Zen and the art of "what the heck now"?

What a journey! For those of you who are un-aware, Lagniappe is preparing to move into phase two of its original plan as a mission church. We’re unsure of the face that this transition will ultimately take, but as of May ’09, we will be closing down the construction portion of the church – which will effectively end my time on the Mississippi Coast. The exit is bittersweet. I know in my heart that I’m tired, that my soul needs a chance to go rest – but I see the amount of construction that still needs to happen and this just makes me feel like I want to stay. It is interesting to need to find grace to come to the coast, to spend more than a year finding grace to stay, and now searching for the grace to leave.

I can’t say even to as where the road will take me. I have a number of options including going back to work for myself, going back to school, or even moving to Kenya to supervise the construction of hospitals there. I’m not sure what doors are going to be opened up to me – but I’m sure there will be an adventure that is worth pursuing through each one.

I’ve been home for a bit over a week now, trying to find relief from pain, visiting doctors, and trying to just be at peace with not swinging a hammer. The doctors have found no evidence of a serious pancreatic issue through this process and are encouraging me to just continue to search for patterns or anything that might give more evidence to where this pain originates from. I will say though, that even now as I sit at the airport, I am in far less pain then when I flew up here.

I was able to spend the majority of my time just taking it easy. This included spending time with family, seeing a few friends, and a lot of time just sitting in a coffee shop near my parent’s house and reading while they were at work. If you’re ever in the Harrisburg area, be sure to check out Saint Thomas Roasters in Linglestown. They serve excellent coffee, all roasted in house. And having me say that means a lot considering how much of a coffee elitist I have become!

I’m on my way back to the coast right now. I’m excited to see Moose and have the down time to just figure out what is next. I’m planning on a lot of fishing and hanging out on the beach so I can just have the time to talk with the Lord and see what’s next.

Thanks for checking in on me! You can be praying for me as I look for the next step in this journey!

Much Love

Prayer

Please keep praying for me regarding my pancreas. I just finished booking a flight home so I can see my doctor. I'll be landing in Baltimore on Thursday, about mid-day. Please continue to pray for my healing, that God's peace and love will minister to my heart, even through the pain and the medication. Also, please pray for my family. As you can imagine, this brings up many of the same fears we struggled with when this issue put me in the hospital before. Both of my parents are having a tough time with worrying about me and my health. I can't say I blame them - I'm worried too.

All that to say - please just be praying for me and my family. Thanks for your love and support.

Tiime for a Shorty

Alright. Construction is going well. We're almost done with a few houses! More on that at a later date though.

I really need prayer right now. My bout with chronic pancreatitis has re-flared up. I was in the hospital last night as a result and will be spending the rest of this week taking it really easy. For those of you who have walked with me through this process, thanks for your prayers and support.

I'm going to be taking it really easy for the next few days - so if you'd like a more personal update, please call. We don't have internet at our house so email and skype will be very difficult for me to get access to. Also, please pray for the Lord's provision through this time. I need grace at work - but grace for myself also. Additionally, my insurance is underwritten for anything with my pancreas (stupid pre-existing conditions) and thus this entire expense will be out of pocket. Finally, the medication they have me on really messes with my head. I will be spending the next week struggling with depression, discouragement, and nightmares. These are the side-effects that this medication hits me with. Thanks for your support and your love.

Oh... and Moose is doing well.