Dalsi krok na ceste – 22 mesicu v remisi

Celebrating another step - 22 months in remission

Nebyla to oslava, jen jsem si splnil male prani a pustil jsem si film Everest.  Obraz udoli a horskych hrebenu provazi muj boj s leukemii od zacatku. Jak uz jsem jednou zminil, kdyz se ohlednu zpatky, tak ty  nejhorsi okamziky fyzicky, byly zaroven nejkrasnejsi vyhlidky do Boziho kralovstvi a meho vztahu s Nim. Bylo to za cenu vystupu do zony smrti, o ktere sami horolezci vi, ze nase telo neni stvoreno aby v ni prezilo (to je vyborne znazorneno ve filmu). Cetl jsem vice podrobnosti o te vyprave a co se tehdy stalo. Behal mi mraz po zadech, zvlaste kdyz vis, ze nektere rozhovory jsou prepsane slovo od slova z autentickych nahravek rozhovoru. Touha vs. limity, radost a krasa vs bolest a utrpeni, celistvost vs. zmrzacenost. Tvrda realita bez prikrasleni.  Vsichni chteji dosahnout vrcholu. Spouste z nich se to podari. Je ale taky dost tech, kteri dosahnou vrcholu, a pak se zrani nebo prijdou o zivot na ceste zpatky.

To “celebrate”, I watched the movie Everest. Valleys and mountain tops is somewhat of a theme for my fight with leukemia. I have mentioned once before, that in retrospective I view the hardest moments of my fight not as the deepest valleys, but the mountain tops, in which God allowed me to see a beauty of his kingdom, you only get to see when you enter a death zone, “for which your body was not made.” (quoted from the scene where the climbers look at the death zone path to the peak). Reading more about the true story and knowing that some of the dialogues are authentic word by word, it gives you chills. Desire vs. limits, joy and beauty vs. pain and suffering, wholeness vs. brokenness. Graphic, authentic, real.  Many desire to reach the top, and they do. However, many of them don’t make it back to camp and loose their life on the way down.

Stejne tak je to s pacienty s rakovinou, kteri si projdou chemoterapii a ozarovanim. Ne vsichni se muzou vratit do normalniho zivota. S vdecnosti si uvedomuji, ze mi Buh pridal dny meho zivota a to co prozivam uz se blizi normalnimu, vsednimu zivotu. Udoli a horske hrebeny jsou “ skoro “minulosti. Jeste mam pred sebou min. dve chemoterapie, ale pokud vsechno pujde jako do ted, s Bozi milosti  mam jen par “skrabancu”, ktere doufam neprerostou v zadne komplikace. Pomalu bych se chtel zacit rozhlizet a planovat co bude dal.

Many of the cancer patients are not returning from chemo and radiations to normal life. God, in His grace, had spared me and added days to my life. I am slowly returning to life with its busyness and everyday-ness. The valleys and mountain tops are sort of in the past.  I know there are at least two more chemos, I will have to undergo. But so far, I am coming back to “normal life” with only a few scars, that with gratitude will call “minor.”  Yes, I am slowly entering the stage where I would like to start planning what’s next. 

Nas planovany odchod z Young Lifu po 12-lete spolupraci byl dovrsen rozloucenim s  evropskym teamem. Tady je na miste podekovat zvlaste Dave Martinovi a Alu Andersonovi, kteri nas na setkani pozvali a mohli jsme se tak se vsemi rozloucit osobne. To bylo pro nas velke pozehnani!!!!

Our transition from YL has been a blessing because of everyone’s effort to allow us to have a healthy closure after 12 years! Special thanks goes to Dave Martin and Al Anderson, who planned a time for us to to say good-bye in person  to the European YL team. 

Buh nadale vyslycha nase modlitby a stara se, ze mame dostatek. Jane si uziva role pani ucitelky a hodne z toho, co se uci v magisterskem programu muze hned pouzit v praxi behem hodin anglictiny. Studenty jeji hodiny bavi a u nekterych uz je videt I mirny pokrok! Ted je to ale poprve, co musi znamkovat a chodit na rodicaky jako pani ucitelka!!!

God has provided for our needs in the midst of stepping into the unknown.  Jane is enjoying implementing what she learns in her Master’s program directly in the classroom and so far she is surprised how well the students are responding to her efforts to teach them English. This is the first time that she has to give grades and communicate with parents!  

Ja nadale pomaham Markovi Sramkovi s fundraisingem a planovanim cesty do USA. Cideru se dari, pomalu rosteme a tak si I pridavam pomalu pocet hodin, kterymi se snazim prispet k tomu, aby vsechno bezelo hladce. Kdykoliv muzu a mam dost sil, snazim se pracovat rukama, coz mi pomaha zlepsovat si fyzickou kondici. Je to skvely pracovat nekolik hodin a hned videt kolik prace je hotove. Spolu s nasimi nejblizsimi sousedy a kamarady, v pomeru 4 rodice na 4 deti, rozvazime deti do skol a skolek, na krouzky a usetreny cas nam dava vic casu na domaci ukoly, stolni hry, vareni a peceni, a spoustu navstev!!

I continue to help Marek Sramek (YL Prague) with fundraising and plans for his US trip in January. The cider business continues to grow and so I am slowly adding “a few more hours here and there” to contribute and bring the best out of the potential that it has. I am also enjoying some manual labor, which helps me to build more of physical strength. I also like how the result is immediately visible. Together with our friends we parent-pool to get their kids together with Sofia and Mia to the right places at the right times -school, after school activities, visits with friends etc. This allows us to have more time for home work, family games, cooking and baking, having visitors..

Nas zivot vypada skoro normalne a za to jsem moc vdecny Bohu. Pro lidi, kteri nas neznaji, uz neni tak snadne videt na prvni pohled cim jsme si prosli. Na druhou stranu je pro nas prekvapenim, kolik z nasich “novych” kamaradu ma za sebou podobne zkusenosti a jejich skrabance jsou dost casto vetsi nez ty nase. Jsou nazivu, ale tezce zraneni. , Prosim modlete se s nami, abychom s nimi mohli sdilet nasi viru a nadeji v Jezisi Kristu.  

