Velly Appy

[This ended up longer than I intended, but it is an update on our kids' health for those who are interested]
Last week I took the kids to the doctor for checkups since Will needs a checkup anyway due to his epilepsy, and Annie has never really had a checkup. ever.
We got to the doctor and I didn't know what to expect or to tell the kids we were going to do, so I just said the doctor would check that they were healthy. We talked with him for a few minutes and I told him about each kid's health (rather- lack thereof) and he promptly prescribed a bunch of blood tests and a couple of x-rays. He told me what each blood test/x-ray was for and how it related to each kid's health, and I felt confident that he knew what he was doing. So we trotted along behind a Korean translator who took us place to place in the hospital to get all the tests done. It took about an hour and a half before we were finally finished. Both kids had bandaids on their arms and had stood very still for x-rays, and we were told that one of Annie's bandaids had to stay on for the next THREE DAYS (!!!YEAH RIGHT!!!), and we should come in this week for results.

So we did. We managed to keep Annie band-aided most of the time, and when we got back to the doctor's office, he announced that he was "Velly Appy!" He explained all the results to me and showed me that Will's epilepsy is being controlled perfectly and we don't need to change his medicine at all. His body is handling the medication just fine and the only thing that he needs is more RED MEAT. go figure. Thank you very much, Indian diet.
Then he showed me Annie's tests and explained that possible things that might be causing her delayed growth or development can be ruled out (i.e. thyroid is fine and she doesn't have TB). He said that her development is fine and she seems to be a smart girl. When he mentioned the x-ray she had of her hand, he again expressed that he was "Velly Appy!" because her bone density matched her age exactly. So, I guess she must really be 2 1/2, even though almost all the 1 1/2 year-olds we know here are bigger than her. :) The doctor's only requirement for her is to eat more red meat too. :)

I wanted to share this on here because it is an answer to our prayers and to the prayers of many people who read this blog. Two years ago we were overwhelmed with concern for our little boy who kept having seizures and we didn't have any idea what the future would look like for him and for us. It was a hard season. Then we realized later that year that our little girl was tiny and not really growing. She seemed frail, often refused to eat the food we tried to feed her, and passed out in our arms several times, so we were concerned about her lungs and heart. She hardly talked at all until she was two and we prayed that she was developing ok. We lifted all of these concerns back up to our Father in Heaven, who knows our needs before we even ask for them, and who promises:
"Even to your old age and gray hairs, I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you." (Isaiah 46:4)

And another promise that we clung to during the past 2-year season is that "He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young."(Isaiah 40:11)

We have felt gently led, sustained, and carried. We have felt God tending to our needs and drawing us close to His heart and He has given us peace about our kids' health. Their lives are in His good Shepherd hands. Thank you for praying and praising God with us. We are, as you can imagine, "Velly Appy!"

Celebrating our 5th year of marriage!!! :)

Today is our wedding anniversary! 5 years down, a life-time to go -and I'm excited for many days ahead of walking through life with my Nate. He's such an amazing husband and father and I just love him so much! :)
On all of our past anniversaries, I saw a lot of Nate, but not today, since he's in meetings. So anyway, I've just been thinking a lot recently about the years we've had together and what God has given us. Some incredibly rich blessings, some things that have felt really hard for us. When I look back, the first 4 years really fade into the background, and this most recent year stands out in my mind. The blessings can be hard to see, but whenever I start complaining to God, He reminds me of so many ways He's provided for us and carried us so gently.

Perhaps the darkest shadow throughout this past year has been Will's epilepsy. We spent our anniversary last year in a hospital watching Will undergo all sorts of tests, only to have him diagnosed at the end of the day with Epilepsy which required medication. It shook us up a lot to watch him continue to have many seizures for 6 more months and to have to increase his medication almost weekly until finally January arrived and the seizures stopped. I can't even count all the blessings that we have felt throughout this dark year - particularly with relation to seeing God carry us through that seizure season. Briefly, I have to say that our community here, family support back 'home' and a helpful, kind Doctor in Delhi (who let us sort almost everything out over email!!!!) are just a few of the really helpful things through all that time that we consider gifts from God.
Throughout the fall, I wrestled with more anxiety than I have ever experienced. Of course, it was mostly unreasonable, but facing seizures at any time coupled with a robbery on our campus and a number of violent anti-Christian incidents in our country and area kept me constantly on edge. We felt exhausted all the way through December with it all. I prayed a lot about my worries- prayed that God would calm my fears and bring us peace in every way, and I remember very distinctly how Nate walked through me during that time- listening, reminding me of truth and praying with me. Beyond my comprehension, God just took away those fears gradually, and again, I can say that I don't worry- Wow, God!

