Lenora Hammond is a missionary and home schooling mother of two daughters and two sons. As the daughter of pioneer missionaries, Lenora was born in England and raised in Austria. She undertook her teacher�s training in the USA and Bible training in England, worked at a Bible college in Austria and served as a Junior High minister at a large community church in Arizona, before joining Frontline Fellowship - South Africa.
NEW: Support for the Hammond family
Lenora Hammond and family are no longer receiving support through In Touch Mission International. Please send support for the Hammond family to Frontline Fellowship USA. Many thanks for your prayers and support!
It has been a couple of weeks since Christopher's last three day confinement at the Hospital, where he was treated for acute rejection. Every three days we decrease the immunosuppressant intake and every 4 days we go in for a check up and bloods.The exact equilibrium of medication needs to be found.
Each time, after we have been at home again for a few hours, we wait. What will the results be? How is Christopher's body coping with the 'foreign' organ? Will it ever fully accept it, or will it always try to find an opening through which to push it's detective agents' that are trained to attack it? If his immunosuppressant therapy is too intense, he runs the risk of other complications such as an increase in infections or even cancer. If the there is too little suppression, he runs the risk of rejecting the graft kidney.
Life is kind of like that. If we are out of balance in our Spiritual walk, we run the risk of sliding into behaviour that is not good for us or our family. Daily, our devotional and prayer life needs to be in harmony, and needs to outweigh our desire for independence from God. Always 'seeing the big picture' or keeping the main thing the main thing is our goal.
Christopher is feeling so much better now, and wants to run ahead and get involved in sports and activities that his body is not ready for. Balance and patience is needed. We are scheduled for the removal of the temporary stent on March 11Th. The goal of the stent was to create a permanent opening of the blockage that was preventing good urine flow. Pray with us, that this will be the case, and that no more surgeries will be necessary.
Thank you for your encouragement, which is what so often helps us to keep that balance.
Gratefully,
Lenora and family
January 16, 2010
Dear faithful praying friends!
God has been gracious and has allowed Christopher to be well enough to come home. It is such a relief to have him with us again, and I do not miss the three trips daily to the Hospital Ward to deliver food, drink and company!! (Yes, the Hospital food is less, much less than desirable!)
His levels are getting more and more stable, although the electrolytes are still off balance as the graft kidney settles in. He still has the stent, which is allowing the blockage to be cleared. In about 5 - 6 weeks they will remove it via a scope. The hope is that the blocked ureter (my ureter from my kidney) will then have a free flowing connection between the graft kidney and Christopher's bladder.
We are settling into a routine of taking his vast amount of medication three times a day. Christopher has become very good at this, and understands his responsibility. The big risk factor now is infection. Because he feels better, he wants to participate in his previous activities again, but of course this is way too premature. He needs to stay at home for the next two months at least. I pray the Lord will bless him with patience of a different kind now!
As I try to put things into perspective and as I look back at all that has transpired, I am amazed at how God prepared us as a family for this. God gives us the children that He wants us to raise, and while it is sometimes hard to understand why we have such an ill son, I know that God chose Peter and I to raise and nurture him. I praise God for friends like you, who have helped us along this road with your prayers and encouragement.
It is a privilege for Peter and I to be Christopher's parents, and my prayer is that we would rise to the occasion daily, to train him up to be all that God has called him to be. Indeed, we pray this for each of our children.
May our heavenly Father bless you in the midst of your circumstances as well. And may we all maintain the courage we need to fulfill His calling in our lives.
Thank you to all of you who send us encouraging notes!
Christopher and I were at the Hospital today, for our now weekly check-up. He is in End – Stage Renal Failure now, and they are attempting to bring the transplant forward. We had been tentatively scheduled for February 2010, but now the transplant is scheduled for November 18th. (Another family was moved to our date in Feb).
Incredibly, after all the tests I have undergone, I still need to do a CT scan, and then they will do final blood tests, to ensure that the match is a good one. I will be checked into the State Hospital (Groote Schuur) on November 17th, and the surgery is due to take place on the 18th.
Christopher is at the hospital once a week now for regular blood work and blood pressure tests. I am confident we are in good hands, whether the Lord chooses to heal Christopher directly, or through these surgeons.
