Mele Kalikimaka Family and Friends

Mele Kalikimaka Family and Friends,

2008 has been an eventful year for our family. I know that most of you know that Kit was diagnosed with acute leukemia one week before Good Friday. Before he started his chemo treatment on Oahu, he flew back to Maui and gave the Good Friday Service message at Hope Chapel. Mikey and Shae flew home from Oregon and we all spent Easter Sunday together and then Monday a.m. , he was off to Oahu to begin the treatment. Unfortunately, after 2 rounds of chemo, Kit’s body did not respond to the treatment and he was sent home to Maui after 2 ½ months in the hospital.


The chemo, infections, and antibiotics… almost destroyed Kit physically, but slowly, he got his strength back and began feeling better. Recently, his blood tests showed that his white blood cell counts were dangerously low...and he was worried that he was not going to be able to fly to Oregon and watch Mikey wrestle. (he had never seen Mikey wrestle in college yet) With God’s grace and antibiotics, Kit and Buddy flew out on Nov. 14^th . They watched Mikey wrestle 7 matches, they spent time with my family( Carol, Diane, Kathie , Mike , Laura and Jared) who drove up to Oregon to see Kit and Buddy.


Kit was able to spend precious time with Mikey and Shae, the Vidlaks, the Browns, the Johnsons, the Crabtrees, the Smalls, the Hickmans, the Wilsons. The trip was such a blessing to Kit . He felt so good in Oregon and Shae’s relatives, treated Kit and Buddy with such care. They spent Thanksgiving at Danny and Steph’s house, the same beautiful house where Mikey and Shae were married on Sept. 8^th 2007.

So…even though we are unsure of the future, we have so much to be thankful for. We have received so much love and support through this trial .Friends, clients, family and our church body have loved us so much that we are in awe. If you Google, Hope Chapel, Kihei, Maui, you can go on the Kit Lauer blog and see all the incredible things that our church did for us.

Maisha has been such a blessing to us. She comes over a lot and spends time with us. Kit always tells me how happy Maisha makes him and how he loves to hear her laugh. Maisha is working optometry at several places on Maui. She was able to go to Paraguay again this past summer on an eye mission trip. Maisha and Mikey and Shae bring Kit the most joy in his life.

Mikey is finishing up his senior year at Southern Oregon University. He and Shae live in Ashland and hopefully after this summer, they will move back to Maui. Mikey is wrestling and hopefully, if he survives all his injuries, he will have a good season. He wants to teach on Maui… hopefully, there will be a job here for him.

I still have my cleaning business and I have the most awesome partner, Yuko, who helps me everyday. When I was in Oahu with Kit…she ran the whole business. I have great clients, and I am thankful for the work. I have a very thankful heart at this time in my life. I appreciate each minute that I have Kit in my life. He has been the best husband and father that anyone could have. If God does not heal him, I know that Kit is not afraid to die, because he knows that he will be living eternally with the ONE whose birthday we celebrate this month. We have felt Christ’s presence through this whole ordeal…He has been our strength…”Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” Luke 2:14

Thank you for being in our life…we love you and we pray that God will do wonderful things in your life in 2009!

Love,

Shelly and the Lauer family