Update #2 Wednesday July9th

ANDREA’S VERSION:

Well hello!

I really do not even know how to begin this update except to say that our trip hit a bit of a bumpy road. But don’t worry, everything is ok now. :)

So, I’ll begin with some fun news. Sunday afternoon we went to a small English speaking church service where we got to meet up with some of the M’s in the city. Brandon, Bryce, and I got to share a personal testimony so that was really neat.

We then went for saytay for lunch which is one of my favorite meals here ad then we headed to the camp. This was a terrible 5 hour drive. The driving here is absolutely out of control. There are really no rules. Everyone simply uses horns, and there are motorcycle riders everywhere, and you all know how much I love those. Well I believe this was the start to my problems. J We stopped to eat dinner at a Pizza Hut and I could not even eat my stomach hurt so bad.

We finally arrived at a families home for the night. We went right to sleep we were all so exhausted. Though I did not seep very well. It was very uncomfortable and hot, and unfortunately I was up throwing up every couple hours. This was the worst feeling I have ever felt in my entire life. I’ll leave the fun details out until later J but basically my stomach had nothing in it so I was vomiting out all the water in me and my stomach would not let anything stay down including water. Everyone else woke up around6:30am. Brandon came to check on me, no one knew I had been up all night, and fro that moment he never left my side the rest of our eventful day. I threw up a couple more times and got steadily worse. My body got extremely weak, my skin began to tighten up, I was getting hot and cold flashes and was very dizzy.

During this time another team member came into country with an infection on his face that had worsened the same day, s our leaders were working very hard to get us both the best medical attention possible. Everyone was amazing. God was truly present, I knew I was in safe hands. This is really a novel of a story so I’ll skip many details. The decision was maid that our other team member had to go home, meaning back to the states and I was off to a local hospital t get an IV treatment, I was clearly dehydrated, and you can guess how trilled I was. Let’s be honest, I was terrified.

So we get to the hospital, we had one of our translators with us, who was an absolute angel, and they got to work. The doctors were amazing, so gentle and sensitive to my fears and Brandon was holding my hand and with me the whole time. I Could not have done this with out him. Well, I made it through!! We were there for almost 3 hours. After the first bag of water I already felt better, and I began to get hungry which was a great sign.

So we left the hospital with some antibiotics in hand and lf\left for the camp. I was still very weak and very exhausted. This day literally took everything out of me. Instead of going to the cap with the rest of the team, our leader put me and our angel translator up in a hotel. This enabled me to rest and gain my strength back up. We were there for 2 nights. We got to enjoy comfy beds, hot showers, and air conditioning. J We came back into the town “C” which is where I originally got sick today and I am much better. The rest was needed and more rest is still to be needed, but that is what is planned for the whole team the rest of tonight and tomorrow.

I am very sad I missed the camp but I heard it went well. I am looking forward to participating in the rest of out activities.

I am feeling so thankful today for many reasons obviously. God completely got me through probably one of the most terrifying times and one of my biggest fears in life. But through this, I was able 1, to draw closer to Him to rely and TRUST in His strength, and 2, Brandon and I were able to add another thing on our lists of things that we have gone through. We definitely drew closer together during this time. He completely put all his needs aside and concentrated on me the whole day. When everything was so unknown and when I was getting worse he simply held my hand and prayed and used this weak moment to Trust in the Lord and well and seek his strength. I love him and the Lord even more today. Brandon was my comforter, my coach, and my greatest support. My leaders were amazing for all the decisions that needed to be made, and I thank them for that, and I thank my team for being so understanding. Oh, and Brandon and I got a picture in the hospital for those of you who don’t believe us! LOL I’ll try to post that soon.

So, just know now that I am in good hands. I am doing better, but still needs LOTS of prayers, so does the team. I am still not exactly sure what caused the vomiting, but I surely don’t want it to happen again! I still have so many thoughts and feelings about this experience but I think this is all I can hash out for now.

I love you all and miss you dearly. I have confidence knowing that you are praying, and thank you for taking the time to read this incredibly long post.

Now, please take the time to read Brandon’s version:

Brandon’s Version- The real one

This is the Day hat the Lord has made, I will rejoice and Be Glad in it!!

