Through the Trials

Recently I had been having some discouraging days and I was asking Jared what I could do to help myself or what he thought was bringing them on. He mentioned that I should do another update and I told him that I had just done one about two weeks ago. He looked back and informed me that it already has been a month! What? That went by quickly. So yes, it is time for an update. So often I can see a difference in my outlook on life when each of you is remembering and supporting us!

There have been ups and downs that highlight the last months, many times of happiness. And too many bouts of pain and sickness in our house! As I look back on this month I have to sigh a sigh of gratitude that we won't have to do this month over again!

Isaac was becoming more and more content and I thought maybe I was starting to enjoy motherhood a bit more. We have known that Isaac has a tongue tie for a while now and we would have liked to get it taken care of as soon as we can. It felt like we were running up against trying to find a place that would take care of it. Locals told us we would have to wait until he was a year and a half to be put under anesthesia. We kept trying and eventually we found a place that agreed to do it but said we needed to come for a consultation first. We went in to this place a bit hesitant. The old lady took a look at his mouth and said he does have a tongue tie but that we must wait until he is older, maybe 6 or 7 months old. She went on and on giving all the advice we may ever need, seeming to forget we were interested in having this tongue tie taken care of. We left as soon as we could politely get out the door, leaving behind a wasted $120. Still we persisted and a few days later we got through with another local dentist that would cut a tongue tie. So again we went in for another consultation, again a bit hesitant. This time we were told by the old dentist lady that she would do the cut but first she wanted Isaac to see the doctor. So we walked across town, got Isaac's weight checked and soon we were on our way back to the dentist with the paper in our hand! We set up an appointment for the next week. Jared and I had agreed that this was a weightier matter of life and that he would hold Isaac through this. The procedure went well, although Isaac might tell you otherwise! He sure left everyone know he was not pleased and truth be told we were a bit unsure as that friendly old dentist pulled her glasses down on her nose, picked up the big scissors and went in for a cut. Thankfully she was able to use a little bit of Novicane so hopefully it didn't hurt to much for Isaac and was just uncomfortable. The recovery wasn't too bad and we are thankful to see his little tongue sticking out!

A few days later I got the bothersome polyp removed. My original appointment had been postponed but finally I was able to get that behind me. It sure was painful but I got through it. Recovery went well, or at least we thought so. I was thankful for the help of Jared through that time. I didn't have pain for long but enough that caring for a baby was hard that first day.

We had a good week or so that I felt like I was really starting to enjoy motherhood. I even told Jared that I am getting a tiny glimpse into how people end up with two or three children. I still don't see 7 or 8! Out of the blue Isaac became so fussy! He just cried and cried for nearly a whole week straight. Jared and I did all we could but we could not please that little guy! He began to take less and less of his bottle, screaming after every few swallows. We wondered when we should take him to the doctor. Friday evening things escalated and we became desperate. We decided that even though Jared had a boys beach trip planned the next day, we would try to find a pediatrician that was open. After calling around a bit on Saturday morning, we decided to give it up and hope for the best. I decided to go along to the beach, just to get out of the house. While sitting at the beach I noticed red bumps forming on Isaac's legs. When we got home I checked his mouth and sure enough, he had white pimple looking spots in his mouth. So now we have our first bout of hand foot and mouth in the books. I believe we can thank all the school children who love and adore Isaac for passing it on to him! Interestingly, as soon as I seen outward physical signs, we were passed the worst of it and things went uphill quickly.

We had a few good days and I again felt like I was starting to enjoy motherhood. That was short lived when I had heavy bleeding and we realized something had to be wrong with the polyp healing. We waited through the weekend and Monday afternoon I found myself walking the dreaded walk into the operating room to again have all those blood vessels burned off. This time I knew what was coming and couldn't help but cry before the second procedure even started! She made sure she got the blood vessels good the second time and 25 minutes later Jared was helping me into the vehicle again. This time the doctor told me I should be on bedrest for two weeks, but then she changed her mind and said I can be doing light housework. So, these days find me taking it easy and praying for complete healing. This is hard with a 4 month old and a busy husband!

We had a few good days and I felt like I was really starting to enjoy motherhood. This time we were hit with more sickness! At first we thought it was food poisoning of some type but as time goes on we hear of other children from school having the same sickness. So some type of stomach flu made its way though our house. Thankfully it didn't last to long and we were never sick at the same time, allowing us to support each other. That has passed and we are all thankful for healing!

But now I'm sure you see a pattern and know what is coming next! So the last few weeks have been one hard thing after the next! After feeling pressed on every side, I have had quite a few discouraging days. I thought perhaps I was dealing with some baby blues but after giving it some thought I wonder if I am not just ready for health and strength again. We are getting frustrated with the attacks of Satan in our lives and on our household. So we ask you all to remember that specific request. This morning I read over the armor that we as Christians are to be carrying and reminded myself that I need to be on guard and praying about this always!

