The FDA and Cancer

This really isn't new information, but is a must read if it's news to you. Don't believe it? Do a little research... No one wants to think that their own government institutes agencies to "protect" the general public who really exist to protect the interests of Big Pharma, but that's just the reality of it. Poking your head in the ground doesn't make it any less true...

WE DON'T HAVE A CURE FOR CANCER YET -- OR DO WE?

By Dr. Joseph Mercola

What if a cure for cancer has been right here all along? What if the very agency charged with protecting your health is the one keeping you from that cure?

A Lawless, Rogue Agency Out of Control

Ten years ago a former New York State assemblyman, Daniel Haley, wrote a scathing exposé on how the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) systematically shuts the door on effective and non-toxic products, many for cancer.

The FDA is the chief agency in charge of protecting and promoting Americans' health and safety. But in 10 stunning, true stories in his book, "The Politics of Healing," Haley describes how the FDA has suppressed and banned natural health cures – eight of them for cancer. He later wrote about two additional cancer cures that worked, which the FDA also disallowed.

The FDA even admitted that one of these treatments, discovered by Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski, was successful with some of the most incurable forms of cancer. I shared this with you in a recent article that showed his film, but stories like this are far too common, and you can't help but wonder how many people have died while the FDA denied them cancer treatments that work.

Haley brazenly calls the FDA a rogue, out of control agency that has lied in Congressional testimonies, deliberately falsified data, and destroyed evidence to prohibit cures like Burzynki's from coming to market. The FDA's loyalties are to the drug industry, not to individuals, Haley says.

His claims mirror those of Dr. David Graham, who once worked in the FDA's Office of Drug Safety. In 2004 Dr. Graham blew the whistle on six drugs that were harming people, including Vioxx, but instead of acting on his warnings, Graham's superiors pulled him off his job. He fought back in a PBS television special when he told how he'd been chastised at the FDA for thinking the FDA served the public. The "FDA is there to serve the drug industry," Graham said his supervisors told him.

'Virtually Every' Drug Company Now Targeting Cancer Therapies

Today, the FDA continues to serve its client, Big Pharma, by making sure that toxic chemotherapy, along with surgery and radiation, are the only cancer treatment options legally available to you. This industry is huge, with 139 cancer treatment drugs in the pipeline just for women alone. All told there are over 900 experimental cancer therapies under investigation. No wonder so many pharmaceutical companies are ramping up their cancer drug research!

According to the New York Times:

"Virtually every large pharmaceutical company seems to have discovered cancer, and a substantial portion of the smaller biotechnology companies are focused on it as well. Together, the companies are pouring billions of dollars into developing cancer drugs."

Note they said drugs, not cures. That's because this industry isn't set up for a cure, even though they say that's what they're looking for. It's also why economic forecasts predict 20 million new cancers by 2025, with the $50 billion-a-year cancer treatment business increasing by 15 percent a year. Pfizer alone projects its annual cancer drug returns will be $11 billion by 2018.

The Truth about Vitamin D

Everyone's talking about vitamin D right now, especially since the Institute of Medicine's Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) updated their recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for it. The truth is that most Americans are deficient in vitamin D, and studies show that vitamin D supplementation can both prevent and kill many infections and diseases, including cancer.

Vitamin D isn't actually a vitamin, although scientists refer to it as such. It's actually a steroid hormone that you get from sun exposure, food sources and/or supplementation. The term refers to either vitamin D2 or D3, but according to the National Vitamin D Council, D3 (chemical name 25-hydroxy vitamin D) is real vitamin D, and is the same substance produced naturally through your skin by sun exposure.

Older research appears at odds on whether your body cares which form of D it's getting. But a study in the January 2011 Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism found that D3 is 87 percent more effective than D2, and is the preferred form for treating vitamin D deficiency. It's measured in international units (IU's) in nanograms per milliliter, or ng/mL. The Vitamin D Council believesthat a person's D3 levels should be at least 50 ng/mLfor your body to function properly. (To determine whether you might be deficient, you need to get your vitamin D levels tested, and ideally, you'll want to get tested regularly thereafter to ensure you're maintaining optimal levels year-round.)

Fourteen famous vitamin D researchers gave the FNB this information, but the FNB apparently ignored the information that the researchers presented because their "updated" RDA levels ended up being so pitifully low that it's doubtful it can significantly impact Americans' deficiency, let alone fight off diseases like cancer and heart disease.

Experts Protest 'Impossible' New RDA Levels

Depending on your age, the new recommendations are 600 to 800 IUs a day for adults and between zero and 600 IUs a day for children. The FNB also said that taking vitamin D in amounts of 10,000 IUs or more could be dangerous – but that's ridiculous, seeing that a 30-minute dose of sunshine can give an adult more than 10,000 IUs! Since countless studies indicate that much higher levels of vitamin D are required for optimal health, it's no surprise that experts lost no time denouncing the FNB's recommendations.

