Friday, November 11th, 2005
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Dear Family and Friends,

Just one week ago on Thursday night, I was awakened at 1:30 AM from a light sleep to a two-way radio ring, and a moment later I heard David’s voice, “Adam, can you come over here?” Slipping on a pair of sandals and grabbing my coat, I quietly crossed the hall to the other apartment.

Derrick was talking on the phone, and David met me with tears in his eyes. His broken voice almost whispered “Isaac didn’t make the flight.” I looked down by the phone, and saw the words “Brain hemorrhage” written by David’s trembling hand just a few moments earlier.

Slowly the realization came over me that my dear twin brother Isaac was with the Lord. Waking Rachelle and Sarah, the five of us each had the opportunity to talk with Mom and Dad, and then we gathered in a circle to pray.

Tears flowed freely as each of us poured out our hearts to the Lord, thanking Him for the twenty-five years that He had given Isaac to our family. My dear friends, I want you to know that there at the throne of God we found grace to help in our time of need.

Deciding to wake the four younger children at 6:00 AM to share the news, we quietly went back to our rooms to try to rest until morning.

Everything had happened so quickly, and so unexpectedly. Just a few days before, we were excited to see some improvement in Isaac’s leg. He had been in bed for just over a month with what appeared to be an infection in his left leg. After three antibiotics, the blood tests showed no infection, but still the pain lingered on.

Then it seemed that things were improving. The swelling and redness was going down, but other symptoms began to appear. Increasing pain in the kidneys, headaches and strange bleeding indicated that something was seriously wrong. Responding to our call at 5:00 AM, Dr. Choi came out to see Isaac, and further blood tests were done in the morning.

By early afternoon on Thursday, I had returned from an errand to hear that preliminary results were coming back from Isaac’s tests. His white blood cell count had gone from a normal range of up to 10,000 to an unheard of 375,000! We were advised to get Isaac on a flight to Beijing or Korea as quickly as possible.

Here we began to see Lord’s hand working as we raced to get Isaac on the evening flight to Korea. Through and incredible series of events, Isaac was on the plane in 50 minutes, on the way to Seoul. Things happened so fast that I was not even sure who had gone with Isaac until after they had left.

Mom and Dad were both able to be with Isaac, and in his last hour, he was able to look out the window and watch the setting sun. The next morning I wept as Samuel chose the hymn “Beyond the Sunset” in our family time together.

1 Thessalonians 4:17 teaches that one day all Christians will be caught up together to meet the Lord in the air, but I thought it was very special that Isaac would get an early opportunity to meet the Lord in the air.

Throughout this whole experience, we have seen God’s great lovingkindness in more and more ways. After further examination of Isaac’s case in Korea, the doctors have confirmed that Isaac had a very rare form of leukemia. A cancer doctor only sees this type about once in ten years.

Because the symptoms are so strange, it is extremely difficult to diagnose early and even in the world’s best hospitals, there is very little that could have been done to slow the rapid advance of this variation.

This actually brought us much comfort as we realized that Isaac’s body had been fighting this disease for probably the past year. If we had known of it then, there would have been little that we could do for him, and it is very likely that we would not be in Mongolia today.

Instead, God raised up this chosen vessel to bear the testimony of the Lord Jesus in the land of Mongolia, and for four months, our family enjoyed the fulfillment of my parents’ dream to one day serve together on the mission field.

If Isaac had become sick and died in the States, we would have been grieving together, and perhaps his life would have been a challenge to some. But here in Mongolia, we are seeing how God is using Isaac’s death in perhaps an even more powerful way. At the funeral on Wednesday, Pastor Dugermaa wept as he read a poem he had written of Isaac’s life.

