Friday, November 28, 2008

Email from my sister :) All is good!

Good Afternoon!!
I am writing to give great news about Brian: he was discharged from the hospital yesterday mid-afternoon; although he was given strict doctor's orders to rest for at least 3 more days, his fevers have stopped and he is on the mend!! We can only attribute this gracious gift to God! He held Brian and I in His hands throughout this very hard, long week. Yesterday was Thanksgiving here in Cambodia. Although it is not a holiday celebrated here, a group of colleagues and I got together to prepare a meal. As Brian rested at home, we cooked the most traditional meal possible with limited ingredients: baked chicken, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, and stuffing. A group of 6 of us gathered to truly give thanks to God for our many blessings. Brian was able to eat 2 small plates of food, which is great because he has virtually not eaten for 6 days. It was a Thanksgiving to remember!!! Today, as I have tried to reflect back on this week, I have really realized God's peace was with me. I am a worrier, and although I had times of complete sadness and tears, I still felt the presence of God in my heart. As I write, I am in my classroom decorating for the Christmas season. I am listening to a CD by an old co-worker of mine, JJ Heller. She is a talented musician, and one of her songs really hit me today. I would like to share the lyrics with you, and hopefully encourage you wherever you are at in this sometimes hectic life.
I have unanswered prayers, I have trouble I wish wasn't there.I have asked a thousand ways, that you would take my pain away.I am trying to understand, how to walk this weary land.Make straight the paths that crooked lie, oh Lord before these feet of mine.When my world is shaking, heaven stands. When my heart is breaking, I never leave your hands.When you walked upon the earth, you healed the broken, lost and hurt.I know you hate to see me cry, one day you will set all things right.When my world is shaking, heaven stands. When my heart is breaking, I never leave your hands.
Please continue to lift Brian and I up in prayer. It could be another week or more until his full strength is regained, and until he is feeling normal again. We desperately need good nights of rest: after 6 horrible sleeps, we are beyond tired. Also, please pray that God would protect me against what B had; all it takes is for a mosquito to bite him, then transfer Dengue to me by biting me. We are trying to take all precautions against this happening. We are also still a bit unsure of what our insurance will cover from all this; since Brian was at 2 different medical facilities, we may have to pay more money than usual. Please pray for God's provision with this; we do have savings, but we were planning on using that to travel to Thailand over Christmas break. I cannot thank you all enough for your encouragement and prayers sent to us during this time. We truly could not have gotten through this without you. We love you all,-Brian and Karie

2 comments:

Emily said...

Excellent! I am much relieved. Send them hugs from me. And here's a hug from you, too!

Lydia said...

oh how wonderful that he is okay!! I had been praying for him and his wife!! Praise God.