Heidi's Year-in-Review

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” Lamentations 3: 22-24

(Picture is morning view from our backyard)

Dear friends,

Greetings from Abington, Pennsylvania! I (Heidi) am so thankful for the past 5 1/2 weeks I’ve had here in the U.S. with Luke and Anna for medical care and visits with loved ones on this side of the sea. We have been well - cared for and are refreshed. While it’s been hard to be apart as a family, this summer has been a season of healing for us- rest, catching our breath and processing some of what we’ve been through this last year. Luke has been stable and seizure- free on the 2 medications he’s taking now for 7 weeks. David and Gabe stayed behind in Yaounde, and have survived without wife/ Mom there to cook for them! They’ve had lots of quality father-son time, including a trip to the beach. We all look forward to being reunited in less than a week! The verses above have brought deeper comfort as we’ve found them freshly relevant to our lives these past few months. There are days when we have been nearly consumed, but God’s mercies break in and we are helped. Daily bread. The past year has been so hard, but God has been so very good and faithful. The Anne Lamott book title “Help, Thanks, Wow” is apropos in summarizing our experiences. Many of you have followed our family’s journey for the past year via our newsletters, blog and Facebook posts, or emails, so you know it’s been a season of medical challenges for us. Thank you for taking time to read and write back, to pray and give of your time and money these past months, encouraging us and enabling us to continue living and working in Cameroon. As we packed up to return to Cameroon last summer, I can say that we felt confident about heading back for 2 more years. We’d prayed and wrestled with the idea during our first year there, and all the doors opened for us to return. Within a few weeks of arriving back in Africa, our health issues commenced with David’s diagnosis of a blood clot in the leg. Just when we felt most desperate for help, a flight became available for us to go to the the excellent mission hospital in the town of Mbingo, Cameroon. It turns out he never had a blood clot, or at least it had disappeared. Our fears were put to rest. We could stop the twice-daily injections of blood thinners. Help came. Thanks. Wow. While I filled in as nurse for our missionary community in the fall, I was so busy and challenged in providing advice and care for people who had illnesses with which I was unfamiliar. The language and setting was still new to me. People called, emailed and stopped by our house often. There were some serious medical crises. I had what I needed just in time in many cases- I wasn’t sure where to turn, but just the right person would walk into the situation and provide what we needed. I felt like I was able to make difficult judgement calls and stay strong most of the time. But the emotional and physical strain took a toll. During that season when I was feeling most vulnerable, I sensed the Lord present with me in a sweet and powerful way. The comfort received as I sensed Him seeing me was immense. He gets it. He truly is the lifter of my head and the God who sees. As I let Him see and love me, I am helped. I have just what I need to do what I’m called to. Help, thanks, wow. I began having unequal pupil dilation in February, and needed an MRI of the head. We had recently been introduced to an excellent young Cameroonian neurologist, and he provided the contact I needed with the radiologist in charge of the only operational MRI facility in the country. They were able to schedule and complete the MRI within a week. It involved taking a 4 hour train trip to the capital city on the coast with 2 of my good friends. This was an unexpected mini-retreat. And I didn’t have a brain tumor or other serious problem- it was a minor injury from getting hit in the face with a ball! When Luke ended up needing an MRI 3 months later, I had the information we needed to make arrangements for his exam and was not stressed with the logistics of it because I’d already done this! It felt like mercy. Then Luke had 7 seizures in 6 months. There are so many stories of sustaining grace in the midst of that. Cameroonian and missionary friends laid hands on Luke and our family and prayed for us. They cried for me when I was numb and couldn’t weep. They brought us food and words of encouragement, hugs and back rubs and listening and laughter. Our friends, family and supporters in the U.S. and around the world wrote and called, gave generously and sacrificially to pay for our unexpected medical costs and flights home. We found the meds we needed, sometime the last bottle in one pharmacy after searching the city for the drug. I saw more butterflies during our last month in Cameroon than I’d ever seen in my life. I read a memoir by Madeline L’Engle about her husband’s struggle with cancer, the grief and bittersweet journey. It was so comforting. We had moments of crazy laughter as family around the dinner table, the joy of watching Luke and Gabe perform in the school drama production, and Luke sing in chamber choir. So much for which to be grateful. I pray with my hands open a lot these days. Letting go of my expectations and what I think I need. Being open to receiving what God has for me, for us. Thank you for taking time to read, for praying and supporting and loving us. Please pray for safe and seizure- free travels, for grace in the transition back to life together in Cameroon. We can only do our work and life there because of God’s grace and your generosity. Thank you. Love, Heidi

I believe in a blessing I don't understand I’ve seen rain fall on wicked and the just Rain is no measure of his faithfulness He withholds no good thing from us

I believe in a peace that flows deeper than pain That broken find healing in love Pain is no measure of his faithfulness He withholds no good thing from us

I will open my hands, will open my heart I am nodding my head an emphatic yes To all that You have for me

I believe in a fountain that will never dry Though I've thirsted and didn't have enough Thirst is no measure of his faithfulness He withholds no good thing from us No good thing from us, no good thing from us. — Sara Groves