June 2006

Kaden was diagnosed with bronchial pneumonia on Friday before leaving for Jo’burg and was given some meds to take along with a nebulizer machine. We picked up Gordon and Teri on Sunday morning and Monday had my baby dr. appt. We headed back to Swaziland and Tuesday took Kaden back in for a follow up. I was shocked when she told us he wasn’t doing better and we needed to head to Nelspruit, South Africa to have him looked at by a specialist pediatrician and most likely admitted. She told us to be prepared to stay at least three nights. We were not able to get into a specialist til Thursday though. So, Thursday we headed up to Nelspruit (2.5 hr. drive) and left Kylea and Grandpa and Grammi behind, not knowing if we were coming right back that night or staying. The dr. checked him out, sent us for x-rays and told us he wanted to admit him. I began to cry, I was so sure that he was getting better. Doug headed downstairs to fill out the paper work while they took me to the children’s ward and began giving him inhalations and an IV, and taking blood. My little baby was screaming and crying and I was trying so hard to be strong and not to do the same, but I gave in. Kaden looked over at me and asked “mommy, why are you so sad?” in between his sobbing. He had an IV hooked to his hand, physiotherapy twice a day, inhalations three times a day and meds. We had some amazing friends who drove from Swaziland just to see us and Kaden, what a blessing being so far away from home.

Sunday came and we were told we would be able to go home, but the dr. wanted more x-rays first. After he looked at the pics he was not completely happy with what he saw. Needless to say he told us we would have to stay at least until Tuesday. I was once again devastated and we began texting some of our friends to see if anyone was coming up so we could get Kylea and grandpa and grammi up with us, which we did. Tuesday came rolling around and we were discharged and headed home.

We had a blast with Doug’s parents going on dates and playing around. Every weekend had been filled with some sort of children’s ministry too. Doug has been busy doing Children’s teacher training for Sunday schools and kids clubs and we had a two man team come in for a set up trip in that time too.
We had planned a trip to the Drakensburg Mountains in South Africa for the 19-23 of the month. Well both kids this time were sick. We decided to postpone our trip and see the dr. once again and she said kaden had a pretty bad ear infection and bronchitis again and Kylea had the same but not so bad. So we cancelled our trip and stayed warm (as it is winter here) and hung low for a few days. We found a couple of new places we had not yet been, we went to the cultural village and hiked back into the water fall area, it was nice to get out.
The 27th we headed back to Jo’burg to take back Gordon and Teri, but first had my first scan (ultrasound). She informed us I was 16 weeks instead of 15, which is always good news and that moved my due date from the 21st of December to the 15th, which was good too, farther away from Christmas. We brought the whole family in for the viewing of the baby and boy was the baby active!! She took a pic and stopped for a view to ask us if we wanted to know what it was, we all agreed and she informed us that she was pretty sure it was a boy. Well Kylea did not like that. She began to question the dr. and ask how she knew, if she was sure, and that it could still be a girl, the dr. could be wrong. But we all confirmed we saw some parts of him that definitely made him a boy. Kylea began to fight back the tears as she backed out of the room silently, we turned around to see her half way out the door still looking at the screen with big tears in her eyes. Doug went over there and took her out and talked with her about how God knows exactly what our family needs. She is doing much better with it, but still argues it could be a girl!

April & May 2006

April 2006
“Round 3” as of April 17th we found out that we are adding to the Myers tribe!! We are so excited to have another addition to our family. I know some people think that I am crazy, we already have one of each and we are in Africa, so far away from home. Things are more normal here than some may think and we are 4 hrs away from Jo’burg, South Africa if we want to deliver there.

It was exciting today to see that the school was donated two water tanks for the children to drink and for making their food, as there have been many days they barely had enough clean water to cook with. The kids can now wash their hands before eating too, which is a good thing!! I had been an interesting task teaching this group of teachers. I went to assess them, yes the teacher and found out that two of them know almost all the letters except about 2-3 letter and sounds they missed about 7 sounds each. So, it is like I am teaching first grade all over again. God must have a sense of humor since I have been missing desperately teaching in the states where I have all the resources possible at my disposal, and now I am teaching some of those same basic first grade skills with no resources.

The end of April to mid May is holiday or term break. The schools here run Jan. to Dec. and consist of three terms separated by about a three week break. So we got with some of our missionary friends and headed south to the beach, Durban. It was so nice to go down and see the ocean, especially with both Doug and I growing up in the northwest area around water all the time. We had a blast jumping waves in the Indian Ocean, making sand castles, digging for crabs and gathering shells and just relaxing as a family.

