In India Update Wednesday, September 16th

Hello Everyone:

Alyssa and I got to Bangalore , India at 12:05 AM on Sept 5^th, went through a check point for H1N1 (Swine Flu) and then through Customs. We got outside the Airport and met up with Brother James who drove us to Pastor Guna & Sister Victoria’s house. While driving there, we had a flat tire so James pulled over & changed it. We arrived at their home at 2:30 AM, unloaded our luggage to our guest room on the 3^rd floor, unpacked the needed items & slept for 2 hours before awaking to shower & get ready to meet downstairs at 8 for breakfast. Before eating, we discussed the duties they had planned for our service here. We ate French toast & a hard boiled egg & coffee.

At 10:30 AM, we went with Bro James to exchange currency then shop for clothing & kitchen utensils, dishes, pots, pans, etc. The clothing took the longest of course due to sizes being so different, etc. We returned to Pastor Guna’s for lunch around 2:30 then unpacked & organized our stuff & visited with Victoria . We went to bed early and slept well. On Sunday, we went to church at 9 AM, visited & prayed for people after service, then packed our stuff to leave for Nachikuppam. We ate lunch prior to leaving Bangalore . Freddy & Henry (2 of Guna & Victoria’s sons), along with others from their family, joined us. We had 2 stops along the way to pray for a man who was just released from the hospital following a heart attack & another family that Guna helped in the past.

We arrived at Nachikuppam (village where the Palace is located) which is 28 kilometers from the main town of Krishnagiri . We met with Brother Selvaraj (Pastor at Nachikuppam) and Sister Shakunthala (Head Warden at the Palace) to review rules, duties & expectations. We unloaded our luggage, swept & cleaned spider webs, etc and went to sleep about Midnight.

We only slept a couple of hours the first few nights as we were adjusting to various things, but we have been sleeping very well since last Tuesday. The electricity goes out very often here & we can sure tell the difference when the fan isn’t on! It is the same extreme of having A/C or no A/C at home. The water doesn’t work at all times either, so we go with the flow. What we eat for our meals often depends on if we have water and/or power at that moment.

We teach the children a new “chorus” each morning (Mon-Fri) and tell a Bible Story from 9:30–10AM then we teach English for 1 hour to 3^rd, 4^th & 5^th grades. We also lead a Bible Study in English for 15 minutes each day with 8 teachers then talk to them in English for 30 minutes. It has been difficult to get them to talk to us in English, but they are loosening up with time. The school has children from the village as well as from the Home of Hope, so there are Hindu & non-believing children along with Christians. The same is true for teachers, so we have 1 Hindu teacher attending the Bible Study. Please pray for her salvation; she is married with 2 children.

Every Saturday, we will visit & serve at the Leper Colony which is past Krishnagiri. We went there last Saturday, but we were only there long enough to meet them & walk around to see where & how they live.

We are living in the guest area at the Nachikuppam Home of Hope. This village and school are located in the poor district. We are not eating much of their food due to their tight financial budget as well as for sanitation reasons. We are buying & preparing our own food which is an additional cost that we were not really prepared for financially. We also need to pay our own transportation expenses to each place for ministry. It will cost us 700 Rupees each week plus the cost for lunch (approx. 500 Rupees for 4) to go to the Leper Colony and 350 Rupees to rent the auto rickshaw for 5 hours when we shop for groceries, etc. They asked if we could pay 3000 Rupees for each leper to see the Optician, but we had to say “No” due to not having the funds. The exchange rate is approximately 45.50 Rupees to $1, so it is very inexpensive compared to the USA but still more than we budgeted for the 2 ½ months. Examples: 1200 Rupees equals $26.37 per week to Leper Colony, and we spent $31 for groceries last Saturday, and the Internet will cost $6.70 per month. So, as you can see, $65.93 for ALL the lepers to visit the Optician is not much money, but unfortunately more than Alyssa & I can do at this time.

I told them about my friend, Ronnett, who has approximately 250 pairs of glasses to donate. They were very excited & happy to hear this & they hope that the Medical Team can bring them or that they can be mailed. (Ronnett: Please contact Lauren Phillips at CCBoise regarding this.)

(Lapse of time due to no power for the past 22 hours!) It is Weds afternoon here, and we just got the power back & charged the laptop battery. I will try to finish this quickly so it can be sent before the next lapse of power. We had a downpour of rain, thunder & lightning last night. It was pretty cool, but it also took out the power & 2 transformers. They said we could be without power for 3 to 5 days, so we prayed after Bible Study today & it came back on a few hours later. Praise the Lord!!!

We have a cell phone here for us to communicate with Pastor Guna and other ministry leaders. It is too expensive to call home, but if anyone wants to call us & pay the International rates the # is 9942923315. We don’t get charged for incoming calls. I don’t know about texting, so we presume we don’t have it.

I talked to Pastor Guna on the phone last night. He is sending someone to meet us at the Leper Colony this Saturday, so I can be trained to check their eyes for cataracts. We need to get a count of how many need cataract surgery, then schedule the surgeries in Nazareth while we are here to help transport them & assist with the surgery. They need us to do this because people here won’t touch the Lepers. Nazareth is more southern India where Heaven’s Gate is located. It is a very LONG drive. Please pray for all of this to go smoothly.

The children have school Holiday from Sept 25-Oct 4, so we will get to hang out with the full orphans (approx. 36 children) for some special time of fun activities while the partial orphans return home to one parent.

Alyssa has killed 2 huge cockroaches, spotted 1 scorpion for someone else to kill, and 1 millipede; and I have killed 1 cockroach and we have both killed many spiders. We are dealing with it quite well. God is helping us greatly!

The power is out again, so I better sign off. We appreciate your prayers, support & communication. We are praying for all of you back in the USA . Thank you and God bless you!

With Christ’s Love,

Val & Alyssa Obenchain

PS: Please feel free to forward this email as you choose. I do NOT have all of the 2009 Medical Team email addresses.

Now Safely in India!

Hello all:

We made it to India safely. 28 + hours of flying time went well. We were received at airport by Brother James and had a flat tire to change driving back to Pastor Guna's home. Got to Guna's at 2:30 AM on 9-5-09 (2 PM 9-4-09 in Idaho), slept a couple hours, got up & ready, ate breakfast, discussed our duties with Pastor Guna & Sister Victoria, went shopping for kitchen supplies & clothing, ate lunch, took a nap, ate dinner, asked more questions, and now ready for bed.

Church tomorrow at 9 AM then leave for Krishnagiri at 1 PM. Pastor Guna & Sister Victoria will take us so we can ask questions, meet staff & get settled. We can start Monday or possibly use Monday to rest & start on Tuesday.

We don't know if we will have Internet access on-site, so communication may not be very often.

We are tired but very well. Thanks for your prayers & support. We love you!

I emailed our itinerary to Dan Davis, but it was not delivered. Tried again tonight but same thing. Could someone email me his new address or ask him to email me so I have it? Thank you!

Thanks again & God bless you! Praise the LORD!!!!
Goodnight

August 15th Update

Hello again:

This update will be much shorter & much less detailed. To those who sent encouraging responses from my last update, thank you very much.

Medical Update:

I saw my Oncologist following my CT Scan on Weds (7-29), then I saw my Colorectal Specialist on 7-30, and I saw a different Urologist on Monday (8-3). It has been confirmed that my Anal Cancer is in remission! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!

I still have something on my right kidney that measures 1.3 cm. It has not changed in look or size in 5 months so that is good. We will watch it for now since I need another CT Scan in 6 months anyway. I have decided to use this last Urologist for my continued care.

The Urologist recommends having this "thing" removed at some point. It could be 1 of 3 things with 2 of those being cancerous & the other possibly causing problems later in life. I will plan to have it removed in the future (possibly 6 months to 2 years) depending on future CT Scan results & Dr recommendations.

India Update:

All has been authorized by Dr's & by Ministry Leaders for Alyssa & I to go to India. We leave on Sept 3rd and return on Nov 21st with the Medical Team, and my employer has approved my Leave of Absence. A lot to do in a short amount of time, but God is GREAT! He answers prayer!

I have attached our Support Flier that gives more details about our Mission trip to India. The flier refers to the "Palace" which is where we will stay near Krishnagiri which is 3 hours SE of Bangalore. Our photo was taken 10 days after starting my cancer treatment. The flier is in "pdf" format so all computers should be able to open it. Alyssa & I appreciate all your prayers & support.

God has been so faithful to see us through this cancer season, & we give Him all the praise & glory!

