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Friends,
I approach this latest newsletter deadline in my pajamas, lying on my couch, debating with myself how I am going to make it through the school day tomorrow after nearly two weeks of being mostly flat on my back. A couple of weeks ago I started fighting nausea and exhaustion (which we think was probably just some random virus going around), but in a weakened state, Malaria hit me really hard. I spent a couple of days in a local hospital, but started improving enough to avoid a med-evac flight to our hospital up in Mbingo. As I write this, my malaria counts are back down to what could be considered ‘normal’ for here, but my hemoglobin counts are still dangerously low. (An oversimplification of what that means is that I need more iron which will enable my blood to carry more oxygen). These last few weeks have been a testament to what it means to live in a community, a family of believers who cares for one another. God has put an amazing group of people in my life who have helped and cared for me in ways I cannot even begin to list. As a single, I do many things by myself and tend (by a combination of choice and necessity) to be pretty independent, but sometimes God puts me in a position where I must lean on others. On one level, those moments make me feel weak and drive me mildly crazy, yet I also find that they serve to remind me quite clearly how important it is that I depend on Christ and His strength rather than myself and my own strength in other areas of my life as well.
Thank you so much for your prayers these past few weeks! Please continue to pray that I will find that ever-elusive balance – this time between fighting to regain strength and get moving more without overdoing it.
In the midst of all of this, the academic year at RFIS is plowing full speed ahead as always! As any teacher can tell you, it can be more than a bit overwhelming at this point in the year to sit down and look at how much information still needs to be covered and how few school days remain. This year graduation falls during the first week in June, and the countdown has definitely begun! Pray that our staff and students are not only meeting their academic obligations, but also taking the time they need to say healthy goodbyes as they prepare to board a plane for whatever comes ‘next.’
Lastly, I am excited to announce that I will be back in the US for a short time this summer! Unfortunately, most of that time will be spent at training for AP (Advanced Placement) courses I will be teaching this fall and working with curriculum related to that training. However, it would be an absolute JOY to see some of you! I will be based out of my parent’s place in Winnebago, Nebraska and be spending one week at Carleton College (just south of Minneapolis) and another week in Iowa City. If you are close enough to one of these places to be able to meet up somewhere for an evening, please let me know so we can talk about dates– it would be wonderful to sit and visit!
My Summer Plans
Week of: General Location:
June 14-20 Winnebago, NE
June 21-27 Carleton College (Northfield, MN)
June 28-July 4 Winnebago, NE
July 5-11 University of Iowa (Iowa City, IA)
UPDATE: I wrote most of this letter a week ago, and since then I am feeling MUCH better. I have had my blood retested and the Malaria is gone and my hemoglobin counts are improving (though I still have a ways to go for that). However, others in our community are dropping like flies. They are pretty sure one has Dengue Fever, several others are undiagnosed at this point with the assumption that it is probably malaria, and another member of our community has been flown up to Mbingo for what was originally ‘just’ malaria but the latest rumor is that she has been diagnosed with some rare something that I haven’t ever heard of. AND one of the nurses who spent so much time with me was hospitalized today too! Part of what is so strange is that NONE of these things are contagious, they all come from mosquitos or the like. Pray for a hedge of protection around the RFIS community! This week we jump into an insane testing schedule for the next couple weeks (IGCSE, A Levels, and AP), pray that teachers and students will be healthy and able to do what they need to academically too.
Update on Emmanuel: Emmanuel, whose early January motorcycle accident I talked about in my last newsletter, is STILL in the hospital. They have finally taken the pins out of both his leg and foot, but when I saw him last (early April) he was still waiting for the surgery to put the rod into his leg. This has been extra-frustrating because he is supposedly ready for that to happen, but the doctor needed to do it was on leave, so he is just sort of stuck waiting – imagine how frustrating that is for him when he has now been in the hospital for what is approaching 4 months!