Vehicle update, homesick, and another picture

The day after I posted the prayer request about our vehicle Kenneth found the perfect one for our price range while he was in Kampala! We were very excited how quickly it all happened and Cody is currently on his way to Kampala to pick it up. We are very thankful for your prayers and we are grateful to all of you who were a part of helping us purchase the vehicle.

Things are mostly going good for us. We continually fight different illnesses and honestly it is getting old. However as a missionary I am really beginning to learn and grasp that life is very different (or maybe I am in between). At some point all of this won't be so shocking all the time. Having orphans, widows and monkeys come to your gate on the same day, are starting to feel normal. Knowing that I need to hold tightly to God and continue to hold onto His word, and its power. I will add that during these physical draining times is when I miss home the most. I miss being with my friends and family. I miss chicken noodle soup when I am sick. I miss a cold drink, ice, ice cream, a comfortable bed, a shower, a flushing toilet that doesn't stink, a grocery store with everything I need and then some, people who understand me, etc.... I am continually reminded of the many blessings God has given me despite being homesick. Really I can't complain and I should focus on these things.

A good friend sent me a book called "At The Edge of The Village." It is about a family that served for 16 years in the Ivory Coast. I have really enjoyed the book because I can relate to the author so much. She has 4 kids that she home schools and she tells just different stories of their adventures as missionaries. You laugh you cry. Several stories I could really relate to. One part she write about in particular.

We have squirmed in the past, and will do so again in the future, because Africa is just "that type of place." Since we work in "that type of place," we will always be meeting with unpleasant, jumpy situations. They are just some of the occupational hazards in the life of an African missionary. In our work we are called by many names: translator, pastor, and missionary; but for now just call us "Squirming in Africa."

And just because I am obsessed with our new daughter.....

A picture with her eyes open!
Squirming,
Michaela

Prayer Requests and Pictures

I don't have a "normal" post but I do want to share a couple things with you in the way of prayer.

We are all doing pretty good, but I would ask you to continue to pray for us during the adjustment of having a newborn.

I also ask that you would pray for our team members the Williams' and Misty. They have been not feeling well lately. It seems that between our families there is always someone that is sick, and this time it seems to be their family. They could also use some prayer about their son Israel as he has rectal prolapse and they now have to make some decisions regarding this. We have been praying that God would guide them and lead them to what they are suppose to do.

Also we had enough money to purchase a vehicle and were really excited! After looking at the last place we purchased a vehicle, we found that the price of vehicles have gone up a couple thousand dollars. We are now looking for an adequate vehicle in our price range, so please pray we could find one.

An exciting thing is happening here in Kotido today. They are releasing the long awaited for Bible in Nakaramajong! Hooray for that!

I leave you with a couple pictures....just because :)



Acuka Mose's dad holding Eliana at 2 days old.

Pictures

We are all doing good. Kids are doing well with adjusting, with a little need for attention right now. Eliana is such a blessing and we are all enjoying loving on her. The kids are all very excited she has arrived. Joshua and Janaya are the most excited and have been fighting about who is going to hold her, and they are all being really helpful with the chores etc.

Her name means "God Answered" and we couldn't have said it better. We have a lack of great medical care here but we felt God telling us the whole time that it would all go fine. Her Nakarimajong name is Nalelian which means rejoice, and we also find this very fitting (thanks to our team for helping find this name). Labor was fast and went really well (as well as labor can go). I was only in labor for about 5 hours. We had a local midwife and Kristi Williams who both did a wonderful job. It was really nice having Eliana in the comfort of our home. I felt at peace the whole time. When she was born the first thing we all said when we saw her was "she is so fat" most of this arises from the fact that we have been around 2 preemies who were extremely small so she looked so big!

We have felt so much love and support during this time, and it has truly been such a blessing. We are so grateful for all of you who have given so much prayer, love, and encouragement.

Feeling Blessed!
Michaela

SHE'S HERE!

On April 4, 2011 at 12:57 a.m. Eliana Grace Fulk came into the world. The labor went extremely well in the comfort of our home with a local midwife, Cody and Kristi Williams. She weighs 8 lbs. 13oz and is 21 inches long. She is very healthy and loves to eat :) My labor was only 4 hours. We are very grateful for God's provision, and ease of the whole thing. Thanks to all of you who were praying with us and for us. I will try to post more pictures soon.
Thanks to our team as well who continues to bless us. Kristi was very helpful, and did a great job assisting the midwife. They helped watch our kids in the morning so we could get a little extra sleep and Misti made me quiche! We feel very blessed!
Love,
Michaela

Baby, Building and More

I know everyone is anxious to hear if we have had the baby. I wish I could say we have. My actual due date is not until Saturday, but I was hoping and thinking she would come early. Especially since I have been having contractions and strong Braxton hicks for about 3 weeks now. God's timing is perfect though and I am thankful for that. We have had a lot of illnesses running around lately and I see where some days I really would have struggled to give birth. We are now mostly healthy.

We have been busy doing things around the house with the beginning of rainy season. We are working on planting our garden, building a chicken/duck coup, fixing our driveway, and fixing up the apartments on our property. It is exciting to see all the changes. I will share some pictures for you and leave you with that, and hopefully next week I will have some exciting news and pictures of the baby to share with you!

This is the coup. It still needs a roof, fence and couple touch ups. We are excited to have eggs once it is complete. We have quite the collection of birds because the people here give them as gifts. We have 10 chickens, and 3 ducks.

There is another picture I posted a couple months ago when posting pictures of the house. If you remember the pictures this is quite an improvement. The land is tilled and today I planted the mounds of watermelon, cucumber, acorn squash and butternut squash (I was hoping with all that garden work I would go into labor....lol). Our peppers, and tomatoes are just peeking out of the ground. Just a couple more things to plant. We have enough land to let a couple local friends plant some items for themselves. Can't wait to reap the harvest!

Here is some progress from Shalom Home. I haven't posted much about it lately. It is coming slowly but surely. These pictures are about 2 weeks outdated. The round building is going to be for staff and all we need to do it put the thatched roof on it. They are also building a latrine. We have all the beds thanks to many of you, and we will be moving them in shortly.


Inside hall wayMichaela

Spoiled Brat

Have you ever asked God for something only to complain about how He answered? I have to say I get pretty irritated when my kids complain about something I gave them. But am I any different?

I was laying in bed, couldn't sleep. Was having contractions that seemed they were to lead to labor. I had been having contractions for 13 days prior to this praying that it would lead to labor. I was feeling sorry for myself and my situation and started changing my mind about having going into the labor because the situation wasn't "ideal". As I laid there I was thinking it wouldn't be the best time because Cody had malaria. That night, I was asking God that there would be a breeze because it was so hot in the house and I was drenched in sweat. About an hour later a nice breeze made it's way into the house. Then I started complaining because there was this abhorrent smell coming with it. In the field just above our house a dog had died and it's rotting carcass had brought a horrible smell inside our house. Seconds after I was disgusted.......it hit me. "You aren't happy with anything are you?" Lots of previous ideas of this same unsatisfied character crept up into my mind. The complaining, the sense of entitlement, the selfishness, the position of a spoiled child.

You could look at our short time of 5 months here and think they have come with a lot of trial and hardship. Compared to what? My life back in America? Newsflash..."You're not in Kansas (Colorado) anymore." Billions of people live way below the way I live and yet I still complain. And what about all the ways God has answered my prayers. What about what He has done and not what He hasn't. I needed to repent.

It can be difficult to go against the culture I was raised in thinking that I deserve to live a certain way. That when things don't go my way I can manipulate something to make it go my way. You see life isn't like that here. We can't just "fix" your problems. We have to have a deeper reliance on God for our needs. This is actually quite a blessing. So why am I complaining all the time? "God do this my way." How sad for me because this attitude makes me miss how He provides in other ways. Big ways. I've been so blind.

God has done some amazing things during our time here and answered our prayers in ways we had never expected, not to mention in the process we have grown in ways that are inexpressible.
Funny how I asked God to give me deeper faith like Habbakuk but wasn't prepared or grateful for the answer. (Wow this goes deeper than I thought :)

Habakkuk 3:17
Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer's; he makes me tread on my high places.

Seriously I have lived through none of these things Habakkuk describes. Am I going to let the joy of the Lord be my strength as Nehemiah says or I am going to be tossed about by my situations, and be held captive by my untrustworthy emotions and lies of how I think I should be living?

How sad it is that we can miss the many blessings of God because of our "brat" attitude.

2 Corinthians 4:8
We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.

1 Peter 1:6-7
In this you greatly rejoice, through now for a little while, if need be you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,

I could give 10 more scriptures but you probably get the point.

Michaela

Apeyo's Update

In our last newsletter (if you haven't seen it you can go to our website and download it under newsletters) I mentioned 2 malnourished kids that were in our neighborhood. The little girl was not as severe as the boy Apeyo and so naturally I gave him more attention. Apeyo is between 18 months and 2 years old and weighed 14 pounds. I started taking food to him and the little girl in the morning and evening. I would often bathe them as well. Apeyo was always covered in flies and in fact some were living in his ears. After 2 weeks I am happy to say he is doing much better. Thank you for your prayers for him. It is quite amazing how a massive amount of calories, nutrition, clean water, medicine, and love can change a person. God has answered so many prayers. His mother had another child right after him and so he took the back burner. As a mother she has really blossomed and is doing a good job taking care of him, and learning that his life has value. This last Sunday we took him and his family back to their village as they needed to prepare the ground for planting sorghum. It was a bittersweet moment. Good to see him stronger and in better health, especially good to see how his grandmother showed great love for him, sad that I will not be able to see him as much and see his smile.
Here he is was just 2 weeks ago after he started eating plumpy nut.

When we took him back to the village. His grandmother is to the left.



Please keep praying for Apeyo and his family. That his mother could continue to love and care for him. That his health could continue to improve. He has never learned to walk because he has not been strong enough. He is now strong enough to stand up for a small amount of time. Pray that the love of Jesus we showed to his family would bare fruit. That our relationship with his family would continue to grow.

I hesitate sharing stories like this because I fear the glory will go to me and not to God. Know that I am just an instrument. We don't have any super powers, and I am still a sinner like anyone else. I have issues in my life that God continues to mold more into His image. Given the same situation I would like to think many of you would do the same thing. Don't hear me wrong I love many of your encouraging words! It is refreshing. I just ask that you remember it is the power of God and nothing I have done apart from Him.

Luke 18:10
So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded say, "We are unworthy servants, we have only done what was our duty.

Love,
Michaela

P.S. I didn't share this with many people but wanted to let you know to keep praying for Achuka Moses that the Williams are caring for. He is another little preemie baby that was brought to our gate. His mother died while giving birth and we think she delivered him when she was 7 months along. They are taking care of him until he is strong enough to go back to the village. He is doing really well and is quite the healthy miracle. Continue to pray for the Williams family. You can check their updates at www.williamsinthewilderness.com