Prayer

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  • Nov 23: Jodi Ackerman will be having knee surgery early this Wednesday. Please keep her in your prayers. Thanks. 
  • Nov 23: Rachel Theisen relates the following, quoting: "Can you please pray for my sister? Her name is Rebekah Miller, and she is being admitted to the ICU at Sanford tonight (Saturday). She had really low hemoglobin (6.4) and was given 2 blood transfusions. They found scattered blood clots in her lungs and will be giving her blood thinner to break up the clots. They said that they want to watch her closely because of the blood transfusions and blood thinners.-- Rachel Theisen" 
  • Nov 22: Laura Thesenvitz relates the following, quoting: “Ta-Da! Here we are, just as I said 8 weeks later in a blink of an eye – having done surveillance scans earlier this week wondering where the time has gone, trying to decide how much detail to include without oversharing or confusing anyone and realizing there was more than a little bit of chaos that ensued. 8 weeks is a lot of ground to cover, so I will just start with a simple warning of: this may be a less organized brain download, so buckle up for the ride and kindly give grace to my details and editing, ha! Over the last 2 and half months, it has been a rollercoaster ride to say the least. Christopher started the targeted oral therapy drug (Desatinib) and also tried some acupuncture therapy as recommended by Palliative care for an additional non-opioid pain management option. He did that for 4 weeks or so and decided to stop as it was hard to determine if it was loosening muscle to relax and instead of giving relief actually made different discomfort and other issues. Bowel and bladder problems seemed to flare as well. We did enjoy a weekend out to the Hills with a couple of our good friends for the weekend of the Honor March. We were not participants this year, but we were able to meet up with some of our other friends that were and cheer them on and have a celebratory beer at the end. We even ran into my cousin and her husband in downtown Deadwood (unplanned!) while were there as well! Christopher didn’t necessarily feel the greatest and the long travel is hard on him, but he put on a great face for it and for me especially because he knew how badly I needed the break and time away and opportunity to spend some time with friends as well. I am so very grateful for that weekend away, it was an absolutely gorgeous picture perfect weather weekend and I am thankful for the time away together. Unfortunately, that weekend really wiped him out and we rolled right into prepping for being host family for the Knights of Columbus family camping weekend that he was the lead on for the event and in charge of the pot luck dinner on that Saturday night. To add to it, we thought it would be so fun and great idea to get the kids tickets the Taylor Swift DJ event at the Canaries field (for those who don’t know Claire is a HUGE Swifty and Henry by default). So add that on TOP of the weekend AND we then were hosting Kelli’s (our at that time future-sister-in-law) bridal shower on that Sunday afternoon. Yeah. It was too much in one weekend even if life was perfect and everyone is healthy and wonderful, I realized that too late. BUT the weekend went fairly well and we all survived. Kids are still talking about their DJ dance party and it was another awesome experience with one of my cousins their kiddos!  Also during these weeks Claire was finishing up her first tennis season so we had at least 2 matches a week in addition to all the rest of the normal weekly activities. That brings us to the beginning of October. We were able to watch the kids in their Festival of Bands parade downtown. It was windy and not very nice, but they did well and had a good time. By that weekend Christopher had really started to wear down and paid was odd, high level and severely uncomfortable. He spent a good amount of time in the car until the kids were close in the parade before joining us and progressively lethargic and worse feeling through the weekend. By that Monday morning he had a slight wheeze in the morning and after a nap that afternoon he had the same but then with an additional tightness in his chest that didn’t want to go away. We tried a trip to Aldi to get a few things but cut it short and decided it was time to go in wanting to be sure it wasn’t a side effect of the medication causing fluid buildup in his lungs or abdomen. He had popped a fever and had signs of a UTI that morning, so we figured there was something going on. We went to the ER knowing that he’d require a CT so skipped acute care. Unfortunately with the wide range of issues he was having, we were not specific in what we were wanting them to check on – if what he was experiencing is a side effect of the drug – is there fluid buildup in lungs or abdomen? – he won himself a stay in the hospital. He was there until Wednesday when they finally got comparative CT scans from Mayo to make determination comparisons and comfortably discharge him. The added stress in the scenario – this was the week of Brent and Kelli’s wedding. The wedding that Christopher and I had the honor of being Best man and Maid of Honor.  Thankfully there was no fluid. They did put him on an antibiotic for his UTI and presumed upper lobe pneumonia. The multi-symptoms and issues unfortunately got way too many specialists involved than needed. To be safe, Dr Ho had Christopher discontinue the Desatinib for the week until he checked back in with her. The weekend came and we celebrated the joyous wedding of Brent and Kelli! Saturday morning was rough start for Christopher but thankfully through Mass and by reception was able to tolerate and make it through the evening ok. I… celebrated with GUSTO! *cough* *cough* Ha! Don’t worry, Tristan drove home and I we even all 5 made it to Mass the next morning!  Christopher started to feel a little more himself and bowels in check again by mid / end of that week. He was still running a random on and off fever but decided to restart the Desatinib after discussions and OK from Dr. Ho. The following week we made an overnight trip to the Cities to honor and celebrate the life of Christopher’s Grandfather, Edmund. His funeral Mass and internment at Fort Snelling were on October 22nd. Another longer car ride two days in a row felt like a marathon and right into appointments again in Sioux Falls when returned the next day. We had a follow up with Palliative care and then fall teacher conferences for the kids that night! Ufta! Highlight in here is that Christopher did start the process towards driving and completed the evaluation and training program for driving controls. Now all is needed is to finish various paperwork processes within the VA and we’ll keep that train rolling – more to come. Christopher was officially retired from the military on October 18th, with his final date of service being the 17th.  