Friday, March 8, 2013

Day 3 Update

Titus is going on his 3rd day at the hospital. I apologize for not updating yesterday, but Titus slept most of the day - and has been mostly fever-free. When he was awake, he was content, but a little lethargic. Aidan, Noah, and I went down to see him before we leave for Germany.

Becky called this morning to say that Titus is awake and rolling all over the bed. He is much more active today than yesterday. The lab cultures are not showing any specific type of virus and he has tested negative for flu and RSV. At this time, they are giving him rocephin and watching him carefully.

I have struggled with my decision to leave for Germany with Titus in the hospital. Knowing how quickly he can go from bad to worse and not wanting to be 1/2 a world away has been a concern. I was waiting to see how he is doing this morning, and the doctor does seem to think they it is being managed and is under a control, so I am trusting in God's plan and heading out to Berlin this afternoon with Aidan, Noah, and 73 other youth/adults for our AWOL (A Work of Love) mission trip.

I will be in a group of 10 in the small town of Zeesen - just SE of Berlin. I will be serving with 7 teenagers and 2 other adults for the week in Zeesen. The beauty of this mission trip is that we never quite know all that we will be doing when we arrive, but we do know we will serve, we will testify, we will pray, and we will be a blessing since we are so blessed. More than likely we will be in the schools providing a USA presentation - and will also be allowed to share the gospel. The weather is predicted to be cold - in the 20-30's - and possibility of some snow. Zeesen is on a large lake, so I'm preparing for the wet cold that can come from that.

Aidan will be in Hamburg - 3 hours east of Berlin, and Noah will be in Berlin. We will fly back next Friday.

But let me provide a little more background about the trip along with my job situation. After Honduras last year, I knew I wanted to go back on the AWOL mission trips. While Becky goes to Xtreme Camp (and loves it), I love going on these trips. When I was laid off in November, I told the boys that I probably would not be able to go due to finances, job search, and timing. But, I also prayed that God would provide - and when I received an offer to do some HR consulting for several months, I knew this was God's provision, so I called up the youth office and made myself available if there was an opening. There had been a tremendous response for this trip - but as only God could work it out, there was an open slot for me to go. And God provided the finances for me to go. (BTW, Aidan and Noah have been working most of the summer and paid 100% of their trip with their own finances - so very proud of them).

At the end of December, I applied for a job I had located on LinkedIn. The job description was everything I wanted to do and my background was a good fit for. In January, they contacted me to come in for an interview, followed by another final interview. I was asked to come back in a 3rd time as one of the finalist for the position. And then, we had weeks of silence. And more weeks of silence. Tuesday of this week, I was contacted to see if I was still interested and could come back in. Yesterday I went in for a short meeting and walked out with a job offer. And I'll start when I get back from Germany. God's timing is perfect. Along the last few months, God has blessed us in so many ways. I have been incredibly humbled by God's provision. And I know I have been carried through this time by the prayers of friends.

Please pray for Becky and Titus - that their hospital stay will not be too much longer. Pray for Tucker and Cade as they are shuttled around a bit until Becky/Titus come home, Pray for Aidan, Noah and I that we will get rest on the trip over, but will be a bold witness with a servant's heart.
And pray that God will open your eyes to share the blessing of being blessed. Remember, you are blessed to be a blessing.

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