Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Nightmares, Muggings, Hypothyroidism, Diabetes, E. Coli Poisoning and HOPE!


  Generally speaking, I (Dave) am not one to exaggerate and I think that most who know me would confirm that as true.  However, there are times when life seems to throw its worst at you and you don’t have to spice up your story because the truth is interesting enough by itself!  That’s the conclusion that I have drawn from the week or week and a half that we experienced this past month.  The title of this blog is a summary, but I will share some details regarding what we faced for a period of about 10 days.
Nightmares
A while back, Beth had a dream that she was walking through a dark alley and there was a homeless man lying down in the alley.  As she walked by in her dream, she actually touched me in real life in our own bed.  Somehow, (we really aren’t sure how) Beth fell over me and slammed her shoulder and knee on the ground.  I abruptly woke up in the hallway of the house, standing over my wife as she was screaming at the top of her lungs.  Beth found herself bruised and bleeding after it was all over.   It was a strange night to say the least and since then, she has had a number of strange nightmares.
Muggings
Soon thereafter, I travelled to Bolivia with some other men to help a pastor there for a few days.  During that time, Beth was without a vehicle.  One night, she was walking near our church with 2 women and Zane.   In an instant, she turned around on the sidewalk to see a man running at high speed towards her and her friends.  The man snatched the purse of Beth’s friend out of her hands and ran off amidst their screaming.  This was obviously a frightening experience for these ladies despite no one being harmed.  (Zane had no idea what had happened except for his mother’s screams)
Hypothyroidism and Pre-Diabetes
The following week, Beth met with an endocrinologist to discuss the results of several tests regarding her thyroid and general health.  During that appointment she was given a diagnosis of hypothyroidism and pre-diabetes.  This was not good news at the time, and truly discouraged Beth.  She felt defeated, as if she was being struck by another blow and could not handle receiving any more bad news.
E. Coli Poisoning
A few days after finding out about Beth’s test results, I received some interesting health news of my own.  Evidently, while I was in Bolivia, I came into contact with the E. Coli Bacteria.  For over a week I was struggling with intestinal problems without understanding the problem because I had to wait on the test results to come back.  It was just one more thing that complicated our life and obviously made me miserable to say the least. 
Hope
I do not share these things with you all looking for sympathy or trying to paint a dramatic picture of our life here.  On the contrary, we are doing quite well and that is part of what I want to communicate.  We have not been defeated by these challenges, and we refuse to be thoroughly discouraged by whatever comes in the future.  The truth be known, our situation is secure on many levels.  We live in modern living conditions, our personal safety is generally not at risk and we have a lot of personal support.  We would be foolish to compare our challenges to other missionaries or even many we know that our suffering in the states. “So why share any of this if that is the case?”  My hope is to do two things:  One is to recognize that, despite our circumstances, we have a God who is faithful and always fulfills his promises.  The other is to make a strong request for fervent prayer on our behalf.  We need your prayer, and within 10 days we were made keenly aware of the reality that we are in a spiritual battle.  Challenges will keep coming and we intend to advance regardless.  We trust that we will be victorious, but do not want to be naïve on any level. 
We have seen many doors open for me to work in the area of substance abuse and addictions.  As a friend of mine recently put it, “That’s the Devil’s territory and he doesn’t give up his ground easily.” “Is there a connection between recent decisions to move forward with addictions ministry and the series of events that we have encountered?” I do not know to be honest, but regardless, I want to be found on my knees praying for guidance, protection, and victory in Jesus’ name.  Would you join with us in praying for these things and praying that God’s name would be made great as he uses us to help transform lives during this year?  He is faithful to do it!
An Update
*Beth has responded very well to the news of her health issues and is already feeling much better because of medication and some lifestyle changes we have made as a family. 
*I feel fine after taking antibiotics to treat the e. coli bacteria that I had.  I seem to be back to my old self.
*Beth continues to have regular nightmares and at times deals with panic when walking alone or outside in the dark.  Please pray for peace and safety in her life.
Thanks in advance for your prayers!  And thanks to all that have prayed and will continue to pray!

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