But we have had lots of bright moments among the hard. Jared spends an average of three days at school each week. On his off days he has been working on redoing the tile in the one school classroom that buckled up. We have taken some time to do more visiting of the elderly each week. And we still get visits from the neighbor children, often wondering if we have time for a marshmallow roast or an evening walk to the pasture to throw frisbee. A few weeks ago we had a gospel crusade in a nearby area. The word was spread and many people made audible commitments to live a more dedicated life but most have not held to their word and come to church as they say they want to. Jared has responsibilities at church each Sunday. Either preaching or teaching Sunday school and leading worship. So he also spends time studying for that each week, which he enjoys. My days are often spent at home or visiting Jared at school. Caring for Isaac and trying to keep myself busy with light housework. This to could be pertaining to my feelings of discouragement. I have found opportunities to cook for others here and there. Hosting has been hard with all our infirmities but I am anxious to get back to that as soon as we are all well and Isaac is less fussy in the evenings. Recently the neighbor lady opened a shop up the road from us where she sells Grenadian pastries and such. Beings it is so close to our house, she stops in on her way from her house to her shop or comes over if she ran out of an ingredient or needs a second oven. Through this season of my life it feels like a way that I can serve while being at home so much. I'm glad for the 20 minutes we have to visit while her pizza bakes in the oven or the short times of conversation we have when she stops in for a few carrots to finish her carrot cake.

We have entered into dry season. Homemade kites dot the sky and a high breeze blows through the browning trees and grass. Little boys and full grown men can be seen carrying kites, headed to their favorite flying spot. It's not uncommon for the local boys to come by asking for a plastic trash bag to make a kite. And if they are lucky, they will even get to use Mr Weaver's can of contact cement glue and have his help to paper the kite. This is Jared's favorite season and he can't get enough of that kite sound. The best way I can describe it is similar to a mosquito flying right beside your ear! By now we are not bothered by this sound at night and find it fascinating. The laundry dry's quickly and we haven't seen rain in a long time. We have talked about needing to filter some drinking water just incase our water is turned off for an extended length of time.

Last weekend Jared went on a day trip up mount St Catherine. Since it is dry season it seemed like a good time to go. Jared headed up the trip and everyone seemed to have a wonderful time. This was something Jared had always wanted to do since moving here and God blessed them with a very clear day to hike. The hike had many spots that were intense and places where there were ropes used to pull yourself up over the mountain. At the top the group sang 'We shall assemble on the Mountain' which seemed very fitting! Before having Isaac I would have likely went along but decided that I guess I will stay home and pray for saftly. Good memories were made for those that went!

Something I had forgotten to include in the last update was Jared's decision on a school. The story in an interesting one and still we feel like we don't quite understand it. Jared desired to teach Bible and History as his two main subjects. He was flexible but was really hoping to teach a Bible class. He considered quite a few different schools and the options that they had available at the time. Slowly this door was closed and the options were limited down to two schools, Gehman's Mennonite School and Schaefferstown Mennonite High School. There were pros and cons to both and it was a hard decision. Gehman's was offering 8th grade homeroom, teaching Math and Science. Schaefferstown was offering some History classes. Neither were exactly what Jared wanted. Gehman's is less then 5 minutes from our house and Schaefferstown is a half hour away. We pondered the future and what school could look like for our children. We prayed about it a lot, got advise from friends and family who are older and wiser then us and slowly felt the Lord leading toward Gehman's. We gave it a few days to see if that feeling of peace continued and then Jared went ahead and emailed the administrator from Gehman's, saying he would take the 8th grade position, even though it hadn't been exactly what he had in mind originally. Less then 3 hours later, Schaefferstown reached out to Jared, offering him the exact classes he wanted, Bible and History! Jared had been back in his office when he got the message and I could tell by the expressions coming from his office that I needed to hurry back and see what was going on! The initial thought was very disappointing. But as Jared thought about it more, we have come to the place where we realize that this is the way it was meant to be. God allowed it to be three hours after Jared's email of agreement and not three hours before. We feel like we can't quite see the bigger picture yet but we are trusting that this was God's plan all along and it just took us a minute to catch on. As the weeks have gone by Jared has become more and more grateful that he will not need to commute an hour to work each day and can be involved in the local community as well as more present in church life. I, to, am excited to be more present in his work life since it will not be such a far distance. We decided that teaching several classes of Bible and History right off the bat would have been jumping in neck deep and I'm afraid we will have enough hard adjustments after moving home, the way it is. So we are excited to see what God has up His sleeve for us!

That sums up the last month. It's been full of hard things but we have had enough bright spots to keep us going! Hard weeks are what keep us longing for heaven and seeing ourselves as such frail humans, so in need of Jesus. We covet your prayers for health and protection from the enemy who wants to discourage us and continues to come back and try over and over. We will lift our face up to Jesus and keep our eyes fixed on the goal of eternity.