Personal Blog Post

I have tried to write this so it won’t go on and on forever but there is so much I want to share so I apologize for the lengthiness of it in advance.  I have a prayer request first of all for our son, Michael who has been on an 11 month mission trip since last September 2013.  We have spoken with him and he has to have a couple of procedures done later on in the week to fix a couple problems with his teeth that he’s been dealing with for a few months.  He finally went to a dentist because of a tooth he broke, it's really been bothering him lately.  What he didn’t know is that he also needs to have a root canal.  This dentist doesn't perform them so he referred him to someone that will.  Pray with us that everything goes smoothly and he'll have a quick recovery so he can finish the remainder of this trip strong.  If he would wait to come home to have these done, it would cost much more and he would not have medical coverage when he arrives back to the states because of all the changes with the new health reform.  With the root canal and extraction of the broken tooth, it is going to run close to $500. 

I have gone back and forth on whether to share a few things regarding Michael and his financial needs for a while.  While he has been fully funded for the entire 11 month mission trip for a while now, there have been several unexpected and some necessary expenses that are not covered as part of their funding.  The funding basically covers all of his traveling expenses to each ministry location as well as a food allowance of usually $3-5/day to eat.   It also covered a medical health insurance policy while traveling but just like any other insurance policy there are deductibles and items that the insurance will not cover.  It has been reassuring to know that they had coverage in case of illness or accident but when he was sick it would not always cover such things like when he needed penicillin shots, antibiotics or pain medication.  These were extra expenses that he hadn’t planned for.   They live a life of simplicity… most often sleeping floors, tents or hammocks.  Sometimes little to no plumbing, often using the "Bucket shower" system.  There’s been many times they could go into the nearest large city and purchase wifi to have communication back home with us and every now and then they would be able to access it for free.   On their days off they would try to do something fun like sight see or go to a museum and on occasion they would want to do something fun like rent scooters, bikes, go to the beach or when possible splurge for some “American cuisine”   These little extras add up and while they have been loving working and serving in the communities they have had the privilege of being in, they do not get paid so he has not had any income coming in since leaving his job a year ago to follow this path.   His cell phone he left with quit working quite awhile ago but thanks to the generosity of others, Kevin was able to take him a working smart phone (when he went to work side by side with him for a week in ministry in May) so that he could communicate with us when wifi is available.  I’m not sure but this phone may not be working (or at least not to it full potential) anymore since he has relied on a couple generous teammates to let him use their phone to skype call us a couple times this past month.  He has important deadlines and information that has to be relayed for when he gets back to the States at the end of this month.  Unfortunately his laptop is no longer working either (I am thinking this is probably why he hasn’t posted a blog in quite a while) 

While honestly I feel a little weird sharing all of this with you, I feel like I am supposed to for some reason.   Maybe God wants to work through this situation.  Maybe He wants me to lay aside my human pride of not asking others for help.  Or maybe He wants to use someone or their resources to bless Michael.  When I think of it like that, it is easy to share.  It’s not about me…. Rather it is about His son, Michael…  I  know that God has been and is still using Michael in so many ways these past several months and He has been growing his faith all throughout this amazing journey.   We are so proud of the work Michael and his team has done all over the world and have had nothing but joy helping him in any way God has allowed us to.  As I’ve been reading in my devotions, it seems they keep emphasizing how He often uses people and things that we would never imagine to help His children.  Maybe He wants to use someone through this situation to strengthen their faith, to show them that they can make a difference in His Kingdom. I am trying to just be obedient to let ya’ll know of this need.  If you would pray with us for him it would be greatly appreciated and if you would like to help Michael in some way… However small or big contact me and I'll let you know more.   I pray you will be blessed for it.  Please feel free to call or email me or send a personal message via fb or comment here and I can give you my phone # to reach.    We truly appreciate all the prayers and support that many of you have already shown to our son.  This has been an incredible year of growth in his faith (as well as ours) and we are looking forward to seeing what God has for him next.  
God Bless!
~Kathy~