Down Time

I will by have lots of down time the rest of this month. Don't worry though we really are doing well. But I must be honest and share what has been happening.

Last time I posted I mentioned going to the doctors for weakness and too much med in my system, well after a couple days of extra fluids etc that the doctor prescribed I was feeling a little better but still having some severe head pain, more than should have been there with the Typhoid headache, as well as shaking, dizziness and blurred vision. Last Weds. I went back to the doctor with some more serious issues, he sent me to the hospital and I ended up staying for 5 days..... the doctors were very good as well as the hospital clean and staff very accomodating. I had Meningitis. It was figured out that the Meningitis started two weeks Before I was diagnosed with Malaria and Typhoid, the infection was advanced and they had to use some strong injections to bring it down. It was not cantagious and not the menigicoccal meningitis you hear of in the US. I wont bore you with hospital details, but be assured Jehovah was truly there for us. More than 30 friends visited me in the hospital and many more called Dennis to send their love and prayers. I am home now and deffinately on the mend. They say I will be tired for a while and it will take some time to get my leg muscles back, as I have been laying for nearly 3 weeks now... but I will be back in the field again soon.

There are many missionary homes in Freetown as well as Bethel, over 28 of the missionaries and bethelites called Dennis or I. Many kept reminding us that the first year in an assignment is the hardest and not to give up. Some have never been sick at all, others have, but none have had what they call "the big three" all at once, oh well someone had to do it :)

Dennis has had a head cold this week, pretty much adjusting from freezing cold to 100 plus degrees, March is the hotest month here. The kids are doing great! No sickness and all cheery and energetic. School is going well too.

I am glad we have been taking the ASL sign language classes, I have been able to practice a lot. Shelby and Dennis have both had good experiences in the ministry with using what they are learning. Dennis went to a barber last week, and the two barbers working there were both deaf. Shelby had the opportunity to invite a deaf woman to the memorial this morning in invitation work. She was at one door with her service partner when they were called to by another pair of sisters to come and talk to the deaf woman they had met. What a priviledge!

I personally have really enjoyed watching the girls practice sign together, they get laughing and really have a good time. It has been a great family project too, some evenings we have "voice off" and all use sign. It can be pretty funny, since we don't know too many signs yet and have to just try to act out what we want to say.

The end of this month will be very busy. We have our Kingdom Hall Dedication , Memorial and Zone Overseer Visit all the same weekend.

Dennis has been able to volunteer at Bethel two days a week. Mondays Shelby and he are there together and have lunch together. Dennis has been working with the maintenance crew working with cement. Shelby has been working both housekeeping and laundry, alternating.

March being the hottest month means low water levels, we never will run out here as there are three natural springs on the property behind the house. However, the natural water coming out has been very low, many of the people living around us are allowed in the compound during the day to fetch water with buckets. The city water line has only been coming on to our area of the city for about 20 minutes to an hour very early in the morning. Not long enough to collect enough water for our large household. Dennis is in the process of having a water tank installed, then we will have a truck of water delivered so that we will always have water available in the pipes. We can always go out back with a bucket but having the running water is so much nicer and easier. He really knows how to spoil us, he even got a tv and dvd player this week and a microwave! We have been getting electricity nearly every night from 8 pm to 7 am. The microwave really comes in handy for heating meals when coming between service mid day. We just turn on the generator for a few minutes and can run the microwave to heat the leftover rice meal from the night before. We eat lots of rice and african food, we had been eating it cold, but it taste so much better hot.

The first thing we watched together on the TV was the Wolfeboro Cong. talent show :)
It was so wonderful to see our dear friends!

Thankyou for your personal emails, I will try to reply this week, but please bear with me. I am still tiring easily and reading is still a bit difficult for me. I took my time doing this post.

Love to all, and special hugs to my two new nephews!

Lorie