Waiting Rooms

We've been sitting in a lot of waiting rooms over the past few weeks. Sarah has had at least one (usually more) appointment a week for the last month. She is still making good progress.

We took a break from that on Wednesday and drove up to Roan Mountain National Park for a hike. Grandmother and Sarah prepared a picnic lunch for us and we all had a great time enjoying the beauty of God's creation.

Jacob spent some one on one time with Grandmother in the kitchen today. She taught him how to make an apple pie from scratch. It was yummy! Needless to say, the pie plate is empty!

Deborah is doing a great job in keeping us all moving forward as she organizes the lessons for school and activities to keep us feeling as close to "normal" as possible. We are very thankful to her parents for allowing us to invade their life and home with all of our "baggage."

I got the opportunity to speak at a local church this past Sunday as a "fill-in" for Deb's dad. It was a great opportunity to share about our journey over the last few months.

We appreciate all of the comments and posts that each of you are making in response to our little blog. The prayers you are offering on our behalf are being felt by each of us as well as being answered by our gracious Heavenly Father. He is teaching us so much about Who He Is and how much He loves us through this experience.

PDJ&S

Improvement

We began to see some significant improvement in Sarah yesterday. While we were shopping for shoes (all the kids had were sandals) she suddenly stopped, looked at Deborah and said "I don't need to do this anymore."

Sarah was referring to her need for "evenness" that she has been displaying for the last month. Then she suddenly jumped into our arms and began hugging and kissing us. This is very significant in that for the last month Sarah has been unable to do this.

At dinner it was almost "normal" around the table with no outbursts or extreme behavior. It appears that God is using the antibiotics to bring some relief to Sarah's condition. The meds run out on Friday and we are consulting with the doctors on the next step.

We are cautiously optimistic about what we are seeing. After the last month we are holding our breath but thankful to the Lord for what we see as progress.

Thank you for praying for all of us.
PDJ&S

Hurry and Wait

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

I learned early on in life that though they seem counter to each other, the words "hurry and wait" often go together. Neither word shows up in my list of top 20 favorites.

Since leaving Madagascar on the 15th we have been doing a lot of hurrying and waiting. We are currently in East TN at Deb's parents waiting on direction from the Lord.

This week, doctors began treating Sarah for what they believe is Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal infections or PANDAS. This link will give you more information if you are interested in reading about PANDAS.

Treatment includes high doses of antibiotic as well as psychiatric counselling to help with the O.C.D. brought on by the infection. Please continue to pray for Sarah as she receives treatment and pray for our family as we struggle to adapt to the changes this diagnosis brings to each of our lives. We all struggle daily to understand what is happening and how best to deal with it.

Thank you for giving us the space we need to adjust to the new patterns in our lives. We know that you are concerned for us and that you are praying that God would be revealed in the midst of this difficult time.

Please know that we miss you and are praying for you as well.

Waiting,
PDJ&S

HEADING HOME

The roosters have been crowing for about an hour. It's 6 a.m. on Thursday. We are emotionally and physically exhausted. Dr. Santmyre (AOG missionary) came yesterday for a visit. He will be back later this morning to help us go to Tana to try and do something "fun" with the kids before we leave tomorrow.

We depart at 3 PM on Friday and hope to arrive the states at noon Saturday. We have 2 three hour flights on either end of a fifteen hour flight (Jo-burg to London). We are praying that the travel goes smoothly. Please join with us.

We have appointments with specialists lined up beginning next week.

There is much to do in a short amount of time.

URGENT PRAYER NEEDED

In the last two weeks an undetermined cause has triggered a serious, but not life threatening, medical condition in our daughter, Sarah, that cannot be treated effectively by medical personnel in Madagascar. 

We have had many prayer warriors at home and here in Tana rally to our side as we have prayed for guidance and healing. We do not feel comfortable sharing details of this condition on the internet. God knows the details, even if you do not. Please pray for Sarah and the rest of our family.

After much prayer and counsel with our leadership team in America, South Africa, and Madagascar as well as American missionary physicians on the field here in Madagascar, we are following their urging to return to the United States as quickly as possible to seek adequate diagnosis and medical treatment.

Today, we had to resign at AMI and withdraw the children from school in order to begin the process of packing up our home and securing passage to the states. The trip will not be easy for any of us, especially Sarah. Please pray that the travel arrangements will go smoothly.

Our hearts are broken. We have not stopped weeping and crying out to God for His will to be accomplished in our lives. We do not understand why it has been so clearly evident in our lives that we come to Madagascar for this assignment to only have this happen. But we know that God understands and we are trusting in His Sovereign Grace to lead us through this.

We will not be returning to Greenville immediately as we need to see some specialists that have been recommended to us in order to start the process of recovery in a timely fashion.

We appreciate all of your love and support in sending us here and know that you will be there for us as we return, albeit somewhat sooner than expected. We will continue to post updates as we are able. There are many things that have to happen in a very short time in order for us to depart. We might be able to respond quickly to any attempts to communicate.

God knows what He is doing. He was here in Madagascar when we arrived, He will be with us as we travel and guiding us as we arrive in the states. Pray that we will sense his guidance and love as never before.