We’ll fast forward over that last few weeks to last weekend – he had his official retirement ceremony on base followed by a celebratory social we hosted at the club on base. It was a bitter sweet event but no less momentous in that it was an opportunity for him to be honored for 21+ years he served and to be recognized for the work he has done and the many ways he has influenced and played a role in shaping the career paths and lives of those around him… always with a smile on his face and lead with a firm calmness in any storm. The event took a lot out of him – prep leading up to it and then the peopling and recovering, but he did great. That pretty much brings us to this week and our trip to Rochester for surveillance scans. We traveled up on Sunday to try and attempt to keep a morning routine for Christopher on Monday prior to scans and not the long car ride prior and having to go right into MRI tube for long period of time. Bloodwork, MRI and CT was all on Monday and then we met with Dr Ho Tuesday morning. Overall there wasn’t anything “earth shattering” as Christopher would say. MRI showed continued tumor growth but not at an aggressive rate. It shows more measured fluid changes, but that is yet to be determined what that will become. The CT had “mixed results” is what Dr. Ho said. A couple of the nodules showed reduction in size but others showed joined together to make a larger mass and a couple individually increasing in size. Discussing the side effects that Christopher is having from the Desatinib, they are considered mild at current being dry skin, fatigue and maybe some very slight early signs of something starting to develop on the CT scan – Dr. Ho is still comfortable with him staying on the drug for the time being. Christopher feels this is a good choice as well in that it wasn’t a consistent trial run on the medication having had to start and stop a couple of times. She wants him to return for surveillance scans in a couple of months again and discuss again at that time what options would be to move forward or to decide not to do any treatment and see what growth rates would be and focus on a time quality approach. Things to digest and think about. Main things at hand that we are focusing on dealing with are managing day to day. Overall, he seems to keep a “window” of ok-ish time of the day. Depending on the day that will shift and lengthen or shorten. Each day is different and may bring a different challenge or discomfort. Bowel and bladder continue to be wild cards. A pressure sore that he has been trying to heal since early August has made severe negative progress and with our last follow up visit to the would clinic this week I have now learned the process of wet-to-dry wound packing for 2-3 times a day change and he is “supposed to” be spending as much time off his bum as possible unless toileting or eating.. she had us add a special waffle pump pad to the mattress for him to sleep on to help avoid adding more sores on his side as well. All the things. Each day comes and goes. I find myself on auto pilot or ultra survival mode – doing just enough to get through the next hour to move to the next thing, so that I don’t know what day it is a lot of the time. We’re tired. We’re frustrated. The holidays are on deck. I pray we find the joy in the time have together and that the memories we make will hold some happiness and bring some smiles rather than tears and bottled frustration. We appreciate your continued support and prayers as we navigate these upcoming days and weeks. Thank you for the love and village that surrounds our kids and has made it possible for us to do what we need to do whenever life happens. Thank you for hanging in there with this long winded updated! Lots of love from us - Laura Thesenvitz”
  • Nov 18: Baby Leroy Thill is recovering. He is now off the ventilator and doing well. They will be doing swallowing studies to see when he can begin feedings. He is just over a week old. Please keep him and his parents, Katie and Trevor, and his siblings in your prayers. Thanks. 
  • Nov 17:  Rich Odens reports that Carolyn's foot surgery went well. She should be home this afternoon. Please pray for her recovery. 
  • Nov 17: Today, Monday November 17, Carolyn Odens is having surgery on her foot. Please pray for her healing. Thanks. 
  • Nov 15: Katie Thill relates the following about her baby, Leroy. Quoting: "Just wanted to update you with Leroy’s night. Last night he ended up with a pneumothorax and had to have surgery to place another chest tube. This means that he won’t be getting his breathing tubes out until Monday or after (which is fine with me, better safe than sorry!) They think it was an isolated incident where the tube moved just enough when they lifted him for a weight possibly, but X-rays showed everything is looking good right now. --Katie Thill" 
  • Nov 14: Baby Leroy Thill is doing okay after his surgery. He will have the endotracheal tube for a few more days. Then they will do a swallowing test to see if he can begin eating. Please keep him, and his 2 siblings and his mom (Katie) and dad (Trevor) in your prayers. Thanks. 
  • Nov 12: Baby Leroy Thill, parents are Katie and Trevor Thill, is having surgery to correct the abnormal opening between his throat and his airway.  Recovery after surgery will involve his being intubated (an airway tube in place) for at least a few days. He will also be on IV feedings until the passageway to his stomach heals enough for him to take nutrition that way. This means probably a couple weeks he will be in the hospital. Please keep baby Leroy and his family in your prayers. Thanks.
  • Nov 11: Joel Kraayenbrink relates the following, quoting: “Trevor and Katie Thill gave birth to Leroy Vernon Thill. Leroy was found to have an esophageal atresia with a fistula, meaning his esophagus doesn't connect to his stomach. He was placed on a ventilator and moved to NICU. Surgery is planned for Wednesday, 11/12/2025 to help repair esophagus. Prayers for successful surgery and uneventful healing. NICU stay may be as brief as several days or much longer depending on how he responds. Thank you!—Joel Kraayenbrink” 
  • Nov 11:  Steve Lee relates the following, quoting: "Today we moved our 92-yr-old Mom, Arlene Lee, to the Luverne Hospice Cottage. We’re asking for prayers for a peaceful adjustment this new environment.--Steve Lee" 
  • Nov 10: Here are the details for Jerry Ackerman's funeral service. Gerald Allen Ackerman, age 79 of Hills, MN died Sunday, November 9, 2025, at Sanford Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD. A public visitation will be Sunday, November 16th from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., with the family present at the Community Reformed Church of Sioux Falls, SD. A graveside service will be at 10:30 a.m., Monday, November 17th, at Eastside Cemetery near Steen, MN. A memorial service will be at 1:30 p.m., Monday, November 17th, at the Community Reformed Church of Sioux Falls, with Rev. Clyde Teel officiating.
