the traveling russells

Our (non) Christmas in the States

2012-03-01T17:53:00.001-06:00

While this was our first Christmas away from the States (from Dallas specifically), it only half counts. We flew home on the day after Christmas, so it still had a bit of a Christmas feel, even though the official day had passed. 2011 was a little crazy because we actually left the country (of Nicaragua) 6 times, once to go to Costa Rica, and the rest to go to the States. We went home last Christmas and were there for part of January, then we went home in March for our friends’ (Kelly and Marty) wedding, and then again in August for our “summer” vacation. Then we went to Chicago for the Kidmin conference in October, to Costa Rica for Thanksgiving, and then home again for winter vacation. This year will be much calmer (we think!)

Anyway, we were home for 2 weeks this Christmas and spent time in both Dallas and in Norman. As always, it was great to see good friends and family and we crammed our schedule pretty full. We did get to go to Austin for a quick trip with my mom to visit her side of the family, which is the only place we took pictures the whole time we were home.

While we were there, we got to eat at my cousin’s new pizza restaurant called Backspace, which is right next to his first restaurant, Parkside on 6th Street in Austin. I highly recommend both if you live there or are ever visiting! And as if he wasn’t busy enough as the chef and owner of 2 restaurants, he just opened a third! It’s an Italian restaurant called Olive & June.

Overall, it was a refreshing - albeit short - trip. We had a great time in Dallas, Norman, and Austin. We made several visits to Target and Chick-fil-A, which is always a highlight. As usual though, we were thankful to get back to our own bed in our own house driving our own car and living our “normal” life.

Sometimes, when you live in a tropical country…

2012-02-14T09:19:00.001-06:00

You have awesome plants like these growing right outside your door.

Jealous?

He still heals

2012-02-09T13:25:00.001-06:00

Last week, we had a team of 7 people come and serve with us from a ministry called XXI Stones in Champaign, Illinois. The team arrived on Sunday and started working on replacing the roof on on our main building. Tuesday, the plan was to work on the roof again, but at about 10am, one of the team members, Mike, fell through the roof. The One by One staff was in the middle of our weekly staff meeting in another room. We heard the unmistakable noise, but hoped that somehow we were mistaken. We were not, and instead found Mike groaning in pain on the concrete floor from his 15 foot fall through the roof. In moments, his wife (who was also on the team) was down from the roof and both of them were crying out to God. The staff and team waited and prayed, begging the Lord to save his life, until the ambulance showed up to take him to the hospital. He received several stitches in his face, and was told that he had fractured vertebrae in his spine. Praise God that he did have brain or more serious spine or nerve injuries! Mike was able to fly home with the team on Sunday and has since seen several specialists. Though back surgery was a major possibility, he found out that he won’t need it after all. Today, Mike posted this message on his facebook page…

Hey friends and family. Crash Von Holten here. I cannot even begin to express my love and gratitude to all of you over the past week. God is so good and so faithful I just want to climb up on the rooftop and scream my love for him. (wait, that's how I got here in the first place). If any of you who are my friends on here don't believe God still does miracles please call me, we need to talk. I heard these words from the spinal specialist today, "Michael, in my opinion you are cured. All you need is time.". Are you kidding me? 8 days ago I was supposed to be fitted for my wings and robe and today I am cured! PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!! In your face Satan, you can't touch the power of my Father! I could go on for days but had to let this little bit out. If you don't know my Father, I would be happy to introduce you.

What an incredible testimony of the power and protection of God. He is alive and active in the lives of believers today.

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. - Ephesians 3:20-21

Reflecting on 2011

2012-01-25T22:27:00.001-06:00

I read this quote in a devotional I was reading yesterday, and it reminded me a lot of what this past year has looked like for me.

“Deliverance is when God brings you out of a fiery trial that was meant to destroy you. Total deliverance is when, like the three Hebrew children [Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego], He brings you out without even the smell of smoke on you. You see, it’s possible to be delivered but still be damaged.”

Delivered, but damaged. I started the year sicker than I’ve ever been in my life. I could barely walk, I was in constant pain, and I was vomiting more times than I could remember to report to Chase at the end of the day. In the last year, God has delivered me from that place (that I hope to never return to!) I’m in a new place now, where most days look totally normal. I go about life, doing things people do, and probably feel as healthy as you do. BUT, my kidneys didn’t get on board with the whole “I want to be totally healed” plan (yet?). So, slowly but surely, they continue to get a little bit worse.

Ironically, I was reading “Crazy Love” by Francis Chan last night and read this:

“On the average day, we live caught up in ourselves. On the average day, we don’t consider God very much. On the average day, we forget that our life truly is a vapor. But there is nothing normal about today. Just think about everything that must function properly just for you to survive. For example, your kidneys. The only people who really think about their kidneys are people whose kidneys don’t work correctly.”

True statement. I didn’t really know anything about kidneys a little over a year ago, let alone actually think about what my kidneys were doing each day. I also took life for granted, thinking (without actually thinking) that I would live forever. This year, though, I’m thankful I didn’t have that option. The vulnerability of life became real. In a way I’ve never experienced Him before, God became real.

I can’t believe it’s been a year already. A year ago today, I was leaving the hospital (quite joyfully), without a clue of what the rest of the year would hold. Well, here were some of the things it did include:

- 18 days in the hospital (3 different visits)

- Almost 6,000 pills taken

- 20 doctors appointments with these guys

- At least 5 pounds gained in the face, although thankfully at least 4 of them have been lost by now (I didn’t include a picture of this one for my benefit)

- And somewhere between 75-100 throw-up sessions (I didn’t include a picture of this one for your benefit)

It’s been a crazy year, but God has been faithful. He has brought me from death to life. He has shown me true community, how He created it to be. He has turned our marriage vows from just a promise to a fulfillment of that promise. He has provided strength when I have had none, and peace when it seemed impossible. He has given me the ability to trust him, to be confident in the knowledge that my future is in His hands.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 1 Peter 1:3

Nica Russell Christmas

2012-01-12T18:01:00.001-06:00

This Christmas the entire Russell family came to Nicaragua.

We rented a house on the beach for a few days and (as you can see) it was beautiful.

While we were there, we did a lot of reading and relaxing in hammocks.

We did a lot of eating.

We made s’mores over the barbeque pit.

We completed a puzzle.

We swam – sometimes in the pool and sometimes in the ocean.

And no Russell vacation is complete without at least one game of Settlers.

We played Michael Jackson: The Experience on the wii. Though Joanna killed everyone as far as wii points go, Tess was the clear winner for style.

We played in the sand.

Sometimes we just sat around holding cute babies.

Sometimes we had to guard the stairs to prevent the babies from escaping.

We played frisbee on the beach at sunset.

And took a cute girl picture. (Unfortunately, Tess had the 2011 Russell flu at the time, which almost all of us partook in at some point before, during, or after our time together.)

It was a great week together, even though it definitely didn’t feel like Christmas at all. It felt a little wrong to be sweating on the beach instead of shivering next to a warm fire. It was our first Christmas away from Dallas, and we were really sad to miss out on the annual Russell/Rushing Christmas Eve party. Nevertheless, we were in a beautiful place with people we love, so we really can’t complain.

Staff Retreat 2011

2012-01-11T08:00:00.000-06:00

December 12-14 was our annual One by One staff retreat. This year, we went to Montelimar, a hotel on the beach about an hour from our house. Everyone had prepared a presentation specific to their ministry about what their goals and vision were for 2012. This is a great opportunity for us to get on the same page and hear from each other about what the Lord has done over the year and what we all hope to see Him do in the coming year. It is also a great time for the staff to spend time encouraging each other and spending time together outside of a work setting.

This year was a little different from last in that Chase did the presentation for the kids ministry, while I helped Paul with the short-term teams/interns presentation, since I have switched over to that role. We are both excited about these areas of ministry and what the Lord has in store for this year. Pray for us as we put our goals and ideas into action in the coming months.

Costa Rica

2012-01-10T10:49:00.001-06:00

Since Chase’s sister Joanna came to Nicaragua in August 2010, we’ve been wanting to take her on a trip to Costa Rica. It finally worked out to go this Thanksgiving break. We took a bus to San Jose, stayed the night, went to visit a family in Cartago that used to go to Wildwood Church in Oklahoma, then took another bus to Manuel Antonio, where we stayed for the following three nights. Chase and I had been to Manuel Antonio once before, when we came to celebrate our 3 year anniversary in April 2010.

We hiked through Manuel Antonio National Park, ate a lot of wonderful food, and did a zipline canopy tour. And no Chase&Julie vacation is complete without enjoying a few hours at the local coffee shop.

The canopy tour consisted of 14 different zip lines across the rainforest. We’ve been wanting to do one of these since we moved to Central America and were finally able to cross it off our list. It was a little scary at first, but the worst parts were walking across some very shaky (but stable) bridges to get from one tall tree to the next. Oh, and our guide’s name was Monkey. Because that is normal, I guess.

Speaking of monkeys, we saw quite a few of them. As we hiked through the rainforest, Joanna snacking on some trail mix, a pack of monkeys took a keen interest in her. Shortly afterward, Joanna and I were attacked by a swarm of black, stinging bugs. Joanna coped by throwing the trail mix on the ground in order to swat them off. Chase, fearing an attack, yelled, “NOOO, the monkeys!!!”, though the monkeys were now nowhere close to us. We all had a good laugh and continued on our way (after retrieving the trail mix of course).

Overall, we had a really great trip and were sad to leave so soon. We love the beauty of the country and the people are extremely friendly and welcoming. If anyone is thinking of taking a tropical vacation soon, we highly recommend Costa Rica, specifically Manuel Antonio. After you come to see us, of course.

A Satisfied Shopper

2012-01-01T12:00:00.000-06:00

Well, I’m officially a blog slacker. Oops. We have much to blog about, which I’ll try to catch up on soon. Anyway, we went to Target today to get some groceries and I thought I’d cue you in on the reasoning for some of our purchases. First, a can of pineapple. Man, it’s nice that someone else cut up that pineapple for me. Second, blue bell ice cream. There’s just nothing that compares to it in Nicaragua (or anywhere really!). Third, gouda cheese. This would probably cost $20 in Nicaragua, but was only about $6 here. Fourth, asparagus. Same reason – 99 cents a pound here compared to $15 there. Fifth, pre-packaged salad. I’ll eat it without bleaching it first or worrying about the consequences if I’m too lazy to do so. And I didn’t have to cut it up, wash it, and spin it dry myself. While Nicaragua probably offers a lot more options than other third-world countries, there’s a remarkable difference between here and there. Groceries are so much more convenient in the U.S.!

Tune in later for updates on life for “The Traveling Russells” over the last couple months!

Observations on some Christmas songs

2011-12-31T13:12:00.001-06:00

There have been some issues with a number of Christmas songs that have been gnawing at me for some time now. We’ll pass over the fact that no one is alive who has ever heard bells from a sleigh that was being used as a legitimate means of transportation, and we’ll ignore the phenomenon of seeming to need children to enjoy Christmas and pass straight to specific songs that drive me crazy.

#1. Baby, It’s Cold Outside: A man who apparently lives alone pressures a younger woman who lives with her parents to spend the night with him. He even goes so far as to drug her drink while she tells him all the reasons that she should leave. We call this a timeless Christmas classic.

#2. What Child Is This? Great song, except for the first line of verse 2:

Why lies he in such mean estate where ox and ass are feeding?

Now I recognize that this is the original wording from when it was written 150 years ago, but this doesn’t change the fact that I can’t sing the word “ass” in church without laughing. Call me immature if you must. I have occasionally seen it changed to “lamb”, which easily solves the problem without losing anything. Now maybe you militantly insist that it was a donkey who was present at the manger with the ox and not a lamb, but since the story (Luke 2) doesn’t mention any animals at all, I say don’t be such an “ass”.

#3. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town: Does it not creep anyone else out that we’re warning kids to be good because an old, bearded man watches them sleep?

#4. Do You Hear What I Hear? This song concludes with a mighty king encouraging the people everywhere to pray for peace and tells them that this child (Jesus) will bring goodness and light. Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but I think the only king in this story is Herod and that his response to Jesus’ birth was to kill children.

#5. The Christmas Shoes: At least one con is taking place here. If we take this song as being true, we should pity the songwriter for believing a wild tale and paying for shoes for an experienced little con artist. Certainly we can’t believe that, though this child’s mother has been dying “for quite a while”, he chooses the time when she is actually moments from death to run out and buy her some shoes, somehow not knowing before he gets in the checkout line that he can’t afford them. “Quick, son!” says dad. “Mom’s about to die—go to Wal-Mart!” This seems unlikely.

What seems more likely is that the songwriter is conning us. The song is a metaphor: cook up a sad though unlikely story, add a dash of God/Jesus stuff, pour some “Christmas season” syrupy sweetness on it, and people will buy your stuff. Compare:

Boy’s story
Sad though unlikely story:	Mom is dying and kid figures this is a good time to buy her shoes.
God/Jesus stuff:	She’s meeting Jesus tonight.
Christmas season element:	Somehow these are “Christmas shoes.”
Result:	Man is moved and buys shoes.

Song
Sad though unlikely story:	Man who is grumpily buying Christmas gifts encounters a dirty boy who wants to buy shoes for his imminently dying mother but is too poor to afford them.
God/Jesus stuff:	Song says God sent the kid.
Christmas season element:	Songwriter wasn’t in “Christmas mood” but kid somehow reminds him what Christmas is “all about.”
Result:	People who have little or no recent experience with young children are moved and buy Bob Carlisle albums, Donna VanLiere books, and Rob Lowe movies.

He goes the full extra mile and wields the mysterious power of telling stories of poor children who are somehow simultaneously naïve, innocent, and mature while suffering sad circumstances. For some reason, we are drawn to a story of a child if they have an abusive or alcoholic parent, have a father in prison, have only one living parent who’s just “too busy”, or—best of all—no parents at all. I may write more about this some other day, but in the meantime, check out Red Sovine’s Billy’s Christmas Wish.

Maybe I’m just a Scrooge, but maybe there are a lot of you out there who agree with me. If so, what other songs belong on this list?

Observations: “inspired by a true story”

2011-11-20T21:49:00.001-06:00

Julie and I recently watched a movie with the claim, “Inspired by a true story.” What does this mean exactly? How close to the real story does it have to be to include the words “true story”, and how much fiction does it have to have to necessitate the words “inspired by”? Are there any kind of real guidelines here? Is this just saying that they met someone who had a slightly interesting story, but not interesting enough to hold their attention for more than a few minutes? Or is it saying that the screenplay writer is better at exaggerating someone else’s story than they are at being original or telling the truth?

My guess is that it’s like the trick that stores do where something costs $1.99 instead of $2.00 so that after you’ve gone away and forgotten a little bit, you remember it was “a dollar something”, which later turns into “only a dollar!” which then seems like a much better deal. In the same way, we’re meant to eventually believe that stories merely “inspired by a true story” are actually based on a true story and then be impressed by how amazing that story is.

If this is the case, fiction writers should really spruce up the opening credits with this misleading tagline so long as there was at least one element that resembles something they’ve seen or heard before:

“I like dinosaurs. I wish they had them at the zoo.” Boom—Jurassic Park. Inspired by a true story.
“I had a dream once where someone was sneaking into my dreams.” Bang—Inception. Inspired by a true story.
“I heard about a guy and girl who were mutually attracted to each other, but at least one of them had a secret they were sure would destroy the relationship that eventually came out or at least one of them seemed obnoxious and unchangeable and said something really insensitive, but after that, they managed to get over it and begin a relationship. I kinda lost interest after that.” Bam—every romantic comedy ever made. Inspired by a true story.

Thoughts? Does anybody know if there’s some legal reason movies say this?

Missing Nicole

2011-11-12T19:14:00.001-06:00

My best friend Nicole came to visit for a week last month and it was so great to have her here! We mostly just did normal life things, but she got to experience our life and ministry here…oh, and the enormous vegetables.Yes, this avocado is almost as big as her face. That’s how we roll here in Nicaragua. Nicole has spent a lot of time in Sierra Leone, a developing country in Africa, and thus had an idea of what Nicaragua would be like. She was quite impressed by our grocery stores, the mall, the nice(ish) roads, etc. We’ve gotten used to life here, but we always enjoy thinking about the country and culture with fresh eyes again when visitors come.

We did get to spend a day at Laguna de Apoyo, the crater lake about an hour away (after a failed attempt to go on a coffee tour.) It was a nice relaxing day, and we really enjoyed catching up on life, talking about the differences and similarities of Sierra Leone and Nicaragua, and discussing the best ways to help the impoverished in both nations.

We wished her husband Eric could have been here too, but airlines were charging half of one’s retirement at the time, so it unfortunately didn’t work out. We are, however, beginning to plan our 2nd Anderson/Russell vacation for 2013…somewhere in Europe perhaps?

Feline impatience

2011-11-03T21:59:00.001-06:00

One of our cats (Remington) has taken to standing upright on the toilet whenever I am filling up his water bowl. I think it’s a mixture of curiosity about running water and impatience to receive his bowl which he then will not touch. Actually the only water he seems to drink is the rainwater that fills a bucket on our back porch. Every time we open the back door, he charges outside and immediately drinks as though we’ve been depriving him. Ingrate.

In any case, his standing trick amuses me, so I caught it on film and thought I’d share all 11 seconds of it. I showed it to Alma today, and she said it looks like he’s telling someone to come to him. This struck me as hilarious because she’s absolutely right in her own cultural context: the way to signal someone who’s far away to come to you is to do exactly what the cat does in the video (but with one arm). To gesture by swinging your palm up can be offensive here.

So without further ado, here’s some minor amusement for you.

