Dear Team Members,
We trust this finds you well and Encouraged in our Lord and Savior.
Lots going on in our lives these days with medical issues and preparing to fly “Down Under” on April 2nd, returning May 30th. It has been well over six years since we have seen our son Ben and his wife Stephanie, and their children Jayden (20), Ashton (18), Llahna (16) and Kyan (13). My heart specialist in Orlando has encouraged us to go, and with my atrial fibrillation settling down some, we booked and thank the Lord for the way he has been supplying for the trip. The medications I am on seem to be helping, plus the cardiologist I had years ago in Australia has said he would cover for me, if he was needed :o) We have a place to stay in Glossodia, out in the country about 10 klms from Ben, and a car to rent reasonably from a Church that helps missionaries. Lots has gone on in our lives and Ben’s family so we look forward to as much time as possible together. We would appreciate your PRAYERS for the LONG FLIGHT (about 24 hours) sitting soooo much and to stay healthy!!
We love you all but expect this could be our last long correspondence until June, after we get back from Australia. You can still contact us through our email address or Ben’s address which are after this Update.
We have shared before about our friends Mark and Joyce Cain, who we have known since 1971 when we were in Language School together. They worked in Colombia with the Guahibo people group, all these years, and retired August 15th, but REALLY NOT RETIRED as they have been working on finishing off the translation project of the Guahibo Bible so that it can then be formatted for printing. As you would remember, Mark was diagnosed with cancer last year, even going through T Cell treatment which has not worked, so it has been a HARD YEAR, BUT GOD IS FAITHFUL!!!!
We would like to share some of their recent letter we received on February 25th:
Dear Ones, If you were told you had 2 to 8 months to live, how do you think you would spend it? Yesterday our family got this startling news in my dear husband’s case as we travel this cancer journey. The oncologist was able to compare the Pet scan of DEC to the pet scan on FEB and Mark’s large tumor grew from around 0.5 centimeters to 13.4!! He starts his chemo regiment tomorrow and because we have kids living overseas, we wanted to know the prognosis. So, from Man’s point of view, Mark will only have two months to live IF the chemo does not work. If it works, he has 4 to 8 months!! How will we spend these precious few months left to us!!?? We hope to have the Guahibo Bible all preformatted in two weeks and sent to the formatter so it looks like God is giving Mark his wish to be able to finish the Bible before he dies!!! Another thing we will do is enjoy blood family as much as we can AND celebrate 50 years of marriage a little earlier as our real date is July 25. A year ago, we celebrated our 49th Anniversary. Mark and I had some plans and dreams for our retirement years ago but alas, God’s ways are not our ways. We look back over 46 years on the mission field and 48 total years serving God hand in hand, leaving a small church in the village of Raya and a dozen Guahibo missionaries to continue our work. We think of the times we had to run from the communist guerrillas, problems with sickness in family, problems not seeing eye to eye with our partners and yet, GOD CONTINUES TO BUILD HIS CHURCH among the Guahibo nation and NOTHING absolutely NOTHING has stopped that process!!!! In Mark’s frailty and my heart aching as I see our retirement dreams fade away, I can truly say, IT IS WORTH IT to serve the Lord!!!! Thank you for continued prayers for our family!!
It will be worth it all, when we see Jesus….. Joyce Cain for the both of us.
PLEASE PRAY for MARK and JOYCE!!!
God Bless you Day by Day,
Charlie & Cherrie
Update we received March 4th after we finished this Update!!!!!
Today is a day of rejoicing! The Guahibo Bible is all ready to be formatted then on to the print shop! God graciously used us for 48 years working in church planting and Bible translation, in spits of guerrilla, sicknesses and now cancer, we give God the glory for allowing us to finish the translation project!! It took a Team of expat and Guahibo missionaries to accomplish this! THANK YOU FOR THE PART you have had in praying and giving to see all this come to conclusion!
To God be the Glory, Mark and Joyce Cain
“Thank you, Lord, For Christian friends whose path you’ve caused To meet with ours, and those who’ve paused To listen and advise, or only listen.
Thank you, Lord For making our paths meet with theirs And for their laughter and their tears That glisten and surmise or only Glisten.
Thank you Lord, The most for that one Friend that sticks So close to us and always picks Our paths and Christian friends He knows we need” Bill Harvey