Praying for Adalynn 10/19/2013

Dear Family, Friends, and Prayer Warriors,

                Hello, it’s me Adalynn, writing again to update you on my status.  Dad and Mom told me that many of you appreciated my personalization of the last update, so I told them I would happily write to you again. On October 6, the day after I wrote you last, it was confirmed that I truly had pneumonia.  I was given antibiotics for ten days to help me feel better.  I like to think I have recovered well.
My doctor, Dr. Morales, (I like to think I am his favorite patient), said that this pneumonia diagnosis may be common for me even after I go home since I haven’t learned to swallow yet.  He told my parents that they will have to watch me closely and gave them some pointers on signs that could mean I might be getting sick.  Dr. Morales said Dad and Mom will know me better than anyone and will be the best judge of when I might need to see the doctor.  I have to agree with him as Dad and Mom devote time every day to bond with and care for me.  Please pray for Dad and Mom that they will have the wisdom to know when I need to go to the doctor for extra care.

               

Speaking of home, people want to know when I might get to go home.  Would you believe I am writing you from home right now!! I came home yesterday, October 18th!!  Before I could make my big debut at home, we had to make sure the equipment I need was delivered and ready for use.  Dad and Mom also needed lots of education before bringing me home.  They are bit nervous sometimes about making sure I have everything I need, but I think they will do just fine.  All three of us will have to learn what life outside the NICU is all about; and we will do so together.  Dad and Mom say that’s what family is for…sticking together through the changes in life.  I’ve found out my whole family is good at this.

I understand many of you like specific ways to pray for me.  Below is a list of some prayer requests and praises:

·         Pray for Dad, Mom, and me to adjust to life at home.  I still don’t like a whole lot of extra stimulation so we are trying to figure out the balance between letting me sleep and having people come visit.  For this weekend at least, Dad and Mom warned me that I can’t have friends over yet, so I’ll keep you posted! 

·         Pray for my breathing and need for oxygen support.  Earlier this week, I tried telling everyone that I was done with the oxygen support and that they should remove it from my nose.  Well, I won!!!  I have had no oxygen support for a few days now, so please pray I can maintain my oxygen levels without it on.  The doctors and nurses have warned that I am at a high risk for needing oxygen support anytime I get sick though.  I still have lots of fluid in my nose and mouth that needs to be cleaned out with a suction machine on a routine basis.

·         Pray for me as I continue the long journey of therapy and seeing doctors regularly.  I will receive occupational therapy, physical therapy, and therapy from a speech pathologist. Therapy sessions will assist me to grow strong and make sure I continue to improve to the best of my abilities.

·         Pray for continued healing of my brain and body. Only the Great Physician knows all my needs and can heal me beyond what any earthly doctor can!

·         Praise the Lord!  Please thank Jesus for the opportunity to come home and start life in my house.  God is truly good as we weren’t sure 5 weeks ago if I would ever come home!

·         Praise the Lord!  I have begun finding my voice a little bit at a time.  I still don’t cry, but I sure let people know when I don’t like what they are doing by grunting loudly.  I also have started “sighing” in my sleep.  My mom loves just listening to me sleep with my cute “baby noises.”

·         Praise the Lord!  Just as I am starting to vocalize my dislike for certain cares, I am also learning to squirm away from those cares.  I have started trying to turn away from things I don’t like such as having secretions suctioned out, getting my heel poked to draw blood, or getting my lips cleaned.  I also like to put my arms in the way so it’s a little harder to perform those cares that I don’t like.  I am moving and squirming much more the last several days and they say that is a good thing!

·         Praise the Lord!  I would also ask that you thank the Lord for all the nice doctors, nurses, therapists, family members, and everyone who has helped care for me for the last 5 weeks.  God has truly blessed me and my family with many GREAT people who love and care for me.  I had lots of doctors, nurses, and other hospital people stop in to say “bye” and “good luck” yesterday when I was discharged at the hospital.  Mom and Dad tell me (and we thank Jesus) how grateful we are to all those who have helped take care of me.

Well, I would love to write more, but Dad and Mom say it’s almost time to eat and then its bedtime.  I will keep you updated on how life at home is going.  Thanks again for all the love, support, and prayers you offer me on a regular basis.  Our God alone can heal and has the power to save!  In Him alone we trust!!