The Quiet Room

2011-11-01T13:26:00.000-06:00

Recently, Chase and I were able to attend a Kid’s Ministry conference in Chicago, where we were able to attend several helpful seminars on how to do children’s ministry better. One of the principles emphasized at the conference was that children have the ability, the desire, and the need to connect with God on a personal level. Our services tend to be fast-paced, fun, and energetic, but this past Saturday we started to incorporate changes that will enable kids to meet with God more intimately. We sang slower worship songs, allowed kids to spend time during the service silently praying to God, and created a separate room where kids can go to be quiet and pray during the play times before and after the service. We had several kids request to go to the prayer room on Saturday. One boy came up to ask where the prayer room was, but since we were about to dismiss the kids, we told him that he could go next week, and he was clearly disappointed. We were told at the conference that many churches give kids what they “want” (fast, energetic entertainment) and not want they “yearn for” (a connection with their Creator). We certainly witnessed this to be true as kids responded so well to the new changes this week!

Baptisms

2011-10-27T10:54:00.001-06:00

On Tuesday night we had our first baptism service at Camino de Vida. After 2 years of planting seeds, laboring, and praying to the Lord of the harvest, the One by One staff was overjoyed to see the fruits of that labor. 17 people were baptized, and at least one person prayed to trust Christ for the first time.

I was especially thankful to witness the baptism of Alma. Alma started coming to our kids services from the beginning (over 2 years ago). After getting to know her and her situation, we discovered that she was living in a dangerous and unhealthy environment, and found a way for her to go live at House of Hope. She was there for awhile before being taken back to her home. For a long time, we didn’t know how she was, if she was safe, and we kept hearing rumors about plans to further abuse her and possibly take her out of the country. We prayed and prayed for her, and eventually she started coming back to our kids services. This Tuesday night, she was baptized into the kingdom, a child of God, precious in His sight. God is good and His love and grace for this sweet little girl overwhelms me. You can watch her baptism below.

The Shuttle Bus

2011-10-27T07:00:00.000-06:00

This week, we were able to purchase a shuttle bus to use for the ministry and we received it for a great price! To revel in our excitement, the staff celebrated by taking the shuttle bus to a staff lunch at McDonald’s!

It seats 18 passengers, although it is set up in a way that we can fit up to 38 people inside. We will be able to use the bus weekly for Second Step (our after school program) and also for short-term teams and staff events, in addition to our weekly services. Thank you Discover Church for donating the money to purchase this vehicle! And praise the Lord for his provision of this blessing to our ministry!

at a funeral

2011-10-26T12:24:00.000-06:00

Last Wednesday, I (Chase) went to my first Nicaraguan funeral. For obvious reasons, this wasn’t something I had really been hoping to experience as soon as possible. Culturally speaking, the biggest difference between it and an American funeral is its immediacy. The boy had died around 1am and the funeral was at about 4pm the same day. This is pretty common.

The boy was the brother of one of the youth kids at Camino de Vida, and was about 17 years old. There are a few stories circulating about how he died: some say he was walking drunk in the street and was hit by a car; others say that he was beaten and stabbed. From my experience with hearing about bad events secondhand, I recognize that at least one of these stories was fabricated to either add meaning to or subtract it from his death.

In any case, a group of us went to the funeral to support the family, and in doing so, I experienced a number of “firsts”.

For one thing, it was my first time to ever see people actually weeping and wailing. It is absolutely heartbreaking to hear a mother crying, “My son! My son!” and to think about how not even 24 hours before he was perfectly healthy, and now he is suddenly gone forever from her. But there were many women who were weeping. One girl—I think it was his little sister—even threw up from crying. The men mostly stood quietly looking around and occasionally sniffled in a subdued manner.

Secondly, it was my first time to see someone faint in real life. One was the boy’s grandmother, who I was standing near. As they were lowering the coffin into the grave, the rope broke, and the coffin fell freely; the grandmother fainted immediately. She had had about five family members surrounding her to console her and keep her from fainting. They had put mint leaves in her ears and were rubbing mint leaves in her hair, and when she fainted, they began crushing them under her nose and shaking her to wake her up. When she woke up, she wailed in anguish for the loss of her grandson. She fainted several times in grief, and each time they had to work harder to revive her.

It was also my first time to be called “pastor” by an adult (or really by anyone). It was by a “real” pastor, and he was only telling me that I was blocking the grandmother’s view, but for some reason it struck me as out of the ordinary; however, after a moment’s consideration, I decided that I am technically a pastor of sorts. It’s what I always put as my profession on the immigration form when I enter the country (I don’t write “missionary” since I’m not a traveling church planter), but I only do so since there isn’t another single word that better describes what I do. This is why it was a bit of a revelation to me.

All in all, this day stands out to me as dark. Dark in that a young man died and is bitterly mourned; darker still that he was not a believer. If it was truly murder, revenge will naturally follow, and this too is of darkness. At times I look at the darkness all around me—death, divorce, hypocrisy, jealousy, division, malice—and I lose heart and believe that this darkness is winning. I begin to despair of lives changing, but our job is to continue trusting in God, the Father of lights, for it is his power alone that defeats darkness, and his strength that forgives, redeems, and transforms.

Wonder

2011-10-17T15:37:00.001-06:00

Here is one more song that Sara Groves sang at the conference. It hasn’t been released yet. Enjoy!

Different Kinds of Happy

2011-10-17T13:39:00.001-06:00

One of the things I was most excited for at the Kidmin conference we went to in Chicago was that Sara Groves was going to be there. I love how real she is in her lyrics, and her voice is just beautiful. I went to a “Talk Back” session with her after her performance, and found out that she is really down-to-earth and friendly as well! I feel like we are best friends in another life and we go get coffee every Tuesday morning and talk about life and all the wonderful and unfortunate things it entails. Anyways…

Here is a recording (above) of her singing a song I really love called “Different Kinds of Happy”. She explains the meaning of the song before she sings it. And it’s definitely worth listening to.

Yes, I am one of those people. I asked her to take a picture with me as if we actually are best friends and have known each other forever. In another life…

Dan Quigley

2011-10-13T19:02:00.000-06:00

Dan Quigley, our Creative Arts and Maintenance Director, has recently been given the title of Assistant Director of One by One. He will be working along side Jeremy to lead the staff as they invest in the various ministries of One by One. Dan has had some practice in this position filling in for Jeremy when he has been gone in the past. We are all excited about this change and look forward to working with Dan in this new role.

Kids’ Ministry Conference

2011-10-10T20:15:00.001-06:00

Since we moved to Nicaragua to work with One by One, Chase and I have been wanting to go to a conference to learn more about how to do kid’s ministry well. After 2 years, we finally got the opportunity this past weekend. We arrived in Chicago on Thursday and have been attending “Kidmin 2011” from Friday through today (Monday). We went to the general sessions each morning and evening, and during the day we were able to choose from several different workshops. Every class we attended was extremely helpful and relevant to ministry in Nicaragua. We learned about how to develop kids as leaders, how to teach all types of learners and involve kids in a more active learning process, and about the spiritual formation of children. We also met some really amazing people that we plan to keep in touch with to bounce ideas off of in the future.

The weather here has been amazing! We’ve been able to take a few walks around town, and it’s so fun to be here when the leaves are changing colors and falling. We’ve also been able to enjoy some delicious deep dish Chicago pizza. Another bonus is that I have family here in Chicago. Today we were able to have lunch with my cousin and dinner with my aunt and a couple more cousins. We head back to Nicaragua tomorrow, and are looking forward to implementing the things we’ve learned here into the Niños de Vida program.

Hairy new Russells

2011-09-28T21:10:00.001-06:00

Well, I’m not sure if we actually call them “Russells” or not. We haven’t decided yet if we’re the kind of people who consider pets part of the family. In any case, my long-time dream has come true: own a cat. The plan was by default to just have one, especially because I didn’t want to push my luck with Julie (she’s more of a dog person), but the lady we got them from convinced us to take along an extra sibling for better adjustment or good luck or something like that.

Meet Ralph (top) and Remington (bottom). They’re month-old brothers from the same litter, and for some reason the prefer sleeping in the bathroom sink instead of on their cat bed we have on loan. Sometimes they even spoon. We’ve probably taken a dozen pictures of them in the sink. When they’re not sleeping or running away from us, they’re jumping on each other’s heads and chasing each other up and down the stairs. Ralph’s collar has a little bell on it, so there’s a non-stop jingling audible from all parts of the house. That bell will soon be removed.

We had cats when I was growing up, but let me tell you: growing up with cats is different from acquiring new ones. For one thing, by the time I had become a sentient human being, our cats were already well-adjusted creatures. If there was a delicate “let the cats get adjusted to their new home” period, I wasn’t a part of it. Also, we had had our cats declawed, which really made life a lot simpler.

As for Ralph and Remington…well, let’s just say we’re trying to find a balance of training them without traumatizing them. Four days of ownership hasn’t been enough to erase their memory of being torn from their mother, but the fact that we give them food makes them warm up to us a little more each day.

This is an especially difficult process for me for two reasons:

1) because growing up we had this cardboard book called Grover’s New Kitten, in which this beloved Muppet brings home a kitten from the pound, and they have a sweet, joyful time as the cat gets familiar with her new home and owner. This book was one of my favorites, but apparently, real life isn’t like Sesame Street. What a lie.

2) because I want the cats to love me now. You see, I’ve always loved cats. To me, they’re like people; unlike dogs, they don’t give out affection to everybody—just to the people who deserve it. It’s a special thing to make it into a cat’s “in” group.

Other ways cats are better than dogs:

Cats are clean and they don’t stink.
They poop in a box and you can take care of it at your leisure. No one can leave a lame party with the excuse that they have to “let the cat out”. They also don’t have to leave awesome parties for that reason either.
Cats don’t lick places on other animals that have no business being licked.
Cats don’t drool on you or beg for food.

And most of all, cats are just cuter (except those gross long-hair ones) and thus somehow more deserving of sympathy. I’ve always had a soft spot for them.

In the movie Milo & Otis, I always felt sorry for the cat when he falls into the river and gets lost, cold, and afraid.
In the Disney Cinderella cartoon, it always made me sad when the cat falls out of the tower window and presumably dies. Even though he was evil, he should have been given a chance to turn his life around.
For Christmas one year I was given a book called The Alamo Cat, a heart-breaking tale in which the caretakers of the Alamo befriend a stray cat and then it gets drowned by a raccoon. It still depresses me when I think about it.
As a kid, I loved getting calendars of pictures of cats and working cat puzzles (although maybe I shouldn’t be admitting this—let’s just pretend I was sufficiently young for that to be okay).

All this to say, I love cats so much that the sight of one piques my interest. It’s almost like how even the thought of coffee makes me feel a little happy. In fact, if coffee could be a domesticated creature, it might be the only other unimportant thing in life that could rival my love for cats.

Cats—get one. We have two!

On another note…

Ways that having cats is similar to having children:

We disagree on how to raise them and what’s best for them.
We had a hard time agreeing on names.
When it’s bedtime, they run and hide.
They have a high potential to break your things. You realize only too late that your home is not that cat-safe.

Ways that having cats is different from having children:

Children should not be locked in a small bathroom at night to sleep in a sink.
Children should not be encouraged to poop in a box and bury the deed.
If a child tries to jump up onto a surface and fails dramatically, this is not funny.
Children should not be affixed with a collar.
Children should not be hissed at or sprayed with water for disobeying.
One of your expenses with a child should not be to buy a small box with a cage door to transport them.
(Normal) children don’t hiss or have claws.
Children aren’t built with a convenient handle called the “scruff of the neck”

Happy birthday Hudson!

2011-09-23T12:16:00.001-06:00

Our nephew, Hudson Taylor Russell, turns 2 today! We are so blessed that even though we live in Nicaragua and he lives in New York, we’ve been able to see him (either here or there) several times since he was born. It’s never enough though, right? We just got to see him a couple weeks ago, and already I’m looking forward to him coming to Nicaragua for Christmas (along with the rest of the Russell clan!) Happy birthday Hudson! We love you!

Jon House is in the house

2011-09-20T15:15:00.001-06:00

One of Chase’s college roommates, Jon House, is in Nicaragua visiting us for 2 weeks! Jon and Chase lived together for a few months right before Chase and I got married – Jon was actually Chase’s replacement in “That House with Those Guys” as their house was affectionately called. Jon currently lives in New York City, so we’ve been able to see him each time we have visited Chase’s brother Barry and their family there. The below picture was actually taken in December of this past year at a Starbucks in NYC where we got together and played cards with him.

Since we are working while he is here, Jon is getting to experience “real life” for us, which isn’t always that exciting. We do, however, have a couple days off this week, so tomorrow Chase and Jon, along with a couple other guys, are going volcano sledding. We also want to try to do a zipline canopy tour. We have already been to the beach and to Laguna de Apoyo, a beautiful crater lake about an hour from our house. Jon will be here until Sunday, and we feel so honored that he spent his vacation time to come visit us in Nicaragua!

Día de la Independencia

2011-09-20T13:20:00.001-06:00

Last week, Nicaragua celebrated its Independence Day. To read more about how it is celebrated, you can visit this website.

For us, it meant that we got a couple days off work (and school for Joanna), and we got to go see Joanna dance in an Independence Day celebration at Nicaragua Christian Academy. (In case you don’t know, Joanna is Chase’s younger sister who lives with us and studied at NCA last year, and then decided to return this year for her senior year.)

The event involved many dances, songs, and poems, and was concluded by a Nica feast at the end. Joanna wore a traditional Nicaraguan dress, lots of makeup, and had a bouquet of flowers in her hair! She looked awesome, and danced really well (although it took Chase awhile to convince Beckett that it really was Joanna out there – he didn’t recognize her!). The funny part is she only agreed to do this because of a miscommunication in Spanish…it happens even to the best of us!

Each year, the NCA teachers perform the last dance, so we got to see David (Chase’s older brother) dance as well. They did an excellent job, and Chase and I really enjoyed getting to go and cheer on our family as they showed off their dancing skills!

Comments

2011-09-19T21:25:00.004-06:00

Since we started our blog, we have gotten feedback numerous times about the difficulty in leaving comments on the blog posts themselves. It seems those who didn’t already have Google accounts didn’t feel that it was worth their time to set one up (or log in to it) in order to drop us a note.

We disagree: we’d like to hear from you.

Effective immediately, you do not have to log in to anything to leave a comment on a post. All you have to do is categorize yourself from a drop-down menu and type in a word verification (you know, those weird pictures of “words” made of bendy, scratchy letters straight out of a drug-induced hallucination) after you make your comment to get it to post. We’ve gotten weird spam comments before and would like to continue not getting those. This is why this step is necessary.

We do ask that you at least sign your name when you post. Let’s be honest: comments from “Anonymous” aren’t as fun as ones from people with names. Also, if we can’t tell who you are by your first name, go ahead and clarify by writing your last name too. Signing simply “Jon”, “Sara”, “Bill”, or even “Mom” is going to leave us scratching our heads trying to figure out which one you are.

And if you wanted to be extra nice and log in to your Google account to make things look nicer—well, we wouldn’t stop you. Heck, we might even read your blog if we can click on your name.

Now you know. Go crazy*.

*Spammers: this does not apply to you.

That Paul…

2011-09-14T14:50:00.001-06:00

So Paul’s birthday was on September 5th, the day we were all supposed to return to Nicaragua. He was leaving from NYC and we were coming from Dallas, and we were supposed to meet up in Miami and take the same flight back to Nicaragua. I’m so awesome that I even made it so that our seats would be next to Paul’s on the Miami to Managua flight so we could celebrate his birthday on the plane.

In preparation for the celebration, I decided to make (“sew”) a shirt for Paul* that says “birthday boy” on it and make him wear it throughout our travel day. It was going to be awesome/embarrassing. I found a font I liked, printed and cut out the letters, traced them on to the green and white polka-dotted material, cut those out and put the rest of the project off until the day before we were to return to Nicaragua. While Chase was dividing out our 200 pounds of luggage amongst some crates and suitcases, I got back to work. I decided to use no-sew to sort of glue the letters down first and then try to sew the edges of the letters to make it look extra cute/embarrassing. After about 30-45 minutes and about 12 times of restraining myself from breaking my mother-in-law’s new sewing machine, I was about halfway through the first “B” and I gave up. I would just have to recount the story to Paul later and hope we could have a good laugh about how great the shirt celebration could have been.

However, someone** came to my rescue and finished up the shirt while Chase and I were running last minute errands. We came home from Target to a completed (and very homemade looking) “birthday boy” shirt. The celebration would go on afterall…

American Airlines would have none of it, however. In an effort to ruin Paul’s birthday, they made excuses like “we had to switch over to a different plane and assign new seats to everyone” and “I’m not sure why it’s taking over an hour to clean the plane, it just is!” and “Uh oh, there is another plane parked where we are supposed to park…I guess we’ll just have to wait here on the runway for another hour.” By the time we stepped into the Miami airport, our connecting flight had left 2 hours before. That’s right – the birthday boy himself flew away with 2 empty seats next to him and no one to celebrate his 82nd, I mean 30th, birthday.

Plan B: Think of the next best/most embarrassing time to make Paul wear the shirt. All the staff at One by One were back in the office today and we would be having staff meeting. Perfect. So today Paul is looking wonderfully stylish in his (belated) birthday boy shirt. I hope you enjoyed this long and detailed account of Paul’s birthday shirt (and my failed attempts at being a seamstress!)

*Back in March, my mother-in-law taught me to sew. I told Chase I was going to make him some clothes, and he said okay but that he wouldn’t wear it out of pity, meaning if it was ugly, he would have no part in it. Paul, trying to make my husband look bad, told him how unkind that was and promised to wear any shirt I made him to the event of my choice.

**This someone is so embarrassed by their handiwork (though it was way better than I could have ever done!) and would not like their name associated with such a project.

