Since September
Wow! So much has happened since my last update:
A few weeks before that last post in September, I was mowing the lawn here at the campus and heard a blood-curdling scream from Miles. It was loud enough to hear over the mower. I stopped, picked him up and saw a little yellowish-brown scorpion in his shirt. I brushed it off and smashed it with my boot. He was screaming and crying so loud I thought he'd been shot! I handed him to Cassie, who was now nearby, and she said she would get him into the bath and put something on the bite to help him with the pain. I fell terrible now...but I figured all was well and finished the last 15 minutes of mowing. After putting the things away, I returned to our house and heard Miles still screaming! I spoke with Cassie and she said, "I don't know exactly where he was bit. I think it was his hand, but he won't let me touch him to see! I gave him a bath, but he's not really any better." She was beginning to get sad and worried, then something strange happened...Miles stopped crying for a bit, and started coughing up a thick mucus. Cassie and I looked at each other, and knew it was time to get him to a doctor. We threw the other kids in the car without shoes. That caused a massive panic among them and they thought Miles was going to die! Cassie had him in her lap as we sped to the nearby Red Cross. During the ~2 mile drive, Miles started to have trouble breathing, his eyes started to roll into the back of his head, and he began to vomit. We ran into the Red Cross Emergency Room and, in my best attempt at medical spanish, proceeded to tell them what had happened. The doctor immediately began with an injection of scorpion antivenin. We waited breathlessly for 10 minutes...no improvement. The doctor gave a second vial in Miles' arm. Another 10 minutes...Cassie is sobbing, Miles is maybe doing better...at least he's breathing between the screams. Things were awfully tense that first 30 minutes. Lots of prayer and then it seemed like he was going to be ok. Thank you God! We waited another hour after the 4th vial of antivenin, and he fell into a deep exhausted sleep. The doctor said he would have a rough 2-3 days after that, "It's like being hit by a train!" He said before we left. There was a part of me that was dreading paying the bill for the saving of my son's life, but Cassie took all the kids to the car, and I went to pay. The total bill was $135 pesos ($7.50 USD). Wow. Thank you God. I still can't believe it. He is mighty to save!
The week after our 'scorpion-man's' recovery, we had to cross the border to renew our visas. We had a YWAM Together meeting in Kansas City, MO and the kids got to stay the week with the grandparents. That was such a blessing. We learned so much about the national direction of YWAM and the importance of getting the gospel spread to every people, tribe, tongue, and nation. After the YWAM meeting we returned to Amarillo. What a wonderful visit with Cassie's folks and my parents as well. I had to finish my continuing education for the optometry license, and there was a meeting in Ruidoso, NM. Dad has a wonderful boss that shared his cabin with us and we took full advantage of it!
When we returned at the end of September, it was 'back to work' time. We've had plenty to do outside the campus with the local villagers around us, and even more to do to get this place back up and running. We've repaired a beautiful fountain that has not functioned for 5 years, a well that had been dried up, a septic system (yuck), numerous leaks, hot water issues, carbon monoxide venting, hvac repair on our walk-in freezer, chopping down trees, and Michael has been finding lizards everywhere!
I have been having breakfast (one-on-one) on Monday's with one child at a time, and we have cherished these moments. It has given us the opportunity to share the Gospel with our favorite waiter, Nacho, too! He has asked us for prayers for his belief and that of his family as well. We also began blessing our children each Saturday night around the dinner table. Marcus calls this "Family Fun Night", and we basically go around to each child telling them the wonderful truth about them and making sure we have apologize for any wrongs we have done to them. This, humbling, experience has been a blessing to me as well as them. Lord, may I never forget that my family is the primary mission that you have given Cassie and I.
We must train them up the way they should go, and they will know You by our love.
A few weeks before that last post in September, I was mowing the lawn here at the campus and heard a blood-curdling scream from Miles. It was loud enough to hear over the mower. I stopped, picked him up and saw a little yellowish-brown scorpion in his shirt. I brushed it off and smashed it with my boot. He was screaming and crying so loud I thought he'd been shot! I handed him to Cassie, who was now nearby, and she said she would get him into the bath and put something on the bite to help him with the pain. I fell terrible now...but I figured all was well and finished the last 15 minutes of mowing. After putting the things away, I returned to our house and heard Miles still screaming! I spoke with Cassie and she said, "I don't know exactly where he was bit. I think it was his hand, but he won't let me touch him to see! I gave him a bath, but he's not really any better." She was beginning to get sad and worried, then something strange happened...Miles stopped crying for a bit, and started coughing up a thick mucus. Cassie and I looked at each other, and knew it was time to get him to a doctor. We threw the other kids in the car without shoes. That caused a massive panic among them and they thought Miles was going to die! Cassie had him in her lap as we sped to the nearby Red Cross. During the ~2 mile drive, Miles started to have trouble breathing, his eyes started to roll into the back of his head, and he began to vomit. We ran into the Red Cross Emergency Room and, in my best attempt at medical spanish, proceeded to tell them what had happened. The doctor immediately began with an injection of scorpion antivenin. We waited breathlessly for 10 minutes...no improvement. The doctor gave a second vial in Miles' arm. Another 10 minutes...Cassie is sobbing, Miles is maybe doing better...at least he's breathing between the screams. Things were awfully tense that first 30 minutes. Lots of prayer and then it seemed like he was going to be ok. Thank you God! We waited another hour after the 4th vial of antivenin, and he fell into a deep exhausted sleep. The doctor said he would have a rough 2-3 days after that, "It's like being hit by a train!" He said before we left. There was a part of me that was dreading paying the bill for the saving of my son's life, but Cassie took all the kids to the car, and I went to pay. The total bill was $135 pesos ($7.50 USD). Wow. Thank you God. I still can't believe it. He is mighty to save!
I have been having breakfast (one-on-one) on Monday's with one child at a time, and we have cherished these moments. It has given us the opportunity to share the Gospel with our favorite waiter, Nacho, too! He has asked us for prayers for his belief and that of his family as well. We also began blessing our children each Saturday night around the dinner table. Marcus calls this "Family Fun Night", and we basically go around to each child telling them the wonderful truth about them and making sure we have apologize for any wrongs we have done to them. This, humbling, experience has been a blessing to me as well as them. Lord, may I never forget that my family is the primary mission that you have given Cassie and I. 
We must train them up the way they should go, and they will know You by our love.
Comments
Post a Comment