For those who are interested, here is a quick update on how Julie’s health has been and how it affects our future plans. While regular blood tests and doctor appointments over the last year and a half had shown fairly steady kidney function, the last month has shown a rapid, unexpected decline. It is very possible that we may have to move back to the States soon for six months to a year for a transplant. The move would hopefully only be temporary–and nothing is definite yet–but we will have more information to make a final decision after she has more blood work done in a couple of weeks.
One good thing in this is that a lot of the work that we currently do can still be done in the States. For several months now, Chase has been training someone (Yeril Lozano) to take his place as children’s director so that he can begin writing Spanish curriculum and creating other resources to help train and equip Nicaraguans involved in ministry. Also, Julie will still be able to do almost all planning for short-term teams via email and phone calls, as she has already been doing. The fun and personal aspects of our ministry will be missing with our absence, but we will still be actively employed by One by One, and our desire is to be able to move back to Nicaragua after this is done.
Come what may, we already have tickets for our annual fall visit to the States (starting August 13th), so the next couple of weeks will determine whether we cancel our return ticket or whether we come back to Nicaragua after three weeks.
We obviously don’t have all the details worked out yet, but we will update the blog when we know. We are a bit anxious and stressed, but trust in God, knowing that He is not surprised by this development even though we are! In the meantime, we would greatly appreciate your prayers as we potentially get ready for a big transition. Also, keep your eyes and ears open for inexpensive housing in Norman and a car to borrow or rent since we might be in need of both!
