Salt.
The cure for anything is salt...
This is a very personal update for such a public platform, and a bit uncomfortable for me to write mostly about myself, but if you can stick with me, I am hoping you’ll see the hand of God at work!
I have Addison’s disease, which is a rare, life-threatening endocrine disorder. My adrenals do not produce enough cortisol or aldosterone, which affects every cell and system of my body. Addison’s is a salt-wasting disease, which means it is impossible for my body to keep my electrolytes balanced without help. I have low blood volume and low blood pressure. I have to take a cocktail of steroids throughout the day every day to stay alive and I up-dose for extra stressful events like viruses, infections, shopping, traveling, being in large crowds or having visitors, heat or any time I break a sweat, and even for times of emotional stress, good or bad; all of which require time for me to recover for days or weeks which feels like recovering from a bad flu with heart failure. When people see me out and about, then it’s a “good” day, which means I have rested and prepared to be out, but that means spending energy I don’t have in order to look like there’s nothing wrong with me, and then I will pay for going out in recovery time. Some days are better than others, but every day is a fight.
Funny story: the laboratory we chose in town was the only lab here that, twenty-two years ago, used needles from a blister pack. This was a priority for me since we had heard horror stories of needles being “sterilized” for reuse. This lab did not use vacuum vials; instead, they used open glass vials, in which the phlebotomist would simply catch the blood as it was pumped out. I found this hilarious and would watch in amusement every time; usually, the sight of blood, even my own, does not bother me. This year, our normal lab returned to using the same paper-sealed, taped needles as the other labs. Oh well. At least they upgraded to vacuum vials.
After I got a slight cold mid February, I ran low grades every day thereafter for over two months, so we decided to get more tests done. The results found I had a massive infection which turned out to be an asymptomatic UTI. It took a couple of weeks of a strong antibiotic to clear up. I was hopeful I would feel better after the infection was gone, but I still wasn’t getting better, so we drove through the water over the road to go for more labs. This time, the phlebotomist struggled to find the vein and decided to twist and turn the needle around in my arm which made me faint and seize. Thankfully Vann was there to catch me. He said my eyes were open and I was not breathing except for a ragged snore every now and then - thankfully I didn’t swallow my tongue. I was unconscious for 5-8 minutes to the complete horror of the lab techs around me who could not figure out what to do. Poor Vann. After I came to, he carried me across the hall to lay me down on the only gurney in the place. Thankfully he was there since none of the tiny Peruvians could have moved me as I am head and shoulders taller than most of them. I slept for over half an hour on the gurney during which time they finished the six vial draw needed to send off to Lima. Recovering from this traumatic event took me a while longer than I would have liked. Actually, it was awful, but I was thankful it did not send me into an Addisonian crisis. Come to find out, my sodium levels are dangerously low, so after consulting my doctors I’ve been drinking over two teaspoons of salt in my water every day and upped my mineralocorticoid which has helped a bit. I am so thankful to still be here and in the fight.
I usually fight the fight of faith by being thankful and counting my blessings, which are many. This is a great tool I’ve learned to wield well, but being thankful for my blessings just wasn’t cutting it this time. Over the past couple of months, I have found myself more discouraged and angry about my limitations. I was lamenting and crying at God about it and begging Him for healing and help when He patiently showed me (again) how He himself is my prize, not the gifts He gives. I can thank Him in all things and for all things because His love is better than life itself. “The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me” Psalm 50:23a Sometimes thanksgiving feels like a sacrifice, but then God gets the glory, which is my primary purpose and goal in life.
I pushed myself beyond my limits to make a cake for one of my closest friends’ surprise birthday party. I volunteered to make it months ago, when I was stronger, and when I got a cold, I was hopeful I would be well enough in time, but I wasn’t. I worked on it in stages over two weeks. The day came to assemble and deliver it to the party, and although I was still not well, I was not willing to miss out on one more thing, so I got dressed and put makeup on for the first time in months. Vann drove me to the party in the rain while I carried this already wonky, very heavy, four-layer cake down our long, bumpy, dirt road. I arrived at the party completely exhausted and with a falling and battered cake. What a mess. I stayed only long enough for the fun surprise and to hug my friend’s neck, and then had Vann take me home. I was crashing out hard and was so sick. The next day, a team of eighteen people arrived for us to host, and I miraculously woke up feeling a little stronger, and by God’s grace alone, I was able to serve and talk to these precious people for five days in a row. Now, I did not do very much. I had lots of help, and this team took such good care of everything, but I did not think I’d even be able to get up out of bed, much less be able to serve and host. God gave me the grace and strength to do what He set before me to do. He is my wonder-working God who loves me and sees me. His love is better than life, therefore I will praise Him.
The Little Red School House team came again this year, led by our dear friend, Rozanna Leever, to teach English classes and share Jesus’ love at a local school, and to help out in a local church with Sunday School. This year, they brought their parents along to help us in various projects here on base. They are hard-working, super kind, salt of the earth people who finished the framing and did most of the wiring for the Little house, patched drywall in the Howe’s house, filled in the potholes in the driveway with gravel, weeded our garden, washed the dogs, and cleaned the pavilion and pool surround - all in two days! They were such a tremendous blessing to us, and this mission, and we look forward to hosting them again next year!
I know so many of you pray for me, specifically for my health. I thank you and beg you to continue. God hears your prayers, and He is good. Please also pray for Vann and the many, many things he does to keep this base running while serving everyone around him as only he can - fixing the fiberoptic lines and resetting satellites for the base internet, inventing and building the fuel-line for the generator, welding a wheeled cart to make his welder portable, bush hogging the fields before dry season, etc., etc., etc… We thank God for letting us be the ones to do this job - we love it! Thank you to each of you who pray for us, we ask God’s hand of blessing over each of you!
“People don’t enjoy salt. They enjoy what is salted. We are the salt of the earth. We do not exist for ourselves.” - John Piper