Dear Family and Friends,

Many of you have been asking about our family, and an update is well past due, so here it is! Thank you for caring about us, and we want you to know we care about you, too. We are in the hands of our loving heavenly Father at all times, which is a great comfort.

Zephaniah 3:17 The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will quiet you by his love. He will exult over you with loud singing.

Averil’s Health

We are now living in Denver, Colorado, where I am serving for the next several months as the Chief of Military Justice at Buckley Space Force Base. We moved here from Little Rock, Arkansas, at the beginning of August. Averil’s parents and sister from New Zealand visited us for two-four weeks in August and September. They were such a blessing to us! Averil and her sister Esther journeyed to Sanoviv Medical Institute for three weeks from August 18 to September 8 for specialized medical treatment for Averil. Sanoviv is located in Mexico along the Pacific Ocean just across the border from San Diego, California.

While at Sanoviv, Averil experienced a 25 percent tumor reduction, and there is also evidence of new healthy bone tissue beginning to grow! According to her doctor there, Dr. Ortega, Averil should continue to see cancer reductions over the next 4 months, with the dendritic cell therapy received at Sanoviv and the ongoing treatment in Denver. Dr. Ortega will continue to monitor Averil over the next year through online consultations. Averil also got to meet many lovely people at Sanoviv who are also seeking healing from challenging health situations. She made lifelong friends there whom she will treasure.

Your prayers and financial support enabled Averil to go to Sanoviv, and it has been a game changer! Thank you very, very much for your support! Averil had a significant limp when she left, and now she has no limp. Her skin looks great, and she has much more energy. She is back to homeschooling and doing normal mom stuff. We are so thankful to God for what he has done for Averil.

The treatment Averil will receive here in Denver at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus will complement Sanoviv and all the holistic therapies Averil has been doing. Another blessing is that the medical insurance we get through the Air Force pays for all of Averil’s conventional treatments, including scans, labs, and most doctor visits. So financially, it has been working out for us. We are so amazed how God has provided, and we trust he will continue to do so. To support Averil, please visit her GiveSendGo page. She also welcomes personal notes of encouragement through email. The photo with this update is Averil with her sister Esther and her Sanoviv fitness trainer, Miguel.

Our Children

For the kids’ education, we have joined a homeschool coop called Classical Conversations (CC), which has hundreds of parent-led communities around the US and overseas. The curriculum is very challenging but very good! Sophia is in Challenge I, Noah is in Challenge A, Abraham is in Essentials, and Abraham, Moses, and David are in Foundations. We meet every Monday with several other families at Southwest Community Church in Littleton. Tuesdays through Fridays, the kids work at home. We have been particularly impressed with Sophia, Noah, and Abraham, who are doing high-level independent work. Importantly, the children are beginning to make friends and get a sense of stability. The photo below is from our hike up Manitou Incline.

Sophia (age 15) will be going to a fall formal and a weekend retreat in November, which she is really looking forward to. Through CC, she is involved in debate, and she has also joined The Young Writer's Workshop on the advice of Jessica Brown, her good friend from our Dunedin days. She continues to publish Grow Kids Magazine, with a new edition that has just come out! Sophia dislocated her left knee cap three weeks ago, so please pray she will recover. She will start physical therapy next week.

Noah (age 13) is an awesome big brother and continues to excel in school. He is in a class of all girls but has a good attitude about it. He enjoys playing basketball, pickleball, and frisbee golf at nearby parks. Abraham (age 11) has turned a corner in school and is showing lots of self-discipline. For the first time he has his own room, which has been very good for him. We are proud of the young man he is becoming. Moses (age 8) is very bright and also doing well in school. He has a quick wit and is a great companion to Noah in playing sports and chess. He spends a lot of quality time with Abraham and David, too. David (age 6) is very sweet. He has eight stuffed animals he takes with him everywhere. He is always counting them to make sure they’re all there. He is learning how to ride a bike and is always keen to participate in whatever the rest of us are doing. He is a delightful boy to be around.

