Dear Friends and Family,
It's my turn to ask for prayer this time. I am thirty weeks pregnant now-- we are praising the Lord that I don't have placenta previa this time and that the baby is moving well, but for the last two weeks now I have been really struggling to keep food down. I have been nauseous the whole pregnancy and have only mangaged to gain 10 pounds so far, and last week I lost 2 of them. I have tried every trick in every preganancy book I have-- eating small meals often, sleeping propped up, not lying down after eating, etc... and have gotten some prescription strength antacid, but all to no avail. I am hungry and thirsty all the time and can't eat or drink enough to relieve it. I can't figure out what makes some days OK and some days horrible. Whether because of hunger or the baby pressing on blood vessels somewhere, I have also been feeling pretty weak and even feeling faint at times.
This is very frustrating as there is a huge amount of work that needs to be done before we head to Kenya on Sept. 5. I need to have all the curriculum for Sept. and Oct. done in advance, as well as complete 2 weeks of teacher training, and I just found out that the volunteer who was planning to return at the end of August to help with all this has delayed her arrival until October to be part of a friend's wedding back home. That means there is no one that I can delegate any of these jobs to.
It is also a little scary to be here in these last weeks, as medical care for a premie here is pretty much non-existant. Please pray this baby stays healthy and stays in until we get to Kenya, and that I am able to eat well and have the strength to do what needs to be done. The boys are feeling the strain of getting less attention than usual, and the baby isn't even here yet!
Zach has had one more bout of diahrrea since I wrote last, and has dropped over a pound as well. I think the break in Kenya will be good for his little body. I can't really figure out why he is struggling with stomach issues again now after a year of doing great-- it might just be that they are more prevalent in dry season, which will be over when we return, so that's a blessing. Pray also that God will prepare Zach for starting school on September 1st-- he will be going to school completely in French, so on top of the usual separation anxiety issues he will have the frustration of not being able to understand...
Well, thanks for "listening" to what is on my heart and bringing it before the Father. I am so thankful that he promises to "give strength to the weary and increase the power of the weak" and that he loves this little baby even more than we do and is in complete control.
In Him,
Joy
