home again.....

Well, I am back in West Chester!!!!!  YAY!  I came back Sunday afternoon and have been working from home and still recovering.  I continue to improve each day, not just physically but also my mindset about the whole situation.  I hit a few more milestones this week:

• i can sit for extended periods of time (hooray for not laying all day)
• i am walking with almost no limp and for longer periods of time
• i can wear jeans again (sweatpants can only be worn for so many days)
• i go through most of the day with NO PAIN!!!

It is nice to be able to get out and enjoy the beautiful fall weather.  In 3 weeks I was supposed to be heading back to Kenya, but instead I will be heading back to the doctors office for my next follow-up visit.  I have come to grips with this, especially since my mom continues to tell me that "Kenya isn't going anywhere".  So I have begun creating a new list of things to enjoy this fall:

• apple picking
• walking through a corn maze
• hiking at Bushkill Falls 
• a bonfire under clear skies with smores

I will continue to add to the list.......simple pleasures of this season bring me joy!  

Thanks again for your prayers for my health.  They continue to be answered.  I have appreciated those of you who have stepped in and served me with me and driving me around and helping with laundry and visiting me.  I am entering into a busy season with lots of transition and will continue to keep you updated.  

Enjoy each day and the simple delights it has to offer.

Faith 

pain free!!!!!

So I have big news........

• Wednesday I made it through the day with NO PAIN.  That means NO PAINKILLERS and NO IBUPROFEN!!!!  These are huge steps.
  
• I was able to SIT (on a sofa and recliner, with my legs propped up...but it is a milestone)
• I was able to sleep on my side!

While all of these things seem minor, they are all things that I have not been experiencing for the past 3 weeks.  This is a huge deal for me and it brings joy to my heart.  I was so excited to announce to my dad that I had no pain all day (yes some discomfort, but NO PAIN).

I head back to the doctor's office later today and am anticipating encouraging news.  There are still certain things looming that will be challenges to overcome, but for today I am going to focus on the positive milestones accomplished.

 

emotions, blessings, and more

So I have been home (at my parents house) from the hospital for 1 week today.  Each day I am a little better than the day before.  I wish I could say I have handled this situation with a lot of grace, but that has not always been the case.  Being bound to a bed in a house for a week has been challenging physically and emotionally.  Dealing with insurance issues has already begun to frustrate me.  Processing the fact that I will not get to go back to Kenya in November has brought a ton of sadness.  It has been a week filled with emotion.  The most seen emotions were frustration, confusion, anger, pain, and sadness.  It has been hard and I have been wrestling with the Lord having many conversations about how to adjust the things that I planned for next few months.  

The wrestling isn't bad and I know I will still get to do many of the things that have been in the plans for the past few months.  While these things be put on hold for a bit, life will move on and I will still get to go back to Kenya and work with the NEEMA girls, I will get to move into my new role doing full-time global missions, and God will remain faithful in providing in a variety of ways along the way.  

There have been so many blessings throughout this week.  My parents have opened their home to care for me (their 32 year old daughter).  My mother has prepared every meal and made sure I have taken my medications, and taken me to my doctors appointments.  My dad made me popcorn so that I could celebrate the season premiere of my favorite show with a little party in my room.  They have sacrificed their alone time to keep me company and make sure I keep improving.  People have sent cards and flowers, get well packages, phone calls and emails offering encouragement and support.  The Lord has been faithful in allowing me to improve a bit more day by day.  Old friends, who I rarely see, have stopped by the house to keep me company and catch up on life.  I have been able to see my grandparents, my sister and her family more than usual.  There have been NO COMPLICATIONS since leaving the hospital.  I am back on my feet, walking a little more each day.  

THANK YOU for all of you who have walked through this with me.  My mind is a bit more settled today and I am thankful that I am on my way back to a semi-normal life.  My hope is to be back in West Chester next week (walking, sitting, driving....).....BIG PRAYERS!  I have another followup appointment with my doctor this week and am hoping to receive more good news.

I will continue to keep you updated on where I am heading next.  For now, I will remain at my parent's peaceful home, in my beautiful blue room, with the fall breeze blowing through the windows, praying, processing, and making decisions about my next steps.

Once again...feel free to contact me if you have questions.

faith

Life Screeching Halt

LONG STORY SHORT(er)

Last week, I was struggling to recover after having a procedure done to remove a bartholin cyst.  Each day, I continued to worsen rather than improve.  Tuesday, I ended up in the ER and was sent home with painkillers and instructions to give it some time and take lots of warm baths.  By Friday, I was getting worse (I could not sit, walk, and had non-stop pain).  I had planned on coming home for the weekend to spend time with my family, so I made a doctors appointment for Monday and was driven home Friday evening.  I was able to (half) sit and have dinner with my family (to celebrate my bro in laws bday) and went back to laying on the sofa after about 30 minutes.  My mom heard me awake at 4:30am and came to check on me.  I knew something was wrong and asked her to examine me.  My swelling had increased and I was in severe pain.  