  • Nov 9: Our condolences go out to the friends and family of Jerry Ackerman, who passed away today. Please keep them in your prayers. Thanks. 
  • Nov 9: Jerry Ackerman has suffered a severe medical incident. He is seriously ill and in ICU on life support. Doctors are working to figure out exactly what happened. Please keep him and his family in your prayers. Thanks. 
  • Nov 7: Claradith Kingsbury will probably be in the hospital until at least Monday. She had a mild stroke and the doctors are looking at what kind of treatment is needed. Her children are traveling home to see her. Please pray for her and her family. 
  • Nov 7: Jennie Van Roekel is now at Bethany in Brandon for rehab. She is doing well, and is expected to be able to return to her home after rehab. Please continue to pray for her. Thanks. 
  • Nov 7: Junella Wesselink relates the following, quoting: "Update on my sister-in-law, Virginia. She has now been placed in a nursing home for continued rehab. She had 14 days in Sioux City hospital, upon arriving to driveway at home was taken by ambulance to local hospital (not planned on), and 12 days in local hospital, now in nursing home. She is thinking positive. Naturally longing to go home. Thank you for all prayers for her and my brother, Jon. Need to continue prayers for strength and mobility to keep improving. Also that they continue to stay strong spiritually.--Junella Wesselink"
  • Nov 7: Claradith Kingsbury has suffered a mild stroke. She is hospitalized and the doctors are assessing the situation. Please keep her in your prayers. 
  • Nov 5: Jennie Van Roekel is doing well with her repaired hip. She may transfer from the hospital to rehab at Bethany in Brandon tomorrow (Thursday). Please keep her in your prayers. 
  • Nov 5: Jean Nollmann has a hematoma in her shoulder. She was released from ER last night and will see the orthopedic doctor tomorrow. Please keep her in your prayers. 
  • Nov 5: Dree Mayer relates the following, quoting: "Would like prayers for Bryan Breier who is in the Abbot Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis with serious complications following open heart surgery.  Prayers too for his wife Kim as she waits for additional surgery for an abdominal aneurism. Elevated BP as well as small strokes hindering surgery & recovery. They are a friend of a friend. --Dree Mayer"
  • Nov 4: Jean Nollmann is in Sanford ER with severe pain in her right shoulder. Please keep her and the medical staff tending to her in your prayers. 
  • Nov 3: Kate Stellinga relates the following about her dads, Ken, quoting: “This is the week - Dad starts chemo back up. He's been on meds for the fungal infection in his lungs for about a week or so now, after meeting with Infectious Disease doctor at the V.A. He'll have to be on the med for a while as the chemo will continue to affect his immune system and we don't want to give that fungal infection a chance to spread. Thursday is the day we will start chemo back up. This is good/bad. Dad has really started to feel good without the chemo! But, the tumor isn't being treated without the chemo. Four more rounds, every other week and then we let his body rest and catch up before surgery, planned early next year. His appetite has been good. He has started to grow some whiskers back :) But, the oncologist was very frank in telling Dad to expect feeling crumby again as soon as we start chemo back up. Nature of the beast. Dad joined us at Great Shots for a couple of the grandson's birthday celebrations this week. He's been out running errands and stopping by our house to visit. It's nice to see him back to "normal" but the show must go on. Thank you for continued prayers. Specifically that Dad can find motivation to continue the fight, knowing that it will come with ugly side effects. Prayers that the fungal infection (and all infections, considering it's cold/flu season) will stay at bay and we can continue chemo as scheduled.—Kate Stellinga”
  • Nov 2: Here are the funeral details for Holli Jans' dad. Milton “Milt” Wubben, 70, of Clara City, died Saturday, November 1 at his home surrounded by family. His funeral service will be 11:00 am, Wednesday, November 5 at Bethany Church in Clara City. Visitation will be 5:00 -7:00pm, Tuesday at Harvey Anderson & Johnson Funeral Home in Willmar. Private burial will be at Bethany Cemetery. Please keep the family and friends in your prayers. 
  • Nov 1: Jennie Van Roekel's hip repair surgery is just finishing up. The surgeon had to put in a rod and screws to make the repairs. Also, today is her 90th birthday. Please pray for her continued recovery. Thanks. 
  • November 1: Our condolences go out to Holli Jans and her family and friends. Today (November 1, All Saint's Day) her father passed away. Please keep the family and friends in your prayers. 
  • Oct 31: Jennie Van Roekel has a broken hip, is having lots of pain, and some low blood pressure issues. She is scheduled for surgery tomorrow. Please keep her and her family in your prayers. 
  • Oct 31: Jennie Van Roekel fell and is injured. She is in the emergency room. Please pray for her and her husband Bob and their family. Her 90th birthday is tomorrow. 