Love,

Adalynn

Praying for Adalynn 9/25/2013

Dear Family, Friends, and Prayer Warriors,

You continue to humble us by your outpouring of prayer and support for our daughter Adalynn. The past 11 days have been a surreal time in our lives and we praise God that we can write you with an update on how God is continuing to heal Adalynn.

Adalynn is beginning to move her arms and legs from time to time and stretch herself out.  She is still very weak and movements are not real frequent without stimulation.  The medical staff has been able to lower how much the machines are assisting Adalynn’s breathing.  Praise the Lord she is able to do more of the breathing on her own.  She is also now being fed through a tube that goes from her mouth down into her stomach.  After a rough start, she is now tolerating these feedings well. Another huge blessing is that we have been able to continue to hold Adalynn the last few days since she has been breathing better on her own.  Prior to a test yesterday morning, Tuesday, Adalynn had been held continuously since 10PM Friday (9/20) night.  

 As we continue to pray for our sweet daughter, Adalynn, we wanted to update you with some specific prayer requests. 

·         Pray for video EEG test results.
Yesterday, Adalynn completed a 24 hour EEG (a brain test that shows brain activity) with video to help determine if she is having seizures, since she is at high risk for having seizures. We anticipate the results Wednesday (9/25) morning. The results will likely determine whether or not she needs to continue receiving medications.

·         Pray for continued improvement for her breathing.

Adalynn is making progress and we pray that over time the support being given would no
longer be necessary.

·          Pray for visible evidence of a “suck and swallow” reflex.
If Adalynn is able to develop this “suck and swallow” reflex, there is hope she could also begin to eat without the tube she currently receives her feedings from.

·         Pray for Adalynn’s brain functions.

Adalynn’s brain functions continue to be our biggest concern. Please continue to pray for
      miraculous healing of the global brain injury she endured in the birth process.

We give thanks that God has surrounded us with people who care for us and our precious daughter.  We know God has purpose for Adalynn’s life. We celebrate the ways God is working in Adalynn’s life and those that are praying for her.

Please use this information to update the prayer warriors you called upon and express our thankfulness.

Ransom and Beth

Praying for Adalynn 9/19/2013

Family, Friends, and Prayer Warriors,

We are so humbled by your outpouring of prayer and support for our daughter Adalynn.  On Tuesday, 9/17, twelve hours before the rewarming process began on our precious daughter we called out asking you to approach the throne in prayer on our behalf. God provided prayer warriors in the masses and across the globe and we praise God for your prayer commitments covering all 24 hours of the rewarming process. We give thanks that you have and will continue to pray for Adalynn and our family.

Following the rewarming some additional tests were completed. A continued prayer request for Adalynn involves the findings from the MRI of her brain.  This test showed that her entire brain has been affected by the lack of oxygen during the C-section birthing process; specifically the 13 minutes that her body went without a heartbeat. The medical interpretation from this test is that Adalynn will likely not have any cognitive or physical function because of this injury, but we know that God is not limited by medical interpretation.  

The past 36 hours have been a whirlwind of emotions to say the least but our God has been constant. We are clinging to His promises and every victory!  We praise God that we have been able to hold Adalynn for several hours since she has been rewarmed.  Her kidneys have begun to function better and just this morning her breathing tube was removed from her throat. She is now receiving assistance through a special breathing device in her nose. God has done many great things! The doctors are working to improve Adalynn’s breathing and down the road will need to insert a feeding tube for her nutrition.  Once these steps are complete and her breathing is stable, Adalynn will likely be able to come home with us!  We do not know how long this could take, but we praise God that our daughter will come home.  We are so thankful for the beautiful daughter God has blessed us with and we continue to pray that God will continue to do miraculous things in her life.

No words can thank you for your love and support.  God is just beginning to write Adalynn's testimony and we give thanks for her life.

Please use this information to update the prayer warriors you called upon and express our thankfulness.

Ransom and Beth

Praying for Adalynn 9/17/2013

On Saturday evening , September 14th, a precious child of God named Adalynn was born to Ransom and Beth. When she entered this world her heart stopped and it took 13 minutes for her doctors to get her heart pumping again.  Since her birth she has remained in the neonatal intensive care unit on multiple life support machines and has been undergoing a special cooling process to help preserve some of her vital organs.  Wednesday at 1200 AM (at midnight tonight) the doctors will begin rewarming her body over the following 24 hours.  This rewarming period is a very critical period as the doctors begin to see the true extent of injuries to Adalynn's organs, including her brain and kidneys.  