I am thankful to God, that right now, our lives look semi-normal. For the outsiders, people who don’t know, they really can’t tell where we have been. But we noticed something new – we are being invited into new relationships with people, who have somehow experienced the “mountain tops” and came down scarred. They are alive, but broken. Please pray for us, that we will be able to share with them our trust and hope in Jesus Christ.

Dalsi kontrolu mam 27. Listopadu. Dekujeme za Vasi vytrvalost, pratelstvi a primluvne modlitby! 

V Kristu,

My next appointment is November 27^th.

Thank you for your ongoing support, friendship and prayers! 

In Christ,

Martin

Quick, but good update

Dear friends,

Today’s blog is going to be a very short, but important update. The blood test is clear, the doctor told me that my blood results are better than ever and we are ready to start the sixth maintenance chemo for the next 15 days.

So, now I have a medical confirmation that I am entering the 21^st month of my remission!!! The next check up will be at the end of November. The doctor even joked that not seeing him for so long seems to have a positive effect on my overall state of health. Jokester.

The war is not over, but another important battle has been won. Praising God for the gift of keeping me alive and thank you for your continued support, love and care on this part of the journey.

Milí přátelé,

Dnešní zpráva bude krátká, nicméně důležitá. Výsledky krve jsou dobré, dle slov doktora včerejší hodnoty krevních testů jsou prozatím ty nejlepší co jsem kdy měl. Ode dneška mě čeká 15ti denní udržovací chemoterapie.

Vstup do 21. měsíce v remisi je potvrzen doktorem!!! Podle jeho slov mají dlouhé pauzy kdy ho nevidím očividně uzdravující efekt, takže další kontrola bude až na konci listopadu. Vtipálek.

Jěště to neskončilo, ale pokračujeme krok za krokem blíže uzdravení. Chvála Bohu za milost pokračujícího života a Vám všem děkuji za Vaší pokračující podporu a povzbuzení během této faze léčby.

Martin

Is the end in sight?

Vbíháme už do cílové rovinky?

Is the end in sight?

Milí kamarádi, rodino, modlitebníci i ti, kdo jste na našem blogu tak trochu náhodou, všechny Vás zdravím!

Family, friends, faithful prayer warriors or just bypassing readers of our blog, hello to all of you!

Můžu Vás pozvat na malou oslavu? Dnes se dožívám 20. měsíce remise, dvojnásobku času v remisi oproti předchozím obdobím!!!! Na podzim 2013 přišel druhý nečekaný relaps po deseti měsících. Dneska slavím 20 měsíců a jsem nesmírně vděčný Bohu za tento dar!

Can I invite you to celebrate with me 20 months in remission? Today we celebrate the longest remission, twice as long as the previous one from fall of 2013 when an unexpected 2nd relapse changed our plans once again.. I am grateful for added months to my life !!!! 20 months, praising God for this gift!

Přiznám se, že mám na srdci I na jazyku stejnou otázku, kterou jsem dal i do názvu- Vbíháme už do cílové rovinky? Nic si nechci nárokovat, nechci mít falešná očekávání, nepovažuji to za samozřejmost. Ani není uplně rozhodující, že se fyzicky cítím dobře.  I přesto, že bych rád ve víře vběhl do cílové rovinky, pořád je to otázka s otazníkem a jen On sám zná odpověd.

I can’t tell you how fearful I am to ask the question that really is on my heart and my mind : “Is the end in sight?” It is without any entitlement, any expectation, this is no statement. No matter how well I feel physically, no matter how much I believe that it seems that we might go to the finish, it remains a question with a question mark at the end. There is only One who knows the answer.

Pamatuji si, jak jsme s rodičí na dovolené při dlouhých pochodech vytáčeli rodiče neustále se opakující otázkou: “Tak kdy už tam budem?” Vybavuje se mi vzpomínka na dovolenou, při které jsme po ubytování vyrazili na výlet s cílem dojít si na večeři v blízké vesničce. Když jsme se na klikaté cestě ptali  “Tak kdy už tam budem?”, tak můj táta pohotově odpovídal “Jo, je to tady hned za zatáčkou.” Ptali jsme se ho furt dokola, a ta zatáčka měla snad 10 km…

I remember as a kid when we were hiking with my family, one question that drove my parents crazy was the question “Are we there yet? “ I remember vividly one trip, in particular, where my family came to a new camping site, and part of the exploring was to find a restaurant in the nearby village for dinner that night..  I don’t know how many times we asked my dad “Are we there yet?”, but he repeatedly replied “It’s just around the corner.” We probably asked 20 times during that walk and  ‘that corner’ must have been at least 6 miles long….

Nechci být netrpělivý, zvláště co už jsem se naučil, že Boží načasování a moje jsou často odlišné. Radši počkám a budu následovat Jeho vedení. Doktoři se dívají na dvouleté výročí jako mezník v úspěšnosti léčby a po té době by měla být pravděpodobnost relapsu  podstatně  nižší. Už se tam blížím!!!! V mém konkrétním případě leukémie APL má jenom 5% pacientů relaps, druhý relaps mají opravdu jen zvláštní jedinci. Nechci se upínat na statistiku. Mám před sebou ještě další tři chemoterapie (září, prosinec a březen 2016). Po jejich absolování budu zase o krok dál.

I don’t want to be impatient, and I have learned that God’s timing is not always in line with mine. His timing of things has a priority, so I will just follow his lead. From the doctor’s perspective, I still have four more months before reaching the two-year mark, where the chances of another relapse are statistically significantly less probable. In my case, only 5% of all APL patients experience a relapse,  patients with two relapses are really special cases.. So I don’t put my trust in stats.  On the other hand, there is one thing we know. I will have to undergo at least three more rounds of the chemotherapy (September, December, March 2016). That much we know.

