God is so Good!
June 30, 2006
Hello everyone… again, a day of anxiety at times but ultimately a day of praise and relief… I got another child tested today and the results of another one as well. They both came back negative and whew, now i can rejoice and look forward to the next step. I called the doctor on the results of the other child and how frustrating… “call back at 1200 please”. I called back at 1200 was told “he is busy, he will call you back shortly”. I waited a few hours and called again and still, “i see the results, but i can not give them to you, please call later”… i was waiting with baited breath. Finally, at around 5:00 i asked Daniel to call for the results and of course, a direct transfer and yippee, another negative result!! Praise God, you are so merciful. On the way back for the test this morning (after an immediate negative result) i could here the child right behind me, looking out the window singing ‘waves of mercy, waves of grace’ and all i could think of was how true and how beautiful that is….
Denise, thaks for putting up the pics below!
Today was also the first day the girls counseling started. We picked up the counselor and brought her to the house and she stayed for about two hours. After I took her home, two of the older children said they were ready to be tested and wanted to know when they could go. I told them i would like to wait until after the next three counseling sessions (which is next tues., wed, and thurs.). They were okay with that but if they get a real fire about it, i will take them and just hold the results until after the counseling… they are growing spiritually and emotionally every day… i just love to see it.
Tomorrow, i will be visiting the young girl in the township again and taking her some more supplements and checking the sores in her mouth. I can’t wait to see her and i hope she looks even better.
Things are pretty crazy around here…. please pray for peace and harmony as this last month is going to be crazy. Two more ladies are coming today and they are teachers. They are not staying here but are coming for a month and i just heard ‘don’t have their own car’.. yikes, i do not know how that is going to work. God has surprised me with many things here though, so i am sure He will work this out too.
We miss you all so much. The boys are still going strong but are getting a little bit home sick, ready to see their family and friends. As usual, they are in it for the long haul and josesh even said ‘here i am complaining about driving situations and ‘myboys’ (talking about the young boy across the field whose mom died a few weeks ago, that is what joseph calls him) is without a mother and lives by the heat of a fire’. So, i think i can deal with this for a while… J Yea Joseph!!
Much love to you all, Please be praying,Jennifer, Joseph and James
June 30, 2006 at 11:07 am
Great day, sweetie! As I said before, knowledge is power – and now you are finding out the medical status of the children, you can move forward with whatever treatment might be necessary. You can’t fix anyone if you don’t know what’s broke!
I checked the weather there: I would gladly swap that with you! It’s miserable Kansas heat here, and no rain.
Kisses to all!
M
June 30, 2006 at 5:23 pm
Hi Jen, well it looks as if you have had another day of helping and nuturing the people in your care. You are doing so much. Just don’t wear yourself out to the point you get sick again. That wouldn’t be good. Another hot day here in KC. 99 degrees today and tomorrow. Maybe some rain come the first of the week. I hope so, we could sure use it. But it is summer and summers in KC are hot and humid. Send some of that ocean breeze back to us midwesterners. You take care of yourself and stay safe.
June 30, 2006 at 7:41 pm
Hi Jennifer,
I just arrived home from taking Olivia to Daytona Beach for dance Nationals. We had a few days to spend on the beach and it was SO theraputic for me. I had an encounter when we were in the ocean about shoulder deep – I felt a fish rub my thigh. I was the only adult out there with about 6 other girls so I decided to stand still and not scare the girls even though I was freaking out inside my head. I felt the fish again in the same spot and decided to brush it away with my hand. When I touched it to shoo it away I realized it was a jellyfish and I did NOT stay calm. I was swimming like crazy and trying not to scream loud, but did!! The girls were looking at me like I was crazy but I managed not to scare them. I looked like a complete tourist freaking out over a jellyfish. Oh well!! It was so theraputic to enjoy the ocean and all of Gods creations (some just a little close for comfort).
I needed your expertise because the first day we were there she cut her leg under her knee. I wasn’t sure if she needed stitches and wanted your opinion. You are my go-to-girl for all that stuff!!!
We had our first taste of alligator tail and it was actually quite good. Olivia even tried it and liked it. As crazy as it sounds,it did taste like chicken.
I am glad to be back in my own bed and when you get back if there’s anything you need help with let me know so you can enjoy some “down” time.
Take care and stay safe. Can’t wait to talk with you again!
Sarah
June 30, 2006 at 8:31 pm
Hey there Jennifer,
Just got back from Mexico, excellent trip. I’ll give you guys a call this weekend, keep the smile:-)
Love to all,
Schaun
June 30, 2006 at 10:37 pm
Hey Jen,
I am so happy to hear the test results are negative. I will pray for the older children as well. I hope the last email I sent you got through. I am trying to get everything ready to drive to Kansas. We leave on the 1st and are staying a few days in Santa Fe, so I will probably not be able to blog you until I get to my parents about the 9th or 10th. If I can get my hands on a computer, I will, but if you don’t hear from me, don’t worry, I will probably just be taking pictures of the worlds largest ball of twine or something like that. I wish you could be there while we are, but oh well, We’ll get you out here as soon as we can. I love the pictures, as always, they move me and really tell your story.
Joseph and James, I am so proud of you both! You are so giving and it just amazes me to see the two of you putting so much care into your decisions, and getting through your every day annoyances with such an unselfish attitute. Bless you both!
Well gotta go pack,
Love,
Hope
July 1, 2006 at 12:21 am
JJJ,
Loved Joseph’s comments and the picture into his heart! It’s a heavenly display! Thanks so much for sharing.
