To read page 3 of Craig Smith’s health please click here: https://hef.org.nz/about-us/craig-smiths-health-2/craig-smiths-health-page-3/

11/8/2011

Today has been another hard day. Craig has been sorting through his things and giving some things away. His health has deteriated some more. It it hard to watch this happening and not be able to do anything. Our children have been having lots of discussions considering what to be doing in the future. It is especially hard for Zach not knowing whether to stay in New Zealand or go back to the USA to be with Megan while she has her baby.

But it is not so hard for Craig. He is running a race and he is going to win it one way or another.  He is really looking forward to this LifeOne Protocol working, if that is God’s Will for him. On the other hand he is preparing to be meeting his Lord and Saviour very soon. Phil 1:21 “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” So whether Craig lives or dies he is on the winning side. You can read his diary here: https://hef.org.nz/about-us/craig-smiths-health/craigs-diary/

We have been getting some wonderful messages from people. Here are a couple that have really encouraged us, they are the last two messages I have read. There are many others like these two which we appreciate receiving:

Hi Smith Family

We are a homeschooling family from A…….. You have all been in our prayers daily over the last week since we found out about Craig. Your web-messages are inspirational, and it’s lovely to know daily where you’re at so we can continue to pray. Your family is so firmly in the Hand of God.

My husband and I attended a conference in N.. …….. that Craig and Barbara spoke at a couple of years ago. It was sooooo encouraging and unforgettable. Good practical advice from Barbara and humour and piercing truth from Craig.

Craig – THANK YOU for your passion and commitment to Home Schooling in NZ.

THANK YOU for keeping us aware and informed over the years.

THANK YOU for researching the truth and facts we’ve needed to sustain our journey – so we haven’t had to spend hours doing it ourselves. You have armed and equipped us.

THANK YOU for speaking to the Ministry of Education officials on our behalf.

You have been an advocate, an exhorter and an encourager. In fact you and Barbara have been heroes and champions as you’ve stood against strong opposing forces. It’s good to have the opportunity to thank you.

We are praying that you will continue to know great peace and a strong Presence of the Lord as you journey through this time.

With our love and prayers

and this one:

For those interested in seeing an MRI you can see Craig’s two here: https://www.dropbox.com/gallery/37911079/1/MRI%20Scan%20Images?h=63f38f

Thanks again for your prayers and messages. They are a great encouragement to us. We are continuing to see EVERY prayer being answered for His glory. We look forward to seeing Craig’s three sisters arriving in the morning and Charmagne’s fiance later in the afternoon.

10/8/2011

(Written by Geneveive again) All is quiet. The fire is roaring (thanks to Jeremiah). Dinner is simmering (not here, but somewhere else. Hester Bryant is bringing us dinner tonight. Many thanks to her and the other wonderful families who have brought meals and baking each day). Last night Alanson asked to take a cake with him to work at the Air Force today. It is such a good testimony he said to be able to say that this is from the abundance of what people have given us. What a testimony to the love and concern of the community in which we live. We love you all and we absolutely couldn’t do without the cooking, juicing, typing and cleaning help we are receiving at present.

Craig’s little granddaughter, Cheyenh, in Illinois stopped praying last night for God to heal Grandad. Last night she began thanking God for already healing Grandad! The faith of a child is a beautiful thing!

Today Pete has been organizing to have the MRIs posted to our Dr (the world’s best cancer doctor) in the USA. The lady at the post office enquired of him why it was so urgent to get the discs to the USA. Pete explained and she turned the parcel over to see the name of the sender. “Craig Smith,” she said, “That’s not the Rawleighs Man is it?” As a matter of fact, it is!

Two issues have been on the mind of Craig, Barbara, Zach and Genevieve.

1. Root canal. Dad has one and the reading we have done along with the advice we have been given is to have it removed. Our Dr confirmed today his opinion that the root canal should be removed. So a phone call was made to a dentist who said he could do it in an hour!
2. Radiation. Praise the Lord, the oncologist here in Palmerston North was willing to work with us! So no trip up to Auckland is required. This is such a blessing on so many levels. Dad can stay with family for one! And it is much easier to see to his dietary needs from here. Plus, in Palmerston North, he can worship with his church family.

There were two radiation options: a short, low dose blast now or a higher, more precise dose in two weeks. Given that Dad’s symptoms are increasing and that the LifeOne will be causing the tumour to swell initially we decided to opt for the higher, more precise dose and hope that perhaps by then we wouldn’t need it anyway!  The reason for this decision is that the radiation will cause swelling initially too and we didn’t want two things causing swelling at once.

