We made it!

It’s hard to believe it’s only been just over a week since we got back to Togo. We’ve fallen back into life here pretty easily. It’s one of the only times since we’ve been married that we’ve gone from a place for any length of time, and come back to it. It was really nice to walk into a house we recognized, be able to shop for essentials—like food—without wondering where to go and how to get there, etc. The girls were, for the most part, glad to see their beds and things as well.

Having said all that, we also had a hard time leaving the US. We had a great time there and saying good-bye doesn’t seem to get any easier! However, the pull of knowing we were to see Papa after 2 months, helped.

Our trip was probably the least eventful of any I have ever undertaken. My mother accompanied us as far as JFK. Since we knew it wouldn’t be easy getting thru that airport with all our luggage, we welcomed another “trolley pusher”. As it turned out, we didn’t need any others (but it was still nice to have Grandma along!). I believe God sent another angel. This time in the form of a man who worked there. As we “girls” stood there by the baggage carousel trying to decide how best to fit all the boxes and suitcases onto the fewest number of trolleys—at $5 each, we wanted to use as few as possible—a man came up and asked us where we were headed. We told him and he said, “Follow me, I’ll help you.” We did just that and he did just that as well. It was incredibly easy. He even knew how to conquer the doors on the tram as they tried to shut on him (we had been intimidated by them the last time and didn’t all get onto the tram together. You can refresh your memory on our June 16, 2008 entry, entitled Moving Right Along--can't figure out how to link you there.) From there on it was “easy-peasy”. We even got a hotel room with 2 meals in Casablanca to break up our 16 hr layover. It was great. It really helped with jet-lag as we got a chance to sleep a good deal.

Now we are back and the rains are here. It isn’t as hot as it would normally be—a good thing—and it’s nice to see our friends whom we missed while in the USA.

Thank you to all of you for your prayers for our travels and for all of us as we were separated for 2 months. It was great in the US but we are glad to be together again, as well.

~kathy

Kansas

It's already been nearly 2 months since we arrived in the US. We are having a great time. The girls are thoroughly enjoying school and being with friends and family. I (Kathy) am also enjoying them being in "real" school and with friends and family.

It's been pretty relaxing and just plain fun. It was nearly 90 degrees the other day and, although I was hot, I didn't even break a sweat! What a difference. We've also been to see various doctors, etc. I have been to see a cardioloist and my extra heartbeat seems to be something I just need to learn to live with (something I really already knew, but dared to hope might change).

We miss Papa, though, even if it is nice here. He went back to Togo 3 weeks ago. He was worried that he might starve since he didn't know what to cook, but has lovely friends who are taking care of him and feeding him.

something random but kinda cool

When we first arrived here in the US this time, we spent a few days with my brother and family. It was great to "get out feet under us again" and spend time with family. Mom, Elena and I went to Hutchinson one morning. On our way out of town, we passed Central Christian College (one of the 2 colleges in McPherson, KS where Rob and fam. live). I have either never passed there before, or just never noticed the name of one of the dorms.



Cool, huh?

God loves to be trusted

Now we’ve both been to the specialist and got some kind of treatment. But (his) story and (her) story are not over, yet.

On Tuesday the 6th I (Roger) received the treatment for my right eye. Considering our lowly estate, the doctor somehow managed to get me the medicine for free (we are talking about the price of a flat screen TV). Now that is amazing! However, I have not yet seen any improvements in my sight. I’m not sure how quickly I’m supposed to. I’ll find out when I’ll do a follow-up visit next week.
Using the laser to activate the dye that had been injected into my veins only took 83 seconds. But for 3 more days (a total of 5), I have to dress up like a Christmas tree when I go outside, because I am photosensitive. If I wouldn’t, I could get 3rd-degree burns, just from being in the sunlight. I was shocked yesterday, when at least a dozen children surrounded me in the school playground and chanted: “You’re a girl! You’re a girl!”. I must admit I do look rather “gorgeous” in that straw hat, big sunglasses, gloves and pink scarf.

To see the heart specialist, Kathy, had to go to Wichita, too. Her appointment was on Thursday the 8th. So, she and her mom did the 350-mile round trip yesterday. For several months now Kathy has been feeling an extra heartbeat, which often takes her breath away or keeps her from sleeping. She’s been worried about it, but was able to control it with Beta-blockers. Surprisingly, all that the doctor prescribed was a higher dosage of the medicine she’s already taking. If there aren’t any changes in a few weeks she’ll have to come back for more examinations and tests.