"It's almost impossible to significantly raise your vitamin D levels when supplementing (at the FNB levels)," the Vitamin D Council posted on its website.

Hidden Agendas and Conflicts of Interest

Suspecting that conflicts of interest and hidden agendas played a part in this, the Vitamin D Council filed Freedom of Information (FOIA) requests so they could examine the FNB's notes on the process. They're still waiting on an answer, but I'm wondering if it doesn't have something to do with the fact that over 1,350 clinical trials on vitamin D are currently being conducted by major drug companies, all based on the prevention or cure of many illnesses and diseases, including 388 for cancer.

Yes, cancer.

From breast to prostate, to colorectal to brain cancers, and even basal cell carcinoma (skin cancer), Drug companies such as Pfizerand Merck are currently either sponsoring or collaborating on clinical trials based on the premise that vitamin D administered orally, intravenously or topically (for skin cancer) may either prevent or cure cancer. Cancer foundations and institutes are all in on the clinical study game as well, such as the National Cancer Institute and the National Institutes of Health. Even the U.S. Department of Defense and the Department of Veteran Affairs are studying ways to prevent and cure cancer with vitamin D!

What's really interesting is that several of these studies are using vitamin D in amounts of 50,000 IUs a day or more – which flies strongly in the face of the FNB's claims that self-supplementing with 10,000 could be dangerous to your health. Since recent studies show that supplements of up to 40,000 IUs a day don't appear to be toxic, and that doses as low as 400 IUs a day are too low to even maintain skeletal health, let alone prevent cancer,

The FDA's Definition of Drug vs. Supplement

Over 800 studies already show that vitamin D could have cancer-prevention and/or treatment possibilities. But the problem is that it's a natural substance that can't be patented as a simple supplement, meaning there's no real revenue in it, compared to a prescription brand drug. That's why many drug studies involving vitamins of any kind hinge on how the FDA defines drugs and supplements.

A drug is defined as a product meant for the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of a disease. A supplement is defined as a product that is meant to simply "supplement" or "enhance" a normal diet within the daily allowances recommended by the FDA. Drugs – and retailers who sell supplements are not allowed to tell you that vitamin D can possibly "prevent, mitigate or cure" cancer without having the FDA accuse them of selling a drug that hasn't been approved through the proper FDA process.

Again, Follow the Money if You Want to Know the Truth

That process of getting a drug to market costs an average $359 million and takes nearly 10 years– with a good portion of the money going directly to the FDA through user fees. Over the years these fees have become a major funding source for the FDA. What drug companies get in return is faster FDA reviews and drug approvals.

As a result, a kind of you-scratch-my-back-I'll-scratch-yours scenario has ensued, with drug companies maintaining major leverage over the FDA when it comes to protecting their revenue sources, including making sure the $60 billion-a-year supplement business doesn't get in the way of drug sales. The history of FDA laws and regulations on file at Harvard Law School, explains how years ago an FDA task force long ago established this policy

"… to ensure that the presence of dietary supplements on the market does not act as a disincentive to drug development."

So how does this relate to too-low RDA levels for vitamin D?

A look at the clinical trials shows that most of them involve "high-potency" D3 supplements, which puts them in the drug category if it turns out they can mitigate, treat or cure cancer. And that means they can be patented – and sold to you as prescriptions at sky-high prices.

Drug Companies Are Elbowing Their Way into Your Healthcare Plan

Another way that Big Pharma has moved in on the cancer industry is through pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), which administer drug benefits for about 95 percent of all patients with prescription drug coverage. PBMs decide which drugs flow through the healthcare system. Supposedly they choose the best drugs and prices for your plan. But what if I told you that the businesses that sell the drugs have been helping to decide which drugs your PBM pays for?

Regulators have been working hard to nip conflicts of interest in the bud, but over the years numerous court cases have shown that drug companies and PBMs working together has led to higher prices and limited drug choices – and allegations of price-setting through secret deals with pharmaceutical companies.

Official Agencies Wedded to Toxic Chemotherapy

I have an employee who was diagnosed with breast cancer last year. After her mastectomy, she was told she had several months of chemotherapy and radiation ahead of her. But she sought a second opinion at a renowned cancer treatment center – and learned that chemotherapy was NOT going to be part of her treatment plan because her type of cancer doesn't respond to chemotherapy.

"And since chemo is poison, why would we want to poison you for no reason?" the oncologist told her.

That's right – a person in the business of "selling" cancer treatment actually said he wasn't going to poison her "for no reason" – something I consider unusual in an industry that is wedded to toxic chemotherapy. The employee was pronounced cancer-free four months later, without chemo or radiation, which may leave you wondering, as it did me, how many patients die every year from toxic chemotherapy they got but didn't need?

