Blindsided

Today marks 6 full months since Elijah has been hospitalized for any reason.  This is the first time in nearly 6 years we can say that. He is doing great and growing rapidly - we praise the Lord for such wonderful progress. We've had almost an expectation that something would go wrong and this streak of health would be halted. But it hasn't. At least not for Elijah,

Yet, today, we were blindsided with news about Gideon, our energetic 3 year old. In November of last year, we noticed a small wart on the very center of his left cheek. It slowly grew and late in the month, we made an appointment to have it frozen off. Instead of turning black and falling off, it turned red and grew to three times larger.

Our pediatrician referred us to a dermatologist. I put off making the appointment and the "wart" continued to grow. Finally, two weeks ago, we took him in. The dermatologist looked at it and said that he wanted to biopsy it; he felt that we were not dealing with wart, but a cancerous growth. Frankly, I was quite skeptical and expected the results to come back normal.

Today, on the six month anniversary celebrating one child's health, we were told that Gideon has cancer. It is a very rare, aggressive form of skin cancer. He will soon have surgery to remove the remainder of the growth. Out of every 100,000 moles that are biopsied, 1.5 are a type of tumor called Spitz Nevi. Of those 1.5, over 70% are benign.

This form typically spreads to the lymph nodes. He will be tested. There are symptoms that indicate reasons to be concerned about this. Please pray for us as we learn more, seek the right doctors and care for him. The main prayer right now is that it will not and has not spread.

We do know that we serve the Great Physician. He wasn't blindsided and knows how to cure this and has promised to carry us through whatever lies ahead. We know that He will provide all that we need and despite what seems to be difficult news, He is good.

Getting the Word Out...

What will the Janku family be doing this year? Well, I'm glad you asked! For the past two plus years, we have been talking to a recruiter with World Harvest Mission. 

They needed someone with construction experience to go on short term trips to support their missionaries with special tasks that ultimately would enhance and grow their on-going missions work around the world. They have presented us with various opportunities over the last two years, but after prayer, none of them felt right, or the timing was not right for our family. This year, they have three opportunities that we felt led to say "yes" to!

UGANDA - August 30-September 14, 2013

On this trip, Scott will be traveling with four other highly skilled craftsmen to work with a single female missionary. Her house had burned when she was away on a furlough. Although she and her adopted children are living in the partially repaired home (it had masonry walls), it still needs a lot of work, including a kitchen and running hot water! The team plans to provide her with a kitchen and solar panels to give her these necessities! They are also hoping to pour a concrete play yard for the children at the school where her adopted daughters attend.

LONDON - October 25 - November 5, 2013

The entire family has been invited to help WHM missionary and church planter Chris Hatch run a VBS! We will also be working with some homeless ministries and getting to know the families in the area that is largely Muslim. We will be joined by Dana Dirksen and the Songs for Saplings team on this trip. (If you have children, you want to get to know their music!) The VBS materials we are using were written just for them, with a construction theme and we will be "practicing" by using the same materials for the kids from our home church, Living Water, this summer. There will also likely be another team member going along with us as well.

CHILE - January 2014

Scott will again be traveling with a group of skilled tradesmen. This time they will begin construction on a home for a local pastor. (It will be completed in two other planned trips.) The home will allow the pastor to focus full-time on his ministry. Many local pastors are required to work outside of their ministries in order to pay rents.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

I'm also glad you asked that question. First, we need prayer. As business owners, it's a little frightening to leave the business for these trips. It's also challenging to take our entire family on a trip. However, we feel confident that the Lord will be going with us and will provide for us every step of the way.

Secondly, we need financial support. For all three trips, we need a total of approximately $17,000. It's a lot, and we definitely can't do it alone. We know that God has a plan to bring in every penny of that and we are excited to see it happen.

URGENT NEED!
Our first expense is to purchase Scott's ticket to Uganda. We are using a travel agent and he was able to put on hold until THURSDAY a ticket for just $1365 - this is an incredible deal - but we don't have any of it set aside yet! Can you help us get there?

There are two ways to send financial help!
1. Mail a check to us at: 3624 NE Everett St. Camas, WA 98607. You can make the check payable to Living Water Community Church and put "Janku" on the memo.
2. Send us money via PayPal using the email address: nwhandymancan@gmail.com.

