Matthew 11:28

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest"

One thing my mother taught me at a young age was that God was not some kind of distant being. She, in fact, used the illustration one time that it was almost like we could carry Him in our pocket, or in other words, He could see what we were doing, He could hear what we were saying and that He was available to us just like any other normal "friend" we had in our lives. I would have to say that this is probably the springboard for the lack of eloquence that I have in my prayer life. I wish, sometimes, that like the scripture above, words were spoken eloquently to my Heavenly Father in prayer, but rather, I do pray like I am having a conversation with a friend in the room beside me probably because I've always sensed that He's not that far away. Sometimes I pray in broken sentences interjecting not spiritual "words", but modern day jargon like, for example, this week was a particularly trying week for our family here in Costa Rica and I murmured the words during a time when I was praying, "you know, Lord, I am really sick of this crap and I cannot possibly take any more"!

You see, Ken's mother was having a lung biopsy yesterday for what was thought to possibly be cancer on PET scans. Losing Ken's Dad just this past July, and my mother a year ago also in July; the thought of my mother-in-law even "possibly" having cancer made my stomach churn and I found myself unable to deal with the emotions of that. Thankfully, the biopsy of the lung as well as all her lymph nodes came back cancer-free. They believe that she has some form of tuberculosis, though they are culturing the biopsies to identify a type.

All this to say, I am so glad He doesn't turn His back on my raw speech when I pray. Sometimes I almost imagine Him rolling his eyes when my mouth opens! Thank you, Lord, for letting me continually "Come...." and "Just As I Am"!

Ken's Dad

Ken's father passed away this morning. We are sad because he is no longer with us, but we are grateful that he is no longer suffering! Please keep the entire Dundon family in your prayers as arrangements are being made. We will be traveling to NY for his funeral after a memorial service here in N.C.

Traveling

Ken did get in the U.S. safely on Sunday, not Saturday night due to a three hour delay in take-off from the airport in San Jose. This made it impossible for him to make his connecting flight in Dallas and he spent the night there. On Friday night his father had been admitted to a hospital in Atlanta, so on Monday morning we headed out early for there. We arrived in the afternoon, went to his sister's house, and then to the hospital with his Mom to see his Dad. Before we left his Dad's doctor came by to see his Mom and to talk with her. We were told that his father's condition is now terminal and yesterday he was placed in a Hospice Hospital. We have been told that his father has a few days to a few weeks to live.

Tonight, we are back in our home in N.C. and this weekend Ken will return to his sister's home in Atlanta. His brother and sister from New York will be coming down to Atlanta this weekend as well. Heather, Kyle, Jordan and I will try and keep the speaking engagements that we has committed to here in N.C. regarding our ministry in such places as churches, camps and the first week in August a VBS program in New York.

While Ken was a little surprised that his father has so little time left, we want you to know that it does not come as a total shock to our family. His father has been fighting this cancer for a very long time! One day soon his body will be free from pain and while we will miss him dearly here on earth, we rejoice because we know where he is going! God's timing is always perfect and we are thankful to be home during this time to support his Mom and to spend with his father.

You can pray for our family as we travel and as we go through the process of letting go of his father. Thank you!

Volcano Update, Dr's appt...

Last night I woke up in the middle of the night at around 1:30 a.m. to what sounded like very small pellets of ice hitting the windows and roof of the house. I thought it was just the usual wind that blows the banana tree leaves that are very close to our house. I found out this morning that the Volcano (Volcan Turrialba) has begun to erupt and that had I gotten out of bed I would have seen the ash (which they say looks like snow) and small particles of debris in the air! A now 4-mile radius near the volcano has been evacuated. Today, scientists say that there is evidence that the inner walls of the volcano near the crater are cracking, yet, they do not know for sure when the "major" eruption will occur, but they are saying it wll occur eminently. They are not reporting large rocks or lava being seen with this eruption, but on the eastern side of San Jose (the capital city) which is about an hour and a half from our location here, there was reports of fallen ash as well.

I went with Ken back to his rheumatologist today and his pelvic x-ray does show rheumatoid arthritis lesions on his sacroiliac joint, but nothing that the doctor was surprised to find or at this point was grossly abnormal. All of his blood work, rheumatoid factor, and a number of other blood and antibody counts which I cannot remember all of the names of, were off the charts in numbers pointing to rheumatoid arthritis and inflammation. He has been taken off of his gout medicine that he has been on for a number of years since he obviously does not have that condition and is starting new medicines for the rheumatoid arthritis; one of which is also used for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy to help with the side effects called Methotrexate. This medicine should force his body into remission and also help limit the progression of the disease. He should be feeling much better in two weeks. He will return to his doctor in two to three months with follow up blood work, and in one year have to have repeat x-rays. Right now he is not on a rheumatoid arthritis diet so to speak, although we will be monitoring his diet closely as we always have with his gout diet, and are well aware that certain foods can contribute to flare-ups of rheumatoid arthritis.

That's about all for tonight's post. Been a long day in the city and tomorrow is packed with a meeting with the accountant for camp business, a trip to the municipality for camp documents, camp bills to pay for the New Year, a trip to the city to get the three-month supply of Ken's Methotrexate...it's time to hit the hay!

Another flare

Yesterday, Ken saw a rheumatologist for what appeared to be another gout attack. At least, we were told in the States by our family physician that he suffered from gout. The attacks are coming so frequently that he only has about a week and a half of pain-free and non-swelling living. The doctor yesterday ordered again more blood work, three weeks ago he had a uric acid level which was raging out of control; but even with three weeks of medicine he continues to have swelling and pain. He also had an x-ray of his back. Today we found out that he has a positive RA (rheumatoid arthritis) antibody. Tomorrow, the doctor has requested that Ken return to his office at 2 p.m. to talk to us. Being told the blood work results over the phone, having a better understanding of the symptoms of RA and seeing what Ken has been going through really seems like this is probably a more accurate diagnosis. Besides the joint swelling, fatigue is a very prominent condition and Ken often has to take three hour naps when he has a flare-up. So, continue to keep Ken in your prayers as we see the doctor tomorrow and as he continues to receive treatment to stop the apparent progression of this arthritic condition.