Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch
Last night I was laying awake, thinking about how I haven't posted in a while and what on earth I had to say in a post. There isn't a whole lot exciting going on here, but here's a quick update on what we're up to:
In Africa....
Ethan had his surgery a week and a bit ago. They removed three of the four screws and all went well. He was pretty happy that Dr. K gave him the screws to keep. For the surgery, he had a spinal anesthetic, and unfortunately something went a little wrong and he was leaking out spinal fluid - which means really bad headaches. The poor guy was only pain-free when he was flat on his back. From what other people have said, it can be really painful -- kind of like your brain has dried out because all the fluid around it has leaked out. I don't know if Ethan's was THAT bad, but I know it took a few days before he was feeling better. (Remember that I'm getting most of my info from a 14 year old boy or his father either by text or crackly phone call...)
Thankfully, he is doing much better and as Nate puts it, "he's back in the saddle."
The hospital project continues to go forward. Dale Davis is back now on site, running the project and in a few weeks the Project Manager, Ted Weinburg, will be back in Mango. This is the man who really inspired Nate to consider coming to Togo way back in January of 2012. Nate will only get to work with Ted for two weeks before we leave, which is kinda funny. Ted and Diane left just before we arrived in August 2012, and now we'll be with him for 2 weeks before we leave.
The other boys are doing well too. Jack is loving going to school with the Dekryger family and Nolan just loves livin' in Africa. They do miss their momma though. (And I miss them like crazy.)
And back in Canada...
Kylie is doing really well on her meds. She carries her little backpack with her wherever she goes. The meds run through her PICC line IV 24 hours a day. She carries a little pump (which she aptly named Squirt), her bag of meds and a little cooler pack in her back pack. The pump runs at a trickle most of the time, but then does three big doses of meds three times a day. She continues to have a funny reaction to the antibiotics so she has to have Benadryl three times a day as well. It's a lot of medication for her ~ just pray that there are no side effects from these long term drugs.
As for Teddy, he has done so well adjusting to life here. Wherever he goes, he likes it. Other than some deep need for McDonald's french fries, he's doing great.
And me. I'm doing well. I miss my husband and the other boys, but realize that we only have a few more weeks before we're all back together again. And I kinda want to make it clear that it isn't that Nate doesn't want to come home. He isn't choosing his job over me. I've asked him to stay so that I can come back with the team (from our church that is heading over to work) and say goodbye to our friends there. He's being very kind in waiting for me to come there, to help pack, to say goodbye, to have some "closure." I am very grateful for his patience and his compassion for my need to do those things. He's a keeper.
As for you. Our friends, our family, those of you we don't know in person but read this blog. You have been very kind.
Before we even left for Togo, I did a lot of reading on what they call "re-entry" - returning to your home culture after seeing a different one and how it can be a real struggle. The books suggested that we might be angry at our North American consumerism and materialism, they suggested that we might find our friends and family disinterested in our life in Africa, and that we might not really get a chance to talk about it.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
We have such good friends and family. You have been kind and generous. You have asked questions, really good questions, and you have listened to the answers. You have laughed with me and cried with me. You have not judged, you have not yawned (except when I kept you up too late), and you have been genuine in your interest, concern and love for us. You know who you are! And I cannot thank you enough.
I think it would be much harder to process what we've been through if no one had been interested. I think there would have been way more tears and emotion if you hadn't asked. But by letting me talk about it, ponder your questions, and come up with an answer, it has helped process and deal with the craziness of the last eight months.
Thank you very very much. Thank you for asking and listening, for praying and encouraging, for reading about our lives and being genuinely interested. You are all very good friends. I think we'll keep you!
And slowly, as we figure out what it is that we've learned, we'll post it. Some things are already coming to light. We know that we have been very privileged to live what we have lived and to share it with you.
In Africa....
Ethan had his surgery a week and a bit ago. They removed three of the four screws and all went well. He was pretty happy that Dr. K gave him the screws to keep. For the surgery, he had a spinal anesthetic, and unfortunately something went a little wrong and he was leaking out spinal fluid - which means really bad headaches. The poor guy was only pain-free when he was flat on his back. From what other people have said, it can be really painful -- kind of like your brain has dried out because all the fluid around it has leaked out. I don't know if Ethan's was THAT bad, but I know it took a few days before he was feeling better. (Remember that I'm getting most of my info from a 14 year old boy or his father either by text or crackly phone call...)