Thank you all for supporting us in these trips - we are excited to see God work on each of them! We truly do covet your prayers, encouragement and support!

Not What We Had Planned.

Another post was written and waiting to be posted. It's been deleted.

A few weeks ago, on Facebook, I saw a post asking if anyone was willing to adopt or help a little girl from Ethiopia - just 2 months old, alone in the world, and desperately in need of surgery for spina bifida and hydrocephalus - the same diagnosis our son Elijah has. But her case was more severe and she was stuck a million miles away. And there were no doctors that could help her there. And to get her here, would take a miracle. And really, did we have room for a number six?

But somehow through all those questions, we clearly knew she was ours. We made a phone call. I half expected them to tell me that a dozen other families further along in the adoption process had already stepped forward. I didn't even have a passport and we didn't have the thousands of dollars it would take to get her here. Scott took one look and said "Bring her home."

And so we took the next step. And the next.

We learned that where she came from, a birth defect might as well be a death sentence. They believe that it is a curse and they must rid the village of it. So it was a miracle that she was taken to a hospital at just 8 hours old. Surely God had big plans for this tiny girl. So we kept taking steps to bring her home safely. 

And we thought we finally had all the pieces, we had enough information to get her treatment, in Ethiopia. It would just take a few more phone calls.

But it was too late.

Over the weekend, little Mimi ran into the arms of Jesus. We never got to hold her, but we loved her.


A love that is real and is only possible because we were also orphans that have been rescued by a Savior that knew us before we were born. By a Savior that loves us more than we can imagine, despite the fact that we are broken and defective at birth.


She was loved. And so are we and because of that, we can continue to love "the least of these." Even if it means it hurts. It was worth it.

On Being Pregnant

As I (cough, cough) enjoy my last days of what we expect to be our last pregnancy, I wanted to reflect a little on the privilege the Lord has given us to bear children. There was a point when I was told that due to polycystic ovaries, it would be difficult to get pregnant and would likely miscarry if I did. Within our first year of marriage, we had no trouble getting pregnant, in fact, we were pregnant within the first six months! However, after 17 weeks, we lost the baby to cancer - a very rare thing in utero, resulting in two DNC's to ensure there were no cancerous cells left behind.

Six months later, we were pregnant again with Grace, who turned nine one week ago. The pregnancy was fairly uneventful, but the delivery was difficult. I hemhorraged. Grace had the cord around her neck and wasn't breathing for the first few moments. We both recovered fine.

Then another miscarriage. Then Micah. We had a big scare during his pregnancy due to an ultrasound tech doing a poor job of taking measurements - but he was healthy and his delivery was very fast!

Then Elijah - his pregnancy was plagued with problems, resulting in 17 ultrasounds over the course of the nine months. His delivery was smooth, but he was vomiting for the first few days and earned his first of what would ultimately be many, many hospital stays.

Then two miscarriages. Then Gideon, a more difficult pregnancy resulting in high blood pressure and an induction, and then more blood pressure problems afterwards. My pelvis was also worn out from another pregnancy, and it was advised that maybe this should be it for us.

And now we are days away from welcoming number five, a little girl they tell us! We think this will truly be it. This mom is tired and not getting any younger. At the OB office, there was another mom that gave her birthdate at check in and I was shocked to hear a year that started with nineteen -ninety, mine starts with nineteen seventy. Wow!

Overall, my pregnancies have gone smooth. I've been blessed by wonderful children and we know that the Lord has brought us each little personality for a reason and given them to us as the perfect parents for this particular child (although far from feeling perfect in the moment to moment each day). Each one has shaped and molded our family in a different way and been a part of making us who we are. I have loved being pregnant - partly because I can eat whatever and for once my metabolism works (I've gained less than ten pounds with any pregnancy, and lose it all within the first two days) - but mostly I enjoy feeling the baby inside me and dreaming of how this baby will be different than the others. I've even enjoyed the miracle of giving birth. I'm priveleged to have delivered them all naturally, and with the exception of Grace, without an epidural. So many haven't experienced this.

