General Update 5.4.16 and Prayer Spotlight: Papua New Guinea Missions Team

     I've had several people ask how I was doing, so I figured I'd write a general update on things.  I saw the port surgeon today and will be getting that minor surgery scheduled for probably sometime the week of May 16-20.  I had a call from my ENT's office and they are rescheduling the sinus surgery--I was wondering why it was scheduled on Memorial Day, but apparently the doctor decided to enjoy the holiday and go out of town so waiting for a call back to see when that will be scheduled.  I'm also waiting for an appointment with the new Pulmonologist.  I talked with the office yesterday and she started a couple days ago and they were just talking and trying to figure out when she could see me.  There is a lot of waiting going on over here right now.  Not my favorite thing to do, but what God has called me to, so wait and trust I will.

     As for how I'm actually feeling these days--here in AZ it's been super windy and dusty the last couple of weeks so I've been wearing my mask when I go anywhere and staying inside as much as possible, but it's still getting to me.  I've been extra congested, fatigued, and my sinuses are miserable--which in a way makes me look forward to the surgery.  It will be good to have everything cleaned out and opened up to get things out easier in the future.  The actual process won't be fun, but hopefully it will help longterm.

     As for the vertigo and balance issues, I'm doing much better--even able to drive again.  Although depending on what I'm doing I still ride with others for longer days as I just fatigue really quickly.  Yesterday I drove into town and shopped Costco by myself and was wiped for the afternoon.  It felt good to be able to do it, but I was definitely exhausted and thankful I live nearby friends and family that I can catch rides with or have pick things up for me.

     I was able to work up enough energy to go to lifegroup (our church small group) with Jenn for the first time in a REALLY long time, so that was a tremendous blessing.  We finished up first Peter last Sunday and discussed the sermon and the book as a whole.  1 Peter is one of my "go to" books when I'm struggling as Peter addresses Christians that were suffering in many different ways and at the end he encourages us to "Stand firm".  Our church had bookmarks made that are awesome--it's filled with verses from 1 Peter and at the stop says "Stand firm because..."  Definitely something I will carry with me and when I am tempted to fear, worry, despair, frustration, etc I will have an arsenal of "fighter verses" to remind me who I am in Christ and to keep an eternal perspective in the midst of the hard days.

     It's awesome how God works because as we finished 1 Peter, our missionary friends that are in Papua New Guinea just started 1 Peter and shared this blog post about suffering yesterday.  There is much suffering and sorrow in this world but it's good to remember that God is still reigning on His throne, in complete control, and that we can "cast our anxieties on Him for He cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7)  Yesterday as I was praying for Jordan using my "Prayers of an Excellent Wife" book by Andrew Case (ladies this book is incredible and prays through scripture...highly recommend it!) there was a quote about prayer that was really convicting: "To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world." Karl Barth  It's so easy to forget when we get overwhelmed by the cares of this world that we should run to our God who is ready, willing, and able to handle ALL of our baggage and emotions and expectations that we so often place on other people.  Prayer is one of our greatest weapons and we far too often neglect it.  In light of that here is the "Prayer Spotlight" for this week:

     Our old church in Phoenix, Grace Bible, has sent out a team to the tribal jungles of Papua New Guinea (PNG).  The plans took years in the making and it has been so neat to see how God has provided and worked to prepare the team that recently *finally* moved into a tribe in the jungles of PNG.  There have been lots of bumps and changing plans along the way, but God has been so faithful to get them into the tribe.  They are currently working on starting to learn the Ndo language so they can eventually write it down and translate the Bible into their language and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with this tribe.  They surveyed several tribes and were invited to come live with the Mawelelo people of the Ndo language group. You can read more about their story on their blogs:

Zach and Cassidy Cann: www.cannsofclay.com

Matt and Cameron Dodd: http://withoutapreacher.com

Jeremy and Lorie Lehman: http://jeremyandlorie.com

     Thank you for praying for my dear friends--Lorie is dealing with some health issues right now and trying to figure out what is going on in another country is challenging.  They had a tree fall down in the village and broken things in their houses and all sorts of varied "adventures" so far.  Praise God who has brought them this far and will continue to be found faithful and will complete the work He began in each one of us until That Day when Jesus comes back or takes us home!

     Hope you all have a great day!
Rachelle :)

I got Waddles in the hospital from Aunt Netta....Jord has decided to play a game and he puts him somewhere every morning...this morning he was strapped in and ready to go with me to my doc appt.  Instead of "Where's Waldo?" It's "Where's Waddles?" at our house...I have found him reading, peeking out of the washer, in the pantry, doing treatments and a host of other things that always make me laugh--I love my hubby and his creativity so much! :) 

Waddles started to get buried as I ran errands and more stuff got put on the seat with him lol. :)