Some experts believe that as much as 25 percent, or more, of patients who undergo chemotherapy are killed by it. Dr. Vincent Speckhart, a former U.S. Air Force flight surgeon and oncologist, was so concerned about deaths from chemo that he told a Congressional committee:

"After 13 years of using FDA-approved chemotherapy protocols, I concluded that such therapies were extremely toxic, poorly tolerated, and not effective in prolonging survival in most solid tumors of adults. In 1983, my patients began to request therapies other than chemotherapy. I agreed, and without even knowing it, I became an 'alternative practitioner' and was red-flagged by opponents of this form of therapy."

In other words, if you're a physician who divorces the status quo of cancer treatment, you'd better watch out. In his book, Haley talks about how this "gross government intrusion into the healing arts," costs thousands – and perhaps millions – of lives and facilitates the drug industry by squelching people like Dr. Speckhart and Burzynski.

Arm Yourself with Knowledge to Protect Your Healthcare Freedom

It doesn't help that the FDA as well as other "official cancer medicine" agencies have a swinging door of employees going back forth between the agency and Big Pharma to work. In a new book, "National Cancer Institute and American Cancer Society: Criminal Indifference to Cancer Prevention and Conflicts of Interest," former Cancer Prevention Coalition president Dr. Samuel S. Epstein shows just how bad the conflicts are.

Quoting former NCI director Samuel Broder, Epstein says "the NCI has become a government pharmaceutical company." And the ACS, Epstein says, is more interested in "accumulating wealth than saving lives." With close ties to cancer treatment businesses, the ACS has a track record that "clearly reflects conflicts of interest" when it comes to cancer treatment policies and prevention strategies, Epstein alleges.

And so it goes… So, what you can do to protect yourself from getting cancer, or what can you do if you already have it? The good news is that knowledge is power, and there are things you can do for yourself, right now, not to only to prevent cancer, but to make sure you have the right cancer treatment if you do get it.

Because cancer is almost wholly a man-made disease, it's especially important to recognize that you do have power over many things that could cause you to get cancer. Taking control of your health will put you in a position to make the best health decisions possible if you do get cancer.

Here's a list to get you started on a cancer prevention plan:

1. Normalize your vitamin D levels with safe amounts of sun exposure. This works primarily by optimizing your vitamin D level. Ideally, monitor your vitamin D levels throughout the year.
2. Control your insulin levels by limiting your intake of processed foods and sugars/fructose as much as possible.
3. Get appropriate amounts of animal-based omega-3 fats.
4. Get appropriate exercise. One of the primary reasons exercise works is that it drives your insulin levels down. Controlling insulin levels is one of the most powerful ways to reduce your cancer risks.
5. Eat according to your nutritional type. The potent anti-cancer effects of this principle are very much underappreciated. When we treat cancer patients in our clinic this is one of the most powerful anti-cancer strategies we have.
6. Have a tool to permanently erase the neurological short-circuiting that can activate cancer genes. Even the CDC states that 85 percent of disease is caused by emotions. It is likely that this factor may be more important than all the other physical ones listed here, so make sure this is addressed. My particular favorite tool for this purpose, as you may know, is the Emotional Freedom Technique.
7. Only 25 percent of people eat enough vegetables, so by all means eat as many vegetables as you are comfortable with. Ideally, they should be fresh and organic. Cruciferous vegetables in particular have been identified as having potent anti-cancer properties. Remember that carb nutritional types may need up to 300 percent more vegetables than protein nutritional types.
8. Maintain an ideal body weight.
9. Get enough high-quality sleep.
10. Reduce your exposure to environmental toxins like pesticides, household chemical cleaners, synthetic air fresheners and air pollution.
11. Reduce your use of cell phones and other wireless technologies, and implement as many safety strategies as possible if/when you cannot avoid their use.
12. Boil, poach or steam your foods, rather than frying or charbroiling them.

You also can help by voicing your opposition to the FDA's censorship of alternative cancer treatments by sending a letter to your Congressional representatives and asking them to support H.R. 1364, a bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act concerning the distribution of information on legitimate scientific research in connection with foods and dietary supplements. Call or write your Congressman now, and stop the censorship of your right to alternative cancer therapies and possibly a cure.

The FDA Only Cares About One Thing...and it's not your health




This is the kind of stuff that makes me mad. This is one of so many like this that I've seen lately. Consider that the FDA consistently approves harmful chemicals for human consumption and protects big pharma companies who have repeatedly dogged proper pre market drug testing or have falsified/under-reported side effects, yet waste our tax dollars to pursue companies who care about health... boo...

Crazy Stuff Keira Says

OK, so on a regular basis, Keira says stuff that is really funny, so instead of just posting on Facebook, I thought I would post it here where we can properly see it in the future.  Enjoy:)

Me working on a new website: Keira, do you like the website I'm working on?
Keira: Yeah... Well, It's not that great, but I still like it...

Keira: I'm worried about losing my teeth and getting married
Me: (Trying to imagine the correlation) What?
Keira: I'm worried that it's going to hurt when I lose my teeth and when I get married and have a baby in my tummy.
Me: Oh boy...

Keira on learning that flies eat trash:
"Wouldn't it be great if we had a million flies in the house and when the garbage got full they'd eat it all up? Then you wouldn't have to take out the trash..."