There and back again

2011-09-14T11:59:00.001-06:00

We had a great time in the States, as always. In typical Chase&Julie fashion, we traveled to three different states in three weeks, but somehow returned to Nicaragua not completely exhausted. Our first week in Texas was a little slower paced, and while the temperature was definitely higher than we were used to, we didn’t find ourselves sweating nearly as much as we do in our beloved-yet-humid new home, Nicaragua. We enjoyed small luxuries, like stress-free driving, air conditioning, and one-stop shopping. We, along with Paul Fazio (fellow One by One staffer and friend from Woodcreek), hosted a thank you dinner for our supporters one evening, and also spoke for a few minutes Sunday morning in front of the body at Woodcreek.

We drove to Oklahoma for week 2, and filled our schedules to the max, many days getting breakfast, coffee, lunch, coffee, dinner AND dessert dates with various friends. Julie spent some quality time with our dentist, due to her genetically bad teeth and love of all things chocolate. Chase was able to play piano with Wildwood’s worship team Sunday morning, while Julie was blessed to join the Wildwood prayer team for a sweet time of prayer and fellowship with people we love. We were also able to visit the Wildwood kids ministry Sunday morning, who has faithfully supported us since we moved to Nicaragua. Norman is a special place for us, and though we may or may not ever live there again, it will always be one of our favorite places.

For week 3, we flew to New York City and (sort of) surprised Barry and Tess, Chase’s brother and his wife. They had looked at the calendar wrong and weren’t expecting us until the next day! Oops! We got to meet Ronan, our 8-month old nephew, and see our almost 2-year old nephew, Hudson, again. Both are adorable, as you can see for yourself below. We also enjoyed many evenings (and mornings) of great conversation and delicious food on Barry and Tess’s 19th story balcony.

Though we didn’t do many tourist-y things, we did walk the Brooklyn Bridge with Barry and Tess and eat at the famous Grimaldi’s pizza place under the bridge. We also enjoyed some of our favorite NY stores, like H&M and Trader Joes. We have several friends that live in NYC, and we were able to get together with all of them as well. We love how New York is so visitor friendly, and we don’t have to be dependent on other people to get us around/entertain us. I can’t imagine ever setting someone loose on their own to navigate the streets of Managua!

Anyways, we (tried to) fly back to Nicaragua on the 5th, but American Airlines had other plans, which included putting us up in a hotel in Miami and providing dinner and breakfast for us before sending us on our way again. Before you start admiring us for this unexpected and seemingly luxurious interruption, keep in mind that we didn’t have our suitcases, so we couldn’t brush our teeth for 2 days and had to wear the same clothes 2 days in a row!

We did eventually make it back and will update you more on recent events since returning to Nicaragua, so check back again soon!

Typical Saturday morning service

2011-08-26T11:48:00.000-06:00

Many of you have gotten the chance to come down to Nicaragua to see first-hand what we do. However, for those of you who haven't (and especially for those of who have a difficult time picturing what it is we actually do), here's a video that hopefully helps you visualize the ministry aspect of our lives. The following is a compilation of short clips from each of the activities that are included with a Saturday morning kids' service.

Or you can click on this link: http://vimeo.com/28109870

In the good ol’ U.S. of A.

2011-08-19T17:19:00.002-06:00

Home sweet home. Sort of anyway. I think no matter where we go, Texas will always feel like home since we both spent our first 18 years here. We’ve been here since Sunday and have been enjoying spending time with friends and family, as well as shopping at some of our favorite stores like Target and Hobby Lobby. And I can’t deny that I’ve already been to Chick-fil-A twice, and will most likely enjoy a few more meals there before we return to Nicaragua.

We’ll be here through Sunday and then we head up to Norman, OK on Monday for a week. We’re pretty excited to spend time with friends there, and Chase is looking forward to playing with the Wildwood worship team on Sunday.

Then, we’ll be heading to NYC to visit family and meet our new (well, 8 months old) nephew. We always love going to NY, and this time, I’m sure, will be no different.

I guess “The Traveling Russells” doesn’t apply too frequently these days, but for the next 3 weeks, I guess it is fitting to be our blog title. I think we are still on the lookout for a new one, but just can’t seem to come up with the perfect one…any ideas?

9 months later…

2011-08-06T18:36:00.001-06:00

At my last doctor’s appointment, I was FINALLY given permission to go back to the kids service, so after about 9 months of missing these sweet faces, I was more than ready to see them all again! Most people get one little baby at the end of their 9 month wait…I got about 200 kids! Unfortunately, I had to wear a mask.

When I was explaining to Cisney (above) why I was wearing the mask, it went something like this.

Me: Well, you have an immune system that protects your body from infection, right?

Cisney: No (shaking head)

Me: Okay, that wasn’t supposed to be a question. You DO have an immune system that protects you…

Cisney: No (continues to shake head)

Me: Hmmm… (this plan isn’t working)…I can get sick really easily.

Chase re-introduced me on stage since I haven’t been to Niños de Vida in so long. He explained the whole lack-of-immune-system thing, but most kids still assumed I was sick and wearing the mask so I wouldn’t get them sick. Oh well.

Lindley was kind of attached to my hip the whole time and I loved it. We took lots of pictures, and I fell in love with the one above of her with her brother, Ronnie. Arlen showed off baby Sidney’s new “trick”, which I thought was hilarious. Arlen picked up Sidney’s shoe, pretending to smell it, and Sidney waved her hand in front of her nose, as if to say “that stinks”. Pretty smart for a 15 month old!

Almost all of the kids I know really well came this week and I can’t tell you how great it was to see them all again. They were all excited to see me, and Chase was excited to not be asked the question “how is Julie?” a zillion times for the first time in nine months! It’s crazy how much the services have changed since last December – Chase has done an incredible job continuing to improve them. He taught the lesson again today, which he is doing on a more regular basis, and it’s safe to say that his Spanish skills have far surpassed mine!

Anyway, it was great to be back. I missed those kids quite a bit, but forgot how exhausting it is. Looking forward to next week, which is our last week before we come to the States for 3 weeks!

San Juan del Sur

2011-08-06T17:45:00.001-06:00

This summer has been pretty slow (a.k.a. lonely) around here, since many people we know went to the States for the summer, but we did get the opportunity for a short vacation with our friends, the Crabtrees. We stayed in a villa in San Juan del Sur (where Survivor Nicaragua was filmed!), and because of some misunderstandings/the unreliability of “fax” machines, we were upgraded (free of additional charge) to a villa with central air conditioning, something that is almost unheard of in most Nicaraguan homes!

We drove/hiked to the top of the hill (or actually, mountain) to admire the beautiful shoreline of San Juan del Sur.

This is Chase being cooperative with my requests for pictures. I won’t show you all the pictures where he stopped being so cooperative…there were a variety of faces made in those photos, though none of them were smiles.

We enjoyed delicious food (including Russell nachos), played some fun games, watched some bizarre television shows, read some books, relaxed in a unique coffee shop, and of course, went to the beach. We had a great time, so much so that when we got back to Managua, we weren’t done hanging out. After unpacking, the Crabtrees came over for pizza and a movie to finish off our vacation weekend together!

Clowns from Crossroads

2011-08-06T17:15:00.000-06:00

Last week, we had a team of 6 from Crossroads Community Church in Simpsonville, SC come down to work with us and House of Hope for the first time. The team had a great desire to pray for and bless the missionaries and people here and spent a lot of time praying over the One by One staff, as well as the House of Hope interns and ladies. We were all encouraged by the words of wisdom and truth the Lord had for us through them.

In addition, they had prepared a clown program that they performed in each of our neighborhoods and the kids LOVED it! At the end of each event, the gospel was shared and several kids from each neighborhood trusted in Christ! Pray for us as we desire to develop an effective program for follow-up and discipleship of new believers within the kids ministry. We look forward to having many more teams from Crossroads minister with us in the future!

Soccer Tournament

2011-08-06T16:57:00.000-06:00

Last month, we had the pleasure of working with Kingsland Church from Houston, Texas. They brought a team of 60 high school students down to work with One by One and House of Hope. During that time we were able to host a soccer tournament at El Salero. We were able to bus in over 100 youth, which made up 5 teams. There were 3 additional teams made up of staff and Kingsland team members. A team from Monseñor Lezcano, the neighborhood surrounding our church building won the whole tournament!

We were also able to share the gospel with everyone who came and have since seen an increase in growth in our youth program! Praise God for working in the hearts and lives of our youth and continue to pray that He would be known among the neighborhoods He has entrusted us to minister to!

To see more pictures of the soccer tournament, visit our Nuevete facebook page here. Also, become a fan of the group if you haven’t done so already!

Monthly Update

2011-08-04T11:58:00.001-06:00

I had another doctor’s appointment recently, this time with the rheumatologist. He has always been the more positive one, and this time was no different. He is still holding on to hope that my kidneys will heal, even though he admits the chance is much smaller now. He says we should give it another 3-6 months to see. I asked when I might need dialysis and he said possibly not for another 3-5 years! So I guess my failing kidneys can just chug along on (much) less than full strength for quite a while! He did give me all the usual warnings about staying out of the sun, getting plenty of rest, exercising, eating healthy, etc. My creatinine level was the exact same as the previous month – 3.4. I guess it’s good that it hasn’t gotten worse! He also reminded me that I am blessed to be North American, to have the resources to receive treatment. Had I been born in Nicaragua, in a life of poverty as many are, not only would I have no hope of healing (since I wouldn’t be able to afford the medicine), but no hope of treatment (dialysis, transplant) if I didn’t heal. Sometimes I forget how blessed I really am, so I am thankful for this reminder.

And it comes at a good time, as we are worried about our friend Clarissa (pictured above with me and Scarlett, her mom), who lives at House of Hope and is a faithful volunteer with our kids ministry. She has been really sick recently and either has Meningitis or a worm in her brain! She has been to 3 different public hospitals in the last week or so, and doesn’t appear to be getting much better. She did receive a spinal tap to find out for sure if it Meningitis, but we haven’t heard yet either way. Clarissa just turned 15 (we were able to attend her Quinceañera a few weeks ago) and is a sweet girl who works hard and loves kids! Please pray that they would be able to correctly diagnose and treat her and that there would be no long term effects! Also, pray for her mom as she takes care of her!

Open letter to Russia

2011-07-28T14:10:00.002-06:00

Note to Western readers: this post will be more enjoyable if you have this playing in the background.

Dear Russia,

Please stop being so creepy. Yes, I’ve seen you. You thought that I didn’t know that you’ve been checking up on my blog, but I did. I’ve known all along. The built-in Stats feature of Blogger has shown me that you’ve looked at my blog not just once, but 149 times, and never from the same computer twice. I submit to you the evidence from Exhibit A below, unaltered in any way:

Not only this, but my other blogging friends have told me that you do the same to them. Why, may I ask? What possible value do you gain from reading our tales of swatting flies, being sick, and making coffee?

You may ask, “Why aren’t you mad at the other countries on the list?” Well, not that it’s any of your business, but I actually know people in those other countries, or at the very least, people who have travelled through them whilst reading about our mold problems and our kid’s ministry. Well, maybe not Canada, but at least a lot of them speak English there and never raced us to the moon. But don’t change the subject, Russia—we’re talking about you here.

How would you like it if I read your blog and took notes on what you said about the weather and who came to visit you? I just want you to know that I’m on to you, and I’ll never accidentally post any top secret information on here.

That is all.

the account of my dengue (or some such virus)

2011-07-15T15:52:00.002-06:00

So Julie has been pressuring me to write about my dengue experience although it gets less interesting to me the more time that passes, and also it seems inappropriate to dwell on it so soon after the bad news she got health wise that was actually serious. It’s actually a pointless story with no moral at the end, just gruesome details in the middle. Nevertheless, she has persisted and agreed to my terms that if I’m going to write about it, I get to spice it with levity and hyperbole. I seem unable to write in any other manner.

WARNING: the following story is not for the faint of heart and may contain the word “vomit” many times. I may give more details than simply the fact that vomiting happened, but I promise not to discuss colors or tastes. Read at your own risk the story that follows.

******************************************

Wednesday afternoon, June 29th, 2:00 pm: I suddenly began feeling terrible in my head, chest, and stomach. I blamed my meal of roasted chicken from the eatery near the church, and I continued working—although progressively more slowly. Before leaving at the end of the day, I was for some reason struck with the idea of setting up a dummy at my desk made of a large stuffed bag topped with a weird horsehead mask. I thought the church guard might see it through my office window and we would both laugh about it in the morning.

Upon returning home, I found that my temperature was 101. Julie had made a fancy salad for dinner, but I could barely manage to munch on some dry lettuce and cucumbers while we watched old episodes of House. I slept in the guest room so that whatever I had wouldn’t infect her immunosuppressed body and land her in the hospital again. A sad fact of our lives now, but I accept it with cold rationality while she tries not to take it personally.

Thursday: I call in sick for the first time in a year. Fever holds strong at 101 all day, body aches are a nuisance, and I still don’t have much of an appetite. I drink a lot of water and hope that this and almost complete physical inactivity will do the trick. I keep checking my symptoms on WebMD and, as usual, am disappointed in how unhelpful WebMD is. I keep checking when Julie isn’t looking to make sure my neck isn’t stiff and that I’m not dizzy because I hope I don’t have meningitis since that would require a trip to the hospital and would be really dangerous to both of us.

Friday morning: I call in sick again. My fever goes up and down all day, so I hope that the sickness is faltering. I don’t want to take any painkillers because I want the fever to accomplish its purpose, but I end up doing so anyway to help with the headache that is crushing my head from all sides. Advil barely puts a dent in it. Also, I begin to feel embarrassed that there’s still a stupid horsehead dummy in my office chair and no one knows why. Towards the end of the day, my appetite is picking up and I’m feeling better. Julie and I foolishly decide that nachos sound great for dinner.

Saturday: I wake up suddenly at 2 am with an overwhelming feeling of nausea and a headache that simultaneously stabs me between the eyes and pounds the back of my head. I try to sleep for another 30 restless minutes, but I fear I know what’s going to happen next. Another sudden wave of nausea sends me running to the bathroom to kneel in front of the toilet. Oddly enough, I love nachos enough that facing them again like that hasn’t ruined them for me.

Side note: up to this point, I could count on one hand (using only 2 fingers) the number of times I’d thrown up in my life: both of them traumatic. Ignoring salt-water-gargling and swimming mishaps, my farthest back memory had permanently stained carpet, and the other time (the most recent) was from a nasty sickness I picked up in Mexico when I was 14. I’ve heard many people say they love throwing up, but I have always been terrified of this action as being unnatural for my body. Now that I know the relief that comes afterward (and if you ignore the suffocating and lurching that happens during), I’m inclined to agree that vomiting is the best cure for nausea, albeit very short-lived relief.

6 am brings me to face the toilet again, which is unfortunate because I really have to go to work today. Saturday is the only day when my job title “Children’s Director” actually means something. I take some of Julie’s anti-nausea meds leftover from January and get to work at 8. I meet with our group of workers and assign jobs. I reassign my on-stage roles to people who are strong enough to stand without breathing heavily and sweating profusely. I also am unable to inflate the balloons for the games we have planned. I’m informed by several people that I am pale and look like I have malaria. I’m also informed that an organization is coming to interview me about our kids program. Perfect.

After directing everybody to their jobs, I sit in my office for a few minutes and hope to feel better enough to last another two hours until the end of the kids service. As I sat in the seat I had just kicked the horsehead dummy out of, I wondered if I might feel better lying on the cool tile floor. I opt against lying on the floor, but I do have to get on my hands and knees to relieve my nausea into my trash can. I ask someone what the best way to dispose of a trash bag of vomit is, and he tells me to chuck the whole bag in the grass across the street. To my shame, I do so, but in my defense, there’s a lot of other garbage there already.

I apologize to the man who came for the interview that I can’t stay and point him to someone else who can give him information, and then I leave immediately, bringing a spare garbage bag in the car with me just in case. I stop by the store to stock up on 7up, Sprite, ginger ale, ramen noodles, and Ritz and saltine crackers. The logic is that a restful weekend with a supply of clear fizzies and salty starches would hopefully cure me.

When I get home, Julie hears me vomit for the first time in her life. She says it sounds awful. I am dimly aware that I sound a lot like my first college roommate when he’d get home at 3 am—a noise I refer to as an “angry vomit.” I can do the impression for you in person sometime if you’d like.

After the fifth vomiting, I feel no relief whatsoever from my nausea, and I secretly hope for a quick death. Also, the math seems pretty clear to me: 1 quart of liquid in minus 5 quarts of liquid out puts me at a clear deficit. That, and I can’t do anything to relieve or get my mind off the pain. Ibuprofen and acetaminophen together won’t relieve my headache which has spread to my eye sockets, so I can’t read or watch TV, and it only lowers my temperature to 99.5. Even speaking requires great effort. I grab another trash bag and ask Julie to take me to the hospital to get rehydrated.

That’s pretty much where the story ends. The doctor said I probably had dengue (a mosquito-born virus that is in epidemic force every rainy season) even though the test came back negative. At the very least it was some kind of non-contagious virus that behaved like dengue. The only treatment is lots of Tylenol and strong anti-nausea meds until the virus runs its course. I did the research and found that if it indeed had been dengue, it was mild dengue since I neither felt like my bones were breaking nor did I have any kind of hemorrhaging.

I used to think that it would be cool to get dengue just to say that I had had it. I have since decided that death would possibly be preferable to getting it again.

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Well, if you read this far, thanks for putting up with my long-windedness. Incidentally, the people that came to interview us made a video about us (as part of a video about people who are trying to help children and youth). You can find it at http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150268015434241&oid=117821401631635&comments but it is in Spanish. The footage of us starts at about 1:00.