  • Oct 29: Junella Wesselink relates the following, quoting: "An update on my sister-in-law.  She was released from hospital in Sioux City and safe trip home.  One day at home and taken by ambulance to local hospital.  Just talked to her.  She and Jon waiting for dr. to come into her room on his round so they can get more info. --Junella Wesselink" 
  • Oct 28: Steve Lee relates the following, quoting: “Both my annual review at Fairview and my interventional procedure (bronchoscopy) went well today. The surgeon was able to suction some debris and other “gunk” or infection from my left lung’s lower lobe, so we’ll see what that does for my breathing function in the next week or so. Samples were also taken to check for specific infections or malignancy. Thanks for all the prayers on my behalf! Our God is so awesome!—Steve Lee”
  • Oct 27: Steve Lee relates the following, quoting: “We just arrived in Mpls for my annual transplant checkup. Found out on the way that they’ve scheduled another bronchoscopy for tomorrow afternoon. An interventional pulmonologist will look for ways to further open up my lung including tissue debulking, balloon dilation and possible stent placement. We’re feeling God’s timing in all of this and would appreciate prayers from our church family.—Steve Lee”
  • Oct 23: Junella Wesselink relates the following, quoting: “An update on my sister-in-law Virginia.  Sunday she was moved from ICU to a room.  Monday she received 1st. infusion of a strong med. and after 72 hrs. she will receive the 2nd. one.  My brother sleeps in her room, every few days drives home to take care of things on home end.  When time is right, she begins treatments consisting of 7 in the set.  Thank you for the prayers.  I ask that you continue prayers for her and Jon.  She will be on this journey for quite sometime.   It is vasculitis and quite serious.  Thank you  Community.—Junella Wesselink”
  • Oct 22:  Donna Holmgren relates this about her brother Tim, quoting: "Update on my brother Tim, he’s back in hospital last night with high fever. This morning they say bad pneumonia with sepsis…May operate on his lung. We FaceTimed  him Saturday and had a good visit, we could understand him well. He’s lost 30 pounds. I feel so sorry for his wife Dawn, she now has some PTSD from all Tim’s episodes.--Donna Holmgren" 
  • Oct 21: Gracia Harmsen relates the following about her dad, quoting: “Once again, it's been long time since an update! For the most part, no news has meant good news. Kon was still doing chemo every 2 weeks and the cancer was still there, but wasn't growing at all. The doctors called it "maintenance mode". He would have scans every 3 months and they would stay relatively the same each time. However, over the last month or two he has had an increase in pain where the big tumor is, as well as an increase in chest pain. We started to be curious about new cancer growth. Last week Monday he had another 3 month scan. On Tuesday the 14th, we met with the oncologist to discuss the findings. Our assumptions were correct and there has been some progression. When he was originally diagnosed, there were a few lymph nodes that were enlarged and cancerous (on his chest and then also by his stomach & liver). Those are the nodes that are now growing and causing issues. They are concerning enough that we need to completely change the chemo protocol and completely change how we are addressing the cancer.  He will start a new cycle of 4 weeks: chemo week 1,2,3, and off week 4. On week 1, he will get two chemo drugs and it will be a very long infusion. Weeks 2 and 3 will be only one chemo drug, and that will only be about 2.5 hours. And then, of course, nothing on week 4. This new protocol is not going to be easy. This is the kind of protocol that has a lot of side effects— nausea, neuropathy, significant hair loss, and quite a bit more. However, it will stop the nodes from being able to absorb or make any proteins, so they will basically shrink and shrivel up. We are excited to see how he responds to this chemo, but also preparing for how hard it will probably be. He started the new protocol today, October 21. It went surprisingly well. He didn’t have any allergic reactions to the new chemo (apparently it isn’t uncommon with this new stuff). The next challenge is getting through the side effects over the next week. Doctor noted that prognosis at this point is still very up in the air. It truly all depends on how he reacts to the new chemo. We could have anywhere from months to maybe even 2 years. We are so thankful for the community he's had surrounding him since the start of this journey. We have never had to worry if he was being taken care of-- there was always at least one or two people stopping in each day to check on him. We are so thankful for the time we've had with him. We even got to celebrate his 56th birthday in September! There have been multiple grandkids' birthday parties, countless hours spent together working on social security and other disability applications, and "Papa Kon snuggles" as my son calls them. We continue to trust that God will provide full healing-- whether that be on this side of Heaven or not.—Gracia Harmsen”
  • Oct 20: Kate Stellinga relates the following about her dad, Ken, quoting: “Monday, October 20, 2025 Well - we're going to consider this good news....The lung biopsies came back as fungal infection and NOT CANCER!!!!!!! Yay!! The fungal infection is called aspergillus and is commonly found among this area with crops, dirt, and is a common fungus found in buildings, etc. For most of us, it may not ever cause a problem, but given dad's compromised immune system from the chemo, the fungus had a chance to blossom, for lack of a better word. We met with his oncologist today (Monday) and due to the infection being present and readily able to spread, she didn't think we should re-start chemo just yet. Dad will meet with Infectious Disease team next Tuesday to start treatment on the fungal infection and once they all feel the infection is at bay, we can re-start chemo. The yucky part is, no chemo. His labs show a slight uptick in his liver function numbers and his tumor marker as it's been almost 5 weeks with no chemo. While this has it's perks (dad's been feeling pretty good and his appetite is amazing, and his mouth isn't sore, his tummy isn't as bothered, he's putting some weight back on, etc), it's frustrating to know that we aren't treating the cancer right now. Thank you for all the prayers for the lung biopsy and continued fight in this battle. Dad really felt at peace the morning of the biopsy saying he felt like the biopsies would not come back cancer, he just had "a feeling." I will give all thanks to God for that peace and for his "feeling" being right! We'll continue to keep everyone updated as we know more. Love you all.—Kate Stellinga”
  • Oct 19: Please prayer for John Shubert. He has a persistent infection in his ENT areas and he will be having a muscle biopsy on October 21. Please keep him and his family in your prayers. Thanks.
  • Oct 19: A Meal Train is in place for Jon and Gracia Harmsen’s family to help them through Gracia’s recovery from her recent surgical procedure. Here is the link for anyone who would like to help with a meal or a gift card. Please also continue to pray for Gracia’s healing and for Jon and Ezra as they care for her. You can copy and paste this address:   https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/dngv8v
  • Oct 17: Al Price is in the hospital. Please keep him in your prayers. 
