I have sat down many times to write and catch everyone up on our lives, but have felt at a loss for words. Sooooo much has happened since I last wrote I hardly know where to start and how much to include, but here is my attempt to fill you in.
We ended 2016 in America, visiting our supporters, family, and friends in Michigan, Georgia, Tennessee, Washington, and Oregon. My health was on the decline before we flew to America and it continued to spiral downward our entire trip. Before we left for the states I had unusual symptoms: swollen glands, fatigue, mental fog, and shortness of breath. I visited the cardiologist before our flight to ensure all was well, and it was.
We were busy in Michigan, preparing presentations to share what the Lord was doing in Thailand through the ministry he gave us. Each time we shared, I felt thankful that we were able to be a part of His story in Asia. Sharing what God's done reminded me of the many times He answered our prayers.
Our family in Michigan circled around us and helped with the kids, cooked meals for us, shopped for our family, and loved us like family and friends do. This was a huge help to us! I tried to rest and heal and Ken and I sought out people and churches to partner with us financially in order to continue working here in Thailand. (Thank you to all of you who support us! We couldn't be here without you.)
Headed south: Back home in Ringgold, GA was a sweet time of hugging friends we missed, meeting babies that were born while we were away, and saying goodbye to friends who also had been called to the mission field. We met new friends and pastors, visited new churches and were encouraged by the interest people expressed in supporting us in prayer and monthly giving.
In the midst of this joy, my health was still off. I realized how bad it was when I stepped into my favorite thrift store and didn't have the energy to shop. I walked a lap and told Ken, "I can't do this." I had some bloodwork drawn, but it only showed a sinus/chest infection.
The Lord has given me the best husband. He took care of the kids and did the laundry. I laid around during the day, wanting to visit more people and visit parks that we missed and push Max on the swing outside, but I was drained. I just thought I was exhausted from the chest cold, but as the cold went away, the other symptoms didn't.
We flew to Washington state to visit Ken's family..it had been 2 1/2 years since we had last seen them! Max wasn't even walking during our last visit! On the flight I felt awful. I felt like I might collapse and told Ken we might need to go the hospital when we land. I had never felt so weak. We made it to his parents house, had lunch, and I slept from 2pm until the next morning.
We had 2 weeks to play with cousins, lose at card games to my in-laws, and share stories of what the Lord was doing in all of our lives. We enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner with SWEET POTATOES..oh how I miss sweet potatoes. The grandparents and aunt/uncle spoiled our kiddos with outings and toys. I slept a lot, but was able to knit slippers for all of the ladies in the house, which I loved! Making time for crafting for people I love is a rare treat, so I soaked in the yarn aisle at Hobby Lobby. I also picked up craft supplies on clearance to take back to Thailand. I teach a group of Thai girls who were rescued out of human trafficking. Part of their healing is craft-time. I am grateful to be a part of that ministry~
Before we left Washington, my knees began aching, then other joints followed..my right ear started ringing continuously and I felt cold all the time. Back in Michigan I met with my parent's doctor who helped me get lab work done. I was convinced it was my thyroid, but that was normal. My liver and kidneys were normal. I did more research and my symptoms matched something called Epstein Barre Virus. (95% of Americans get this as a child. But in some people it reactivates and comes back with a vengeance. EBV is what leads to mono). I was tested for it and my levels were high..really high. It's a tricky virus because you can't really treat it with medicine. It also opens the door to autoimmune diseases, which run pretty high in my family, and there isn't a clear-cut test for many of the diseases. Some think EBV is the gateway to Chronic Fatigue syndrome and Fibromyalgia.
It was now December. I got to speak at a ladies Christmas dinner at our church. I was nervous because there were over 100 people in attendance, but my mom and I spoke together, teaching from Psalm 101. I could write a whole blog post on how the Lord orchestrated that..but that's for another time.
