Here I am, sitting in the downstairs living room of my Mother's house. My Aunt came over for dinner a while ago and Izze convinced her Mom to let her practice her talent show dance number for me before bed. This morning I read books to Faith over coffee. Being in Minnesota has been a sweet and precious time with family.
For those of you who are not connected to my journey through facebook or instagram, a little over a week ago I flew home as a surprise to my family. I bought the ticket in March after weeks of prayer with a friend. It was important to be to be able to around for Mother's Day this year and to celebrate my niece Faith's first birthday. (It just turned out to be really good timing that I also needed medical insight after the long health battle in New Zealand).
So I left Oxford, two weeks ago on Friday after a few last precious New Zealand moments with "the trust tree" who drove me into the city well before sunrise. Thanks to the self control of friends and "family" in New Zealand who knew, I was able to surprise Mom, Abbi and Izze. (Jessi found out through a freenzied phone call from Ab..."Mandi's home!") I got to have my Mom all to myself on Mother's Day and we spent it driving through the cities, having fancy Italian pastas and wine and stocking me up on Minnesota coffees. While preparing for Faith's birthday party this past weekend I got to spend lots of one on one time with her while everyone else prepared. Lots of walks and attempts at cuddles. (She's a feisty, wild, happy little one year old). I've been to Mall of America, the Minneapolis Sculpture Gardens, met the sunrise on a run around my old loop, eaten Chipotle and had lots of Caribou and Dunn Bros coffee. I've been able to visit my Grandmother whose in the hospital and visit with cousins who are home from school.
While coming home on a surprise visit has had it's share of difficulties this has been exactly as I would imagine it to be. A great time of rest and rejuvenation with family. I had great plans of being able to go and do and meet with everyone and see all my friends but the biggest portion of my time has been spent just resting and enjoying my family, ending one season in my heart and preparing for another.
I've also gotten more insight on my health situation. The latest blood tests from NZ were sent to me and I sent them onto my doctor here in MN. My kidney and pancreas are testing totally normal and while my liver is still not testing as great as we would like it is still within normal boundaries for health. (Even if that is on the low side). This is hugely encouraging and makes the road back to full health a lot easier to bear knowing the major organs that were effected by this whole thing are doing well. As far as long term effects, the doctor said my immune system will probably always be weaker than we would have hoped. Going into a New Zealand winter I will probably get the flu once or twice and am much more likely to pick up the common cold or bug others have around me. As far as allergies, we still do not know what it is that I am so majorly allergic to. My doctor here thinks it may just be such a severe bee allergy that living in bee country of Oxford, I could be breathing in pollen or bee parts. (Thank God it's winter soon and the cold temperatures will take care of that). Thankfully again she pointed out, my allergies respond well to the epi. At least, in emergency situations we know I will be ok. I'm still a lot more tired most days than I would like to be, my appetite comes and goes, it's clear it will take a while for me to be back to "normal" but we're well on the way. I've gone running, eaten at fun restaurants and been strong enough to read bedtime stories to my girls on plenty of nights. Considering where I was a few weeks ago, I am so blessed, so thankful and so keenly aware of how powerful God's healing has been.
So what does the future hold? On Saturday I will fly back to NZ to start staff training for this years Snowboard Discipleship training school. I'm finally getting excited for another school, another winter, another season now that I'm starting to feel better. It was so cool for me in this season to be able to watch Becky and Susie staff their second year, I got a glimpse into what second year staffing might hold for me. I know that it's going to be a new journey. I know that there will be challenges and successes and bumps in the road. I absolutely am so thankful that I've been in New Zealand since February. Although clearly that time has not always been easy it has always been a learning and a growing experience and I feel so much better equipped to staff again having been planted at the base, in community and family for so many months. Being able to have a front row seat to another school, another way of thinking, of doing things, of working. To fall in love with another staff, another group of students, to walk discipleship in a different format. I'm just in such a different head space than I was last year at this time, I understand my God and His expectations of me so differently than I did, I know myself so much better than I did. I am so thankful, that although things were way different than I thought they would be God TOTALLY worked through my time there. Even the darkest nights of my health scares seem so worth it now when I consider what I learned, how I saw God's love displayed in others, how I watched myself grow.
Financially I'm still standing in a large amount of faith and admittedly a fair amount of fear of the unknown. We have filed all the claims with insurance and are waiting to hear if they will accept the claim and reimburse me fully. It's still very scary for me to head back to New Zealand, to the starting line of staffing the DTS with this huge bill and less monthly support that I had originally. The whole world is struggling financially and we all feel the weight of it. I still absolutely believe I am supposed to be in New Zealand, now more than ever. But I continue to pray and stand in faith that the insurance will go through and God will continue to raise up financial supporters around me. There is still a financial deficit from the money I had to come up with up front but as always God has made a way, I have been blessed. But as always if you feel led to support please check out my Paypal link up top on the right side of the home page of this blog.
Prayer requests as I finish up my time here in Minnesota:
That my time with family would be peaceful, restful, joyful and FUN! The memories I make with my precious nieces would last us a lifetime.
That my health would continue to improve at a rate that could only be credited to Christ.
That insurance claims would be accepted fully and reimbursed quickly.
Travel back to New Zealand would be quick, safe and blessed.
That with God's grace, wisdom and love I'd start this season with our new staff family team well and we would partner with Christ in preparing and planning an amazing SDTS!
And continued prayer for the AW80 teams that are in multiple Asian countries loving the darkness right out of these nations!
