The long awaited appointment

I carried my recent chest x-ray into the examination room. A bit nervous because Patrick and I had peeked at the film in the waiting room and my lung cavity appeared different. Bigger? We couldn't tell.

When the doctor looked at it she responded positively because there were no other cavities and she said that the cavity I had is calcifying, filling itself in. This was good news.

She quickly asked about other symptoms and reported that I was no longer anemic, which is good news too. She also said that the meds do supress the adrenal glands, but after I get off of them, they should "snap back." She said that I needed to continue with the meds for another 3 months to complete my year.

So the Lord has been kind to me in this matter. I am very thankful, though I still feel cautious. First, she didn't have my new x-rays electronically yet so she couldn't compare the size of the cavity last September to the size now. And second, for some reason my valley fever fungal titers weren't documented on the last blood test. These can tell if your body is still fighting the valley fever. In September they were 1:16. But now, the space just remained blank on the computer. Through these 2 measures, we could scientifically tell if the valley fever is being wiped out. So, I will email my doctor this next week to see if this evidence is now known.

I've come to learn that valley fever is slippery. So while my doctor was encouraging, it's important to have some hard facts along with the smile. You know what I mean? I remain cautious.

Leaving on a jet plane

Tomorrow, the first of our family--me and 3 children--head back to the states. I can't believe it! Patrick and the other 2 will follow next week as they finish up their responsibilities with a visiting group and get everything in place before our time in the states.

The first few weeks back will be spent with family, doctor's appointments, and regrouping. We look forward to seeing our Arizona friends between July 20 to August 14 and then our Chicago friends between August 20 and September 15. What a treat for us to be able to fellowship with you.

Please don't hesitate to contact us to set up a time to get together.

Tomorrow's the last day of school

Well, the kids have made it through 5 months of school! They have learned a lot about culture, got their feet wet in the languages, and got established in our new community. I think the positives outweighed the negatives.

I hear some good French accents when I hear them reading, they can do simple Arabic dictations, and cursive writing has improved (the appearance of the writing is really important here).

My boys are a bit rougher too. It's cultural. I remember when we first arrived 3 years ago and I heard of groups of boys that would run around with shards of glass and throw rocks at each other. I was scared for my little band of cherubs (!!)--would they be safe? I mean, how scary!

The other night we took a walk as a family and I turned around to see all of my boys throwing stones at each other. And they were having a ball! I turned to Patrick and said, "Yep, they've acclimated."

Health update

I have an appointment with my Infectious Disease doctor on June 23rd. I'm excited to have some more light shed on what's going on in my body--is the valley fever gone or at least controlled? is the lung cavity gone? While I feel hopeful, I feel sober-minded at the same time.

Here are my 2 biggest prayer requests regarding my health:
1) That the lung cavity will have healed up
2) That the doctor will take me off the antifungals

Both of these are huge requests. If the lung cavity remains, I may need surgery or a longer stint with the meds. If I stay on the meds, well, quite frankly, I don't want to stay on the meds. They cause me grief. I know that the disease is worse than these meds but my body is on overload. Most recently, I have wondered if my adrenal glands have been affected because of my back pain, fatigue, dizziness, etc. When something stressful happens, I feel no adrenaline rush coming from the inside. The body is fried.

I trust in our all-powerful, all-good, and all-wise God to work this out in His time and for His glory. At the same time, I am petitioning Him for the above.

First things first

Patrick was encouraging the kids after lunch today to really get the most out of their Arabic class. "In fact," he said, "you could even study it in college and be really good at it."

JP, age 6, was listening intently and then spoke.

"First..."  His eyes were soft and curious.  "Can I play football in English?"

OK JP, you sure can.  First things first.

JP, my practical guy

gnisufnoc si loohcS

Sometimes school is confusing.  Take J for instance--he usually has French for 1 1/2 hours a day, Arabic for 1 1/2 hours, and Math for 1 1/2 hours.  They chose to do Math in Arabic too, so it's a good time to practice those comprehension skills.  

He did math homework the other night.  After he was done, the paper laid on the floor without a name for a long time, so I asked, "Hey Josiah, is this yours?"  Yep, it was.  He wrote his name and handed back the paper.

I looked.  He had written, "haisoJ."  I said, "Josiah, um, did you know that you wrote this, um, backward?"  

"Sure mom," he quickly said, "the teacher knows what I mean."  Oh yeah, I reminded myself, Math is in Arabic.   

Well, maybe school isn't all that confusing, maybe just the mom is confused (and hopefully not the future employer!).

Lovin' life

Back to school

Walking home from school

I think she looks darling in her school uniform.

Monday marks the first day back at school after spring break.  I don't think this creates "warm fuzzies" in my kids.  Would you pray for them as they reenter into their French/Arabic school?

--That they would know that the Lord is near

--That they would be bright lights for Him

--That the teachers would have much joy (they tend to spend a lot of time dealing with discipline issues which in this context is hitting and yelling) and that their students would learn (truly important for the next generation of our country)

--That our kids would desire to learn these languages and that God would give them love for others

Thank you for holding the rope for us!