So today, despite really wanting this baby out, I'm thankful to be pregnant. I'm thankful that God allowed us to carry four, soon to be five, pregnancies to term and deliver healthy babies. I'm thankful for the four babies we'll meet someday in heaven. I'm thankful that nearly eleven years after being married, we are completing this phase of our family and aren't struggling to conceive like so many we know have dealt with and like the doctor predicted would be our path.

I know this isn't profound stuff, but I really just wanted to reflect on how the Lord has blessed us for a moment before this phase is complete.

So Elijah landed in the hospital - again. Things had been going pretty good for the little guy throughout the summer. His bowel regimen, despite a few hiccups along the way seemed to be going well. He was finally (mostly) able to make it into the restroom and stay clean and dry all day. It was big deal when he turned five and also felt like a big boy. However, in early October, we started noticing less and less success. We took him to the gastroenterologist, who wrote it off and said we were just waiting until he was older and would better tolerate a surgery or further testing. But things continued to decline and while we were travelling in Michigan to visit family, it became clear that he was obstructed. We tried the normal cleanout (which isn't for sissies) and nothing happened. We waited until we got home and kept trying. Finally, the dr. decided that we should admit him for a clean out. Typically this isn't a fun experience, but it's quick, like less than 24 hours and a gallon of laxatives. Elijah took five days and ten gallons.

Obviously, things had gone significantly wrong. A new Dr. was assigned to us, and we really liked her. She thought it would be good to rule out a couple of things, and scheduled a colonoscopy and several biopsies. We didn't really expect them to show much, but were necessary to rule out a few other conditions that would have required a different approach.

When he was almost one, he had a surgery to cut his spinal cord, it was necessary, but left residual damage. This was one of the functions that was damaged. They've now decided Elijah's colon is paralyzed. Therefore, it simply doesn't move the food through. Bloodwork also shows that his body isn't doing a good job of absorbing nutrients from the food he eats. So, we were put in touch with surgery. By God's provision, the surgeon we were assigned had recently moved here from Cincinatti Colerectal Center for Children, and had experience with kids similar to Elijah. He will be performing a MACE procedure, which is basically a stoma (hole) that connects his bowel to the outside of his abdomen to allow him to flush his system each day with a cleanout solution. This should then allow him to be clean the rest of the day.

Yeah, it isn't ideal, but it's better than anything else available.

The biggest setback has been Elijah's behavior and attitude. He is really angry. He understands to a degree what will happen in the coming weeks. He is embarrassed about the constant accidents between now and then, even though he knows he can't help it. He hits me sometimes for no reason, other than he knows he's angry. He told his brother that he wished God would break his bowels too (This happened when he was having bladder trouble too.) I think it means he feels like he's being picked on. There is only one other child in the area that the surgeon knows of that has had a MACE procedure. So we are kind of lost as to how to help a five year old, who doesn't reason very well be okay with everything going on.

PRay for our whole family. Patience is needed. Sleep is needed. Faith is needed. We feel blessed in many ways this year, but it is still a big, big strain on the family. January will be hard. We know God is in this, and are thankful for the big and little ways, He has been seen - providing a surgeon locally; a youth pastor who is willing to talk with Elijah; giving us peace and rest; providing a telephone that rings with new customers, although I have no time to go drum up business, all of our guys are very busy. There's more I haven't counted. Thanks for praying, thanks for encouraging us when you see us.

Our Miracle is Five!

Elijah (our third) is turning five today! Four years ago today, Elijah weighed 10 lbs on his one year birthday. In fact he was two ounces shy, but the nurse fudged it so he could have surgery. Four years ago today, we didn't know if Elijah would walk, talk, or even make it to today. Four years ago today, we were very scared, but afraid to say how scared we were, because we didn't want to admit that it was bad. We were even afraid to pray. The elders at our church asked if they could pray over him, we told them it wasn't that bad; we let them do it anyway (and I'm glad we did!) My parents called everyday, most days I told them only the good things, so I wouldn't have to remember anything bad.

They cut his spinal cord in surgery that day, because it was tied in a knot around his spine. They weren't sure how much it would help, if at all, but God knew. We were in the one city, at the one hospital, with the one surgeon, who knew exactly what was happening and how to fix it. And she did because God placed us there so that He could be glorified!

