So Far Away

One of the sacrifices of living overseas is being away from family when trials come about.  We are in the midst of that right now.  Paul's mom has been dealing with cancer for the past number of months, undergoing tests and radiation treatments.  It was just this week that things took a turn for the worse.  It is hard to write details because I feel like I wouldn't get them all right.  Dad is able to sum up the situation in this message here, and it breaks my heart:

Hello friends and family, I'd like to bring you up to date on my beloved Clara. Clara is in the ICU at Mt. Sinai Hospital, Toronto. She has some fluid around her heart that needs attention and probably was the cause for her passing out yesterday. She met with Dr Hoog (the cancer specialist) today and he said that the cancer has spread to all her vital organs. He discussed starting chemo treatments to stop the cancer cells and that would be followed up with immunotherapy. All this will be very difficult on Clara and there is no guarantee what the results will be. Tomorrow Harry, Clara and Carrissa hope to meet with Dr. Hoog to discuss the course of action that will be followed. We covet your prayers for us and especially for Clara who needs to make the final decision. Thank you for your love and concern, Harry

Today was a whirlwind as Paul decided, based on what his family was telling him, that he needed to be there with his mom.  The decision for me to stay back with the kids is, by far, not an easy one.  Paul left at 6:00 tonight and will be in Ontario on the morning of the 29th.  Saying good bye was extremely hard as we all just want to be together at this time.  Vincent, being the oldest, has been taking it hard, which is so heart wrenching for a mama to see.

We covet your prayers for Clara.  We are inspired by her continuous faith and trust in God and are thankful she finds peace in Him.  Please also pray for Paul as he travels, for me and the kids being so far away, and for Paul's family.