  • Oct 16: Junelle Wesselink relates the following, quoting: “Update on my sister-in-law Virginia.  Dr's.call is vasculitus.  She remains in ICU in Sioux City.  When taken by ambulance, she was vomiting blood.  She is weak.  Received blood, receiving meds by infusions.  More treatment to come similar to chemo treatments but not chemo.  A year ago at my sister's funeral, she was very tired.  Shortly after began seeing Dr. and few weeks ago had kidney biopsy.  Thank you for your prayers.  Asking that you continue for her and her husband, Jon, who is my older brother and only sibling I have left.  Our younger 3 siblings have all passed away their past years.—Junella Wesselink”
  • Oct 16: Glenda VanDenHoek had a lower back fusion surgery today. She is doing okay. Please keep her in your prayers. Thanks! 
  • Oct 15: Men's Bible Study by John Thornton, on Monday evenings at 7 pm will resume on October 20. HIs midweek class will resume on October 22. Thanks for your prayers for his recovery (yes, I wrote this, John Thornton).   
  • Oct 14: Ken Stellinga had his lung biopsies today. He is home, and his throat is sore. It will be about 5 to 7 days before they get the results. Please continue to pray for him. 
  • Oct 14: Junella Wesselink's sister-in-law, Virginia, is being rushed to the hospital in a city out of state. Please keep her in your prayers.
  • Oct 13: Gracia Harmsen relates the following, quoting, “What a week. Surgery recovery has been as hard as expected. In some aspects it’s been nice knowing what’s coming because of doing this recovery once before, but also think a lot of it was blocked out of my mind because of how horrible it was. Pain has been wildly intense, to say the least. Doctor said that there is significant nerve and spinal cord trauma from everything he had to do during the surgery. Got bandages off today and finally get to shower! No other restrictions lifted, though. T-Rex arms for everything, no twisting, no lifting, no grabbing anything, can’t do anything on my own. Going back next week Monday to try and get stitches out. In the midst of recovery, I also have other tests ongoing as a chronic illness that impacts my heart has been in a severe flare for the past few months while also having 8 months of tests ongoing to figure out some severe endocrine deficiencies as well. That being said, still a large recovery ahead of me. I’m tired and in pain and brain is so very foggy. But thankful for your prayers.—Gracia Harmsen”
  • Oct 13: Heather DeWit's stepmom, Patty Van Aartsen, passed away peacefully at Sanford Hospital on Sunday night, surrounded by her family. A Celebration of Life service will be held at Community on Friday, October 17 at 11am with lunch to follow. Visitation will be at Community at 10am, prior to the service. Thank you all for your prayers and kindness during her illness.
  • Oct 13: Kate Stellinga relates the following, quoting: “Monday, October 13, 2025. Dad and I met with pulmonologist on Thursday last week (10/09) to discuss the new spots in dad's lungs. There are 2 on the L. side and 1 spot on the R. side. Dr. would like to biopsy all 3 spots. This is done with a scope and an essentially a GPS-type system that tells the doctors where to go to get to the areas of concern. This will be done on Tuesday 10/14 - surgery scheduled at 11 and will take about 2-2.5 hours. Risks are infection, bleeding, collapsed lung and not getting appropriate biopsy tissue (so no diagnostic results). They will be doing pathology reading at time of surgery and taking frozen sections for further diagnostics if needed. Hope to have some answers. There is a lot of anxiety that goes along with this for Dad as it's a longer surgery and more risks. He will likely have a sore throat and cough for a few days after. Once we have results, we will be able to come up with a plan. If the spots are NOT cancer, then they will look at a diagnosis of pneumonia from chemo or non-infectious pneumonia - both of which can be treated with antibiotics and/or steroids. If the biopsies show this is metastatic disease, then we reconvene and come up with a plan moving forward. Dad has not had chemo for almost 4 weeks now, so feels pretty good overall - effects from chemo are slowly wearing off.....but we know we're not actively treating disease at this point either. Trying to enjoy all the good moments. Prayers for dad during surgery and for good/optimal results. Thank you for reading and keeping up with us on this journey.—Kate Stellinga”
  • Oct 13: Our condolences go out to Wendy Hellenga and her family. Her dad, Alan Ratliff, passed away. Please keep them in your prayers. Thanks. 
  • Oct 10: Ken Stellinga has a lung biopsy scheduled for Tuesday. He is feeling okay, since he has not had chemo for about three weeks. Please keep him in your prayers. 
  • Oct 10: Susan Vos has been transported back to Sioux Falls and is now in rehab facility for continued treatment. Please keep her in your prayers. Thanks. 
  • Oct 8: Jon Harmsen relates the following, quoting: “10/8 Wednesday Update: Gracia is now a couple days post-op. It’s hard to say if this recovery is worse than last time, but she can say this: it is nothing short of horrific. During the surgery they had to dig deeper into her back and into her spine than before, securing all leads and wires deeply in her spinal column. The hope is that with how they fastened them this time, they will not move or migrate again. Pain management has been very rough. We are thankfully still able to control it at home, though, as we are trying to avoid another hospital stay. She had very little movement and range of motion. She will only be able to use “T-Rex arms” for 6-8 weeks. No twisting, no stretching, no reaching. The loss of independence has been very frustrating for her. Please pray for a miraculous recovery— that pain would be easily managed from here on out and that she would be able to let her body get the rest it needs. Please pray for Jon and Ezra, as they are not only her caregivers, but having to see her in so much pain is really difficult. Thank you to everyone who has been covering us in prayer this far— we feel it and are so grateful!!—Jon Harmsen” 
  • Oct 8: John Thornton here. Well, this is my one-week-out update. A week ago I had my right artificial hip rebuilt. It has been a challenging week, but I can say I am mending. I am still on my 48-year old crutches, but am adding to my daily step counts (not always voluntarily, haha) and the pain and swelling are getting more manageable. Sleeping is a challenge at times, but then other nights it is great. Marcia has been a wonderful helper, so please keep her in your prayers as well. We had to adjust a lot of things for this sudden change in our plans. Thanks for your prayers and concerns. 
