Updated Return Dates

We posted our prayer letter yesterday evening, but had to make one significant change. After talking more about our return dates, Kerri and I decided that it would be better to push the dates out a little further. Our desire is that she would be off her medications for a full month before our return to Zambia to give her time to adjust. So, instead of returning on the 15th of April, we will be returning on May 4th.

February Prayer Letter

We just sent our latest prayer letter to the home office to be mailed out, but we wanted to make it available for you if you don't receive our mailings or if you just couldn't wait for it to show up in your mailbox. Blessings!

Prayer Request

Quick update: Tazi is doing well and all the tests (C-scan / X-ray / Blood work) shows that all she has is influenza. We are currently back home and trying to slow our schedule down a bit to allow all our kids to caught up. Thanks for all your prayers. God is always soooo good.

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Below is an e-mail I received from one of our fellow Zambian missionaries and close friends Luke and Elise Whitfield. Please be in prayer for their youngest daughter Tazi.

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Wanted to petition your prayers and let you know that this morning Tazi had a seizure and has been taken by abulance to the hospital. Elise travelled with and I have not been able to make it over to the hospital yet. She was running a fever this morning and began to go into convulsions in Elise's arms. Praise God that my cousin Matt, who is a paramedic, was here at the time and knew just what to do. Please pray for Tazi complete healing and that the peace of God would rest on us (especially for Elise) and pass this along to any prayer chain you may be apart of. We have been dealing with two other children that have been really sick with the flu so things have been pretty crazy around here. Just wanted to keep you all posted and will get back with an update when available. Love you all and pray for you daily.

Alive In Africa: Jobs...

Since we've been home, I've realized just how much I miss Zambia and also how much I miss writing about Zambia. So, in the spirit of keeping you and me connected to culture, ministry and life there, I have included a link to one of our other missionaries postings highlighting the African job scene. Just click on the link below:

Alive In Africa: Jobs...

Update on Lydia

Update from Graham and Sarah Melville in Zambia:

Since the last update, it was decided by the doctors that Lydia had TB but not in the lungs. This caused her to have a high temperature and become less responsive, so she was sent to the University Teaching hospital (UTH) to get general care. The hospital she was in after the CAT Scan was a non government specialist hospital. Since she has been at UTH, the temperature has stabilized, but she has stopped the little talking she was doing. Her movement of her left side is better and there is even the odd movement of her right side that was previously not functioning. She opens her eyes, but does not see. One of her parents are with her 24 by 7 and feed her. Her mother spends most of the time there and looks very drained and tired. They want another CAT scan to see if everything is OK and have been trying to fix the machine at UTH, but they still cannot get the machine working. I hope to speak again to the specialist at the hospital she was at before and see if we need to take her back up north to the town where there is a working machine.

Please continue to pray for her and her family.

Healthy and Zambia Bound???

Update:

Except for occasional headaches in the evening, Kerri has been 3 weeks now without showing any symptoms from the stroke.  She is on blood thinner, which should allow for the area of the brain that was affected by the stroke to heal.  So, things are going really well.

What was the Cause:

Many people have asked us if the doctors have identified what caused the clotting and stroke.  The doctor is almost certain that it is directly related to the pregnancy.  Apparently, when women are pregnant, their blood's ability to clot increases.  This is what the doctor says lead to the clot that developed in her brain.  The good news is that it wasn't related to a blood disorder.  So, it shouldn't again.

The Way Forward:

Last Wednesday, we finally had an opportunity to sit and talk with the neurologist and get ALL of our questions answered.  During this appointment, we were trying to understand the extent of treatment that Kerri will require before we can return to Zambia.  The doctor gave us some promising news.  We are scheduling another MRI for sometime around the 1st of April.  As long as there is nothing new, Kerri will stop taking blood thinners and we will be cleared for travel.  So, with that being said, it is looking like our return to Zambia should be sometime in the middle of April.  Thank you to all who have been praying for us over the past several weeks.  God has truly answered many prayers.