Isaac had given his love and energy to the people of Mongolia. He had given his strength and youth, and given until he had given his very life and body into the soil of this land. Across Isaac’s tombstone was graven in English and Mongolian the verse “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13

Isaac had laid down his life, and served his last days to bring the message of hope to the people of Mongolia. What greater love could Isaac have shown for the One that had sent His Son, Jesus Christ, that the people of every kindred and tongue and nation might one day stand before His throne in paradise, redeemed unto God through the blood of Jesus Christ.

Some 250 people attended Isaac’s funeral at First Church of Ulaanbaatar. Representatives from several churches, missionaries, friends, neighbors and students from our character classes comprised a wide variety of people from all walks of life.

Especially touched were those who do not know Christ. One mother and daughter that have attended our Character-English classes came to share their condolences. The daughter just burst into tears and sobbed. Without Christ, Isaac’s death would have been just an untimely tragedy. Pujaa translated for me as I shared the hope and confidence that I will see my brother again.

Another unsaved student came to the viewing, funeral, burial and reception time. Although she is a strong Buddhist, she seemed to be very deeply impacted by what she saw. She had a long talk with the assistant pastor of one of the local churches.

The missionary community also seemed greatly touched by Isaac’s testimony. Families that we have never really met rallied together to provide meals and support for us. The home-school organization furnished the reception, and their leader laid aside a busy schedule to assist us in organizing the services.

Of the funeral itself, it was like none that I have ever attended. There was an air of hope and confidence that shone through the unexpected sorrow like sunbeams through the clouds. No one could miss how special Isaac was to each one of us, and no could miss the fact that he was prepared to meet the Lord.

Dad and the older children each shared how their lives have been impacted by Isaac’s selfless example of giving to others. I shared on the verse from Psalm 112 that “Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness…” We have a hope and confidence that has been with us through this time, and we are seeing the light of God’s purpose shining brighter and brighter each day.

Isaac’s life has been a consistent testimony of a young man that served God all the days of his life. I have no regrets about our family coming to Mongolia. If I had to do it over, there is nothing that I would change. Although we have seen much fruit through Isaac’s life, I believe that God will bring even more fruit through the testimony of his death.

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” John 12:24

Right now our family is making plans to travel back to America on Monday, November 14th. We plan to spend a couple days in Chicago, then travel up to our farm in Wisconsin to prepare for a memorial service for friends and family.

God is working in some amazing ways as we work out our travel details. Yesterday the airline office told us that our round trip tickets had been canceled and we would have to buy new ones, but the the Lord has worked these things out, and we are actually able to travel together on the preferred Monday flight that will allow us to make a non-stop flight from Beijing to Chicago.

Tomorrow will likely be very full with our Character English classes in the morning, and packing and preparation in the afternoon. We leave early on Monday morning, so pray that we could have a productive day on Saturday, and a restful Sunday before the trip begins.

Memorial Services:

Location:

Summit Church

845 Summit Avenue, St. Paul, Minnesota

(See http://www.summitag.org/ for directions)

Visitation:

5:00 – 8:00 PM

Memorial Service:

10:00 AM

Praise Points:

• We are so grateful for the prayers of people all around the world that are praying for our family in this important time. God has been pouring out His grace upon each of us. We feel like we have just been carried through these days.
• Praise the Lord for the many Christians and loving friends around us that have helped us work out so many logistical details over the past week.

Prayer Requests:

• Pray that the Lord would give us smooth and restful travel back to the States, and that our family would be a testimony of the grace God has given us through this experience.
• Pray that God would give great wisdom and discernment as we work through many details in the days to come.

Pictures:

One of the last pictures I have of Isaac, taken just 8 days before his death, as little as we imagined it at the time. Above him you can see his last creative project, a reading stand that enabled him to read several large biographies while laying in bed. Even while often in pain, his smile was a real encouragement to each of us.

I am so grateful for the confidence that we have as Christians. Although it is hard to say goodbye, I know that I will see my dear brother again.

Even with temperatures at 0 degrees (F), about 75-100 people came out for the burial.