  • Oct 7: Ken Vos relates that he and his wife Susan (recovering from the fractured leg repair surgery) should be traveling home on Thursday. It is a 13-hour drive. Please keep them in your prayers. Thanks. 
  • Oct 6: Jon Harmsen reports the following, quoting: “Gracia unexpectedly suffered very rare and unexplainable complications from her big surgery.  The pain has been beyond inconceivable. Today, Monday October 7, she had to undergo urgent revision surgery to her implanted device and to her spinal cord. We are frustrated and exhausted knowing that she has another huge recovery ahead. Family plans and work schedules were not ready for another 6-8 week bed rest curveball. She’s heading back to the operating room any minute now. Please pray for wisdom + clarity for doctors, patience + minimal pain for Gracia, and abundant peace for Jon + Ezra.—Jon Harmsen”
  • Oct 5: John Thornton here. I am recovering from my hip revision surgery, but am having more pain, sleeplessness, and diarrhea than I expected. I would appreciate your prayers. Thanks. 
  • Oct 3: Ken Vos relates that his wife Susan, with the fractured leg, did have the external fixator removed and internal screws and plates surgically installed. She is still having a lot of pain, and high blood pressure issues. Please pray for those things, and for a safe travel back to Sioux Falls in the coming days. Thanks. 
  • Oct 3: Leslie Cleveringa relates the following, quoting: “Jocelyn‘s MRI went smoothly yesterday despite difficulty getting her IV started. Thankfully, they were able to get the MRI read quickly and report that there were no concerns with her brain development! We are thanking God for that as well as the kind pediatric staff at Sanford children’s. She has a follow up with neurology next month and we will continue their recommended course of action.-- Leslie Cleveringa”
  • Oct 2: This is John Thornton. I have been discharged from the hospital. It will be a couple weeks before I can drive, and I am on a walker for a while and then crutches. They had to replace three of the four components of the artificial hip. But the surgery is all completed. My previous email said I was preparing but that was a typo. It was a surgical repair. Everything went well. Thank you so very much for all your prayers. God bless you all. 
  • Oct 2: Kate Stellinga relates the following quoting, "2 Updates in one week! I wish this was to deliver some better news.
    Dad had his CT scan yesterday (tuesday) & reviewed with the oncologist this morning (Wednesday). The tumor on his pancreas has not changed. Same size. It hasnt grown, so thats a win, I think.
    The crappy news is, the CT showed new growths in his lungs. The oncologist said one of the areas looks like inflammation or infection, but Ken is not having any fevers, cough, etc. so inconsistent with infection. The other spot is a growth. He will be meeting with a pulmonologist, hopefully in the near, near future to have a bronchoscopy (scope) and biopsy the growth.
    Because of the new growth, the oncologist did not want him to do chemo today. His chemo regimen is very aggressive & hard on his body, so if its not improving things, she didn't want to put his body through it.
    Once we have more answers, we will reconvene and come up with a plan. We will update as we know things.
    Thank you for continued prayers. -- Kate Stellinga"
  • Oct 1:  Leslie Cleveringa relates the following, quoting: "Wanted to update you for a prayer request we have for Jocelyn. She will undergo sedation tomorrow for an MRI of her brain. This was always planned just to help with diagnosis of her seizure disorder, but we would still appreciate the prayers for peace during the pre-and post anesthesia process, safety during the MRI, and complete recovery for Jocelyn. Also pray that no abnormalities or concerns are found. She continues to do well and is a typical two-year-old! Her seizures have lessened with the medication that she is on, but do continue to see a few per day that the neurologist would like to see at “none”. Thank you!--Leslie Cleveringa
  • Sept 29: John Thornton here. I will be having surgery tomorrow (Wednesday, Oct 1) to repair my broken artificial hip joint. Until the surgeon gets inside me, it is not clear what all will need to be replaced. I would appreciate your prayers. Thanks! 
  • Sept 28: Kate Stellinga relates the following about her dad, Ken Stellinga, quoting: “I've let time get away - quick update. Dad is about to venture on to his 5th round of chemo! Over half way. He has a CT scan on Tuesday 30th and then doctor's visit and chemo on Wednesday 10/01. I will be traveling so Nick, Ken's son, will be joining him this round! Dad will appreciate the change of company :) ... Each round seems to be a little more tricky. New symptoms appearing while old symptoms persist, a conglomeration of "no thanks" is a nice way of saying it. Dad is a trooper, although from the outside in, it appears to take a toll on one's motivation and desire to continue pushing forward. Like Dad would say, "what choice do we have?" This round has been the G.I. symptoms, numbness and tingling in his lips like he's been experiencing, but this time we seemed to add in swollen lips/gums/tongue and throat. Allergic reaction was ruled out so we just chalk it up to chemo. This makes eating and swallowing medications difficult. This week, prayers for an improved CT scan, fingers crossed the tumor has gotten smaller and no new surprises are found. Less symptoms from chemo/no new symptoms from chemo. And a renewed sense of energy for Dad to keep pushing through. As always - thank you for those who have reached out to dad, prayed for dad and offered help. Your generosity is life-giving. For a guy who has done so much for other people in his life, I'm not surprised that he is getting all the love in return. Thank you.—Kate Stellinga”
  • Sept 27: Heather Dewit’s stepmom, Patty Van Aartsen, is now off the ventilator and continues to recover. Please keep praying. Thanks 
  • Sept 27: Daisy Johnston requests pray for her adult son, Zach. Please keep him in your prayers. Thanks. 
