Thank you for praying for me during my second round of chemotherapy treatment last week. The experience seemed smoother than the first time, probably just because I had a better idea what to expect. When I left the hospital mid-day on Friday, it felt great just to enjoy the sunshine. That evening, though, I was very sick. I knew that chemotherapy commonly causes nausea, but I could not have guessed that it would cause such "industrial strength" illness. Thankfully, I was able to rest on Saturday, and by Sunday morning I felt quite well again. I thank God especially for enabling me to attend worship on the Lord's Day.

The other significant development in the last week has to do with my plan for surgery. This week, the complexity of our situation cleared up wonderfully, and in a way I did not foresee. I am not sure I could clearly explain all the details in writing, but to make a long story short, I had an appointment with a surgeon that turned out in a disappointing way, but God used the outcome to answer our prayer another way. "He has done all things well," as people said in the Gospels (Mark 7:37).

For weeks, we have been praying that our medical teams would arrive at a clear consensus. By God's grace, that is we have right now. The two teams are working in sync, laying out a path to perform the same surgery (removing my left lung), in either Toronto or closer to home in Oakland. Doctors have been speaking to each other, and scans and tests are being ordered and scheduled. The surgery will likely happen in mid-March, after my fourth round of chemotherapy.

We hope very soon to have all the information we need to decide whether Toronto or Oakland is the right place to seek this surgery. Please pray that God's Spirit will guide us through this last major decision, with an eye not only to my health, but especially to his glory.

Here are a few other prayers that you could join me in offering to God:

• That he will shrink my tumor and keep my cancer from spreading while I await surgery.

• That he will keep me from any infection or other health problems while my body is recovering from chemotherapy.

• That he will reward and repay, as we cannot, the huge army of friends and the closer circle of relatives who are helping me and my family in so many ways.