Sickness Invasion

[Tim]

Mike and Linda Chase have been here more than a month and have just over a month to go before leaving Vietnam.  It's been great having them here, because they bring new energy into relationships outside of our family (as well as being good at the being-grandparents-gig).  My dad has taught at the Vision Cafe for English Club, on topics that are high-interest to the college-aged kids that come.  My mom loves the children of the neighborhood, and now when they come to the door they ask "Can Daniel or Linda come out and play?"

But there is sickness in the house.  On Tuesday both grandparents were feeling so lousy we went to the hospital to get a blood test done.  The excellent news was that neither of them tested positive for Dengue Fever, which is running around in our city right now.  But they both were struggling with bacterial infection and my dad was in such bad shape they wanted to admit him on the spot.

I know there are worse places to be when you're sick, but a Vietnamese hospital is a pretty lousy place to try to regain strength.  Even the private one I had taken them to was not going to be a nice place to recoup.  So they said "he should stay in the hospital 3 days" and I firmly and politely declined.  What a risk that feels like!  What if, what if, what if...  What if I take my two ailing parents away from the hospital and their condition spirals down?  At the risk of huge regrets, we left the hospital and headed for a pharmacy and home.

My dad improved, but my mom's condition has deteriorated.  Today is better for her than Wednesday was--it was pretty bad, but this morning (Christmas Eve), she is still not well.  Also this morning, Janet woke up to a sore throat.  So sickness is among us, and we need healing.  Jesus said that those who ask will receive (and those who seek will find), and we have seen the benefit from past prayers.  Thanks for praying for each of us!

Before they got sick, my mom was able to have a birthday party with the neighborhood kids.  It was a joint party, in between her bday and God's.  (I recently stumbled across a Christmas t-shirt that has the old, traditional picture of Jesus knocking, but he's holding a candle and is wearing a "birthday boy" hat.  It tickled me!)

Here are some pics from that birthday party:

Sloppy Joes for dinner.

Games to follow.  This is a Q-tip shooting contest.

My dad, already feeling the sickness, but still up and about on that party day.

Although it looks like she is warming her hands to the fire atop her cake, there was no need for warmth (it's still plenty warm here!).  Explaining game rules and birthday customs took patience, as the only translators on hand were 12 years old...

Merry Christmas!