Yes Keira, that would be great.

A Few Pics from NYC

On the Road Again

I've been out for about a week and a half with the McDonald's Gospel Tour featuring Hezekiah Walker, hitting some of the major cities in the east--Atlanta, Philly, NYC (Newark), Chicago, Detroit, etc. This has actually been a great little tour with some fun people and a decent amount of down time. If you find yourself having fun on a daily basis even having to listen to black gospel music all day, it's a sign that things are going well.  Ooops... Hope I don't offend anyone who enjoys black gospel:)

So, for Father's Day today, I'll be treating myself to a trip to NYC about 20 min from our hotel in Newark, NJ.  After 2 days off in this ghetto of a city (Newark that is), it's time for some real culture.  My new buddy & roommate Zach Simms is going with, along with Ally Wilson & her son Josiah.  Stand by for some pics of NYC.  It's been too long since I've posted, I know...

Shirock
I always like to post interesting things as well as personal things... Here's a cool band I've had the privilege to work with lately.

Tour Pre-Production

 Here's a glimpse of pre-production today for the "An Evening With BeBe & CeCe Winans And Mary Mary" tour leaving out at the end of the month.  I'll be lighting 2nd on the tour and am enjoying the guys I'll be working with for this short gig.  Good times...

Keira & Kaelyn

So, I always thought if I had girls things would be pretty calm, but this is pretty much a daily occurrence.  They wrestle, tackle each other, fight & do laps around the house.  We try to take them for a mile walk every day to expend some energy, but to no avail.  But yes, we love our 2 girls!

My Next Tour

So, This week we start rehearsals for the next tour I'm going on. This would be a little baby tour since it's only 6 actual dates (that I'm going on), but it'll help pay the bills next month:) So who's it gonna be? Bebe and Cece Winans. We're primarily hitting the North East-- D.C., Philly and New York. I'll be lighting 2nd working with my buddy Paul Holst with 44designs.com. Maybe I'll see you along the way!

Keira's Mural

I woke up this morning with plans to get back in bed for a few more minutes, but was greeted with this lovely sight.  Keira, I know our walls are really boring, but did you really need to draw a mural in permanent marker?  Even magic erasers weren't up to the task with this one.  Guess I'll be buying some paint in the near future!

Back After More Than a Year
So, as you can see by the date, we semi-abandoned our blog for the past year.  After a little spring cleaning, I think we can get things going again, if for nothing else, as a means of capturing our family and all our craziness (specifically the kids).

We've been home from Peru now for a little over a year and can honestly say that we are still not adjusted to life back here.  Apparently we came back at the worst time economically and after a year plus, are still living paycheck to paycheck as I try and start a new career and work whenever I can (which has been few and far between through my best efforts).  It's interesting if not exhausting to feel like we've been living in survival mode for so many years now although I must say that God has still taken care of us.

So to everyone struggling to make ends meet and living on an insanely low income, we understand:)  We are taking the time to enjoy all the free things with our family... Walking around the neighborhood, getting involved at church, going to the park, banana pancakes in the morning (ok, those cost something, but they're pretty cheap).  Enjoy the things you DO have and CAN do!!

HERE'S OUR LATEST UPDATE FOR THOSE NOT ON OUR LIST...

Hi guys!

So, the countdown has begun! We'll be back on US soil in 5 short days!! We just officially moved our family out of our house on Saturday and are staying with our friends, the Dyers, until we leave for Lima this Saturday. They've been gracious enough to host our whole family for a week--in a 2 bedroom house! The next few days we'll be packing and repacking to get all our bags to 50lbs... should be interesting.

Jaime's family has been here over the last couple of weeks which has been great & a real help. They're on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu right now and we'll be able to hang out with them briefly again before we leave. They'll also graciously be taking back some suitcases for us. One 50lb suitcase per person just doesn't cut it... Who makes these rules anyway? :)

God has provided us with funds to ship our stuff back to the US (about 3 pallet's worth) which happened last week--I ended up having to make a last minute trip to Lima to do all the paperwork 2 weeks ago which was less than ideal, but everything did work out which I was thankful for. Our stuff should arrive right around Christmas or a little after in Nashville.

I'm still looking for a job, so pray with me that I would find something that will sufficiently support our family. If anyone in the Nashville area would like my resume to pass on, I'd be more than happy to send it:)

A few things about ministry here: Some of you have been wondering how the ministry we're leaving is doing, what's new, how the cafe is going and how this ministry will be carrying on after we leave. The cafe officially opened yesterday--some of you will be happy to know--and will help tie in with the ministry going on here. The ministry will carry on under Joel Malm's leadership and Meltdown Ministries will continue to accept teams and work with foreigners. The church we all started (The Meeting Place) is thriving and we've seen some amazing things happen over the last year. A lot of people have been really blessed and we've seen people coming to the Lord and being challenged o reevaluate their lives. There is one lady for example who has been in Cusco for something like 10 years and has been longing for this kind of fellowship in English--an answer to prayer after so long. God is really using this ministry!

