Halifax, Nova Scotia - November 20, 2013

Lake Banook - Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

 Slowly, we seem to be acclimatizing - perhaps it's the long-johns that are helping! There have been a few snowflakes in the air but so far no accumulation. We are already looking forward to spring....

So... last week we visited the ENT doctor thinking that Pat was going to have a biopsy performed on-the-spot only to find out that he was there for a meet & greet. No biopsy - that will be performed at the Dartmouth General on November 29th. The lymph node that they will take the biopsy on is in a very delicate position (close to the carotid artery) and has to be performed during day surgery. If all goes well he should be home the same day. We should get initial results (lymphoma or some crazy infection) within 2 weeks. If he has Lymphoma it will take another 2 weeks to determine the specific type. We presume that about that time we will meet with the Hematologist to determine the course of treatment.

Pat and Debbie - November 17, 2013

While we are waiting for the medical diagnoses we are enjoying the hospitality of many friends. One evening we were asked to share our experiences in Nicaragua with a young family during their Family Worship- who knew that we would be "show and tell". This past weekend we joined the Halifax circuit at their Circuit Assembly. It was a real treat to see so many of our friends all together in one place. To try and prevent Pat catching a cold or some other bug we listened to the sessions in the First Aid room. The night before the assembly Pat received a hand-me-down suit from a good friend - very much appreciated since the two suits he has are far too big for him.

I guess I never realized how much wildlife there is in the city. Here are a couple of pictures I took while out in the ministry today:

feeding the ducks

small herd of deer in the city

Halifax, Nova Scotia - November 13, 2013

We've been back in Canada for two weeks now and are still adjusting to the change. The climate for one thing is a big adjustment - we're heading into winter here and our bodies still think we are back in Nicaragua.

Fall is a beautiful time of year in the Maritimes with the leaves changing colour. On sunny days I can almost fool myself into thinking that it is warm outside!

Chai Latte with snack

I've enjoyed a few days out in service when the weather hasn't been too cold, but have taken advantage of warming up in the car in between calls. Oh, yeah - there's something called a COFFEE BREAK too! We didn't have any of those in Pearl Lagoon. Like everyone else, we are busily distributing the Kingdom News tract #38. I met a nice young lady last week and hope to return to her tomorrow. Service has pretty much been impossible for Pat because of the cold, but he was able to accompany us on some return visits on Saturday.

Halifax Harbour ferry

Public Witnessing - Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

Another adjustment is seeing the prices of our favorite foods in the supermarkets. $5.00 for two avocados! Limes 3 for $1.99! Crazy!

 On October 30th Pat had a CATSCAN and we received the results from our family Doctor. It appears that Pat definitely has Lymphoma (in 4 areas of the abdomen) and a biopsy is scheduled for this afternoon. Once we have the results from the biopsy we will have a better picture as to whether we will be able to return to Pearl Lagoon. However, we are coming to realize that our stay in Canada will be far longer than we had anticipated.

Pat - Lake Banook - Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

Debbie - Lake Banook - Dartmouth, Nova Scotia