Air Force and Job Search

I (Jeff) am really enjoying my work at Chief of Military Justice at Buckley Space Force Base. We have a small office of attorneys and paralegals, and we all get along really well. I have gotten the chance to get back into the courtroom, which has been fun. I will be working at Buckley probably through the end of April. In the meantime, I continue to search for a permanent attorney position in the Denver area. I can always keep working for the Air Force, if needed. We really like Colorado and believe it is the place God wants us to be at this stage in our lives. One thing we like about it is that it is a six hour drive from my hometown, Salina, Kansas, where my Dad and sisters live.

Looking Ahead

The biggest goal over the next few months is to get settled in Denver with a job, home, and church, and to continue Averil’s healing journey. We are no longer looking for ministry positions, though we want to stay very involved in evangelism, discipleship, inductive Bible Study, teaching, and apologetics. We are looking to purchase a home on the southwest side of Denver so that we can be close to the mountains and within driving distance of Averil’s doctors, my work, and the kids’ homeschool coop. We have visited three churches in the area, and all of them are great. We don’t think we will have trouble finding a good church. After years of being on the move, we are very much looking forward to getting settled.

Prayer Points

Praises

• That Averil’s cancer has been reduced and she is no longer limping!
• For our Classical Conversations campus, where the kids are thriving and making new friends
• For my steady work with the Air Force
• For getting preapproved for a home loan
• For the good churches in the area
• For close relationships among our children

Requests

• That God would totally heal Averil from cancer, especially in her chest and spine
• That God would provide permanent employment for Jeff
• That God would give us wisdom in choosing a home
• That we would begin to get integrated into an awesome local church
• That the children would make great lifelong friends through our homeschool community and church

With love,

Jeff and Averil (Sophia, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David)

Proverbs 4:23-27 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. …Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet. Then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left. Turn your foot away from evil.

"The Lord is a stronghold...in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you" (Psalm 9:9-10).

Dear Family and Friends,

We thank you for your continued prayer and financial support for Averil's health recovery. It means a lot to us!

We have relocated from Little Rock, Arkansas, to Denver, Colorado, for Jeff to serve another Air Force tour. We will be here at least until the end of September. Jeff has applied for federal attorney positions in Colorado, so we may end up staying longer, depending on what door the Lord opens. The kids will be starting a Classical Conversations homeschool coop next week, which is exciting for them! Please pray we make good friends and find a great church.

After two tries at getting a viable biopsy sample in Little Rock, we received some positive news about Averil's cancer type. Her cancer continues to be hormone positive and HER2 negative, which means it can be treated with a hormone blocker and a drug called IBRANCE. These drugs have limited side effects compared to chemotherapy and are able to shrink down the cancer. Averil will continue to work with her naturopathic oncologist, Dr Kirsten West from Riordan, who we have much confidence in. Dr. West has been guiding Averil in supportive therapies and supplements which assist the body to detoxify from side effects. 

Because our conventional oncologist made clear that the drugs can buy Averil some time, but are not curative, we felt it wise for Averil to also go to Sanoviv Medical Institute in Tijuana, Mexico for 3 weeks of intensive therapies, beginning 18 August. Dr West had another patient go there with good results, and after a phone consultation with a doctor at Sanoviv, we ourselves were very impressed with what they have to offer for Averil. During the first week of Averil’s visit, some blood cells will be taken to develop a personalized immunotherapy. Other key therapies include weekly whole body hyperthermia and daily localized hyperthermia (in affected areas) to weaken the cancer, while low dose chemo, IV laetrile, and artemisia are administered. IV chelation of toxins, and a host of other supportive therapies, along with healthy diet will also be provided. We are very grateful that Averil’s sister Esther is able to join her as a companion for the full three weeks, while Jeff stays with the children in Colorado. 

Please pray for Averil to stay well and positive as she waits to go to Mexico. Her labs last week were encouraging, showing that her vitals are still good. However, she is experiencing weight loss, low energy, and pain in her kidney and hip regions, which makes daily tasks and exercise a challenge.

Much love in Christ,
Jeff and Averil

Dear Family and Friends,

Averil and I are very appreciative of all your prayers and words of encouragement over the past week. These greatly bolstered our spirits and gave Averil renewed fight. Please keep up your prayers!!!