Online Giving Update

2011-07-08T14:39:00.001-06:00

Nicaraguan Money: 500 Cordobas is equivalent to about $23 U.S. currency

One by One has recently made improvements to our giving system! The company that manages our online giving has changed. If you're currently giving through EasyTithe (our old system), you are currently still able to manage your account. We will determine a date in the future where we will require that all donations be made through the new system.

We will be contacting our donors individually to aid in the process of switching from the old system to the new one, but if you would like to go ahead and switch now, you may go in and cancel your current giving schedule and set up a new one through this link: https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=44367. For assistance in setting up the new giving schedule, visit our website at http://www.russellsinministry.com/support.html.

Thank you for your patience as we switch to the new system, and of course, for your financial support which enables us to be a part of ministry in Nicaragua!

The Unfortunate News

2011-07-05T15:20:00.001-06:00

Friday night, I had my (now) monthly check-up, but this time with the kidney doctor, Dr. Granera, whom I have not seen in probably 3 months. Since I have been feeling well recently, I was expecting more of the same as previous check-ups. “You’re young”, “there’s still hope”, “be patient” – these are the common phrases I hear from my doctors when referring to my kidney failure, which is the primary issue I am dealing with at this point. (My Lupus symptoms are controlled by medicines and don’t cause any pain or need for concern at this point.)

So I went in with high hopes, not at all expecting the news he had to deliver. I’ve been told from the beginning that it might take 3-6 months for my kidneys to recover, and I don’t think I ever considered the option that they might, in fact, not recover at all. When I left the hospital at the end of January, my creatinine count was around 5 (should be less than 1 and started at over 11). Since March, it has fluctuated back and forth between 2.8 and 4.1, but most recently was 3.4. In addition, I had another more extensive test that showed I currently only have 17% kidney function. Based on these tests and the amount of time it’s been without significant improvement, I am now considered to have chronic kidney failure; it is no longer acute.

What does this mean? Well, the medicines I am currently taking (11 different ones), I will be taking the rest of my life. This includes CellCept, the immunosuppressant, which, by itself, costs a significant amount of money monthly. In addition, it is not safe to get pregnant while taking this medicine, so in order to one day try to get pregnant, I will have to go off of it temporarily, which could cause further damage to my kidneys. And finally, if my kidneys do not regain function, dialysis and possibly a transplant will be in my future. Though I tried hard not to, I cried through the whole appointment. The only good thing he had to say was that we now have his permission to buy a cat, which, if you know how much Chase loves cats, you know this was his dream come true.

While Dr. Granera did say that not ALL hope is lost and that there is still a chance, though a much smaller one now, that my kidneys will recover, he did want to prepare me for what my future will look like – a life-long relationship with pills, pharmacies, blood tests, doctors, and medical procedures. While I am not thrilled about this news and it’s taken me several days to work through the initial shock, sadness, and disappointment, I have to choose to believe truth and be thankful.

At the end of the day, you can focus on what’s tearing you apart or what’s holding you together.

God is with me. He is not surprised by this news. He does still have a plan for my life. He still knows the number of hairs on my head (even though there are less each day, thanks to the steroids!) He is still Healer, whether he chooses to heal me or not. He is still Good, no matter what the prognosis is or what the future holds. And I choose to be thankful because without this crazy expensive medicine, I would most likely be spending my days in extreme pain, unable to do much of anything, constantly waiting and wondering what will be the next way Lupus will attack my body. I am thankful that I feel normal a lot of the time, so much so that sometimes I am able to completely forget that I have Lupus or kidney failure. And I am thankful that I’m not alone; I have friends and family who are here to walk beside me and a God who says “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

What’s new with us, you ask?

2011-07-04T18:05:00.003-06:00

We have much to tell you, but for now – a preview.

- Julie had a doctor’s appointment Friday. It wasn’t the best of news unfortunately.

- Chase spent a few days in pain before we finally decided he wasn’t getting better any time soon and checked him in to the hospital Saturday night. He had dengue, but is doing much better now.

- Sunday, Chase was feeling well enough after getting out of the hospital that we were able to go to a Quinceañera for a girl who lives at House of Hope and helps out with our kids ministry.

- Today we celebrated Julie’s birthday (a month late!) by driving to Granada with Paul and enjoying some delicious blueberry pancakes at one of our favorite restaurants, Kathy’s Waffle House.

- Tonight we celebrate July 4th with apple pie and homemade sweet tea. We find ourselves missing our family and friends today and look forward to seeing them in August!

Check back later in the week for more details…

Epico

2011-06-29T14:30:00.000-06:00

Last Saturday night, in place of our usual youth group event - Nuevete, One by One hosted an event called Epico – a concert featuring 4 Nicaraguan bands, including our very own Nuevete band. Typically, there are around 75 youth who attend, but this Saturday, we probably had between 175 and 200 people! The night was a great success and we hope that many of the newcomers will become regular attenders to our weekly Nuevete events. It has been a great encouragement to see this ministry grow over the last year!

Mosaic Maker

2011-06-25T12:15:00.001-06:00

The rain has been steady all morning and I can’t stop thinking about mosaics. About brokenness. And about how God can take all the broken pieces of our lives and make them beautiful.

Because we are all broken. We’ve all been hurt by someone or something. Or we’ve made stupid choices and done the hurting to ourselves. Either way, we are made up of lots of little broken pieces. Pieces from broken relationships, abandonment, harsh words. Or maybe there are shards left behind from abortion, abuse, or rape. Perhaps the slivers are self-inflicted – eating disorders, searching for fulfillment outside of Christ, lack of self-control. Maybe our lives have been interrupted by death or illness. Any number of things can break in and tear us apart.

And we really have two choices. We can let those fragments continue to damage us or we can allow them to be made into something beautiful. We can allow forgiveness (for others OR ourselves) to pave the way. We can bring our broken parts to the Mosaic Maker. We can be made new.

As the rain pours outside, I have this song on repeat.

Beautiful Things

All this pain
I wonder if I’ll ever find my way
I wonder if my life could really change at all

All this earth
Could all that is lost ever be found
Could a garden come up from this ground at all

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

All around
Hope is springing up from this old ground
Out of chaos life is being found in You

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

You make me new, You are making me new
You make me new, You are making me new

Westside Church

2011-06-23T12:39:00.000-06:00

A team of 6 men from Westside Church arrived in Managua yesterday and will be serving with One by One through next Wednesday, June 29th.

They will be working on a variety of projects around the church, including replacing the tile floor in a few classrooms, building a more secure wall for The Refuge house, building an additional office for Mike Havlin, Jeremy’s dad to use for ministry, and helping prepare for a computer lab we would like to start soon. In addition, they will be visiting kids, passing out invitations for our services and visiting our partner church, Mayoreo, on Sunday.

The team brought several suitcases of donated supplies down for the ministry, including sound equipment, office supplies, toys, balls, beanie babies, hygiene items, and a guitar! We are so grateful for Westside’s generosity and willingness to come and serve with us this week!

Jeremy’s back!

2011-06-23T11:51:00.000-06:00

After almost 3 months of serving as a Pastor at Discover Church in Greenville, SC, Jeremy Havlin and his wife, Jessica, and daughter, Addi, have returned to Nicaragua. Dan Quigley did an excellent job filling in for Jeremy as the Director of One by One while he was gone, and the Lord greatly blessed us with continued growth in all areas of ministry, despite his absence. However, the staff are all glad to have Jeremy back – welcome home Jeremy!

just the two of us

2011-06-15T13:00:00.001-06:00

In August of 2009, Chase and I moved out of our beloved apartment in Norman, and became nomads for a few months, staying with friends and family all across the United States (To see a map of our crazy road trip, check out this blog post) until we moved to Nicaragua in November.

Our plan when we moved to Nicaragua was to share an apartment with Chase’s brother David, his wife Kristina, and their (6 months old at the time) baby, Beckett. Not only would we all save money, but we both had talked for several years about wanting to live with another couple/family, and what better time than now (then). So for 9 months, it was just the five of us.

In August of 2010, we somehow convinced Joanna, Chase and David’s younger sister, to move to Nicaragua for the first semester of her junior year. She joined us all in the ever-expanding Russell household and we became six for the next 4 months.

In November, we decided to part ways, as Kristina was working on forming little Hatley in the womb and they would need more space upon her arrival. Chase and I moved a few streets away and we brought Joanna along with us, convincing her to stay for the second semester of her junior year. And thus we have lived as three for the last 8 months.

Joanna left to go back to the States a few days ago (but will be returning for her senior year in August!) so Chase and I find ourselves living alone for the first time in almost 2 years. It’s almost like we are premature empty-nesters. We’re looking forward to it, but at the same time, it is a bit lonely. Community living, though challenging for sure, is also really fun! I’m sure we will enjoy the “summer” (I guess I still think in terms of American seasons) together, but we also look forward to Joanna coming back in August!

Adios Wildwood!

2011-06-13T14:15:00.001-06:00

We dropped off the Wildwood team at the airport this morning, and we were sad to see them go. We had such a great week with them, and it made us a little homesick for Norman! We won’t be back in the States until August, though, so we will spend the next two months in anticipation of being “home” again.

Beach Day

2011-06-13T14:08:00.000-06:00

After a week of tiring work, the Wildwood team was ready for a day of rest at the beach about an hour away from Managua. Unfortunately, most of them are headed back to the States today with sunburns!

The One by One staff really enjoyed spending the week with the Wildwood team – in fellowship and serving God together. Chase and I, in particular, enjoyed getting to share our lives here with our friends from Oklahoma. We look forward to having them back next summer. Thank you for coming down to serve with us Wildwood!

Update on the stage door

2011-06-13T13:50:00.000-06:00

The Wildwood men, along with Dan Quigley, were able to complete the “hidden” stage door, though not without acquiring some impressive blisters! We look forward to using this new entrance to have our characters come out on stage. Thank you Wildwood for working so hard to complete this project!

refreshed.

2011-06-10T16:44:00.001-06:00

This week has been more or less a test of what I can and cannot do. I love having the team here and want to spend as much time with them as I can, but I recognize the need to be careful (I’m not wanting to jump into hospital stay #3 anytime soon!). I’ve been able to go in to the office in the mornings, although I still can’t be around large numbers of kids or be in the sun, so I’ve had to stay behind during the carnival events in the neighborhoods. I did however decide to visit House of Hope with the team this morning. The girls (who live there but attend our kids services each week) were supposed to be in school but got out early, so I was able to see them for the first time in 6 months (though Chase did make me wear a mask)! It made my heart happy to hug them and tell them how much I’ve missed them and love them. At one point, I heard someone yell “What?! JULIE’S here?” and then Bertha came running out of the girls dorm and embraced me in the biggest bear hug! Definitely the best moment of the day. Josidara asked if Chase had been passing along her messages each week from when he would see her at our kids services, which included telling me that she loves me more than he does. What really happened is about a week or two ago, Chase said “When you see Josidara, tell her that I’ve been passing along her messages to you each week about how much she loves and misses you.” I kind of ratted him out.

Anyways, if you’d like to read more about what the team has been up to, check our ministry blog at http://chaseandjulieministrynews.blogspot.com/.

House of Hope

2011-06-10T16:21:00.000-06:00

The Wildwood team was able to visit House of Hope, a partner ministry to One by One, this morning to learn about how God is working in this ministry. House of Hope is a vocational and residential program that seeks to remove women and children from prostitution.

Even though the girls were supposed to be in school, they got out early today and a few people on the team were able to meet the girls they sponsor for the first time. The team and the girls enjoyed a sweet time of fun, fellowship, and laughter together.

Carnival Time!

2011-06-10T14:58:00.000-06:00

The Wildwood team has spent their afternoons putting on carnivals in three of the neighborhood’s involved in One by One’s ministry – Loma Verde, Mercado Oriental, and Los Martinez. Below are some photos from the first carnival in Loma Verde.

The kids from the neighborhood were invited to play one of the many games offered, like bowling, and they would earn tickets, which they could later use to either buy things from the “store” or do something fun like face painting or throw a pie in Chase’s face!

The store had many things for sale, including notebooks, pencils, other school supplies, toothpaste, soap, candy, etc. Some of the kids were especially excited about the large toothpastes they bought! (Many of these items were collected and donated by the Wildwood Children’s ministry.)

To see more pictures of the Wildwood team, visit the One by One facebook page and click on the Wildwood Youth Team 2011 photo album.

The Stage Door

2011-06-09T14:56:00.000-06:00

Currently, our skit closet is located behind where all of the kids sit during our services. When a character, like the dog, the chef, or the gorilla, come out to assist with a game, they run through about 200 children to get on stage, oftentimes being “attacked” as they make their way up. Chase has been wanting to put in a hidden door on stage for a long time and is finally seeing his dreams come to fruition, thanks to the Wildwood team. Check out the video above to see the beginnings of tearing down the wall!

Wildwood Youth Team

2011-06-08T13:06:00.001-06:00

A team of 20 from from Wildwood Community church, our church in Norman, OK, arrived last night after being delayed for a night in Houston. They will be here until June 13th and will be helping One by One with various work projects and ministry outreach events. We are so excited to have a piece of home here with us, especially as many of the team members are returning from last year. Unfortunately, when they were here last year, I got pretty sick (most likely Lupus related, but I didn’t know it at the time!), so I am thankful to be feeling well and be able to spend more time with the team this year!

Make Ka-shee? Chase?

2011-06-07T16:37:00.001-06:00

You may remember a video we posted last September of Julie making coffee with Beckett. (If not, you can view it here.) Even though we no longer share an apartment with David and Kristina, we still like to occasionally bring Beckett to our house to help us make coffee. Since he is older now, he is a lot more involved in the process. He scoops out the beans, “helps” grind the coffee, and helps with the water. He still thinks it’s a game at the end when we tell him to push the button, which we, of course, find adorable (most of the time). He pretends to push all the other buttons (which set the time) before he pushes the correct one. As a result, we are often confused about what time it is.

The funnest part about coffee time with Beckett is how much he loves it. Every time he comes over, he asks if he can make “ka-shee” with Chase, and if he has already done it that day, he will bring it up over and over again, telling everyone about his coffee-making experience. Kristina says that sometimes he will wake up talking about it in the morning. Beckett pretty much adores Chase, but none of us (including Chase) know what he did to earn this admiration.

On the way

2011-06-07T14:52:00.000-06:00

After a delayed flight from OKC, a team of 15 from Wildwood Community Church in Norman, OK made their way to Houston but were too late to catch their flight to Managua last night. They should be arriving tonight if all goes well.

A family of 5 from Colorado Springs who attended Wildwood previously did arrive safely last night and have begun some work projects at Camino de Vida this morning.

Pray for safe travel for the Wildwood team today and for a great week of ministry ahead! Check back here for updates throughout the week.

Día de las madres

2011-05-31T09:25:00.000-06:00

Here in Nicaragua, día de las madres (Mother’s Day) is a big deal. Celebrations aren’t limited to just the day itself. As it’s always on May 30th, this year’s Mother’s Day fell on Monday, and many businesses that are normally open on Monday—including banks—were closed. Many restaurants that are normally closed on Monday were open. Kids got out of school both on Monday and this last Friday. And, of course, the number of cakes and flowers sold skyrocketed.

For the kids’ service, we celebrated by decorating with balloons and teaching kids about obeying their parents in the Lord (Eph 6:1).

Holy and Happy

2011-05-27T10:34:00.001-06:00

I’m currently reading Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas, which is essentially about how marriage is designed not to make us happy, but to make us holy. While marriage continues to play a huge role in the Lord’s sanctification in my life, I am blessed to be a part of a marriage that also brings me great joy. I realize that not everyone is in the same situation and I definitely don’t take this incredible gift for granted. But I do think that while God does want to use the marriage relationship to sanctify us, he also gives it to us as a gift that he means for us to enjoy. And such is true of life and relationships in general as well.

Today (and most days), I am feeling blessed to be married to Chase Russell. He has loved me faithfully and consistently for the past 4 years of marriage, and really for the 4 years of dating before that. He has made sacrifices for me, large and small, to show me that he loves me. When I got sick, that’s when I really learned that love is an action. He has selflessly served me for months, forgetting about his own needs and desires to meet my own. This incredible servant love only makes me want to serve and love him back (which is an example of Emerson Eggerich’s “Energizing Circle” from his book Love and Respect). And this, not surprisingly, results in us both being happy. We don’t take our marriage for granted and we know how blessed we are to have each other.

When I hear about broken and hurting marriages, my heart breaks and I desire for others to get to experience the greatness that marriage can be. But also, what an incredible opportunity for sanctification it is. The perfect platform for God to shape us into His image. I highly recommend Sacred Marriage to couples who haven’t read it yet, but more than that, I pray that marriage would serve not only to sanctify you and conform you into the image of the Son, but also bring you immense and incredible joy.

What brings me joy…

2011-05-26T15:47:00.001-06:00

- Thursday Russell dinners (plus Paul). We recognize that it’s not common to have family with you on the mission field and we know it’s probably not forever, so we are enjoying taking advantage of it now.

- Halle’s limeades. On Wednesday nights, I get to be a part of a Bible study with a few amazing girls (which also brings me joy), but I greatly anticipate the icy cold, fresh (as in, made from limes grown on trees in his yard), delicious limeades that Halle makes for us each week. Though nothing could replace Sonic’s strawberry limeade in my heart, this probably comes as close as you could get.

- Watching House. Chase and I have been watching a couple seasons of this TV show and although I’ve never been one to be interested in medical TV shows in the past, I’ve found it quite entertaining in this season of life. Almost every episode brings me back to those first few days in the hospital in January when my team of doctors was trying to figure out what was wrong with me. I realize it might be weird that I enjoy this, but hey, what can I say. And I have a strange satisfaction in recognizing many of the medical terms that are tossed around as they try to diagnose a patient.

