Hello All!
It seems that there will not be an end to the adventures for our family. Last Sunday was the first Sunday that I had attended church in a long time. My family has been going every other week without me, and staying to do home church with me the other weeks. I had been feeling so much better with my new meds that I felt that I was ready to attend again. I made it through most of the sermon before I wilted and had to go lie down in the car. I fell asleep waiting and was awakened by my family telling me that Corynn had ran into the corner of a mirrored wall and busted her face and knocked a tooth out. Being Sunday, the dentist’s office was closed – of course. We had to wait until the next day when Ashley’s husband Walter came to take Corynn and me to the dentist to find out that she had knocked out the only baby tooth left on that side of her mouth! God is so good. She is healing up just fine.
That next Saturday Vann had gone to town for an Independent Missionary meeting. The kids and I were out doing the farm chores like we do every evening. Corynn was chasing some baby chicks to put in their cage, and she turned around and scratched her eyeball right across her cornea on the roosting poll that was sticking out of the cage. Vann was just then on his way home when I called, and was able to go back into town to find the drops that she needed for her eye. We already knew what drops she needed because this had happened a few years before – just not on a chicken coop! I really wasn’t sure how much more my heart could handle. We had just taken Ethan off of his meds to see if the five day treatment for his mysterious allergic reaction was enough, but his eye got red again and the itching and swelling came back. So he is back on another five days of meds. Ethan just celebrated his ninth birthday! We are so very grateful for his precious life. He enjoyed a party with his American, Peruvian, Swiss and German friends!
The next day, Sunday was a scheduled region wide power outage. Thankfully we knew ahead of time (we don’t always get a heads up) and were able to prepare for the day. The family stayed home with me for home church as I was again unable to go. Around noon the children were outside with me and Clara was stung on the top of her head by a huayranga – a super big wasp. Within minutes she started swelling up like crazy. I gave her an antihistamine and prednisone hoping to slow the swelling, but it kept getting worse. Vann got on his phone, but couldn’t get a call to go out because the cell towers were also down. We have never felt so isolated and alone. All we have is God, and He is enough. We were praying hard while watching Clara’s face swell beyond recognition. Her face had swollen so much that it couldn’t swell any more, and broke out in blisters. She had a bright red blotchy rash from her head to her toes. When her tongue and throat started to swell as well, we gave her an Epi-shot. Remember the epi-pen Ethan didn’t need because God allowed him to faint the week before? Because he didn’t need the epi-pen we still had it to save Clara’s life. God is good. We all piled into the car and raced to the hospital. We passed a neighbor family on the way and they graciously took Corynn and Ethan with them, so they were spared the day in the hot hospital. The process at the hospital is such; admittance writes down Clara’s info, and gives us a paper to take to the cashier to pay 10 soles (approx.$3). Then with those papers the nurse will weigh her, take her temperature and pulse, then with those papers we could stand in line and wait for the doctor to see her. Once it was our turn and the doctor saw her and heard our story she wrote a prescription for all of the things that she needed to give Clara an I.V. treatment. Then Vann had to go to two different pharmacies – outside of the hospital to get the saline solution, tubing, T-stop, needle and meds for Clara while we waited. If she hadn’t already gotten the epi-shot and meds at home she would not have made it to the hospital and through the wait. God is good. As soon as the I.V. was started she made a tremendous improvement and we were out of there in three hours. I am grateful to have access to a hospital that at least has a doctor who knew what to do, and pharmacies that have the needed medicine. The response time could be better, but God had that all under control. Vann and I were praising the Lord for saving our daughter’s life, and reminded ourselves that even if things had not worked out like we wanted them to that God is still good – always.
I am writing this to you as I am again at home while my family is at church. I am tired, and the stress of these past few weeks has taken its toll on my reserves. We are all tired. Vann is still struggling with migraines, kidney stones and hives, but he continues working hard cutting wood for the house and serving everyone that comes to him for help in many varied ways. I am so proud of him. Please pray for our family; that God would strengthen us, protect us, and give us His grace to keep running this race. We love you and are so very grateful for your prayers and support. May our faithful God who meets all of our needs according to His riches in glory bless you and keep you.
By Grace Alone,
Vanessa