Delayed Departure

With less than a week till he was to leave, Harrison's doctor called with the results of some tests. It seems Harrison was all ready to go but his kidneys were getting cold feet. The doctor said it appeared there were some renal concerns and he wanted Harrison to see a specialist before he could travel. We couldn't believe it! Everything was put on hold and we worried for his health. We called the Missionary Department to delay his departure and we waited to hear from the specialist. After a very anxious several days, we were told his appointment was set for June 30th. This was unacceptable. We fasted and prayed. Then we called our friend and radiologist Dr. M. at the Ottawa Hospital. He so very kindly took on this little project and somehow got Harrison an appointment with a specialist in less than a week.
She examined the facts and told us not to worry and to "go on you trip". The Missionary Department gave him his next departure date of May 3rd.
We are so very grateful to the Lord for making the way clear for Harrison to consecrate these next two years as His servant, helping and blessing the lives of the people of the Philippines. It would not have been possible if the Lord had not parted our Red Sea of the medical world through His servant (and our angel), Dr. M.
Thank you Doctor M!!

The Call Arrives

The great fisherman is hanging up his rod and reel. He has been called of God through His prophet to be a "fisher of men" among the people of the Philippines in the northern-most mission of Laoag. His call came November 9th, 2010. He and his dad drove home from work to find his mom on the front porch shouting, "Hurry, hurry! It came!" We arranged to meet at Shona & Dan's to open the long awaited letter. His grandma was there and we had Whitney & Mark on speaker phone. Most of us predicted he would be called to Britain or Europe as he has a British passport but the Philippines was right out of the blue. It's strange how one moment the country had no place in our lives and the next, it becomes the new centre of our universe.
We are so proud of him. For someone who always said he didn't want to go somewhere hot (he liked the thought of a call to Alaska or Siberia), he's pretty excited about this call. He reports to the Provo MTC on March 23rd. There won't be regular entries in the blog till he leaves. Then we will post edited versions of his letters home, possibly with the periodic editorial comment.
We look forward to sharing his mission experience with you and invite your comments. So stay tuned!
The Dustans