63,000

. . .Anna's platelet count count from two days ago!

Anna's platelet count from 7/14: 44,000

The normal range is 150,000 to 450,000


She's heading in the right direction. . .thank you, Lord, and thank you all for praying!! : )

We go back Friday (tomorrow) to her doctor for more bloodwork, but it seems as if she is on the road to recovery from ITP!

Funny "Musts" to Take to Costa Rica

chocolate chips

pencil sharpeners--the ones at the school are no good according to people "in the know."

extra razor blades for our razors--they are super expensive there

spices to cook with--they don't taste like the ones we have

decaf whatever--we only drink decaf tea and coffee, and you can't find it down there

lots of towels, that dry easily--you are hard on laundry as everything has to be washed often due to the humidity

shoes with great traction--for the rainy season and good support for all the walking. Everyone walks everywhere there.

sturdy umbrellas and other raingear

credit card with no foreign transaction fees--hadn't thought of this one!

extra checks for the checkbook and debit cards--many places only want cash

extra print cartridges--they are expensive down there

blankets! Most people say they didn't pack enough cool weather clothes and blankets. Right now, in the rainy season, it's in the 70s in the daytime and low 60s at night. The houses don't have AC or heat.

WHEW! We're Ready for the Beach!

Over the last two weeks, we have:

Sold many things (see other post)

Received typhoid immunizations--one pill taken every other day for four doses--either an hour before we ate or two hours after (and I had to get a Hepatitus B immunization)

paperwork for student visas in order--back from Costa Rica Consulate in Atlanta

met with an attorney to give my brother POA to act on our behalf in
various scenarios

met with our financial guy re: retirement account and kids' college accounts

had fabulous send-off party with family and friends

filled out insurance forms and sent them to the mission agency

spoke at four church services

bought some suitcases and army bags for packing

emptied our attic and went through all the stuff

had bloodwork for Anna done three times

had one doctor's appt. for Anna

played with lots of friends

swam in the pool most days

played games at night/prayed together/sang songs

made two trips to the library for books for the kids

bought things for our house in Costa Rica through our "big sister," Lynda Gregg. She has sent us virtual garage sale lists from students who are leaving!

A List of Things Sold

You never know how much stuff you have acquired until you get ready to move! Especially internationally--it really comes down to what is essential (and lightweight)! : )

In the last two weeks we have sold:

camper
patio set
entertainment center
my bike
Tully's bike
swingset
bowflex
car dolly
mixer
freezer
Polaris Ranger--Tully's fun hunting vehicle

Still need to sell:
tiller
lawnmowers--riding and push
yard tools? Still debating on that one.
VHS tapes--Andy Griffith, Three Stooges, Sesame Street, etc.
DVD tapes that aren't favorites
TVs?
basketball goal
treadmill
stereo & speakers

The awesome thing is the peace we have in watching all of this stuff leave our possession. God has truly blessed us with that! We are getting closer step by step and stuff by stuff (or lack of!) to what He has called us to do.

Anna Update

Hi everyone,

First of all, thank you for your prayers, phone calls, and e-mails for Anna (who is on the right in the picture). It is a blessing to know that we can call on you all to lift us up in prayer and the peace that we have experienced is a direct result, we are sure, of the prayers that have been spoken on our behalf over the last week!

Anna does have ITP, which is what Tully thought. Most children outgrow it on their own, and the fantastic news is that she does not need any treatment as of now. From what I understand, they don't know what causes it, but after contracting a virus, for whatever reason, the patient's body attacks not just the virus cells, but their own platelets as well. It is usually over in three months, but it sometimes lingers for six months or more. There is no way to tell where she is in that cycle. We will go back next week for more blood work, and her doctor will evaluate her need for further treatment then. I discussed our plans for the mission field with her doctor and he said, "By all means, press ahead with your plans, this should not limit you!" Praise God! He was quick to reassure me from the beginning, "First of all, this is not cancer, nor is it a precursor to cancer."

The plan is to draw more blood work next week, compare it to this week, and if her platelet levels drop more, we will discuss her having a treatment of IVIG--this will usually knock it completely out by boosting her immune system. Our prayer is that she is on the upswing of recovery from ITP and will not need further treatment.

My heart was broken again for people who are going through health crises as I waited with Anna for labwork in a tiny area filled with bright lights and colors, cool toys, and quiet,sick children. Not sick as in coughing or throwing up, but sick as in dark circles under their eyes, no hair, sick as in very quiet and very still--I waited with one very tired, but still smiling mom who had spent her weekend in the hospital with her 2 year old son who had a fever--and must be hospitalized each and every time he gets sick. I thank God for my family's and my good health and I ask him, "Why? Why must they suffer?" He reminded me in His gentle way that the answer is not for me to know. He only wants me to do what He has called me to do.

Thank you again for praying with us and for little Anna!

In Christ, Dawn

A Thought to Ponder

"We conclude, therefore, that a Christian lives not in himself, but in Christ and in his neighbor. Otherwise he is not a Christian. He lives in Christ through faith, in his neighbor through love. By faith he is caught up beyond himself into God. By love, he descends beneath himself into his neighbor.

--Martin Luther, On Christian Liberty

A To Do List

1. everyone's shots current (including typhoid and tetanus) and records in hand
2. all birth certificates apostilled and sent to Costa Rican Consulate--requirement for obtaining student visas

3. criminal background check apostilled and sent to Costa Rican Consulate--requirement for obtaining student visas

4. all packing completed for each person: a box to keep, a box for Costa Rica, a
box for Honduras, and a box to donate

5. plans for where to stay when we come at Christmas finalized

6. all mail transferred to Hattiesburg mission address

7. all insurance forms filled out and sent in to mission agency

8. purchase waterproof shoes for everyone--with great traction. Also, rain jackets,and good quality umbrellas

9. Oh, and backpacks

10. need 501 Spanish Verbs book, and Spanish/English electronic dictionary

11. Anna and Carmen's names changed on Social Security cards

Blog Trivia

We are amazed that people from the following countries have "hit" our website and/or blog in the last month:

Canada
Nigeria
Sweden
Germany
El Salvador
Honduras
Costa Rica
South Africa
Colombia

Our prayer is that the Lord would direct them back time and again so that they may see what He is doing through this ministry!