Today Dad had a very special phone call from Bernie Ogilvy. Dad knew Bernie from his days in politics. Bernie is about Dad’s age and had a devastating brain tumour last year. It began by causing an intense migraine. He then lost his sight and other faculties and was supposed to have surgery. The hospital lost his file so surgery was postponed. In the meantime he began taking MAX GXL, a Glutathione Accelerator. Four months later when the hospital was ready to do the surgery again they first did an MRI. The tumour had completely disappeared. Today he is completely recovered. His eyesight is better than it ever was and he has a clean bill of health. It was exciting for all of us to hear a friend tell us his story and also to note that he gained back abilities that he had lost because of the tumour. Our USA Dr confirmed this also. He has had patients become paralyzed because of tumours and they have regained their movement through LifeOne, the protocol that Dad is on.

And here comes Dad, back from the denstist. Root canal removed. Apparently it went like clockwork – very well. Another blessing. Wow.

So today has been full of blessings. The Lord keeps encouraging us. Talking to Bernie and having the oncologist work with us and even having the root canal reversal happen so quickly and so well have all been blessings. It encourages us, reminds us that the Lord is concerned about our mental state. He is concerned about our peace of mind. And He organises little things to remind us that He is in control and that He loves us. For example, this morning someone brought around gifts for everyone here: sticker books for the children, Whittakers Peanut Slabs for some of us older ones along with verse cards and encouraging words. What a lovely thought! Even that was organised by Him to encourage us at just the right time.

And yet it could still be God’s will to take Craig home to Him. God has promised us that He works all things out for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes. So if He takes Craig we know it is for our good. We can trust God that He will do what is best. And we know that He has promised to be a father to the fatherless and a husband to widows.

Prayer requests:

Praise
To God from Whom ALL blessings flow.
Thanksgiving
That radiation (if necessary) can happen in Palmerston North.
That the root canal could be removed so quickly and easily.                                                                                                                                                                                             For the LifeOne Protocol
Requests
That our time this weekend with Craig’s sisters and Josh (Charmagne’s fiancee) will be full of joy, happiness and peace.
That Megan (Zach’s wife) won’t go into labour until he returns home.
That we will be at peace should the Lord decide still to take Dad.
That Jedediah will get special dispensation to begin learning to drive so that he can take over the truck run to support the family in this way financially.
That we will get time on a daily basis to interview Dad to record his wisdom and memories.

And how is Dad today?
Drinking is difficult as he can’t feel his lips. The inside of his mouth, his gums and even his teeth are numb. And he is forgetting things that he has always, until now, been fastidious about. And yet, he is happy and feels well (he should be feeling awful by now). We have obtained a wheelchair for him today. However, he really needs to try to get out and walk whenever he can.

Dad said to me just now, “I just feel the Lord all around us. He is with us everywhere. Even today when I was in the dentist chair…there I was lying there and I looked up and what could I see? There was the steeple of the Methodist church plain as day out the window.”

1Pe 1:3-9 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,  who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;  and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,  obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.9/8/2011

(Written by Genevieve) If you were to visit right now you could be forgiven for thinking that you had walked into a control centre. In a sense you have. The house is buzzing with people working on different projects. Micro meetings occur throughout the day and the family comes together for a mass briefing or for a meal and devotions and time of family worship about four times a day. At our control centre there is:

Craig: Head of the household. His day is occupied in blessing the grandchildren, writing his diary, exhorting us at family times and being video recorded.
Barbara: Perfect help meet. She liaises between hospitals, neurologist, neurosurgeons, oncologists and Craig’s various doctors to determine the best protocol.
Peter de Deugd (son-in-law): Videographer. He captures Craig leading family devotions and speaking words of wisdom to his children.
Genevieve de Deugd (daughter): Researcher. She maintains Craig’s daily nutrient/medicine/protocol schedule.
Natalie, Caleb & Evangeline de Deugd: They provide many smiles and help to lift spirits.
Zach (son): Craig’s personal assistant. He drives Craig and gives him walking assistance.
Alanson (son): Emerging head of the household. He is our command man and time keeper. When people need to get to bed, when meals and devotions need to happen, he sees that we are where we need to be at the right time.
Charmagne (daughter): Expert chef. Don’t think unappetizing or boring when you hear that Craig is on a vegan/raw diet. She creates meals the rest of us are jealous of. She administers all Craig’s medicine & liaises with those VERY generous and VERY much appreciated people who bring organic vegetables and who cook an evening meal for the whole family. We couldn’t do without you.
Jeremiah: Driver. He picks up family members from the Wellington airport.
Jedediah: Household manager. Behind the scenes, he keeps the fire roaring, the housework accomplished and assists Pete with the videoing.
Kaitlyn: Genevieve’s personal assistant. A very capable researcher, her skills extent to rocking Eva to sleep and ensuring various other family members remain nourished and hydrated.
Gracie: Very Big Helper. The dishes get done thanks to Gracie!
Maree Sandbrook: Child minder. Maree helps a great deal with Gracie and behind the scenes household work.
Jessica Rademaker: Juicer. She comes twice a day to juice for Craig.                                     Wietske de Vries: Typing up Craig’s diary (Craig can no longer type) and doing Craig’s washing in Rain Water.

