Endoscopy in Nicaragua

This was an amusing experience to me so I thought I would share.

Jader has gastritis and he periodically has to get an endoscopy in order to monitor the condition.  Yesterday morning we went to get his endoscopy exam done.  We arrived at the time of the appointment and there was not a person in sight.  So we just waited outside.  Eventually the doctor arrived and he was very friendly.  He sat down and talked with us as we were waiting on the nurse.  Once that nurse arrived we were ready to go.

The nurse sprayed a lot of numbing solution in the back of Jader's throat which he said tasted horrible and made him gag.  Then right as they were going to begin the exam the power went out.  :)

The doctor left the office and went walking down the road.  He was gone a good bit and when he returned he had a long extension cord in hand.  He plugged it into a generator and cranked it up. It sounded like we had a high power lawnmower in the exam room.  I was pleasantly suprised to see that Caroline wasn't bothered by the noise.  I think she actually liked it! 

They gave Jader the numbing spray solution again because too much time had gone by, but the doctor was able to successfully do the exam write up a report, print pictures and we were on our way. :)

Pobrecita/Poor Thing!

Caroline has had diarrhea for 11 days now!  I didn't know that babies could have diarrhea that long and still be functioning well, but she is a trooper!  Based on exam results, the doctor said she has a bacterial infection so she's taking antibiotics.  She hasn't finished the course of the antibiotics yet and we are hoping the medicine will help her get back on track.

Who knows where she got it from...we've been super protective in telling people to not touch her hands because they go right in her mouth and keeping her toys clean, avoiding obviously dirty places, but it looks like the germs snuck in somehow.

In spite of it all she's doing really well.  The doctor said with her lab results any other kid would have a fever and appear tired and weak yet she's been fever free and still enjoys jumping up and down in her toy jumperoo.  She's had about 5 bottles of pedialyte and is staying very hydrated. 

A needed rest

Camp season was super busy for us and it ended late January.  February has been a much slower month as far as ministry goes and it's like that on purpose so as to recharge our batteries for the ministry year which basically picks us again in March.

Throughout the month of February the youth that we work with keep meeting in their churches and we support them and attend their Bible Clubs but it has been low key.  We took a week of vacation and that's when my parents came to visit us.  They had a  great time here and especially enjoyed interacting with Caroline!

Here are some pictures from the time my parents were here:

Week 1 of Camp

Here are a few pictures that I took during camp.  We sleep in a tent on the camp property and there are some pictures of Caroline in the tent and some pictures of the camp snack stand where we've been working and of youth sharing decisions that they made.

Here are some pictures from children's camp.  It was our first time to have a Word of Life camp for children here in Nicaragua and we thank God for the wonderful opportunity.  39 kids put their faith in Christ during the camp.  Following children's camp we had a retreat for college age youth and the topic was integrity and living with a clean conscience before God and others. 

Monday, the 10th, we begin camp for youth ages 13-30.  We'll be hosting three consecutive weeks of these camps and we trust that God has great things in store!  We ask your prayers for these camps and for God to do a great work in these lives!

Little Caroline

Caroline has been growing and changing so quickly!  She's almost 3 months old!  She's all smiles and loves making cooing sounds.  She's getting stronger, and I wouldn't be suprised if she starts rolling over soon.  Here are some recent pictures of her so you can see how she's grown.



Lots of Cookin' in the Kitchen

We love having people over.  Here are some pictures of activity taking place in the kitchen.  Below  is a traditional Nicaraguan dish called Baho.

 Youth from a Bible Club came to our house and here are a couple of pictures from that time.

Below are some friends of ours who just got married yesterday.  They came over and wanted to cook for us!!!  :)  It was delicious!

We're so blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful people and to be able to share meals with them in our home.