  • Sept 26: Becky Lee relates the following, quoting: "Steve had another appointment today with his oncologist & we feel very uplifted right now. We will not need to proceed w/chemo at this time. From last week’s swollen hematoma culture report, Steve has pseudomonas (a bacterial infection found in the soil & moist environments).  He is currently being treated w/3 infusions per day (7:30, 2:30 & 10:00)  of Meropenem, w/the 2:30 dose including Vancomycin. The good news comes from the fact that our oncologist strongly feels that the pseudomonas is what fired on Steve’s last pet scan rather than cancer.  Infections can also fire (show) & appear to be cancer. There actually was no cancer  found in the biopsy that showed pseudomonas. Thank you Jesus! We feel his hand is very evident in this possibility.  We appreciate all the prayers Community!-- Becky Lee"
  • Sept 26: John Thornton relates the following, quoting (yes, I wrote this myself) "my right artificial hip broke today. I was walking my dogs and felt a crack in my leg. I am barely able to put weight on it, and it is very painful. I saw the surgeon and I am scheduled for a hip revision surgery on Wednesday. The time is yet to be determined. Please keep me in your prayers. Thank you so much.-- John Thornton" 
  • Sept 24: Susan Vos is out of town and she fell and broke her leg. The break is near her knee. The doctors put on an external fixator to stabilize the bone, but it is unsure where she will have the next surgery. Please keep her and Ken, and her family in your prayers. Thanks. 
  • Sept 23: Donna Holmgren relates the following about her brother Tim, quoting: "He came through the defibrillator surgery well and is now in a regular room. He needs prayers for being able to swallow and talk. Thank you. --Donna Holmgren" 
  • Sept 22: Donna Holmgren relates the following about her brother, quoting: "Tim has a feeding tube through his nose to his stomach because he still can't swallow. The surgery for receiving a defibrillator is scheduled for tomorrow. He's doing well except for the not swallowing or talking.--Donna Holmgren" 
  • Sept 22: Bonnie Frisbee related the following, quoting: "Brian Frisbee's rehabilitation continues. It has been a struggle to regain strength. It isn’t a straight line to the finish due to health obstacles that arise. Set backs occur and we restart trying to meet goals of regaining independence. We are never accepting of defeat because we know where our strength and endurance comes from. Please pray for continued improvement in rehab and overall health. Thank you --Bonnie Frisbee" 
  • Sept 22: Heather DeWit’s stepmom, Patty Van Aartsen, is in the ICU at Sanford with sepsis, pneumonia, and broken bones from falls. Please keep her in your prayers.
  • Sept 22: Dennis Korb is doing better and may be released from the hospital today. Please keep him in your prayers. 
  • Sept 20: Steve Lee was able to come home due to a program called, Avera Hospital at Home. They can do some of the same things he was getting in the hospital. Please continue to keep him in your prayers. Thanks. 
  • Sept 20: Dennis Korb is in the hospital with stroke symptoms. Please keep him in your prayers.
  • Sept 19: Steve Lee is in the hospital again. He had a bronchoscopy and is waiting for culture results. He is feeling poorly. Please keep him in your prayers.
  • Sept 19: Donna Holmgren's brother, Tim, is critical condition in an out-of-state hospital. He is on life support. Please keep him and his family in your prayers. 
  • Sept 18: Hen Timmer had a lumpectomy for breast cancer on September 17. Please pray for her surgical recovery. No further treatment will be needed. Thanks. 
  • Sept 18: The funeral service for Joe Johnson will be on September 29, 2025 at the Community Reformed Church, Sioux Falls. Visitation begins at 9 am, service at 10 am, and lunch afterward at the church. Burial was already held at the Grandview Covenant Cemetery, Larchwood, Iowa. Pastor Keith Nash from Linwood Church will be helping with the service at CRC. 