Our friend Lynette who was saved in our living room a couple of weeks ago went to Mozambique for holiday and we found out that her 5 year old son got Malaria and went through some pretty bad stuff at the hospital. He had three or four of the strands possible and was admitted and the nurse put all his IV down him in less than half of the time it was supposed to be done, etc. We phoned her and asked her if we could come and pray with her and Keenan. We went by the store and got him a little toy and some sweets and headed to Manzini. We prayed with them and two days later got a call from Lynette saying his Malaria has been cleared!! So cool!


May 2006
Kaden is so cute with the baby, he is telling everyone he has a baby in his tummy! And when we are cuddling or he is laying or sitting on me he is very sensitive that he is not hurting the baby, cuz it could cry. Kylea, is going to be such a great help she is putting her votes in for a sister, of course. Who knows with how sick I have been! Kylea I was very sick that first trimester, Kaden just nauseous, who knows?! This one I have been very sick multiple times daily and nauseous pretty much all day every day, fun, fun! Thank goodness for a husband who is not afraid to help, esp. in the kitchen!

We were driving somewhere and Kaden was doing something that surprised Doug and I and Doug looked back at him and said “you little smarty pants”! Kaden replied with “I am not a farty pants, daddy, you’re a farty pants” haha! He had trouble with his s sounds in some words and they generally come out as f’s. Oh, he is all boy!! Kylea on the other hand is all girl, she loves to dress up and put on make-up and play mommy. She is getting so grown up too, I look at her to expect to see my little pixie at 18 months old with two little piggie tails sticking out the sides of her head with her big blue eyes. She loves going to school and is learning her letters and picking up spelling. She can of course spell her name, but her first word to spell was MOMMY!! Ha after saying daddy first I finally get my name in there in the spelling hall of fame!! I will never forget on mothers day when she was 1yr. and at church they had a mom video of a bunch of the kids in the church and at the very end they had her standing there and asked her to say mommy and she tilted her little blond head and batted her big blue eyes and said “dada”, it was cute!

This is a month of celebration, Doug turned 31, it was Mothers day and we celebrate 8 years of marriage on the 30th of the month!! Party, party, party!

We are gearing up for Doug’s parents to come “Grandpa & Grammi”. We actually have not seen them since we were in the states and Kaden was four months old. They have been in Indonesia and are coming to see us, the kids cannot wait.

Ministry wise, I am still doing my Wednesday morning bible study with a group of about 9-10ish ladies, we just finished a book by Joanna Weaver called “Having a Mary heart in a Martha World”, incredible book. I also just started another bible study in my home for a couple of new Christians. There were four of us this last Sat. and am excited to see it grow. It was amazing to sit and begin to disciple these ladies and have God confirm his abilities in me. I am seeing strengths that I never knew I had, and a lot that I am still lacking!!

God has begun to open some serious doors with our hearts desire and the vision that he give us before coming here. We are praying for direction and continued favor with the people.

We headed to Jo’burg to pick up Doug’s parents and have my first baby dr. visit.

March 2006

“The month of potty training!” Now that Kaden is officially 2 ½ and has an interest in going on the potty we have been slowly going for it. Doug got tired of consistently having accidents so he picked up the potty training in a day book, and did it with Kaden. It was so funny to watch Doug get a doll put a sponge in her making her go potty. The funny thing is it worked, for now. We are still having some accidents, but he is a big boy. You will hear him yelling “I’m a big boy” over and over again when he has to go as he is running for the bathroom!

I am still going down south to one of the rural areas Phuzumoya (poo-za-moy-ya) every Tuesday. I has been a challenge doing so as the teachers themselves do not know English very well. I have to have a translator with me at all times. Yet we are plugging away.

Doug had the opportunity to preach at the International church here on Sunday and it was phenomenal! One of the queen’s who often attends was there, which was pretty cool too. He preached on intimacy with God and it was very powerful. The next day one of my girl friends called and said she had brought a friend to church and she wanted to accept Christ in her life, but wanted to talk to Pastor Doug first. They both came over and had a nice long chat with Doug and I and right there in our living room she knelt down and accepted Christ into her life!! I have been with others accepting Christ, but this was different God was so pursuing Lynette it was amazing and she was soooo incredibly passionate about it. God is faithful.

In my devotions I came across something that came pretty profound to me:
In “My Beloved Disciple” by Beth Moore:
“have you ever exclaimed in exasperation, “God never lets me get away with anything?” have you ever noticed to, God seems particularly jealous with you? Then he refuses to allow you to do mindless and meaningless actgivities that He seems to toleralte in other believers? **He does so because you have proved to be a cooperative, fruit bearing child. He knows that you are his prime branch through whom He can be glorified.” Wow that one just hit me upside the head. To be completely honest this is how I sometimes feel when I am throwing my two year old tantrum “why me, why so far away, in Africa? Why not someone else? Why can’t I be at home where everything is normal?” then God reminds me, it is not about little me, there is more out there, I have found favor in God’s sight. As my pastors wife say’s “I am his favorite daughter!”