Please join us in praying for Adalynn especially during this critical time.  Our vision is to have at least one person praying and worshiping God every single minute during the 24hour rewarming time period.  We are looking for you to commit for at least 1 hour that you will be praying and worshiping God during this time.  We recognize a continuous hour of prayer might not be obtainable in your schedule on Wednesday. While we ideally wish for an hour of your time, we know God hears every prayer and ask that you please pray for Adalynn. Please let Ransom, Beth, Adalynn and our family know of your commitment by sending an email including your name.  Also include the specific hour of time that you will be in prayer if you are able to make this commitment.

Email address: prayingforadalynn@gmail.com

Praying for an hour seems like a long time, but here is a simple guide to help organize your prayer time.  For the first 15 minutes spend time thanking God for who He is and the hope and confidence that He has given us by sending His Son to die for us.  The second 15 minutes pray for God to touch Adalynn's life and that His plan for her life would be fulfilled.  That a miraculous physical healing would take place if it is His will.  The next 15 minutes spend time praying for Beth and Ransom as they stand together through this very difficult time at their daughter's bedside.  The final 15 minutes thank God for the blessings He has given you.  If you have extra time after you have finished praying, sing songs of praise to God.  This is only a suggestion of how this time can be spent.

Words cannot adequately express this experience but it gives us great comfort knowing you are praying on our behalf.

You are invited to use this email and information given to enlist additional prayer warriors.

Ransom & Beth

Sunday morning blues

I'm pretty sure I'm not the only mother who struggles with Sunday mornings.  Since Jadon was just a few weeks old Sunday mornings have been an exhausting, often painful day.  Trying to get everyone dressed and ready for church, keep them clean and happy and out the door on time has been a challenge for me.  Arriving home from church with hungry, tired kids at or after their usual lunchtime, scrambling to get them something to eat before we all fall into our beds, ready for the rest we desperately need after a hectic morning.  So, in all of the crazyness, where does the "Day of Rest" come into play?  


One thing I often hear is "This too shall pass".  When you're in the midst of week after week, month after month of miserable Sunday mornings it's hard to believe that.  I've been noticing lately that Sunday mornings aren't so bad at our house. I started taking note.  We would get up with the boys, have some play time.  Jon has been cooking breakfast with them.  A few weeks ago he and Jadon made crepes.  One week Brendan helped make waffles.  I'm thankful that I can see improvements in our Sunday morning family time.  I've even tried to look at my motives and ask why I do the things I do on Sunday.  Is it worth arguing over what clothes are church clothes versus play clothes?  Should I insist my boys wear dress shirts and pants when we are going to a church that has dirt floors and it's pouring rain? Or, is it more important that everyone walks out the door with a happy heart, looking forward to worship time with friends.


Hoping you all have a happy, worshipful, restful Sunday with your family!

Cloudy with a chance of meatballs

Happy Birthday, Brendan!  

Brendan's favorite movie right now is "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs". His Uncle and Aunt sent the movie and it came with a cute umbrella.  As I was checking out some fun blogs the other day I came across one that had this awesome idea for spaghetti and meatball cupcakes!  PERFECT!  We turned his birthday party into a party all about food!  

ACTIVITIES:

• Edible playdough, made with peanut butter and honey

• Noodle throwing, overcooked spaghetti noodles until they were sticky and threw them at a target painted on a plain colored plastic tablecloth

• Jello- a must have for this party!  We used local gelatin which is much firmer and doesn't melt in the heat!  I made 6 or 8 packages and then cut them up into large cubes.  Put it in large containers and the kids had to reach in and dig for marbles.  This might have been the best activity.  The jello was cold and refreshing for the kids to play in.  By the end of the party they were "swimming" in it!

• Last, but not least, water balloons, just to send everyone home clean!

Top Ten ways to get out of a Funk!

A friend over at Day by Daye posted how she and her kids overcome cabin fever in winter. We don't get the winter blues here in Indo, but some days are so challenging we have to be creative in planning our daily fun! Here our our top ten ways to get out of a funk!

1. Hiking/Beach: We live at the base of a mountain that has a waterfall.  We love hiking up to the lower falls and swimming in the pool.  The water is ice cold and so refreshing on a hot day.  Our boys are finally old enough to do the hike with very little help from us. The beach is another favorite of our family.  We don't go often because it's a lot of work but it's so relaxing when we do. 

