Ron and Judy Smith visit.

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Ron and Judy Smith with Caleb Hartzler last winter (Byron and Eileen's son)

We're so pleased to have Ron and Judy Smith with us for the next two weeks.  Ron and Judy started the SBS program within YWAM in 1981, and they were hugely instrumental in helping plant the ESBS here at Camp Lurecrest in 2006.

Having Ron and Judy with us now is nothing short of miraculous, given where they've been and what they've experienced over the past 6 months:

While teaching last fall in Asia Ron was hospitalized with severe hemophilia.  When Ron was admitted to the hospital his red blood cell counts were so low that doctors feared he was close to death.

After several days of recuperation and blood transfusions Ron was diagnosed with a rare form of bone marrow cancer.  The past 6 months have been entirely devoted to Ron's recovery.  He's undergone multiple transfusions and several rounds of chemotherapy.  Ron's body has responded really well to the treatment and Ron and Judy are encouraged that the cancer cells are decreasing and his body is generating blood on its own again.

Their visit here this week is their first journey out since the diagnosis.  You can imagine how good that feels for all of us!

Please continue to pray for Ron and Judy.  Pray with us that God removes all the cancer cells, and that Ron's bone marrow continues to produce red blood as it should.