Dallas Mavericks

Thanks to a very good and longtime friend, I was able to take Leah to a Dallas Mavericks game. We had a wonderful time and are very grateful for this opportunity. Maybe I'll get another chance to go and I will take Kayla next time.

The Biggest Loser

My dad warned me before he passed away in 2001, that I should really work at keeping my weight down. He died of a heart attack at the age of 62. I have not done a good job of following his advice, but now I am. I saw a book at Barnes and Noble with a workout plan and some healthy recipes. It is based on the TV show, "The Biggest Loser." I bought the book 15 days ago, and began immediately to work out. I began to do some cooking and used the recipes. 15 days later, I have lost 11 pounds. I want to encourage all of my friends to take care of themselves. God gave you one body and it is God's temple. Take care of it for the glory of God!

Billy

Photos of Cindy and our girls

Tornado!

Thanks to a friend, we can show you this picture of a tornado seen near Phnom Penh in the last day or two. Awesome, huh? Thanks, Isaac, for letting us use the photo for the blog.

Updating You on Cindy

The doctors are still unsure about the exact nature of Cindy's problem. She had another CT scan yesterday and goes for an MRI today. Cindy has been having some terrible problems with her lower back and spine, near her tailbone. She has so much inflammation that they couldn't see the x-ray well, so they're doing the MRI today. We have learned that tuberculosis, histoplasmosis, and another disease called cestodic tuberculosis can spread and cause the kind of pain that she's having in her lower spinal region. She was hurting so badly yesterday that she was unable to get up out of a chair without considerable effort. We appreciate your prayers for Cindy and will keep you informed as we learn more.

What's Up?

Well, we are still in Texas. I just got back from a missions conference in the beautiful state of Connecticut. Wow, the leaves are changing and the weather was nice and cool. It was cold enough in the mornings to use a fireplace.

Cindy is still following the TB program here in Texas. The program lasts a minimum of six months. She was supposed to have another CT scan this month, but funds are tight, so we will delay it another month. This economic recession, downturn, whatever you want to call it, is really affecting missionaries. Love offerings are down. Sometimes you go to a church and the love offering doesn't even cover the cost of the expenses to get there. This isn't complaining; it's just the truth. People are afraid of what the economy is going to do. This trickles down to the missionaries on deputation or furlough.

Our Social Security withholding went up. Our health insurance (like yours) went up. We have seen our support for the orphanage decrease by $500 a month all of a sudden. Inflation in Cambodia is at 24%. All in all, this adds up to a decrease in monthly available support of $1,100 not counting the inflationary rise.

We, as well as all missionaries, need your faithful prayers and support! Our Lord has called us to go into all the world with the Good News! We couldn't do this without your faithful prayers and support.

Family Things

Hi everyone,
Here's an update on how things are going around here. Cindy's still undergoing treatment for what seems to be a "tb-like bacteria" She is having some pains in her chest and will be going to the doctor to follow up on that.

Well, the girls are still trying to do whatever they can to raise some funds for their trips: Leah has an upcoming mission trip to a "Creative Access Nation" and Kayla to our nation's capitol. Pray for my girls as they see the Lord work in their lives. If you can help them, please let us know at our email address: haas4cambodia@yahoo.com

I just got back from Louisville, Kentucky. The mission conference was cancelled due to damages inflicted by Tropical Depression Ike. It was great to hear Bro. Trivette preach in person. I've listened to many of his messages on tape throughout the years.

Cindy met Fox News anchorwoman E.D. Hill recently and that was cool. She had her photo taken with her also.

Leah and Kayla

Our daughters Leah and Kayla are enrolled in a local Christian school here. Because of Cindy's health and ongoing treatment, we are staying in the US longer. As a result, we've enrolled them in school here. God really blessed in all this in that He provided a scholarship for our girls that drastically reduced their tuition at the school.

Part of the curriculum involves our girls making trips to different places. Kayla's class will be going to Washington, D.C. and seeing the museums and different monuments. Leah will be going on a mission trip. Because of the delicate nature of the trip, we won't be disclosing the location until after she is back and the trip is over. She is going to be doing different and creative ways of raising funds for the trip. Some of this is school-sponsored fundraising and then she'll be trying to raise some on her own. We appreciate all who helped her last time and prayed for her last trip back in 2008. She'll make this next trip in 2009. Please pray for both Leah and Kayla as they work hard to prepare for these school trips. Pray that the Lord will open doors for them to get the sponsors they need. God bless you all!

