Monday, January 12, 2009

Catching Up


After getting back from Nicaragua back in November, it's been a whirlwind of holiday activities. We spent Thanksgiving with Tedd's family in PA, and Christmas with my family in AR. Included in the events were three of our dear friends' weddings: Tedd was a groomsman in one of 'em, I was a bridesmaid, Tedd played piano & guitar in 2 of them, and I sang in all three! They were busy and fun weekends!

Congratulations, Zach & Becki Hall, Chris & Arlene Cross, and Hunter & Alexis White! We love y'all.

On our way back from Pennsylvania to Arkansas, Tedd surprised me with a stop at the Whitestone Inn - a gorgeous B&B in Tennessee, and a convenient half-way point between destinations. I cried; it was incredibly thoughtful of him. The owners are Christians and offer their luxurious rooms for almost nothing to missionaries; we were so touched by their generosity.

There's a CD coming...no really, we mean it this time! How's mid February sound? Here's a sneak peak of the CD cover:

In other news, I had a funny cramping feeling on my lower right side last Monday. It didn't hurt too bad, but it didn't seem right, so I went to the hospital with Tedd to see if I might have appendicitis. Bingo. Two hospitalizations in less than two months. Anyway, after the diagnosis, I stayed that night, had a laparoscopic appendectomy the next day, and stayed another night to recover. I was blessed to be near my family and in-country. God is so awesome! I'm feeling much better now and I'm incredibly thankful to be living in a time when I can simply have my appendix removed.

Edit: Yesterday Tedd & I went to the surgeon for a follow-up visit. He told me I was "lucky," because I had a 7mm carcinoid tumor inside of the appendix I had removed. If the tumor had been 3mm larger, I would've had to have more surgery and half of my colon removed. If the tumor had not been placed right where it was in my appendix, I may not have had appendicitis, and therefore the appendix not removed, and therefore the tumor undiscovered. If the tumor had remained undiscovered, according to the doc., there was a possibility that it could have spread and caused severe complications. Wow - that kind of news is sobering for a 22-yr-old. (Yet because the tumor was less than 10mm, it's considered a done deal once it's removed....doc said we don't have to worry about it now)

BUT, we know there is really no "if." God had it all under control - He allowed the tumor to be discovered and removed. It's only one more story to add to my mental list titled "Remember When God..."

Be encouraged that He loves you, brothers and sisters, and that we are more vulnerable than we realize, but in our vulnerability, He's faithfully taking care of the things that are out of our control.

I'm so thankful for God's watch over me.

Thanks so much to those of you who sent me get-well e-mails and for your prayers.

Coming Up

January
Lancaster Bible College Missions Conference (19th-23rd)
***pray for students to catch the fire!
Leave for Guatemala (Jan. 25th)

February
Guatemala for Leader's Training promo. and Video project w/ J. Schultz (Jan. 25th - Feb. 15th)

March
India for Sadri Primer Construction (March 6th-April 4th)


I often say "your prayers are priceless" and they really are. This realization came during a time when I was desperately lonely, spiritually weak, and afraid. Knowing that righteous people were praying for me made me feel "not-forgotten" in my time of trouble and it was one of the greatest gifts that anyone could have given me.

I still feel that way - there are no words to express how valuable your prayers are, not only on Tedd's and my behalf, but on behalf of the weak and hopeless, the voiceless and the broken, and just any plain ole joe, really! Keep on prayin' - it's a genuine expression of love for humanity.
-em

3 comments:

  1. Anonymous11:28 PM

    'Prayer' is a genuine expression of love for humanity...

    Well said, sis. One of the easiest ways to be a witness to someone is to say, "I'll be praying for you."

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous3:02 PM

    Yay! A CD... I'll be eager to hear it! I heard ya'll have quite the studio now. :)

    Keep healing, Em!

    Blessings,

    Abigail @ Pearls and Diamonds

    ReplyDelete
  3. hey em, we miss ya'll and hope guatemala is treating you well!!!

    i can't wait to get your new cd!! i'll be the first in line to buy it when it goes mainstream ;)

    love yall!!
    jamie and kacee, oh and noah says "HI!"

    ReplyDelete

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