So, nothing has really changed. Kathy is still broken-hearted, I’m still half blind and God still has everything under control.

"Now I see", said the blind man

I'm just back from the retina specialist in Wichita, Kansas. He put a name to my problem: Central Serous Retinopathy. In plain English: a fluid blister on the back of the right eye. He thinks that it could go away by itself in 3-6 months.
However, since there is no eye specialist in Togo, who could treat it, he wants to see me again in 2 weeks. If it hasn't diminished by then, he wants to do laser treatment. Can you pray with me that the blister goes away so that I don't have to have treatment, and save more than $1000. Merci!

Surprise, surprise...

Now that we’ve sufficiently surprised our family in Kansas, we can let you know what’s going on in our lives at the moment.

You are probably aware that Kathy has been troubled with heart problems the last three months. She has irregular heartbeats and often has sleepless nights. She has been taking beta-blockers for several months now, which help, but don't solve the situation. We are certain that much of the problem is due to stress.

Since we believe that Kathy's main stress is related to home schooling, we have come home to Kansas. Once this week of Spring break is over, the children will go to the public school in Burdett. Kathy and the girls are going to stay there till the end of the school year. Roger, however, is going back to Togo shortly after Easter, since the media school will start on the 19th of April. God willing, Kathy and the girls return to Lome in June. That means, that we'll be separated for 10 weeks! Which in itself is a huge stress factor for all of us, but we don't have a better solution at the moment.

We have decided, together with Elena, that she will go to boarding school after the summer holidays. We have contacted Dakar Academy in Senegal and Rift Valley Academy in Kenya, and are waiting to hear from them. Both schools offer an American curriculum, which is what we want our kids to follow. Elena's preferred choice would be RVA, but it would be a miracle to get in there, since they usually have very long waiting lists. Please pray with us for that miracle.

Please pray also for me (Roger). Ever since I came back from Egypt (I went there for a week-long conference in February) I’ve had problems with my right eye. I see horizontal lines slightly distorted and it feels as if there is a cloud on the lens. I went to see two different eye doctors in Ghana, but there's nothing they can do for me, since they don’t have the equipment to examine the eye sufficiently.

So, if you are surprised by the recent developments, so are we. Please keep uplifting us. Thanks

W-A-W-A

No, we aren’t crying, tho it might have been an option today. It actually stands for “West Africa Wins Again”. Today, Roger’s sister, Helga, was to have left for home. She had already begun to think cool thoughts and adjust herself to being cold again. We took a taxi to the airport—here in Ghana—and prepared to say good-bye.

We walked into the check-in area of the airport and looked in vain for the Emirates desk. We finally asked the information clerks who told us the plane had already left. Since we just knew that was impossible, we kept looking. I asked again and found that their main office was in the “next building”. I went over there, found them and asked when they would open their check-in desk. The man informed me the plane had indeed already left. I told him that wasn’t possible, because my sister-in-law’s ticket said it was to leave at 6:30pm.

To make a long story short: Ghana has a shortage of jet-A1 fuel and airlines are making adjustments (exactly what that has to do with them leaving 12 hours earlier than stated on the ticket is still unclear, but I just took it at face value. Had they gotten rid of a flight or 2 all together, I would have understood a bit more, but…). And, the airline supposedly tried to contact Helga but had no way to do so. This is either the fault of the travel agent in Germany, not having given the information to Emirate Air or because they never actually tired to get hold of her. This was also unclear as the man showed us a copy of the email Emirates sent out to travel agencies, making it their responsibility to contact the clients.

Anyway, we are all back home here at the WEC guesthouse. We’ve eaten and the girls, Helga and I are going to watch a movie in the bedroom with a/c! We need a break from the heat.

Praise God that the girls and I went with Helga to the airport—she might still be sitting there (enjoying the a/c) and that they changed her ticket to tomorrow at the same time as the one stated for today.

My quote of the day: Helga said, “An to think, I was just thinking that I was actually leaving Africa and nothing had to be changed or adjusted.” Guess that’s what she gets for thinking!