Update #14

Hello all. Thanksgiving is past and Christmas is swooping in. I love it. We have reminders up all over the house of who this season is truly about. Our great King and Savior born as a baby. That moment changed our lives forever and gave us hope. What a blessing! I know this is a busy time, but take time to remember.

Your winter season is our rainy season, so instead of just being hot and humid, now it is hot, humid and rainy. Haha. I love how green it makes everything. We have color bursting forth, and new life sprouting up all over. Beautiful.

 

This week is the indoor soccer (futsal) tournament. Sophie, of course, is playing. It's her favorite sport. On Friday she scored all three goals to help bring her team to victory. She is amazingly gifted when it comes to kicking around a soccer ball. Much of that is thanks to her big brother coaching and teaching her. 

A heads up about Cale-I know I haven't mentioned this before but I really need you guys to pray about something. He has this deformity in his chest cavity that doctors have been observing and running tests on for years. It is called pectus excavatum also known as sunken chest. In the last year and a half it has become a lot deeper pushing on his heart and lungs. When we get back to America he will have surgery to place a metal bar behind the indention to push it out and give him relief while preventing it from dipping further inward. He has a hard time doing sports because he gets so short of breath. He has always been such an active kid and this is frustrating him greatly. He tried to play soccer with his friends on Sunday and had to stop because he couldn't breath which in turn caused him to get very dizzy. We saw a specialist in Milwaukee when we were home last year and he confirmed that surgery needs to be his next option. Please pray for him through this. He is frustrated. He wants to do all that he used to be able to do. (The photo is off of the internet and not him. But his looks just like that.)

 

 Emma and Wyatt went to Wisconsin for Thanksgiving and had a great time with family. Emma had a bit of an adventure getting back to Arkansas when she found out her flight from Mil. to O'hare was cancelled and she had to take the bus. It is always hard when plans unexpectedly get changed. Pray for her as she has a lot on her plate to finish before coming here. Wyatt has another day or two in Wis and then he will be traveling back to Oregon before coming here. Both kids will arrive in Papua Christmas Eve. Please pray for safe flights for them.

 

 We have several guests coming over the next two weeks. Last week we had 9 guests. I am thankful this home is being used and enjoyed by so many. I am doing a lot of cooking, and baking for upcoming school events. I thoroughly enjoy having time and space in my life to say yes to the things I love. I have been writing more and have been doing a lot of gardening, and crafts. I have two more weeks of my Food Prep class and we are having a great time exploring how fun making food can be. 

 

  Garth just celebrated his birthday. Even though he is getting older he is still a kid at heart.

 

The kids have finals coming up and then they are off school starting on the 19th. I am bursting with anticipation for Wyatt and Emma getting here so we can all be together for the Holidays.

Thanks for caring about us and for all the ways that you support us. We love you.

Rachel