ahora

So lately a few things have been going on...things that bring me to pause and remember God's sovereignty over all things. We were reminded in church yesterday that our God is the God who sees - he sees those who are hurting...those who are in distress...those who are in need of God's grace, mercy and love in their lives. He sees us and carries us through every day of our lives - even the darkest of days.

First, as I last posted, Emily - one of my students from last year - found out that she has a tumor in her abdomen. Doctors now know that it is a pancreatic endocrine tumor but, as far as I know, they still don't know if it is cancerous or not. She is now back home and is waiting to hear about treatment options.

Second, one of our good friends - Conor - found out this past week that he has to have another brain surgery to remove more cancer. This will be a third surgery for him. In the long-run, it is a positive thing because they will get more cancer out...but, as you can imagine, it is a difficult time of uncertainty and anxiety for him and his wife. They both know that God is in control, but that doesn't take all of the nervousness away. Please pray that the doctor will get it ALL out this time around so they won't have to look towards another future surgery.

Third, I just found out today that the husband of my dorm RD, Kelly, suddenly and unexpectedly died this past Saturday. I have no words. I cannot fathom losing my husband.
I have yet to hear what exactly happened - according to Calvin College's prayer log, it had something to do with his heart, but please hold Kelly up in prayer - pray that God will protect her heart and her mind through this tragic time.
This is her blog and you can read a bit about the situation there.

I found out over the weekend that Emily, one of my students (who graduated last year), has a tumor in her abdomen. We don't know yet whether or not it is cancer but, nonetheless, it is a scary situation that needs lots of prayer.

She went tubing with some of her friends this past weekend and, afterwards, had severe abdominal pain. She went to the hospital and is still there. The doctors were going to be doing some testing and then figure out the appropriate plan of action. Hopefully we'll hear something soon.

Please pray for Emily as she is in Iowa - far from home for college - and scared for what this may mean for her; for her family as they walk this journey with her miles apart (I believe her mom flew out to be with her, but the rest of her family is in WA and her brother is a junior this year) and for the doctors as they conduct testing and discern the best ways to treat whatever this is. Above all, pray that it is NOT cancerous and, of course, that God's will be done and that he will give Emily the strength she needs from day to day.

So apparently I have a Vitamin D deficiency due to lack of sun exposure. I went to the doctor (my first time at a new doctor's clinic since moving) and was told I had to get some labs done to check on a few things (normal procedure, not because anything was suspicious). When my labs came back, I got a call saying my VD levels were down. A good VD level is supposed to be in the 60's and mine is in the low 30's - still, I was told, in a good range, but on the very low end of it. Now I have to take supplements.

I don't know about you, but being in my low 20's and having to take supplements already makes me feel old. It's really not that big of a deal. It's more humorous than anything to me. Washington is a state that gets rain for its fall, winter and spring seasons - rain, rain and more rain along with dreary, sunless skies. I had a difficult winter this past year because all that rain made me feel depressed and tired...now I know part of the reason why!

When I came back to WA after being in MI for a few weeks this past summer, I vowed that I would be more positive about living here and not so negative because I really do enjoy living here. It feels more and more home-ish the longer we're here. But, I have to be honest, I know that MI isn't perfect....but I really really (in jest, of course) want to play this VD deficiency card for as long as I can to those who claim that WA is the best place on earth. :)

Yup, still here.

Lately Kent and I have been walking or riding our bikes everywhere. We bike to work (or the bus stop for Kent), the Fairway, our bank, the post office, grandma's house and church. Last month we only filled our car up once! Our goal is to stretch this tank out for 2 months...but we'll see depending on the weather. We figure the benefits are numerous: not only are we minimizing our carbon footprint (we love caring for the earth God created), but we are enjoying the great outdoors whilst getting exersize and having fun! I love biking and forgot how much I loved it growing up until recently. It's also fun running into 4 people you know on the way to breakfast with grandma on Saturday morning and chatting with them (one fun thing about living in a small town). :)

Thankfully it has been sunny and in the 80's for the past week. It has helped my spirits stay high. Fall is creeping in, though, and I find myself missing Michigan in the Fall. The Fall was always my favorite season - especially in October...the trees are all changing to very vibrant yellows, reds and oranges...It makes me think of South Christian football, pep band, hot chocolate, pumpkin carving and hay rides.

School has been going great (second time around is SO much better!)! I am more able to just sit back and enjoy my students and the subject I teach instead of worrying about the next assignments, etc. I had a great 1st year, but 2nd year is just not comparable.

Tomorrow I'll be going down to Tacoma with my friend Laura to see the top 10 dancers from So You Think You Can Dance from this past season! I'm SO excited! :) I haven't been feeling all that great the last few days, so I hope to get a good night's sleep in order to completely enjoy myself tomorrow.