Today, we were able to receive Dad out of the hospital and he is now back at home here in Moberly and doing much better. With the new stents, his heart is having more oxygen and he has more energy. He will need to have two more stents inserted in a few weeks so we are very grateful that his heart was strong enough to endure.
We called the Home of God's Love this evening and Bev Skiles said that Raena is doing much better yet still had a rather high white blood cell count showing infection but that it was getting lower. She should be able to leave the hospital tomorrow and they are taking many tests to discover what is causing her seizures. Right now, it appears they are triggered by fevers. She was diagnosed this time with acute pneumonia. Bev also said that sometimes the adoption process takes longer than we anticipate and that it could be August before we receive the final word.
So, we are trusting in the Lord's direction and trying desperately to control our own expectations. (Proverbs 16:9) Regardless, it is going to be a long summer!
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Saturday, May 27, 2006
What's Next? Wait... I don't want to know!
Can we ask you to pray for us right now?
This was the last week of public school and our boys are glad to be free for another summer. On their last day, Dezi took them to Long Branch lake to the beach for a surprise along with Sandy Fincher and her children. It was a beautiful sunny day and one of our sons neglected to get sunscreen on. So, Thursday evening, Talon started itching really bad and had what is called sun poisoning. He was literally screaming at the pain and since I have had it a few times, we were trying everything we could think of to help. We called the emergency room and got advice and finally at about 2am he calmed down enough to fall asleep.
Can we ask you to pray for us right now?
One hour later, we received a phone call from the assisted living home where my folks are living in an independent cottage. My father was having a heart attack. I rushed over in time to meet the ambulance and he was taken to Moberly Regional. There they decided quickly to transfer him to Boone County Hospital in Columbia. He had a 100% blocked artery and after angioplasty and a stent, has stabilized and resting comfortably in ICU. He will be there through Monday probably. It was apparent another artery is almost blocked so he will be having another stent put in at a later date. All three brothers made it to the hospital to be with him in the morning and pray for him.
Can we ask you to pray for us right now?
After one hour's sleep that evening, I finally made it home in time to greet Dezi's sister and her husband who are visiting for the weekend. We were talking about Raena so I checked email to see if they had gotten the final paperwork yet and there was an email saying that Raena had two more seizures and had stopped breathing and was again in the hospital. We called to get the latest and she has stablized and more tests are being done. We are torn with our desire to have her here and to go be with her.
Can we ask you to praise God right now?
Talon is feeling much better.
Dad is stabilized and in no pain.
Raena is being treated and is doing fine now.
God is giving us the strength and patience we need as we go through trials like these.
This was the last week of public school and our boys are glad to be free for another summer. On their last day, Dezi took them to Long Branch lake to the beach for a surprise along with Sandy Fincher and her children. It was a beautiful sunny day and one of our sons neglected to get sunscreen on. So, Thursday evening, Talon started itching really bad and had what is called sun poisoning. He was literally screaming at the pain and since I have had it a few times, we were trying everything we could think of to help. We called the emergency room and got advice and finally at about 2am he calmed down enough to fall asleep.
Can we ask you to pray for us right now?
One hour later, we received a phone call from the assisted living home where my folks are living in an independent cottage. My father was having a heart attack. I rushed over in time to meet the ambulance and he was taken to Moberly Regional. There they decided quickly to transfer him to Boone County Hospital in Columbia. He had a 100% blocked artery and after angioplasty and a stent, has stabilized and resting comfortably in ICU. He will be there through Monday probably. It was apparent another artery is almost blocked so he will be having another stent put in at a later date. All three brothers made it to the hospital to be with him in the morning and pray for him.
Can we ask you to pray for us right now?
After one hour's sleep that evening, I finally made it home in time to greet Dezi's sister and her husband who are visiting for the weekend. We were talking about Raena so I checked email to see if they had gotten the final paperwork yet and there was an email saying that Raena had two more seizures and had stopped breathing and was again in the hospital. We called to get the latest and she has stablized and more tests are being done. We are torn with our desire to have her here and to go be with her.
Can we ask you to praise God right now?
Talon is feeling much better.