While there is a current of sadness due to Craig’s tumour and his daily deterioration, there is a lot of trust, peace, hope and happiness in the Smith household. Trust in God. Peace in the outcome that He has ordained for Craig and for us all. Hope that Craig might recover and live for some time yet and happiness in the time we have with him right now. We are together and we are enjoying it VERY much!

Where is Craig at right now with this tumour? Monday and Tuesday mornings he got a lot worse. He is now walking with a cane and seems very unstable on his feet. The numbness on his left side has become more complete reaching into his mouth and taking the last three fingers on his left hand. However, he IS still the same Craig with the infectious laugh and merry spirits. He is ready for whatever the Lord has for Him. Right now he is reading over his diary and whistling merrily.

Difficult decisions: Craig’s tumour is growing rapidly and the advice from the neurosurgeons and oncologists is that every function Craig loses cannot be regained. With that in mind, the urgent thing at present is to reduce the size of the tumour. Some questions we have been trying to get answered: Would a surgeon be willing to do brain surgery to remove some of the bulk and not to try to remove the whole tumour (none are willing to try to get the whole thing)? Would an oncologist be willing to do radiation without a biopsy? And would an oncologist work with us to do a short run of radiotherapy to reduce the tumour by 20% (not to do a full schedule of radiotherapy).

Prayer:
Praise that we Smiths can all be together! We are enjoying this time a great deal.
Praise for His mercies which are new every morning.
Thanks that the protocol has arrived.
Thanks for our wonderful church family and for the greater community of saints and friends. We are so blessed to be upheld by prayer, to have friends offering advice, helping to locate organic vegetables, making meals and taking other tasks off our hands. We are SO grateful. Prayer that the Lord would bless these people for the very great blessing they are to us.
Request that the Lord would guide us. That He would make it perfectly clear what decisions we need to make with regard to surgery and radiotherapy.
Request that the Lord would heal Craig swiftly, miraculously and completely (you do not have because you do not ask).
Request that the Lord would continue to help us to trust Him, fear Him and give Him all the glory.                                                                                                                                                                         Request that Megan (Zach’s wife) won’t go into labour until Zach returns to the USA (arrives our Sunday).
Pray Isaiah 26v3 and James 1v2 for us.

Food needs:
Organic vegetables (esp carrots and green leafy vegetables).
In terms of fruit, we only need the odd organic lemon and organic avocados.

Thank you so much for all that you have given so far.

8/8/2011 2am

I can’t sleep – The WHY questions keep going around in my mind.

Why Craig? Why me? Why our family? Why now?

Why has God picked Craig, me and our family to bless us in such an awesome way. He is such an AWESOME GOD who we love so very dearly. This is such an incredible journey,very humbling. I can’t find the words to express my gratitude to God first and to all of you second. (Craig is the one who helps me out in expressing myself but he is asleep at the moment) Phil 4:19 God is supplying every need of ours in abundance. Your prayers are being anwered. Craig is in hardly any pain. Craig is even encouraged. We all are encouraged. That is not to say it isn’t hard, it is hard, there are tears. I cried most of Thursday night. I cry now when I see the things that Craig can’t do now. He dropped his Bible as we went into Church tonight. He is usually one of the first to stand when we stand to sing. Tonight he was among the last. It is the little things that bring tears to my eyes – as the numbness moved completely over his whole left side. And some big things related to that. Some cognitive things – very small and slight but I notice them, most people don’t. His timing is different now and he has coordination difficulties probably due to the numbness. If God chooses to heal him will he get these things back. There is a lot to cry about. Yet as it says in Psalm 27 I would loose heart if I did not believe that I would see the goodness of the Lord here in the land of the Living. God is giving me courage and he is strengthening my heart. I am waiting on the Lord. Tonight I thanked God for choosing Craig, me, our family. It is such a priviledge and a joy to be in the centre of God’s Will. Oh, Thank you Lord my wonderful Saviour. Thank you God for showing us, allowing us to see, for letting us experience your goodness here in the land of the living. Oh, if you don’t know the Lord then seek him with all of your heart. Jeremiah 29:13” You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:12-14 (in Context)