V uplynulých 6 měsících jsme udělali několik velkých rozhodnutí. Poslední čtyři roky nás změnily. Některé okolnosti už take nejsou jako dřív, Při přehodnocování naší rodinné situace jsme se začali modlit s prosbou, aby nám Pán Bůh poodkryl své plány pro nás, dá-li On sám a leukemie bude uzavřená kapitola našich životů. Podobně jako Abram ve Starém Zákoně, měli jsme s Jane dojem, že je čas odejít z práce s mládeží i přesto, že nám není úplně jasné kam vlastně v budoucnu půjdeme.. Máme se vzdát něčeho co známe a nevědět co bude? To je přesný opak mé přirozenosti a toho jak bych si představoval “připravit se na změnu.” Chtěli jsme ale zůstat poslušni Božímu vedení a vykročili do neznáma. Požádali jsme o pomoc několik z našich důvěryhodných přátel, pastorů, psychologů a za jejich podpory jsme vykročili vstříc změnám. Prožíváme pokoj , nepanikaříme a těšíme se na to co je před námi. Srpen je posledním měsícem co pracujeme pro Young Life. I přesto, že jsme s Jane oba žili představou, že naše povolání do práce s mládeží je na celý život, prožíváme vnitřní ujištění, že jsme udělali to správné rozhodnutí pro naší rodinu.

Last six months have been a very significant time in our journey. We took a lot of time to pray and assess our family situation. We have changed, and some of our circumstances have changed, too. In the early months of 2015, we asked God to show us, what will our lives look like may we talk about leukemia chapter in the past tense. Like the Old Testament story of Abram, we felt that even though we don’t know exactly where we will go next, we are to approach our direct supervisors to work with us on a plan to come off the Young Life staff team. This was a hard test, a step into another unknown. As much as both Jane and I understood our calling to full time ministry to be life-long, the more we prayed and sought guidance from people we trust and some professionals, Jane and I both felt the same peace to  accept the change of plans. August is our last month on YL staff. We know that this decision is right for our family at this time, even though there will be parts of the ministry we will miss a lot.

Nadále budeme bydlet v Praze. Mia má před sebou poslední rok školky, Sofia jde v pondělí do druhé třídy. Jane začne učit angličtinu na základní škole a zároveň je zapsána do  magisterského programu  na Walden University.  Já mám ještě pár úkolů, které bych rád pro YL dotáhl do konce a k tomu si postupně přidávám nové věci. I přesto, že se cítím fyzicky silnější než před několika měsíci, musim se hlídat a nepřeceňovat svoje sily. Odpočinek trvá déle než bych chtěl, a i přesto že už to trvá čtyři roky, za které už bych měl vědet kdy přestat pracovat a odpočívat, pořád se umím nadchnout pro práci nebo projekt, a makat co to jde, až to nejde.. A pak musim o to déle odpočívat. A do toho pak pravidelné chemoterapie, které mě vlastně pomáhají zpomalit životní tempo a poctivě odpočívat..

We will remain based in Prague.  Mia has her last year of pre-school, Sofia will start 2^nd grade next Monday. For the next school year, Jane will be teaching English at a local school and study towards her Masters Degree in Education at Walden University. I am finishing up things with Young Life and slowly adding other things to my schedule. I still can’t plan much ahead,  even though I feel good, and I am slowly regaining my physical strength. I get tired very easily, and the recovery takes a much longer time than I would like to.  I have learned my lessons, four years of fighting this is long enough time to know when I need to stop working and lay down.  And you guessed right, I still get excited about work, forget to stop.. and need to rest even more…And it doesn’t help to have the chemo. I guess it helps because then I need to really stop and rest…

J.B.Phillips přeložil verš z Matoušova evangelia 5:4 tímto způsobem:

“Štastni jsou ti, kteří trpí spolu se světem. Nakonec to budou oni, kteří poznají víc štěstí než ti, kteří se bolesti vyhýbají.”

Listen to this translation of Matthew 5:4  by J.B. Phillips:

“Happy are they, who bear their share in the world’s pain. In the long run, they will know more happiness than those who avoid it.”

Bůh mi dal možnost vnímat svět z jiného úhlu. Celých 37 let jsem se bolesti a těžkostem vyhýbal, a i když nějaké přišly, dokázal jsem si je držet od těla. Ani bolest ani utrpení nehráli rozhodující roli v mém životě. Za posledních pár let, jsem ale poznal víc bolesti a  víc utrpení než za celý život před nemocí.

God has allowed me to see life from a different perspective. For 37 years, pain and hurt were not part of my life. Occasionally, yes. But they didn’t define who I was or what I was doing about it.  I was able to avoid pain or find ways to keep it at a safe distance.  Last few years, I have been around pain, hurt, sickness and death more than all the years before.

Před deseti dny jsme s Jane jeli na pohřeb pastora Daniela. S chronickou leukemií zápasil 6 let. Zemřel ve věku 57 let. V roce 1993 mě jako nově obráceného věřícího pokřtil, byl jsem součástí sboru, kde sloužil a kázal, měl velký vliv na formování mé víry a stál u důležitých životních rozhodnuti. Modlili jsme se spolu, jedli spolu, sdíleli jsme společně Večeři Páně. Respektoval jsem jej jako autoritu, která byla známá milostí a pokorou. Ve své poslední knize popsal svůj zápas s leukemií. Mezi jinými použil I tento citát od Teresie z Lisieux:

“Neumirám, ale vcházím do života. Smrt je odloučení duše od těla, nic jiného. A já nemám strach z odloučení, které mě  navždy spojí s dobrým Bohem. Pro mne si nepřijde smrt, ale Bůh!“

Ten days ago, Jane and I went to Pastor Daniel’s funeral. He was battling chronic leukemia for six years, passing at the age of 57 years. He played an important role in my life. He baptized me in May 1993 after I made a decision to follow Jesus. He was my pastor for over 15 years. We prayed together; we shared meals, we shared the bread and wine of the Lord’s supper. He was a part of many of my significant decisions. I had respect for his authority that was known for grace and humbleness. In his last book that he wrote about his life and his fight with leukemia, he used many quotes. This one stands out for me as I think of Daniel’s journey through life to his last day, when his body had had enough chemos, transplants, pills, sicknesses, fatigue and couldn’t take it any more:

 “I am not dying, I am entering into life. Death separates the soul from the body, nothing else. And I am not afraid of separation that will forever unite me with the good God. It will not be “death” who will come for me, it will be God!” 