As I'd mentioned before, we will continue to receive support through CTEN through the end of January, and will receive personal support through the end of March. We are counting on any support we receive in theses next few months to help us survive while we re-establish ourselves in the US and as I find a job. Thank you to everyone who has continued to support us and bless us with gifts over the last little bit. You are a direct answer to prayer.

We are really stoked about the next few months---being back in the States, seeing friends and seeing the next step that God has for us--scary as that may be!

We love you all and hope you'll forgive us for being behind on personal contact as we've been overwhelmed with things to do.

Blessings, Jed

Home For Christmas

by Jed

For our family, this year will be completely different from almost any year before in so many ways. As I'm sitting at the airport in Lima, Peru, enjoying my mocha, I've really been contemplating what the next weeks and months hold for our family.

As many of you know Jaime and I have made the decision to come off the mission field and will be back on US soil on the 6th of December and back in Nashville, TN shortly after that. So, we'll be spending Christmas in Nashville as a family. However, the many unknowns that loom over us sometimes dampen the excitement. Don't get me wrong--I'm ecstatic to be moving back. It's been far too long and I simply miss my country. For me the stress is rooted in some pretty important details: What am I going to do for work? How am I going to start a career and be able to take risks when I have to feed a family of 4? How are we going to even get through the next 3 months when our support has already dwindled down to less than the minimum that we need and we have more expenses in these next months than in the last 5 years?

It's hard not to get caught up in worrying--a lot--about all these things. They keep me up at night. As I was having my devotions last night, I was reminded about exactly who it is we serve. God is not someone who just kind of helps us out here and there if He can, He has infinite resources and providing for every step for us is not a problem. The problem comes on our side in actually trusting. That sounds nice, but in theory after checking out your non-existent bank account, there really is 100% trust involved.

This past year has been a bombshell of a year for us as well. It seems that the disappointments and hardships have trumped any accomplishments. Trusting other people at times has been difficult and feeling that as missionaries we have to put on our happy faces when we feel anything but, has made some weeks for us almost unbearable.

However, the one thing that I really am so blessed with is my family. I love Jaime so much and my 2 little girls have been such a blessing--all crying aside. And today, Kaelyn turns 1! I think contentment is easy to lose if we only focus on the bad, so today I choose to focus on what I'm blessed with. This year, even though the next weeks and months are full of unknowns, I know my God will be faithful and I'm excited to be going home for Christmas!

For those who do read this and especially those who pray for us and support us, thank you so much for all you've done for us. We appreciate you more than you know and wouldn't have made it this far without you.

Merry Christmas early!

August 26, 2009

by Jed

So, I was just on a website that I completely disagreed with about their stance on "you can be a Christian and believe the earth is millions of years old"...

Now, I realize that plenty of people reading this will be thinking... "and?", but it really got me thinking for those who are Christians about our view of the Bible. I think it's really easy to find a theory or modern thought... evolution, sexuality... and maneuver the text to suit your convictions...or lack thereof. That way everyone can feel good about what they believe even if they're conflicting schools of thought. At any rate, enjoy this or get mad at this, but this is what I wrote this website (not that they'll read it or care) in response to what I thought purely on the exegesis of certain texts, was not so scholarly:

________

I'm a missionary working with English speaking foreigners in Peru and one of our focuses as we deal with all kinds of spiritualism, pantheism, etc. is the reliability of the Word of God and its timeless relevance in every issue. Without getting into scientific discussion on either side, as I've read good ones for both, I would turn my attention to the Bible creation account. I've heard the debate back and forth on the 6 days of creation... are they literal? If a day is as a thousand years to God, could it really be a cryptic way of giving us liberty to insert any billions of years based on that argument?

Two things strike me with this: First is that this text was specifically written to and for mankind, so to assert that God was using some other galaxy's form of a day is... well, kind of ridiculous from a scholarly point of view. I think that it's interesting that repetition was used based on "and morning and evening were the second day...", etc., almost like, "hey, just in case you're having trouble deciphering what a day is, it's morning and evening."

The second thing that strikes me in a liberal interpretation of any text, is that although I agree with you that no one's going to hell for a belief either in old earth or new earth, is that your assertion that it doesn't really matter leaves us with a big problem: If we can question what God really meant from the beginning, (and any science aside, you'd have to agree that a straight forward reading of the Bible doesn't give you an old earth), then why not question the critical things... like salvation for instance. Was the Bible really historically correct when it recorded how Jesus died and that he died for our sins? I'm playing devil's advocate here, but you see my point. I'm just saying that if I weren't a Christian and you were trying to convince me of the complete inerrancy of the Bible and it's relevance today while saying "well, this text doesn't really mean...", I might not be listening to the end of the story--i.e. the awesome story of salvation.

Tres Leches Cusco style...