Since January, we have had a number of other shadows in our life here- not news to most people who read my blog, but I don't want to forget where we've been so I can remember how God has cared for us through it all. Annie's weight has felt stressful. She continues to be very underweight - she's 20 months old now and only weighs 16.5 lbs and stands almost 30 inches tall. So we praise God that she looks and acts healthy, and I thank Him each time she eats a meal heartily. In February she gave us a scare when she started throwing tantrums where she'd stop breathing and go unconscious briefly.
I think that was one of the hardest things for me looking back on this year- was to have watched both of my kids look dead in my arms and not have any idea what was going on- much less, what to do to help them.
Annie's tantrums just about broke me and I told Nate, sobbing, that I wanted to pack up and get out of here. Thankfully, God does not actually EVER give us more than we can bear, and Annie quit fainting after a few weeks. Our last major discouragement over the past half-year has been having two miscarriages. So, as my dad has taught me to ask: " God, what are you doing here?" And we don't know, but again, I don't want to leave out the blessings He's already shown us:
-the second miscarriage didn't interfere with our trip to Korea! It also happened before we had told everyone and before Nate had duties with the new school year. We also had a few days warning that we would lose the baby, so we were able to work through some of our grief even before it happened...Wow, God! Your timing is PERFECT!
And that sums up a full year of marriage, which makes the previous 4 years almost disappear. It's been a long, hard year full of things we never dreamed we would have to face. I suspect that the rest of our lives will continue to be packed with things we didn't dream of facing, and what we've dealt with so far doesn't even compare to the grief/loss/struggles that some people face. So my prayer today is a thankful one - that God has clearly shown His faithfulness all year long (and certainly through the past 5 years of marriage!). He has been refining us through these hard times- making us stronger, showing us how how to live lives that honor Him even more. I thank Him for the refreshing times He's given us: for a new season of being able to read His Word daily together (all of our moving/adjusting our first 4 years of marriage made our times in the Word few and far between- but the past several months we've been reading consistently) - and I thank Him for much refreshment during our time in Korea.

Isaiah speaks clearly about what we have lived (I'm taking the liberty of switching around the order of two verses):
"I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things." (Isaiah 45:7) "so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting men may know there is none besides me. I am the LORD, and there is no other." (Isaiah 45:6)
- that is the story of life: hard times and good times - all designed for the purpose of making God known to the whole earth!

So I claim Isiah 43: 1-4 as my own (I'm copying the bulk of it here, but read all the surrounding chapters- this part of the Bible is AMAZING!). God says:
"...'Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior... ...you are precious and honored in my sight... I love you..."

Blessings during Epilepsy

In a few days, we'll head down to Delhi and spend a crazy day in the heat, with crabby kids, passing the hours before our big trip to Korea! I booked an appointment with Will's doctor so that we can talk with him about what the plan is with his medication. Getting that lined up reminded me that this month we will celebrate 6 months of no seizures. It seems like yesterday that we had to wrestle with the helpless feeling of daily having our 2 year-old crash to the ground, body writhing out of all human control... and yet, I look back to that time, and what stands out are the blessings.
-Overwhelming care and support from our colleagues/friends here, and friends and family back 'home'.
-Excellent doctors in Delhi who were able to correctly diagnose the problem and offer us solutions right away.
-Since we are in India, we could afford the tests, doctor visits, travel and hotel costs.
-Will's last seizure was on the train on our way to Goa for our winter holiday: we didn't have to deal with seizures while away from home for a month.
-Will takes his medicine quite well, and the doctor recently adjusted the dose so that it's much easier for us too give to him.
-Will is back to 'normal' now - he runs around and plays hard like other kids his age, and we dont' worry about him- what a blessing.
-He'll probably grow out of his epilepsy in a few years - wow.
Blessings : gifts from God. A Bible verse comes to my mind about how God will never give us more than we can handle, and I look back and see how God has cared for our family through everything this past year. Another verse is close to my heart- that God always carries us in His arms. In July it will be a year since Will started having seizures, and we have had 6 months without seizures now- God is so good to us. He has helped us in every way and given us a time of rest from those hard days of seizures.