                                                                        Sister Theresa of Lisieux, (1873-1897)

Tento citát mě velice oslovil a dal mi nově naději a důvod důvěřovat Bohu. Jednou přijde můj poslední den. Nemusím se bát smrti,  já se můžu těšit na setkání s mým Stvořitelem a Spasitelem.  Nejen těšít se, nemůžu se dočkat!!!!!!

Ever since I read that, it helps me to keep the right perspective of hope and trusting God.  Even though my days are numbered, I can rest and be at peace that my dying won’t be death’s victory, but it will be time for me to meet my Creator and my Savior in person!!! For that, I can’t wait!  

Ale do té doby, než nastane můj poslední den, jsem moc vděčný za přidané dny, týdny a měsíce, které můžu prožít s  Jane, Sofií a Miou, s rodinami jak tady tak v Americe, s kamarády ze sboru I mimo něj. Náš okruh přátel je dokonce už tak veliký, že se nestíháme všichni navštěvovat. Jsem štastný člověk! Dneska slavím! Prosím přidejte se ke mně a poděkujte Bohu za přidané dny mého života.

Until that day, it is with a joy that I get to live my additional days, weeks and months with Jane, Sofia and Mia,  great family circles on both sides of the ocean, enjoy a vibrant local church community and a number of friends so high, that we can’t keep up with visiting them all.. I am a blessed man. I am celebrating today! Please join me in giving thanks to God for all the added days!

Děkuji Vám za Vaší podporu a modlitby. Každý den prožívám s vděčností, kterou bych chtěl sdílet skrze všechno co dělám, chtěl bych být obrazem Jeho milosti a dá-li On sám příležitosti, pak I sdílet můj přiběh o životě s Ním.

Thank you for all your prayers and support. I live one day at a time with a strong desire - may my thankfulness be reflected in my actions, reflecting His grace and may He provide opportunities to share my story about Him!

Martin

good start to 2015

Mili pratele,

Dear friends,

Zdravim Vas vsechny, kteri nas dodnes tak verne a trpelive doprovazite.  Moc Vam dekujeme ze jste stali po nasem boku a  podporili nas v dobe, kdy  jsme to nejvic potrebovali a pokracujete I ted, kdy uz doufame, ze jsme na ceste z udoli leukemie.

Greetings to all of you, who are still so patiently and faithfully walking with us. I can’t thank you enough for being a community that surrounded me and my family when we needed it the most and you continue to walk with us on what we hope and believe is the walk out of the valley of Leukemia.

V listopadovem blogu jsem zminil me pretrvavajici bolesti zad. Prvni ortoped mi moc nepomohl, ale doporucil me ke specialistovi, ktery je nejen ortoped, ale zaroven I neurolog. Prijde mi to jako dalsi ukazka Bozi starostlivosti o detaily v mem zivote, kdy bez protekce a znamosti, jsem skoncil v ordinaci doktora, ktery by mi mohl pomoci. Byl jsem nemile prekvapen, ze prvni volny termin byl az v lednu 2015, tedy o dva a pul mesice pozdeji nez bych si pral, protoze me zada opravdu bolela!

Back in November, I mentioned my back pain. The first doctor didn’t help much, but thankfully and I see this as God’s provision, he recommended me to another specialist, a neurologist, who is also an orthopedic doctor. I was pretty upset that the first opening with this doctor was January 5^th, 2015. We are talking months later, while my back hurts!

Nejen ze bolesti zad nepolevily, ale asi jsem tomu moc nepomohl, ze jsem pres vanoce ucil holky bruslit a sam u toho stal na bruslich. Sofia a Mia dostaly na vanoce prvni brusle a protoze mely dobry zaklad z koleckovych brusli, rychle se osvojily techniku brusleni na lede a chteli abychom denne sli bruslit na zimni stadion. Denne to nebylo, ale I tak jsem byl rad, kdyz vanocni prazdniny skoncili, protoze uz mi zacaly dochazet prasky na bolest..

Well, the back pain didn’t go away and I didn’t really help it over Christmas when our family fun became ice skating. The girls got their first skates, and since they had some experience with rollerblading, skating  was immediately on our daily schedule. (Well, almost daily.) My back was hurting, but to see Sofia and Mia go around and learn a new skill that gets them moving and outside in the cold!! I couldn’t just sit there and watch! Thankfully the Christmas break wasn’t too long and I had a good stack of the painkillers.

V lednu jsem pak nemohl verit vlastnim ocim, kdyz jsem s bolavymi zady prisel za timto dalsim doktorem. Posadil si me, a jeho prvni otazka po precteni me zdravotni dokumentace byla, “Jak jste prijal tu zpravu o leukemii?” To byl pro me sok. Vubec jsem necekal, ze by se ptal na uplny zacatek toho, jak jsem se vlastne dostal az k nemu. Prohledl me, vyzkousel co vydrzim a pak mi vyrazil dech po druhe: “Vypadate docela dobre na to co mate za sebou, co jste ze sebou delal?” Doktor se pta me, at mu dam doporuceni co fungovalo?

So in January, when I saw this doctor, it literally seems to be too good to be true. This guy welcomes me in his office after reading my medical history of 3 years, sits me down and asks: “How was it when you first heard the news?”  I was blown away, that he would pick that as the starting point of our conversation. He sat down and was genuinely interested in my story. After examination of my back and some testing, he surprised me the second time – “You look good for what you have been thru, what do you recommend?” This is a doctor asking me what I recommend?