May the Lord bless you & help you in whatever you may be going through. “I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. The angel of the Lord encamps around all those who fear Him, and delivers them.” Psalm 34: 4,7

In His Love,

Val Obenchain

Update - Tuesday, June 28

I'm sorry it has been so long for an update! I only sent the last update to my blog, so I know many didn't get it. Please feel free to forward this to any people you have in the past, so they know also because I don't have everyone's email address. I was asked to include my blog address again, so you can click on it to check past postings. The address is: http://obenchain.blogspot.com/.

I want to start by saying "Thank you, Thank you, Thank you" to all who have prayed for me and helped us in so many ways. We have had help with meals & groceries, house cleaning, and gift cards that helped with prescriptions, food & non-food items. It all helped lighten the load on Alyssa and on me. Alyssa really dug in & helped SOOO much in so many ways. She stayed by my side no matter the time & no matter what she had planned. You have all been a HUGE blessing! God has heard all the prayers, & He has and is answering.

We serve an AWESOME GOD who loves us & cares about every little thing! I don't deal with being sick very well, yet the Lord has given me so much strength plus the ability to cope during this season.

I finished my last chemo on May 1st & my last radiation was on May 6th. I didn't have to return to work until June 1st, so that was very helpful because I was quite sick & weak during that time.

I returned to work for 16 hours a week in June then moved up to 24 hours per week as of July 5th. I have been feeling quite well most of the time. I just need to keep building up more strength & stamina.

Both my radiation doctor & my colorectal specialist have done a rectal exam & neither Dr can feel anything! The mass seems to be gone! My blood work has also been normal since the last blood transfusion in May and everything looks good.

I have a CT Scan scheduled on July 29th that will show a clean picture since treatment. We will mainly be looking to see what shows up on my right kidney. We are praying that whatever was showing before is either gone or of no concern. No matter what the results, I know God will get me through it. I will meet with my oncologist & my colorectal specialist after the Scan to review & discuss the results. I also have an appointment with a different Urologist on Aug 3rd to hear what he has to say about things.

(Lapse in time) Sorry, I didn't get this out prior to feeling like I had the flu on Monday evening. I had body aches & chills then Tuesday morning I also had a fever. I went to the Dr & was diagnosed with a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI). Wow, that can sure be painful! The meds kicked in & gave me relief Weds night & I am much better now. I learned that urinary problems such as UTI's could be a Radiation side effect. YUCK! Again, thanks be to God for helping me through it.

I suppose that's about all for the medical news.

Now for some really exciting news!!! Through this whole ordeal, Alyssa & I have been consistently & faithfully praying for India & for God's timing for us to go to serve there. We are moving forward with plans to serve on the Medical Team in November.

During my last follow-up visit with my oncologist & my colorectal specialist, they both said that I can go to India for 3 months. They just want to see me before I go & again when I return. Isn't that amazing! I believe that is our awesome God at work!

Of course, it is all in God's hands & we are praying daily for timing, wisdom, discernment, provision & strength among other things. We sure would appreciate you joining us in prayer for that as well as for continued healing.

(Another lapse in time) I was planning to sign off & get this sent out, BUT now I have new information.

We thought we had 1 year from Oct 31st to use our airline tickets to India that were purchased in 2008. We just found out that we have 1 year from the purchase date, which was Sept 5th! Therefore, we must use our tickets by Sept 5th or lose them with no refund allowed! This mission trip has been covered in consistent prayer & the money for the tickets was prayed in, so we are now preparing to leave for India in less than 6 weeks! Crazy, huh?!! We will go early then serve with the Medical Team when they arrive in November.

We received this news on Weds, but we still had to wait to find out if they could use us in India at this time. We prayed for God to speak "His will" to the ministry leaders in India, and whatever they said would be our answer. On Friday, we got the answer that we are "welcome at any time." I cried with joy when I read their response! I must admit this soon turned to being very overwhelmed as I thought about all that needs to be done in so little time. I was talking to the Lord about this, and then I just laughed & spoke out loud, "Oh! This is just another way of stretching my faith & having me rely on my Father instead of on myself or on my own abilities." He never ceases to amaze me!

I shared my testimony at a Ladies Retreat at Mountain Home Calvary Chapel recently. I mentioned many things such as "Fear of Failure, Doubt, how I am constantly reminded of my NEED for God, and how we just need to step out of our comfort zone in faith & rely upon the Lord." Romans 8:28 was also read which says, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." All these things went crazy in my head Friday night. Again, I am reminded that God uses ALL things to work together for His good. Although I didn't feel great about my speaking experience, I sure learned from it plus I realize now how I needed those reminders this past week.