A group of men strain to lift the gravestone. We ordered it the day before, and the workers had worked all night to inscribe Isaac’s name and the verses, finishing in time for the funeral on Wednesday.

There was no professional pulley system used to lower the casket, but with Jim’s coaching, we were able to get the job done smoothly.

Working to refill the hand dug grave. The physical work adds an element of reality to a burial in Mongolia.

To the right of a cross, Isaac’s name was inscribed in English and Mongolian, followed by his birth and homegoing dates: 1980.4.11 – 2005.11.4

On the inset black marble, we had the words of John 15:13 inscribed in English and Mongolian. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

Isaac’s grave stands in lasting tribute to his service to the Lord in Mongolia. The hope that we have was such a contrast to the group of men in the distance performing a Buddhist burial. Isaac was buried next to the grave of Pastor Enkhbayar, a well known Mongolian pastor that died a few weeks ago.

Thank you so much for praying for our family in this important time!

In Christ,

– Adam

Adam Waller ~ MyAllForChrist@CadLinx.com

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” – Galatians 6:9

Monday, November 7th, 2005
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Dear Family and Friends,

Our days have simply been filled from morning till night with so many details. While we are at times physically and emotionally exhausted, God is giving us great strength and peace through this time. So many friends have gathered around us to help in any way that they can.

We have received e-mails from friends all over the world, many whom we have never met, that are praying for us, and this continues to bring us great encouragement. We know that God has a very special purpose for Isaac’s life and for our family in this time.

Today we drove out to the airport to welcome my parents back from Korea. It was a tearful reunion, but we have such a joy and hope in the midst of this loss. We will greatly miss my twin brother Isaac, but we are already seeing God do some very special things in our lives, and in the lives of those around us.

Jesus said that all men would know we are His disciples by the love that we have for one another (John 13:35), and I am seeing this lived out in a reality that I have never before experienced. The kindness of Christian friends in Korea has brought such encouragement to my parents.

The doctor that helped receive Isaac from the plane was with my parents in the hospital until five the next morning. Every day he was with them and helped them make international calls from his cell phone. Other friends provided meals and spent time encouraging and praying with my parents through these hours.

Even through all these unexpected events, we see an even greater love, the great wisdom and loving care that God has shown to our family through this time. The fact that we were able to be serving together as a family for the last few months of Isaac’s life is something we will never regret. There are many other special things that we are now seeing, and I look forward to sharing them in greater detail over the days and weeks to come.

There are many arrangements and details yet to be worked out for the viewing tomorrow evening, and the funeral on Wednesday. Pray that the Lord will give us great wisdom in making so many important decisions. Our desire is that God would be glorified, and that our family would be a testimony of His grace and power in the midst of suffering.

We will miss Isaac very much, and continue to shed many tears, but we have a joy and a confidence that we will see him again! God has chosen in His perfect timing to take Isaac home, and already we have seen a number of people that have come to Christ through his testimony.

Today we were given permission by the Mongolian Government to purchase a burial site in a private cemetery. Isaac will be buried next to the grave of a leading pastor in Ulaanbaatar that went to be with the Lord a few weeks ago. His widow was greatly honored to hear that Isaac would be buried by her husband.

May God bless each of you, and continue to pray for our family in this important time. Below I have pasted the text from the funeral invitation that we have begun giving out.

Mr. and Mrs. Brian Waller and family would

like to invite you to attend the funeral for:

Isaac Wallace Waller
1980 – 2005

who died on November 4th, at age 25

in volunteer service to the country of Mongolia

with the Character Training Institute of Mongolia.

The viewing and funeral will be held at

First Church, [Light of Love Christian Cultural

Center] located opposite the Ulaanbaatar

University, behind the Naran Tuulzakh.

The viewing will take place from 5:00 PM to

8:00 PM on Tuesday evening, November 8th.

The funeral and services will begin at

First Church at 10:00 AM on Wednesday

morning, November 9th.