Nezmohl jsem se hned na odpoved a tak mi zacal napovidat – zmena stravovani, motivace rodiny a deti, nebo vira?? Rekl jsem mu, ze jsem uz dvacet let krestanem a tak urcite to byla vyhoda, ze jsem se nebal smrti. Bojim se umirani, ale nebojim se smrti. Navic jsem pred nedavnem cetl vyborny citat od jedne reholnice, ktera v tom mela jasno – “pro me si neprijde smrt, ale Buh. “ Nemuzu nez s ni souhlasit a tesit se na to setkani s zivym Bohem!!

He helped me to catch my breath from the surprise by suggesting a few words like change of diet, kids, family, faith.. I told him that for over 20 years I was a Christian and that my advantage was that I was not afraid of death. I am afraid of the pain that comes before dying, but not the death itself. Recently I have read a quote that even more encouraged me to really shake of any fear of death that was left – this sister from centuries ago said, It will not be death that will get me, it will be God.” I agree with her and can’t wait for that meeting with God !!!!!

Mluvili jsme o jidle a dietach, dobrych knizkach na tema rakoviny, cviceni a protahovani.. On sam si prosel svym a musel se vzdat postgradualniho studia, omezit aktivity na rodinu a 1 hobby a v ordinaci je jenom 2x v tydnu. Zazil , co to znamena radikalne zmenit zivot od zakladu a ovlivnilo to I jeho hodnotovy zebricek. Hodne jsem se toho od nej naucil za tak kratkou dobu. Netrvalo to ani 45 min a plan byl celkem jasny: magneticka resonance, dva mesice rehabilitace, denni cviceni a kontrola 19.unora!

We talked about food and diets, good books to read about cancer, exercising and he also shared little bit of his own story. He had to give up his PhD studies. Family and 1 hobby is all he is actively pursuing, He practices medicine at the clinic only 2 days a week. He had a medical condition that led him radically change his life and his priorities. I have learned a lot from him in the short period of time I knew this guy! After less than 45 min he prescribed the following:

MRI of my back, two months of physical therapy, daily exercise and a check up on February 19^th.

A to je dneska. Na magneticke resonanci nebylo nic, co by melo byt napraveno pomoci operace nebo jakehokoliv jineho zasahu zvnejsi. Takze to je skvela zprava!!! Pan doktor se me zeptal jak se subjektivne citim a tak jsem mu to rekl popravde:

90% bolesti je pryc. Dychaci cviceni a spravne drzeni tela a zvlaste pak spravne zvedani se z lehu se neda srovnat s tim nejvetsim objevem behem moji rehabilitace. Problem nebyl v trapezovych svalech a jejich zkraceni, jak se ocekavalo, ale problem je roky zazite zvedani ramen. Obecne se ma za to, ze jsou tri situace, kdy  je tato reakce bezna – stress, strach a zima. O tom jsem nemel nejmensi potuchy, ale kdyz mi sestra rekla at dam ramena dolu 3x za dve minuty, bylo jasne kde je zakopany pes. Takze si nekolikrat denne pripominam, ze si mam dat ramena dolu, musim cvicit a protahovat se. Verim tomu, ze zbyvajici bolest a omezeni pohybu zmizi diky pravidelnemu cviceni. Fyzicky se citim velice dobre, skoro bych I hadal, ze jsem v lepsim fyzickem stavu nez pred moji diagnozou. Nebyl by to vlastne tak trochu paradox? Dekuji Ti, Pane, za me zdravi!

So this brings us to today. The MRI didn’t reveal any major issues that would need surgical or other attention, which is a great news!!  My doctor asked me how I felt subjectively so I told him – 90% of the pain is gone!!! The breathing exercise and correction of my movements including basic things like sitting or getting up from laying down, don’t match up this one miracle discovery – it was not the trapeze muscles that were the problem, it was my habit of holding my shoulders in a uptight position. Apparently that is a reaction to stress, fear or when being cold. Not aware of this, the PT assistant told me three times in two minutes to put my shoulders down. After only a week of reminding myself twenty thousand times a day about this, the neck pain is gone. It helps that I have learned how to breathe better and how to stretch more effectively. I still have little bit of pain and stiffness to work on, but if I keep on exercising, I am convinced it will go away. I feel physically so much better today, that it might be possible that I am in a better shape now, than I was before the whole circus started. What a paradox! Thank you, Lord, for my health!

Moc bych si pral, aby to byl konec zprav o lekarskych navstevach. Ale neni. Pristi tyden mam pravidelnou kontrolu se stenalni punkci na odber kostni drene a pak nasledne me ceka dalsi kolo udrzovaci chemoterapie na 15 dni.  To zas budou dny, kdy mi dojde ze ta valka jeste neni vyhrana, jenom dilci, mesicni bitvy. Navrat do normalu trva par tydnu, ale vyhled na to, ze by tohle vsechno mohlo trvat jeste asi rok, me udrzuje v nadeji, ze to jednou skonci a neni to zas az za tak dlouho. .

As much as I wish that this would be the end of the medical things for now, next week I go in for another sternal puncture and shortly after that I will start another round of the maintenance chemo for 15 days. Those are the days, when the reminder that the war is not over yet, just the local “monthly” battles. It takes a couple of weeks to recover from that, but hopefully this will end in about a year so, so the end is a little bit closer..

Jsem vdecny Bohu za blizici se vyroci 14 mesicu v remisi! Kazdy den je nezaslouzeny dar. Jsem vdecny kazdemu z Vas za Vase modlitby, povzbuzeni a lasku! Brzo poslu dalsi zpravy.

With a grateful heart, I am heading to 14 months in remission!! Each day is an extra gift.  Thank you for your support of prayers, encouragement and love. Will keep you posted.

Martin

A very Merry Christmas!