Christmas in America is like none-other. Our whole family delighted in the lights. Christmas lights illuminating everything, everywhere, shouting, "Jesus is the light of the world!" I realized how much I missed Christmas lights. We had fun outings with family to see a Christmas play, watch It's A Wonderful Life at an old theater and meet the woman who played the little girl "Zuzu" in the movie! She was 6 in the movie...the same age as Callie.
The kids watched God answer their prayer by blanketing the ground in snow! Sledding and hot cocoa for them...when the snow melted, God froze the lake and they ice skated. I joined in when I could and had some days with lots of energy, and others where I just wanted a heating pad on my joints.
Christmas morning was celebrated at our home church in Michigan with songs of the hope of Christ and a message to proclaim Him! It's such a privilege to sing and worship with a body of believers. We opened gifts at my sister's house and played games. It was really fun and we laughed a lot, but I was so worn out that I went to bed. Not gonna lie, I felt sad that my body was failing...but the Lord was teaching me.
I realized that I needed God to get me through. I was leaving in 10 days and it would be me and the kids at home in Thailand everyday without much help at all....and wow, the Lord has shown me that He will provide. My strength started coming back 3 days before we left.
God showed me my pride....how I thought I could do it all (because I kind of did until I got sick). Now I know it is HE who sustains me, HE who gives me the strength to hand-wash dishes 3x a day and make biscuits from scratch because we can't crack open a can of Pillsbury Grands here! I just praise Him for the work He is doing in me. It has been God all along who allowed me to do all that I have so far. I have repented of my pride and continue to ask Him to sand away my sin so that my life better reflects Him, not me.
So, we are back in Thailand. Ken is busier than ever. He is still the director of the outreach to help support missionaries in the education of their kids, but he is also sharing the role the Deputy Superintendent after the man in the position suffered a stroke in the fall. I am homeschooling the kids, on the teaching rotation for kids church, and working with the teen girls.
Apart from that we are focusing on language study. We are 75% of the way though the reading and writing program. Our handwriting is similar to that of a 13 year old. A Thai friend came over and saw my homework asking if it was mine. I nodded and she smiled, telling me in Thai that it was beautiful! What?! Such an encouragement and knowing we're making progress is worth the tears I've cried over language study. We have a looooong way to go, but we'll pause to celebrate the successes along the way. Our days are full and they are exhausting, but God will provide for each day.
If you are still reading, thank you. Here's my health update: my doctor here in Thailand says I have "Re-activated Epstein Barre Virus." I need an MRI to rule out other illnesses and will meet with a Rheumatologist in March. I have had on-and-off nerve pain in my arm and joint pain that comes and goes. Sleep makes a big difference and that is a battle for me. My right ear still rings continuously but it is usually only noticeable when it's quiet...so Max does a good job keeping our home not-quiet, hahaha.
WAYS TO PRAY:
1. Praise God for the work He is doing in my heart and in my health. Praise Him for our time in America to connect with many people and for the safety in our travels. Thank Him for the little girl in our neighborhood who came to my window while I was cooking and asked to play with my daughter.
2. Ask God to keep us diligent in our study of the Thai language.
Our Thai series is a 2-3 year program, but we are doing it twice a week in the evenings. Ideally we would do language school the first 2 years and then start ministry involvement full-time, but we aren't able to do that. So pray that we can juggle it well. Our teacher comes to our home, which is helpful.
3. Financial Support: Our incoming monthly support is still below our monthly budget and we are pulling from our savings account to cover the gap. (We'd like to leave the savings alone in case of emergency.) We ask you to pray about supporting us. If you'd like a copy of budget we're happy to send a copy to you.
4. Pray for Ken. His work load has significantly increased!
5. Pray for my health and for diligence to avoid/reduce sugar, gluten, and dairy...sigh
6. Max...pray for this 3 1/2 year old, intense, feisty, clever, lovable little boy who needs Jesus. He has hit the "I don't want to nap" stage and has been really defiant the past week.
Thank you, friends.
"May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of our God, and the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all."