 

Pickle Falls

beach in Bali

2. Music- Sometimes my squirmy boys just have too much energy.  One of our favorite ways to release this energy is this song. We crank it up and press the repeat button.  It's a favorite of our neighbor kids too! Wiggy-Wiggles-Freeze-Dance



3.  Popsicles: Some days the heat is just more than we can handle!  We try and keep our freezer stocked with store bought or homemade popsicles.  It's amazing how refreshing it can be on a hot stressful day.  When our kids are disagreeing or struggling to get along, a popsicle can help improve attitudes instantly!

Family photo time, everyone say "popsicle"

4. Game Night:  Our kids love playing games.  Preferably "big kid" or "mommy and daddy" games.  Sometimes, we just open the game cabinet, grab a pile and sit around the table playing. Most of the games are too old and difficult for the boys to understand, but they are content to play with the pieces.  Some of their favorites are Blokus Mancala, and Traffic Jam by Rush Hour.


5. Creative activities.  I am not creative on my own, but I love creativity and creative activities.  My two favorite resources to get the creative juices flowing:  Five Minute Miracles and 365 Unplugged Family Fun Activities  Today's activity from the Miracle book, shining pennies.  We don't have a lot of pennies here in Indo, just what was in my wallet when we left the states last year, but the boys are having great fun trying to make their pennies as shiny as mine!
 
6. Parks, parks and no parks?  We don't really have parks here in Indo. It's a challenge, because my little boys love parks.  We do take them up to the international school to play at the playground.  MAF also has a little play place on their compound here.  We've discovered a few overlooks here that we also enjoy.  Some overlook beautiful Lake Sentani and others overlook the ocean.  Most of these places are not well cared for and have plenty of trash and overgrown grass but we love the views!

7. mini vacations: This is a new thing for our family.  Our first mini vacation of the year was in February, right before Jon went on a 10 day ministry trip to India.  We stayed in our town, just at a guesthouse, 10 minutes from home.  The change of scenery was all we needed.  It got us away from our house and"to do lists" and gave us a breath of fresh air for just 2 nights.  We came home refreshed and ready for a new week!


8. Up until recently we didn't have camping gear on this side of the world.  Plus, who really wants to go camping outside in a tent when it's 80-90 degrees and muggy all the time!  Or what about the fact that one little mosquito bite may mean contracting a tropical disease like malaria or dengue fever! So, we came up with "camping" in mommy and daddy's bedroom.  The kids love it.  We make little pallettes on the floor for them and they bring in all of their special stuffed animals to sleep in the air conditioned room.  It's a special treat for them to sleep in a cool room with ac so we save it for times when the kids are sick or have had a rough week.

9. I don't do tons of baking, but when I do, I really enjoy it! My latest favorite is bagels.  We can't get them in stores here and I found a tasty recipe in my breadmaker cookbook.  I love that the machine does half the work for me and I just have to form and bake!  I think I need to make bagels a bit more often though.  I was doing a project with the kids one day, making napkin rings.  Jon came home and saw them sitting on the counter and got excited that I was making bagels or donuts.  Sorry, honey!  Here are the pictures from the project!

unpainted, ready to bake

painted napkin rings

the boys had a blast painting these

 10. Have you ever told your kids "don't Play With Your Food !"  We don't!  Early on I learned that kids will eat anything if it is presented in the right way!  My kids love the cool things that we come up with to make lunch more fun!  Again, I am not at all creative on my own.  I just do a search online to get some good ideas.  One of the easiest ways to be creative is with peanut butter and jelly.  I spread the peanut butter on one piece of bread and use a squeeze bottle with jam to draw silly faces on the bread.  My kids think it's great and usually ask for another one with a different face!  Great way to get kids to eat on a picky day!

 

 

Pig sandwhich, got the idea from a library book.

Christmas in March

Yes, it's true.  Our family had a mini christmas celebration yesterday. I'm sure it's not that uncommon for people living overseas.  My in laws arrived this week, Mother, Father and brother in law.  They will be in our town wrapping up their life and ministry after 36 years of working here.  They hand carried Christmas presents for our family from their youngest son and daughter in law.  The boys enjoyed opening gifts that were wrapped in hand decorated paper with snowmen and Christmas trees.  Watching them made me so thankful for our families and the effort they go through to make our lives here easier and more enjoyable!

