Mystery and Relief

Some of you may have heard rumors regarding my (Sara) health. So I thought an update was in order. On Wednesday, November 16th I noticed a raised, red splotch on my left breast. It was originally diagnosed as mastitis and I was given antibiotics. A few days later my left arm went completely numb. It was extremely heavy, fatigued even when at rest, and very painful. I was experiencing shooting pain from my left breast through my shoulder and down my arm to my fingers.

The next two weeks were a blur of antibiotics, pain killers, extreme pain, extreme fatigue, vertigo, confusion and nausea. I went through a myriad of tests. Blood draw after blood draw, a trip to the ER, spine X-ray, mammogram, ultrasound, breast tissue biopsy, and a brain and shoulder MRI. The MRI was actually a pleasant experience - I even fell asleep. I felt like an astronaut. Anyway, what did I learn from all this testing? That I am an extremely healthy woman free of any life threatening or long-term disease. I was glad to learn that I do in fact have a brain and it works correctly.

I also learned that my immediate and extended family love me very very well. My cousin, Krista, became my hero - driving me from appointment to appointment and checking in on me often. My hubby, as always, showed extreme calm through the storm and picked up the slack around the house with apparent ease (at least he wasn't complaining). My sister-in-law, Angie, became my on-call doctor, helping me know what tests to ask for next and reassuring me that I am not insane. My mother, Barb, saved the day - the week actually. She came up the week after Thanksgiving to take over all the many tasks of a mother. Eloise asked her, "so you are sort of like our maid?!" My mother-in-law and her whole family showed great concern and wanted updated frequently.

What I didn't learn is the exact cause for my mysterious illness. My fatigue, vertigo, confusion, and nausea have lifted. The shooting nerve pain has ceased. I have been able to resume work and some household tasks. My left hand remains very sore and unable to perform fine motor skills for any significant amount of time. Being left-handed this makes writing, eating, and brushing my teeth quite difficult. But I am surprising myself at how quickly I am becoming ambidextrous.

I am trying my best to reduce stress in my life, rest, and recuperate. This means that any of you can feel free to scold me if I try to take on another "project". I may follow up with a neurologist in a few weeks. But now that I know it is nothing extremely serious I need a break from all the tests.

Thanks for all your love, concern, and prayers!

Van is Done!

TapTap

So our van is limping along and we pray it will last until we depart for Haiti this summer. For fun and randomness sake we are turning our van into a Haitian TapTap. Well trying at least. So far it just looks like a poorly done South Minneapolis Art Car. But I add more to it each day and it is improving bit by bit. I'll post pictures of ours when I get a little further in the process.

Got Networks?

We are marching along with support raising and doing pretty well. We are at about 43% of our monthly support which is a huge blessing. While we do need to be at 100% before we can move to Haiti, there are also benchmarks along the way that we must meet. Departing this summer means a string of trainings beforehand and we need to be at certain percentages to attend certain trainings. So here are our benchmarks: 50% by January, 75% by April, 80% by May, 95% by June, 100% by July.


We are fairly confident we can get to 50% in the next few weeks. However, to get to 75% by April we are going to need help. We are in need of people to help introduce us to others who may want to learn more about our vision for Haiti. This could be your small group, your church mission board, your neighbors, your friends, your colleagues, or your family. Would you consider hosting a gathering of your contacts and allow us to present? We are more than willing to travel!

Fundraising Event

Please Invite Your Friends!

Where...

Five Two Six Gallery

526 Selby Avenue, St. Paul

When...

Thursday, September 22nd at 7pm

Why...

A fundraiser to help send our family to Haiti

What...
Silent Auction, Raffle, Free Appetizers and Beverages, Live Music, Fun!

Creole continuing education

In our continuing efforts to learn Creole, we have tried a variety of methods: Haiti nights with random vocabulary lessons, ipad apps, books, as well as scripture memory. As you can see below, the last one seems to have caught on, especially with the girls (who know this much better than either Luke or me).

School and Birthday

Our Coming of Age Skater

(5th Grade)

Our Perfect Doll

Our Pink Princess

So very much to celebrate today. Luke entered the 5th grade. He sported all skateboarding brand clothing today - skinny jeans and all. Eloise entered the 2nd grade. She chose a cute matching outfit - and of course - a first day of school hat. Kate starts Pre Kindergarten on Monday. So to make her day special today we celebrated Stroller's 1st birthday. Chris won Stroller, Kate's monkey, at the MN State Fair last year, making him one year old today!