How Can I Help?

"What can we do to help you guys?" "We are available for ANYTHING, call me ANYTIME DAY OR NIGHT."

We have had so many wonderful friends and family offer help. We have never gotten back to some of you about your offer to help! I wanted to put some ideas for helping us in one place. Here they are: 1.) Pray 2.) Understand that this is a long road 3.) Friends, reach out to Chester 4.) Support our church - they support us directly

5.) Local gardener/hunter/farmer? We are looking for organic & wild food sources 6.) Local and willing to cook a healthy meal for our freezer? Ask Anna for recipes that will work for the whole family - Chester has some food sensitivities and guidelines but we have some recipes that work for us. 1.) PRAY Specific prayer requests for October 2026:

• Pray that Chester's bloodwork levels for a specific enzyme will allow him to start immunotherapy treatment safely, and as soon as possible if that's the Lord's will. ✅

• Pray for God to sustain and bless our family's faith and peace during this time. Pray especially for M's faith as she hears God's Word in kindergarten and asks us big questions about God's plan for her dad and why the plan isn't "easier." Pray for toddler W as he must process this in his own way, and has already asked some anxious questions when he doesn't see his dad for longer than he expects. Pray for all the gifts of the Spirit for Anna as well as "less rage" - the stage of grief she tends to get stuck on.

• Pray for Chester's healing - pray that he would be spared possible rare/toxic side effects of the immunotherapy drug he will begin soon, and that this drug will have a positive effect for him on the tumors in his liver, lungs, and lymph nodes (it doesn't work on every person/tumor).

• Pray for Chester's peace and confidence in God's will for his life in these days leading up to the first infusion, during, and after.
  

2.) UNDERSTAND OUR ROAD

• We are so hopeful, but cancer is serious no matter how optimistic you are. We pray for healing while knowing that no matter what happens, nothing changes.

• Do you "REALLY" get it? Connect with us (or text Chester) about your own experience with immunotherapy, stage 4 colon cancer, or naturopath oncology if you've walked a similar path through the valley of the shadow of cancer.

• Alternatively, talk to us about anything BUT cancer/just be with us. Come over and be present. We like breaks and company.

• Thank you for reading this blog at any time to keep up with general news/big updates. It means less people to text updates to.

3.) FRIENDS, REACH OUT, AND KEEP REACHING OUT

Please send Chester an encouraging text, email, or letter. Include a joke, memory, and/or a bible passage? If you're someone that Chester has shared the gospel with, given encouragement to, or cared for, please share that with him, it would mean a lot.

As I type this out I can think of so many that Chester has spent hours of "extra" time with, just in the time I've known him, from the rez to the youth group in Sharpsburg, to Concordia Mequon, at Sem, and in Calgary in our neighborhood and church, and at pretty much every establishment he goes to regularly...the gym, the barber, the tire shop. It really is beautiful, the way he slows way down to love people. Think WORDS OF AFFIRMATION, people (that's his love language). Our address is 27 Castlebrook Mews NE Calgary, Alberta T3J 2M1 Canada 4.) SUPPORT OUR CHURCH This is a big one. We are being supported financially primarily by our church, with our immediate families coming in 2nd. We're very thankful that we don't have to move or panic immediately during this time. Our church is continuing to pay Chester his full salary + benefits, and we still live in the church parsonage. He's scaled back his work to almost nothing for at least 3 months, and the church is served by a vacancy pastor. Our church is a mid-size Lutheran church in a part of Calgary that has been described as "needing love." The people of our church come from diverse backgrounds, with origins in over 20 countries - many are African refugees and newcomers to Canada. We love our church and it's so hard for Chester not to serve as actively there. Anna still works for the church 5-10 hours/week. If you want to bless our family financially, consider giving to our church.

Members of our church have already put our hearts at ease so well by continuing to support each other, "continuing to meet together" on Sundays, stepping into more church volunteer roles, and more - Thank you.

Clear liquid protocol popsicle "Cheers!" to you for caring and praying!