Pictures

A number of young men from the church came to help us dig Isaac’s grave. It took over 8 hours to dig by hand through the rocky ground.

After bringing Isaac’s embalmed body from the airport, we had a special time of prayer and singing before leaving the casket at a private facility for the evening.

Please continue to pray for us in these days, and especially for the funeral services on Wednesday.

In Christ,

– Adam

Adam Waller ~ MyAllForChrist@CadLinx.com

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” – Galatians 6:9

Friday, November 4th, 2005
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Dear Family and Friends,

On Thursday, November 3, in flight with both Mom and Dad on their way to Seoul, Korea, Isaac apparently had a brain hemorrhage and peacefully slipped into unconsciousness. On November 4th, 1:30 PM, Isaac was pronounced dead at the Yonsei hospital in Seoul, Korea.

As my family and I look back over the past days and weeks, we feel that we did everything we could for Isaac in this time. His case has been evaluated by a number of skilled Korean and American doctors working in Mongolia, with additional consultation from doctors in America.

Detailed medical records, x-rays, photographs, blood tests and physical examinations failed to pinpoint the cause of the lingering infection that began in Isaac’s left leg a month ago. At the end it seemed that some type of aggressive blood disease like leukemia rapidly swept through his body.

Although he was on a plane to Korea within minutes of confirming his high blood counts, his condition deteriorated so fast that he only survived the first hour of the flight. My parents were both able to be with him during the flight, and accompanied him in the ambulance to the hospital where life support was continued.

The CAT scan taken immediately upon arrival showed the brain hemorrhage and no brain activity. Korean law prohibits removing life support from a patient, even after all brain activity has ceased, so the respirator was continued until all bodily functions had ceased on the following day.

All of the children were back in Ulaanbaatar, waiting for the news of Isaac’s arrival in Seoul. We were awakened by a phone call from my parents at 1:30 AM, and they gave us the news that Isaac is in heaven.

Derrick, Rachelle, David, Sarah and I had a tearful time of sharing and praying together, and then we went back to our rooms to try to rest until morning.

At 6:00 AM, we woke the younger children, and gathering everyone together, we shared the news with them. Again there were many tears as the full realization slowly began to set in. We are so grateful for the comfort of knowing that Isaac is with Jesus, but we will still miss him.

The love of our Christian friends here has been overwhelming. Many have come to spend time with us and share words of comfort. People are bringing meals, taking the younger ones outside to play, and helping in any way that they can.

Mom and Dad were able to be with Isaac through this whole time, and are making preparations to return to Mongolia with Isaac’s body. At this point Mom and Dad feel it would be best to hold a funeral here on Wednesday, and to hold a State-side memorial service at a future date.

Korean friends and missionaries here have put Mom and Dad in touch with some Christian families in Seoul, and these new friends are providing meals, housing and a cell phone for Mom and Dad to use during their stay. They are currently planning to fly back to Mongolia tomorrow afternoon, and then we will all be together again.

God has given us much comfort in this time through His Word and Christian friends here, and while we deeply feel the loss of Isaac, we know that God has a plan and purpose through all of this. Sometime later I would like to share about some of the things we see God doing through this experience.

Please continue to pray for us in this time. There are so many details to work out, decisions to make, and the need to spend time with each other. Many of us are physically and emotionally weary, but God is giving the strength to go on.

May God bless each one of you, and I will try to keep you posted as things move forward.

In Christ,

– Adam

Adam Waller ~ MyAllForChrist@CadLinx.com

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” – Galatians 6:9

A family picture at Sarah’s birthday on October 15th. Isaac is in the back row, second from right.

Thursday, November 3rd, 2005
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Dear Family and Friends,

A few hours ago Isaac, Mom and Dad left on Korean Airlines for an emergency medical evacuation to Seoul, Korea. Isaac has been on bedrest for over a month, with what began as an infection in his foot. While this seems to be slowly improving, last night his condition became much worse, with intense pain in the kidneys, fever, headache and constant bleeding.