Here's a recipe for you to try. I normally can't stomach Tres Leches cake, but this recipe was given to me by a woman who works at an orphanage in Limatambo, about 2 1/2 hours from Cusco. It's fabulous! Pisco, the local alcohol, is used to give it a unique taste.

I haven't tried the sponge part at sea level, so if anyone tries it, let me know if it turns out! This recipe works at 11,000 ft.

Ingredients:

5 eggs
1 Cup sugar
2 Cups flour
1 Cup regular milk
1 Cup evaporated milk
1 Cup condensed milk
1/4 Cup Pisco (the "secret" ingredient!!)
1 tsp. baking powder

Chantilly for topping

• Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Add sugar a little at a time.
• On low speed, add egg yolks one at a time.
• Add flour and baking powder, folding in. Bake until done.
• Put milks and Pisco in the blender. Stab cake with a fork and pour liquid over the top. You can use it all if you want a soggy cake. I prefer less "sog" so use about 3/4 or maybe less.
• Top with Chantilly!

I make my own chantilly by sticking a metal bowl and beaters in the freezer for about 20 minutes, then mixing chilled whipping cream until thickened and add powdered sugar to taste. I think I usually add about 3 Tbsp of powdered sugar and some vanilla.

Enjoy!

What are sisters for?

Keira is starting to get to the age where she really can be helpful and I don't have to just humor her. She loves to clean, clean, clean! But... as you can see she can also make a real mess.

I let her feed Kaelyn all by herself for the very first time. I showed her how to put just enough on the spoon, avoid gagging her, and how to hold Kaelyn's hand out of the way after getting a mouthful of food. She has started getting in to the habit of sticking her fist in her mouth, then wiping food everywhere.

I think they were both happy, but Kaelyn was considerably more messy after eating than when Jed or I feed her! In fact, it led to her first bath in two months. Yes, you read that right- two months. She gets cleaned up everyday, but I have avoided fully submersing her in water for quite a long time. She has eczema and not much hair, so bathing just hasn't seemed all that important. But after this sweet potato mess, it was definitely urgent!

If you're wanting to call CPS on me, you can't because I'm in South America :)

My sweet baby girl just turned 8 months old on the 22nd. She is growing up so quickly. I love my girls!!

Power Oatmeal Pancakes

Ingredients:

6 egg whites, beaten until fluffy

1/2 cup cottage cheese
1 scoop protein powder
1/2 cup oatmeal, uncooked
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup flax seed
1 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp Canola oil
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preparation:

1. Place all ingredients except beaten egg whites in a food processor and pulse or blend until mixture is uniform.

2. Pour blended ingredients into a bowl and add the egg whites. Fold until just blended.

3. Cook on a griddle or in a pan!

I had to make some changes. I used 3 whole eggs because I didn't have 6 to do just egg whites. I omitted the protein powder and used yogurt instead of cottage cheese. I added some freshly ground nutmeg with a dash of cinnamon.

They are great topped with fresh fruit, no-sugar-added jam or applesauce.

This recipe is taken from the Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook by Tosca Reno. It makes 6 medium-sized pancakes.

A Lesson Taken From Kings

Right now I'm reading a series by Lynn Austin called Chronicles of the Kings. It focuses on the rule of Judah after the Promised Land split into two separate kingdoms with Israel to the north. In the south, Judah continues to be ruled by a descendant from the royal line of David.

In the second book, King Ahaz left the nation of Judah in ruin. He allowed them to become a vassal state of Assyria to avoid a raid by another nation. The Assyrians are overtaking their neighbors, leaving the land in ruin, people tortured and destroyed and finding no kingdom able to stop them in their tracks.

Idolatry has taken root in the land, people no long worship Yahweh and Judah is impoverished as the nation is paying a heavy yearly tribute to Assyria for their safety.

Upon the death of Ahaz, his son Hezekiah has taken over as the king of Judah. He comes back to his love for Yahweh and decides to purge the land of idolatry and worship only the one true Lord. He faces a heavy task of turning the government around and bring the rule of the land back in line with the Law.

As part of bringing the nation back to Godly rule, he decides Judah should become free of Assyria's oppression. He declares Yahweh Lord and true ruler of Judah. Most, if not all, of his government officials disagree with this decision. The Palace Administrator, who is an athiest, challenges King Hezekiah saying "If you want to launch a religious revival and make everyone throw away their idols to worhship Yahweh, that is immaterial to me. But it would be disastrous to allow your religious zeal to spill over into your political decisions." He further says "We cannot confuse religious idealism with political reality." pg 48

Micah is on the scene, prophesying and backing up Hezekiah's decision to serve no other master than Yahweh. He responds to Shebna, the Palace Administrator "You're wrong. There's no difference between the two. King Hezekiah isn't the true ruler of Judah- Yahweh is. Our forefathers demanded a king like the other nations, but God is our true king. Therefore, there's no difference between our religion and our politics. They're one and the same."

