On Wednesday, July 8, we arrived in the University Hospital in Iowa City for what we anticipated would be a short day. Lois had an appointment to have lab work done and they go right to the Infusion Unit. No appointment to see the doctor. Then we waited an hour and fifteen minutes for a nurse to access Lois’ port and draw the blood for labs. Then we waited some more – ninety minutes for the labs to come back and for an opening in the Infusion Unit. I keep reminding myself that when we go to a world-class hospital the mantra is, “hurry up and wait!”

At 2:20 all the bags of Chemo and related drugs were empty and the nurse hooked up the fanny pack pump for the 5FU that drips for 46 hours. We headed home.

Friday morning Lois woke up and sensed that the fanny pack didn’t feel any lighter. She looked at the pump and it was still full! We discovered that there were two clips this time and one of them was still crimping the tube! (We hadn’t noticed two clips in the past and wonder if in all the juggling of the multiple tubes they use to infuse the chemo drugs an extra was added.) We called the nurse and started the chemo.

These situations remind us that we are not in control and that’s doesn’t mean the medical community is either! Instead, we need to be awakened to the reality of God’s control. Jeremiah was brought face-to-face with this reality when God said, “Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," (Jeremiah 9:23-24).

Lois is feeling well enough that she is determined to go to camp with me and that includes a special retirement service for a wonderful pastor on Sunday morning. So, when the fanny pack pump finishes about 6 am on Sunday, we’ll be in Excelsior Springs, MO! That means I get to “de-port” my wife! I’ve watched the nurse do this several times and it doesn’t worry either one of us. Chalk it up to another new experience!

We appreciate your prayers this coming week as we lead the team at Tri State Camp. We’ll be at a new facility (for us) just south of Ottawa, KS on I-35. Lois and I will have a motel-like room in which to stay and she decided she can sleep there just as well as at home!