Here is the latest update from Greg, baby Zoey's dad:
"Hi everyone,
Zoey has been getting a little bit better every day since I last wrote and has moved from the ICU to a post-surgical ward at Children's. She has gradually moved from morphine to methadone to codeine and today took just Tylenol. She still has a catheter in each kidney, a drain in her abdomen anda feeding tube down her throat, but other than those, she has shed all the rest of the IV's, and other paraphernalia that was sticking out of her. My guess is that the feeding tube may go in the next few days as she has taken a bottle a few times without incident (although it is a little tough to burp her since she is still in traction with her feet straight up in the air!). Her spirits are generally good and she is starting to look like her old self and even gives a few smiles and laughs if she is in a good mood.Steph and I get out to see her every day and the plan at this point is that she'll be in traction for another 3-4 weeks and come home in about 5-6 weeks. We'll see how things go. On the home front, everything is good. Zach has even slept through the night a few times. I keep telling the nurses that Zoey had better be doing the same by the time they send her home. :)
greg."
Thanks for praying for Zoey, and keep it up! Just as an added prayer, please just ask for a special blessing on both Steph and Greg as today is Greg's birthday and the 8th of September was Steph's.
Our news? Not much. I'm having a teary week, and it all started Thursday last week when I bought a jar of blueberry/raspberry/blackberry jam. What's the deal with that??? There's nothing to complain about here, and I think it's okay to miss home. Please continue to pray that we'll continue to settle, and especially for the kids and their schoolwork. It's a pretty intense workload, especially for their age and what they're used to. What they're doing is incredible...I'm amazed at the work that each of them is putting out; however, I think they're overwhelmed feeling at times and they just need to realize that they can do it, step by step. I know that Abby is doing a countdown to Bali, and so I hope that it's a wonderful relaxing trip for Tris, Matthew and Abby.
The country is 1/2 way through Ramadan. This is a good thing for us as well, because there are some things that are definately a little more difficult to get used to. One of them is the eating. Muslims are not allowed to eat between sunrise and sunset (or drink anything, including water). This means that anyone we're purchasing food from during the day is having to prepare, cook or serve food for hours and they don't get to participate. Sri our helper just keeps on going and I've never heard a complaint from her. Today Tris brought donuts to school and stuck 2 in the fridge for her for dessert. I think she's looking forward to the end of the day, because they're almost as good as Cumberland Bakery donuts! The other day I had whipped some cream and I held out the beaters for her to clean off (aka eat off the whipped cream). When I said "would you like these?" she looked at me and laughed. Oops. She said "yes, I would like them very much" except that it was 2 hours until sunset yet. I felt so mean! Needless to say we saved a big dollop just for her.
We try to avoid the malls around dinner time this month. It's just crazy. At about 5:50 the food courts/restaurants are packed. I feel really bad for the food fair/restaurant servers/cooks who will have to work and are unable to break their fast for later.
What I especially wonder about the fasting is...what about those who havent' got any food to eat in the first place? Of what significance is it to them that they're fasting? I imagine that they would focus on fasting all the other areas (water, if available, sex, smoking) but when you are just surviving, would you even have the energy or means to pursue the other areas?
So many times when I am in Jakarta I choke up, and I am not sure what's going on inside me. Not sure if it's my own sadness or if it's something God is doing in my heart regarding Indonesia. My heart breaks for some of what i see, and there is so much more of these heartwrenching scenes outside of the big city, things I h ave not yet seen. I have googled different areas of Indonesia and various news articles have given me a little more insight into this country we are living in. Also, the book that I was reading on the history of Indonesia (IT IS FINISHED!!) has given me intellectual insight if nothing else on the people of Indonesia. This is definately not a country in unity by any means, and it never has been. There is such a conglomeration of cultures, languages, religions and heritages in this country, and such an integration of outside influence. Each religion has taken on different aspects of past beliefs (ie/ in some areas animism has become intertwined with Christianity) and so if you were to try and research the religions of Indonesia as a whole it would be incredibly difficult. Just for the record, that is not something I personally am aspiring to:) I will continue to examine my heart and ask God what it is that these emotions are inside me. Sometimes I feel a sense of pride for the people of Indonesia and I think it's just a stitch in the canvas that is being built in our family while we're here. As much as we stand out, we don't want to be on the outside of what is going on in Indonesia. We want to be a part of people's lives here. Not sure how that will happen in the area that we live, but we're here for a reason and since God has a purpose and a plan for our lives, we'll just have to see how this all works out.
We covet your prayers!
Thanks for reading.
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