This statement really got me thinking. I think this is Truth that should still hold true for us today. If not as a nation, The United States of America, that was built on a foundation of Christianity, then certainly on a personal level.

Are my convictions that I hold dear based on the teaching of the Word reflected in my politics? I'll admit... I've been tempted to see them as different. I would label myself a Conservative if labels were necessary. I make my political decisions based on my personal convictions, but I have questioned whether I really should... as many people do.

Should we hold people who claim no faith in Jesus Christ to our Biblical convictions and bring that into the political arena? And I'm not saying force them to become Christians, but rather maintain our Godly convictions. I know what my answer is. I know many people will disagree with me.

Just because people choose not to obey or acknowledge the Truth, does that negate it? Does that mean it doesn't exist? Should we privately believe one thing and publicly another?

Fortunately, we are no longer under the Law. I'm not trying to tell anyone what the United States government should do. But, personally, I do want my convictions based on my faith in Jesus Christ and my politics to be one in the same. Is God the true ruler of my life? Do I allow God the true king to govern every decision and opinion in my life?

Do you?

Death by peppermint...

Okay, so maybe that's a little dramatic, but I am sooooo over peppermint! I really love the smell and taste of peppermint, but I overdid it.

I decided to make a rice neck warmer to replace the one my mom had given me a few years ago, and has since disappeared. Moving between the states, Mexico and several locations in Peru does have its downside. Things seem to go missing now and then.

My mom sent me some fabric pieces left over from the quilt she made for Kaelyn. I dusted off the old sewing machine she got for me at a garage sale a few years ago in the states (I've managed to keep track of it in all the moving!) and got to work.

I decided to make a scented neck warmer and put some rice in a bowl and decided to add some peppermint extract. I don't have essential oil, so I thought "hmmm... maybe I should add extra because I only have extract, not pure oil". Big mistake!!!!

I'm not sure I'll ever get the smell of peppermint out of the house. I decided to try out my neck warmer at bedtime, but the smell was so overwhelming I had to put it on the floor... then the other side of the room.... finally, I put it outside our bedroom. I'm hoping that after a month or so outside, the smell will have calmed down enough to bring back in to use.

Fortunately, I at least had the sense to make a removable cover. I will be washing it, for sure! The smell of peppermint has stuck to everything the warmer has touched. I think I'll stick to using the hot water bottle for now.

Little Miss Kaelyn...

is a growler! She growls all the time- when she's happy, when she's sad, and when she wants attention. And she wiggles around and kicks the sides of her crib when she's supposed to be sleeping. When we walk in to tuck her back in... she growls!!

This is what she does while Keira and I are doing school.
I think she's close to crawling. I'm not sure whether to be
frightened or excited about that!

She likes to be in her Johnny Jump-Up while I'm working in the kitchen.

I love this thing! I don't know what it's called, but
I put in pieces of food like banana and she sucks it
out through the mesh. I don't have to worry about
her choking and it doesn't require me to feed her.

Swine Flu shwine flu!


Today it was announced that schools here in Cusco would be closed for 2 weeks due to the arrival of the Swine Flu. I really believe that quarantine is the best option for preventing the spread of disease, so for that reason it probably isn't the worst thing ever. I do, however, also believe that the swine flu is being hyped up to be much worse than it really is.

We're in the midst of a bad flu season here in Cusco with lots of illness. Many of the children living in the hills and outskirts of Cusco don't have very good nutrtion or health, so keeping them home is probably good for now.

Not so good... the effect the illness and strikes, etc. are having on tourism. Businesses that normally thrive during this time are reporting low sales. I don't think the poor state of the economy helps much, either.

Keep up your immune system! We drink strong ginger tea and take grapefruit seed extract when we start to feel like we're battling illness. I swear by that and apple cider vinegar for a sick stomach. Put a tablespoon or so in a glass of water and drink it up. Sounds weird, but it does neutralize the stomach acid and reduces nausea.

Stay healthy!

Homeschool with Keira

We originally considered putting Keira in a preschool program here a few days a week to meet friends and work on her Spanish. We decided it would be a lot of work to get her there and back and the idea of school here is not that great. I don't think 2 1/2-3 year olds should spend the majority of their time sitting at their desks doing worksheets. So... we're homeschooling, which is what I really want to do anyway.

In the picture above she is working on a sticker book from Grandma Polly. It requires her to match objects, shapes, colors, etc. School can be fun, right?! We also have the P3/4 Core from Sonlight. They are great books! Check it out if you aren't familiar with Sonlight. At this point I plan on schooling both of the girls using the program. Keira is always eager to do school!

Yesterday I took her to a small playground near our house and she had fun playing with some little Peruvian neighbors. I took some "cute" pictures, but the camera was on the wrong setting for dusk so, alas, no picture to share. Keira's happy face will just have to be enough.

In about six months or so I'd like to put her in ballet or some kind of a music class. Jed and I may wait until she's about 5 to start piano (unless she shows she has the concentration for one of us to teach her piano at home before then), but I think there is a rhythm and music class she can participate in.