Hi family and friends, We love and miss you, but God has been doing great, weird, and challenging things here in us and so we have been very busy at work!

I woke up on Mondy morning here in Cirebon to a brand new sound I have never heard in my life, and I hope to never hear it again, although I will probably unfortunately hear it again sometime, but I woke up to Andrea telling me that she had been up all night throwing up and was still feeling really bad. The rest of the day she was feeling horrible and weak and dehydrated, but God was good and saw the whole thing through, and in His sovereignty and good will this was what He planned and wanted. Andrea and i learned waht it was like to be in another country, which could happen, and have to depend on no one but God alone. I could do nothing for her accept stay right by her side and comfort her and encourage her with thoughts that God is very good and is in control, and all I could do was pray and pray and pray! God has continued to teach me this as we draw nearer to our wedding that she is always His and I must treat her in this way, loving, caring, and as His child! I fail at this at man times where I try and tell God what we are going to do, but He is faithful to humble me! Thank God!

At the same time our team mate Dane had to go home because of a horrib;e Staff infection he had that was getting worse by the minute. So with all the chaos we finally got Andrea to the hospital and Dane towards the Airport and Andrea needed fluids, therefore an IV, oh no not a needel, oh yes a needle. Don’t worry, I made sure that I was with her every step of the way. When we got there the poor thing, she was miserable scared and even asked me if she could die from this, I gently said no, and pressed us forth into the hospital. When she got the IV in she held my hand tight and didn’t say a word, and was strong in the Lord the whole time. She was constantly encouraging me by how strong she was, and she even gave me words of encouragement from time to time! It was a huge time of growth for us! I know missions are a hard thing, and sickness is in the mix when you go, but God is so good and His grace and His mercy must be told and shared everywhere and we are becoming a great team that could make it together on the field if God calls and grants us deep feelings for the people’s in another country! It was in these moments that I knew that she was the girl that I loved and wanted to marry without a shadow of a doubt because she was truly at her worst with vomit breath, pale face and skin, she was all sweaty, and was not even really wanting me to close, but i truly could not do anything other than be right by her side and do anything I could to help her!! I love her and I can’t wait to marry her!! God is so good to give me vomit breath for a wife!! LOL

So, she stayed back in a Hotel with a Sister here named Ita, while the rest of us went to a Camp with some Chrstian kids and their friends. There were 30 kids, and we had a great time. We were up in the beautiful mountains where it was nice and cool and there were beautiful mountains around us and tons of fields opf agriculture, and rice patties, and crops, and it was all terraced and absolutely gorgeous. There was a beautiful waterfall in a gourge with a rock face on one side and a beautiful tree with awesome roots going everywhere like you would see on Tarzan, so I climbed them and screamed and it was awesome. But the camp we talked with the kids, and played with them, and they heard God’s word, and we hiked in the mountains with them, and we did an activity where we walked the road to golgotha at night, and we went to different stations where we revisited moments of Christ’s death and pain in the smallest amounts. God is good and great and He did great things in the hearts of the students there, and in ours as we joined them in worshipping God on this side of the world!!!!

So far, so good, with a few really unfortunate bumps in the road, again which do not know why God planned it this way, but He is good always and He planned them this way for His glory and our joy!! And as I have said we have grown and learned a ton already from God and He has already done some great things in His children’s lives. I know for me as well that He has given me a zeal again for His glory to be known after 4 years of academic Bible, I needed another active trip of ministry and God’s word to continue to grow and live like a Christian. I can’t wait to see how the rest of the trip will go, and to see what God will do here in us, through us, and to the people here! This is just what we Christians do; we live lives that glorify His name through our words and our actions, wherever and whenever, so that God’s glory is seen and known and so that we have joy to the fullest in living obedient lives in Jesus Christ’s strength! Can’t wait to show you all pictures and video! We Love You!!

Please continue to pray for us, for Andrea’s health to get fully better, for the rest of the team’s health to stay up, for oppurtunities and for God to do mighty things!

Praise God for all He has done already, and for all the M’s here and everything they did on that rough day for our team, and for taking such good care of us!!