Sleepless in Suli

After two nights with very little electricity, we are all a bit blurry-eyed. All you can do is toss and turn and pray for a little breath of air to pass your way so you can get back to sleep! This morning as I sat at my desk looking out the window, I observed the little old lady that shows up every morning to wash her stairs with her little red bucket. I watched her as she bent her body in half, carefully washing each step, something she has probably done for the last 60 years of her life. At the same time a man came by with his son and a wooden cart, digging through the garbage and pulling out treasures that they might be able to eat or sell. I also thought about the lady I saw yesterday who sat in the dust with her skinny baby, begging so she could feed her family. I was suddenly jerked back to reality and the fact that I live such a blessed, rich life...full of meaning and purpose. I don't have one ounce of room to complain about anything! So, yes it's hot and dirty and nothing happens the way you plan it or think it should. But still, life is good and walking this road with God is even better.

It's HOOOOOT

Our team of 3 families arrived safely last Wednesday and it has been a very busy time since. Trying to get them all settled into homes, buying furniture and orienting them to life here, all in 115 degree temps, has been a challenge! There's just no two ways about it - it is hot beyond imagination and our electricity has been horrendous. We usually have 3 sources of electricity and 2 of them are broken down right now. Our personal generator is in pieces in our driveway and the neighborhood generator has been broken for 2 days. When we have power, all 8 of us huddle in one room and try to keep it cool. The gov't electricity only comes a few hours a day so you can imagine how miserable it can get after awhile. In spite of this, everyone has great attitudes. We have had some profitable visits from "interested" people and that makes everything worthwhile. It may still be a few days before the folks can get moved into their own places; things just don't happen very fast around here. Living together in one house makes for a great bonding experience!

Need tools?

It ain't Home Depot and believe it or not, it
was 127 degrees when Cheryl took this picture of
a man who's become a good friend. There is a row of 20 shops like this and when this man does not have what I need, he goes shopping with me till he finds what I want.
Nearby, Cheryl & I entered the bazaar where
we walked through covered alleyway after alleyway full of fridges, stoves, TVs and everything you need for the house.

Friday evening stroll

It was still 103 degrees outside at 7PM but we decided to venture down to the market for our Friday evening outing. Seems that's the place to be on a Friday night. My big purchases were a pound of plums for $.50 and a clock for $6. Not bad, eh? Although it was hot and smelly, it was fun to explore a bit and see that you can buy just about anything if you're willing to be adventurous. Only half the stores were open since Friday is the day off here. Can't imagine what it's like mid-week when everything is open.

making progress

This will be our new coffee shop/language center. We rented this large room plus 2 classrooms in the basement. We can also use the balcony for an advanced class. The building is brand new and will need a minimum amount of work. We still need to install a kitchen. The new center is only 5 minutes from our house. Life here continues to be challenging! It takes all of our energy just to provide the basics of living. We are finding people very open and friendly, making lots of contacts.

Home again

5 stops and 28 hours later and I am finally home. And my baggage was waiting for me at my final destination. When I arrived here, there was no electricity in the airport and everyone waited in line for 15 minutes for them to get the generator going. Then it took another 5 minutes for the computers to boot up... O yes, I'm home and I love it. Darrell had done a ton of work on our house in my absence and it looks so great. My homecoming was even sweeter knowing that my mom finally made it back to her home in Toccoa (my brother drove up to the hospital in Charlotte and brought her back on a mattress in the back of his van) and is surrounded by lots of family & friends. She is still very weak and needs time to get back on her feet. I think being home will help a lot. Please continue to remember her and my dad during these days.

change of plans...

Things have been changing constantly during the past days. After my mother was released from the Pittsburg hospital her condition improved slightly and we made plans to leave Tuesday and head south to their home in Georgia. We only got 3 hours on our way and she became very weak and unable to walk. We stopped for the night, hoping that after a good night's sleep we could continue on our way. In the morning it was obvious that she needed medical care so we went to the local Emergency Room in West Virginia where we were. 3 1/2 hours later we started on our way again but only made it to Charlotte when we had to call an ambulance to get her to a hospital. She was very weak and unable to walk at all. They have admitted her here and trying to stabilize her before they can go on home. It may take several days which means I'll have to leave them here and head to Atlanta to catch my flight back to the Middle East on Saturday morning early. It so happens that we have good friends in the area who have already been a great blessing to us. Mom & Dad are happy to be in this beautiful hospital and are getting good care. Because the pituitary gland was mostly or completely removed, Mom will need hormone replacement therapy for the rest of her life; evidently this is very tricky to regulate and will take time. Please remember my parents through these difficult days. Thanks to all who have written and prayed.

Let me update you all on things in Pittsburg...my mom was released from the hospital Thursday and able to make it up 13 stairs to her bed in the home of friends. She has been exhausted and weak which is understandable after 23 days in the hospital and having had brain surgery. Yesterday we were concerned because of unusual fatique and a little confusion so we took her to the emergency room and found some of her hormone levels to be very low. After large IV doses of medication she perked up and we brought her home. She continues to gain strength and we plan to head for Georgia by car on Tuesday after seeing the doctor one more time. I'm happy to be with my parents for this short time and glad to help them get re-settled in their Toccoa home. I fly back on Saturday, the 12th. Thanks for your concern and prayers.

Long days

This is my mom's 21st day in the hospital. It's only my 4th and the days are getting so long. We are definitely seeing improvement and hope to get her out of here on Friday, the 4th of July. Our plan is to stay here in the Pittsburg area until the following Tuesday when she has a follow-up visit and then head for Georgia. This way I can help my parents drive down and get re-settled in their home there. I fly home on July 12th. Pray that all of these things will happen in perfect time. Thank you for your prayers for my mom. She has been through some very difficult times but seems to be coming out of it now. There's still a long road ahead but we believe she will recover much more quickly if she gets in her own home. She's never been one to like anything to do with hospitals or medicine.