Some of you have expressed concern regarding the fact that these are not American Hospitals. While our facilities are reminiscent of WWII, the surgeons and specialists are first class. We are very happy with their knowledge and care, and the overall co-ordinator for this operation has looked after us very efficiently. South Africa is an interesting mix of First World and Third World situations, and we experience this juxtaposition almost daily. As far as our Renal care goes, we are grateful for proficient physicians, even though the waiting is long, and the facilities less than 2star! After all, the first heart transplant was performed by the famous South African surgeon, Dr. Chris Barnard, at the very same hospital we will be at.
We praise the Lord, to Whom none of this comes as a surprise, that He has gone ahead of the situation, and that His loving hand will rest upon us. Thank you for your intercession and friendship.
"Give thanks to the Lord, call on His Name; make known among the nations what He has done....Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever." 1 Chronicles 16:8,9
Focus on Health and Family Reunion
Monday, September 14, 2009 3:45 AM
Thank you to all who pray so diligently for Christopher, our family, and for those who know my folks, the medical situation concerning my Dad. It would seem that a focus for us as an extended family this year has been medical situations. We are encouraged by the many prayers that have gone out concerning the cancer scare for my Dad (Bill Bathman). The operation to remove the cancer was successful, and we praise the Lord for a gradual recovery. It would seem he still needs to be 'watched like a hawk' according to the Oncologist, but all in all he is cancer free. It was this difficult time in the life of our family that facilitated our recent family reunion. Andrea and I needed to be in Arizona anyway, to get her settled into College, and so my other two sisters - Deborah and Linda Joy - joined us, and we had a great time reminiscing. The last time we were all together was in the mid 1980's.
Thank you for continuing to lift Dad up in prayer. He is scheduled for surgery to insert a pacemaker next week. No surgery is risk free, and we are grateful that Dad is in the care of our loving Heavenly Father. This coming week, I will be learning to give Christopher sub-cutaneous injections to help keep his hemoglobin levels in the normal range. I appreciate your prayers.
What a privilege it is to have you as our support. God is good, and encourages us through you.
With love and thankfulness,
Lenora and family
The value of home-life
Monday, September 14, 2009 3:47 AM
"When the results of life are all gathered up it will probably be seen that the things which have made the deepest and most lasting impressions in our homes and upon or children have not been the things we did with purpose and intention, planning to produce a certain effect, but the things we did when we were not thinking of training or influencing or affecting any other life.......our home-life itself!" J.R. Miller
Updated information on Christopher
Tuesday, September 01, 2009 7:54 AM
Thank you, to the many friends and prayer partners who have continued to pray so faithfully for us as a family and specifically for Christopher's health concerns. We are humbled by the letters and notes you send us. God is good and continues to sustain Christopher. Our last appointment at the Renal clinic was last week, and his blood results are much the same. His levels continue inching up into levels that signify either it is time for dialysis or a kidney transplant. His hemoglobin levels though are dropping, and we will therefore need to start sub-cutaneous Erythropoietin injections. This is done so that the red blood cell production can be increased. I will receive training on how to administer these and will most likely need to give them twice a week. Because Christopher's immune system is compromised, he is picking up the various flu strains that are going around. My goal at this point is to keep him healthy, so that he does not need any further medications. Thank you for continuing to uphold him in prayer and I will keep you posted on any further developments. God bless you all, love, Lenora
College daughter settled in
Sunday, September 13, 2009 11:17 AM
We praise the Lord for the opportunity and privilege of sending Andrea to South Western College in Arizona. Andrea has been given a missions scholarship and is settling in nicely. She feels homesick for her friends and family, but has lovely Christian roommates. She plans to study English Literature / Teaching. Displayed on the picture is her almost finished quilt. She made this with our sewing teacher while homeschooling.
Greetings to you from a cold and wintry Cape Town. We trust this finds you well, enjoying your summer months.
Peter and I have just returned from a several week ministry trip in Europe. Peter was the featured speaker at a number of missions and churches, and one of our hosts generously made it possible for me to attend. We had the wonderful opportunity of travelling in Northern Ireland, Switzerland, Belgium and England. Part of the travels included the 'Calvin 500' Celebrations in Geneva. Peter was able to do a lot of valuable Reformation research as well, which was enhanced by visiting many Reformation sites, churches, battle sites and museums.
Our oldest daughter Andrea, held the fort here at home, along with the assistance of our friends Gail and Averil, from our congregation. God is good, and protected our children and home. It was a wonderful privilege for me to be able to travel with Peter for such an extended time, and I was able to practise my German again.
Thank you to all of you who pray for us as a family, and who are supporting us in many practical ways. Your encouragement is such a blessing.
Support for our family is now being received by Frontline Fellowship USA, and the address is as follows:
