'A man plans his ways, but the Lord directs his steps.'
Just yesterday we discovered that local airlines request that you fly before 28 weeks of pregnancy or not at all, and I drafted a prayer letter explaining our plans to stay here through the Christmas season and then head to Kenya in January. Then we went in for a doctor's visit to our ob/gyn this morning, and he ordered us out of the country ASAP. He was able to get a clear view of my placenta on the ultrasound, and far from getting better it has actually moved down so that it now completely covers the cervix. This was not his main reason for suggesting that we leave, however. His main concern is that I am exhibiting clear warning signs of preterm labor-- continued early contractions despite antispasm medication and now a slow leak of amniotic fluid. He said that if the baby came this coming week (which he sees as possible) that it would die here in Burundi, but that in Kenya it had a good chance of survival, though 27 weeks is really too early for a baby to do very well anywhere, and we still need to pray that it stays inside a little longer.
So, we are packing our bags, cancelling our plans for Christmas with Jesse's folks, uprooting Zach just as he's getting really settled, leaving the film ministry in the hands of others, and leaving at 1:00 pm our time for Nairobi, where we will go to Aga Khan hospital on Friday. They have a NICU and a neonatologist on staff, so it will be good to establish a relationship there from the beginning.
We'll let you know more once we arrive.
Love and prayers, Jesse, Joy, and Zach
