Around 4:45 this morning we woke up to the sound of drums banging and yelling. We could hear it steadily progress around the streets of our neighborhood. It eventually came to our circle and very slowly (or so it seemed) went around and after waking everyone in the house up they finally left. Stu wanted to go out on the balcony with his paintball gun and start shooting. We found out it was a group from the school in out neighborhood celebrating that they were done taking their tests for the semester. Talk about frustrating!
I spent another week in bed. I am starting to feel very lazy! No, I wasn't taking it easy, I was very sick (AGAIN!). I finally went to the doctor and found out I had a VERY BAD sinus infection and also a stomach virus that was going around. Did I mention that it was right before Thanksgiving, so I didn't get to enjoy my Thanksgiving dinner. The two together knocked me out. I am finally back on my feet and trying to stay that way. Except for severe tooth pain! It feels like a cracked tooth (I had one on the other side last year). I guess I clench my teeth at night but I can't wear a mouth guard because it makes me gag as soon as I put it in (I have a very strong gag reflex). I think I will have to give in and go to the dentist soon. I just keep hoping it will miraculously go away. I can't seem to stay well this year.
Stu has been having shoulder pain that has progressively gotten worse. He can't even lift his arm at times. He finally got an MRI and found out that it is a split biceps tendon. It has to be repaired by arthroscopic surgery but there is not a doctor here that can do it. He will either have to go to the States to have it done or wait for a doctor to come down here. We are praying that God will provide a way to have the surgery done because he is in so much pain.
Stu has been busy this month preaching. He has preached at 3 different places. One weekend he preached at one place on Friday night and then another place Saturday night and all day Sunday! That same Sunday Josh was in the States, so me and Joy were on our own. Thankfully we have some good men in our church to lead the services. But on that Sunday night right before the service was to start, one of our teenage boys was hit by a car in front of the church. So the man that was supposed to teach the teen class took him to the hospital and we had to rearrange a few things. Thankfully it wasn't bad, he only fractured his knee.
We have been busy preparing for our busy month of December. We have Christmas Cantata this Sunday night and a Christmas dinner next Sunday night. I lead the kids choir and they will be singing a few songs at the dinner. They are excited about it. My boys are in the kid's choir and Jesse just can not stand still. When he is up there, he is looking around, wiggling, a typical Dennis the Menace! I have the hardest time leading the other kids because I am watching him and trying to get his attention to "give him the look". Of course, everyone else thinks it is funny!
The boys are eagerly counting down to Christmas. They started asking "how many days" the day after Thanksgiving. My mom sent us a big bag of chocolates that we can't get here and I separated them into baggies and put numbers on them and clipped them on a rope. That is how we are counting down. Every morning, as soon as they wake up, they get the bag for the day and ask for their chocolate. This is the only time I let them eat chocolate before breakfast!!!