- Our singing washer. We recently bought a washer from another missionary who left and it was been wonderful. We had been using Paul’s, but it’s nice to just walk out the back door and have our very own right there waiting for us. The best part is the song it sings at the end to let you know it’s done. It lasts for probably 15 seconds. Makes me laugh every time.

- Paul’s dryer. We’ve been hanging our clothes outside to dry for a couple months since Paul has been out of gas (most stoves and dryers are run on gas in Nicaragua), which was fine until recently. One of the disadvantages of rainy season is when your clothes get rained on every day and you can’t seem to get them dry. Currently, our load of darks is tumbling around in Paul’s dryer, the rain is falling peacefully outside cooling off our apartment, and my mind is resting easy knowing I don’t need to rush outside frantically pulling the clothes off the line.

- Beckett and Hatley. Not only do we get the advantage of living near family, we get to see our nephew and niece growing up. I know I may be biased, but they are two of the cutest kids I’ve ever met. We love having Beckett over to make coffee or play with his little nerf gun, and getting to hold sweet Hatley definitely helps meet my physical touch needs!

- The one and only, Chase Russell. He brings me the most joy of them all, but more on that tomorrow!

3 short stories about bugs

2011-05-16T17:30:00.002-06:00

While being more or less surrounded by concrete and pavement in our home and work means that we come across far fewer living things than we would if we lived in a jungle, we do still have close encounters from time to time. The following are some accounts of just such kinds of encounters.

1. Camo bug

We saw this beauty at a wedding this past weekend. It was hanging on the ceiling over the food table. (To give you an idea of its size, that’s a 2”x4” it’s clinging to.) It’s probably the biggest bug I’ve ever seen, not to mention that the antennae were too long to fit in the frame. After I took a picture of it, a Nicaraguan man turned to me and asked me what it was called. This disappointed me since I was about to ask him the same question, thinking somehow that he was more qualified to answer it.

2. Spice bugs

While cooking one evening, my sister reached for the cumin—only to discover a colony of little brown bugs tunneling through and presumably eating it. (Make sure you click the picture on this one to get a good close-up.) Like good Americans, we were sufficiently indignant that creatures should be sharing our living space without our permission.

I didn’t want to just dump the container out in the trash for fear these nasty little things might “get on me”. Also, what would stop them from just walking back in and burrowing in something else? No—they had to die.

I stuck the container in the microwave, but I guess 30 seconds was a bit overkill, as the glass come out molten hot, and all the bugs were a darker brown and steaming. Gross. We found them in a couple of other spice canisters, and of course now are paranoid every time we use seasonings.

3. Ghost Ants (with footnotes!)

It was a dark and stormy night[1]. I was getting some water before going to bed and saw a few ants on the wall. But these were no ordinary ants[2]…

As I snapped a couple of pictures of the winged behemoths, I realized to my horror that they were not alone.

There were hundreds of them all throughout the house, especially around the lights. I ran to our room and shut the windows and doors as quickly as I could, hoping against hope that our bedroom could be a safe zone, a sanctuary, and that the flood of ants wouldn’t find the gap under the door while we were sleeping. We passed a fitful night of sleep[3].

In the morning, we found no ants, no bodies—just thousands of wings. Wings on the floor, wings on the countertops, wings in the jaws of smaller ants, wings on the porch—clouds of wings that kick up and swirl around your feet like pixie dust as you walk. We haven’t seen the ants since.

The end.

[1] This is literally true. “Stormy” because the rainy season seems to have started this last week and “dark” because it was night. In fact, saying “it was a dark night” seems a bit redundant to me.

[2] Actually, they were large flying ants. For whatever reason, the new rain triggered swarms of them. They were also un-“ordinary” in that they inspired me to go upstairs to get the camera and measuring tape. For the record, that measuring tape measures in inches, not centimeters.

[3] By “fitful night of sleep” I mean that we watched an episode of The Office and slept just fine.

Camino de Vida, est. 2009

2011-05-16T17:28:00.000-06:00

Today marks the two-year anniversary of our first kids service at Camino de Vida. It’s a long and short amount of time all at once.

Short in that 2 years hasn’t shown us what kind of impact the ministry will have in the kids lives as they become adults. Short in that for all we’ve learned, we know we still have so much more to learn about developing and managing a ministry that successfully connects kids to Christ. Short in that our rate of change and development has hardly slowed down.

It’s feels long when we reflect on the number of people (kids, parents, volunteers) who have passed through our doors—who has stayed, who has moved on, who has grown closer to God, and even who has grown physically taller.

Thanks to all of you who read, pray, support, and visit! We couldn’t be here without you.

lately

2011-05-14T14:03:00.001-06:00

I haven’t given a health update recently, but since I frequently get asked the question “how are you feeling” in person, some of you may be wondering the same from back in the States. You are probably one of two types of people. The first is the type that wants to hear a simple “good” or “not so great” and not much more than that. The second is the type that wants to hear all the medical details and ramblings of my mind. If you are the first type, the answer for now is “good”. If you are the second type, read on…

Most days I feel great, and I haven’t had any major issues since leaving the hospital the second time. I’m still trying to figure out my spastic blood pressure, which seems to enjoy the depths and heights of blood pressure potential. I have had my appetite back and am really enjoying that. Who knew – life is not nearly as fun without the enjoyment of food. (My mother-in-law aided in this arena by making a variety of amazing dishes while she was here!) My only other medical issue at the moment is anemia, which is really not that big of a deal – it just makes me a little more tired than normal. So I am back to taking shots, which my sweet friend Jessie (who was a nurse in the States before moving to Nicaragua to become a missionary) so kindly administers to me. I can’t find the courage to give myself a shot, and apparently Chase can’t either, so we are both thankful for Jessie! I have blood tests and a doctor’s appointment again in 2 weeks (this will be my longest stretch – 3 weeks total – of not having to go to the hospital since January!) Last time I thought I would have a 2 month break between appointments, but ended up in the hospital the next week, so I’m hoping for a successful (healthy) time away this time!

In other news, it has been quite warm in Nicaragua. Frequently throughout the day I will feel something on my arm or leg and swat at it, thinking it is a tiny ant (they are everywhere here!) or a hair (which I am now starting to lose due to the steroids). But nope, it is usually just a drop of sweat. It gets up to about 97 degrees upstairs in the middle of the day and “cools down” to about 88 degrees in our bedroom at night (with about 60% humidity). It has rained the last couple of days, so I think rainy season has officially started. We have all been waiting and praying for rain for about a month now, since it usually cools it down a little bit, so we are thankful for this fresh change.

And the best news recently is that we are finally starting to get reimbursed from our insurance (which is not technically insurance, but rather a missionary sharing program), which is wonderful because our emergency fund (thanks for the great advice Dave Ramsey!) had been feeling a little malnourished. Also, I have officially translated every medical receipt from Spanish to English (over 60 so far) and turned them all into the non-insurance company. That was a long, tedious task that I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to cross off the to-do list, but I’m so thankful to have it done. Finally. Well, until I get more tests, prescriptions, and have more doctors appointments again in a few weeks. Until then, though, I am going to revel in my accomplishment and maybe eat a piece of chocolate (or two).

Interruptions

2011-05-07T16:56:00.001-06:00

A friend recommended Henri Nouwen’s book Reaching Out and here is an excerpt that has challenged and inspired me this week.

Don’t we often look at the many events of our lives as big or small interruptions, interrupting many of our plans, projects and life schemes? Don’t we feel an inner protest when a student interrupts our reading, bad weather our summer, illness our well-scheduled plans, the death of a dear friend our peaceful state of mind, a cruel war our ideas about the goodness of man, and the many harsh realities of life our good dreams about it? And doesn’t this unending row of interruptions build in our hearts feelings of anger, frustration and even revenge, so much so that at times we see the real possibility that growing old can become synonymous with growing bitter?

But what if our interruptions are in fact our opportunities, if they are challenges to an inner response by which growth takes place and through which we come to the fullness of being? What if the events of our history are molding us as a sculptor molds his clay, and if it is only in a careful obedience to these molding hands that we can discover our real vocation and become mature people? What if all the unexpected interruptions are in fact the invitations to give up old-fashioned and out-moded styles of living and are opening up new unexplored areas of experience? And finally: What if our history does not prove to be a blind impersonal sequence of events over which we have no control, but rather reveals to us a guiding hand pointing to a personal encounter in which all our hopes and aspirations will reach their fulfillment?

Then our life would indeed be a different life because then fate becomes opportunity, wounds a warning, and paralysis an invitation to search for deeper sources of vitality. Then we can look for hope in the middle of crying cities, burning hospitals and desperate parents and children. Then we can cast off the temptation of despair and speak about the fertile tree while witnessing the dying of the seed. Then indeed we can break out of the prison of history who speaks to us in the center of our solitude and respond to his ever new call for conversion.

Súper Músculo

2011-05-05T11:52:00.000-06:00

In addition to the gorilla suit we previously posted a video about, a couple of months ago we purchased a few other new costumes, and a team brought them down for us.

For the most part, we just got accessories like some wigs, capes, hats, etc., but one of our more complicated full costumes is our superhero costume. We call it Súper Músculo (meaning Super Muscle Man). It has well-sculpted muscles, an eye mask, and a cape. The difficult thing is that it’s all one piece (not including the eye mask), and doesn’t breathe much, so it’s pretty hot and cumbersome.

Ever since we used the costume the first time, a lot of the kids—including some of the older ones—have forever after viewed the volunteer who wore it as having above-normal strength, even in real life!

ashamed to admit it, but…

2011-05-02T18:32:00.001-06:00

we are procrastinators.

An April Shower

2011-04-29T07:13:00.000-06:00

Yesterday afternoon in Managua, it rained for the first time in several months. As you can imagine, several months without a drop of rain (the norm for the dry season) causes almost every plant to turn brown. The rolling hills around town, instead of being beacons of lush, tropical vibrancy (to wax poetic) are mounds of yellow grass and scraggly, thirsty trees.

April is notorious for being the hottest month of the year—a fact that we can attest to. Temperatures have been in the upper 90s, there is little wind, and humidity hovers around 60%. Rain, on the other hand, usually lowers the temperature but raises the humidity (75% this morning!). In any case, it’s a welcome change from the dry season monotony.

The rainy season hasn’t fully begun, but we expect it to within the next few weeks.

i believe, but do i really?

2011-04-28T17:27:00.001-06:00

Experience makes words on a page come to life. Scripture can mean one thing at one point in your life, but come alive in a completely different way depending on what you are currently going through in your life. I have definitely found this to be true over the last 4 months.

And not only this, but we find out what we truly believe when "life happens". I can say that I believe God is good (and think that I really do believe it), but then a friend has a miscarriage or I watch someone suffer from unexplainable pain and health problems or death comes unexpectedly where it doesn't seem to belong. And it's through those realities that my true beliefs are revealed.

I've spent most of life claiming the label "healthy". In January, I earned the new label "sick". Despite this, I can still (easily) say that I believe in God's goodness. Most of the time. There are many times I still have to choose to persevere in this belief. Because to be completely honest, I don't like being sick. I prefer not to have migraines, pain, fevers, dizziness, etc. (And I am actually blessed to have days where I feel completely normal.) I don't much appreciate the steroid cheeks, stretch marks, peeling skin, and general weakness. But when I'm feverish and miserably drenched in ice cold water in a hospital bed, or am tempted to think that my worth is found in how I look now, I have to choose to believe truth instead. To trust that my identity and worth are found in Christ. That God does have a plan and that He will work all things together for good. That I can draw near to the throne of grace to receive mercy in times of need.

Four months ago, I could read these verses, accept them easily and believe them without thinking twice about it. Now when I read them, my eyes well up with tears because I know that this truth, these promises, are alive and active. That God can be trusted. That the Spirit does give joy in the midst of trial.

What about you? Have you seen Scripture come alive in new ways at different points in your life?

Sunday came…

2011-04-23T23:21:00.001-06:00

and I’m grateful.

Sunday’s coming

Happy Easter!

the road begins again

2011-04-22T15:29:00.001-06:00

I’ve been out of the hospital (the second visit) for two weeks now. Since I was not there for as long as the first time nor was I as sick as the first time, I bounced back much quicker than before. Nonetheless, I have still been tired and weak, but gaining new strength each day.

I finished 3 different antibiotics at home, and the infections seem to be gone for the time being. I am, however, anemic again, which causes me to be more tired than normal. Also, my blood pressure has been on the fritz—high then low seemingly without reason. But besides these two things, I have been feeling well and am thankful to be past the worst of hospital stay #2 and all that was associated with it (but thinking about the ice bath still makes me shiver!). I am currently not taking CellCept, my immunosuppressant to treat Lupus, since it is what allowed the infections to take over in the first place. However, there aren’t really any other good options, as far as Lupus medications go, for me to take, so the plan is for me to go back on CellCept in about a week. And then we just hope (and pray!) that the bone marrow/white blood cell/infection issue does not take place again!

Currently, Chase’s parents are in town and all the Nicaragua Russells have been enjoying their company. Certainly Beckett and Hatley have loved having Granddad and Lolli here, and we have all been benefitting greatly from Orell’s cooking! We went to the beach on Tuesday, but mostly have just been relaxing, playing games, and eating delicious food! Since it is Semana Santa (Holy Week), we all have off work, and the break has definitely been a welcome one.

Found it!

2011-04-13T22:34:00.001-06:00

Almost 4 years ago, Chase gave me something that I have treasured every day since. It is the most expensive thing he ever bought me and the thing that he had to work the hardest for to buy. I have worn it everyday of our marriage (I don’t even take it off in the shower), and I love to watch it sparkle in a room full of bright lights. In case you didn’t figure it out, I’m referring to my wedding ring (and engagement ring, as they are soldered together).

When I was in the hospital, I had super swollen fingers, so we decided to take the ring off and Chase took it home for safe keeping. A few weeks after I got out of the hospital the first time, I asked for it back, and Chase had to confess that he had lost it. Although I was really sad, I could tell he felt absolutely terrible, so I just forgave him. And I prayed that somehow, someway my ring would turn up. His theory was that Paul’s (who lets us use his washer & dryer) washer ate it. After taking it apart a few weeks later, however, no ring was to be found. Sad, sad day.

Until today!!! Our good friends from Dallas, Sami and Jon Lilley, have been here the past 10 days, and this morning Kristina, Beckett, and I waved goodbye as Paul drove them to the airport. About to turn around and go inside, I noticed the car stopped and Sami jumped out of the car and ran over with my rings in her hand! I’m not even sure if she said anything but I screamed something like “Shut up! You did not just find those!” Apparently it was under the back seat floor mats of the car. I’m elated and so grateful to have my rings back on…it feels fresh and new all over again (and just in time for our 4 year anniversary in 2 days). And now my rings are just another reminder to me of how my God hears and answers my prayers.

Back home and enjoying the Lilleys!

2011-04-11T15:05:00.004-06:00

Home sweet home. And after only a 4 day stay this time. Days 3 and 4, I was feeling a lot better, and my white blood cell count went from 900 one day to 1900 the next day to 6,000 the day I got to leave! So thankful that cells can multiply faster than creatinine can be lowered! :) I am still taking several antibiotics at home and hoping all infections will be totally gone by my check-up next week.

We don’t know always get a reason about why these things happen, but in this case I did. CellCept, my immunosuppressant pill, can often cause Leukopenia, or a decrease in the number of white blood cells found in the blood. So, once this happened the infections found their way in and slowly took over. But don’t worry, my Nica doctors, armed with their trusty I.V.s and shots, gave those infections a swift quick in the pants. And I hope they got the message that they aren’t welcome back.

So I have been off of CellCept since being admitted and will be off it for 2 weeks total. The plan, though, unfortunately is to go back on it, as my only other option would be chemotherapy and my doctor really does not want to go that route. So pray that this undesirable side effect will have been a one time thing!

Sami & Kristina at the movie

Sami & Evie at lunch with Julie

Our 20s team from Woodcreek Church was here this week, and due to being sick, I was sad to not get to spend much time with them. Sami and Jon (and baby Evie!), our close friends, stayed behind after the team left and will be here through Wednesday, so I’m glad that I’m out of the hospital and able to spend some time with them while they are still here. The boys are out volcano sledding right now, while the girls got to go out for a movie and gelato last night. Having friends from home here, especially these ones, brings such joy to my heart.

Back in the hospital

2011-04-09T00:35:00.001-06:00

Well, if you haven’t heard yet, I am back in the hospital, although this time Lord willing, it shouldn’t be for as long. Chase sent an e-mail out to everyone on our newsletter list with a few more details and if you didn’t receive that or would like to, let us know.

Otherwise, I just wanted to give you a brief update of the last couple days here. I checked my temperature right before coming to the hospital and it was at 104. Yikes. We check in around 9PM Wednesday night and at about 2 that morning I was woken up to a ~~torture session~~ ice-water-bath-in-bed. Chase had done that the night before for my 105 fever, but since there was husband sweetness involved, he did things like put on soft music, NOT turn the AC on max, and NOT break open half-tied ice water-balloon gloves in my armpit (Although my whole body and bed was soaking wet at that point anyways, so I guess it didn’t really matter). My thoughts during this process varied between “I’m gonna die, this is worst thing ever, I’m pretty sure they are freezing me to my death” and “This too shall pass.” And it did. The passing, not the death.

By yesterday afternoon, the fever which I’d had for a week and a half, going on two weeks, was finally gone. And it has stayed gone, praise the Lord! Today I felt quite refreshed in that sense. The other big thing is my white blood cell count (should be 5,000-10,000); mine is 700, or was when I arrived. Today it want up to 900 and my doctor said he will be able to start breathing again when it’s at 1500. I hope those guys start multiplying like crazy!

