Dear Prayer Partners,

Mom’s doing great. The surgery went well with no damage to the heart. Her blood pressure is good. Today she is witnessing to her nurses, joking around and feeling quite perky! She was still in intensive care when I last talked with my father, but this afternoon they are planning to take out her chest tube and move her into a regular heart patient room. Praise God! The nurses are amazed at how well she is doing! Your prayers are a fantastic lifeline! We bless the Lord in all things.

Jeff is in meetings tonight and all day tomorrow in Benin with the convention executive committee. Another meeting that had been scheduled to take place in Togo has been cancelled. He had hoped to drive up-country/bush in Togo to meet with the director and others at the Togo Bible School in Moretan (where Jeff and I taught a few months back), but he is afraid to take the existing vehicle that he has to use in Benin on such an arduous trip (our excellent vehicle we drove here to Cote d’Ivoire). So he will put off that trip. With all considered he is going to try to come back earlier, although he has been told that all the flights are booked. He is going to go to the airport tomorrow late afternoon just to see if there is a cancellation.

Everything at our home in Benin is fine.

Great is God’s faithfulness.

With love,

Barbara

Dear Prayer Partners,

Last night just after 11:00 p.m. Benin time, Ryan called with news of my mom’s heart catheterization procedure. After his call I immediately called my mother, who is still in the hospital, for when she was going through the procedure, her heart started fibrillating with a heart rate over 200. The doctor had to shock her heart back into a normal rhythm or she would no longer be with us. What was supposed to take 45 minutes took more than double that as the specialist searched for the problem. After bringing in yet another specialist to help him search slide by slide they discovered an artery with one extremely thin portion 80% blocked. It was extremely difficult to find—a miracle even that he found it (!). The rest of her veins are clear.

They are discussing bypass arthroscopic surgery. She will be in the hospital until the procedure decision is finalized; she has undergone the procedure and has recovered from it.

I cannot thank you enough for all your prayers and ask you to continue praying. As soon as I learn something more I will pass this information on to you. Remember my father, too, for I know this is extremely stressful on him.

For those of you who do not know, my father is a Baptist pastor (Rev. William Burns), now retired, but preachers never really retire! He and mom have ministered together since before their wedding over 51 years ago. Who I am in Christ today is because of the vividness and passion of their faith.

Jeff and I praise God for you!

In Christ,

Barbara and Jeff

Dear Prayer Partners,

Here is the prayer request from Barbara. I know you will join us in

praying for her dear mother. Of course, thank you, and may our Father in

heaven bless you as you have blessed this sister.

On a lighter note, I apologize for the September 6th letter heading. That

was really supposed to be November 6th! That's something to laugh about!

In Christ,

:) Rochelle

I just "skyped" my father through the computer and discovered that they

went

ahead with surgery today. Unfortunately the attempt at arthroscopic

surgery

didn't work and they had to open her completely up. She is still on the

operating table although the bypass has been completed.

Dad said that her blood pressure went high this morning and she was very

weak. She was going downhill fast. He is grieving that she had to undergo

such major surgery, but is a man of faith and knows that mom is God's

child.

God is in control.

After surgery she will be in intensive care for at least 24 hours with all

sort of exterior tubing.

Dad said that she wouldn't have lived 3 months without the surgery.

He believes, in all this, that they have been placed in the hospital to be

a

witness. May people, just in passing by my mother's room, sense the power

and presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Pray, as I know you have been. All I can do today is call out to Jesus to

be with my mom.

Love,

Barbara

Dear Prayer Partners,

It is just after midnight our time. My mother is in recovery. They did have to open her up to perform the surgery, but the surgery went well. Her heart didn’t suffer any damage. Her blood pressure is good. Praise God!

We praise God for your prayers and continued prayers!

Love in Christ,

Barbara and Jeff