  • Sept 17: Jan Sturing relates the following, quoting: “I want to thank you all and let you know how things are going here. My 2nd surgery was Thursday morning, and since then, I've experienced slow but definite improvement. I just now woke up with mild discomfort, but NO pain! I am so grateful for this change! GOD IS GOOD! I am grateful, too, for the prayers and encouragement that you all offered on my behalf. I rely on God for continued improvement with heart rhythm and hope He also provides strength, endurance, and a multitude of further health benefits. Thanks, again, for your care and kindness.—Jan Sturing”
  • Sept 16: Laura Thesenvitz relates the following, quoting, “It’s time for another update. If I count correctly, it’s been… six weeks (?) since Christopher had his surveillance scans and officially stopped the immunotherapy and seven and half weeks or so off of the oral targeted therapy drug. During that time, he has been on a stepdown regimen of steroids. Within a week of being on the steroids, his appetite and energy levels improved, and bowels started to come back into control. From mid-August to now we have been incredibly blessed with a handful of amazing weeks of wonderful, quality-time filled, crazy busy, sometimes stressful but fully involved days, moments and events. PRAISE! This has kept us in a bubble of happy chaos and I have selfishly wanted to just keep to myself, somewhat holding my breath in fear it will end or the pain will just catch up one day..mostly it makes me drag my feet in updating and here we are.. almost a month and half later making an update that is greatly lacking in lots of life details, but you don't have 3 hours to read them all and you won't find all of them entertaining or enlightening or interesting. Just know that we have been making the most of our time together! Last week Tuesday, Christopher had a follow up chest CT and bloodwork and Oncology check in appointment. Chest CT showed a lot of improvement in the suspected pneumonitis – ground glass appearance in the imaging or swelling in his lungs from the month prior. The note nodules from the previous CT – some were reduced in size, so were most likely from swelling but others still held steady so still most likely metastatic cancer – but not showing aggressive growth. So very positive overall and will just monitor and will not proceed with a biopsy at this time as there  has been no increase or aggressive changes evident on the CT. Bloodwork also showed improvement and thyroid starting to go to a normal level. We’ll see what that trends to as the immunotherapy continues to leave his system. Again, we give big thanks, even for the small positives! In visiting with Oncology, Christopher got the all-clear to start the next targeted oral therapy drug (Desatinib) – It had been approved through insurance, and he had just received it in mail from the specialty pharmacy.   He wanted him to visit with his primary care doctor and rule out a UTI just in case prior to starting. Since he already had an appointment set up for when we got home, he was fine with him waiting to see him. We also discussed an ongoing struggle with a pressure sore not healing (initial reason for seeing doc at home) and he informed us that a partial player in that could be that previous drug Chris was on being a wound healing inhibitor. Just another reason to be thankful to be off that drug! We saw Christopher’s primary care doctor Wednesday afternoon once we got home, and he was able to run a urine test and also start a referral to the wound care specialty clinic at the hospital to be seen locally. Chris met the wound care specialist this morning (Monday) and she was happy with the status of how things are progressing with healing and was able to give some good additional recommendations on things to try and a referral for seat mapping. Having the established baseline on the wound and contact source of the clinic is good resource and hopefully once he can get past this, it won’t be something we will need to frequent.  As of today, he has officially also started his newest oral targeted therapy drug – so we send up our prayers … for success, for tolerated, minimal side effects, for continued quality good time together. We will march forward into the oncoming days as normal. Up next will be some check-in blood work every couple of weeks, and as long as nothing wild and crazy pops up, he will continue as is with a video check in with the nurse in a few weeks and then surveillance scans again in first week of November… I pray that pain stays under control. I pray for continued calm hearts and minds.  The willingness to accept what comes and that planning is fluid and flexible and ability to ask for assistance when needed.  I pray for help to be intentionally present – to not miss the moments we’re being blessed with and not waste them. --Laura Thesenvitz”
  • Sept 15: Zach Johnston has been released from the hospital. Please keep him and his family in your prayers. Thanks 
  • Sept 15: Bob Sayler reports that his Gail Babcock, his sister, had the broken neck surgery and it went well. Please keep her in prayer for full recovery and no nerve damage. Thanks. 
  • Sept 15: Gail Babcock, Bob Sayler's sister, is having surgery on her broken neck this morning. Please keep her in your prayers. Thanks. 
  • Sept 13: Our condolences go out to the friends and family of Kristi Ter Wee, who passed away on September 9th. Her family includes connections with the Hallings and Ter Wees who attending Community. The funeral was on September 13. Please keep the friends and family in your prayers. 
  • Sept 13: Gail Babcock, who used to attend Community, and the sister of Bob Sayler, recently fell and has significant neck injuries. Please keep her and her family in your prayers. Thanks. 
  • Sept 12: Zach Johnston, the adult son of Daisy, has a worsening medical situation and is in crisis. He is in ICO. Please keep him, and his family in your prayers. 
  • Sept 12: The memorial service for Joe Johnson is scheduled for Monday September 29th, at 10:00am at Community Reformed Church. Please keep his family in your prayers. 
  • Sept 12:  Ryan Vos relates the following, quoting: “I wanted to let everyone know that Tuesday morning my dad Denny Vos was involved in a pretty serious car accident north of Bondurant. His back is broke in three spots, has some broken ribs, lacerations, and has a long road ahead for awhile. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers as we navigate our way through this. Thank you all for your love, prayers and support!!—Ryan Vos”
  • Sept 11: Jan Sturing had to have a second pacemaker surgery this morning to reconnect one of the leads. She hopes to still go home this evening. Please keep her in your prayers
  • Sept 10: Jan Sturing's pacemaker placement is completed. She will be spending another night in the hospital. Thanks for your prayers. 
  • Sept 9: Our condolences go out to the family and friends of Joe Johnson who passed away this evening at 7:45 pm. Funeral arrangements are pending, but the memorial service will likely be at Community. Please keep these people in your prayers. 
  • Sept 8: Jan Sturing is in the hospital with heart rhythm issues. Testing revealed that she needs a pacemaker. She is scheduled for that pacemaker insertion on Wednesday. Please keep her in your prayers. Thanks 
  • Sept 8: Joe Johnson is terminally ill. Please pray for a quick and easy passing for him. His sister Deb and other family are here. Thanks
  • Sept 8: Please pray for the volunteers from Community Reformed who will be serving at the Banquet this Thursday night -  it is from 5-7! Please come and join them, if you want to help out. Thank You. 
  • Sept 7: Please pray for Daisy Johnston and her adult son Zach, Zach is in ICU with a severe medical condition. Please keep him and their whole family in your prayers. 
  • Sept 7: Steve Lee relates the following, quoting: "Praise the Lord! I was discharged from Avera Cancer Center today (Sunday). After much testing it was determined that my lung incision issue was a skin problem that could be treated with IV antibiotics.  There does not appear to be any association with my lymphoma and treatment for that remains unchanged. Thank you for your ongoing prayers, Community! --Steve Lee"