The doc who had seen me in the ER was a coworker of my mom's and he had given her his home number in case there were any problems.  So my mom prayed for wisdom, and felt she should call him at home on his weekend off.  He said I needed to go back to the ER saturday morning and that he would have the other doctor check me out.  At 9:20 am, we were out the door for what I thought would be a trip to the ER, and a plan to return home and have breakfast for dinner (since we had no time to wait around for brunch).  As soon as I saw the doctors face, when she examined me, I knew this had become worse than I anticipated.  The doc said the cyst was back, had become infected, and I had developed something called "cellulitis" (this can be minor or major........mine was on its way to becoming quite major).  Cellulitis is when bacteria gets in between layers of your skin.  It had found its way between 2 layers of skin, but had not yet reached my blood stream.  She told me that I would have surgery and then would need to stay overnight on IV antibiotics to clear up the cellulitis.  

Well, the docs did what they could in surgery but then they needed to find the right antibiotics to treat the cellulitis.  They put me on the "big guns" antibiotics, until they could identify what they were fighting against.  By Sunday morning there was no improvement, but they were at least grateful the bacteria had still not spread to my blood stream.  Another doc was consulted and they started a second antibiotic, then by afternoon (when the first lab results came back) they started me on a third antibiotic.  By Monday afternoon, they had a clearer result of what bacteria they were fighting and they had me on antibiotics that seemed to be working.  

Tuesday morning, the doc decided I could try going home to recover back at my parents, since my mom is a nurse and I seemed ready to take pills by mouth.  I have to go back on Friday, but as long as I can stay off IV meds, I am allowed to recover at home.

I am not allowed to drive for 1-2 more weeks. :( 

I have been taking 1-3 minute walks (2-4 times a day since Sunday)

I am unable to sit until swelling goes down, so I am laying on beds and sofas all day(this has been going on for 2 weeks today)

THE GOOD NEWS IS:

• my mom got me to hospital in time for docs to treat me (thank you Dr.Easter for the home number)
• doctors were quick to treat me (thank you Dr.McLaughlin) and gave me great care (Dr.Easter even came in on his weekend off to help with surgery)
• i am off IV meds
• i was allowed to go home (not home to west chester, but it is a step)
• i am having less pain (taking pain pills every 6 hours instead of 4)
• i am able to walk a little more today than yesterday
• Jesus still loves me :)
• i have been humbled like never before
• i have parents who love me and have taken me back into their home and are given me incredible care

I realize people go through so much worse than this, and am thankful that it did not get worse.  I had made a lot of plans for the next few months with getting ready to do full-time global missions work beginning November 1.  This time was meant to be out sharing vision and meeting with people about the upcoming year.  I had planned to spend November and December in Kenya working with my friends at Transformed International and 6 lovely girls at the NEEMA Project.  Right now it is hard to process how all of these things will be affected while I am stuck laying in bed.  I know what unfolds will be even better than what I had been planning and working towards over the past 6 months.  Things seem to be at a stand still and I have some decisions to make.  Each day is an emotional roller coaster of frustration and rejoicing.  I know this is a season and this too shall pass.

Thanks for thinking of me!

Feel free to ask questions if you have them.  For at least the next week or two I will be staying at:

339 State Route 897 West

Newmanstown, PA 17073

faithecenroad@gmail.com

kenya team blog

Hi Everyone. 

I am on my way to Kenya with a team of 10 others.  You can follow our blog with stories of our journey at:  provinkenya2009.blogspot.com

Hope you enjoy the stories.  I will be back home on the 28th of July.

Faith

Pray for Kenya travel.

Deciding on an airline and a flight itinerary when traveling 8,000 miles is always a big deal for me.  I have learned that British Airways is my favorite when flying to Kenya, but when it came time to book our team travel to Kenya, I branched out and decided to go with a new direct flight being offered from Atlanta to Nairobi through DELTA.  This seemed like a brilliant idea and one that would be easy on the team.  There were a number of factors (time and money being the main two) taken into account when purchasing these team tickets.  They seemed like a gift at the time!  Really.  They were hundreds of $$$$$ cheaper than any other tickets and when I called to book them, they made them even cheaper.  

Well, there new little flight pan wasn't approved so all their flights to Kenya....CANCELLED.  They promised to "protect" us on another airline.  The new flight plan was issued today.  It involves multiple layovers, in multiple countries, for many more hours.  What once seemed like a gift now feels like a bit of a nightmare.  While our dates remain the same, we lose 2 days serving in the country due to travel arrangements.  

Pray for strength to get through the several hours of travel.  Pray that we have wisdom on what should be dropped from our schedule in Kenya.

God is good.  And, the trip will go on, even in spite of the cancelled flight.  For that I am thankful!

Thanks for praying.

KENYA 2009

I am heading back to Kenya......AGAIN!!!!  This country has stolen a piece of my heart I will never get back.  This year I am taking a team with me.  There will 11 people, mostly from Providence church, traveling to Kenya from July 14th to the 28th.  We will be serving alongside Transformed International (www.transformedinternational.org) in Kitale, Kenya.

Most of our time will be spent serving a group of 6 girls who are a part of a new program called the NEEMA "grace" Project.  It is a program designed to bring street girls in off the streets in order to see them loved and restored and reintegrated back into society.  We are thrilled to have the opportunity to work closely with them several days while we are there.  We will also be spending time at a number of other places playing with orphans, holding babies at the abandoned baby home, visiting a widows project in the Soweto Slum, and serving TI and other ministries in practical ways.  The team has been preparing for this trip since April.  

As I receive more information over the next few weeks, I will post updates on what we are doing and how to pray.