Thankfully, he is doing much better and as Nate puts it, "he's back in the saddle."
The hospital project continues to go forward. Dale Davis is back now on site, running the project and in a few weeks the Project Manager, Ted Weinburg, will be back in Mango. This is the man who really inspired Nate to consider coming to Togo way back in January of 2012. Nate will only get to work with Ted for two weeks before we leave, which is kinda funny. Ted and Diane left just before we arrived in August 2012, and now we'll be with him for 2 weeks before we leave.
The other boys are doing well too. Jack is loving going to school with the Dekryger family and Nolan just loves livin' in Africa. They do miss their momma though. (And I miss them like crazy.)
And back in Canada...
Kylie is doing really well on her meds. She carries her little backpack with her wherever she goes. The meds run through her PICC line IV 24 hours a day. She carries a little pump (which she aptly named Squirt), her bag of meds and a little cooler pack in her back pack. The pump runs at a trickle most of the time, but then does three big doses of meds three times a day. She continues to have a funny reaction to the antibiotics so she has to have Benadryl three times a day as well. It's a lot of medication for her ~ just pray that there are no side effects from these long term drugs.
As for Teddy, he has done so well adjusting to life here. Wherever he goes, he likes it. Other than some deep need for McDonald's french fries, he's doing great.
And me. I'm doing well. I miss my husband and the other boys, but realize that we only have a few more weeks before we're all back together again. And I kinda want to make it clear that it isn't that Nate doesn't want to come home. He isn't choosing his job over me. I've asked him to stay so that I can come back with the team (from our church that is heading over to work) and say goodbye to our friends there. He's being very kind in waiting for me to come there, to help pack, to say goodbye, to have some "closure." I am very grateful for his patience and his compassion for my need to do those things. He's a keeper.
As for you. Our friends, our family, those of you we don't know in person but read this blog. You have been very kind.
Before we even left for Togo, I did a lot of reading on what they call "re-entry" - returning to your home culture after seeing a different one and how it can be a real struggle. The books suggested that we might be angry at our North American consumerism and materialism, they suggested that we might find our friends and family disinterested in our life in Africa, and that we might not really get a chance to talk about it.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
We have such good friends and family. You have been kind and generous. You have asked questions, really good questions, and you have listened to the answers. You have laughed with me and cried with me. You have not judged, you have not yawned (except when I kept you up too late), and you have been genuine in your interest, concern and love for us. You know who you are! And I cannot thank you enough.
I think it would be much harder to process what we've been through if no one had been interested. I think there would have been way more tears and emotion if you hadn't asked. But by letting me talk about it, ponder your questions, and come up with an answer, it has helped process and deal with the craziness of the last eight months.
Thank you very very much. Thank you for asking and listening, for praying and encouraging, for reading about our lives and being genuinely interested. You are all very good friends. I think we'll keep you!
And slowly, as we figure out what it is that we've learned, we'll post it. Some things are already coming to light. We know that we have been very privileged to live what we have lived and to share it with you.
I'm not sure who's more disappointed that your African adventure has come to an end, you or me. I enjoyed your journey, and your story about that journey, very, very much. It's been a genuine pleasure to hear about your family and your time there; I certainly hope there are many more adventures to come.
ReplyDeleteI love you. <3. Continuing to pray for all the details and for all the W Fam
ReplyDeleteGreat to keep up with everything through the blog. I don't comment much, but know I think of you often and pray for you and your family. Glad everyone is on the mend, so good to hear.
ReplyDeleteFriends care about friends, wherever they are. Whatever they are doing. Friends care about what God is doing in friends' lives, even when it's different than what he's doing in their lives. Maybe especially then. Friends might not "get" all the details, but they will pray and cheer you on and love you, even when it gets messy. Friends ask hard questions and are willing to hear hard answers. Friends are willing to listen to the hard questions and don't try to have all the answers. Friends don't care about tears and might even cry some with you. It's not anything heroic. It's just what friends do.
ReplyDelete