I received an email from our friend Joe Ellis today. Joe was Executive Director of the Mission for many years and was the catalyst for many of the programs and facilities the Mission currently enjoys. He reported to us that he was diagnosed with cancer in his bladder a few weeks ago and now reports that his surgery was successful, but we still need to keep him in our prayers. Here is a clip of his email. “This past Tuesday I received a pathology report. My doctor said the bad news was that the lab confirmed the tumors were cancerous; but with that being what it is, my prognosis could not be more favorable. Here’s why. The tumors were low-grade (not aggressive) and surface-type (had not penetrated the cellular wall). So, absolutely great news! He said, “We could pretend that everything will be fine forever, but that’s not the case. With these types of tumors, there is a 100% chance that they will come back. The good news is that should they recur, they would most likely been the same type of tumors that can be treated.”So, now our task is keeping a close watch on the situation and acting accordingly as necessary. That’s a pretty small price to pay when dealing with cancer. I’ll remain in faithful expectation that they will not return; but if they do, I’ll deal with it in hopeful expectation again. I am so grateful to God for His kindness and faithfulness to me during this challenging time. And, I want to thank you – my many family members and friends who have shown such an interest in my welfare, have been praying for me and asking others to join you as well. Your notes, letters, emails, phone calls, flowers, cards, etc., have been such an encouragement to me and helped me stay focused on powerful, positive and hopeful thoughts. ” Joe Ellis