But I could not have done this without all of you. Your prayers are being answered as our whole family is being upheld and strengthened and knit together. It is your prayers that are helping us to see the goodness of the Lord in the Land of the living. Oh, that I could pray for all of you to experience what we are experiencing, apart from the cancer. The Lord is truely good. But I know I would not feel like this without all of you. I will never be able to express our gratitude to you all, we are so thankful for you all and praise God for you all. Our needs are so wonderfully being met: Organic vegetables are just turning up at our door, meals are arriving for the rest of our family, packages are arriving here like a box of Lypo-Spheric Vitamin C., Sodium Ascorbate, Citrus Bioflavonoids, Melatonin and other herbal medicines, a machine on loan for making Colloidal Silver, we were even given the first bottles of Artemisinin and Boswellia which are part of the LifeOne Protocol that we have begun for Craig. When we arrived in Wellington I found that I had left the chilli bin behind. We didn’t have the time or inclination to buy food but boxes arrived in our hotel room. The right food. I was able to tell the hospital that I would look after all of Craig’s food and water as they were brought to our hotel. And there is much much more to tell like people arriving here to help: to look after the little ones and our home; to juice carrots and greens each day; to help with driving the truck (5:30am start); helping us get organised – with things like Power of Attorney for Health Care and so much more. We love getting your messages and we love reading the verses you are sharing with us. They, too, are upholding us. You have no idea how LOVED we all feel. You are UPHOLDING us to God and that is enabling us to be able to bear this. Tears are coming to my eyes and beginning to spill down my face. Thankyou so very very much. We truely are experiencing the goodness of the Lord down here on earth. It is a privilige and a joy to be chosen by God to bear this trial.

“I would have lost heart unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord!” Psalm 27:13-14

7/8/2011

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST:

We have been incontact with the best natural drs in the USA and Costa Rica. They have spent all night studying Craig’s case. This is an extremely fast growing tumour/cancer even faster than normal. Tumours DO NOT normally grow 30% in one week. This is unusual.

This is what he said “He said that he’s afraid that if Craig doesn’t get radiation, that the tumor may grow too fast and may paralyze him. He formulated LifeOne specifically to work in conjunction with radiation, so it will mitigate the deleterious effects of the radiation. With brain tumors, sometimes you need radiation to provide initial shrinkage so that the lymphocyte infiltration (from the LifeOne), which will actually cause the tumor to enlarge initially, will have some “room”…. all this to say that our USA Dr said that it’s OK for Craig to get some radiation. He said to find the BEST radio-oncologist in NZ for the radiation administration (that way they don’t OVERDOSE Craig on the radiation). He said that you also need to order some Mistletoe tincture ASAP and get Craig on a double dose as well, since Mistletoe will also help with the radiation side effects.”

Craig is talking with our Dr in the USA as I write this.

We have two prayer requests:

1. The package of LifeOne that Ty sent to us last Tuesday urgently was meant to arrive here Thursday or Friday last week. It has not arrived. The Post Shop says that there are some problems with parcels arriving in New Zealand. So our son Zach (whose wife is due to have a baby any day) is flying to Nashville from Chicago at the moment and Ty is driving from his home to Nashville to meet Zach where Ty will give Zach 6 bottles of LifeOne. Zach will arrive here 11:00am Monday. Please pray for the connection between Ty and Zach that nothing will go wrong. Thankyou.

2. Please pray that Craig can URGENTLY get Radiation either in Palmersto North or Wellington or actually anywhere in New Zealand. Please pray that the person doing the radiation will be an expert and that God will guide it because we will not be having a biopsy and there is not time to make a fitted mask. We will be wanting the person doing the radiation to just go in and do it with a makeshift mask to protect the rest of Criag’s brain. So we need a miricle. Please pray that God will be guiding the person doing the radiation.

3. Please pray that we connect with the right people today and tomorrow and that the radiation can happen today or tomorrow.

4. We need urgently Mistletoe tincture. Does anyone near here have any? Does anyone know how we can get some today?

Thankyou. Your prayers are being answered.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, make your requests made know to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Phil 4:6-7

To read page 1 of Craig Smiths health please click here:

https://hef.org.nz/about-us/craig-smiths-health/craig-smiths-health-page-1/

To read page 3 of Craig Smith’s health please click here: https://hef.org.nz/about-us/craig-smiths-health-2/craig-smiths-health-page-3/