Mili pratele,

Dear friends,

ani poradne nevim jak vyjadrit vdecnost za to, ze jsem se dozil dneska. Ale predtim nez se rozepisu o vanocich, chtel bych se podelit o kratkou zpravu z vanocni vecere prazskeho YL.

I can't tell you how grateful I am for today! But before I go on, let me give you a quick update on the YL Christmas dinner last week and my talk.

Celkem prislo asi 40 studentu. Meli jsme dost jidla pro celou skupinu a oproti lonskemu roku jsme nemeli zadne zbytky! Vsechno snedeno!! Byl jsem mile prekvapen, ze prislo i nekolik studentu a vedoucich z predchozich let a taky jsem si moc uzil cas s lidma z Klubu pratel prazskeho YL. 

We had about 40 students. There was enough food for all 55 of us and this year - NO LEFTOVERS to waste!!!

I was very surprised to see some older students and leaders and it's always a great time to hang out with our committee people!! 

Studenti trpelive poslouchali celou dobu co jsem mluvil. Oni poslouchali me, a ja pak poslouchal studenty a vedouci jak hodnoti muj program. Behem pripravy mi celkova delka vychazela na 13 min, ale to jsem vynechal uvodni videoklip z filmu a necetl jsem k tomu doslova tri pasaze z Bible. Takze celkem to byla pres 20 minut a ty 3 pasaze byly pomerne nesrozumitelne. Slo to rict jinak. Kdybych si to vyzkousel pred vedoucima pred veceri, mel bych zpetnou vazbu hned a mohl jsem to upravit. Ale studenti i vedouci dokazali zopakovat hlavni myslenku - Buh nezapomnel dodrzet svuj slib. Jezis se narodil v pravy cas na pravem miste a byl tou ocekavanou odpovedi na slib dany Abrahamovi, krali Davidovi a potvrzenim proroctvi co mel prorok Isajas. V hodnoceni se vedouci zminovali i o vyzve, kterou jsem dal studentum na letosni vanoce - nenechte si ukrast vanoce Santou, Mikulasem, nebo touhou po mnozstvi darku. Jezis nezustal v jeslickach moc dlouho, vyrostl a byl to ten Mesias, na ktereho cekali cele generace. Dejte si tu praci a obetujte trochu casu, abyste se sami mohli presvedcit, proc se slavi Jezisovo narozeni s takovou slavou. Nebojte se zeptat.

 

Students were kind enough to listen to my talk, and I learned some very valuable lessons. At practice, my talk was 13 minutes long. But that was without showing a movie clip first and also reading 3 passages from the Bible. So in the end, it was over 20min, with 3 heavy Old Testaments quotes. Had i practiced my talk in a presence of a leader or two, they would have already given me the much needed feedback before hand and not just afterwards. But the point was clear - God didn't forget to fulfill his promise. Jesus was born at the perfect time and place in histrory as a promise given to Abraham, King David and an answer to Isaiah's prophesy.  All the leaders whom I asked for evaluation got the point and remembered even the challenge i left the students with - don't let Santa Claus or Nicolas or desire for many gifts steal your Christmas. Jesus didn't stay in the crib for long, he grew and he was the promised Messiah. Take the time this Christmas to find out more about why we celebrate his birth. Ask. 

Sofia a Mia jsou dost stare na to, aby si vanoce pamatovali a dost mlade na to, aby si je poradne uzili se vsim co k nim patri. Jejich radost z vyrabeni a davani darku je silnejsi nez trpelivost, se kterou by mely cekat na Stedry vecer. Uz rano v 7.45 nas s Jane probudily s tim, ze "musime" otevrit darky co nam udelali. Chteji u vseho byt, na vsem se podilet a to jeste stihly si pripravit vanocni koncert pro babicky s dedou!! Mia uz umi asi 15 vanocnich koled a zpiva je porad dokola!! Jejich radost je nakazliva!

This year, Sofia and Mia are at the perfect Christmas age. Their joy of making and giving gifts is making them so impatient that Jane and I had to open our first gifts from them at 7.45am this morning!!!!!  We couldn't even convince them to wait until tonight, when the Baby Jesus is coming with the gifts. They want to help with everything around the house and are preparing a Christmas concert for tonight! Their Czech grandmas and grandpa are coming to join us so they put together a little show. Mia knows about 15 different Czech Christian carols and sings them constantly! What a joy to see their smiles!

Dneska vecer mam posledni davku prasku me pravidelne udrzovaci chemoterapie. A taky jsem moc vdecny, protoze muzeme slavit spolecne s moji rodinou prvni vyroci remise. Behem jara zemrel jeden z mych kamaradu z nemocnice a tak vim, jak blizko jsem se dostal k tomu, abych tyhle vanoce uz nemel s rodinou. Pral bych si (trosku sobecky), aby tu s nami byli i rodice Jane, ale potom co nam 3 roky pomahali a byly tu pokazde na vanocni svatky, tak je cas nechat je uzit si i ostatnich clenu rodiny a pribuznych.

Tonight, not only I will take my last dose of pills of my chemo for this year, but I get to celebrate with my family 1 YEAR in remission !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  The reality is that I lost of one of my hospital friends earlier this year, so I know how close I was to not having this Christmas. Wishing (selfishly) that Jane's parents would be with us, but after their faithful service and help to our family for 3 years, it is time for their own families have their turns. 

Dekujeme za Vase pokracujici modlitby a podporu, ktere se nam od Vas dostava.  Prejeme Vam vsem krasne vanoce!! 

Thank you very much for your continues prayer and support that you show me and my family.  Merry Christmas to all of you! 

V Kristu,

In Christ,

Martin

advent update:: from Martin

Mili pratele,

Dear friends,

Rad bych se s Vami podelil o dve zpravy. 

Ta prvni je o mem zdravotnim stavu. Minuly tyden jsem mel kontrolu s odebranim vzorku krve a kostni drene. 

Protoze se ani muj osetrujici lekar a  ani nikdo jiny z nemocnice se neozval, beru to, ze je vsechno ciste a bez pritomnosti leukemie.