Our Pastor shared these words with us when we told him the news, “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.” Psalm 91:14-18

Pruette, Deborah, Jacob and Sarah

This is my (Deborah) first post. Up to now, Pruette has done all of the posting, which is why everything sounds so eloquent. He writes as if he is writing a book or speaking to many in a very beautiful way. I write as if you and I were sitting down chatting over coffee or tea and one of Marisa's scones.

I thought that I would share some of our day to day life as we are starting to get settled in to life here and somewhat of a schedule. The kids began school this week and are really enjoying it, which is a huge prayer answered! They are making friends and fitting in very well. All of the teachers and students have to speak English during the school day so I know that helps for them to feel included. They both take a French and Malagasy language class each week which they really like.

My house helper , Helena, is here now. Here, it is considered inappropriate not to use your money to help make jobs for people and better their way of life. People who live elsewhere have more income then they do here so it is expected that we help them. Since we live here at the AIM offices, they already have a day and a night guard. They also have a small washing machine since there is a guest house in back. That is very nice since the norm here is to wash clothes by hand. Most homes here do not even have running water, so you see people carrying their bucket with water that they have purchased from the side of a road. All clothes get hung to dry though. That part reminds me of when I was growing up.

I began the program I am working with at AMI yesterday. We have about 50 children and teens come to us in a four hour period. It is exhausting to try to get that many students taught piano and theory (some also take guitar) in that amount of time. We are looking at restructuring the schedule for next semester perhaps. One of the instructors gave me a ride home yesterday. It took us almost an hour to get home riding though because of traffic. It is hard for me to see so many vehicles in a third world country- I was not expecting that! AMI had a teacher unable to return this year and have asked me to teach their piano majors in private lessons. Not sure if scheduling will match up. Matt, pack your bag- you are needed!!

Pruette has been riding to school with friends, taking the bus, and walking. Tuesday, he waited for the bus for about 45 minutes but every one was full as it is still considered holiday season here until regular school begins next month. He finally decided to walk to AMI. An hour and half later, he arrived in time to teach lessons. At times we miss the conveniences that we probably take for granted in the States... transportation, water to drink right out of the tap, drying machines, ease of ATM machines with no big fees, brown sugar (hint, hint), sometimes food (especially meat) of good quality, running out to a restaurant when you don't feel like cooking. These probably sound silly and we don't miss them much, only at times. It is a good lesson for us to be thankful for what we have and that we really don't need as much as we think we do.

Helena is finishing up and I will have another language lesson with her in a bit. The language is hard but most people are patient and try to help. Mostly I think they laugh at me a lot. That's okay, I am sure a white girl with a southern accent trying to speak Malagasy sounds quite funny. I am learning numbers and money and how to ask how much something is. I will get my nerve up soon to try my language in the market place. Right now, we are getting most items at shop rite- a local grocery store.

I will wrap it up for now. After reading through what I have written, I think my part of the blog should be called "blah blah blog" if this wasn't already taken by a friend of mine. Sorry for the rambling. We covet every prayer and each email of encouragement we receive. We feel truly blessed by the love of such good friends and family.

Finding a Regular Schedule

This week has been an interesting exercise in flexibility. Very little has gone as planned. But as the Marines say, "Adapt and Overcome!"

I (Pru) have spent a lot of time on the city's buses learning the names of the stops and the bus lines that I need in order to get from the house to the school. AMI's director, Gwangsu (a Korean missionary with AIM) has been gracious enough to meet me half way and give me a ride in his car most days since he is going in as well.

They don't really appreciate me on the buses. If you have seen the buses we use in Mauldin at MCA you will understand. Standard practice is for two adults to sit in each bench seat on either side of the row. Then you place a board across the seats so that someone can sit in the aisle. Malagasy people are small. Most only come to my shoulder. They are also very narrow. Needless to say...

However, they do smile at me and chuckle at my mispronunciation of their language. But they do seem glad to see me exit the bus.

Deborah and the kids have all spent the week at home. When you travel internationally, there are some specific ailments that tend to follow you along. All have taken antibiotics and are improving. Sarah has had a fever of about 102 for two days. It finally broke this morning, but she is still feeling wiped out. Please pray that The Great Physician would heal the three of them from their discomfort.

The kids start school tomorrow at the Madagascar Christian Academy. Sarah will be in the 3rd grade. Her class will have 12 students. There is one other MK in the class, the other 10 are Malagasy. In the states Jacob would be in 7th grade, but because of his academic level he is being placed in the 8th grade this year. He will be the only non-Malagsy student in his class. Please pray that they would make friends quickly and not feel excluded because of language.

Deb and have begun our assignments as teachers this week. She has been working diligently on scheduling about 50 children for private instruction in music. These students also gather for a time of sharing God's Word together. Pray for Deborah that she would be a light in the lives of these children each Wednesday. Her classes start at 12:30 PM local time (5:30 AM back home).

Yesterday, was my first day of teaching at AMI. I was privileged to lead worship for about a half hour with the students and faculty at our opening convocation. Then I taught back to back classes the rest of the day. It is going to be a challenge to stay mentally focused for that period of time. I was really tired at the end of the day, but God supplied the strength and energy needed to make it through the day.

Epehesians 3: 2-21