By 5:00 AM we were getting very concerned. Isaac’s condition was getting worse. Dr. Choi, a most gracious Korean doctor friend awoke to our emergency call and arrived a few minutes later to evaluate Isaac’s condition. As soon as we could, we took Isaac in to have some blood tests done.

In the early afternoon we received a call from Dr. Choi who was evaluating Isaac’s results as they were verified. The news was very serious. A white blood cell count for a healthy person is normally 5,000 – 10,000. Isaac’s came back with a count of 375,000. Additionally, his platelet count had dropped from 453 to 100.

Dr. Choi advised us to get a flight as soon as possible for Isaac to go to a better hospital in Korea or Beijing for a bone marrow biopsy and further testing. After consulting with three other American doctors, we began looking for the next possible flight that we could send Isaac on.

Learning at about 4:10 PM that there was a Korean Air flight leaving at 5:20 PM, we worked to make these arrangements as fast as possible. I quickly packed a bag, and Derrick and I carried Isaac down to a waiting taxi. After a brief but tearful goodbye, they took off to reach the airport before the plane left.

In another taxi, Tim and a couple others were at the Korean Air office, buying the tickets, and racing off to meet Isaac at the airport a few minutes before the plane was scheduled to take off. The Lord most graciously allowed all the details to come together, and the airline held the plane for a few minutes longer so Isaac, Mom and Dad could be rushed on board.

Things were happening so fast that it was hard to know what was going on. Eventually all the details filtered down to know that Isaac, Mom and Dad were on their way to Korea, and potentially on to Minneapolis MN. Isaac was in very good spirits as he left, and we are rejoicing in the many details that God worked out for him to make the flight.

The nine of us children met in the living room together to spend some time in prayer. There were many tears, and many unknowns, but we are confident that God is working through this time. We know that our Loving Heavenly Father only gives good gifts to His children. God is working all things together for good.

At another family meeting together this evening, we are beginning to see God’s hand so clearly in this most unexpected series of events. Already the airport security, taxi drivers and others have commented on the love that they have seen.

We feel in ourselves such a peace and calm in the midst of the storm. It is the miracle of God’s grace. God is giving us strength and grace for today, and I know that He will give grace for the tomorrows. Just this morning I read the verse in Psalm 112 that says “Unto the upright, there ariseth light in the darkness…” We have such a blessed hope and confidence! May God use us to brightly shine His light during this time.

Please continue to pray for us in these days. I will work to keep you informed daily as we hear updates on Isaac. You can reach us by e-mail at this address. I don’t know that I will be able to respond immediately, but know that we really appreciate your prayers and I will pass on your encouragement to the family here.

God bless you, and I will work to write again soon!

Praise Points:

– The incredible timing in the flight arrangements for Isaac. The three of them were able to fly to Seoul last moment (literally) for $1200, instead of tens of thousands for a life-flight.

– The great peace and calm that we each feel. We really feel God’s grace in answer to your prayers!

Prayer Requests:

– That God would be glorified through this opportunity to show forth the power of His grace to all those that we contact in the days to come.

– That Isaac would be preserved to reach the hospital and that God would give the doctors great wisdom as they seek to help him in this time.

– Strength and wisdom for Mom and Dad as they spend these next hours and days with Isaac. Pray for wisdom in the timing of a flight to Minnesota, and for abundant grace in this time of need.

– For the nine Waller children that remain in Mongolia. Again, God has so uniquely prepared us for this time, but we need God’s grace for the days ahead.

Pictures:

A picture of Isaac just before we carried him down to the taxi.

A flurry of last minute details, phone calls and tearful goodbyes as Isaac and my parents leave for the airport.

Thank you so much for your prayers for Isaac and my family in this time! We really appreciate each one of you!

In Christ,

– Adam

Adam Waller ~ MyAllForChrist@CadLinx.com

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” – Galatians 6:9