Dear friends and family,
We want to wish you joy and peace during this Christmas and New Year. With so much chaos in our nation and the world, it is good to pause and reflect on how God never forsakes us and has been with us this past year even at the worst of times—a “Light that shines in the darkness and cannot be extinguished” (John 1:4).
1) 1) In January we were downwind of the Eaton Canyon Fire which destroyed 9,418 structures (including homes, businesses, and churches) in Altadena, Pasadena and Sierra Madre. This wildfire destroyed nearly half of Altadena's Black -owned homes with 19 deaths. With the fires only a few blocks from our home, we were mandated to evacuate for a couple of days. Our home suffered smoke damage so we moved out for two weeks so it could be remediated. We also removed all the soil from our raised beds and put in fresh organic soil, mushroom substrate other additives to rid the beds of toxins. Now our garden is thriving!
B But tragically, many of our friends and neighbors in Altadena lost
their homes, while insurance companies and Edison have compounded injustices
delaying many to rebuild. But the faith community has shown an outpouring of
love and support for these survivors. We were approached by the Pasadena
Community Foundation that an anonymous donor gave $30,000 so that a displaced family
could have a virtually free RV and return to their burned site while rebuilding
their home. We formed a team to plan how to best help families obtain permits
and locate a suitable candidate for first this RV. See video of Louis St. Juste. We have applied
for grants to provide more RVs to other families.
2) 2) In March our city was invaded by masked ICE agents who
abducted some of our undocumented neighbors on their way to work, including
construction workers helping to rebuild homes. Later we stood (and danced) with 4,000 people (including pastors) in solidarity with the National Day Laborers’ Organizing Network (NDLON)
and mobile band Los Jorneleros del Norte). Pastors prayed and local leaders gave speeches. We called for the masked ICE agents
to get out of our city.
1) 3) In May we went to NJ for a Shelter force
Magazine housing justice conference and visited our brilliant niece Finch
in NYC who just graduated from Sarah Lawrence. We took her to see “Wicked” on
Broadway and had a blast hanging out with her. We also enjoyed a visit with
Anthony’s sister and family where we had the world's best pizza at Conte's.
2) 4) In August we had a dream vacation in Costa Rica-
La pura vida! An amazing country that
disbanded their military and instead invests in education, housing and more.
Thanks to our friends Grace and Bill Dyrness, we toured the impressive
international University for Peace. We visited Monteverde Friends Quaker
Meeting where we were invited to speak about affordable housing. We zip-lined
above the cloud rain forest—a joyful victory for Anthony’s acrophobia! We
witnessed the sacred act of a green sea turtle lay 120 eggs, and so much more. Jill
read Church of the Wild during this time-connecting her faith more
deeply to the astounding biodiversity we were witnessing.
3) 5) Anthony continues to take part in weekly vigils
calling for an end to the genocide in Gaza and Pasadena’s divestment from
companies profiting from this genocide.
4) 6) In September Anthony also went to the 90th
anniversary celebration of Pendle Hill, the Quaker Center for Study and
Contemplation near Swarthmore, PA, where he was a student in 1989 and served
for many years on their board. He again enjoyed a visit with his sister Liz in
their hometown of Princeton, NJ.
5) 7) In August we had a blast attending the wedding
and book launch of Jill’s niece Sarah and her husband Andrew Singer. We highly
recommend their books: She Journeys: A Memoir of Heartbreak and Homecoming and
Now is the Time: A Van Life Road Trip.
6) 8) On November 1 Jill celebrated her 72nd
birthday and had a blast, only to find out that the severe pain experienced a
few days later was the return of the lymphoma she had five year ago reappearing in a very aggressive form. She was admitted to Huntington
Hospital on Nov. 3rd where she was given steroids and a biopsy to
determine what kind of cancer and its severity. The steroids exacerbated her
insomnia and she stayed up all night reading the excellent book, The Body
Keeps Score and by morning had a new book outline and title: Healing our
Souls and the Souls of our Cities.
A few days
before Thanksgiving the strong pain returned, and she was admitted to City of
Hope and given a preliminary IV infusion before the treatment plan was fully
prescribed and the results surprised even Dr. Budde, the foremost scientist and
researcher on blood cancers. She called Jill immediately after the PET scan to
share that the large masses of 4-1 and 4-2 inches shrank by 60-70%! She had never seen such dramatic results. Jill
shared with her that countless folks were praying. To rid of the rest of the cancer, Jill will
undergo an immunotherapy CAR T Cell treatment that will make her very sick for
about a month. We get cancer because our immune system cannot recognize it, but
immunotherapy teaches our immune system to see and fight it. They will remove
some of her T-Cells which will be manufactured into extremely aggressive
fighter cells and put back in her body. The good news is that 50% of those with this
treatment live 5 years or longer. Please hold us in the Light, as Quakers say.
7) 9) Despite her health issues, Jill went to northern
California in mid-November to preach at two churches (the Adventist Church in
Antioch, CA, and the Redeemer Covenant Church in Orangevale, CA). She also
presented our recently published “Unjust Housing Game” (with Game Crafters), at
a Seventh Day Adventist Conference on “Ending Homelessness.” Pastors and
leaders felt the highlight of the conference was this game as they reflected on
the racial disparity in housing.
