Whew...what a time we've had lately. Malaria season has kicked in...with the rains returning the mosquitos are also returning. William and Benaiah had malaria first, then Katelyn came down with typhoid, then Talitha came down with malaria and some sort of bacterial thing going on, then Benaiah got malaria again, and Rebecca followed that with a tummy bug. In the middle of all that, I ended up with a blocked kidney (but seemingly not from a stone) that left me in excruciating pain (way worse than childbirth) on Sunday and I spent the day in the hospital getting an Ultrasound and ultimately a CT scan. On Monday, Talitha spiraled down further and we ended up in the clinic with her for IV antibiotics, antimalarials, and fluid. Now Eric is playing catch up with the rest of us by coming down with malaria too. In these seasons, we sure take comfort in God's mercy and compassion and also the prayers of very many saints. I was listening to Paul Tripp's recent talk at the Gospel Coalition Conference on suffering. His final point was that suffering happens in community as brothers and sisters in Christ pray for and support one another. We really felt that last weekend as we walked through some difficult moments, but knew people around the world were praying for us.
Towards the end of the week, the smiles finally came back out. Praise God!
And the kids got a turtle as a gift.
Today, I was able to run in a 5K for CURE hospital. We have been very thankful for CURE hospital. They specialize in pediatric brain surgeries...hydrocephalus, spina bifida, and brain tumors. But they also have helped us out on more than one occasion with stitches, asthma attacks and this past weekend with my CT Scan. (The radiographer even came back in after-hours from over an hour away to do the scan). I was so thankful to be able to run today and support a great cause while I was at it. And running in races here is just an overall great experience...late start times, dance party warm-ups, and dodging bodas and traffic... so much fun! I couldn't convince my family to join me this year, but it was a fun time to catch up with friends.
