(#1, sent at 4:00 p.m. Eastern)
Dear Friends:
Doug called from the hospital; the surgery got started later in the day than anticipated. The surgery began at 2:30 p.m. and is expected to go until about 8 o'clock this evening.
Doug and Jeanie are appreciative of your prayers. Jeanie was calm before the surgery; Doug is doing well and they've been joined by Jeanie's college room mate, by their pastor, Dori Little, and by friends from the church and the Seminary community. Their daughters, Stacia & Jessa will be coming back to Boston this evening. Judd is away on a State Department trip and will be back in the country next week.
Please continue to pray for Jeanie as she is currently in surgery, as they seek to remove the tumor in the pulmonary artery (as it enters the heart).
We'll send another update over the weekend.
Yours in Christ,
Tammy
(#2, sent at 5:30 p.m. Eastern)
Dear Friends:
Thank you for your prayers for Jeanie and for Doug. It's the end of the day and the end of the week, but I wanted to let you know that Doug just called from the hospital with good news – he had just spoken with the surgeon, who reported that "the surgery went extremely well, we're very pleased. We were able to remove the tumor that is benign; we were also able to remove it without doing any damage to the valve. We're very pleased and we're confident that she will heal well and completely from the surgery."
Doug and Jeanie are deeply grateful for your prayers. As Doug's assistant and as a long-time friend of the Birdsall family I know how much your prayers have meant to Doug & Jeanie and to the children. Please continue to pray for Jeanie's recovery and for Doug as he cares for Jeanie in the coming days. I'm sure he would also appreciate prayers for his work as he completes preparations for meetings in Buenos Aires with the Lausanne Leadership Team from June 8~13.
Thank you, once again, for your prayers.
Yours,
Tammy
Tammy Wise Holmstrom, Executive Assistant to
Doug Birdsall, Executive Chair
Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization