Free to Fly

Today we had Steve's follow up appointment! We are so thankful that his oxygen was 96; the highest I have seen it in two weeks! He is free to fly tomorrow! We will be flying out of Nairobi tomorrow morning and then run errands in Kampala then head home on Friday.
There are so many people to thank, but I am going to take another post to do that. But... I want to thank my kids for being so patient and letting others care for you! We love you soooo much and appreciate how flexible you are. God has gifted us with you!

Pictures of the Hospital

Steve is recovering nicely. He is feeling so much better and we are trying to get out and walk! Thank you for praying for us! 

Released!!

We are praising God that Steve was released from the hospital! He is still very weak, but in true Steve fashion, he keeps cracking jokes and pretending he is fine. He is being very careful to not overdue it! I am so thankful that he knows his limitations.
I was actually with Howard and Aileen at a mall getting some fun "American treats" when Steve called and said he was released two hours ago! We rushed to the hospital, paid the bill, stopped for lunch, picked up produce, and headed home to Howard and Aileen's. When we got home, Steve was exhausted and is now resting for a little while.
I realize that produce is abundant in the USA, but they have this fabulous little produce shop and I took pictures because I thought it was so beautiful. We do not have multitudes of produce in Soroti.
We pray that this can be a week of rest for Steve. Please keep us in your prayers as we are separated from out children for another week! We miss them so much, but we know that Steve has to heal. On Wednesday, Steve has a follow-up appointment and we hope to fly to Entebbe on Thursday and then have a driver bring us to Soroti on Friday! It seems so long to be without our kids, but we are thankful for modern conveniences of FaceTime.
Thank-you so much for praying for us!

Off oxygen!!

We woke up early this morning so we could make sure we didn't miss the doctor. We arrived at the hospital at 7:30 am and Steve is looking really good! The doctor arrived around 10 am and she is very pleased with his progress. All the blood work came back normal. Chest x-ray shows great improvement.  He is off oxygen and he is retraining his lungs to work properly. He is now allowed to walk a little more and we have taken a few walks down the hall. They said that he could possibly walk outside today if he promised to always be with me and rest if he needs to. He may be discharged tomorrow, but they will see how his oxygen is throughout the day today and tomorrow morning. We pray that we will be updating that tomorrow. We praise God for HIS healing power! 

Mandy Shaarda is traveling home today. It has been such a huge blessing to have her here with us. I am so thankful that God allowed her to be here and a part of this journey with us. 

Our kids are doing fine. They have their moments and I am so thankful that Auntie Karebear is willing to love them for us. We know that it is not easy to take care of stressed, tired and out-of-routine kids. Our "team" in Soroti has been amazing! Taking care of meals and schedules and all the little details. I cannot express my gratitude enough that God has placed us in Soroti to work alongside these wonderful people. 

We have really appreciated everyones prayer support. We feel very loved. We pray that through this whole ordeal it will strengthen our witness to our local community in Uganda! They have surrounded us with love and encouragement and we pray that we can continue to be a blessing to them. 

We are feeling the financial strain of such a large medical bill and we ask that you prayerfully consider helping us in this way. We do know that God has it all in His hands and we trust in that completely, but sometimes it is hard for our earthly minds to grasp the magnitude of it. If you feel God prompting you, please use this link to make a tax deductible donation. 

World Outreach Ministries

His first walk out of the room!

Just a few pictures!

Checking oxygen levels with out oxygen on. It seems to be lingering around 87-89. They are keeping him at 2 liters of oxygen for now and will continue to check him every four hours.

First time up and walking besides going to the bathroom or shower! He did pretty well. 

It has been so great having Mandy here! We have been trying to enjoy as much "American" food as possible.

Just a few pictures!

Checking oxygen levels with out oxygen on. It seems to be lingering around 87-89. They are keeping him at 2 liters of oxygen for now and will continue to check him every four hours.

First time up and walking besides going to the bathroom or shower! He did pretty well. 

It has been so great having Mandy here! We have been trying to enjoy as much "American" food as possible.

Update November 8, 2016

Today is a new day.  We arrived at the hospital at around 9:30 and found that Steve was not in his room. He was at the pulmonary department. He is making a little progress! It is slow, but it is sure. They are now trying to get him to move at least a little. They check his oxygen before he is allowed to stand and then they will check it when he lays back down. He had a chest x-ray and we are waiting for those results. They will slowly wean him off oxygen and keep him on the strong antibiotics for 2 more days. If his oxygen continues to improve they will look at releasing him MAYBE this weekend! We will have to stay in Kenya for at least a week so can have a follow up appointment. We realize this may change in a moment. We are going to go with it now! We are praying that our kids can join us for at least a little while, if not until we leave. We are trying to figure that out now!

My post may be a little vague, but right now I'm watching all this election stuff and I can't focus! I know that God is in control of all situations. Steve's medical condition and the presidential election. We pray that God can be glorified through it all!

Thoughts in the morning! November 7th, 2016

May God be gracious to us and bless us

    and make his face to shine upon us, Selah

2 

that your way may be known on earth,

    your saving power among all nations.

3 

Let the peoples praise you, O God;

    let all the peoples praise you!

Psalm 67: 1-3

2 Corinthians 4:16-18English Standard Version (ESV)

16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self[a] is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

I woke up and had so many thoughts running through my mind! Mainly, the thought that God needs to be exalted in this storm! We are so thankful for the community of believers around the world!! We feel the love and support from our American families and also from our Ugandan family!

 Last night, Dr. Juventine called me and we were discussing all the medical stuff and I don't know how to explain it all. Today when the doctor comes, I will call Dr. Juventine so he can talk to them. But anyway, he also reminded me that this is probably also a spiritual battle!! Steve has been so excited about ministry and God is working through him in ways we didn't expect. Satan is not happy! The devil has used this form (medical) of attack before on Steve. We know that God is in control and the devil will be defeated! I proceeded to cry with Dr. Juventine, but I am so thankful for his godly wisdom and knowledge of God's word. We are truly blessed with awesome godly pastors on both sides of the world!! 

I know that many people are praying for Steve's health to be restored, but I also ask you to pray that this will strengthen our faith in ways that infuriates the devil and God is glorified and made known among the nations! 

Steve is progressing in his healing and we are able to talk to each other now. He doesn't get so winded and it is good to have my husband back to at least this capacity. Last night, the nurse checked him and he was only on 3.9 liters and his oxygen was 91. I will go back to the hospital at around 9:30 am and I am praying that he has progressed even more! 

The kids went camping last night with our friends at Sisyi Falls and today they will go from there to Mbale to go swimming!! I am overwhelmed with gratefulness for our "team" here in Uganda! My kids are loved and cared for!! Jennifer (nurse) and Daniel (vet) are with them which is so nice that they can encourage them with the good reports of progress on Steve and my kids will trust them. Rachel (Daniel's wife) is with them so she can squish them and love on them!! God has made them all uniquely designed and they will be well cared for! This is such an encouragement to Steve and I. There are so many more people helping with their care and can't even begin to thank them enough! They are being the hands and feet of Jesus to them!! 

I am blessed with this little haven of peace to reflect and be in God's Word! God really does take care of all the little details!

Sunday Evening, November 6th

Today was a good day! Steve has made a little progress! It is good to see him able to talk and not get so out of breath. He says that he can't yawn because he just can't get enough oxygen into his lungs! He can now lay on his side and he doesn't have tons of tubs hooked up to him. He has a long way to go.  An example of this is he can't walk to the bathroom without feeling like he just ran a marathon!  I will be thankful for the progress I see!
Mandy Shaarda arrived safely this morning at around 10:45. It was so nice to have someone to talk to and just go out with. We actually went to a mall and ate lunch and just walked around. I was really needing shampoo and conditioner (seems so minor) and I could find some here. We can not get it in Soroti, so I am so thankful for the little things I can enjoy here. We are now with Howard and Aileen Oostendorf, missionaries with Freedom in Christ. They are opening their home to us and I feel so blessed!!
I am very tired, but I wanted to update before I went to bed for those of you who were wondering.

Seriously, Cold Stone Creamery? Where am I?? Unfortunately, I don't really want to be here!

Update on Sunday, November 6

Steve is being transferred to a private room!!! Praise the Lord! All the tests are pointing to malaria as the cause. It is a side effect that can happen. (He will be going on anti-malarials!!!!) They have checked his heart and his lungs and everything in between and everything is showing that malaria caused this!
He is still on oxygen and will be for some time, but it will get better. Today they have him on 5 liters of oxygen and a nose canula and his oxygen is around 89-92. I wish it was a bit higher, but the doctor assures me that it will start going up. We just have to be patient!
I(Tanya) am staying with missionaries in Nairobi! They have been a huge blessing to me and it feels good to be able to go "home" and process everything with someone. Mandy Shaarda our "teammate" is flying in this morning from Entebbe and will be with me until Thursday! It will be so nice to have someone to sit with me. Right now, I am enjoying just being with Steve. He can actually talk a little bit today and I can hear him.  Thank you so much for praying and we covet your continued prayers!
God is good even in the midst of chaos! He cares for every detail and I am so grateful for how he has provided just the right people along the way!
Just so you all know! I really do have a great caring husband and I am so thankful that God has let me keep him longer!!

Steve in Kenya

Dear Friends and Family,

I am sure many of you have heard that Steve has been medically evacuated from Soroti to Nairobi, Kenya. Our home office at World Outreach Ministries has encouraged us to send you and emergency update and let you know about our current situation and ask you to prayerfully consider sending extra donations to go towards our additional medical and travel expenses. It is difficult to ask for more donations, but I am thankful that they are pushing us to do so, but right now we also covet your prayers for answers. Let me give you a glance at our last 48 hours and before.

On Saturday, October 29^th, Steve became very weak. He was found to have malaria and was treated accordingly. Unfortunately, he did not show signs of improvement. We then made several trips to the hospital, but all the blood work came back fairly normal. He did not have high white blood count, and the malaria was not there. He had a chest x-ray and that revealed that he had significant amounts of fluid on his lungs. His pulse oxygen was low and we put him on oxygen, but the oxygen was not enough to get his levels above around 83. Our teammates, Jennifer (nurse) and Daniel (veterinarian) suggested that we need to have Steve medically evacuated. They then started working on that process for us. The plane did not have enough time to land in Soroti and make it back to Nairobi in the needed amount of time so we had to wait until the next morning to have him evacuated out. I slept at the hospital and woke with Steve about every hour to check his oxygen levels. The nurse at the hospital was very diligent also and for that I was so thankful. I then went home at around 5:30 to shower and then came back to the hospital to wait for the plane. Jennifer and Daniel were also back at the hospital by 7 am and we consulted with Dr. Juventine and we were all very glad he was being transferred to Nairobi. The plan had a little trouble getting security clearance to fly into Soroti, but they eventually got and arrived at Soroti airport at around 11 am. Dr. Juventine was driving us to the airport in the hospitals new ambulance and we were all so thankful, but then the engine died about half way to the airport. We quickly found another form of transportation via a Red Cross truck. The driver of this truck also knows Steve and was more than happy to rush him to the airport. We finally arrived and the doctor on the airplane assessed Steve. He was then put on oxygen and finally his levels went above 90. We then took off on the bumpiest plane ride that I have experienced. Due to Steve’s oxygen levels dropping when the plane was to high, we had to fly at a very low altitude that makes it very bumpy. I proceeded to empty the contents of my stomach in a little white bag when we were about 15 minutes from landing. Finally, we landed in Nairobi and took an ambulance ride to Aga Kahn hospital. We have been treated very well, and they are doing a ton of tests. Right now they say that he has pulmonary edema (?), but they are still trying to figure out the cause. The blood work is showing no infection, so right now he is on a strong antibiotic, but I think they will stop that because it doesn’t seem to be the cause. They started him on Lasix today and they are also giving him something so he doesn’t form any blood clots.

This is where we are now; please continue to pray for answers! I am so thankful for all the prayers and comments. It helps to know people are surrounding us in God’s power. I am also so thankful for my friends in Soroti who are surrounding my kids and us with comfort and wisdom. God is good and we praise him in this storm!!

I am going to try to keep updating on my blog so I can just put one thing out there.

If you are feeling led to help us financially you can donate to World Outreach Ministries at this link World Outreach Ministries. Or you can send monies to:  

World Outreach Ministries
   PO Box B
   Marietta, GA 30061

In the memo, you will want to Steve Tiesenga.

Thank you so much for your prayers and keep them coming!

We received a turkey as gift and I cried!

Sometimes life can be so humbling, we received a turkey as a gift and I cried. Pius's family was so thankful for the help we gave to Pius that they gave us the fattest turkey I have seen in this country. I was not expecting anything from them. I truly loved helping them with this issue and I felt completely overwhelmed by this huge gift! Ashley had been talking to John, our guard, about our upcoming visitors and he knew that we eat turkey on Thanksgiving so it was an extremely thoughtful gift! I wish you all could meet this family and know how kind and hardworking they are.
Update on Pius: He is home and doing great! He will need to rest and come back for a check up in about two weeks!

Pius showing his incision. 

John, Anna, Paul, Pius, Robert, Evelyn, and Tanya

John gave Ashley a rooster to share with her friends when they visit! It went a little crazy on her! 

Now it settled down!

Our huge turkey that made me cry! 

Showing off our turkey in front of the new house John is building. The roof blew off the house that he is sleeping in now, so praying that they get the work done fast!

They really are all so smiley.

Robert, such a little man!

Paul, so much like his dad! 

Pius

This week has been a crazy week! We are so happy that Pius's surgery is over! We have been bringing food daily to John(father) Anna(mother) and Fibe(aunt) all week. We bring tea at around 10 am, then at around 1:30 pm we bring lunch, we bring dinner around 7:30 pm. Bringing food is no big deal, but driving on the awful road that many times a day drives me batty!! I love this family and it is so worth it. They are incredibly grateful and they are satisfied with whatever we bring them. I pray that we are showing them the love of Jesus. 

Pius is recovering well, and for that I am thankful! I am so ready to see his sweet smile again. They are keeping him pretty medicated, so the pain is being managed well. It is such a blessing to be in a hospital that cares that their patient is comfortable! I am so thankful for Bethesda and the way they show the love of Jesus. Thank you all for praying for Pius and his family. We covet your continued prayers for healing.

Evelyn-2 year old sister

John(father) by his home with a temporary roof. The roof was blown off in a bad wind storm.

The kids all love Uncle Steve

Anna(mom) giving baby Tanya a bath before we head to town. Seriously, how do they bend like that!

Robert (3 year old brother ) pushing a tire for fun!

John's dad looking at a picture of Steve's parents. They are the same age!!! 

Getting the ultrasound done to check everything out!

The smile that I LOVE!!

Getting a blood transfusion in preparation for surgery.

Pius and John were drawing to keep themselves busy! Its long days sitting in these hot hospitals.

Preparing for surgery! 

Beautiful Anna(mother) waiting for Pius to come out of surgery!

The trolley wouldn't fit into the room so John and some nurses carried him from the hallway to his bed! 

Courtney is a PICU nurse from California, she is volunteering at Bethesda for 6 months. She is such a blessing!!

The doctors and nurses discussing Pius's treatment after surgery! I was very pleased with the Doctors and the nurses caring for our little Pius! 

Bugs

I really love living in Uganda, but sometimes I am just so sick of bugs! Mostly little tiny ants and weevils in my flour! I made English muffins today and noticed all tiny black dots in them! I tried to pick out as many as possible, but they are still there. And we will still eat the English muffins, but it just drives me crazy!!
Everyday we find hundreds of little tiny ants in our hot pot! It really is no big deal, because you just rinse them out and start to boil your hot water, but once again "It drives me crazy!!" I also find these little monsters in my computer and crawling on my arms!
Seriously, how do you get rid of them?  Nothing is sealed in our house!

People may think that the big things would be more frustrating, but I beg to differ! Ashley saw a mouse scamper across her floor, but we immediately caught it in a trap. We trapped another little rodent in her room, but now they are gone!!
We see snakes once in awhile, but they are usually outside and also easier to kill and dispose of!

I am not complaining(maybe a little),but trying to give you an idea of life on this side of the world!!

Pray for Christine

I really don't even know how to write this to explain it, but I am going to try.

My friend, Christine, just lost her sister, Mary. Mary was young and married to a man who had another wife. In Uganda, it is very normal for a man to have many wives. I have met Mary many times and she was a lovely young woman.
I just found our today that Mary was killed by her co-wife's brother. Seriously, how does this happen!!??  He raped her and then broke her neck. He is now on the run and I pray the police find him.
Christine is a Christian and I pray that she was able to witness to Mary. I pray that Mary knew the Lord and he was with her in her final hours! I can't get it out of my mind.

Please join me in praying for Christine and her family! Pray that Christine can be a light to them and that they will come to know Jesus through this difficult time!

I wish I knew what else to write, but honestly, I am just in shock. Please pray for me as a digest this information.

A trip to Bethesda Hospital

This is our watchman,  John, and two of his children, Evelyn and Pious. Pious has sickle cell disease and needs medication every few months to maintain his health. In this picture they aren't smiling, but they really are smiley great people. God has blessed us with this honest, hard-working man.

Evelyn is normally very smiley, but she is getting to the age that she fears "muzungus" white people. 

Pious is waiting to receive his medication! He was very interested in my phone! 

School Time

I  just want to thank all of you that our praying for our school time. It is going great. This is what our classroom looks like most days. We sit at our dining room table and we take turns doing different classes. While I work with one or two, the others are working on independent studies. 

I have been so content to be at home working with them and I know that it is your prayers that sustain us. Please continue to pray for us as we complete our school year and prepare for another year!

Uncle Martin and Aunt Betty's home in the village

Having some great conversation while eating.

Oloit is a boy that is staying with Uncle Martin and  Mama; he is sooo cute and smiles and laughs all the time! His parents are having land issues, so they are trying to work those out before they pick him up from the village.

Kate loves making Janine smile!

Steve and Uncle Martin

Troy was having fun showing them all card tricks! 

Baby Janine fell asleep in Ashley's arms!! She is so sweet! Both of them!