Kobe Medevaced!  (Medical Evacuation)

What a crazy last few weeks!

First, I (Aaron) had to fly to Australia to get rid of my sinus headaches I had for 5 weeks.  That turned into sinus surgery!  I was down there for 5 weeks.  Stacy was able to come down for the surgery – while others took care of the kids back in PNG.

Then, I found out – while still in Australia recovering – that my Finance Manager in PNG was leaving due to a family health crisis.  That meant that we were in crisis in the Business Office, too!  I just wrote last time that the Business Office was going smoothly.  Crisis modes are not conducive to supporting the tribal works in the bush!

Finally, a week ago, Monday, I could finally come home to Papua New Guinea!

Still healing up from the surgery, I took part in Spiritual Emphasis Weekend (SEW) that the school (along with a team of 9 from Hume Lake in California) puts on for the students.  It was a great 4-day weekend and many lives were changed!  See my Facebook for pics.

A weekend of very little sleep combined with still recovering from surgery along with a stomach bug made me pretty sick by Tuesday morning.  Even though I was sick, Stacy asked for my help to get Kobe up out of bed.  Again.  He frequently complains of “stomach pains.”  Ha!  What a kid would do to get out of school!  Only, this time, I could tell something was different.  He asked for me to get his tissue box on the shelf above his bed.  All he had to do was sit up and reach for it!  That’s what clued me in that something was wrong.  I asked him how the pain was.  “Sharp”.  Where?  “Right here” as he pointed to his lower right abdomen.  I called the clinic and by 2pm he was medevaced to Australia for appendicitis.  By 10:00 that night he was in surgery.  The doc says it was long and twisted and kinked – and caused an abscess as well.  He said it had been going on a while.  Huh…  All this time complaining of stomach pains?  Maybe there was something to that??

We are so grateful for the team that pulled this off!  We are thankful that we have our mission doctors that can fly down on our mission planes that can enter Australia on emergency medical visas because of our administrative staff.  So thankful on this Thanksgiving week!

Stacy and Kobe are doing fine in Australia.  They might actually be able to come home this week!  We have a Thanksgiving celebration planned for Saturday (as Thursday is not a holiday in PNG, so we Americans normally celebrate on Saturday).  So, hoping they can be home for that.  We were planning on hosting the celebration with 3 other families…

Meanwhile, Kaili is at the Junior High version of SEW, Kiera is being homeschooled by Nisae Williamson, and I am still sick in bed – when I’m not in the bathroom.

God has a way of making you let go of everything you are holding onto so that you can cling to Him instead.

Thank you all for your prayers!