After talks with both oncologists on Monday, the decision was made to do a new biopsy to see whether the cancer has changed since 2020. At the same time some fluid will be drained from Averil's lung. This procedure will take place tomorrow, Monday, July 8, from 8.00-10.30am.

Although there is a grapefruit sized tumor in Averil's kidney region, thankfully all the labs came back in a healthy range showing the kidneys are functioning well and no surgical intervention is required at this stage. The only discomfort Averil currently feels is in the hip region. Otherwise she feels remarkably well. Her eyes are bright and her skin is shining, as always. She continues to work out regularly at the gym and eat healthily.

After the biopsy, we will have big decisions to make. So please pray for great advice from doctors and wise decision making on our part.

I did have a talk with our kids about the seriousness of Mommy's condition. They realize Mommy is in a big fight right now, and they are supporting her in their unique ways.

Let's keep trusting in the Lord together. Let our eyes look to him. He is all good all the time.

"Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Phil 4:4-7).

Thank you so much,
Jeff

Hi, everyone. I'm sitting here with Averil, and we'd like to give you an update and ask you to pray for us.

First, Averil wants to express her sincere gratitude for your notes, prayers, and financial gifts. She wishes she could thank each of you individually. We are amazed and humbled by how much you have helped us so far.

Averil has appointments with two different oncologists tomorrow. One is a conventional oncologist in Little Rock, Arkansas, and the other is her integrative oncologist who lives in Colorado. The purpose of both is to discuss treatment options based on Averil's recent PET scan results.

Averil experiences a lot of anxiety leading up to these kind of appointments, so please pray for her emotional health over the next few days, and for me to be an awesome support to her.

Through attending a local HealingStrong meeting, we learned of another treatment option in San Diego, California, with Issels Immunotherapy Clinic. They specialize in treating therapy resistant cancers and have a lot of great testimonials from late stage cancer patients that has given Averil fresh hope.

Please pray we will have clear direction from the Lord after these appointments how we should proceed. Please also join us in trusting that God's grace will abound in every way under these challenging circumstances.

"And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work" (2 Corinthians 9:8).

With love,
Jeff and Averil

Hi Team,

Averil and I want to give you another update so you can pray. She had a PET scan done in early June, and we received the results last week. We have learned that the cancer has spread from under her left arm to her lung, kidney, and hip bone. Averil also has high amounts of mold and BPA in her system, and low Vitamin D.

This is sobering news, but Averil as always is handling it very well. She has not given up, and neither should we.

In the next couple of weeks, Averil will be consulting Dr. Kristen West at the Riordan Clinic and another oncologist here in Little Rock, Arkansas, for more advice. She continues to diligently pursue healing through a ketogenic diet, IV Vitamin C, mistletoe therapy, hyperbaric oxygen, chiropractic care, natural supplements, her infrared sauna, exercise, intermittent fasting, and prayer.

Averil continues to work very hard but with a grace mindset. She is certainly glorifying God in the way she is trusting him. We received word from Averil's parents and sister that they want to visit us while we are in Colorado in August-September, so that is awesome. And Averil continues to homeschool our children in between medical appointments and caring for herself. Let me say how proud I am of my wife!

Averil and I continue to study God's word at our dining room table every morning before I go to work. They are special times together that we treasure.

Keep praying, and lets see what our great and loving God will do.

In Christ,
Jeff

Thank you so much for your contributions and prayers so far. We have made good progress towards the goal of US $140,000 for Averil's two-year recovery plan. Donors are from both New Zealand and the United States, which is awesome!

We are finishing up my one-month Air Force assignment at JBER, Alaska. On April 27, we will all fly to Wichita, Kansas. Averil will visit the Riordan Clinic in Wichita from April 29 to May 2. Please pray this goes well. What we learn in these four days will be key to Averil's recovery.

Overall, Averil has been feeling great. She has been cross-country skiing, eating Alaskan salmon and lots of veggies, and hitting the gym. I am so proud of her! I invite you to continue praying and contributing to her fund.

"Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many" (1 Cor 1:9-11).

Grace and peace,
Jeff