While my sweet little WBC’s went on vacation, they left the door wide open and a couple of infections decided to come in, make themselves at home and throw a party for their less-than-sweet friends. That’s what’s been going on in my world for the past week or two! Oh, there’s this cough that I haven’t been able to knock that turns out to be the beginnings of pnuemonia. Not really bad yet, but needs to be treated nonetheless. Apparently the antibiotic he wants to use for this has sulfa in it, which I’m allergic to, and there aren’t really any other good options. So pray for the Lord to intervene in a non-medicinal way to heal that issue all on His own!

“the traveling russells” turns 2

2011-04-05T08:02:00.003-06:00

Two years ago today, we launched our blog. That is to say, Julie launched her blog, but over time I started throwing in my cynical 2 cents often enough to call it “ours”. Life was really different for us in April 2009: we had only just recently accepted a position with One by One, but didn’t really know much about what we would be doing—but we originally weren’t going to be working with kids!

Since then, we’ve moved twice, painted twice, we went to Costa Rica, flew back to the States 4 times, obtained 3 nephews and a niece, learned a lot of Spanish, learned a lot about ministry, learned a lot about wealth and poverty, battled serious mold, culture shock, heat, rain, health problems, power outs, and vermin. I don’t have any gray hair yet, but think I’m starting to develop wrinkles around the eyes.

Anyways, thanks for reading this blog. I’m always pleasantly surprised that a number of people take the time to read the things we put on here.

Here’s an interesting excerpt from our first post:

We currently have this blog named "the traveling russells" because that's what we do. We travel. Almost every weekend...However, as soon as we think of a better name (suggestions anyone?), "the traveling russells" is history.

So much for ever coming up with a new name!

Extreme Makeover: Blog Edition

2011-03-29T23:32:00.006-06:00

Well, it’s been almost a year since I last updated our blog theme and layout, and I thought that I would do it again. We’d collected a number of sidebar items that we like for you to look at, but you had to scroll for what feels like 15 minutes until you reached the bottom of them, so I’ve now placed them on both sides for quicker access.

But as with any remodel, once you mess with one thing, you start changing more and more. It’s a lot of fun, but after awhile, my opinion gets less and less relevant because I’ve seen so many options that I can hardly distinguish between them anymore. My decision-maker is fatigued.

This is where you come in. Yes, you, the reader. (After all, the design is for you alone.) What do you think? Does the new design make for a more enjoyable reading experience? Less enjoyable? Is it too dark? Too bright? Too spaced out? Too crowded? Too small to read? Wasted space? What do you like? dislike? Should something be moved? added? eliminated? What’s something you would change? Leave your thoughts in the comment box below even if they are negative or un-technical. Comments like, "It would be less awful if you moved that thingbobby over" are acceptable as long as I can ask you some follow-up questions.

I got some very helpful feedback the last time that I was grateful for. Make me proud again!

The oldie for comparison:

two months later

2011-03-25T14:33:00.001-06:00

Two months ago today, I was released from the hospital. I’m feeling humbled, as God has continued to heal me and lead me on the path of renewal and restoration. More blood tests and another doctor’s visit yesterday brought, for the most part, more good news and continued improvement, despite my Chick-fil-A confession (Oh, and did I forget to mention the Wendy’s fries I had at the airport on our layover in Houston?)

My creatinine count is down to 2.8 from the previous 3.5, and almost all of my other tests have continued to improve and/or are back to the normal range of what they should be. Almost everything Dr. Aragón had to say ended with an exclamation point, and he couldn’t stop smiling after looking at my test results. He was so pleased that he doesn’t need to see me again for 2 months! (I won’t miss the needles, cost, or drive out there, but I do kind of enjoy seeing him each week!)

I do, however, have high cholesterol and a minor infection, for which he gave me 2 new pills. BUT I have been relieved of some of my nurse roles, and now only have to watch my blood pressure and check my weight a couple of times a week. No more measuring and keeping track of liquid input and output – it’s amazing how freeing that is! Over the next 60 days, I’ll be slowly stair-stepping myself down from 30mg of the steroids to 15mg and Dr. Aragón doesn’t want me going back to Niños de Vida services until I’m down to 10mg. So I’m guessing the Lord wants to continue to teach me about (and give me the opportunity to practice) patience for the next 2 months.

I will go see my nephrologist in 2 weeks and I’m hoping that he’ll let me relax on the diet a little bit. Salt and cheese will be welcomed back with open arms when I get the green light. For some reason, I’ve really been craving pizza recently. I comfort myself with pineapple, and it’s quite delicious, but just not the same.

It was inevitable that it would happen, but Chase started developing a cold the last couple days. He had to sleep in the guest bed last night, which of course, made me sad, so I’m hoping and praying that it goes away quickly so we can be around each other again!

God is good, life is sweet, and I’m thankful for it all. I’m reading a book, One Thousand Gifts, and I highly recommend it. It is artfully and refreshingly poetic and full of profound truth.

Found myself relating to this Psalm in a new way this morning (and praising God for how far he has brought me over the last few months):

I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth – praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord.

Psalm 40:1-3

Building the Refuge

2011-03-24T09:42:00.001-06:00

A team of men from Discover Church in South Carolina and Woodcreek Church in Dallas, Texas, traveled to Managua in February to begin the transformation of the home we purchased for the Refuge Project. Check out the video below to see how their lives were affected and see what the Lord is doing through One by One in Nicaragua!

The Refuge Project construction team

To sum it all up…

2011-03-23T16:31:00.001-06:00

We are back home in Nicaragua after our quick trip to the States. The week was filled with moments of uncontrollable laughter, refreshing times of welcome rest, and best of all, wonderful conversations. The kind of conversations that go deep to the heart of the issue, ones that challenge and encourage and inspire, and also ones that don’t just include “catching up”, but rather the deepening of friendship. We are blessed to have friends and family to share this life with despite the miles between us. This trip to the States was our favorite so far, and we are grateful that God answered our prayers - for all the details to fall into place and for my health, energy and strength despite the change of pace.

I’m not gonna lie, though. I cheated on my low-sodium diet with Chick-fil-A. To my credit (?), it wasn’t a last second lack of self-control, but a pre-decided and anxiously awaited for (and quite delicious!) nuggets and fries. And let’s be honest, I wasn’t AS careful about sodium as I am here at home…all week long. As a result, my ankles (and tops of my feet, weirdly enough) have expanded and my blood pressure has been a bit high. SO, I am trying to rest up, drink water, and avoid salt before I go to the doctor on Thursday. I kind of have that guilty feeling like I haven’t been studying all semester long and now I’m cramming for my upcoming test. Except for instead of late nights and stressing out, I have to slow down and rest well. Definitely prefer the resting over the stressing!

The Gorilla and the Bananas

2011-03-23T13:07:00.000-06:00

At long last I have finished editing the video for which I requested ideas from you three weeks ago! I filmed it two weeks ago, but we a week and a half in the States shortly after, and I didn’t have the downtime required to pour into a silly video about a hungry ape.

All this to say: behold our joint creation! I appreciated everyone’s ideas and may still use a lot of them in the future, but for this particular video, I was inspired by Jon Lilley, who suggested a “foiled while trying to get the banana” theme.

I like the idea of having more of these, but I’ve pretty much used up all my gags for the first one. Any thoughts for how to fill another video in this theme?

Anyways, without further ado I give you: "The Gorilla and the Bananas” (part 1?)

Oklahoma Love

2011-03-13T23:08:00.001-06:00

I know, I know – you may be thinking that this sign is a joke, some sort of strange irony. Especially if you are of the “Proud to be Texan” population who reads our blog. We too, were there with you. Once.

Seven years ago, Chase and I reveled in our Texas pride, bragging to other less fortunate non-Texans about how we are the only state who can legally secede from the United States government if we want to, while silently judging their state as inferior. Including Oklahoma, I’m now ashamed to say.

And then we moved there and everything changed. We held on to our Texas bragging rights, but Oklahoma slowly became our home. It was in Oklahoma that we dated, were engaged and then spent the first 3 years of our married life together. It was there that we completed our college educations. And it was there that we were blessed to join and grow with our family at Wildwood Community Church. It was there that we worked in jobs that we loved, and there that we made friends we hope to have forever.

Yesterday, we flew from Nicaragua to Texas, and drove from Texas to Oklahoma, and I realized something. Something that, if you are a fellow Texan, you may have a hard time forgiving me for. That something? My love for Oklahoma is equal to my love for Texas. I didn’t think it could happen, but it’s true. I get excited when we drive by the Oklahoma Horseshoeing School because I know we are getting close. I laugh when I drive by the “Mini Ha Ha Bingo” (because who picked that name anyway?). And the memories flood through my mind as I drive around Norman and remember the laughter, the tears, the joy, and the life shared with friends inside the places I pass by. We are here for the week, and my heart is happy. One thought keeps prevailing among all the others: “It’s good to be home.”

Eddy

2011-03-08T08:15:00.000-06:00

We are blessed to live in an apartment complex with a maintenance man. And not just any maintenance man. But one named Eddy. When Chase and I think back to our apartment days in Norman, although we loved our “homes” themselves, we definitely don’t remember the maintenance guys with fondness. Our interactions would go a little something like this:

Our sink disposal breaks. I speak to the front office. They promise to send maintenance guy. Maintenance guy comes while we are at work, leaves note that disposal is fine. I speak to front office again. New maintenance guy comes. Sees that disposal is broken. Says he will buy new disposal. New maintenance guy comes the next day, realizes it’s a two-man job, leaves. A week goes by. I speak to front office. Newer maintenance guy comes, says disposal is fine, they won’t give us a new one. I speak to manager in front office. New disposal installed the next day.

Then we fought for months about the air conditioner. And then there was the time the washer flooded the laundry room because they refused to turn the water off for 5 minutes. Yes, we certainly don’t have fond memories of those experiences. Although, I just had to laugh as I stood in the middle of my kitchen that day in 2 inches of water trying to hand over our TV to one craigslist buyer while on the phone with the other craigslist buyer who was on his way to pick up the washer while watching Chase and cussing-up-a-storm maintenance guy trying to get the cap back on the pipe of gushing water flowing from the wall after disconnecting the washer. My choices were to laugh or to break out in tears…and I wasn’t on steroids yet, so I had to laugh! Chase, drenched and exhausted standing there in his bathing suit, was definitely not laughing.

Eddy is not like our maintenance guys in the States. For which we are grateful. Eddy can do anything and everything. He hangs pictures, curtain rods, lights, ceiling fans, fixes toilets, even finds ways to have electricity in rooms (bathrooms even!) that were designed without electrical outlets*. He does all of it, usually the same day we ask, and he’s happy to do it. After I got out of the hospital, I saw him and told him a little bit about my kidneys and Lupus and it seemed that he understood. He said he had known I was in the hospital and that he and his church would be praying for me. He said that he is thankful Chase and I live here, that we are a blessing to him, and also that he likes my house! He has come back a few times to fix one thing or hang another and each time, he asks how my treatment is coming and speaks of God’s blessings and healing power. He assures me that he and his church continue to pray for me. Yesterday, Eddy stopped by just to bring us a couple of huge beautiful mangos. I’m pretty sure if there was a “Maintenance Man of the Year” award, we have the winner right here in Nicaragua.

*I wanted to take a picture of Eddy to post, but couldn’t think of a non-creepy way to do so… “Hey Eddy, will you hang this picture for me, and umm, can I take your picture while you do that?”. I saved myself from the awkwardness and hoped you’d forgive me.

The Refuge Project: Coffee and Jewelry Update

2011-03-06T11:38:00.003-06:00

Over Christmas, we brought home 90 pounds of delicious Nicaraguan coffee. You might be thinking “Wow, those Russells really love coffee!”. And you would be right. However, the coffee was not for us. We were selling it to raise money for The Refuge Project. In addition, our friend and Nicaraguan co-worker, Ileana O’Neill allowed us to sell some of her handmade jewelry and donated a portion of the proceeds to The Refuge. (You can read more about that here.) Several of our friends, family, and members of our churches purchased said coffee and/or earrings/necklaces/bracelets and helped us raise an additional $435 to support The Refuge Project. Thank you to those of you who supported us in this way! We anxiously await what the Lord will do in and through this ministry as it hits the ground running this year!

A long overdue update

2011-03-05T20:27:00.002-06:00

It has been a couple of weeks since I updated the blog with how I am doing. For those of you who have been curious and/or checking, I apologize! I’ve actually been quite busy, although perhaps that is the wrong word. My time has been full. Yes, I’m still mainly at home, but it’s amazing how quickly the day fills up. Between cooking, cleaning, and catching up on things we are behind on (budgeting, thank you cards, insurance paperwork, and responding to e-mails), along with my “nurse” duties at home, I don’t have a ton of down time. But recently, I have enjoyed the freedom to just be still, to sit at the feet of Jesus each day, forget about the clock and just be. And it’s wonderful. Since I have nowhere to go (although I do have to turn the “to-do list” off in my mind), I can just be still. From after breakfast until lunch time if I want, and sometimes I do. My doctor gave me a new time frame of one month before I can go back to work, and although I was a little disappointed, secretly I was thankful for this pleasant gift I’ve been given, for the peaceful mornings I have waiting for me with the God who has all the time in the world to spend with me.
So blogging has taken a back burner. However, no news is good news and I have been doing and feeling quite well. Much of my strength has returned, and the side effects that I do still have, I’ve mostly gotten used to. I had another doctor’s appointment on Thursday and once again, my doctor was ecstatic about my progress and continues to have high hopes that my kidneys will fully recover, that I’m in the top 30% (70% who have levels as high as mine need further treatment, dialysis, or even a transplant). He even said that through the medications I am on, I am pretty much lupus-symptom-free. My creatinine level is down to…drumroll please…3.4! Last week, it was at 4.0 and the week before it was at 4.9. So after beginning at 11.6, getting down to and floating around 5ish for awhile, it has continued to go down, and Lord willing, will one day reach the magic number 1. I am no longer anemic, my blood pressure has stayed pretty normal, and most of my other tests have returned to normal as well. Every week I get to lower a dosage of medicine or take a few less pills – small changes, but victories and proof of God’s healing nonetheless.
And that is what I am struck by today. And most days. God is a Healer. And God is good. And more recently, I’ve been struck by the reality that even if God had not healed me, God would still be good. And that would still be His Grace for me. I read today in a book by Bill Johnson that “healing is never one-dimensional. While a miracle may change one’s physical health, it also sparks a revolution deep within the human heart.” And it has. Jesus has captured my heart in a refreshing way. And I would almost say it’s been easy to praise Him for healing me. Isn’t that usually the case? Romans 8:28 says “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, whohave been called according to his purpose.” And while it is good to rest in that promise and the fulfillment of it, I think my understanding of it is misguided. When I hear “for my good” I think about what I want “good” to mean for me. But what if it really means what God knows is good for me (maybe in the long run) but doesn’t seem good to me at the moment. What if God had not chosen to heal me? What if I was still in the hospital? Would God be good then? Would I still praise Him?
Another thing about God is that He is a Connector. What I mean by that is there are several lessons He was been teaching me and knowing that I am forgetful, He finds ways to connect these things together in my life so that they confirm what He’s teaching me and help me understand them. For example, I read the Grace vs. Karma article by Bono and that week at church, we had a guest speaker who mentioned and briefly discussed this exact article and concept, reminding me of lessons the Lord taught me that week. Also, he’s been revealing a lot to me centered on the theme of death to life. This week, friends have posted articles on the theme, I’m reading a book about living life on purpose, our Bible study recently watched The Passion of the Christ, and even The Bachelor (I confess, I love the show!) had a visit to a morgue this week, including a detailed explanation of the embalming process and a peak inside a crematorium! All this to say that in my moments of wondering about the extent of God’s goodness and my faithfulness, He brought me to this blog post. Jja Jja Maria, who has endured so much, still laughs joyfully saying "Whatever He wants". And Katie, who had her child taken away from her still claims God's goodness. I read the article, praised God again for how he connects things together, and knew that the answer to my questions was “yes”. If I had died or if I was still in the hospital, God would still be good, still worthy to be praised. And while I am thankful that He is healing me and that, to me, is what I want, what I think is “good” for me, He knows (and is teaching me) that His Presence is actually what is “for my good”. Because with His presence comes His Grace, and He would be with me if I was deathly ill in that hospital bed just as much as He is with me while He is healing me here at home. And I am thankful. Thankful for healing, yes, but more than that, thankful for His Presence with me.

The Desert Song by Hillsong
This is my prayer in the desert
And all that's within me feels dry
This is my prayer in the hunger in me
My God is a God who provides
And this is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved
Of more worth than gold
So refine me Lord through the flames
And I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon forged against me shall remain
I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here
And this is my prayer in the battle
And triumph is still on it's way
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ
So firm on His promise I'll stand
All of my life
In every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship
This is my prayer in the harvest
When favor and providence flow
I know I'm filled to be emptied again
The seed I've received I will sow

In need of your creative genius

2011-03-04T10:46:00.008-06:00

Okay, as I mentioned in a previous blog, the ministry got some new costumes I’m very excited about, but I need some help. I’m looking to make a video for the kids ministry that is short (1-2 minutes) and funny. This video will be to introduce our new character, the gorilla. Any ideas?
Here are some things to keep in mind:

The gorilla needs to be as non-threatening as possible. Some of the smaller kids are scared of a dog costume that we have which isn’t scary at all. The gorilla looks a touch scary, so we need to make him look friendly and silly so kids won’t run when he comes on stage during a service. A video of him mauling people is completely out of the question.
I do have the ability to do some limited green screen effects.
I need a cohesive video, not just a couple of silly things that fill the time unless there’s some unifying theme that ties them together. This doesn’t necessarily mean a story—just an excuse to do funny things.
Slapstick = awesome! Our kids love nothing more than seeing someone get hit. But again, no gorilla mauling.
The video can also involve other characters if you’d like. We have costumes for a dog, pirate, angel, superhero, detective, alien, jailbird, ninja, baseball player, and a robot; we also have several wigs, beards, and hats, a vampire cape, a clown suit, and a few other things if you want to make a new character.
The more ideas, the better! I am always trying to think of funny videos and would love it if I could make ten of them with the gorilla suit.

