continued progress

Good Sunday afternoon. It's been a beautiful day. Not too hot. Nice breeze. Good lunch with good friends.

It's not hard to feel blessed when things seem to be going your way. Despite the tiny little accident a 14 days ago and the subsequent little surgery I'm doing awesome.

I believe the last post I wrote before I even reconnected with the C2C group. On the third day after my surgery I did end up making my way the four hours by car to see the cyclists for the firs time since they had set out from the Carribean coast 5 days earlier. We arrived in Matiguas just in time to greet the first group after their most physically grueling day of the event. They were exhausted. Even though I had been absent the first half of the trip, they encouraged me saying that it was almost as if I had been there. They thought of me and mentioned me often and were glad I could finally be joining them. That was neat to hear. Being with them also brought before me all the fun and joy and challenges that I missed out on...and now also facing my limitations (rather than sitting around at home) I did feel some frustration in being an invilid. But more than anything, it was good to be with them and helping out however I could. I was able to be an interpreter and helped with some logistical things. Check out the website that we have been updating to see some pictures of the trip and also read some of the moving stories from the ride (see the older blog entries). I'll let you know when there are more pictures there, too. They're coming soon. Also some video.

Actually, I should mention that I made national TV in Nicaragua for the first time... actually, probably the fist time since little league that I've been on TV. I had about 10 seconds, talking about my injury. I tried to convince them they didn't want to interview me, but after seeing my sling they went as far as sending somone to find me where I was hiding around the corner. :) I'm going to try to post the video as soon as I get it. Don't worry, I'll put some captions on it. We were covered by another channel the next day, and it was a great report aside from some humorous clip selections...which made it fun. I'll try to post both!

I visited the doctor this past week for the second time since the surgery. Gave me some more excercises to do, including moving my elbow out and up to almost 90 degrees and forward and back 45 degrees. I'll start physical therapy in the next two weeks I think, but doctor said the movements are basic enough at this point that I'll just do them at home for now. Below are a few pictures of the wound. It is incredible to me how fast it has healed. Thankfully there was no sign of infection when they took off the yellow sticker from the last post. And there has been relatively no pain--just some discomfort here and there--aside from one day when I felt a sharp and piercing pain in my ribs. For a few days I thought I was dealing with some broken ribs, hurting for the first time because my first round of pain meds had ended. But, I haven't had that pain now for many days. I've also been without the sling now for several days, too. So there is much to be thankful for.

From Surgery

From Surgery

From Surgery

And here's my favorite new background picture taken just before I left Michigan again. I miss that guy on the right.



Thank you to those of you who have been praying for my health and healing. The Lord has really made this easy for me. If you would like to help me get back on track financially or help me lay some tracks for the future so I can continue to serve the Lord in Nicaragua, send me an email or see the right side of this page where it says "online giving". Below are some more things you can bring before the Lord on my behalf.

Prayer Items:

-Praise God for the way he has responded to your prayers for my health and healing! And ask him to continue to put his hand on my shoulder and to encourage me through those around me.
-Pray that I will find some good options for new places to live. I need to be out of my current apartment before the end of the month. I've spent some more time trying to find leads and talk to people about possibilities, but nothing looks like it's for sure. Pray that we can find a place in a good neighborhood in the right price range.
-Praise God for how he has worked through the Sea-to-Sea event. It was a fantastic experience for all of those involved. And pray that Nicaragua will also be impacted through both team members and funds they raised. Pray that the Lord will be glorified as the affects of the event ripple through time and space.