Friday,

Hello to those of you keeping up to date on Bonnie's progress (I guess mine as well). After a long day of chemo yesterday I (Steve) didn't have much left last night to update you on Bonnie's full first day at home.

I think the scripture that Bonnie is holding onto is James 5:7

Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.

God is teaching Bonnie patience. She can easily get discouraged with her lack of strength and mobility. Actually she is doing great, but in her mind she wants to be back where she was prior to her admission to Sparrow. She knows she needs to rest in the Lord and in His timing or as the verse says, once she receives "the early and the late rains."

Please pray that her strength will continue to improve. She and I walked about a mile this afternoon and took a three-legged stool along so she could rest a few times. Also pray that her skin will begin to stop peeling. She has already had several layers of skin peel off her hands and feet and her hands are getting sore again which makes it challenging for her to do much with them.

Her appetite seems to be slowly coming back...as mine slowly begins to dissipate. She was able to take her first shower today since May 12th which was a wonderful feeling. The sponge baths do get old.

Yesterday I (Steve) received four different chemo meds from 8:30 to 5:00 with a shot of benedryl and demerol and some steroid to counter an allergic reaction I had to the Rituxan (one of the four chemos). The body naturally tries to fight against the medicine so it's countered with the other drugs. Today I received an injection of Neulasta which promotes good growth in the bone marrow so I don't become neutropenic as Bonnie did during her treatment.

Please continue to pray that I (Steve) will have limited side effects of my treatments. I would like to be clear that the chemo meds I am receiving are no where near as strong as what Bonnie went through, and we are grateful for that. I'm hopeful that I will be able to go to work next week for a few hours as I'm feeling up to it.

Again thank you for your faithfulness in praying for our family. Without it we would not have the outpouring of the Lord's strength that we are resting upon hour by hour.