That’s it! If you have any thoughts, either post them as a comment below or send them to me in an email by clicking here. I’ll post whatever I end up making so you can see how it went.

3/23 Edit: the video is finally done! Check it out below:

Bono & Grace

2011-02-21T08:00:00.000-06:00

I have an odd obsession with Bono. However, that’s probably not as weird as my obsession with John Travolta. (Okay, maybe the word “obsession” is a little too strong.) But we did plan the date of our plane tickets to move to Nicaragua based on our desire to go to the U2 concert in Norman, which was A-MAY-ZING! Best concert I’ve ever been to, hands down. (More on that below.)

The Bono thing didn’t really start until the Summit Leadership Conference, which I attended when I was a intern with some of the Wildwood staff and elders in 2006. When my friend, Abby, and I left, we were almost positive that we needed to move to Africa immediately to get involved in the AIDS crisis. Though the Lord has led us both to ministry in other places since then, there are several things that Bono discussed in the video below (an excerpt from the conference) that have stuck with me over the last 4 years, and will for the rest of my life, I’m sure.

Summit Leadership Conference 2006: Bill Hybels interviews Bono

I came across this article today and was struck again by how much I admire Bono’s honesty and genuineness (Read it! It’s really good!). A man who has been scrutinized and judged strongly throughout his life understands grace in a way that strikes me to the core. Bono has wisely asked himself the question “What are you going to do with this thing called ‘celebrity’?” and his life—his deep desire to help the poor and the sick and to activate others to do the same—answers this question well. He realizes the eternal significance of the Word that should strike reverent fear in all of us. I, for one, don’t want to arrive in Heaven to hear God say ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ (Matthew 25:45).

Here is an excerpt from the article that I especially liked:

Along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that "as you reap, so you will sow" stuff. Grace defies reason and logic. Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I've done a lot of stupid stuff.

Love interrupting. I’m so thankful today for grace, for the love of Christ that interrupts the consequences of my actions, that allows me to have fellowship with the Father.

And, just for fun, here are some pics from the best concert ever! If you happen to have a Bono/U2 obsession similar to mine, you can even watch a video from the concert in Norman of Bono singing about that grace we depend on here.

Superhero vs. Gorilla

2011-02-20T12:48:00.005-06:00

Question: does working with children allow me to be a bit childish? Not childish childish—not like throwing myself on the floor and kicking my legs when I don’t get my way or anything—but I didn’t want to say “child-like” because that sounds so spiritual and mature. Maybe a better term is “little kiddish.”

What I mean is this: about a month ago I was given the order (and the budget) to buy new costumes for use in the kids ministry—“good ones,” I was told. I began an intensive search to find quality costumes that were neither sexy nor scary. This is actually more difficult than it sounds, but the result was that I did find a few gems. My personal favorite: a full-body gorilla suit. I believe it weighs in at about 10 pounds. What could be gooder than that? Ever since I placed the order, I impatiently awaited its arrival.

Yes, that’s right—emotion. As in more than an intellectual acknowledgment that something good is coming, but a physical feeling of thrill every time I thought about the ape-in-a-box headed my way. Such sensations are foreign to me, but I had them in abundance for a few weeks. I began to daydream about the awesome times Gorilly and I were going to have. (Okay, I didn’t really name it, but you get the point.) I thought things like, “Man, I’m gonna wear that thing all day long!” or “It would be so funny to drive around town in it”, “Is it here yet?”, etc.

And then it happened. A construction team that arrived Friday to work on the Refuge Project house brought good news: the costumes are here. I rushed out of my office and pushed my way through the new arrivals unloading things worthless to me like tools and supplies and found the crate they had brought filled with my treasure. Immediately I found what I was looking for, kicked off my shoes and began to suit up. After it was fully on—head, hands, body, feet—I felt a mixture of excitement and embarrassment. How would you feel dressed in a monkey suit and surrounded by large men fresh off a plane here to serve your ministry with their sweat and muscle?

And yet, the costume was everything I had hoped for. Plus, I was sweating too…profusely. So what if the costume fabric doesn’t breathe at all and leaves synthetic monkey fur mixed into my sweaty arm hair? That just makes it beautiful.

I had more costumes to enjoy, but I didn’t want to further embarrass myself, so I brought the crate home and said that I just wanted to make sure everything was there. Actually, I just wanted some privacy to indulge my little kiddish fantasy of running around the house in a costume.

And that brings me to the following pictures:

Monkey suit (again). Banana. Any questions?

I don’t get no respect, I tell ya! I actually bought this costume for the mask since I’m not a huge fan of puns or obvious humor. But somehow it just seemed better with the wig.

Then our friends came over. We coerced them into dressing up too. This time Julie’s the alien and I was somehow convinced (wink) to don the ape suit a third time.

I would have posted the picture of me in the superhero costume, but it shows well enough in the above picture and I think I’ve been vulnerable enough for one day. Instead, I’ll share this grainy action shot of my friend the superhero turning on me.

It’s like Fezzik the giant said: “Men in masks cannot be trusted.” Unless it’s a gorilla mask, of course.

Kids…hilarious, aren’t they?

2011-02-19T09:49:00.001-06:00

I’ve always found them to be so. And this morning, I thought I’d share with you a few of the reasons why:

This is a postcard I wrote to my grandmother from camp one summer. I looked up the dates for when postcards were accompanied by 19 cent stamps, and deductive reasoning tells me I authored this little guy sometime between 1991 and 1995. I was between the ages of 7 and 11.

My Aunt recently found this gem in my grandmother’s things and mailed it to me. After I laughed for about 10 minutes about what a downer this must have been to receive (sorry Grandma!), I then wondered what in the world had happened back in the early 90s at Camp Bette Perot. At this point, all I remember is riding horses and discovering that M&Ms and Skittles mixed together has the most delightful flavor (though Chase would disagree, to be sure). The mystery remains…

Next, we have a very generous offer from a potential future donor to our ministry. Shortly after we moved to Nicaragua, the Woodcreek AWANA kids sent us a bundle of letters to encourage us and let us know they are praying for us and our ministry in Nicaragua. I can’t help but wonder what this sweet little girl has planned for the other $400…

And finally, we have a note Chase received from a little boy in the Woodcreek AWANA program. I love how he translated his name to “Pedro” for us.

Sorry Pedro, we disobeyed your instructions and opened the card anyway. AND you guessed right! Chase does like pizza better than tacos – thank you for pre-filling in the checkbox for him.

This is the back of the envelope/card (creatively, it was all just one sheet of paper!) Peter (I mean, Pedro), we should all get together and share a delicious pepperoni pizza…that is, once I’m allowed to eat cheese again!

Doctor Day Update

2011-02-17T15:00:00.001-06:00

Yesterday was Doctor Day and Dr. Aragón was all smiles about my improvements. Most of my tests are normal, or at least improving, and I officially no longer have anemia (which was being caused by the renal failure). My creatinine level went from 5.0 to 4.9, to which I responded with a disappointed face, to which the doctor responded with “Tranquila, Calma, paciencia, you are getting better, chavalita!”. He again reminded me that it might take 2 more months for my kidneys to be back to normal. He said he has faith that I am in the top 70% who recover fully from where I was, and not in the 30% who don’t. As much as I’m learning about patience, I guess I’m still struggling with it. But still, I am thankful for a doctor who believes in me and a God who is healing me.

One thing I found humorous about Doctor Day (and one thing I couldn’t imagine would ever happen) is that my glucose level is low. The doctor actually told me to eat more sugar (WHAT? I know, right?!). I’ve been eating a lot of fruit, and the occasional Dove dark chocolate, but I’ve been staying away from most sugar to avoid the “fat, fat, fat” ness that was promised to me in the hospital. It seems to be working, because I’ve now lost 27 pounds since leaving the hospital! The wii fit says I still need to lose 20 more, but I’m just celebrating the over-halfway point right now! However, after my instruction to eat sugar, I was quick to obey, and Chase and I indulged in some delicious Ghirardelli ice cream last night. I only lost .2 pounds today, but it was totally worth it.

Most of my medicines will stay the same this week, although he did change my prednisone (steroid). The original plan was to take me down 5mg every 10 days, and I had about 3 days left at 70mg. However, when he saw some of the side effects (a rash, a couple small lesions on my leg, and some undesirable stretch marks), he got nervous and decided to speed that process up a little bit. So starting today I am down to 60mg and will go down 10mg every 10 days until I reach 30mg, where I will stay for awhile.

I’m discovering that it is actually really hard to eat healthy (along with keeping the house clean and doing other things I need/want to do). My days are very full. Making everything from scratch takes a lot of time – time that I’ve never really had before with working full-time and other commitments. I am enjoying it, but also wondering how in the world I would do this if I was working also (or even if I had kids to take care of!). Today I made a fruit salad, and I cut up a cantaloupe, a pineapple, strawberries, and green and red apples.

It tastes delicious and I’ll be enjoying it for the next few days, but it took a good hour or two to prepare it. (Thankfully, the most recent episode of Biggest Loser kept me company while I labored!)

My lunch today was a grilled chicken salad and the fruit salad. The grilled chicken salad included lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, green onions, craisens, chicken and maybe a little Caesar dressing (oops…I cheated and had some salt, but I just love Ceasar dressing!) Yesterday was vegetable chopping day, as we had the salad for dinner last night (leftovers are my favorite!) so I didn’t have to do all of that today as well, which was nice! Tomorrow I think I’ll make some black beans – I’ve never not used a can before (silly sodium restrictions), so we’ll see how that goes.

So that is the update on me. The Lord is good and he is teaching me so much. It feels like I’m re-learning how to live. But He’s here. My eyes have been opened and I see who I was and I see who I want to be, and He’s walking with me…the whole way. It is hard and I do get scared, but He tells me *“Cease striving, know that I am God. And I’ll be exalted in the earth. Just be still, don’t you worry, I’ll be here. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you. Just wait and trust in me.”

*lyrics from a song titled “Cease Striving”

Missing Niños de Vida

2011-02-12T11:31:00.001-06:00

Right now, Chase is at our kids service. I’m at home wishing I could be there too.

I’ve always hated missing out on something. Ya know? When you have, say, 2 really fun events that are happening at the same time – you want to be at both, but can’t and have to choose one? If I could choose now, I would choose Niños de Vida over kidney failure any day! (But, then again, who wouldn’t?)

I miss Brenda and Reina. Brenda (left) gives the biggest hugs ever…literally takes my breath away every time. Reina (right), used to have a bit of a crush on Chase, I’m pretty sure. She used to attach herself to his side every week, but she’s moved on now, I think!

Arlen and Sidney! She’s getting so big! It’s hard to believe she’s 9 months old already – I still remember so clearly getting to hold her just a few minutes after she was born!

Our kids at the Saturday night service. They’re rowdy and crazy, but so fun and lovable.

And sweet Alma. I hear that every time our car pulls up in front of the church she runs out to see if I’m in it. I got to see her for a few minutes the other day when we dropped Paul by the church on the way to a Doctor’s appointment. I didn’t get out of the car, and she later asked Chase if I could walk. I was wearing sunglasses – I wonder if she could tell I was crying. Her dad told me that sometimes she’ll cry and say that I’m the only one that really loves her. Poor girl – she must be so confused. One of the things I’m wondering is how best to explain Lupus and my life now to the kids (and in Spanish!). I’m stumped. Any thoughts?

To smile and not to smile

2011-02-11T11:20:00.001-06:00

It’s been a few days, so I wanted to update you all on how I’ve been doing. I’ve had a few not so great days, and a few really wonderful days. It’s definitely an adventure figuring out what life looks like now! First, I’ll share some things from my “list of things that makes me smile” category:

- Since leaving the hospital, I’ve lost 19 pounds! Can you believe it? Probably most of it is water weight or lost muscle mass, but certainly part of it must be that instead of the on-the-run-usually-fast-food lunches I was eating before, I eat this for lunch (or something like it):

my carrot, apple, fried egg on a piece of toast lunch

- Also, steroids are supposed to make me hungry all the time, but I really don’t feel hungry that often at all. Sometimes I just eat lunch because I need to eat with the pills I need to take. So thankful for this small blessing!

- This one is incredible. As of yesterday, I have rediscovered my ankles! My actual ankles – the ones I had a month ago before I got admitted to the hospital! I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to have them back. (Okay, they are still swollen the slightest bit, but no longer can they be called “cankles”!)

- I went to the Doctor on Wednesday and although my creatinine level went back up a little (from a 4.5 to a 5), he was still pleased with the rest of my tests and happy that I was staying relatively stable. As of yesterday, my steroids have started to decrease (from 75mg a day to 70 mg) for the next 2 weeks, and they upped my Immunosuppressant from 2 grams a day to 3 grams a day. Thank goodness Dicegsa has a large supply for us, as I’ll be going through a box of 50 pills in just over a week now! (My current total pill count is 21 a day!)

The things that don’t make me smile?

- I asked again about going back to work/kids services at my appointment on Wednesday, and the doc said not for at least another month. I haven’t seen the kids or volunteers since the beginning of December, and I’ve been missing their sweet smiles, wanting to give Lindley a giant hug and hear Alma’s adorable laugh as Chase & I trap and tickle her. To find out how Diana is doing and catch up with Bertha. I don’t mean to complain, but 3 months without seeing any of them seems like a cruel punishment to me!

- The bad days. I haven’t had many, but the few I’ve had are, let’s just say, not my favorite. A bad day may include some sort of side effect from one of my medicines – anything from fatigue to nausea to insomnia to all-of-my-skin-is-peeling-off…among other things you don’t want to read about! :)

Really, that’s about it though. As for updated prayer requests, I would appreciate prayer for continued healing for my kidneys. I have another appointment next Wednesday and would like the direction of my creatinine level to go in the opposite direction! Also, pray for wisdom for me as I learn and decide where I should and should not go and what I should and should not do. I want to get out more, but I also want to be careful not to get an infection of any kind. Pray for me to be able to use my time wisely – to be productive, but also diligent to rest (for the sake of my body and my soul). And continue to pray for strength – I’m feeling stronger almost every day, but still have a long way to go!

Some new scenery

2011-02-11T10:52:00.000-06:00

In an effort to make our main church room look better, feel better, and sound better, we as a ministry have introduced a number of improvements of late.

1) Movable room dividers. We have a number of 8’x10’ metal frames covered in thick black fabric. This helps the room feel a little smaller during Nuévete (the youth program) so that attention is focused more easily on the stage. It also helps a little bit in reducing echo—which as you can imagine, is greatly needed in a large, rectangular, concrete room.

2) Stage wall backdrop. Where there is bright blue carpeting on the wall behind the stage, we have hung black curtains from floor to ceiling to cover it. This also helps in focusing attention on the people on the stage and reduces a little bit of echo. Plus it just looks cool.

3) Sound booth table. The table in the sound booth that holds the mixing board and the computer that runs the slideshows had been in need of replacing for some time as it was badly warped and wobbly. The new one that we have is a little bigger and also a little lower so flying soccer balls during kids service won’t hit the computer and all the equipment won’t shake every time someone touches the wall.

4) Stage lights. This speaks for itself so I’ll just attach a picture of them when they were being installed so you can see what they look like. Maybe someday we can post a picture of them in action.

Want to receive our monthly newsletters?

2011-02-10T11:48:00.002-06:00

Many of you probably already receive our e-mail newsletters each month, but if you don’t and would like to start receiving them, we wanted to let you know how you may do so.
Just click on this link and enter your name and e-mail address. We promise not to send you spam, forwards, or advertising! Our newsletters usually include stories and updates on our lives and ministry in Nicaragua, as well as updated prayer requests.
If you would like to view our previous newsletters, they can be found on our website. We’re a little behind for January and February (due to a little hospital stay!), but hope to send our latest newsletter out within the next couple of days, so sign up soon!

Normal.

2011-02-07T12:22:00.001-06:00

What I’m not. And what I want to be. But strangely also, what I don’t want to be. Let me explain. I often find myself longing for the life that used to be. The life of a “healthy” person. Life before Lupus and all that has happened in the last 2 months.

But that is not reality. Now I am forced to be way more intentional than I ever desired to be. To rest well. To eat healthier. To stay fit. To be careful. To focus on my health. I used to eat what I wanted, stay up as late as I’d like, work out when I felt like it, and never really think about germs/pills/shots/doctors/medical terms. These are not bad things; they just require a lot of me. I prefer the easy-going life from before. Right now anyway.

The thing about Lupus is that you can’t necessarily see that the person who has it is sick. When I’m out, I look “normal” (besides the mask, anyway). You wouldn’t know by looking at me that I have renal failure, that my immune system is hyperactive, that I have a chronic illness that can cause a variety of problems the rest of my life. And part of me is really thankful for that. I don’t want people to look at me and think “I wonder what’s wrong with that girl.”

But the other part of me wants to be understood. For people to know that my life, my limits, are different now. I’m not the same as before, and I can’t do everything the same as I used to. I don’t want to use Lupus as an excuse, but I do want to be wise (I certainly don’t want to end up in the hospital again anytime soon!). I don’t want to annoy friends and family by talking about my sickness all the time, but it is part of my life now, and I don’t want to have to pretend like it doesn’t exist.