School, Cindy, Cambodia

We are enrolling the girls in school here in Dallas. As many of you know already, our furlough is being extended for medical reasons. Cindy has more to be done before we can go back to Cambodia. In the meantime, I am making a trip back to Cambodia in about a week. I'll be staying for three weeks to a month, then returning to the U.S. We have some mission conferences scheduled for the upcoming autumn months.

My Youngest Brother's Wedding

This past Saturday, July 19th, my youngest brother Brian finally got married! He and Sheryl have known each other for about three years and "tied the knot" in a beautiful ceremony in Garland, Texas. I love you, brother! God bless you both!

Cindy's Bronchoscopy Tomorrow

Well, here's the new info. The PET scan works like this: you take in this glucose solution which is designed to act as "food" for cancer cells and any other "active" hungry cells. Basically, active cells are either cancerous or infectious. Two places in her lungs "lit up" as active. They are located in the left lung near the windpipe. So as of right now, they know that she either has cancer there or she has a very serious infection. The blood work has ruled out infection. Cindy was treated with strong antibiotics last month and so she doesn't think it's an infection. I hope she's wrong, but we'll see. Tomorrow at 1 PM she will have outpatient surgery. They are going to do a bronchoscopy. They will insert a tube through her nose and it will have a camera as well as the ability to take tissue samples for a biopsy. We will meet with the doctor again on Tuesday morning to discuss the results of the biopsy. That's where we stand as of now. We'll update you when we know more. Pray for us as the portion we pay is mounting. Insurance pays for 80% but these tests are $2,000 to $3,000 each. We've had three this month, plus the surgery is coming up tomorrow. I have no idea what that's going to cost.

Thank you for every prayer sent to the throne of grace. God bless ya'll!

More on Cindy's Health

Cindy went for a PET scan and an MRI yesterday. She was supposed to see her doctor next week for a follow-up to discuss the test results and discuss treatment. Cindy changed that appointment to Thursday. But this morning the doctor called and told Cindy that he'd prefer not to wait until Thursday, but wants her to come in tomorrow (Wednesday) at 8:30 CDT. So, we'll know some more tomorrow and will update the blog then. Thanks for all your prayers!

A Fun Night With My Mom

Cindy, Kayla, and I went out with my mom to play some mini-golf and watch Kayla drive the go-karts last night. We had a really good time. Here are some photos from our evening:

Cambodia Hit Hard By Rice Cost

Please take the time to read this news article:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08183/893795-51.stm

Cindy Went To the Pulmonary Specialist Today

Cindy got in to see the pulmonary specialist today, a few days earlier than scheduled, due to the office getting a cancellation. We really like the pulmonary doctor. He looked at her CT scan and he thinks that the bigger area is probably scarring in the lung which resulted from an earlier infection. Or, he said it's possibly due to a fungus that she picked up in Cambodia. The third possibility, according to the doctor, is possible cancer. He says it is possible, but not likely. The "shadows" on the CT don't look like cancer to him. But he says that he still needs to "rule out" cancer in her lung.

He then talked with us about options. The first option is a needle biopsy. He doesn't like this option because the spot in her lung is too small. He said trying to insert the needle to extract tissue on a small area would be "hit or miss." In addition, he said there's a risk of puncturing her lung. He suggested two things: blood tests to look for signs of a fungus in her lung; and then, a PET scan. Cindy did the blood work today. So, that's done. The PET scan is next Monday morning, July 7th at 9am CDT. The PET scan is different than a CT scan. Cindy will drink some sort of glucose solution and if the places in her lung are cancerous tissue (and in her brain also), then it will show up on the PET scan. The cancer, if that's what it is, will "go to work" on the glucose and show up as such on the test. Then, Cindy will have another follow-up appointment with the pulmonary specialist on the 15th. Please pray that all goes well. We are looking forward to getting back to Cambodia, God willing.

Thanks for all your prayers!

Pulmonary Specialist Appointment

Cindy has an appointment next week with a pulmonary specialist. That's all we know for now. Will let you know more toward the end of next week about what the doctor said. In the meantime, we wait.

Leah is in Romania right now, on a mission trip with TIME International. Pray for her while she's away.

Cindy's CT Scan Report

Here's an update on Cindy for the missions office.

We got the results back from the CT scan this afternoon. We fully trust the Lord and all is in His hands. The news was not encouraging. The lesion in her lung that showed up is 19 mm long. He said that lesion is deep. There are also other nodules he mentioned and the largest one is 12 mm. She is being scheduled for a biopsy as soon as possible. We'll update you when we know more. We truly appreciate all your concern and prayers. God bless!