Tropical Rain

One of my favorite parts of living overseas is the tropical rain.  It rained all night last night and we woke up to the sounds of a gentle rain on our tin roof.  The rain means cooler weather until the sun comes out!  It means the fires that people have started to burn their trash or grass clippings will be put out! The down side is that it put a hiccup in my morning plans.  I was going to drop the boys at a friends house while I went shopping at the local outdoor market, but... I don't go to the market on rainy days.  Last time I made the attempt the my flip flops and the mud at the market was not a good combination!  I was also planning to pick up fruit and veggies for my mother in law and brother in law, who arrive tomorrow morning.

Return to Indonesia

Indonesia...We are looking forward to getting back. We have tickets for October 23, but we won't be able to use them! We have to reapply for a visa and our sponsor is telling us that will take 3 months. So, we are in the process of changing our tickets from October 23 to January 7. Although we are disappointed with the fact that we cannot back to Indonesia as planned we are looking forward to spending the holidays with family and friends. The extra time will also allow us to continue working towards a more stable financial status. Jon is planning to be a part of Urbana during this time also.

Our time in the states has been wonderful. We have traveled a lot and seen so many of our friends and family. Of course, there is always someone else to see, so in the coming months we may take another road trip!
Please pray that our visa gets processed quickly and before January!

Christmas traditions

Of course you already now that life in Papua is very different than life in America.  I wanted to share some Christmas traditions that we have experienced here in Indonesia so you can get a taste of just how different life is.  

Papua is considered a Christian province, much like American is a Christian nation.  Christmas is a lot less family oriented and much more focused on church activities.  People start preparing for their Christmas event as early as November (maybe sooner for some)!  Since there are so many different tribal groups out here each group has their own Christmas gathering.  It's common for national you know to come around asking for contributions to fund their event.  It varies from group to group, but generally these events consist of multiple speaches or sermons, lots of singing and a meal to wrap it up.  The meal itself is quite an ordeal.  They cook the food in traditional Papuan style.  Covered with banana leaves and hot rocks.  

Another tradition is visiting.  On Christmas day and the day after people spend most of their day visiting friends and co-workers.  The hosts serve lots of cookies and drinks and depending on the famiy they may even serve a meal.  I find this to be an interesting tradition.  It's very similar to what Muslims do at the end of the fasting month.  The difference is for Idul Fitri we would do all of the visiting to our neighbors house.  At Christmas friends and neighbors usually come to our house.  In the past this is one tradition we have participated in fully.  This year we chose to stay home with the kids instead of taking them around to house after house.  Although they enjoy all the tasty snacks it's hard for them to sit still for the long conversations!!

A final tradition that we were surprised by and just learned about this year is in relation to Santa! Parents sign up at their church to have Santa visit their kids.   Santa, a couple of fairies, and some guys painted with black tar hop into a pick up truck.  They drive to the childs house and the guys in black go in and make the children feel bad and ridicule them for being naughty, almost to the point of tears. Then santa and the fairies come in and make the kids feel better. Sometimes they may even give small gifts like candy.  We found out about this tradition because we saw the truck full of people drive by our house.  We had never seen anything like that in Sumatra, so we asked a friend what it was all about!  They even offered to come to our house, but we gently turned them down!!

Merry Christmas to your family!  We would love to hear what some of your traditions are!

Peace and Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful time celebrating Thanksgiving with our team last week.  Our teammates from New Zealand had their first Thanksgiving meal and really seemed to enjoy it.  

Today some of the local people will try raising a Papuan flag to claim independence from Indonesia.  This is illegal under Indo. law so who knows what will transpire.  Please pray that their will be peaceful demonstrations.  If you are interested in reading just a short  history about it you can do a google search for Papuan Independence and read what wikipedia has to say.  I found it very helpful to clear up a few questions that the local people couldn't answer for me.  

We hope to have a snail mail newsletter coming your way soon!

Local church meetings

This is a big week for the local church here. Jon works closely with them to train and disciple believers. They are having their annual business meeting this week. Jon has been to a few of the meetings to have a bit of input. It's also a great time to network and encourage the leaders. This morning he is scheduled to share about the churches role in cross cultural ministry. Please pray that the group would listen attentively and seriously consider what their role should be. I ask that because after a week of all day long meetings people sometimes start to "tune out" speakers.