S mirnymi obtizemi, souvisejicimi s udrzovaci chemoterapii, kterou znova po 3 mesicich prochazim,se chystam na cilovou rovinku 1. roku remise!!!!!!!!!! Ani ne 10 dni..

There are two things that I would like to share with you. 

The first one is about my test results. Last week I gave blood and bone marrow samples. Since neither the doctor nor the hospital staff called, I take it that both samples are clear!!!! I am currently having some difficulties with side effects to the pills I am taking as part of my maintenance chemo, but other than that I am heading for the finish line of ONE YEAR in remission!!!!!!!!!!!! In less then 10 days..

Jsem nesmirne vdecny za kazdy den, i kdyz ne kazdy den je takovy jaky bych si ho pral mit. Porad se musim ucit co to znamena nasledovat Jezise, nest bremeno a ale mit hlavu nahore s vyhledem na Jeho milost a Jeho pozvani ke spolecne vecnosti. Na prvni adventni bohosluzbe jsme meli moznost zapalit ve sboru svicku a rict neco o uplynulem roce. Byl to dobry zacatek adventu, ale nebyt nasi domaci skupinky a nedelnich bohosluzeb, urcite bych se nechal pohltit kolotocem toho vseho, co bych jeste chtel do vanoc stihnout. 

I am very thankful for each new day, but have to confess that not every day goes according to my plan. It always brings me back to basics of how to follow and trust Jesus, bear the cross, but have the hope in His grace and invitation to be in His presence for eternity. My family was asked to light the first advent candle during our church service and say a few words about last year. It was a great start of advent, but if it was not for our home group and Sunday service, i would easily get sucked into the whirpool of things that MUST be done before Christmas. 

Minuly tyden jsem byl pozvan mezi studenty Evangelikalniho teologickeho seminare na praktickou cast jejich vyucovani s nazvem Praxis Pieatatis. Pro me osobne to byla vyzva srovnat si myslenky a ohlednout se za rokem, ktery se od tech predchozich dost odlisoval. Nejvetsi radosti pro me byly rozhovory, ktere zacaly na zaklade sdileni o pokracovani "cesty udolim". Znamena to, ze alespon nekteri studenti poslouchali, a pak se o bolesti, smrti, zdravotnich problemech chteli bavit na osobni rovine.  Ale mel jsem jeste jeden duvod k radosti. Nechci odhadovat presna cisla, ale oproti lonskemu roku byla skupina aspon dvojnasobna!!! To znamena, ze jsou dalsi mladi lide, kteri prozili povolani do sluzby a jsou ochotni vykrocit!!!!!!! To je uzasna zprava pro ceskou cirkev! 

As I mentioned before, I was asked to come to speak to the seminary students during their Praxis Pietatis. It was good for me to sit down and sort out my thoughts as I looked back at the last 15 months, that were different from anything else in my life. It was a joy to have personal conversations with some of the students afterwards, hearing their stories and how they want to help those in need. But there was one more reason for joy! The group was about twice as big as last year!!!! There are more young people who have answered God's call to ministry and they stepped out in faith. That is a great news for the Czech church!!

V tomto tydnu probehna i Vanocni vecere prazskeho Young Lifu, kam jsem pozvan abych studentum "neco" rekl. Tesim se, i kdyz jsem nervozni. Prosim pripojte se k mym modlitbam, abych mel nejen fyzicky dost sil (kvuli chemoterapii jsem vice unaveny a potrebuji pres den spat) ale taky aby moje slova byla prijata studenty jako vyzva ke vztahu s Tim, kdo splnil slib a poslal lidem opravdoveho Mesiase.

The YL Prague's Christmas dinner is on the schedule for this week. I am invited to have the club talk or as we talk about it - tell "something" to the students. I am looking forward to it, but i am also nervous. Please join me in my prayers for having enough physical strength (I am taking the chemo pills again and need to nap during every day) but more importantly that my words will challenge students to start their own relationship with the One, who promised and gave us the real Messiah.

Brzo napisu, jak to dopadlo.

I will soon send another update.

Preji Vam predvanocni tyden naplneny Bozim pokojem,

May your pre-Christmas week be filled with God's peace!

Martin

November 19

Mili pratele,

Dear friends,

Zub byl uspesne vytrzen a jsem objednan na dalsi kontrolu se zady ke specialistovi, ktery je nejen ortoped, ale take neurolog. Presne co jsem potreboval, tak doufam, ze mi pomuze a bolesti zad se nebudou zhorsovat.

The tooth is out and I have an appointment to see another ortopedic/neurogy doctor who might be able to help me with my back pain and tensions.

Kdyz jsem vchazel do ordinace me zubarky, uvedomil jsem si, ze jsem doma nechal zpravu z meho posledniho vysetreni. Podivala se na me a s usmevem pronesla: “Kdyz byste si nebyl jisty, ze to prezijete, tak byste sam a dobrovolne neprisel. Nikdo sem nechodi, kdyz nemusi.”

When I was going to my dentist, I forgot to bring the last report to confirm that my blood sample numbers were good enough for me to undergo this stressful event. My dentist just smiled at me and said – “You wouldn’t be here, if you were not sure that you can survive this. No one comes here, unless they have to. ”

To mi dodalo potrebnou odvahu abych se uvelebil v kresle a dostal davku anastetik. Teda vlastne hned dve, to pro jistotu, abych opravdu nic necitil. Pravda je, ze jsem dva dny potom nic necitil, za to ve ctvrtek rano, to byl mazec.. Jeste, ze jsou ty ruzovy prasky co tlumi bolest..

