update on Colleen.

Looks like tomorrow at 11:00 am (Seattle time) Colleen will have surgery to try to remove as much as the tumor as possible. She was able to enter into the study at Swedish which we are very thankful for. Rusty just arrived a few hours ago in Seattle and is grateful to be there with family before the surgery. Thank you for your prayers and love from afar.

Here is her caring bridge site: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/colleenpolinder

Prayers Needed.

Rusty is on a flight back to Seattle after just receiving the news that his mother has a very serious brain tumor (glioblastoma multiforme). We are learning now that the "stroke" that we thought she experienced earlier this year was instead the start of this tumor. Surgery will be scheduled in the next few days in Seattle to remove as much of it as possible. Please join us in prayer for Colleen's recovery, wisdom for all the medical professionals that will be caring for her, and for strength for our family and her closest friends who are all broken hearted at this latest news. 

22 weeks.

"Birdie, rest a little longer ...

till the little wings are stronger."

-Tennyson

Sprout.

Two years ago we had a volunteer come to serve at our foundation for a few months named Bryan Appleby. We really connected with him, and once he returned home stayed in touch. Bryan had planned a trip to visit Thailand again in November 2009 long before Olive was born. When Bryan met up with us, we had just arrived in Bangkok at the private hospital there. After his time with us in Bangkok, Bryan visited Chiang Rai and stayed in our house, where he wrote the song, "Sprout." This song is about our little Olive. We listened to it the first time two weeks ago as tears rolled down our cheeks.


Bryan has such a gift of putting so much depth and meaning into his songs. He just put out a new album and is starting to get recognized for his talent in Seattle. You can look him up on I-Tunes and download songs from his newest album, "Fire On the Vine" if you like what you hear. Here is a photo of Olive on the day Bryan met her...