Update on Cindy's Health

Cindy will have a CT scan tomorrow morning at 8:30. Her doctor
did an x-ray because of some persistent coughing she was having.
When looking at the x-ray, he found a spot on her left lung.
He ordered a CT scan and she'll be having that done tomorrow.
We will keep ya'll updated when we know more.

Spot On Cindy's Lung

Cindy’s Health

Hey everyone,
Thanks for your prayers for Cindy. She's been having some coughing lately, wouldn't stop, and also some problems in her esophagus, sorta like a reflux problem. She was treated for the cough, doctor gave her antibiotics. Didn't clear up. She went back today. She had an xray done and the doctor noticed a spot on her left lung. So, they ordered a CT scan and it could happen this week. So, please pray. Tomorrow, Tuesday, is our 25th anniversary.

Recent Tornados

From the Weather Channel

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid823425597/bclid877032950/bctid1588489234

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid823425597/bclid877032950/bctid1587866630

West Texas

Our family on horseback in Limpia Canyon













Billy at the Alamo












Palo Duro Canyon

The Man God Used To Lead Me To Christ

It was a blessing to see Dan Thompson, a close friend of our family, and the man who led both me and my dad to the Lord Jesus Christ. His mom also led my mom to the Lord. He and my dad were best friends in high school and our families were best friends for life! Friends are truly a gift from God.

Cindy's Health

Hi everyone, some of you might know already and some might not. Cindy's been having some strange numbness/tingling on the right side of her face from time to time. We took her to a doctor and they did an MRI. Then, she went to see a neurologist. Here's what we know: she has an 11 mm cyst on the left side of her brain. As most of you already know, she also has a cyst in her left eye. The cyst on her brain seems to be the cause of the numbness on the right side of her face. She will have another MRI on July 9th. Our insurance has been really good and we've met our deductible. The co-pays are now kicking in and so far, up to today, we have a bill to pay of about $800. I'm sure this will go up soon, as we'll doing another MRI. Can you help us with this medical bill? We sure would appreciate anything you can do.

Cindy will also be going into St. John's Sleep Treatment Center. The neurologist believes that she may have sleep apnea and there's a possible link to her other health problems. Please pray for Cindy.

Silver Dollar City

That's me in the middle and Kayla to my left. We were the only two "dumb enough" to get on that thing. It is a big giant swing. I thought I was going to die.
Never again!

From The Furlough Trail

Well, we've been up in Vermont, along the Quebec border for the past few days. It's been wonderful to visit dear friends. We went out to visit with our dairy farmer friend M. Kaiser. It's amazing how computerized farming has become! Even the big John Deere tractors and combines have GPS and can actually work the fields without a driver. That's right! They drive themselves!

Pictured below is my daughter standing on the John Deere. The next photo above is a group shot of our family and M. Kaiser and his son.

Montreal

We went into Montreal the other day and we met an actor that we've seen on various TV shows and movies. His name is Victor Garber. He is best known for his portrayal of Jack Bristow, a government agent on "Alias."

Cindy's Health

My wife Cindy recently began experiencing episodes of numbness and tingling in her lips, tongue, and sometimes her cheek. She gets nauseous along with these other symptoms. We took her to the doctor in Springfield. She had an MRI done and the doctor has referred her to a neurologist. There are no available appointments to see the neurologist until about a month from now. The MRI revealed that it's possible that she had a "mini-stroke" but they aren't sure. Please pray for her. We will have our 25th wedding anniversary on June 17. I love her and covet your prayers for her health. God bless you!

Please don't forget about doing what you can to help towards Leah's Romania mission trip in June. She needs to raise $3,000 and has $250 as of today. $2,750 to go! She'll be doing evangelistic ministry among the gypsies of Romania.

Also, we still lack about 1/2 of the $4500 we need to fix a serious plumbing problem in the orphanage. They cannot flush a single toilet on the property and have to shower with the water hose outside. Pray that we can get the funds to get this fixed.

Thank you for your love, prayers, and gifts!

Help Leah Go To Romania

This summer, our daughter Leah, age 16, will be going on a mission trip to the Eastern European country of Romania. She'll be going with a team of youth from International Bible Baptist in Miami, Florida. The ministry is called T.I.M.E. We hosted a T.I.M.E. team in Cambodia last year and it was great. Leah has been asked to go and she is thrilled! She'll be working with the Collico's, missionaries to the Gypsies for the past 13 years. Among the things she'll be doing is helping to present the Gospel through Christian evangelistic skits and dramas. They'll ministry to Gypsy children, teens and adults in Gypsy churches as well as at Camp Joy.