God is with me, and He continues teaching me & helping me sort through all these things. God has already used this cancer experience to strengthen my faith, and I believe He will continue to use it in other ways too.

I am so thankful for what Jesus has done for me, and how the Lord has provided for us and protected us. I keep coming across the following Bible scripture. It is true of what the Lord has done for me and will do for each one of us if we let Him, so here it is for you to enjoy also. Psalm 40:1-3 "I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth -- Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the LORD."
God bless you all, and thank you so very much for everything. It helps that you can read this instead of me telling it repeatedly! Thanks for muddling through all the details and dealing with the "lapses of time" as I wrote this in bits over the past 2 weeks.

With Much Love & Thanks,
Val

Update - Tuesday, June

Last week was a long week but good. I found I'm weaker than I thought when it comes to physical stuff at work. I get winded quickly! I'm still on light duty, but was doing more than I have been.

I got my hair colored red, so I don't feel the need to wear my wig. I will still wear it though.

I have an appt with a doctor Thurs and my next follow-up appt with my other 2 dr's is July 2nd.

My main prayer request is that whatever was showing on my right kidney is either gone or its not anything of concern.

Update, Monday June 1st

Hello All:

I'm sorry it has taken so long to get an update written.

I finished chemo on May 1st and my last day of Radiation was May 6th. Although treatment is over, the side effects continued for about 3 weeks.

I ended up in the hospital late Friday night through Monday late afternoon on Mother's Day weekend. My neutrophil levels were low which allowed me to get the chills then it turned to a high fever. That stay was good because I received IV Fluids, IV antibiotics and many blood cultures. I didn't get much sleep though, so I had to catch up on that when I got home.

Thankfully, my job recognized this as a "set back" & that I was still too weak & tired to return to work, so they gave me until June 1st to come back to work part-time. I feel much more ready & capable now.

I am still recovering and building up my strength. I still get worn out easier & sooner than normal, but I'm getting better. They say it could take up to 3 months to regain my full energy & strength.

My emotions seem to be better too. My skin was raw and swollen in the genital & rectal area, but that healed up a week or two after Radiation ended. Thank the Lord; VERY painful & uncomfortable! With this healing, it is much more comfortable to wear pants & sit down.

Some days or even partial days are better than others still. I didn't feel very well last Thursday or Friday but Saturday & Sunday were good days. I take one day at a time.

My bowels are getting more regulated also, so I get more sleep!

On May 21st, I had a follow-up appt with my Radiation Dr to check my skin. At that time, he did a rectal exam which was extremely painful BUT it was worth it to hear him say that he didn't feel anything except the hemorrhoid! Praise God!

I do have "episodes" of a weird feeling. I'm not sure what it is, but I think it is fatigue & anxiety mixed. I feel really tense & stressed, my skin gets itchy, & I just feel like my head is so tight it wants to explode! Sometimes I can pray through them but other times they last a LONG time, and I can't relax or sleep during them. The pain pill and Ativan works after about an hour, but I'm trying not to take those. If I do give in, I've only been taking them once in a 24-hour or longer time-frame.

I have an appt on June 18 with the Colorectal doctor/ surgeon who diagnosed this in March. We'll see what he finds & says.

We wait 8-12 weeks from the end of my treatment to do a new CT Scan to see how things look. This will also show a new or better view of my right kidney.

Prayerfully, everything is gone & whatever was a concern on my right kidney will no longer be a concern. We've been praying for God to just remove that issue during this time. God knows all things, and He is the ultimate physician & healer, so I'll just wait to see. What a miracle it would be & a testimony to one unbelieving doctor!

So, in summary, we wait while I continue healing & getting stronger.

Please pray that all the cancer is gone as well as the mass & the possible lump on my right kidney. I also ask for prayer to be able to work my 16 hours a week and maybe even more hours as I get stronger.

Thank you so much to everyone who has been praying and also to all who have helped with food, clothing, house cleaning, gift cards, etc. It has been wonderful to see how God provides & puts things on people's hearts that I never would have thought necessary. He is SO GOOD!

THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH!!! It would have been very difficult or impossible to get through this without your support.

My love and gratefulness to you and our Loving Father,

Val

Home from the Hospital and needing prayer

Val got home yesterday from the hospital and started to feel much better after some rest. However her energy is quickly drained by mundane tasks. Please pray for her energy and strength to return, complete healing. Feel free to email her some words of encouragement using the form on this page.

Also, if you are interested in sending some groceries her way please call me, Keri, at 870-9897.