Loren Cunningham, the founder of Youth With a Mission, has been diagnosed with stage four cancer. His wife, Darlene, shared the news in a recent Facebook post.
“Thank you so much for your prayers for Loren and his health,” she wrote. “As you know, the doctors did a biopsy on some very slow-growing nodules in his lungs earlier this month, when they got large enough to biopsy. They turned out to be cancerous, which led us back to Honolulu for a full body scan on February 22. The results from that scan have just come in, revealing that there is extensive cancer in Loren’s lungs, bones and lymph system.”
However, he still is able to lead an active life.
“We believe with all our hearts that these miracles are an answer to the prayers of the saints,” the post said. “Everything about this case has been unusual. The oncologist said that usually, lesions in the lungs grow very quickly; Loren’s have grown very slowly. We don’t know whether that will be characteristic of the growth of the other lesions as well. But what we do know is that he is in God’s hands.
“We have already decided as a family to prioritize Loren’s quality of life over trying to extend the length of time, through chemo or other treatments that could reduce his energy and productiveness. He has Jesus, family, friends and vision. Who could ask for more.”
Andy Beach, Cunningham’s former assistant, said that despite the diagnosis, Loren continues to work on his ministry goal of getting the Bible orally into every mother tongue on earth. “That passion fuels him every day, all day,” he said. Franklin Graham stopped to see Loren and shared his visit to the YWAM campus in Kona, Hawaii, on Facebook.
Loren’s vision to reach the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ began when he was a 20-year-old Bible college student and was in the Bahamas on a singing tour. As Loren spent time in prayer, he was leaning back in his bed when he got a “mental movie.” He “saw” waves on a map. These waves then turned into young people going into every continent and sharing the Gospel. Four years later, in 1960, he started YWAM. In almost 63 years, YWAM has become one of the largest Christian mission organizations in the world.
–Dwight Widaman | Metro Voice
