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Warning: there is a pic of my appendix after surgery (look away if you can)

The first thing we did after landing in Nepal was head to the hospital. My entire stomach had been hurting for about 24 hours but I didn’t think much of it. Now it had localized to my appendix area and I knew we needed to find out what was going on. As soon as the doctor saw us, he was 100% convinced it was appendicitis because I was the common case displaying all the exact symptoms. Surgery was scheduled for that afternoon.  After praying, calling my mom and insurance, the next thing I knew I woke up in pain and all drugged up.


my appendix

 We stayed in the hospital 2 nights just to make sure everything went fine, that I was healing and to deal with making sure insurance was footing the bill. 

To all my family and friends, thank you for all the prayers.  I am recovering well, with a little more strength everyday.  I was able to have laparoscopic surgery and should have full recovery within 6 weeks (which means I can carry my own luggage once we get back to America, Yay!) I have had all my stitches removed and should be scab free soon!
 
I wanted to write this just to update everyone and let people know what happened, but also to let you know the journey God has brought me on since surgery.  So here is a bit of what I’ve been doing since surgery. 
 
I was never once worried about having surgery (even though the hospital wasn’t up to some people’s standards,) I knew God was in control and that He is Good. I knew it wasn’t my time to leave this life behind because God has spoke so much into our lives this year about what the future holds, but I was also at peace if it was my end.  Jenn and I prayed together and we knew that God had already been at work with all the timing of things and that He was going to see us through this pretty easily.  Anyway, after surgery, I’ve had a lot of time on my hands, mostly because I can’t do much of anything.  At first I couldn’t even leave the compound where we live, no cars rides for 4 days.  We are doing ministry at a boys and girls home and needless to say, I have been pretty useless when it comes to ministry.  I couldn’t go to the pool, I couldn’t go on the hike or play soccer, I can’t even keep up pace just to walk with people.  I still cannot walk up the 4 flights of stairs to eat meals with my team, this is where Jenn has stepped in.  She has taken care of me so well, I can’t begin to describe all that she does for me everyday.  One small example is how she runs up and down the stairs to get all my meals, wash our plates and anytime we want coffee or tea.  Needless to say, she is getting her exercise!  I basically sit, walk a little and sit some more, so what have I done with all this time?
 
It has been incredible!  I do miss ministry and am sad that I was so late to get involved in anything here, but God has used this time for me to sit with Him and just hang out.  I wouldn’t have changed a thing.  Knowing I was going to have lots of down time, I chose a book on my Kindle to start reading and downloaded a game on my iPhone to pass the time.  So as of today, I have finished reading The Shack

…and played too many games of Monopoly. 
 
If you haven’t read The Shack, I urge you to get a copy.  It is one of my top 5 all-time favorite books.  It is so crazy how the Lord used it to weave into my head and heart all the lessons I’ve already learned this year.  Every morning, after getting about halfway through the book, I have just sat outside on our landscaped gardens and looked out at the beautiful creation before me and conversed with my Father.  

this is the garden i sit in

Somewhere between reading how God interacted with Mack in the book, the amazing scenery of Nepal and the journey of the World Race, I learned the relationship of Father.  

the amazing view

Already this year I have learned to love people better and to love God better all by learning how to receive His love better, but now I realize there were still some things I wasn’t grasping.  So to finish off all these lessons, God called me to a place of being still and knowing that He is God.  He brought me a true realization that nothing I did mattered to Him in regards to His love for me and that everything is based on relationships, not only with Him but with everyone. 

 
I know more about His heart for relationship and I hope you know how much the Father desires your relationship.  He is a small group by nature!  He desires community and we are created for it.  Love God, love others.
 
If you haven’t read The Shack, check it out here.  
http://theshackbook.com/


Oh, and even the way God worked to have The Shack be the book I read at this very time is a cool story.  He is in the small details, I can promise you that.