Home Sweet Home

Well, we are back from our meetings and our time away. It was just so awesome! We had meetings for a few days, and decided that we would take the opportunity to spend a few days before the meetings to have some rest and refreshment for our family. We had holidays during Christmas, but we did not go anywhere. So, this was the first time we have been off our island since October!

We had a great few days as a family. Our travels all went really well, and we just enjoyed our time together at the beach and at the pool. The people on the island we were on are almost all Hindu, so it was really great to have a break from the call of prayer 5 times a day. So nice not to wake up to prayers and having their holy book read at 4am every morning!

Remember how I wrote earlier that I was missing my hairdryer? Well, the Lord must have a sense of humor because our room had a hairdryer! We enjoyed taking nice long hot showers too!!!!! And the bacon...wow...I must have eaten a few kgs of bacon. Even Noah kept saying that he loved the bacon, and all he wanted for breakfast was bacon!

Our leadership meetings were just so great as well. We have really missed the fellowship and encouragement! We got to catch up with many friends from our July meetings that we went to, and we had some really good times of sharing with each other. During our meetings, the kids were looked after this time by a special group from Australia. These guys came out to our retreat just to minister to our kids. They had a wonderful time. Noah and Dave loved "kids club" and Maggie enjoyed childcare as well. The boys also got to see some friends again from our time together in July. This was really great for them to see some of the same kids again, and for them to build these friendships with kids who are going through some of the same things.

Our regional counselor was at the meetings as well. We sat down with him and had a great opportunity to share with him about how our kids have been going. We spent a lot of time talking about Dave's adjustment, and ways that we can help him cope and adjust to life even more. It was so valuable for us to just have someone to talk to about these things.

It was sad to say goodbye, but such a special time for us all. Sometimes, I feel like we are always saying goodbye in this line of work. It never seems to get any easier! We had one night on our own after the meetings at a hotel near the airport, before flying home on Friday. A few days before leaving, Dave seemed to develop a cough that was quite deep. He is doing ok now, but on our way to the airport Friday morning, he started coughing so heavy in the car that he vomited up his coco pops everywhere! Poor thing, we havent had coco pops in about a year, and I guess he ate too much and with coughing so much just threw it all up! Needless to say, we had to pull the car over and try to clean him up. We ended up getting to the airport 30 minutes before our flight left, and thankfully walked right onto the plane!

Dave is doing better now. Still coughing, but nothing too serious. Shane is still having complications from paratyphoid. Actually, we arent sure if it is something new or what. Nurse Mei seems to think it is a parasite and totally unrelated to paratyphoid. So tomorrow, he is going to go back to get some blood work done. On the drive home from the airport (2-4 hour drive), we ended up having to stop at a KFC mosque (yes...really...a mosque and a KFC mixed into one) because Shane just couldnt make it any further without going to the toilet!!!!! 

Also, I forgot to mention that Nurse Mei gave me and a friend a medical session at our meetings. Nurse Mei will be on furlough from the end of May until January, and our expat doctor will not be back here until August. Nurse Mei is a bit worried about us all I think! So, now I know what medicines to take for what...what antibiotics to order...how to determine if we have a virus or a bacteria infection or a parasite. I know lots about worms...dengue....etc! So great. We are working on reading our blood and lab results and which tests I need to take for certain symptoms. Nurse Mei is so great to walk me through all of this medical stuff. Shane about died when I told him that Maggie had a "medium-grade fever"....He said that I am such a "wanna be" nurse!!!

You know what? I was right. Maggie came down with a fever 2 days before we left to come home. I didnt have my thermometer with me, but she was hot and acting a bit funny. She fell asleep in her float in the pool so I knew something was wrong. Once we got home, her temperature seemed to go away, but instantly spots appeared all over her. Right away Shane and I thought chicken pox. She was due to have her vaccination at 18 months, and if we would have lived in Australia, she would have had it then. However, we live here, and she hasnt been able to get it. So, Nurse Mei came to have a look, and sure enough Maggie has the chicken pox!

My closest friend here asked me if I was discouraged. No...not at all. I do feel very energized from our leadership meetings and our time away as a family, but I guess that being sick is just part of life here (I am ready for a healthy season though), and we just keep pressing forward. I guess it doesnt worry me because I just feel that I can see God working in things here and in us, so I just am resting assured that he knows what I can handle! It does seem that Maggie has a bad case of it, and she is now blistering all over. I feel so sorry for her, but I am thankful I can get the calamine lotion here to rub on her.

Please pray for our local friends who have come into contact with Maggie. They cannot afford and do not have access to vaccines for this. We told our closest friend (who loves Maggie) that Maggie had chicken pox, and that she is contagious. You know what? Our friend ran to Maggie and picked her up and gave her tons of hugs and kisses! So wonderful to see our kids loved by our local friends. Do pray though that they dont get sick too!

I am starting to pray that we will all be better by May 9th! All of us...healthy...no sickness!!! May 9th is Shane's next trip away for a week (I will post more about that later). Please pray with me. I would really like everyone to be well when he leaves!

I'm looking forward to getting back to school this week. I am close to my book 2 test. Only another week or 2. I would love to have this test finished before Shane goes as well.

Sorry!!! You will have to wait for photos tomorrow! It's getting late!

One last thing....When we were getting ready to come home Dave and I had a great talk. He said, "Mom, I'm ready to go home." I said, "Home to Australia?" Dave said, "No, Mom, home to Malang!!" Those were the best words ever to my ears. I love seeing those little lights from the Lord, it just helps me know that the Lord is with me, encouraging me, and growing and changing all of our family (not just Shane and I). So great...just being where we should be! Love it!