Yahoo Avatar

Just a fun little thingy I did online - the kids had fun helping me pick out stuff that were similar to what mommy wears . . .
So, does it look like me???

Spanish Kids Praise Song

Click the play button below to view a movie I made of the kids singing a praise song at church - it's in Spanish, of course.
Enjoy!

Dengue

For anyone who has traveled to, lived in, or thought about living in a foreign country, you have probably heard about the risks of certain diseases associated with that country. Here in Mexico, there is a risk of contracting something called dengue.
Our first close encounter with this disease occured when the health department here in Merida came by our house with fumagation equipment, rang our doorbell, and cordially explained that after receiving word of a confirmed case of dengue in our neighborhood, they were sent out to fumagate the homes on our street (free of charge). We graciously let them in, they were here 5 minutes and gone. Ok, so the threat of dengue is clear as well as near to where we live.
A few weeks later the health department showed up again, this time with a solution to put in the drains of our showers (a place where mosquitos can breed) and did a quick check of our home and patio to see if there were any containers, etc. to hold water after it rained (another breeding opportunity for those buggers). Before leaving, the health lady advised us to seek medical attention if we or our children were to come down with a high fever - one symptom of dengue. Wow, they really take this thing seriously . . .
Now let's fast forward to two weeks ago, June 4th. Tuesday afternoon, Jonathan comes down with a fever - it's high. We call Sandy, our friend, fellow missionary, and nurse. What do you think? Well, not knowing details about the disease, she offers to come with me to see the Dr. at the hospital here (for support as well as to find out more about this fever.) While we're there, Jonathan decides his stomach doesn't agree with what he has eaten (lucky for me, in the hospital bathroom, not mine). In short, after this visit, we are told that it is mostly likely not Dengue but possibly rotovirus (although he had no symptom of diarrhea) and to simply follow steps for hydration (giving lots of fluids), fever control and rest. Ok, yeah.
Two days later Jonathan is still sick with fever and pain when he closes his eyes and now Rebekah has a fever and experiencing body pain, too. Hmmmm. We decide to go in to see the kids' pediatrician. Different from the US, many doctors keep evening hours. So, we went in around 7 and didn't get home until after 10! Our Dr. had a lot of information to give us, he was very thorough and gave us print outs with more info. Confirmed by our pediatrician, our kids did not have dengue. He is on a team that has done research in this area(and had just returned from some kind of meeting/conference), so he had a lot to share. I felt good, knowing that he was well informed and could outline the "whys" when it comes to our kids. Anyone who knows me, knows that I really need those "whys" in life.
So, we waited and prayed and hydrated and controlled the fevers and made them rest for 4 days each until the fever disappeared. Now you would never know they were sick - Praise the Lord!
Is dengue still a threat? yes. We have mosquitos and it is transmitted in that way. But now we can approach it with a knowledge of what to look for, what to expect. Thank you to those who read my post with the prayer requests - all the knowledge in the world is useless without the Lord and the healing and saving power of His Son, Jesus. I want to give Him the glory for the health of our kids.

For your enjoyment - The forest in Quintana, Roo

Click the play button on the video below to see some footage of the forest and its creatures . . .

Rainy Day Forest Trek - Cancun Day 4

Wednesday of our vacation was sort of preplanned, but without knowing any details as to the "contents" of our day. We have made friends with a few families at the kids' track class and one of the dads works a few days a week in Cancun. He had some business there on Wednesday morning and wanted afterwards to show us around the area. So, we met at a local shopping mall, headed to Puerto Morelos, and the kids swam in a hotel pool there while we talked and ordered our lunch at the outdoor restaurant on the beach.

Afterwards, we headed to a rainforest and trekked along a gravel road (the entrance at the time was locked up, but was apparently open to those wanting to walk) on foot to see some spider monkeys that our friend, Gabriel, had seen on previous trips with his family. I stopped along the way to take photos of the plants and bugs.

Cancun4

Later we headed on to a nearby cenote which was also located at the end of a long path through the woods, so I took some more photos. This time I included the family :-)

Cancun4B

We then returned to the original forest to see some wood carvings a local artist does - amazing work! This time we drove the car in because the owner had come by with the key! Sometimes you just need to know the right people :-)

These are the experiences you just can't get from a travel magazine or agency.

3rd Day Detour - Cancun

We had incredible plans for Tuesday during our vacation. We planned to go to an ecotourism Disneyland-type place called Xcaret - very expensive but "totally worth it!" However, our plans were turned on end when Joseph woke up with worse asthma symptoms -mainly a deep cough. Plus, he just "looked" sick for those of you who know the look of someone with allergies acting up. So, although we were all pumped up to spend this incredible day in the sun and water, we traded it in for a trip to the doctor and then a trip to Wal-mart to buy some medicine and a nebulizer.
We didn't want this bummer of a morning to spoil our whole day, so we made a point to enjoy the pool at the condominium and then splurge (and I mean Splurge!) on dinner at Bubba Gump's Shrimp - Cancun.

Cancun3

Jonathan increased his confidence in the water, showing us he could indeed hold his breath under water and also jump into the arms of his new friend, Brandon, in the deep end of the pool. Bekah strengthened her ablility to float on her back and played games with her new friend, Stefi. And, Joseph turned his sadness into smiles using his goggles to see and swim underwater like crazy.

Prayer Requests:

Jonathan right now is in his 3nd day of having a fever. Being in a tropical climate, we treat fevers with a little more diligence than if we were in Missouri. So, we went to the Dr. on Tuesday evening and were told that it is likely a virus (possibly Rotovirus - but no definites) and to treat it as such. He did lose his supper Tuesday night while at the Dr.'s but hasn't since. Please pray that whatever is attacking him would BE attacked and that he would experience a complete healing - thank you.

Rebekah, as of today, also has a fever and complains of a headache. I imagine that it is the same as what Jonathan is suffering from. She is always so active and positive and her mood has changed dramatically today.

Joseph deals with allergies/asthma - please pray that his reactions would weaken and that the climate/environment here in Mérida would not continue to hinder his well being or our ministry here in Mexico - thank you.

On top of all of this, Dave is currently taking graduate Bible classes in Spanish for the entire month of June - it is very time consuming for him yet very rewarding and beneficial. Could these events all be connected on a spiritual level?

Thanks for staying connected with us through this website and Dave's ministry website.

Blessings,

Kelly

Cancun - Day 2

On Monday we found a nearby beach and, after some trouble finding a place to park, grabbed our beach stuff and headed for the sand. The name of the beach is Playa Langosta. We didn't see anything even resembling lobsters (langosta) - not even a shell, imagine that! But the sand was white and the water blue and, well, we really enjoyed ourselves!

Cancun2

Coming next: Cancun Day 3 - Detour!

First Full Day of Vacation

Hey everyone,
I know I haven't written in awhile - can you say b-u-s-y? Well, we needed to disconnect ourselves for a short while, about a week, in order to refresh our spirits. It is late right now since I've been gathering some photos for the web, so I won't write a lot. Just enjoy the pics of the scenery, the food, and our family, during our first full day of vacation in . . . Cancun!

You can view them here:

Cancun1

More to come - stay tuned.

Side note: When you click on the photo, you are taken to a Picasa Web Album. If you choose to view the group of photos using the "slideshow" option, choose 8 or 9 seconds to be able to read the captions.