Dad is stabilized and in no pain.
Raena is being treated and is doing fine now.
God is giving us the strength and patience we need as we go through trials like these.
Friday, May 19, 2006
New & Improved Family Picture
No, she's not with us yet, just a special effect done by Nick Farr at the Team Expansion home office. Can you tell which child is being adopted?
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Candidate Lab
Whew! What a month! So much has been happening it is hard to cover all the events. Right now I'm writing this from Louisville, Kentucky at the Team Expansion main office observing Candidate Lab. It is a week for new recruits to become assimilated into Team Expansion's passion and protocols and receive training in raising support, creating a mission budget and other practical skills. Three of these recruits are headed for China & Taiwan! Dezi has her hands full taking care of the boys by herself so please pray for her stamina during this time.
This is finals week at CCCB and I was able to give all of mine last Thursday, grades were done by Friday (thanks Sherry!) leaving me free to attend Candidate Lab. I will return to Moberly for Commencement on Friday, May 19 which is our largest graduation to date. It's always hard to go through this time of year. Making so many relationships with the students and then having them graduate and leave is exciting but also very emotional. They have a way of getting into your heart! It is fulfilling however, to see more and more go out into the Lord's harvest each year.
We have run in to another hold up on Raena's adoption and hopefully we can resolve it on Monday so please pray. The judge in Taiwan has given a court date of June 20th to decide the case and we are hoping to have it moved up for Raena's medical situation. Thank you for faithfully praying for Raena and our patience!
This is finals week at CCCB and I was able to give all of mine last Thursday, grades were done by Friday (thanks Sherry!) leaving me free to attend Candidate Lab. I will return to Moberly for Commencement on Friday, May 19 which is our largest graduation to date. It's always hard to go through this time of year. Making so many relationships with the students and then having them graduate and leave is exciting but also very emotional. They have a way of getting into your heart! It is fulfilling however, to see more and more go out into the Lord's harvest each year.
We have run in to another hold up on Raena's adoption and hopefully we can resolve it on Monday so please pray. The judge in Taiwan has given a court date of June 20th to decide the case and we are hoping to have it moved up for Raena's medical situation. Thank you for faithfully praying for Raena and our patience!
Thursday, May 04, 2006
So, How Was The Picnic?
We are glad you asked!
Scott & Angie Pagel are back on furlough from Taiwan and they were able to spend a couple of days in our area. They did a wonderful job on campus talking to students, challenging them to consider missions, and reuniting with students who have taken short term mission trips to Taiwan already. On their last evening, we had a picnic in a local park and invited a few students who seem the most interested in working in Taiwan to come along.
The next morning, two of the couples and one young lady all downloaded the application from the Team Expansion website and are applying to go to Taiwan as soon as they can! That's five more workers for the Chinese Harvest! We should have picnics more often!
Scott & Angie Pagel are back on furlough from Taiwan and they were able to spend a couple of days in our area. They did a wonderful job on campus talking to students, challenging them to consider missions, and reuniting with students who have taken short term mission trips to Taiwan already. On their last evening, we had a picnic in a local park and invited a few students who seem the most interested in working in Taiwan to come along.
The next morning, two of the couples and one young lady all downloaded the application from the Team Expansion website and are applying to go to Taiwan as soon as they can! That's five more workers for the Chinese Harvest! We should have picnics more often!
Introducing Raena Marie Worstell
This is Raena Marie at our very first meeting in Taiwan at the end of March when taking a group of 17 Central students there for Outreach Week. As of this posting, we are still waiting and it could be 8 weeks or late July before Dezi can go and get her. Please pray for Raena as she has had some serious allergic reactions and is susceptible to bronchial irritations. She has also had a couple of high fevers lately that has led to seizures. She is a very sweet little girl and our whole family is very excited about her arrival.
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Our Family Picture
This family picture was taken in January, 2006. Standing from left to right are Ian & Talon. Sitting are Colan, Mike, Dezi & Devin. Of course it isn't showing the newest member of our family, Raena Marie! We are still in the midst of the adoption process but are hopeful that before Spring is over, she will join our family from the Home of God's Love in Taiwan. Check back soon for some new pictures of her from Mike's visit to Taiwan in March.