Like yourself, I also thought the little girl who’s constantly on your heart was looking better. Once again, you are the hands and feet of God’s incredible mercy and compassion for her. She just couldn’t be in better hands with your skill, resourcefulness, compassion, and prayer… and to think God knew it all along and sent you there at this moment in time is mind blowing!!
Thank you so much to you, your boys, and all who help you for being so transparent to Christ working through you to bring His comfort, compassion, and mercy to those He loves more than we’ll ever understand. It’s hard work my dear friend and keep finding refuge in God’s loving arms. He will carry you, He will sustain you!
I’ll be praying for continued energy, endurance, and perserverence for you all to press on in the days ahead and that God would grant you clarity of His direction for what He wants you to accomplish in the days ahead …
All our love,
Andy, Grant, Nat
July 1, 2006 at 5:20 pm
Hi Jennifer, James and Joe, Everyone here says hello. We read your updates as often as we can. Even if we skip a few days the girls always want to go back and read what we may have missed. The are so inspired by what you are all doing. It must feel so good to be making a difference that will continue even after you have left there. You are doing an amazing job. You will all be home soon. I am looking forward to seeing you.
Love,
Darlene
P.S. Joseph’s snake is doing fine
July 1, 2006 at 7:01 pm
Jen,
Praise God the test results came back negative. I would love to see the faces when you tell them the news…can you describe it sometime? Do they fully grasp what you’ve told them? I wonder. I hope so. One more month..wbh. Praying for the little girl in the picture, as well as all the little ones there. I hope you have a great plan when you get home to just collapse and relax! You will need it.
Take care.
July 1, 2006 at 7:28 pm
Hello Jen,
Its andrea I just now read all your blogs and most of the commentary seems like there is never enough time to do everthing I want to do I think that your work is simpling inspiring I am so proud to be one of your friends You make me think of the starfish story this man was walking down the beach after a huge storm and he noticies this liile boy runnning back and forth from shore to into the water as he gets closer he sees that the little boy is picking up stranded star fish and throwing them back into the water the man goes up to the boy and tells him you will nwver save them all it will not make a difference The boy picks up one star fish and throws it back into the ocean and says It makes a differnce to this one . Jesus wants us to have faith and do good works one starfish at a time . and sometimes those starfish is our own children which we raise to be kind and loving but also to do goodworks My childern still talk about the time I saw a homeless women in vegas with two small children in a shopping cart and how we rushed home to get some clothes for the kids and cold drinks and gave them what cash i had Its is so important to walk the walk I know that you are helping alot of childern but you are so expanding your own childrens lives. God knows what it will wake up in them .
My work has been especially busy alot of emergencies, one of my tech was removing a cephelaic catheter and cut it off at the hub leaving the rest of the catheter to float freely up the vein before someone had the bright idea of placing a tourinquet and that where i had to come and do a complete vein cut dowm from wrist to elbow found it right where the tourniquet kept it from traveling into the heart where it would result in an emboli and death only started shaking after it was done never in 15 years have seen such a procedure or even knew it could be done eeeks but the dog is fine
home life is good lucy is finally house broken and and sweet addition to the family she is now a part of the family she has gone exploring creeks fishing with us a fairly good swimmer for a toy breed she tries. We have ven taken her to lake of the Qzrks and she lays in tthe wates to cool off wondering why the waves knock her over can not figure it out .
today I went to a Mental ward with Caymen as a therapy dog to visit the residents It was a experince .It is basiccaly a warehouse for the severvely mentally disabled but yet he knwe to go slow and go up to all the wheelchairs lick their hands he was amazing the people so responded no mater if they were able to talk or not well I goota go love ya jen can not wait to see ya Andrea
July 2, 2006 at 12:30 am
Hi again Jen, hope you and the boys are doing okay. I don’t suppose SA celebrates the 4th of July, do they??? I didn’t think so. Well if you were home you’d have a nice long holiday weekend. I can’t imagine that it would be as gratifying or satisfying as what you are doing there. Your boys are really quite remarkable. To give up their summer vacation and travel all of that distance to help people they don’t know is quite heroic. Obviously they have a great role model in their lives.
Well, another scortcher(?) here in the good old midwest. Another hot day in store for tomorrow, but maybe some rain tomorrow night and/or Monday. Weatherwise you aren’t missing much. I’m trying to gear up for the 4th by getting some extra sleep tonight and tomorrow night. I have a couple of neighbors that are going through their 4th childhoods and still like to shoot off fireworks on the 4th of July. And I mean a lot of fireworks. I hope they’re all out of town this year. I think one of them is and he’s the worst of the bunch so maybe it will be a little on the peaceful side. Bye for now, please take care and stay safe.
July 2, 2006 at 3:25 am
How was the NF check? Did the other doctor agree with the diagnosis?
I’m not getting as many pictures from you as I was before. Keep them coming. Even if we are gone camping for a few days send them because I can post when I return.
Did you guys find out if the World Cup was going to be in South Africa next? How’s the rooster sound-off going? Still running?
Love ya, Denise
July 2, 2006 at 4:07 am
Jen and boys,
Just wanted to drop a quick note to say that I continue to be impressed with how God is working through the three of you and I’m sure that you are all appreciated greatly. As I read about what James and Joseph are doing, I wished I had thought of a way to deflate all those extra old soccer balls and other sport balls around school and sent them along or mailed them to you guys. I’m guessing it’s a little late to get them to you. Perhaps, we can work on that when you return. I will continue to pray for your strength and safety as well as for the improved health of the many people (patients) you’re working with each day. God bless you always…
Mike