My class thought it would be fun to decorate for St. Patrick’s Day, so we scrapped our early morning plans (before “tea” break) and got out the construction paper (thanks to my homeschool support group who donated many of our art supplies!)  We ended up with a big, bright rainbow, a huge pot of gold, and a life-sized Leprechaun complete with bright orange beard and a belt buckle with L on it for “Lucky.” FUN! The school room is really coming to life. We have planets on the wall, artwork from our art class, and now holiday decor. I was thinking that it would also be fun to have a little party on St. Patty’s Day. Wondering if I can made shamrock cookies and find some green food coloring. I’ll let you know.

Earlier this week we had our most difficult night yet. Mason has been struggling with bad stomach cramps, diarrhea and loss of appetite for days. On this particular night, he had one bite of dinner, then rushed off to the bathroom. Minutes later I heard him wailing. His legs were cramping, both of them, with charlie horses that wouldn't let up. His stomach was a mess. He was back and forth to the bathroom and when he wasn't there he was rolled up in a ball screaming on his bed. This went on for more than an hour and we finally called one of the more experienced missionaries here for help. She said he was severely dehydrated and the lack of salt was causing the cramps. He either needed to get a lot of rehydration fluid down quickly or we needed to take him into town to get put on IV fluids. Not wanting an IV, he agreed to try to drink the liquids, but the first few sips came right back up, along with everything else he'd had earlier in the day. He became listless and at one point wouldn't even open his eyes for Dan. I was near panic, but in the back of my mind I remembered that God and I had talked about this long before we left the U.S. These were His babies before they were ours. He loves them MORE than we do, which is hard for me to fathom. I know He told us to come and I trust that He will take care of them. I just have to do the best I can and let Him do the rest.

Read more: I am the Tape

Realized this week that part of our health problems may be due to poor nutrition. Although I've been experimenting with scratch cooking I haven't done a good job of putting healthy meals on the table for my family. You would think we'd eat better here - fresh fruits and vegetables. But it's not that easy. Anything that can't be peeled must be bleached and washed. It takes a long time. Oddly, the fact that we are starving didn't register until our new housemates arrived. They've been here before. In fact, they come every 6 months for a few months at a time to do maintenance and finance work. As I stood by watching them eat full meals - fish, salads, sandwiches - I realized...we're not eating. I constantly find myself standing in the pantry looking for something to fix for lunch or dinner and drawing a blank. So last night I went to the grocery store with them and followed their lead. If they bought bread at the bakery, so did I. If they bought fish, so did I. Then I sat down and made a menu of things we would normally eat at home so that I can try to figure out if there is any way to make them here. It may take a while, but I'm determined that Dan won't have to eat popcorn for lunch again. And...like it or not, my kids are going to have to learn to eat veggies!

I called off school today. I am exhausted and my boys are still sick. For my own peace of mind I need to "mother" them. I also need to make a plan for how I can take better care of my family. Most of all, I need to spend some time with Jesus - to step away from the contaminated water and bathe in the Living Water. I'm tired.

Feeling the effects of a new environment. Over the past two weeks we’ve been battling fevers, cramps, diarrhea, appetite loss, and fatigue. Griffin started out the week with cramps, diarrhea and fever, Mason has been battling 103 temps for the last two days along with stomach cramps that have brought tears. Jen and I also have the same symptoms without the fever. Everyone here is perplexed as to what the cause could be. Mason tested negative today for malaria. Praise God! We started treating ourselves for amebic dysentery and Guardia today. We’ve super cleaned all the water containers and filters to hopefully circumvent any additional contamination. Our water here is straight from the mountain springs and not treated or filtered so there is a potential for all sorts of contaminates. We have a filter that we use for drinking water but none for the tap. Praying that our issues are from the water and not more serious. Please consider joining us as we ask God to reveal the source and treatment or that He will miraculously heal our family. We’ve learned some great lessons through this. Our awareness to possible contamination is heightened, and we’ve had the opportunity to experience the wonderful, compassionate, and caring hearts of everyone here who have so generously gone out of their way to help us.  What a tremendous blessing to continue to be the recipient of God’s love shown through his people.

This past week has been challenging. No more grace period for us. Time to get down to business. Unfortunately, by Thursday of this week both boys were sick. It started with mild digestive trouble, which we've all been having since we got here, but then Griffin got worse and eventually developed a fever accompanied by severe stomach cramps and a loss of appetite. He didn't eat for two days and his fever continued. Shonna, the wife of the acting director, relayed Griffin's symptoms to a doctor over the phone and he called in a prescription to a local pharmacy. Three days later he is eating again and the fever is gone. Mason went through the same cramping and intestinal trouble but never developed the fever. We are so thankful to see them up and playing again and appreciate all the prayers offered on their behalf.

Read more: Getting to Work