Monday, April 17, 2006
How you can tell God is working....
Two things happened of significance today.
First, we got a call from a supporting church wondering what has been going on lately in our ministry. We have been struggling to figure out a new medium to convey what is happening since prices have really skyrocketed in printing and mailing out a regular newsletter... over $900 the last time we mailed out in November! As we have tried to email out updates, we have discovered that our server only allows 100 to be sent at a time so many people were never even getting our updates at all! (We have over 600 on our mailing list!) We are now reconfiguring our address book so that everyone will receive them but it is taking a lot more time than we anticipated.
The church representative also mentioned that some people in their congregation are wanting to support a missionary who actually lives overseas. We certainly understand that position and at one point in our lives, we would have agreed. Now, we see how God has been leading so many to consider the Harvest fields of East Asia, how 21% of all decisions made at last fall's National Missionary Convention were from Central students, how I just returned from Taiwan with a group of 17 students, half of which have expressed specific interest in returning to work full time, and how at least 12 students have inquired about taking Chinese classes for Dezi's third year in teaching the beginning course, we believe this is where God wants us, and though we'd rather be living and working in Taiwan, for now, here is where we are doing a greater good. Over 60 are in the pipeline to work in China or Taiwan from Freshman to Graduate students including other non-traditional students. (These are students who have been out of school for some time and working in secular jobs or ministry and have returned to complete their education. Most have families.)
The other significant event? A young couple who went with me on the Taiwan trip, Devon & Megan Pinkerton, just came into my office this afternoon and expressed how they made a decision this weekend to no longer say "if we go to Taiwan" but "when we go to Taiwan". Making a difference?
First, we got a call from a supporting church wondering what has been going on lately in our ministry. We have been struggling to figure out a new medium to convey what is happening since prices have really skyrocketed in printing and mailing out a regular newsletter... over $900 the last time we mailed out in November! As we have tried to email out updates, we have discovered that our server only allows 100 to be sent at a time so many people were never even getting our updates at all! (We have over 600 on our mailing list!) We are now reconfiguring our address book so that everyone will receive them but it is taking a lot more time than we anticipated.
The church representative also mentioned that some people in their congregation are wanting to support a missionary who actually lives overseas. We certainly understand that position and at one point in our lives, we would have agreed. Now, we see how God has been leading so many to consider the Harvest fields of East Asia, how 21% of all decisions made at last fall's National Missionary Convention were from Central students, how I just returned from Taiwan with a group of 17 students, half of which have expressed specific interest in returning to work full time, and how at least 12 students have inquired about taking Chinese classes for Dezi's third year in teaching the beginning course, we believe this is where God wants us, and though we'd rather be living and working in Taiwan, for now, here is where we are doing a greater good. Over 60 are in the pipeline to work in China or Taiwan from Freshman to Graduate students including other non-traditional students. (These are students who have been out of school for some time and working in secular jobs or ministry and have returned to complete their education. Most have families.)
The other significant event? A young couple who went with me on the Taiwan trip, Devon & Megan Pinkerton, just came into my office this afternoon and expressed how they made a decision this weekend to no longer say "if we go to Taiwan" but "when we go to Taiwan". Making a difference?
Sunday, April 16, 2006
Welcome!
We hope to use this opportunity to let you see what we see everyday! So many are interested in serving in the harvest fields that we are more convinced that God has led us here for a purpose and that He is definitely planning something great for East Asia!
For example, just last week, in one afternoon alone, 7 people came in to the office to see what steps were needed to work in Taiwan. One couple still has two years before graduation, one couple has already graduated and ready to go, and the three singles are interested in forming a team to go and work together!
And everyday, more requests are coming in and we want to share with you specifics of our day to day lives. Look back often!
For example, just last week, in one afternoon alone, 7 people came in to the office to see what steps were needed to work in Taiwan. One couple still has two years before graduation, one couple has already graduated and ready to go, and the three singles are interested in forming a team to go and work together!
And everyday, more requests are coming in and we want to share with you specifics of our day to day lives. Look back often!
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