Seeing her confidence gave me the extra confidence to sit and receive the local annastacia. To be sure that I don’t feel anything I got an extra dose and sure enough I didn’t feel anything for two days!!!! But Thursday morning when I could feel everything, I was thankful for the magic of pain killing pill…

Po dvou tydnech muzu stastne podat zpravu, ze se citim dobre, chodim znovu na prochazky jak jen to jde, procvicuji zada a odpocivam kdyz potrebuji.Jane rodice prijeli na navstevu na nekolik tydnu a je to opravdove Bozi pozehnani, protoze ted nejsem ani v nemocnici a ani nemam zadnou chemoterapii! Chemoterapie prijde az po pulce prosince. Takze si ted uzivam to, ze je nas vsech sest pohromade, muzeme se prochazet spolecne a spolecne jime u jednoho stolu.

Two weeks later I can report that I still feel great, going for walks as much as I can, stretching my back and resting as much as I need to. We are blessed to have Jane’s parents with us for the next few weeks and this time, neither am I in the hospital nor do I have any chemotherapy. (the chemo is scheduled for later in December).So we have a great time together all 6 of us!!!!! It is a gift to me, that there are places we can walk to and I get to enjoy MY time with Ernie and Judy outside of the hospital as well as to be part of the family meals.

Krome casu s rodinou mam take pred sebou dva programy, kam jsem byl pozvan jako host jeste v case pred vanocemi. Jeden program je soucasti pripravy budoucich pastoru a cirkevnich pracovniku na Evangelikalnim seminari v Praze nazvan Praxis Pietatis. Vloni jsem ke studentum mluvil nekolik dni pred nasim planovanym odletem do USA, a na misto cesty do zamori me cekala zprava o dalsim relapsu, cesty na ozarovani a chemoterapie a pobyt v nemocnici.

Outside of enjoying the time with Jane’s parents and my family, I have been invited to speak to two students groups at different venues before Christmas. One is a group of students at the Evangelical Theological Seminary, who are studying and in training to become pastors and church ministers of local churches. Last year I spoke during their “Praxis Pietatis” a few days before we were planning to leave for the extended time in the USA. Instead of our departure, a few days later came the news of my yet another relaps and travel to US was exchanged for chemo, radiation and hospital stay.

Stejne jako vloni jsem pozvan sdilet svuj pribeh s jeste vetsi skupinou studentu o tom, co jsem se naucil o Bozi lasce, Jeho ocekavanich ode mne a jak se promenuje muj zivot s vyhledem na nadeji, ze tato kapitola prochazeni udolim se snad blizi ke konci. Je to velice podobne nacasovani jako minuly rok. Jen den pred tim dam krev a kostni dren a budu cekat na vysledky. Je to pro me neskutecna milost, ktera me vede na kolena s vdecnosti, ze si me Buh, ktery zna presny pocet mych dni, pouziva k tomu abych mluvil se studenty o Jeho zpusobech a Jeho planech, kterymi vede muj zivot.

This year, the faculty of this program asked me to come back as the group is bigger and they would like for them to hear about what God has taught me in the last year about His love for me, His expectations of me and the way my life continues to change as I (still) hope to be heading for an exit from this season. it will be a very similar situation when I will speak to the group only a day after giving blood and  bone marrow sample and waiting for the results. It is a privilege and it brings me to my knees that I get to share with them about God, who knows the count of my days left, continues to use me to share about His ways and His plans taking place in my life.

Druhym programem kde mam tu cest promluvit a sdilet se o Bohu, ve ktereho verim, je vanocni vecere prazskeho Young Lifu. Lonska vecere se skutecne vydarila a potvdilo se, ze obrovske mnozstvi bramboroveho salatu a jeste vetsi hromada smazenych rizku je a porad zustava dobrou pozvankou nejen pro studenty co chodi na Young Life pravidelne, ale I pro ty, kdo z ruznych duvodu nemuzou byt na akcich kazdy tyden. Mam za ukol stoupnout si pred studenty a neco jim rict. To by samo o sobe nebylo tak tezke, kdyby.. to uz nebyly tri roky co jsem naposledy stal pred studenty a mluvil k nim jako nekdo koho znaji a kdo zna je. Od te doby co Marek Sramek vede YL v Praze, studenti co jsem znal jsou uz pryc a na jejich miste jsou studenti, ktere jsem videl kdyz tak jen parkrat.. Nervozita je o trochu vyssi nez obvykle, ale jinak se moc tesim!

The other group is a group of students who attend the Young Life activities. Last year’s Christmas club that was in a style of a Christmas dinner was a great success. Plenty of potato salad and plenty of Wiener Schnitzel is always a great draw even for students who don’t come regularly or for different reasons are not part of the weekly programs. I have been asked to be a guest speaker on that night and give a club talk. It has been over three years since my last club talk and I don’t know any of the students on a personal level. Since Marek Sramek took over the leadership of YL Prague, the group of students I knew graduated and moved on and the younger once have taken their place. As much as I rejoice that these are new students, I am also a little nervous because I don’t know them and they don’t know me.

Vazim si obou dvou pozvanich, a nebo bych to mel vzit sportovne a rict ze to jsou nove vyzvy? At uz tak nebo tak bude to pro me dalsi krok ve sluzbe Bohu, ktery uprostred meho udoli a pomale rekonvalescence mi dava silu a radost ze sdileni o Nem a jak moc se sami ochuzujeme, kdyz se k Nemu obracime zady at uz pri nemoci nebo v kazdodennim obycejnem zivote.

 I am excited about both of these opportunities. Or should I call them challenges? Either way it is a privilege for me to serve God, who in the midst of the valley and my slow pace of life, gives me strength and excitement to share about who He is and how much we miss by turning our back on Him, whether in hard circumstances or in just regular daily life.

Prosim Vas, primlouvejte se za oba tyto programy a taky za moje zlepsujici se zdravi. Jsme vdecni za Vasi pokracujici podporu a pomoc, se kterou zahrnujete Jane, Sofii, Miu a me.

I would appreciate your prayers for both of these events as well for my improving health. Thank you for your support and care that you continue to offer to Jane, Sofia, Mia and to me.

Preji Vam, abyste znali a zakusili plnost Jeho lasky!

May you know and experience the richness of His Love,

Martin