Three long hours after they took him back, the surgeon came to tell us that all had gone well. And that Elijah should lay on his back as much as possible for the next five days, and we would stay with him at the children's hospital while he rested for several days. Two hours after getting out of surgery, he stood up and threw himself over the railing of his crib, landed on the IV stand and needed steri-strips above his eye. We were so excited! He used his legs, and his arms! He did great for two weeks.

But then we had setback after setback, as he would improve in the hospital and as soon as we went home, he'd regress. His immune system was shot and he had an infection that went undetected for nine months, resulting in nine months of in and out hospitalizations. And Elijah was sleeping for 22 hours each day. He was a different child than before the surgery, than before he'd been sick. Eventually, they figured out the right combination of antibiotics and he slowly got stronger.

Then we realized that his bladder and bowels were not functioning properly. He had in a catheter for several months starting just last summer, but God once again provided the right doctor just at the right time. One hour before he would have had a colostomy, the surgeon made a phone call and we walked across the hospital to a gastro doctor that we'd called before and were told he didn't have any opening until July (it was April). And the surgery we thought was inevitable and was the opposite of what we wanted was cancelled. A long weekend and many months later and it is today.

Elijah is turning five today! He is a wealthy weight and height and in the 50th percentile for his age! He can walk, run, jump and play like every other child his age. He can talk, and play games, and tell jokes. He can stay awake for an entire day and fall asleep exhausted at night from all the fun he's had. He has been using the potty successfully for four whole months and never has accidents and doesn't have any extra bags or tubes to make it happen!

So more than usual, we have a lot to celebrate today. And a lot to praise God for! So, today, as I watch Elijah swim in the pool, run across the not so freshly mowed yard, and hear him shout with excitement over his cake and presents, I will be praising God for every moment that He has given us to enjoy our n0t-so-little-anymore Miracle!

Witness to Tragedy

Yesterday, the warmest Saturday that the area has seen all summer and the first Saturday in several weeks that my husband hasn't had to work, our entire family was loaded in the truck and headed up the gorge to put the boat in the water. Suddenly, we became witness to a tragic accident. We were several cars behind the accident, so didn't see everything clearly. But what was clear is that a man, partying with his friends had fallen out of a moving convertible. By the time Scott and I pulled over and ran to help (we were both trained EMT's and firefighters), it was obvious that the man wasn't going to make it. Despite this fact, we attempted chest compressions, not quite willing to concede hope.

But it's really what we saw next that shocked everyone the most and has bothered me since. The driver of the vehicle he was in, and one other passenger, turned the car around, came back and looked at their "friend" and then drove off back towards town. I understand they likely panicked and didn't know how to respond. They had likely been drinking and were scared. But it still seems especially callous, and even more so that it is the next morning and they haven't come forward even to give a name to the victim.

I'm not sure why this has stuck with me for so long, I mean while working with the fire department, I saw my share of trauma and it didn't really bother me. I think the best way I can put it is that it somehow it bothers me and makes me wonder, would my friends do the same to me or would I do the same to them. Obviously I don't expect to find myself either driving or being the person standing while driving at excessive speeds on a highway, but in life, we often see someone fall in other ways. And I'm certain there have been times that my fear of getting involved in the mess or just not caring enough has caused me to leave my friends on the side of the road when they needed help. I can remember one conversation with a friend that I'd grown up with who was visiting from across the country; she was telling me that she was considering a divorce and although I talked her through it that night and discouraged her, I never followed up. She was across the country and I didn't have time to take care of the problems she was facing and become involved. I've now lost contact with her and always regret the way I handled it.

Sticking around someone that's been hurt or had a bad fall is hard. You have to say difficult things, you can't be in a cozy spot pretending all is right, you have to get caught up in the messiness of someone else's life. And it isn't usually the choice that going to gain you popularity points either. I find it a lot easier to stand at a distance and gossip with others about how I would never be caught in that situation or what I would have done differently. Maybe this is a challenge to me to stop and look around, to be willing to be there when someone falls, to be willing to stop what I'm busy with and put others first.

And it's also a picture of what Christ did for us - we were all fallen, unable to get up and unable to do anything for ourselves and Christ was willing to die for us, to give us his name, his identity, so that we may have real life.

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