Leah needs to raise $3000 for this trip. Please help her get the money required to go on this mission. You can send funds to us through the missions office.

Instructions:

1. Make check payable to BBFI Missions.
2. Include a note or write on the memo field of the check that it's for "Haas/Leah/Romania"
3. Send to BBFI Mission Office, P.O. Box 191, Springfield, MO 65801.

This is a great opportunity to be a big blessing to an MK (missionary kid)! God bless you!

Seeing Miami

Our friends David and Janet took us out sightseeing in Miami's South Beach district today and it was a nice time. The art deco district is really a nice place to eat, drink a Cuban coffee, and enjoy some sunshine.














Enjoyed seeing some really cool cars here and there like this nice one.














And this nice Lambourghini

Update From Florida

Cindy's in Pensacola with her mom, who is still hospitalized. She still is suffering from pneumonia. As we get more info, we'll keep you posted. Leah, Kayla, and I are in Miami for a week. We're enjoying nice weather in south Florida, but a cold front is moving in today, should hit the high 40s which is cold for Miami. Thanks for your prayers! From here we head to South Carolina next week.

Miami Power Outage

Well, we show up in Miami and the power goes out from Key West up to Daytona Beach. Sounds like Cambodia to me! Power is back on and all is well. Seems like a switch failed somewhere and then the power began going down like dominoes.

Update From The Hospital

Cindy's mom is still in the hospital. She'll be here for awhile. Cindy talked with her mom's doctor this morning and got a better idea of what he's thinking. She'll need someone to look after her and take care of her from now on. She'll probably be able to go home eventually, but cannot live alone. Please pray for Cindy and her brothers and sisters as they will be discussing all of this in the next few days.

Report From Florida

Cindy's mom is in the hospital in Pensacola, Florida. Please pray for her as she is suffering not only from a lifelong battle with rheumatoid arthritis, but now she has pneumonia and is hospitalized. Thanks for your prayers!

Well, here's a quick update on the laptop computer. The computer tech called me to ask me to come by and "claim the body." So, we're going to have to get a new one. It's been ordered and is on it's way to us. We're in Florida now and so we are having it shipped to where we are. Gotta get my data off the old hard drive.

Making A Mess A Bigger Mess

Well, I really went and did it today. The CD/DVD drive in my laptop "died" about three months ago, and I just now was able to purchase the part to fix it. I was told it was easy and that I could "do it myself." Well, it wasn't easy and I can't do it myself. Now I have the laptop all torn apart and can't get the new drive in it. It's in pieces and tomorrow morning, I've got to find a place that can put it all back together again and install that new drive that I've already bought. Tomorrow is Saturday and we have to leave in the afternoon to go to a church for Sunday. I need my presentation for Sunday and it's on the laptop which is in pieces. This might be a good time to buy another laptop. Pray for me because it's been a really frustrating day. God has a lesson for me in all this. I just don't know what it is yet. I know one thing. I am not a computer tech. No way, Jose.

Blast From The Past

This is a photo that I found at my mom's house. Guess which one is me? Ha ha. This photo was taken around 1975 or 1976. Yes, it's my hair, it's not a wig!

Eileen

There's a lady named Eileen who is a friend of my brother Brian and his fiancee Sheryl. Eileen is supposed to be in their upcoming wedding either as a bridesmaid or maid of honor. She had a brain aneurysm today and is in ICU in a Chicago hospital. Would you please pray for her? Thanks and God bless!

Quick Note

I forgot to mention that we are back in the USA for six months. Then we'll be heading back to Cambodia. We've got to raise a lot of money for projects in Cambodia.

Our New Blog

This is a new blog with a different aim and purpose. This is more of a family-oriented, personal blog. There won't be so much stuff about ministry here. We might mention ministry briefly or in passing, but this one has a different theme.

We had a great time with Carl and Kimzie Sandmann and their girls, Mindy and Carissa. We went to their church on Sunday and then went to the pastor's for lunch. Out there we ate a great lunch and then took a walk down the the lake. The girls had fun driving the golf cart around. Then we headed over to Carl's. Talked and drank coffee, and watched the girls drive the four-wheeler. It was great to see an old friend again and get to know Kimzie a bit better. Looking forward to getting together with them again.