I think I’m contradicting myself because I’m saying that I don’t want to be viewed as “sick” BUT I want people to know that I am sick. So I apologize if you are confused. These are the thoughts that were going through my head between 5am and 6am this morning.

Chili cook-off

2011-02-07T10:49:00.001-06:00

Russell Brothers Take Chili Cup

In an unexpected turn of events, Chase and David Russell—brothers and neighbors in Managua, Nicaragua—combined efforts and “good ol’ Texas know-how” to win the annual Superbowl Chili Cook-Off hosted by International Christian Fellowship on Sunday.

Two factors are worthy of comment in this outcome: 1) the cook-off of 2010 was shrouded in controversy as a late (and therefore “fresher”) entry took 1st place, pushing the Russells’ chili to 2nd, and 2) Chase had originally described their 2011 entry as “forgettable” and both brothers had feared it would not be a “contest winner.” This came on the tail of much debate between the two regarding matters such as whether or not to include beans, how much chili powder to add, whether or not the beef used was too tough, the advisability of including sausage, how many onions to add and at what point in the cooking process, as well as other things.

Despite their anxiety however, the Russells appeared to be their only critics, as a blind-taste assessment by unbiased judges won them the trophy, an armload of candy, and a year’s worth of glory.

“The Russells’ chili was the best thing that ever happened to me,” someone probably said if they were being honest. “My life will never be the same.” Other naysayers said the contest was “rigged” since David had been the one to make the announcements at church regarding the cook-off in the weeks preceding the event and had dared congregants from the West Coast of the States to make a “good”chili.

David could not be reached for comment as he was probably busy at the time this article was written. He still lives in Managua with his wife and two children.

Left: Chase and David Russell celebrating with the Chili Cup shortly after divvying up their prize candy.

idea to write blog in the style of a news article stolen from Whitney Russell, family journalist

how you can help: the search for great recipes

2011-02-03T14:26:00.001-06:00

In case you haven’t figured out by now, my days are fairly mundane. I force feed myself water all day, think about brownies and cheese while eating carrot sticks and watermelon, record my blood pressure, swallow an absurd amount of pills, alternate between being on my feet/earning cankles and propping them up on a bajillion pillows to bring them back under control, and attempt to will my creatinine count to lower itself…boring, boring, boring. Many of you have been home all week with snow days, so you know that there aren’t too many exciting things to report when you spend all day at home. SO, that being said, I think I’m going to expire the “Day posts” (Oh, and sorry about the boring titles the last 20 days – maybe lupus causes a lack of creativity as well?)

Moving on. Many of you have e-mailed, called, or messaged me and said to let you know if there is anything you can do to help. Well, up until now, prayer was really all I could think to ask for. But today, I got to thinking. Many of the recipes we like to cook involve my newly restricted food items – sodium, dairy and red meat. Recipes such as nachos, tacos, baked potatoes, lasagna, enchiladas, macaroni and cheese etc. Even our favorite fish recipe has parmesan cheese in it. The other thing is - we love delicious food. (Who doesn’t really?) But I’m having a hard time thinking of many delicious recipes that don’t involve the items bolded above. This is where you come in. Do you have any recipes that you love that you could pass along to me? You may not, because let’s face it, cheese can really go with almost anything. But if you do, and you have a few minutes (what are snow days for after all?), will you e—mail me your favorite (healthyish) non-dairy, no-sodium, red-meat-less recipes? Also, if you have any tips or recipes on healthy, but delicious baking, I would love those as well!

Day 8 at home

2011-02-02T20:07:00.001-06:00

Well, good news! My creatinine count dropped from 5.7 to 4.5! (I’m glad I’m not still waiting for that 3, though – I would be on day 20 in the hospital!) The doctor was happy with my progress, even though I am technically still in renal failure. There are a couple things I’m disappointed about. One is salt. When I left the hospital, he said low salt. Last week, he said I could add salt back in. This week? NO salt. I have to admit I’m grieving the loss, especially after a week with a little more flavor in my life. This means no cheese. But he thinks the salt could be inviting the wretched cankles, so alas, I will submit, and attempt to cut out all sodium.

Also, I have developed this small red spot on my leg that he fears could be the start of shingles. There’s only one for now, but if I get more, I’m supposed to call him immediately. Hope it turns out to be nothing!

My heart rate has been consistently fast, so he took me off one of the blood pressure medications altogether – now I’m down to 2. One less pill per day is fine with me.

Though he still does not want me to go back to work, he said I can go out occasionally if I am in well-ventilated places and there aren’t a ton of people there.

Oh, Dr. Aragón did manage to call my nose ugly at some point during the appointment, not to be mean - just an observation, of course (and not totally out of context either). And who can blame him? It kind of looks the same as before I had surgery on it a year and a half ago. (To read about that, go here, here and here).

I go back next Wednesday, but this time to Dr. Granera, the nephrologist. This week? More waiting. More tests. More praying for those kidneys.

Day 7 at home

2011-02-01T22:48:00.001-06:00

It’s late and I’m tired, but I wanted to update you on some highlights and ask you to pray for my tests and doctors appointments tomorrow.

So, with no further adieu: the highlights of the day.

- I slept really well last night – for almost 8 hours! The insomnia thing is kind of doing an every other night pattern, so I hope I can break it and sleep well tonight.

- Though gardettos are nowhere to be found in Nicaragua, I did get to skype in to the staff meeting, and I loved it. I may be abnormal, but I love meetings. And it was fun to feel like a part of the staff again for the first time since December 14th when we left for the States! I miss our team there, and I miss the ministry. It was fun to plan for the coming year, and I’m excited to see what the Lord will do through One by One, Camino de Vida, and The Refuge Project!

- My mom left this morning, so today was my first day on my own. I made my own lunch, filled my own water bottles, and did all the things my mom has been doing (well, I didn’t clean anything) to take care of me while she was here. And it turned out okay!

- I went walking with Kristina tonight. She is still recovering from the C-section so we both could only walk for about 10 minutes, but you have to start somewhere, right? With my new need to stay out of the sun, I think the time we went (7PM) will be perfect to start gaining some endurance back. Who knows? Maybe tomorrow we will go for 15!

- I also got to skype with some close friends, which is always wonderful. I love skype! If you don’t have it, you should definitely get it.

So that was my day in a nutshell. As for prayer requests?

- I am taking the blood tests at 6:30 in the am and then going back for my appointment at 4:30 in the pm. I’m hoping for good news – good levels of phosphorus, sodium, calcium, etc. And also for my creatinine count to have gone down. It has been going up slowly the past couple of tests, and I’d really just prefer to reverse the process and get back on the track we started on!

- Will you also pray for our communication? Normally, I understand his Spanish fairly well, but I talked to him on the phone once this week and discovered later that I had completely misunderstood everything he said. (I thought that Dicegsa was the name of a drug I could take if I couldn’t find the CellCept, so I sent Chase looking around for the “drug” Dicegsa – turns out it was the distributor that might have the CellCept! Oops.) Phone Spanish is always more difficult, it seems.

Until tomorrow then, friends. Adios!

Day 6 at home

2011-01-31T22:51:00.001-06:00

Well, thanks for praying. Not only did Dicegsa have the medication, it was a little cheaper than the hospital pharmacy and they had plenty of it. I think I have enough for 6 weeks! God is so good and faithful – sometimes I worry like the Israelites even though He always provided manna for them! He has constantly shown Himself as Provider to me. When will I learn?

And what made today even better? I went out in public for the first time since, well, arriving back in Nicaragua on January 4th (besides doctors visits and the hospital stay of course). I woke up at 2:30 am, wide awake, got out of bed around 3:30, and developed this wonderful plan. It took some convincing on Chase’s part, and he made me call the doctor to get permission (I’m supposed to be mostly house bound for recovery for about a month). Dr. Aragón was with a patient, but picked up his phone to make sure I was okay. I assured him that yes, my blood pressure is fine…it’s just that I would like to go to the mall. Just for an hour. I promise I’ll wear a mask? Please??? Yes! He said yes! I put on real clothes. This is a big deal. (Since I’m at home all day, I usually just wear pajama pants.) They even still fit…sort of. And I put on make up. This was a big day.

(Okay, so I actually just asked to go to the store, and we were gone for a little over two hours, but I did wear the mask!)

So I sat in the car while Chase and my mom went and got my medicine, and then they ordered Subway sandwiches, which we all ate in the car (I don’t have to wear a mask in the car and I can avoid the germs by going in less places). And then we went to the mall. Why? I wanted curtain rods. I bought curtains for our new place in the States but hadn’t been able to hang them due to a lack of something to hold them up. So I masked it up, people stared (thankfully, no one pointed or laughed), and we headed to “Mundo Electronico”. Yes, that means electronic world. What do they sell? Well, dishes, toys, purses, basketballs, and curtain rods, among other things. They do have a few electronics there, but we find it funny that the majority of their products have no electronic components to them whatsoever. I digress. So I walked around the store with my hands in my pockets, touching nothing, so as not to attract potential infectious attackers found on products that who knows how many dirty hands have touched. Mom played the role of my hands for me – I would ask her to pull something out so I could see it better, or have her carry around the product once we decided. It was certainly an unusual way to shop, especially with the mask and all, but it was great to be out of the house for a short time. To not feel like a “sick” person for a few hours.

My mom leaves tomorrow, and I am sad to see her go. While she was here, she cooked, she cleaned, she organized, she swept, she mopped, she filled up my water bottles, she washed the dishes, and the laundry, she scrubbed, she gave me shots, brought me medicine, and so much more. But mostly she loved. And she cared for me. And I am thankful for her. I will miss her, but also, I am ready to learn the new normal. The new life the Lord has laid out for me. I’m curious to see what it will look like.

I’m trying to convince Chase to let me go to the One by One staff meeting tomorrow, but he’s not budging…hmmm…I need a very large bag of gardettos to try to bribe him…

Day 5 at home

2011-01-30T19:08:00.001-06:00

Each day, I’m feeling a little better. Last night I slept for over 9 hours! And I only woke up twice to go to the bathroom (a nice break from the normal 4 or 5 times). I’m not feeling as nauseous and each day, I have a little more energy. My blood pressure has been normal, so much so that I was able to cut back on one of the medicines from 2 a day to 1 a day. The cankles are even starting to subside a bit. Unfortunately, my cheeks continue to inflate themselves. I keep telling myself “It’s only 6 months”. And then at my last doctor’s appointment, he said “Maybe a year”. Darn it steroids, I want my old cheeks back!

I have a new prayer request today. One of the medicines I am on (the immunosuppressant) is called CellCept and it is next to impossible to find in Nicaragua apparently. I take 8 of these a day, so I need a lot! (That’s 248 pills a month!) Chase has been to pharmacies all over town looking for it, and it is almost nowhere to be found. He went to the hospital pharmacy and they had enough for today, but tomorrow morning, I’m in trouble. We have one hope – a distributor called Dicegsa, but they aren’t open on Sundays. So will you pray that tomorrow Dicegsa will pull through for us? I’m trying not to stress, which is one of the triggers that can activate and cause lupus to flare up, but it’s difficult when I don’t have enough medicine that I need for 7am the next morning!

(Oh, the nachos Friday night? Amazing. It was good to be re-acquainted with cheese.)

Day 4 at home

2011-01-29T18:11:00.001-06:00

In the summer of 2003, my friend Sami and I spent a month in Mexico together serving at a place called the Mexican Indian Training Center. We spent a large portion of our time there scrubbing bricks…using bricks. There were concrete splatters all over the building, and we scrubbed them until they were clean, bright red, and beautiful. At first, it wasn’t so bad, but soon, the task became mundane and we began to hate those bricks. And we complained. And then the Lord convicted us. So we decided to change our attitudes and instead, share things that we were both thankful for. The rest of the day, we spent praising the Lord for all He had done, instead of focusing on our momentary, selfish afflictions.

Lupus is kind of like those bricks to me. I don’t really like it, to be totally honest. But, despite that, when I look beyond all that is happening, I can see God at work, and He is doing great things! So I want to use this blog post to brag on Him for a minute.

- Many people do not get the symptoms of Lupus all at once, which generally can lead to a years long search for a diagnosis. My body went a little crazy all at the same time, which enabled my doctors to figure out within a couple of days what was wrong with me.

- Also, I didn’t have to search out for the right doctors – the Lord just brought them to me. And they turned out to be excellent doctors who would sit and talk with me for hours and answer every question I had.

- My husband has been an invaluable support for me. Before I got stuck in the hospital, he would give me back massages every time I asked, take me to doctors appointments, take care of the house, do not only his job but my job at work, grocery shop – pretty much everything. He would get me Sprite after I threw up, and the poor guy had to watch and hear it happening pretty frequently. I didn’t sleep much, so neither did he.While I was in the hospital, he would drive an hour every day to come see me. He loves and serves me unconditionally. God has blessed me with an incredible husband and I cannot imagine going through this without him.

- In case you don’t know this about me, my main love language is physical touch. God gave me a doctor who was always patting me on the back, rubbing the back of my head, giving me hugs, etc. I didn’t just feel well cared for physically, I felt loved.

- My mom was able to take 2 weeks off work to come down and help take care of me while I was in the hospital, and she has been unbelievably helpful at home as well. My house has seen remarkable improvements since we got home. And I’ve mostly been propping my cankles up on the couch.

- Though this all happened while I am away and in a foreign country – I have family here that has been a great support for me, including Chase’s brother David and his wife Kristina, and Chase’s sister Joanna (who lives with us). And I got my first niece during this whole mess!

- Also, He has shown me that he does answer prayer. Did you pray for my nightmares to go away 3 nights ago? Because they did. Did you pray for the insomnia problem I had 2 nights ago? Because I slept for almost 8 hours (waking up several times, but always able to go back to sleep) last night. Little things, but real things that shout that “God is good and faithful to hear our prayers!” Thank you for standing with me and petitioning the Father on my behalf.

- The Lord has been teaching me many things. That I’m selfish. That I’m not as good at communication as I thought I was. That I believe too easily. But also that He loves me and has not forgotten me. That He refreshes my soul and leads me beside still waters. That He is my peace, my hope in the midst of the storm. My cup overflows.

Well, that is just a few of the ways God has been at work. Praise Him with me? And those bricks? They’re nothing compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord!

Day 3 at home

2011-01-28T17:58:00.001-06:00

I slept last night from 10:30 until about 1:30 – nightmare free! But then the insomnia kicked in and I couldn’t go back to sleep. I laid there for an hour, then decided to get up (I read it can help if you get up, do something until you are sleepy, then try to go back to bed.) Well, I spent some time praying, reading, sending some e-mails. Never got tired – I was wide awake. Around 5:00am, I decided to try to sleep again, but nothing. I laid there for another hour or so until I just couldn’t stand it anymore. I was starving at that point anyway. I haven’t really felt tired all day, but I did take a nap for a couple of hours this afternoon. It’s quite the predicament that lupus can be activated by lack of sleep, but the medicines I’m on to treat the lupus cause insomnia.

And the other predicament that I’m having is that I’m supposed to be walking to regain strength, but anytime I’m on my feet, my legs, knees, ankles and feet swell up like balloons. So I need to spend most of the day with my feet propped up to avoid my skin drying out/cracking from the water buildup. I did start a diuretic today, but I haven’t seen much difference yet. So these two things are a bit frustrating, but again, nothing compared to what I had/was feeling before I went to the hospital. Just challenges to work though, I guess.

Kristina, Linda, Beckett and Hatley came over today and I had a great time holding Hatley and playing with Beckett. Tonight we are going to go to Dave & Kristina’s for Russell Nachos – my one red meat experience for the week – and I’ve been avoiding dairy all day so I could enjoy the delicious cheese. Have you had Russell Nachos? They’re pretty amazing. You should be jealous.

Day 2 at home

2011-01-27T21:50:00.001-06:00

Today was testing day. My creatinine level went up a little bit again – from 5.3 to 5.7, but again my doctor was not too discouraged by this. Last night, I had some pretty terrible nightmares, so Dr. Aragón changed around a few of the times for some of the medicines, in hopes of no nightmares/insomnia. My blood pressure is low enough that he lowered one of the medicines for that from 2 a day to 1 a day. And he said I could add a little more sodium back in, but I still need to be very limited. Thank you for praying for my stomach – I kept everything down today! Hoping for the same again tomorrow!

My mom has been extremely helpful – cleaning, getting me food, doing dishes, organizing, doing our laundry, etc. I’m not strong enough to do a lot of those things yet, so I’m really thankful she is here to help me out!

I’ve been feeling very discouraged, and several people have suggested that we might be under a spiritual attack. I’m not really sure what to think, but I would appreciate prayer in this arena, as well.

“My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken.” –Psalm 62: 1-2

Day 1 at home

2011-01-26T21:16:00.001-06:00

Although it is SO great to be home, today was hard. Simple things like walking up the stairs take all of my energy. I couldn’t keep my lunch down, which brought back terrible memories and fears of the 10 or so days in a row I spent not keeping anything down before going to the hospital. Also, I had just taken a bunch of pills, including the steroids, which probably hadn’t gone through my system yet. Not sure what to do about that.

I go in tomorrow morning for another creatinine test, and then tomorrow afternoon for a doctor’s appointment. Pray that my creatinine level drops, instead of staying the same or increasing. Pray also for diligence for me as I am learning a new diet, taking pills all throughout the day, and keeping track of liquid input/output, blood pressure, and pulse regularly. I am also extremely weak, so pray that I can regain strength and muscle in my legs without overdoing it. And pray for my stomach – that it would behave itself and keep food down like any good stomach should. We were blessed this evening with a delicious dinner made by our friends, the Normans, and…so far, so good.

Oh, and it’s so great having my husband back. I missed him like crazy. I’m pretty sure I got the best one out there.