healthy as a horse update and more

There has been a long silence on my
blog over the last couple of months, which could have left you with some
questions such as, where I am, how’s the new team, how’s my health etc.  Hopefully this blog will answer some of these
questions. Sorry if it’s a little long. 
Grab some popcorn and a drink and catch up on my life.

Leadership/ Team Roar

            After
spending November in Tanzania our squad met up in Nairobi, Kenya for 5 days for
debrief.  If you ever want to go to
Kenya, go in December the weather was absolutely gorgeous. We spent our 5 days
worshipping, spending time as a squad, meeting with our teams, getting
refreshed after 3 months in Africa, 
getting refocused, and one of the main events was team changes.  We found out about a week before debrief
started that our teams were changing yet again. 
Instead of being devastated at the news as I was at the first team
change, I was actually kind of excited. 
I love team Shekinah sooo much, but I knew if the Lord gave me two great
teams, He was obviously going to do it again. 
I was also asked to be a team Leader, both for “Manistry” where all the
men are together for the month and for the remainder of the race.  This isn’t a promotion, but an increase in
responsibility.  I think a place where
the Lord has the last couple months, and will for the next few months continue
to grow me and teach me to lead as He leads. 
So Team Roar is Chad Riley, Logan Kaynes, Alissa Rich, Anna Matthews,
Jennifer Miele, Sydney Sample and Me!! These names might not mean anything to
you, but this team is kind of loaded if I do say so myself.  All of these individual are ridiculously
awesome on their own account.  Also if
you didn’t notice we have Sydney Sample on our team!!!!! What a blessing this
is.  We heard Sydney would be back on the
field at the beginning of January while we were in Thailand and the buzz around
the squad was which team is she going to be on? 
We got lucky to land her.  She is
awesome and a very important part of our team/squad. I’m super blessed to have
such an awesome team and look forward to pressing deeper into the Lord and
bringing some kingdom with these guys.  It’s
going to be a sweet! 

 “Manistry”/Thailand

                Last month was our long awaited “manistry”
month.  This is where all the  men of the squad got to come together to
serve and fellowship as men.  We had the
pleasure of working in Chiang Mai with Remember Nhu (who is undoubtedly my
favorite organization that I’ve worked with on the race thus far).  Remember Nhu takes in girls who are in high
risk of being trafficked and sold into prostitution.  The girls range from 5 years old all the way
to high school.  Our ministry was to do
manual labor during the days and then hang out with the girls in the
evenings.  We would generally play, eat
dinner, maybe do some homework, and then play some more.  Those little girls shine the joy of the Lord
on their faces.  It was such a blessing
to get to be there.  And if that wasn’t
enough Ron and Peggy Roloff (parents of Matt Roloff from little people big
world) were our host.  They kept us fed
well and are just fun to be around. I am absolutely in love with Thailand!  A few of the things I love about Thailand are
the food, the people, the girls at Remember Nhu, I got to ride an elephant and
a bamboo raft down a river, they have ice( a big deal after being in Africa for
3 months), the culture in general, the night markets, the King- he’s a great
man, the 7-11’s on every corner, and soooooooo much more!! Recommendation if
you ever have a chance to go to the “Land of Smiles” jump on it quickly, you
won’t regret it. Undoubtedly on of my favorite months on the race thus far!!!

Health

 
While in Thailand, I started to notice these bumps that we’re starting
to form under my left arm pit.  Honestly
didn’t really think much about.  I just
thought they were pimples.  I have never
had pimples under my arm pit, but well, it’s the world race, things show up
that you have never seen or would never expect to happen at home.  So we arrive in Cambodia just before the new
year, and the bumps are not only still there, they are spreading.  At this point they are big, sore, and oozing
infection.  After 4 or 5 days (Yes it
took me that long, I might be somewhat slow) I realized that they were not
pimples and that something was not right. 
So luckily I have an awesome woman on my team named Alissa Rich who also
just happens to be a nurse.  After lunch
on Jan. 5 (my dad’s 50^th birthday) Alissa took a look at my arm
pit.  As she began to look at it she
legitimately seemed concerned.  So I
asked,” On a scale with 1 being low and 10 being highest, how concerning is
this?”  She responded with an answer of
,”7.”  I was somewhat taken back.  What I thought was no big deal, was now pretty
concerning to a registered nurse.  I
thought a 10 would mean you can go ahead and buy my casket and she ranked it a
seven.  She clarified saying that her
answer was taking Cambodian health care in to mind.  Our contact in Thailand told us that Cambodian
health care was horrible and that if anything happened you might as well come
back to Thailand to get it done.  So with
many infectious abscesses on my under arm we decided to make a break for Phnom
Penh (the capital) the next day to try and find a decent doctor.  The Lord is sooooo good.  One of my friends on the squad had been in
Phnom Penh for a few days already and had seen a doctor that he said was pretty
legitimate.  He said that it was very
western.  At this point, this sounded
like my best option.  So me and Aly
Beeler ( squad leader, ER nurse, and my team leader on Jubilee) headed to the
doctor.  As we walked in the front doors
I felt like I was in some kind of portal. 
It literally felt like I was in the doctor’s office in the states,
praise Jesus.  So I went in and got
looked at, and immediately the doctor said that they were going to have to cut
open the abcesses and get all the infection out.  But before they could do that I got to have
my under arm shaved.  After I was prepped
the doctor began by numbing the areas so I couldn’t feel the scalpel and then
proceeding to cut little incisions in each of the infected areas.   It didn’t feel good, but I was sooo happy
even amongst the pain that I didn’t have to go back to Thailand to have this
done.  After about an hour or so he was
done and they bandaged me up and hooked me up to an IV for antibiotics.  I got to go back to the doctors the next 2
days in a row as well for another IV and to get re-bandaged.  The doctor told me that I had a good wound
and that I was healing up nicely.  So he
told me I could stop coming everyday and come back in a week.  After a week of oral antibiotics and keeping
the incisions clean, I returned to the doctor for a follow up.  He gave me a big thumbs up and Cambodian
smile and said that it looked good.  “No
more infection.” Amen! It’s still a little bruised, but I’m good to go!!

 So on Thursday I will head to Siem Reap to
have debrief with the whole squad, it’s going to be a blast, I’m kind of pumped
about that.  After debrief, we will start
our “ask the Lord” month.  After much
deliberation my team, as well as, another team will be headed back to Chiang
Mai where I spent my month in Thailand.  
We will work with a ministry called Lighthouse, where we go into bars
and love on the prostitutes and their clients and during the days work in a
coffee shop.  We will also have the opportunity
to visit our wonderful contacts and girls at Remember Nhu.  I couldn’t be more excited.  I’m healthy and ready to finish the “race”
strong!  Thanks for all the prayers, they
are greatly appreciated!

              Love You
all!!!

                       
Tyler

 

JBecks, Me, and Alex Cole on Christmas with our gifts from the girls at Remember Nhu, Man Purses!!