The Meeting Place Game Night!!

We spent the 4th with friends from our English church here in Cusco. I wouldn't call it a 4th of July celebration as not all of us are Americans and that wasn't the intent, but it was a fun way to spend a night that is a special holiday for us Americans back home.

Below are our friends Tim and Lucy along with Lucy's sister Catherine (in the back) and her friend Sam who are visiting.

Our church is growing! We had about 30 people at our service last Sunday and we are filling up our small space quite well. We are brainstorming ways to fit more people in as we continue to expand.

Social events and outings are a big part of our ministry as building community between visitors and residents of Cusco is one of our goals.

There were about 15 of us that played Mennonite Manners, Chinese Poker and Golf. I think the next game night we'll go for a game of Mafia!

We also have in the works an outing of white-water rafting, pool and darts at a pub, and karaoke. Woohoo!

Coffee House Update
by Jed

Here's the latest update that we sent out as an email a few days back:

Hello!
We know some of you have been wondering, so we thought we'd give a quick update on our coffee house down here. We thought we'd hit a wall a couple weeks back with some legal stuff which has been somewhat discouraging. It was looking like we'd have to completely change at least one of our visas to an investor's visa & spend a lot of money on legal stuff to do it.... oh yes, AND find a way to put $25,000US in an account down here for several months. This would also limit us being able to use foreign volunteers and set us back months in even thinking of opening because of legalities. So, as we prayed and talked things over, we had a better idea.

We just talked to our lawyer this week, and we are going ahead to officially register Meltdown Ministries as a non-profit organization here in Peru. What that means is that the cafe would run as something of a "subsidiary" of Meltdown and be non-profit as well. Income for the cafe would directly fund the ministry which would be great. This would require far less cost in start up and allow us to somewhat freely use foreign volunteers. Using English speaking (Christian) volunteers to work alongside us ensures that we keep our focus on the ministry which was the original point of the cafe. As a non-profit, we also would not be required a huge chunk of money in the bank to start. We will be able to start going forward with things by the end of next month... technically. We are still about $10,000 short to be able to open although we have already bought a great coffee grinder & waffle maker and will hopefully be building the bar this month and buying the espresso machine. Exciting times! Tomorrow our whole team has a coffee workshop with an American cafe owner from Lima which should be really helpful & a lot of fun. Over the next month, we will break down some of our remaining costs for people interested in maybe tackling a specific smaller sized project. Stay tuned for that...

So, that's the brief version of everything going on down here. We're gearing up this next month for interns and teams that are coming and are continuing working on our growing church (www.themeetingplacecusco.com)

. Thank you all for your prayers and please continue to pray for the funding we need for both the cafe and the church.

Love to all, Jed & Jaime

The Cafe - The Latest and, well, not the Greatest
by Jed

OK, so we thought for those actually checking this out, I'd reward you with up-to-date info on our endeavors here in Cusco with the cafe.

As some of you know, we received some extra money this past month for the cafe project which is wonderful news... We decided straight away to start firming up details of actually registering and starting the business. We'd already done our homework and talked to lawyers, etc. about the logistics what with us being US citizens and all. What we were told is that because we already had our residency, (albeit through a religious and not a work visa), that we could open a small business which is in fact what we're doing.

So, we were a little surprised when we visited a different lawyer (just to make sure), and found out that that is not the case... whether something changed or what, we're not sure, but we now have to get an investor's visa for Jaime so we can start this cafe. (This is a reliable lawyer by the way, recommended by an English friend who opened a business here and by the US consulate.) The entire process would cost $1800, which we could do with some of the money we got, BUT, the catch is that we'd have to find a way to get $25,000US into a bank account here for 3 months as part of the requirements of obtaining this visa. We are working towards finding a way to do that, so if you've got $20,000 or so that you can spare for 3 months, we promise to give it all back:) But that's not all...

We can also only hire one foreigner for ever 5 Peruvians we hire and really we'd only like to hire 1 or 2 Peruvians, seeing as it's a small business. Actually, the requirements are that we hire a minimum of 2 and possibly three Peruvians. We could also find ourselves getting fined if we have a bunch of "volunteers" working at the cafe even if we're not paying them. Since this is actually a business, if US citizens, for example, (interns, friends, other people working with our ministry, etc.) are volunteering in our cafe and immigration comes in (which they can), we could be seriously hosed. Unfortunately, that's a huge part of our plan with the cafe... having foreigners there working to have a really cool vibe, people speaking English and having a doorway into our ministry even though we will not be a "Christian" cafe. So now what?

So now we're in talks with our lawyer to see if we can open our cafe under a non-profit organization that we could officially open (Meltdown Ministries for example) and possibly have a little more freedom to have foreigners volunteering there. PRAY! We're also open to other ideas to be able to involve interns, volunteers, etc to help connect this to our ministry. If anyone has ideas, we're open. In the meantime we're praying and waiting to hear about the idea of a non-profit.