatment for me at the treatment center - we are SO thankful to be here! Trevor is working remotely (pictured working at lunch here) and has handed out a zillion Gospel tracts and had as many Gospel conversations, too. He is also a walking abolitionist billboard and is trying to awaken sleeping consciences to the abortion holocaust. Thank you SO much for praying for us!

Thank you all so SO much for your wonderful encouragement, prayers, support, and kindness - I am VERY humbled by God's kindness through you dear ones. Since my emergency colon surgery about 6 weeks ago we have met with various doctors and had blood tests drawn, as well as explored many options for treatment. We have finally decided on a comprehensive treatment plan that gives us most hope and options for treatment, and we are exceedingly thankful to God that because of His great kindness through so many, we are able to begin treatment with this route. 

There are local options for treatment, but they generally have a strong emphasis on chemo with a supplementing of natural helps to deal with chemo side effects (like 90% hardcore chemotherapy with 10% assistance in dealing with the challenges through naturopathy). Many, many treatments that have been proven effective for treating cancer have been disallowed within our boarders (minus the a), because, well...that thing that is the root of many evils. And there are many treatments that are highly effective in boosting the body's immune system to fight cancer that are not available in the US at the needed doses; for example, one treatment that has been well known for many years to help in cancer prevention or treatment (as one of many needed helps) is apricot kernels/B17; several dear ones have suggested this to me recently. I looked into it further and found that in order to get the dosing I need with stage four cancer - I would need to consume 1/2 lbs. to 1 lbs. of apricot kernels per day (edit to add: I mention this treatment specifically because it is one of the dozens of treatments they can give in proper helpful doses, this one specifically through IV). There are many wonderful treatments that can be done, but the higher doses needed and/or the specific treatments needed are not found within our boarders (minus the a). That said, we have found (after hundreds of hours of research) that 15 minutes across the US boarder (minus the a) in Tijuana - the city with the highest concentration of alternative cancer treatment centers in the world (for a reason!) - that I will be able to get the specialized help that we have been looking for. Very early on in our research Tijuana was repeatedly mentioned, and we have spoken with a friend who had stage 4 cancer who is now cancer free after his treatments at a specific clinic there, and he and others have *highly* recommended this specific clinic. And in preparation for our travels, Trevor has ordered a good number of Spanish Gospel tracts for our upcoming healing adventure south of the boarder (minus the a). So we are considering this a missions trip to Mexico 🙂 🙂 In all seriousness though 🙂 we heartily believe "Whatever God ordains is right..." We do not know why the Lord has allowed this trial, but dear friend, if even one dear soul - whether Spanish or English speaking - comes to Christ because of the Gospel being spread in our health journey, is it not ALL worth it? Yes! A very hearty YES! And to go even one step more - if not even one soul were to be saved through this trial, and yet Jesus Christ be glorified for being lifted up as **worthy** - would this not ALL be worth it!?! Again, a very hearty YES! He is worthy of ALL.

We are so SO thankful for all of your wonderful helps to us - including the many recommendations that were made. Many (if not most?) of you will be very glad to hear that the very therapies you suggested are used by this clinic. We have spoken with them numerous times and the head doctor did say that since I am stage 4 cancer that I will likely need chemotherapy, but that it will be specialized, targeted chemo, unlike the treatment that was suggested to us locally. The approach at this clinic is to work very aggressively to boost the immune system, and use chemo as necessary to supplement. We have worked through all the details of what this treatment/location will mean for me/us, and we are trusting the Lord as we move forward. We are not sure how long we will be there (both finances and necessity will dictate, all within God's sovereign care) but at this point we are able to begin treatments. There is SO much more to say, but I'll pause for now, and praise God for the love shown through you dear ones through this trial. I have been and continue to be VERY humbled by your kind words, encouragements, support, and prayers - I SO wish I could respond to each of your comments/posts/messages! We rejoice in God's kindness and goodness, in not only saving our souls from what we deserve - eternal punishment for our sin/rebellion against Him - by looking upon Jesus Christ as our perfect and only sufficient Substitute, but in giving us this life and SO many things to be thankful for. How could He be SO kind to such as us!?! Amazing grace indeed! We will be heading out early next week and will certainly keep updating! And *thank*you* SO much for your precious prayers!!

.........

This pic was taken at church last week next to the coffee maker...of which I can no longer partake 😬😭😊 (but as Trevor says, it is worth it to give up these things in order to live). I have never been a fan of posting pics of myself but I know that some dear ones praying for us appreciate the picture included. Much love in Christ.

Update from Elly's Facebook:

We received news from the surgeon today that it is Stage 4 cancer, with an expected 6 to 12 months to live. The Lord is gracious to give even one more hour. We will do all the healthy things to prolong life by the help and grace of God, so that every hour can be used to serve our very dear and precious Savior, who is worthy of *all.* What hope we have in Him! My friend, did you know that "to live is Christ and to die is gain"? Can this world offer more, even all the treasures, time, and promises? We know, surely the answer is an emphatic *no* - the world has nothing, Christ is all. Please pray for my wonderful beloved Trevor, and our very very dear children.

We are SO thankful for your amazing love and prayers. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you, thank you. 

A dear friend has given a resource to help with the e*penses if you're able. It is of course being tucked away by schmall-g0-r!thms, so will need to point you to it elsewhere.